I went to empty the water reservoir in our condenser tumble drier, and it was semi-frozen and slushy. I was able to shake some out, and have put the tumble drier on - presumably if I check in ten minutes the heat from the tumble drier will have melted the reservoir and I can empty it properly.
Originally posted by @Puzzler Seriously, I often feel like shouting from the rooftops to married people that they need to be prepared to take up any roles ready for when their other half is no longer able to fulfil them, especially cooking and finances. Some jobs can be outsourced to professionals but basics, no.
When our kids were small we had insurance to pay of the mortgage in the event of either death, but we wanted extra insurance too. A financial adviser went over it with us. If my husband died I would need childcare during the school holidays. If my husband died he would need childcare most days, and some weekends, and a cleaner and a gardener, and he'd have higher food bills to cover more reliance on takeaways etc. It ended up that although I earned a lot less, my husband's life was insured for 66% of the amount mine was insured for. If I was mortgage-free I could keep our family show on the road more-or-less single-handedly. But there was no way my husband could have juggled his demanding career and the house and kids without paid input.
Still very frosty here in Arkland the Glacial, but the Coal is working (!) and the saloon and galley are Nice and Warm. CHICKEN KYIVS n'CHIPS are a-cooking in the Dragon...
A minor nuisance is that the domestic water supply from tank to galley, via a 12v pump in the Engine Room, is frozen up - this hasn't happened for many a year - but I make do with reserve supplies in a handy water container (pre-filled a few days ago, when I saw the weather forecast) and the Kettle.
Bottled water for drinking is in the fridge, and there's enough hot water still in the Dragon-fed tank to allow me to have a wash...I shall have to go without water in my WHISKEY, but such is life.
The standpipe on the riverbank, next to the Ark, and its associated hosepipe are also still frozen.
It's amazing how much Wash Ing Up can be done in about an inch of tepid water. Laundry will have to wait until next week.
Mrs BF and I had a chicken brick - I think Herself must have got custody of it when we parted company - but it roasted a whole chicken (in the Dragon) very nicely.
@Sarasa - I did go back, but I chickened out (see what I did there?), as I really didn't think I'd use it often enough.
I'm having a ridiculously lazy day; after lunch I flopped on the sofa and fell asleep, and I don't seem to have the mojo to schlepp down to Tessie's. I think an online order may be in the offing, as I need bulky things like bog roll and kitchen paper, and my WINE reserves are getting dangerously low. 😳
I have, however, taken some sausages out of the freezer, and they'll be turned into saucisses à la ménagère for supper.
I have, however, taken some sausages out of the freezer, and they'll be turned into saucisses à la ménagère for supper.
Is that sausages in rice?
I've been out for coffee and lunch and had quite a successful mooch round the shops with my lunch date. I've been after a smallish pretty handbag for evening use (the odd occasion when we're away and going down to meals needing only a tissue, a phone and the room key) and I found one in a charity shop. I normally wouldn't buy handbags secondhand (as my Dear Old Mum used to observe, you never know what's been in 'em ) but this one looked brand new, with the label still attached to the zip, so I'm pretty confident it's never been used.
Mr Nen's home from his Hearty, Very Cold But Enjoyable, Walk. Stir fry this evening because Saturday.
I see the temperature is set to soar into double figures next week, and I can dress in something other than fleece trousers and double woollies. Tottering to the shops this morning, the air felt almost too cold to breathe.
However, we're now provisioned for the week, meals planned - pizza tonight, stone bass tomorrow, bacon, spuds and cabbage (Irish soul food) on Monday. Also got more Chinese ingredients - enoki mushrooms and various manifestations of fermented black bean, to try out more interesting recipes.
Warmer here today.
Gave the youngest twanglet a trip to the park and did a top up shop (the cats would have run out of food before Big Shop Day and then there would have been trouble).
Meandering around doing Ings.
Wraps with bolognese or chicken godsons for dinner
I have, however, taken some sausages out of the freezer, and they'll be turned into saucisses à la ménagère for supper.
Is that sausages in rice?
It is. I adapted it from a recipe in a lovely book called Provence, the Beautiful Cookbook, which we bought in Costco in St John's - sausages, shallots, rice, saffron and peas. The sausages I had must have been quite spicy - there was tingling - but it was very nice all the same.
I decided to cop out vis à vis grocery shopping and put in a Tesco's delivery order, which should arrive on Monday evening. Sadly, not quite so many club card offers as last time, but I still managed to save a few quid on WINE. 🙂
I have, however, taken some sausages out of the freezer, and they'll be turned into saucisses à la ménagère for supper.
Is that sausages in rice?
It is. I adapted it from a recipe in a lovely book called Provence, the Beautiful Cookbook, which we bought in Costco in St John's - sausages, shallots, rice, saffron and peas. The sausages I had must have been quite spicy - there was tingling - but it was very nice all the same.
I am no great fan of The Sausage (apart from Pigs In Blankets) but that sounds really nice. Could you post it in the recipe thread?
We enjoyed our stir fry and wine. I'm now heading for bed, having not got to sleep until the early hours this morning.
