I love leaf tea. I buy it in bulk. It's much nicer than teabags. It doesn't have to be fiddly. I just put a spoonful in a mug and pour on boiled water, and just keep pouring on more boiled water as I drink it, as it lasts for several mugfuls. Then I put the leaves in a box with fruit and veg waste, that I later put on my compost heap.
Wesley, is your Twining's the same blend as in the UK?
The Twining's you get here is lighter than the English sort. Once you add milk it tastes of nothing.
My top source of English builder's tea is Marks and Sparks these days. Before they were here I used to trek accross town to get PG Tips in the Indian supermarket.
We buy Twining's Earl Grey in boxes of 100 bags from Costco. For as long as I've known him, it was D's brew of choice, and suddenly a couple of months ago he started buying "ordinary" (i.e. not Earl Grey) tea, saying that he'd kind of gone off it, although he'll still have the odd cup. I blame Tim Horton's - he drinks their "steeped" tea as if there was no tomorrow - I think it's so strong it's buggered his taste-buds.
It's a beautiful, sunny but cold day here (-9° at the moment), and forecast to be much the same until Thursday, when we're apparently going to get more sn*w.
My normal daily tea is Waitrose Ceylon tea bags, but if I want a nice treat of an afternoon I make a pot of the oolong tea leaves my husband bought in China.
There’s a little dim sum house here which does tea tasting with dim sum which is a very nice way to spend an evening.
Lazy day, we didn’t get back from church til nearly 2.30 because we were chatting so we had a late lunch of bread and cheese. I might go for a quick walk before it gets dark.
LVER, as far as I can tell Twinings've got the same strength here as in Blighty, though not everything is on offer. I've just checked their French site, and it is indeed shocking to see that they call English Breakfast 'medium'! The one I get in the shops here is quite strong and described as such, to the extent that I normally try to avoid having two cuppas (actually, muggas) of it for breakfast. Two cuppas anyway only works if I have time, and do not need to rush.
What we haven't got is the UK Strong English Breakfast variety, but that's just as well! I'd probably go ballistic! My second cuppa is normally one of the proper Yorkshire brand Teas (classic or gold), or another Twinings one, like Darjeeling or Prince of Wales, or even - if I already feel empowered aplenty - just a meek Earl Grey. (The Twinings I get here is apparently packed in Poland, or so it says.)
Here's the Twinings I've found so far in these 'ere climes, all of which I have as bags (I don't do fruit tea, I'm afraid; perhaps I should take up Rooibos again?):
English Breakfast (strong)
Irish Breakfast (strong)
Ceylon Breakfast (quite strong; not seen for a while)
Darjeeling (medium... mmmmh! - Absolute best I've ever had wasn't Twinings though, but some expensive leaf tea served by a Norn Irn friend of mine!)
Prince of Wales (medium)
Earl Grey (weak)
Lady Grey (weak)
Lapsang Souchong (very strong; now, that one isn't really for me... the taste of China's heavy industry areas, as I like to call it! ... but I've got some if friends pop by)
and some milder, mixed varieties, nice in summer, to be enjoyed alone or with local, low-strength friends , such as: Vanilla Tea
Indian Chai
Orange and Cinnamon
White Tea (delicious, but a bit on the weak side for me)
Sorry for going on in such length, but I quite enjoy m'tea. And dare I say, at home exclusively in my Ship of Fools mugs! They're good quality receptacles.
So, ... |_|o \_/o cuppa, anyone? Please pour yourselves! ~(_)o
Grey and dreary here, with just a spattering of light rain, after some wonderfully mild days more like May than February!
I am comforting myself with PIE, roast potatoes, and gravy. CHEESE will follow.
@Piglet, what is this thing called Sn*w of which you speak? Hopefully, this corner of Ukland will remain free of such Abominations. What with Brexit and Complete Disaster imminent, we have enough to contend with, IMHO.
@Piglet, what is this thing called Sn*w of which you speak? Hopefully, this corner of Ukland will remain free of such Abominations. What with Brexit and Complete Disaster imminent, we have enough to contend with, IMHO.
True. But last March the EU sent us the Beast from the East as a reminder of our Utter Frailty, Ineptitude and Confusion when faced with the white stuff ... who's to say that they won't do so again? They are only 23 (or is that 21?) miles away across La Manche.
