They say the diversion is for today only; I hope they're not telling porkies ...
They were.
I sent them a very polite e-mail pointing out that the website was somewhat ambiguous, and asking if it would still be in force tomorrow. I received an automated reply saying they'd try to respond within ten days.
That's un fat lot de bon.
Never mind - the sun is shining and there'll be salmon baked with veggies and crème
fraîche for supper. And WINE.
Crikey - these tales of dangerous curiosity are making me ever more relieved I didn't have children!
@Curiosity killed - I think I'd have been very chary about giving bags of turmeric to children without a fairly stern caveat about not getting it on things ...
@Piglet - I didn't lead that one, because I'd have said I'm planning experimenting using turmeric as a natural dye, because it stains everything yellow. It wasn't in a bag, but in a twist of clingfilm - and there was a warning on the envelope listing the contents
Son of a friend - What happens if I pour a glass of milk into the back of the TV? (The old cathode ray sort). Answer: the rest of your childhood passes without television.
Tempting, but unfortunately we can't spend the rest of Captain P's childhood without a toilet.
Incidentally, I think I might retrain as a plumber. Seriously, that much money for five minutes work?
How old is he?
My eldest son at 17 months managed over a 3 week period to: put a yoghurt pot into a hot oven causing a slight burn on his hand, climb into the fountain at the botanic garden (impressive as he was a bottom shuffling child who did not walk) and put a penny in his mouth and get it stuck in his throat (nurse mode kicked in and I removed it by sitting him forward and giving him a sound wallop on his back - it flew across the room).
Younger child at similar age once switched the closed grill on with a pan inside with bacon fat. I smelt it cooking, opened up the grill and it burst into flames. I had to put it out with a damp tea towel.
Tea was Thai green chicken curry with red peppers and rice, accompanied by a glass of Sancerre rosé.
I have a friend whose partner is a plumber. You don’t get rich on it unless you work absolutely insane hours, and it’s hard work. Cash-flow is a problem - the plumber often has to pay for materials long before the customer settles the bill. The tools are specialized and heavy and there’s not much option but to keep them in his van, and he’s had them all stolen twice, so that sends insurance premiums sky-high. And speaking of insurance, you need that if a customer comes back and says you’ve caused a leak resulting in a need for extensive redecorating, and they want compensation.
Having said that, five-minute jobs like yours do, to some extent, subsidize the nightmare jobs.
I understand it's not unknown for university professors to retrain as plumbers because the money's better. Mind you, that may have been in Canada, where academics aren't as well paid as they are here.
Big sad sigh. Guess who thought it would be funny to flush his underwear down the toilet this morning? I can see the funny side, just, and you can laugh a little bit, but not too loud please. I have just paid an eye-watering amount to the plumber to get it fixed
I have just finished making 2 batches of rock cakes and a coffee and walnut cake. So much more important than getting stuff ready for my accountant's visit on Monday.
I've just arranged some flowers too (delivered through the letter box).
Went to Waitrose earlier for some food for the weekend. I have since been virtuous and written my presentation. No other work to do today so I might do some sewing.
A thoroughly dismal, cold, wet day here in Arkland. So dismal, in fact, that I haven't even been on deck, let alone ashore, and have had to put on the electric heater.
The friendly Dragon (aka Rayburn) is now in estivation, and will not be reawakened until October - well, that's the plan.
Big sad sigh. Guess who thought it would be funny to flush his underwear down the toilet this morning? I can see the funny side, just, and you can laugh a little bit, but not too loud please. I have just paid an eye-watering amount to the plumber to get it fixed
Just be grateful he doesn't have a twin 😯
We have a dear friend who was - still is - caring for his wife, who has dementia, at home. He was late for a church meeting one day and had to explain that she had mistaken the toilet for the washing machine - so he not only had to unblock the loo, he also had to re-do all the laundry...
We have a dear friend who was - still is - caring for his wife, who has dementia, at home. He was late for a church meeting one day and had to explain that she had mistaken the toilet for the washing machine - so he not only had to unblock the loo, he also had to re-do all the laundry...
