Thank you all. Other half is also keen to visit Orkney; we like walking and history on our holidays. We have a family holiday already booked this summer and I guess it depends on the situation next summer - we gave up the family dream holiday to Japan last summer so husband might want to do that (I hate flying!). But after next year both our sons will be at uni do we could also go off season. Husband has family in Edinburgh so we can stop off on the way.
... Husband has family in Edinburgh so we can stop off on the way ...
Ooh - shipmeet!
Hair has been recoloured (and will be cut tomorrow - I hope the hairdresser will be able to rectify the trichological disaster that was my last haircut). A taxi has been booked to convey me to the airport and a List has been made in the hope of preventing Calamitous Omissions. Preliminary Pack Ing will commence before I go to bed.
We used to have a thing for stoning olives which was also very effective for removing cherry stones.
When we were in Canada David bought a cherry-pitting thingie for his sister (who's very partial to cherries). I think it might have worked on olives too, but it was from a kitchen shop over there, so possibly not available here.
When I was a kid, we used to have something similar to the contrapation shown in this video! It was mostly made out of metal back then, but worked along the same lines (of cherries) and ... was indeed VERY satisfying to play with!
My oldies made cherry pies and cheery jam, preserves and other very tasty things with it.
@Heavenlyannie - you'll find the lie of the land in Orkney surprisingly like the Essex-Suffolk border, which came as a big surprise to me as I was expecting something much more rugged, but with wonderful beaches and sea cliffs bounding it. The other thing is that the land isn't tamed to within an inch of its life like East Anglia - it's still wild with mysterious hidden places and wild flowers in gay abandon. The bones of the earth still show, and you can feel the magic still. If it was always summer, and I could find a job, I'd be off like a shot, but I'm not sure I could handle the midwinter daylength.
Baptist Trainfan, I was going to suggest Lakeland.
Now that’s a shop which is bad for the bank balance! All sorts of very clever essential items which will be used once in a blue moon and then relegated to the depths of a kitchen cupboard or drawer.
@Priscilla exactly with Lakeland. All the things that you never knew you needed and are now seemingly essential. How did we manage without such and such gadget and look - it is in shiny colours!!
My parents have one of these gizmos (link to Amazon), a garlic press with a built in cherry stoner (or olive). Which I think I used more for the cherries than garlic: I use a knife to crush garlic. When I started searching, the search function completed that one quite fast and a lot of results came up, so they're obviously quite common. I could do with a cherry stoner, because using a knife is messy and the offspring who's struggling to swallow won't touch cherries unless they are stoned.
Thanks for the bon voyages - much appreciated! Satisfactory haircut has happened. When the hairdresser asked me what I wanted her to do with it, I said "rescue it" ...
There happened to be a lady in the chair behind me whose hairstyle was exactly what I was looking for, and while I realised she probably couldn't quite replicate it with my hair type, I think she's made a jolly good stab at it.
Pack Ing has been completed, and now I'm just faffing about until the taxi arrives to convey me airportwards.
Yay! Don't forget your futhark so you can read the runes at Grimsetter (The Knotweed, smartarse that she is, looked the runic airport sign, and said "Ah yes, it says Grimsetter"!) - and be thankful that Twatt didn't become the airport instead.
If at any point you could have a pint of Dark Island for me it would be appreciated!
How a lovely holiday @piglet, and enjoy the quarantine @Boogie .
I’m now heading homeward having nipped down to London to see my mum. Very odd to be back in the place I said goodbye to a month ago.
Safe journeys for those travelling.
I have tidied my desk and a few shelves in my room. It was my sewing room when I had a small sewing business making upcycled clothes and cloth nappies and I needed to throw some old fabric out to make room for my books on the shelves.
Whut? England has won the Germany game? Strange times.
Yes, Mr Nen is very happy this evening.
I've had a nice day - lunch with a friend, a purchase of something appropriate for Nenlet1's father in law (whose birthday it is next week and to whose celebrations we are invited on Sunday), back home for a swift mow of the lawns and a trim of some of the garden shrubs to go in the green bin collection, tea with another couple of friends and spaghetti bolognese for tea. We decided it was lacking a glass of red, but as we didn't really want to open a new bottle we had a small glass of port with it instead and it was most pleasant.