I'm another Tai Chi beginner - if I was going to do exercise, I wanted it to be a martial art if you speeded it up! We do Chen style, 19 form.
I'm also a fan of good leaf tea. Every so often I send off to either Imperial Teas of Lincoln (on Steep Hill in a Norman building!) or the Bath Tea Emporium. I'm particularly fond of Russian Caravan Tea, which I first tried in the little underground café at the Bath tea shop.
... the BFTE is more likely to be a present from Uncle Vlad ...
That's what I thought at the time - it was a cause of much embuggerance when we were trying to get back to Canada after my dad's funeral.
It's cold (-8°) but calm here, with just a few clouds: no sign at the moment of Uncle Vlad's sidekick the occupant of the White House sending us any more of his nasty weather. I don't expect that state of affairs to last ...
Lunch has been cooked and eaten - baked potatoes with CHEESE followed by apple and blackberry crumble (we had some rather sad-looking apples that needed using up) - and the new bread-machine is currently having its maiden voyage. French sticks should be available for virtual tasting in a couple of hours.
I’m in the wake of building work being completed, so now gradually getting things back to where they should be. It’s a bit like one of those plastic puzzles with 9 squares, one of which is missing. I have to move one thing to somewhere it won’t end up in order to get another into place. Chaos but I can see the end of it soon. Cat wanders around confused at her world changing each time she wakes up.
Another lovely April February day here in Ukland. The balmy weather contrasts strongly with the barmy behaviour of our revered House of Toddlers.....
@Piglet, I have Scotch BROTH heating up on the Palace Stove. Please may I have some nice virtual French bread to go with it? Thank you!
(Comfort food is needed, post-Pilates session....... I seem to be now able to tell my Abs from my Glutes, and Madam Torturer is pleased with my progress.
I will, I guess, eventually Confess All, and have to Flee.)
D's shepherd's pie on the menu chez Piglet today, which is always nice. It's sort of his signature dish (technically it's cottage pie, as it's made with minced beef, but you get the idea). I've never had a better one; he could give lessons to a few quite upmarket restaurants where we've tried it, but it's never been quite as good.
After lunch I'm going to try my hand at making my own passata - how hard can that be? I like the idea of having ready-to-use tomatoes in the freezer, and as the tomatoes we buy at Costco come in rather large packs it sort of makes sense.
[...] D's shepherd's pie on the menu chez Piglet today, which is always nice. It's sort of his signature dish (technically it's cottage pie, as it's made with minced beef, but you get the idea). [...]
Reporting from the front line of baby’sdleep regression, toddler chicken pox and half term for the elder one, it’s a good thing there is chocolate cake around.
We’re getting solar panels installed tomorrow and Thursday so I can almost guarantee you six months of deluging rain starting from Friday.
For those of you looking for the Pilates/yoga/tai chi type exercise, if your local sports centre runs Les Mills courses, I can highly recommend Body Balance which is a bit of everything.
And in terms of sorting out, we still have one room completely full of stuff. By early April it will need to be slept in so I have a deadline...
I cooked a couple of pork shoulder steaks in the slow cooker today, with onions, carrots, butternut squash, apple and sage, in cider & chicken stock, finished of with a slosh of double cream. Served with celeriac mash - both of these were new dishes to us, and they went down very well (along with my favourite of the brassicas, romanesco cauliflower.
We will definitely have that again.
I made plenty of mash, so will use the leftovers to make a version of colcannon for lunch later in the week.
Enjoying a clear sky and the full moon this evening.
TBH neither of us really likes pork all that much. Bacon, sausages and charcuterie, yes, but even without the cute factor of piglets, we could take it or leave it (and rather leave it).
🐖
I made the passata, and I'm sure it'll make a nice base for the chilli I'm making at the weekend for a communal lunch at the Cathedral, but I don't know that I'll make it again. A kilo of tomatoes only yielded about a pint of sauce, so I'm not sure it's worth it, especially as I could get four big jars of tomato and basil sauce for under $10.
Curry & Quiz at our shack last night. Mrs Sioni supplied a vast beef curry which was fallen upon by the Hungry Horde (we have a good number of teenage lads who can put away two dinners with no bother at all). She does far too good a curry for that lot.