That's tragic. He sounds like a lovely man to be caring for his wife as such.
It is definitely cooler here, and I don't think the sun has appeared once - clouds abound. Now they are grey ones, and it was been raining - the sort of gentle soft rain that you don't really notice but that gets you very wet indeed...
I think I will close the bedroom windows - they have been open wide since we got some Flat Cats (mesh to fix to the inside of your open windows to keeps said cats contained...else our 3 would be trying to walk along the outside window cill and at some point, discovering that they couldn't...) The top ones can stay open for some air.
It's been another glorious day in Embra - sunny and 16° when I was ambling along Princes Street on my way home.
Fortunately the diversion seems to have come to an end, so the morning commute was less fraught, although Waverley seemed to be heavily populated by gentlemen in kilts and blue shirts with lions on them. Is there a sporting fixture of some sort happening somewhere?
I decided I was getting fed up of scampi and chips, so I got a takeaway from Barleo - breaded mushrooms with garlic dip, followed by fusilli with prawns and smoked salmon - and it was really quite nice (although the main course needed a bit of help with the seasoning).
As it cost twice as much as the chippy, I shan't be having it every week, but it did make a nice change.
Son of a friend - What happens if I pour a glass of milk into the back of the TV? (The old cathode ray sort). Answer: the rest of your childhood passes without television.
Not that his parents were being punitive, but they were a bit hard up.
I knew of someone whose young son decided to water the back of the CRT TV, and not with a watering can but with his own hosepipe, if you see what I mean...
Having been forbidden to play with water (attempts to fill the drawers of a chest of drawers with water, attempt to flood the bathroom), my sister and I and our two friends made an imaginary bonfire with a pile of toys in the middle of the floor. We turned up the corners of the large bedroom rug over the pile, and then, concerned that our ‘fire’ would get out of control, we extinguished it with ‘water’ of our own making (!) into bedroom utensils provided for that purpose which we dashed over the pile in the middle of the floor.
It's Saturday morning, and I'm trying to get rid of the strong smell of smoke that filled a big part of our village last night! Rushing to close the windows was too late, but my Dyson air cleaners came in handy then, and in auto mode went full throttle! - Apparently there was a very large fire at the other end of the place; strangely enough, I never heard the fire engines, but that's probably because it is about a mile or so away.
It was shocking to see how fast the streets filled up with smoke - everybody confused, people at their windows and passers-by in the streets, standing still, looking at each other, worried, talking. I rang the fire brigade, of course they already knew and were in attendance.
Luckily - so to say -, it was 'only' like the smell of a huge woodfire, and not of heaps of burning plastic or chemicals, which is a different matter altogether.
I notice Next Door, having built a bungalow-sized summerhouse next to the outdoor hot tub, dining area and barbecue, have added further paving with basket chairs and a fancy brazier. The better to enjoy the sole plant life in their 'garden' - a patch of scrubby and trampled grass. Weird.
It’s cooler here but fine, which is a good thing as my friend is getting married. They are having a small family wedding, as they all are just now, but I’m glad they have a fair day for it. 🙂
A wee bit cooler here too: maximum of 16° forecast for today. That'll do nicely for a little amble to Tessie's or an Expotition to Sainz Breeze later on.
I wandered into town this morning to pick up a clothes airer as my old one was on the point of collapse and I'd promised myself a new one when we moved. The market was full of tempting cake treats but fortunately/unfortunately I'd just had breakfast and wasn't really hungry. I'll go down next Saturday better prepared! I then staggered home via the lovely independent wine shop to pick up a bottle of whisky as a present for my husband tomorrow. He always make a bit of a fuss of him on father's day as his birthday (27th December) more often than not gets subsumed into the Christmas celebrations.
Husband en rouge's present turned up just in time. He's getting a tshirt with a picture of Darth Vader on, and the words "Father of the Year".
