AS: Cool Britannia (sort of): the British thread 2019

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  • Priscilla wrote: »
    Yes, we have a route from our valley to the M4 avoiding the tunnels too.
    It offends me seeing the work on the Heads of the Valleys road down Black Rock gorge - yes, the road can be landscaped and prettified, but I feel a deep sorrow that the rock formations that have been excavated can never be put back ☹️

    Indeed. We cannot simply building more and more roads - nor take it as our inalienable right to travel wherever we want, whenever we want.
  • Last October the “Eco Tips” that I provide for my church news sheet focussed on end of life, including reference to this helpful sign-posting and information-providing organisation, who were well received at our Green Fair in March. One dear older friend said “I wish you hadn’t done those tips but thank you, we needed them - it’s started the very necessary conversations”.
  • BroJames wrote: »
    The rain it raineth on the just,
    and on the unjust fellow,
    but mostly on the just,
    because the unjust has the just's umbrella.

    Sorry, that comes to my mind every time I hear Matt 5:45

    (Fellow pronounced "feller" for the purposes of rhyming)
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    I confess I had to look "PTO" up, and was quite a way down the page when a meaning that made sense appeared - permission to officiate? I rather like Nenya's version though ... :mrgreen:

    A friend gave us some rhubarb the other day, so I made a crumble, which we had with ICE CREAM after lunch (baked POTATOES with grated CHEESE). There's some crumble left, so do help yourselves.

    I'm currently messing about on the computer in D's office, having fired off another job application (this time in the office of a cleaning agency - hope they don't want to inspect the château for dust)! I've also put in for a job in the office of another church* - this time United Church of Canada. This one may have a bit more promise - the organist of said church is the wife of D's predecessor at the Cathedral, and we're on good terms with them. We're likely to see them next week at the local organists' society's annual bash - I wonder if it would be impudent to ask her to put in a good word? They've acknowledged my application, but with the usual "only those who are interviewed will be contacted" malarkey.

    * It's a bit like London buses - you don't see one for years, and then two come along at once ...
  • daisydaisy wrote: »
    Last October the “Eco Tips” that I provide for my church news sheet focussed on end of life, including reference to this helpful sign-posting and information-providing organisation, who were well received at our Green Fair in March. One dear older friend said “I wish you hadn’t done those tips but thank you, we needed them - it’s started the very necessary conversations”.
    Great idea. Thanks for the link. I knew they had a natural burial site round here and I quite fancy it for my burial.
  • caroline444caroline444 Shipmate
    edited June 2019
    @ Piglet: All good luck with the job applications....

    Plus I adore rhubarb crumble and I adore ice cream. My idea of bliss. Are we allowed to come back for seconds?
  • I’ll have cream with my crumble, please Piglet. I eat almost no icecream at all and love cream with rhubarb. I’ll be right over. Thanks.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    We have cream if you prefer! Even though I haven't got the sweetest tooth*, I find that ice-cream offsets the sharpness of the rhubarb nicely.

    * given the choice between a pudding and a cheese-board, the CHEESE would win every time
  • Piglet wrote: »
    We have cream if you prefer! Even though I haven't got the sweetest tooth*, I find that ice-cream offsets the sharpness of the rhubarb nicely.

    * given the choice between a pudding and a cheese-board, the CHEESE would win every time

    Me too - cheese is my favourite thing. Our Sunday lunch is fresh bread and assorted cheeses as we get back very late from church. Though I wouldn’t refuse rhubarb crumble and custard either - I love custard.
    A marking day here, I have a whole bunch of final essays on a ‘good death’ in end of life care.
  • I've been making rhubarb cake - like apple cake, gluten-free and dairy-free, with small chunks of rhubarb and a teaspoon of ginger in the cake mix. The rhubarb helps with the texture - gluten-free flour texture isn't always good.
  • Sweet cooked rhubarb goes very well IMO with Greek yoghourt or creme fraiche.
  • Rhubarb poached with a teaspoon of honey and the juice of a large orange - bliss just on its own.

    A mincemeat tart, on the other hand requires evaporated milk :grin:
  • Nooooooo .....!

    Actually it could work, though the two together would be too sweet for me.

    Now, what goes with Bakewell tart?
  • sionisaissionisais Shipmate
    Nooooooo .....!

    Actually it could work, though the two together would be too sweet for me.

    Now, what goes with Bakewell tart?