I made the passata, and I'm sure it'll make a nice base for the chilli I'm making at the weekend for a communal lunch at the Cathedral, but I don't know that I'll make it again. A kilo of tomatoes only yielded about a pint of sauce, so I'm not sure it's worth it, especially as I could get four big jars of tomato and basil sauce for under $10.
Ah well, you live and learn.
A bit like jam - lots of fruit, sugar and time spent stirring for just a couple of jars of jam. Non-jam makers have no idea.
Currently making a broth (or whatever soup minus veggies is) from the chicken carcass left over from yesterday’s dinner. 9 servings from one smallish bird is pretty good going.
D's shepherd's pie on the menu chez Piglet today, which is always nice. It's sort of his signature dish (technically it's cottage pie, as it's made with minced beef, but you get the idea). I've never had a better one; he could give lessons to a few quite upmarket restaurants where we've tried it, but it's never been quite as good.
After lunch I'm going to try my hand at making my own passata - how hard can that be? I like the idea of having ready-to-use tomatoes in the freezer, and as the tomatoes we buy at Costco come in rather large packs it sort of makes sense.
Now, I am glad to read that. What I also loosely call shepherd's pie is made with minced cow, and I suffer cruel criticism for ascribing it to a shepherd. But I won't eat sheep, and this is the last meat recipe I still make. I would be able to modestly say that I have a quite exceptional recipe if I actually used a recipe, but suffice it to say that there are also lots of vegetables, herbs and some spices, covered by mashed potato and neep (sometimes parsnip) with old cheese on top. Contrast this with an alleged shepherd's pie I once encountered in a hospital, which was puréed potato with a thin layer of brown paste under it.
No - in fact I had to Google it (although it was sort of what I expected as I knew what rillettes were). I can't really say it appeals all that much - the recipe looks to me like upmarket pulled pork. I'm sure it's nicer than pulled pork, but still ...
@The Intrepid Mrs S - I haven't - the only preserving I do on a regular basis is red pepper jelly, which needs so little effort it wouldn't be worth using the bread machine.
I will, and not only that, but I've finally been able to track down some huuuuge lamb shanks; I could only get two, as that's all they had, but I reckon each one will feed us both when braised with some veggies and red wine.
Here's the Twinings I've found so far in these 'ere climes, all of which I have as bags (I don't do fruit tea, I'm afraid; perhaps I should take up Rooibos again?):
I don't think the Twinings English Breakfast (teabags) in the US is the same blend as the UK version. At least, it doesn't taste the same to me. It's possible that the US sort is just packaged in very small bags, but I find the US version rather insipid.
For the record, apparently you can't get decent Lapsang Souchong in China - at least not in the South. Chilperic took back a suitcase full after Christmas. The irony.
Twinings blend their tea differently according to the market it’s going to be sold in. “English” tea is a mixture of Ceylon and Assam, and the proportions vary in different places. The French version of Twinings’ contains less Assam than the English one, which makes it lighter and less bitter. Add milk and it’s also muchly insipid, without that characteristic malty taste and smell that the English generally want from their/our tea.
Spring has definitely put in an appearance in this part of the world. Blue Tits nesting in box, daffodils and crocuses out in abundance in my garden and the Park. And I saw my first Brimstone Butterfly this morning, a really gorgeous yellow in the sun.
Yes, another balmy May February day here, too......but MARK MY WORDS, WE SHALL PAY FOR IT SOON!!!!!
Ahem.
I think I saw a Brimstone Butterfly in the church grounds a few days ago, so beating Thomasina to the first sighting. Bright yellow and fresh green are a delight to the eye, and a medicine to the soul, though, no?
@Bishops Finger@Thomasina there's a call out for more recorders for the Nature's Calendar, the recordings for lots of people across the country is how we know that spring is getting earlier
Regarding tea, if anyone is like me, enjoying specialty tea leaves but on a low budget, I will mention I get mine in bulk at greatly reduced prices from Approved Food, which sells food and drink that is out of date but still fine. Their stock changes all the time, but they always seem to have plenty of choice of tea leaves. I am drinking some right now. Basilur ceylon black tea with strawberry and kiwi.