When I ordered it, I got a delivery date of 12 or 13 June. Then it was pushed back and back, and finally dispatched in the nick of time. When I tracked it on the internet, it was supposedly delivered at the Post Office yesterday, so I went to pick it up and it wasn't there. Finally this morning I received no less than eight (!) emails and six texts to tell me it was available. I'm very much hoping that they're going to send one of those "what did you think of our customer service" emails.
I've had a very lazy day; I eventually mustered up the energy for an amble down to Tessie's and, having bought some fresh tarragon yesterday, I made a chicken / tarragon / crème fraîche / mushroom concoction for supper.
I think it was more complicated than it needed to be; it was cooked mostly in the oven, but I think it would have been better done on top of the stove. It tasted OK, although next time I'll be more generous with the tarragon.
I spent the afternoon finishing my poster and presentation (needed my other half to edit and prettify it). Then we had tea of chicken and tarragon pie with mushy peas while playing the weekly family games session online.
Other half has just made banana smoothies with mini marshmallows.
Steak Mirabeau - which, as I'm sure you all know, involves anchovies. The first tin was a tad bulgy and, when I opened it, splattered me with oil, so I suspect the contents were probably fermenting. Tin 2 was fine.
Finally this morning I received no less than eight (!) emails and six texts to tell me it was available. I'm very much hoping that they're going to send one of those "what did you think of our customer service" emails.
It’s happening at last - touch wood there are no last minute hitches. We’ve had the tests and filled in endless forms. We fly at mid-day today.
We are going to Greece to see our son and family. His MIL lives and works just north of Athens so we are staying at an apartment near there. Anuka will see two grandmas (Omi and Babo) in one week!
Here she is this morning with Papa playing ball at Frankfort airport. 💕
Another (too) hot summer's day here! Nighttime was little below 20°C, and barely a breeze.
And yet another severe weather warning in place for today, heavy thunderstorms forecast for the afternoon; should they materialise, they may keep the suitably be-wellied fire brigades busy once more, after the big fire of Friday night (a farm building got annihilated - neither man nor beast injured), and the local floodings of a few weeks back.
Never a dull moment in Continental WesShire.
In other news, I have done most of my marking for this term, and the 5-week summer break is upon us, starting in two weeks! You usually don't get much work done now, as it's quite warm, and everyone's tired and needs a holiday, students and teachers alike.
However - I have received the first batch of a huge load of Walkers Crisps (the 25g packs) from the Benighted Kingdom, which shall be handed out to some of my classes as an end-of-term treat, and which are always much appreciated - as long as I can keep myself from annihilating them myself, because they are indeed very nommable...
We have Nenlet1 and son in law and son in law's parents coming over to a meal here later for Father's Day. Navarin of lamb is slow cooking even as we speak. Meanwhile, we're heading off to a friend's house for coffee and cake.
Oooh, that's all Greek to me, dear Boogie! Have fun!
Mmmmh, lamb, Nenya!
Our thunderstorms are approaching, sky darkening ensues. So we'll see how that goes. Have been to one school place, 30 minutes by bus, to retrieve some material, and the celestial closing-in was fascinating to view from aforementioned vehicle of public transport.
I may order some food from the restaurant across the road for dinner, if I won't get rained on too much. I'll get my waterproofs and wellies ready though, just in case.
So there we were enjoying lunch with daughter number three when a ****** Wood Pigeon flew into the French windows shattering all the outer panes of glass.....😬😂
That must have been quite impressive! I hope it is not too costly to fix. Did the wood pigeon survive?
We missed half of church Zoom as other half had a lie in. The usual bread and cheese for lunch then I sent off some work which had a deadline tomorrow.
I got a lovely email today from a student thanking me for my support and saying they had nominated me for the university Best Tutor Award
That's lovely @Heavenlyannie, hope you win. I once got a mug from the OU for modding a forum under difficult circumstances. It's nice to feel appreciated.