There happened to be a lady in the chair behind me whose hairstyle was exactly what I was looking for, and while I realised she probably couldn't quite replicate it with my hair type, I think she's made a jolly good stab at it.
I trust you said,”I’ll have what she’s having!”
Enjoy your holiday @Piglet .
Tea was meaty macaroni made with veal mince, onions, mushroom, grated courgette, macaroni and left over curry stock from yesterday, topped with cheese. Followed by baked apricots with honey. I’m currently having a gin and tonic.
I got back from my trip to London, with the weather getting nicer all the way back, to find my husband had made an interesting spelt and mushroom stew for tea. It was nice, but I think it needs something to go with it.
Hope you've arrived safely in the Orkneys @Piglet .
This weekend we are going to have a few people around, which is going to feel distinctly novel. It's going to be what the French call an apéritif dînatoire - drinks and substantial snacks. My best friend is coming, with her list of food restrictions as long as your arm. Consequently this afternoon I have made my very first gluten free bread. I am making mini-burgers (they'll be GF for everyone because I don't want to make two different kinds) and there was enough dough left over to make some rolls for her to eat with other snacks. Once it's cool it will go in the freezer until the weekend.
For a first attempt, I'm quite pleased with it. It's definitely more difficult than making ordinary bread.
Yay! Don't forget your futhark so you can read the runes at Grimsetter (The Knotweed, smartarse that she is, looked the runic airport sign, and said "Ah yes, it says Grimsetter"!) - and be thankful that Twatt didn't become the airport instead.
Quite!
I realised it was Grimsetter as soon as I first saw it too.
If at any point you could have a pint of Dark Island for me it would be appreciated!
I'm not fond of stout-type beer, but my nephew's had a few since he came up.
We had a Harbour Fry for supper last night (in my case, a fish supper with a pattie), and it was predictably excellent.
This morning I had a stroll along the street to get something for breakfast (a v. good bacon roll), and in true Orcadian fashion, hadn't been out for five minutes before I met someone I knew (in this case a second cousin), so much chattage took place.
It's been a glorious day today, and we picked up lunch from Orkney Street Food (run by a cousin of my late b-i-l) and took it out to Waulkmill Bay to eat it, after which my sister, nephew and the kids swam in the sea.
Going to the Ayre Hotel for supper; it's not the most haute cuisine place in town, but it's the only place we could get booked into, and last time we were there the food was perfectly decent.
Today I practised for next week’s short conference presentation and drew up my notes. I’m really getting unnecessarily anxious about it, it’s not as if I don’t present online all the time and I have spoken at internal conferences before. But it seems more scary discussing my research at a more formal conference.
Couldn’t be bothered to cook so got pie and mash with mushy peas and gravy delivered.
Mr F let off last couple of murderous (but effective) antibiotic when the diarrhoea got too bad, but he was still only up for a scrambled egg for dinner. I had ready made pork kebabs - though frankly the eggs would have been nicer. Anyway, finishing off bottle of Merlot from Saturday.
When one is required to give one's medical history, how far back is one expected to go?
I have to fill in an online self-referral form for physiotherapy, and the preamble says it will need my medical history. They can't possibly want it right from my pre-NHS date of birth, can they? Nor, I expect, would they require a list of my childhood ailments - which I think I can recall. So how far back should I start?
I realised it was Grimsetter as soon as I first saw it too.
That sounds wonderful all over, Piglet. I'm deeply torn between thinking "How wonderful for you!" and just plain green with envy. Fingers crossed for the Trossachs in 5 weeks...
Sounds like you are having a good time @Piglet.
I've got a bit of a busy week next week so I'm taking this opportunity to not do much. I do have loads of knitting I need to catch up though.
I know you're probably not going to believe this, but I have sunburn.
In Orkney.
I made the mistake of sitting in the same position all the time we were at Waulkmill yesterday (in my defence, the rocks where we planted ourselves were sufficiently, well, rocky that I was scared to move), and I now look a bit like Harlequin.
I'm about to go out for another picnic, so I'll have to try and face the other way this time ...
I know you're probably not going to believe this, but I have sunburn.
In Orkney.