I got a new thing in my home today - a smart meter for my gas and electricity, instead of the old meters, as my old gas meter was so old that the battery couldn't be changed. It is quite fascinating to watch the smart meter to see how exactly how much gas and electricity I use. 26p today so far, from doing laundry, charging my iPad, using the internet, boiling my kettle, cooking dinner, and washing dishes. And my fridge is on all the time, so that uses electricity too. It makes me feel appreciative to live in a country with such easy access to gas and electricity. It can be easy to forget and take it for granted.
I think I'd find it a bit scary to see the cost of my electricity soaring before my eyes!
Thomasina and BF, will you give over with your talk of birdies and butterflies??? We were forecast to get 4" of sn*w today (which would barely register over here), but I reckon we got more like twice that, so I've been shovelling. Again.
It's coming down a bit again, and D. went into town to check what the roads are like: he's just sent an e-mail to say they're not too bad and he's going ahead with choir practice. There's more sn*w forecast for Sunday - you'd almost think the Almighty wasn't bothered whether we can come and sing His praises or not.
Or does He send the sn*w as a sort of test? We'll never know ...
These adverts for smart meters really annoy me. They are lies. You will not automatically save money by having one, only by monitoring and adjusting your usage.
Since most of my costs are down to running the fridge freezer, I am not going to reduce that! Switching lights off, which I do anyway, does not make much difference. Why would I switch off at the plug appliances which have a clock which would need re-setting? Other items I use when I need to eg iron ( rarely), washing machine three times a week, or because I want to, eg radio, TV.
My husband considers that smart meters are a spy in the home and refuses to have one.
Smart meters will only save you energy if you obsessively monitor them to see how much you are using. Presumably they save money for the suppliers as there is no need to send people round to take readings.
what you're talking about is actually an "in house display"
the actual "smart" bit of smart meters, is that they transmit your readings to someone without them having to come into your house (or access an external cabinet) to read the meter, which is *supposed* to mean more accurate billing
however one of the (i think still current) drawbacks was that they were tied into a specific supplier, making it harder to switch suppliers to get better deals
what you're talking about is actually an "in house display"
the actual "smart" bit of smart meters, is that they transmit your readings to someone without them having to come into your house (or access an external cabinet) to read the meter, which is *supposed* to mean more accurate billing
Well, in one church I served, the meter reader did make a mistake which resulted in a bill of £4500 instead of a hundred or two!
I have said no to a smart meter for the very good reason that our (attached) neighbour had one fitted and it has never worked because (a) the construction of our houses is "not traditional" and the Wifi signal has problems, (b) internet connection of any kind can be a bit hit-and-miss, and (c) their meter was fitted while they were away on holiday after their adult son gave permission, not realising they were in the middle of switching supplier. So now they have smart meters that need to either be read by someone from their gas/ electricity people or they have to take a reading and send it in.
Electricity meters over here are all fitted to the outside wall of the house, so I assume someone comes and reads them every month; there's nothing indoors as far as I know.
Because usage varies so much here, you can have your bills averaged out over the year, which is quite a good idea. Having said that, we probably spend almost as much on cooling in the summer as we do on heating in the winter - if only the blissful periods in spring and autumn when you need neither would last a bit longer!
It was really quite a nice day here (-3° and sunny) - if it weren't for the 10-foot snow-banks you could almost think spring was on the way.
It cannot save suppliers that much money given how irregularly they read the meter. Recently had the first proper reading in decades. I am pretty sure that my current supplier is trying to work out why my readings are always inverted. This is because that is how the previous supplier decided my meter worked rather than checking the last date of a reading.
Hello good people.
Patdws* and I will be travelling to London, Harrogate and Edinburgh in March to see Child having a semester abroad in Edinburgh and for me to go to a conference. I appreciate I read more than I post - and most of that on the Hell cancer thread (and hence am largely unknown)**, and I am not sure of our timings yet, but would be happy to buy the odd ale if any interested. We are driving through the lakes district and staying in Cockermouth which is where we may have the most flexibility. I can look at dates if any interest shown.
* Pure as the driven white snow
**Funny init. I feel I know you through reading and yet I suspect bugger all is known about me.
Oh, I remember you - from even the name changes a lo-o-ong time ago. It would be brilliant to meet.