Fairly lazy day here. I should have had an order from my usual nice meals to make yourself company, but there was a glitch by which my update of our address on their website defaulted to the old postcode. There was a message to say that the delivery driver couldn't find us. I'm not surprised when he was 150 miles off target! It's now been sorted and replacement box will arrive tomorrow and today's box donated to a charity.
Nicest thing is that husband is back from his short walking holidays with his mates. He's straight back into doing things to improve our new house, and is in the garden at the moment trying to sort out the gutters on the shed so they actually drain into the water butt.
I had one of those ghostly images on my bedroom window for a bit - same cause. I don't know if the bird survived or not, but there were a few cats around to ensure a dazed bird was finished off.
My husband says he has seen that too, and it was quite detailed; he thinks it is from the oils from the feathers.
Husband cooked a tea of fried noodles, pork mince and veg and my younger son is currently cooking a lemon drizzle cake for pudding.
There must be something in the air: a wee birdie flew into one of the windows of the flat this afternoon too. I don't think he hurt himself: he appeared to fly off, possibly in a slightly dazed state, à la Woodstock from the Peanuts cartoons.
It's been a close, rather muggy day here: it got up to 18°, but without sunshine, and at about four in the afternoon the heavens opened, with the sort of shower that really ought to have had thunder and lightning, but didn't. I hope it cools a bit overnight: I hate being too hot at night.
I've had a completely lazy day: apart from cooking brunch (BACON with tomatoes and avocado on TOAST) and supper (steak, potato wedges, broccoli and mushrooms) and eating same, I've done the square root of bugger all. Although I did have a nice long Facebook phone chat with a friend in Newfoundland.
As @Piglet says, a dull, heavy day. Attempted some plein air painting in the morning, but lacked the necessary concentration. Crocheted some, salmon en croute for dinner, currently watching US Open, and noticing seacoast of California having not dissimilar weather to here.
When I worked at the Big Computer Company, the offices were in a rural location, with acres of glass. Often you could clearly see the outline of an owl which had presumably flown into the glass by night, but as I observed, they must have survived or we'd have been knee-deep in dead owls (perish the thought...)
On a related matter, I asked TIG#2 what was on my mug. 'Owl' he replied without a second thought - in fact it was Snoopy, with whom he is perfectly familiar, but I must have brainwashed him into assuming that whatever I ask him the answer will be 'owl'.
Isn't there a joke about a vicar and a squirrel on that theme?
From time to time we also get the ghostly bird silhouettes on our windows, particularly upstairs, and we hear the loud bang of impact if we're in the house. We assume it is pigeons as they're about the right size, but have never found either a dead or a dazed pigeon in the garden and can only assume they flap off to the nearby trees and there either recover or die in private.
On a related theme, I was the first downstairs yesterday morning and on the windowsill of the kitchen, on the outside, tucked up near the glass and close to the corner, was a large spider. It was too near the door for me to be comfortable with leaving it there so I had in mind to get Mr Nen to remove it when he got up. After a short while, though, a coal tit came down and snapped it up, flew up to the nearby gutter and pulled a couple of its legs off and then flew off with it, presumably to feed some young. I was profoundly grateful to the bird, and also amazed that it was able to spot the arachnid when it was so close to the house, tucked up on itself and motionless.
In other news, we had a lovely family time yesterday afternoon with Nenlet1, son in law and son in law's parents. My slow cooked Navarin of Lamb went down a treat. I thought we might have some left over for another meal for Mr Nen and me, but no.
We drank lots of red wine and a bit of white. There's some white left over for us to have with our meal this evening - happy days!
Comments
I sent them a very polite e-mail pointing out that the website was somewhat ambiguous, and asking if it would still be in force tomorrow. I received an automated reply saying they'd try to respond within ten days.
That's un fat lot de bon.
Never mind - the sun is shining and there'll be salmon baked with veggies and crème
fraîche for supper. And WINE.
What happened? A big flash and a bang and all the electricity in the house going off. 🙄
@Curiosity killed - I think I'd have been very chary about giving bags of turmeric to children without a fairly stern caveat about not getting it on things ...