    Another one? No, you need a nice cup of tea with a Bakewell.
  • Alongside, not poured over!
  • Why not compromise, and simply dunk bits of Bakewell into the Tea?
    :grin:
  • My wife dunks .... I can't stand watching her!
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    ... A mincemeat tart, on the other hand requires evaporated milk :grin:
    Nothing ever requires evaporated milk - it's an Abomination Before the Lord™. When you're at a church bunfight in Newfoundland, you have to be very wary of the milk-jugs - one of them will contain evaporated milk, and you risk ruining a perfectly good cup of tea.

    @Heavenlyannie, you should come round to ours for lunch - we're having charcuterie, cheese and bread (baked last night), with tomato and avocado salad, followed by the leftover rhubarb crumble.

    There may be a glass of WINE in the offing too ... :smiley:
  • Piglet wrote: »
    Nothing ever requires evaporated milk - it's an Abomination Before the Lord™.
    And what about condensed milk?

  • Condensed milk is incredibly sweet. The last time I used it was with Guides, mixed with desiccated coconut to make sweets at Christmas. It's surprisingly good - one of a batch of no cook sweets we were using to fill boxes to go home.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Condensed milk is an essential ingredient in Scottish tablet, and consequently a Very Good Thing. :mrgreen:
  • TheOrganistTheOrganist Shipmate
    edited June 2019
    If you whisk and whisk evaporated milk until it has gone almost white and won't expand any more, then add a jelly dissolved in half the recommended amount of water and whisk that in before 'fridging and you have a child friendly dessert - vicarage friendly too because it costs pence and feeds a multitude.
  • Piglet wrote: »
    Condensed milk is an essential ingredient in Scottish tablet, and consequently a Very Good Thing. :mrgreen:

    Now you're talking ... https://tinyurl.com/yyx4peja
  • Tree BeeTree Bee Shipmate

    Now, what goes with Bakewell tart?

    I would say custard with a dash of amaretto.
  • That sounds suspiciously not-from-Derbyshire! But definitely nice.
  • ThomasinaThomasina Shipmate
    If you are going to eat Bakewell tart then you can put anything on it. But if you are going to eat the real Bakewell pudding then eat it just on its own, to savour that delicious not-quite-custard, but not-quite-cream plus the mysterious Bakewell ingredient!

    Preferably out of a paper bag sitting by the river watching the swans!
  • Piglet wrote: »
    ... A mincemeat tart, on the other hand requires evaporated milk :grin:
    Nothing ever requires evaporated milk - it's an Abomination Before the Lord™...

    @Heavenlyannie, you should come round to ours for lunch - we're having charcuterie, cheese and bread (baked last night), with tomato and avocado salad, followed by the leftover rhubarb crumble.

    There may be a glass of WINE in the offing too ... :smiley:
    Evaporated milk has one good use, whip up and then add melted jelly cubes to make great easy mousse.
    Lunch sounds perfect for me!
  • As a good Northerner I'd say that if there's a question, the only answer is custard...

    Had a weird happening earlier. I have been recording repeats of early 2000s TV mini-series Band of the Brothers and decided to start watching. Turns out the first episode begins and ends with the D-Day invasion whose 75th anniversary is today. Spooky.
  • Wesley JWesley J Shipmate
    An excellent programme, ArachnidinElmet, most watchable. I have the boxed DVD set. Makes you eminently grateful for what happened back then. True heroism. <votive>
  • SarasaSarasa Shipmate
    edited June 2019
    Today should be a good day. I've got my Zumba and Pilates classes this morning, then a knit and natter with some friends from the classes. This evening I'm off to sse Ben Aaronovitch of Rivers of London fame at the local library.
    The sun is shining too, hope everyone else has interesting things planned for today.
    BTW I agree to custard with rhubarb crumble too, and I'm a Londoner.
  • Yoga group for me this morning and then I might forego my afternoon off to get some more marking done. Church bible group this evening.
  • Pilates this morning. Deanery Synod this evening.

    Deep Joy...
  • Wesley JWesley J Shipmate
    May the deanery / to you not be mean-ery. <votive>
  • Thank you!
    :lol:

    Physical torture this morning - mental torture this evening. What's not to like?
    :cold_sweat:
  • ArachnidinElmetArachnidinElmet Shipmate
    edited June 2019
    Wesley J wrote: »
    An excellent programme, ArachnidinElmet, most watchable...
    You're not wrong. I'm in tears already on the second episode.
  • la vie en rougela vie en rouge Circus Host, 8th Day Host
    Happy dance :grin:

    We have the apartment! Yippee!!