I'm London-ish and although not brilliantly reliably getting to anything currently, I can organise a London meet, but if you have any time in London. Not sure who is around in the Lakes. There are quite a few Shipmates around Edinburgh.
It took me a few moments to work out @Patdys previous name (Doh!).
Of the three places you are to visit, Harrogate and Edinburgh are recommended, but I've not actually been to either.....(no! I tell a lie! I changed trains once in Edinburgh, about 40 years ago....).
Welcome to Ukland, Yorkland, Lakeland, and Scotland!
@Patdys - your best bet when proposing a Shipmeet is to fix on a date (if possible with a couple of options) and place (at first this could be quite vague, e.g. Edinburgh, Yorkshire, etc.), and start a new thread entitled Possible Edinburgh/Yorkshire/wherever Shipmeet - possible dates and see if any local Shippies take you up on it.
Once there's a bit of interest, you can refine the date and venue - the locals will usually make suggestions for a good place to meet (usually involving eating and/or drinking).
I'm unlikely to be over the Pond for a few months, but I wish you all the best!
* * * * *
It's a beautiful sunny day here, and at -2° not too cold, but I'm not really in a position to enjoy it. We've got a joint service tomorrow at 10:30 instead of the usual three, followed by lunch and then the Cathedral AGM. The PTB have decreed that lunch will be chilli, so I've got a batch bubbling away in the slow-cooker, and I've just set a batch of dough going for French sticks to go with it. That leaves about an hour and a half for messing around on here and some Quality Bear Time (i.e. a snooze).
Regarding my smart meter, I didn't get it in order to save money. I am aware of how they work - I asked lots of questions, and I know the various qualms people express. I already had pay-as-you go meters, and I know how much I spend overall, and the smart meter shows what I already knew. I got it because I was having to lie down on my kitchen floor in an awkward position and squint with a torch to top up my gas meter. I needed a new gas meter, as this one's battery was nearly dead and it was too old for the battery to be replaced. The smart meter means I can top up without lying on the floor, and without even going to the shop. And it warns you when you are soon going to need to top up. It's way more convenient for me. And it is interesting for me to see the exact amounts different appliances use. I find that sort of thing fascinating.
Comments
The Twining's you get here is lighter than the English sort. Once you add milk it tastes of nothing.
My top source of English builder's tea is Marks and Sparks these days. Before they were here I used to trek accross town to get PG Tips in the Indian supermarket.
It's a beautiful, sunny but cold day here (-9° at the moment), and forecast to be much the same until Thursday, when we're apparently going to get more sn*w.
O joy (NOT).
There’s a little dim sum house here which does tea tasting with dim sum which is a very nice way to spend an evening.
Lazy day, we didn’t get back from church til nearly 2.30 because we were chatting so we had a late lunch of bread and cheese. I might go for a quick walk before it gets dark.
LVER, as far as I can tell Twinings've got the same strength here as in Blighty, though not everything is on offer. I've just checked their French site, and it is indeed shocking to see that they call English Breakfast 'medium'! The one I get in the shops here is quite strong and described as such, to the extent that I normally try to avoid having two cuppas (actually, muggas) of it for breakfast. Two cuppas anyway only works if I have time, and do not need to rush.
What we haven't got is the UK Strong English Breakfast variety, but that's just as well! I'd probably go ballistic! My second cuppa is normally one of the proper Yorkshire brand Teas (classic or gold), or another Twinings one, like Darjeeling or Prince of Wales, or even - if I already feel empowered aplenty - just a meek Earl Grey. (The Twinings I get here is apparently packed in Poland, or so it says.)
Here's the Twinings I've found so far in these 'ere climes, all of which I have as bags (I don't do fruit tea, I'm afraid; perhaps I should take up Rooibos again?):
Sorry for going on in such length, but I quite enjoy m'tea. And dare I say, at home exclusively in my Ship of Fools mugs! They're good quality receptacles.
So, ... |_|o \_/o cuppa, anyone? Please pour yourselves! ~(_)o
Grey and dreary here, with just a spattering of light rain, after some wonderfully mild days more like May than February!
I am comforting myself with PIE, roast potatoes, and gravy. CHEESE will follow.