Tempting, but unfortunately we can't spend the rest of Captain P's childhood without a toilet.
Incidentally, I think I might retrain as a plumber. Seriously, that much money for five minutes work?
My eldest son at 17 months managed over a 3 week period to: put a yoghurt pot into a hot oven causing a slight burn on his hand, climb into the fountain at the botanic garden (impressive as he was a bottom shuffling child who did not walk) and put a penny in his mouth and get it stuck in his throat (nurse mode kicked in and I removed it by sitting him forward and giving him a sound wallop on his back - it flew across the room).
Younger child at similar age once switched the closed grill on with a pan inside with bacon fat. I smelt it cooking, opened up the grill and it burst into flames. I had to put it out with a damp tea towel.
Tea was Thai green chicken curry with red peppers and rice, accompanied by a glass of Sancerre rosé.
Having said that, five-minute jobs like yours do, to some extent, subsidize the nightmare jobs.
Just be grateful he doesn't have a twin 😯
I have a thousand things to do but apparently the Most important task for today was to arrange two large vases of flowers
🤷♀️
Went to Waitrose earlier for some food for the weekend. I have since been virtuous and written my presentation. No other work to do today so I might do some sewing.
The friendly Dragon (aka Rayburn) is now in estivation, and will not be reawakened until October - well, that's the plan.
We have a dear friend who was - still is - caring for his wife, who has dementia, at home. He was late for a church meeting one day and had to explain that she had mistaken the toilet for the washing machine - so he not only had to unblock the loo, he also had to re-do all the laundry...
That's tragic. He sounds like a lovely man to be caring for his wife as such.
I think I will close the bedroom windows - they have been open wide since we got some Flat Cats (mesh to fix to the inside of your open windows to keeps said cats contained...else our 3 would be trying to walk along the outside window cill and at some point, discovering that they couldn't...) The top ones can stay open for some air.
Fortunately the diversion seems to have come to an end, so the morning commute was less fraught, although Waverley seemed to be heavily populated by gentlemen in kilts and blue shirts with lions on them. Is there a sporting fixture of some sort happening somewhere?
I decided I was getting fed up of scampi and chips, so I got a takeaway from Barleo - breaded mushrooms with garlic dip, followed by fusilli with prawns and smoked salmon - and it was really quite nice (although the main course needed a bit of help with the seasoning).
As it cost twice as much as the chippy, I shan't be having it every week, but it did make a nice change.
I knew of someone whose young son decided to water the back of the CRT TV, and not with a watering can but with his own hosepipe, if you see what I mean...
Never been so pleased to have girls, I must say!
Nobody had told us not to do that!
It was shocking to see how fast the streets filled up with smoke - everybody confused, people at their windows and passers-by in the streets, standing still, looking at each other, worried, talking. I rang the fire brigade, of course they already knew and were in attendance.
Luckily - so to say -, it was 'only' like the smell of a huge woodfire, and not of heaps of burning plastic or chemicals, which is a different matter altogether.
That was my exciting Friday night! Eeks!
I notice Next Door, having built a bungalow-sized summerhouse next to the outdoor hot tub, dining area and barbecue, have added further paving with basket chairs and a fancy brazier. The better to enjoy the sole plant life in their 'garden' - a patch of scrubby and trampled grass. Weird.
When I ordered it, I got a delivery date of 12 or 13 June. Then it was pushed back and back, and finally dispatched in the nick of time. When I tracked it on the internet, it was supposedly delivered at the Post Office yesterday, so I went to pick it up and it wasn't there. Finally this morning I received no less than eight (!) emails and six texts to tell me it was available. I'm very much hoping that they're going to send one of those "what did you think of our customer service" emails.
I think it was more complicated than it needed to be; it was cooked mostly in the oven, but I think it would have been better done on top of the stove. It tasted OK, although next time I'll be more generous with the tarragon.
Other half has just made banana smoothies with mini marshmallows.
At that rate they will probably send 30 or so.