I made the mistake of sitting in the same position all the time we were at Waulkmill yesterday (in my defence, the rocks where we planted ourselves were sufficiently, well, rocky that I was scared to move), and I now look a bit like Harlequin.
I'm about to go out for another picnic, so I'll have to try and face the other way this time ...
It's another utterly gorgeous day here, and I had a lovely afternoon with my old school friends - and I did manage to sit with my other side facing toward the sun*, so I might have balanced myself out a bit!
We actually have sunshine today, after days of grey and rain, and have been out walking, across the common to the Forest, and found it pretty muddy underfoot.
I also found a credit card and was responsible enough to report it to the bank as a lost card. The young lady on the line was most surprised someone had done that, really shocked when I started by saying that I had found a card lying in the middle of a common and was reporting it. All I now have to do is cut it up apparently. I'm wondering about using it as a tool for all those craft jobs.
I'm wondering about using it as a tool for all those craft jobs.
Old credit cards make reasonably effective sacrificial spreaders for glue / epoxy / whatever. (And on one occasion emergency collar stays for a shirt.) I'm sure you can find plenty of possible uses for one.
I wouldn’t like the idea of someone else’s card hanging around though, even if disabled. Especially if the bank has said cut it up. But that’s anxiety for you.
I had a meeting this morning to prep for the online conference next week but haven’t done much else. I am slightly on edge and can’t relax, probably caused by my eldest son coming home tomorrow (he has a couple of weeks between lets) and the conference next week.
I was thinking of cutting the credit card in half down the chip then keeping it as a tool. So disabling it further, but using it before throwing it away to add to the plastic waste.
A day of blazing blue has turned to a night of thick cloud. I wouldn't object to a little rain, and I'd be wildly enthusiastic about cooler temperatures.
I'm wondering about using it as a tool for all those craft jobs.
Old credit cards make reasonably effective sacrificial spreaders for glue / epoxy / whatever. (And on one occasion emergency collar stays for a shirt.) I'm sure you can find plenty of possible uses for one.
You can buy a nifty device for cutting guitar plectrums out of them. Very useful for someone like me who loses the wretched things faster than children lose school PE kit. And who plays the guitar, obviously. Less useful for anyone who doesn't, regardless of their colander-like possession or otherwise.
Comments
Hair has been recoloured (and will be cut tomorrow - I hope the hairdresser will be able to rectify the trichological disaster that was my last haircut). A taxi has been booked to convey me to the airport and a List has been made in the hope of preventing Calamitous Omissions. Preliminary Pack Ing will commence before I go to bed.
When we were in Canada David bought a cherry-pitting thingie for his sister (who's very partial to cherries). I think it might have worked on olives too, but it was from a kitchen shop over there, so possibly not available here.
My oldies made cherry pies and cheery jam, preserves and other very tasty things with it.
Now that’s a shop which is bad for the bank balance! All sorts of very clever essential items which will be used once in a blue moon and then relegated to the depths of a kitchen cupboard or drawer.
Very late flight, we were home at 2am this morning. Track and trace were on the doorstep at 8am checking we are quarantining - we are.
Online shop arrives at lunchtime.
Lovely and sunny 22° here so very relaxing. 🙂 ☀️
Have fun away Piglet. Enjoy quarantining Boogie.
There happened to be a lady in the chair behind me whose hairstyle was exactly what I was looking for, and while I realised she probably couldn't quite replicate it with my hair type, I think she's made a jolly good stab at it.
Pack Ing has been completed, and now I'm just faffing about until the taxi arrives to convey me airportwards.
If at any point you could have a pint of Dark Island for me it would be appreciated!
I’m now heading homeward having nipped down to London to see my mum. Very odd to be back in the place I said goodbye to a month ago.
I have tidied my desk and a few shelves in my room. It was my sewing room when I had a small sewing business making upcycled clothes and cloth nappies and I needed to throw some old fabric out to make room for my books on the shelves.
Indeed! They phoned us both, separately, again at 10 and 10:30 on the landline ‘tho. They are very hot on making sure Amber travellers stay at home.
A gentleman from my church went to Baku for the footie and was in quarantine till last Sunday night, I don't know if he was contacted by T&T though.
Not that I mind, though.