@Piglet, what is this thing called Sn*w of which you speak? Hopefully, this corner of Ukland will remain free of such Abominations. What with Brexit and Complete Disaster imminent, we have enough to contend with, IMHO.
I have stockpiled Coal and Logs for the Palace Stove, just in case.....
15° and bright sunshine here today.
No, the BTFE is more likely to be a present from Uncle Vlad, designed to bring us to our Knees, preparatory to invasion and takeover.
I'm also a fan of good leaf tea. Every so often I send off to either Imperial Teas of Lincoln (on Steep Hill in a Norman building!) or the Bath Tea Emporium. I'm particularly fond of Russian Caravan Tea, which I first tried in the little underground café at the Bath tea shop.
It's cold (-8°) but calm here, with just a few clouds: no sign at the moment of Uncle Vlad's sidekick the occupant of the White House sending us any more of his nasty weather. I don't expect that state of affairs to last ...
Lunch has been cooked and eaten - baked potatoes with CHEESE followed by apple and blackberry crumble (we had some rather sad-looking apples that needed using up) - and the new bread-machine is currently having its maiden voyage. French sticks should be available for virtual tasting in a couple of hours.
@Piglet, I have Scotch BROTH heating up on the Palace Stove. Please may I have some nice virtual French bread to go with it? Thank you!
(Comfort food is needed, post-Pilates session.......
I will, I guess, eventually Confess All, and have to Flee.)
D's shepherd's pie on the menu chez Piglet today, which is always nice. It's sort of his signature dish (technically it's cottage pie, as it's made with minced beef, but you get the idea). I've never had a better one; he could give lessons to a few quite upmarket restaurants where we've tried it, but it's never been quite as good.
After lunch I'm going to try my hand at making my own passata - how hard can that be? I like the idea of having ready-to-use tomatoes in the freezer, and as the tomatoes we buy at Costco come in rather large packs it sort of makes sense.
We’re getting solar panels installed tomorrow and Thursday so I can almost guarantee you six months of deluging rain starting from Friday.
For those of you looking for the Pilates/yoga/tai chi type exercise, if your local sports centre runs Les Mills courses, I can highly recommend Body Balance which is a bit of everything.
And in terms of sorting out, we still have one room completely full of stuff. By early April it will need to be slept in so I have a deadline...
We will definitely have that again.
I made plenty of mash, so will use the leftovers to make a version of colcannon for lunch later in the week.
Enjoying a clear sky and the full moon this evening.
🐖
I made the passata, and I'm sure it'll make a nice base for the chilli I'm making at the weekend for a communal lunch at the Cathedral, but I don't know that I'll make it again. A kilo of tomatoes only yielded about a pint of sauce, so I'm not sure it's worth it, especially as I could get four big jars of tomato and basil sauce for under $10.
Ah well, you live and learn.
piglet: Have you tried making your own rillons?
A bit like jam - lots of fruit, sugar and time spent stirring for just a couple of jars of jam. Non-jam makers have no idea.
Currently making a broth (or whatever soup minus veggies is) from the chicken carcass left over from yesterday’s dinner. 9 servings from one smallish bird is pretty good going.
@Piglet have you tried that? Then again, your breadmaker is pretty much in constant use making bread...
Mrs. S, far too impatient to stand by the stove stirring jam!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTDcWi1dzoM
AG
Now, I am glad to read that. What I also loosely call shepherd's pie is made with minced cow, and I suffer cruel criticism for ascribing it to a shepherd. But I won't eat sheep, and this is the last meat recipe I still make. I would be able to modestly say that I have a quite exceptional recipe if I actually used a recipe, but suffice it to say that there are also lots of vegetables, herbs and some spices, covered by mashed potato and neep (sometimes parsnip) with old cheese on top. Contrast this with an alleged shepherd's pie I once encountered in a hospital, which was puréed potato with a thin layer of brown paste under it.
@The Intrepid Mrs S - I haven't - the only preserving I do on a regular basis is red pepper jelly, which needs so little effort it wouldn't be worth using the bread machine.
I will, and not only that, but I've finally been able to track down some huuuuge lamb shanks; I could only get two, as that's all they had, but I reckon each one will feed us both when braised with some veggies and red wine.