We are going to Greece to see our son and family. His MIL lives and works just north of Athens so we are staying at an apartment near there. Anuka will see two grandmas (Omi and Babo) in one week!
Here she is this morning with Papa playing ball at Frankfort airport. 💕
https://photos.app.goo.gl/2eHPQGTY7f1Ac5uM7
And yet another severe weather warning in place for today, heavy thunderstorms forecast for the afternoon; should they materialise, they may keep the suitably be-wellied fire brigades busy once more, after the big fire of Friday night (a farm building got annihilated - neither man nor beast injured), and the local floodings of a few weeks back.
Never a dull moment in Continental WesShire.
In other news, I have done most of my marking for this term, and the 5-week summer break is upon us, starting in two weeks! You usually don't get much work done now, as it's quite warm, and everyone's tired and needs a holiday, students and teachers alike.
However - I have received the first batch of a huge load of Walkers Crisps (the 25g packs) from the Benighted Kingdom, which shall be handed out to some of my classes as an end-of-term treat, and which are always much appreciated - as long as I can keep myself from annihilating them myself, because they are indeed very nommable...
Wishing a happy Sunday to all!
We have Nenlet1 and son in law and son in law's parents coming over to a meal here later for Father's Day. Navarin of lamb is slow cooking even as we speak. Meanwhile, we're heading off to a friend's house for coffee and cake.
Mmm... cake...
Mmmmh, lamb, Nenya!
Our thunderstorms are approaching, sky darkening ensues. So we'll see how that goes. Have been to one school place, 30 minutes by bus, to retrieve some material, and the celestial closing-in was fascinating to view from aforementioned vehicle of public transport.
I may order some food from the restaurant across the road for dinner, if I won't get rained on too much. I'll get my waterproofs and wellies ready though, just in case.
We missed half of church Zoom as other half had a lie in. The usual bread and cheese for lunch then I sent off some work which had a deadline tomorrow.
I got a lovely email today from a student thanking me for my support and saying they had nominated me for the university Best Tutor Award
Fairly lazy day here. I should have had an order from my usual nice meals to make yourself company, but there was a glitch by which my update of our address on their website defaulted to the old postcode. There was a message to say that the delivery driver couldn't find us. I'm not surprised when he was 150 miles off target! It's now been sorted and replacement box will arrive tomorrow and today's box donated to a charity.
Nicest thing is that husband is back from his short walking holidays with his mates. He's straight back into doing things to improve our new house, and is in the garden at the moment trying to sort out the gutters on the shed so they actually drain into the water butt.
Husband cooked a tea of fried noodles, pork mince and veg and my younger son is currently cooking a lemon drizzle cake for pudding.
It's been a close, rather muggy day here: it got up to 18°, but without sunshine, and at about four in the afternoon the heavens opened, with the sort of shower that really ought to have had thunder and lightning, but didn't. I hope it cools a bit overnight: I hate being too hot at night.
I've had a completely lazy day: apart from cooking brunch (BACON with tomatoes and avocado on TOAST) and supper (steak, potato wedges, broccoli and mushrooms) and eating same, I've done the square root of bugger all. Although I did have a nice long Facebook phone chat with a friend in Newfoundland.
PS Safe travels, Boogie!
On a related matter, I asked TIG#2 what was on my mug. 'Owl' he replied without a second thought - in fact it was Snoopy, with whom he is perfectly familiar, but I must have brainwashed him into assuming that whatever I ask him the answer will be 'owl'.
Isn't there a joke about a vicar and a squirrel on that theme?
On a related theme, I was the first downstairs yesterday morning and on the windowsill of the kitchen, on the outside, tucked up near the glass and close to the corner, was a large spider.
In other news, we had a lovely family time yesterday afternoon with Nenlet1, son in law and son in law's parents. My slow cooked Navarin of Lamb went down a treat. I thought we might have some left over for another meal for Mr Nen and me, but no.
We drank lots of red wine and a bit of white. There's some white left over for us to have with our meal this evening - happy days!