I've had a nice day - lunch with a friend, a purchase of something appropriate for Nenlet1's father in law (whose birthday it is next week and to whose celebrations we are invited on Sunday), back home for a swift mow of the lawns and a trim of some of the garden shrubs to go in the green bin collection, tea with another couple of friends and spaghetti bolognese for tea. We decided it was lacking a glass of red, but as we didn't really want to open a new bottle we had a small glass of port with it instead and it was most pleasant.
Hope the quarantining is ok @Boogie .
I trust you said,”I’ll have what she’s having!”
Enjoy your holiday @Piglet .
Hope you've arrived safely in the Orkneys @Piglet .
For a first attempt, I'm quite pleased with it. It's definitely more difficult than making ordinary bread.
I realised it was Grimsetter as soon as I first saw it too. I'm not fond of stout-type beer, but my nephew's had a few since he came up.
We had a Harbour Fry for supper last night (in my case, a fish supper with a pattie), and it was predictably excellent.
This morning I had a stroll along the street to get something for breakfast (a v. good bacon roll), and in true Orcadian fashion, hadn't been out for five minutes before I met someone I knew (in this case a second cousin), so much chattage took place.
It's been a glorious day today, and we picked up lunch from Orkney Street Food (run by a cousin of my late b-i-l) and took it out to Waulkmill Bay to eat it, after which my sister, nephew and the kids swam in the sea.
Going to the Ayre Hotel for supper; it's not the most haute cuisine place in town, but it's the only place we could get booked into, and last time we were there the food was perfectly decent.
Today I practised for next week’s short conference presentation and drew up my notes. I’m really getting unnecessarily anxious about it, it’s not as if I don’t present online all the time and I have spoken at internal conferences before. But it seems more scary discussing my research at a more formal conference.
Couldn’t be bothered to cook so got pie and mash with mushy peas and gravy delivered.
I have to fill in an online self-referral form for physiotherapy, and the preamble says it will need my medical history. They can't possibly want it right from my pre-NHS date of birth, can they? Nor, I expect, would they require a list of my childhood ailments - which I think I can recall. So how far back should I start?
That sounds wonderful all over, Piglet. I'm deeply torn between thinking "How wonderful for you!" and just plain green with envy. Fingers crossed for the Trossachs in 5 weeks...
I've got a bit of a busy week next week so I'm taking this opportunity to not do much. I do have loads of knitting I need to catch up though.
In Orkney.
I made the mistake of sitting in the same position all the time we were at Waulkmill yesterday (in my defence, the rocks where we planted ourselves were sufficiently, well, rocky that I was scared to move), and I now look a bit like Harlequin.
I'm about to go out for another picnic, so I'll have to try and face the other way this time ...
I got sunburn yesterday despite it being cloudy.
*warbles*
In July the sun is hot.
Is it shining? No, it's not!
Not, of course, that I would wish it to be like it is in NW America and Canada at the moment...
It's another utterly gorgeous day here, and I had a lovely afternoon with my old school friends - and I did manage to sit with my other side facing toward the sun*, so I might have balanced myself out a bit!
* which most definitely is shining!
🙂 ☀️
I have watered my pots which survived our week away very well due to some showers at the right times.
I also found a credit card and was responsible enough to report it to the bank as a lost card. The young lady on the line was most surprised someone had done that, really shocked when I started by saying that I had found a card lying in the middle of a common and was reporting it. All I now have to do is cut it up apparently. I'm wondering about using it as a tool for all those craft jobs.
Glad to hear that you're now equally grilled on both sides.
Old credit cards make reasonably effective sacrificial spreaders for glue / epoxy / whatever. (And on one occasion emergency collar stays for a shirt.) I'm sure you can find plenty of possible uses for one.
I had a meeting this morning to prep for the online conference next week but haven’t done much else. I am slightly on edge and can’t relax, probably caused by my eldest son coming home tomorrow (he has a couple of weeks between lets) and the conference next week.
You can buy a nifty device for cutting guitar plectrums out of them. Very useful for someone like me who loses the wretched things faster than children lose school PE kit. And who plays the guitar, obviously. Less useful for anyone who doesn't, regardless of their colander-like possession or otherwise.