This makes me an inordinately happy piglet.
I don't think the Twinings English Breakfast (teabags) in the US is the same blend as the UK version. At least, it doesn't taste the same to me. It's possible that the US sort is just packaged in very small bags, but I find the US version rather insipid.
Long may it all last!
Ahem.
I think I saw a Brimstone Butterfly in the church grounds a few days ago, so beating Thomasina to the first sighting. Bright yellow and fresh green are a delight to the eye, and a medicine to the soul, though, no?
I got a new thing in my home today - a smart meter for my gas and electricity, instead of the old meters, as my old gas meter was so old that the battery couldn't be changed. It is quite fascinating to watch the smart meter to see how exactly how much gas and electricity I use. 26p today so far, from doing laundry, charging my iPad, using the internet, boiling my kettle, cooking dinner, and washing dishes. And my fridge is on all the time, so that uses electricity too. It makes me feel appreciative to live in a country with such easy access to gas and electricity. It can be easy to forget and take it for granted.
Thomasina and BF, will you give over with your talk of birdies and butterflies??? We were forecast to get 4" of sn*w today (which would barely register over here), but I reckon we got more like twice that, so I've been shovelling. Again.
It's coming down a bit again, and D. went into town to check what the roads are like: he's just sent an e-mail to say they're not too bad and he's going ahead with choir practice. There's more sn*w forecast for Sunday - you'd almost think the Almighty wasn't bothered whether we can come and sing His praises or not.
Or does He send the sn*w as a sort of test? We'll never know ...
Since most of my costs are down to running the fridge freezer, I am not going to reduce that! Switching lights off, which I do anyway, does not make much difference. Why would I switch off at the plug appliances which have a clock which would need re-setting? Other items I use when I need to eg iron ( rarely), washing machine three times a week, or because I want to, eg radio, TV.
My husband considers that smart meters are a spy in the home and refuses to have one.
the actual "smart" bit of smart meters, is that they transmit your readings to someone without them having to come into your house (or access an external cabinet) to read the meter, which is *supposed* to mean more accurate billing
however one of the (i think still current) drawbacks was that they were tied into a specific supplier, making it harder to switch suppliers to get better deals
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/smart-meters/
Because usage varies so much here, you can have your bills averaged out over the year, which is quite a good idea. Having said that, we probably spend almost as much on cooling in the summer as we do on heating in the winter - if only the blissful periods in spring and autumn when you need neither would last a bit longer!
It was really quite a nice day here (-3° and sunny) - if it weren't for the 10-foot snow-banks you could almost think spring was on the way.
Patdws* and I will be travelling to London, Harrogate and Edinburgh in March to see Child having a semester abroad in Edinburgh and for me to go to a conference. I appreciate I read more than I post - and most of that on the Hell cancer thread (and hence am largely unknown)**, and I am not sure of our timings yet, but would be happy to buy the odd ale if any interested. We are driving through the lakes district and staying in Cockermouth which is where we may have the most flexibility. I can look at dates if any interest shown.
* Pure as the driven white snow
**Funny init. I feel I know you through reading and yet I suspect bugger all is known about me.
I'm London-ish and although not brilliantly reliably getting to anything currently, I can organise a London meet, but if you have any time in London. Not sure who is around in the Lakes. There are quite a few Shipmates around Edinburgh.
Of the three places you are to visit, Harrogate and Edinburgh are recommended, but I've not actually been to either.....(no! I tell a lie! I changed trains once in Edinburgh, about 40 years ago....).
Welcome to Ukland, Yorkland, Lakeland, and Scotland!
Once there's a bit of interest, you can refine the date and venue - the locals will usually make suggestions for a good place to meet (usually involving eating and/or drinking).
I'm unlikely to be over the Pond for a few months, but I wish you all the best!
* * * * *
It's a beautiful sunny day here, and at -2° not too cold, but I'm not really in a position to enjoy it. We've got a joint service tomorrow at 10:30 instead of the usual three, followed by lunch and then the Cathedral AGM. The PTB have decreed that lunch will be chilli, so I've got a batch bubbling away in the slow-cooker, and I've just set a batch of dough going for French sticks to go with it. That leaves about an hour and a half for messing around on here and some Quality Bear Time (i.e. a snooze).