    Oh. Now we have to put all our belongings in boxes. Bugger.
  • Brilliant news about the apartment, la vie en rouge
  • SarasaSarasa Shipmate
    Great news about the apartment @la vie en rouge . How long have you got to pack? Didn't you say it was bigger, so you won't have the horrid what things do we chuck away discussion.
  • Do make sure that you pack Captain Pyjamas, though...
    :fearful:
  • Do make sure that you pack Captain Pyjamas, though...
    :fearful:

    But remember which box he's in. (And don't forget the airholes.)

    Great news!
  • Sarasa wrote: »
    This evening I'm off to see Ben Aaronovitch of Rivers of London fame at the local library.

    :grimace:

    Mrs. S, extremely envious
  • I'm envious as I was hoping to see him at the opening of the Rivers of London exhibition at the Museum of London last week, had the tab for tickets sitting open for ever. But my usual reason for not getting out prevailed.

    Another glorious day today, as was yesterday, so we've managed another wander around the local nature reserve, the two accessible fields, spotting butterflies, moths and other joys.

    I also had to climb the fence again into the emerging bike store yesterday, which was much easier this time as I didn't have to climb into a holly bush. This time because I'd shut the gate and the latch stuck. The fence is over my head, so it's a bit exciting.
  • SarasaSarasa Shipmate
    Oh I didn't know there was an exhibition on Rivers of London.
  • I suspect it's more the actual rivers, not the books - Secret Rivers, at the Museum of London, Docklands, but there was an opening evening on 30 May with Ben Aaronovitch speaking
  • SarasaSarasa Shipmate
    I'm interested in the secret rivers too. I used to live in Kilburn which was a tributary of the Fleet(?). My dad reckoned the river flowed under where we lived.
    Ben Aaronovitch was fun, annoyingly I'd forgotten to take any money so couldn't snap up a copy of the new novella coming out at the end of the month. I could hear Peter Grant in the way he spoke.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Congratulations, La Vie, M. en rouge and Captain Pyjamas! :smiley:
    Do make sure that you pack Captain Pyjamas, though...
    :fearful:
    When my younger nephew was a baby, his family moved from a flat at one end of the road to a house at the other (where my sister still lives), and she confessed that they nearly lost him in the move.

    I've probably recounted this story before, but when we were packing up the house in Belfast, we had the back door open and next-door's cat came in, saw all the boxes and thought all his Christmases had come at once. Eventually we had to physically pick him up, take him over to his humans and ask them if they wouldn't mind keeping him indoors, just in case he got (a) locked in the house (which would have been unfortunate, if not exactly disastrous - the new owners were getting the key a couple of days later); or (b) closed up in a packing-box (which would have been disastrous, as it took our stuff six weeks to get to Newfoundland). :flushed:
    I'm having a moderately busy day: I coloured my hair this morning, in preparation for getting it cut this afternoon, and in between, we were invited to lunch with a couple in the choir, which was very pleasant indeed.

    After a spot of helping D. put out some choir music, I'm now messing about on here before choir practice.

    Not sure if I'll be online tomorrow - after D's recital we're heading out of town for a wedding on Saturday. Luckily this will offer an excellent opportunity to have dinner tomorrow night at the East Coast Bistro in Saint John, which is in our top ten favourite restaurants.

    Happy piglet. :smiley:

  • Pigwidgeon wrote: »
    Do make sure that you pack Captain Pyjamas, though...
    :fearful:

    But remember which box he's in. (And don't forget the airholes.)

    Great news!

    I have a friend who, during the war, was evacuated to our nearest town with her family. She was only a few months old. They didn't stay long, packed up to go back to London, handed back the keys, got into the taxi - Mum, aunt, cousins, sister - and her Mum said 'I have this strange feeling we've forgotten something'. They sat awhile in thought till he sister said 'It's Doreen!'

    She had been - as was usual - in a drawer, pulled partway out of a chest of drawers!

    And yes - great news, LVER!
  • LeRocLeRoc Shipmate
    Well, that was a nice game of football yesterday wasn't it? :naughty:
  • @LeRoc You may think that, one of my neighbours would disagree strongly, me, I don't care about yesterday's football.
  • What is this thing called 'Foot Ball' of which you speak? Is it some form of painful ailment, or even torture?
    :cold_sweat:
This discussion has been closed.