I was paying in a cheque from my mother. Mum writes in cursive and the machine sometimes struggles with her 1s, 4s and 7s. The cheque didn't actually have any 1s, 4s, or 7s, but I was still checking carefully that it hadn't misread the cheque before I pressed the OK button. At which point the NE Man stepped in and starting explaining the procedure to me.
Now that cheques have almost vanished from our lives I recently had the exciting new technological experience of depositing a photograph of one into my bank account through my mobile telephone. It brought back a Goon Show of many years ago with Neddy Seagoon demanding money from someone and being told, "Certainly - here's a photograph of a £10 note!" There is nothing new under the sun.
Easiest gift to give - offence. Accepted readily by almost everyone. Costs nothing, but always remembered. Can be given anywhere, any time, even by accident.
Cold and frosty here - just a short walk this morning.
I did consider doing some more essay writing today. I wrote half of the first essay yesterday and could probably finish it today, other than the referencing. But I think a day off would be healthier, even if it does mean having to juggle my workload next week.
So a rest on the sofa and then early to church this evening as Mr Heavenly is on setting up duty. Mr Heavenly is currently cooking a lunch of leftover rice, chicken hearts and mushrooms.
Arkland the Invisible was wrapped in Feezing Frog this morning, though the Sun is now doing her best to dispel it...
Low attendance at Our Place - no more than a Baker's Dozen, my Spy tells me - partly due to the cold snap, and partly to the persistent Christmas Lurgy - but full marks to those faithful and loyal souls who did make it this morning!
Our place was pretty packed this morning, but we did have a Christening so I guess there were a lot of guests. There was still quite a lot of icy on the path through the park on the way there. I came home a different way, but the ice in our garden is begining to melt so I hope it'll be gone everywhere in the next day or so. The river is back down to normal levels too for which much thanks. @piglet I saw your sausage recipe in the food thread in Heaven. I have all the ingredients to turn it into a vegan version so that will be a midweek meal sometime this week.
I was mightily glad that the choir was not needed this morning as I would have had to spend a long time de-icing my car. Having been white for several days, the frost has now gone at last.
For lunch I cooked a chicken breast topped with bacon plus roasted veg in the air fryer and green veg on the hob. Probably bread and cheese tonight, with a mini sausage roll from the freezer.
I had planned my time today around the Epiphany Carol Service on Radio 3 at 3pm, as otherwise I have missed out on Epiphany this year, but I had an unexpected visit from my granddaughter at 3.10 for 40 minutes. The best laid plans.
Thank you! I'll give it a go the next time I feel the urge to cook sausages (it doesn't come upon me that often ).
I went to morning service at Our Place and it was pretty full and I walked out chatting to someone I don't see very often. With hindsight I should have asked if she wanted to have a coffee with me at the local watering hole, but I was keen to get home and didn't ask and have been feeling bad about it ever since. I also think I must have missed something from the talk this morning as a friend has messaged to say how they'd really enjoyed and appreciated it. Maybe I'm just blundering through the day with my eyes and ears half closed. I had another really bad night of sleep and am feeling as though it should be bedtime.
I've often been at services where others have said how much they've appreciated the sermon, or the hymns, or whatever, and yet I've not felt the same (especially if it was Me preaching the homily).
BTW, was I the only one to mentally translate saucisses à la ménagère as Manager's Sausages, or Menagerie Sausages?
I did Google the recipe (it sounds delicious), and it's quite OK to use different sorts of sausage. If there's any going spare, please to send it post-haste to Arkland the Famished. Thank you so much.
Church was avoided today due to being lurgyfied.
Chicken in a lorry for lunch.
The magic of the cup on tv.
Ironing tonight (I'll be needing "proper" trousers for work tomorrow)
@Sarasa - I'm curious - what would vegan sausages be made of?
I'm copping out of cooking this evening; a recent conversation reminded me that I used to like Hawaiian pizza (don't judge me!), with sweetcorn and mushrooms added.
When I went to the website of the local pizza place, it wouldn't let me add more than one topping, so the mushrooms had to go, but I'll find out shortly whether I still like it or not ... 🤔
A bit chilly here today. Temperature indoors was 14C when I got up (I put the heating on PDQ, so at least the rads felt hot when Mr RoS emerged). Frost has been lying on the shady side of the garden for several days, and possibly even some remnants of Wednesday night's snowfall. I was sure that we were told today would be warmer, but this was the coldest yet around here.
Have been having vertigo on several days recently, but I felt OK when I got out of bed this morning, and walked down the hall without bouncing off the walls. Arrangements made to get to church, but the vertigo hit after breakfast, so that was cancelled.
I decided to make a pan of celery soup to make use of the time, but after walking backwards & forwards between veg prep counter & cooker a few timesthe vertigo was much worse, so as far as the morning was concerned cooking was not a good idea.
The pan of cooked celery was left on the back doorstep to cool enough to whizz in the processor, I must get Mr RoS to fetch it in, or it will be frozen solid. I think I will finish it tomorrow.
If I can walk in a straight line!
When I've made vegan sausages I've used seitan, black beans and porcini mushrooms. I never look too closely at what shop brought ones contain. @Roseofsharon I hope the vertigo goes away soon.
When I lived in Old Street, London in the 1990s there was a shop in Clerkenwell called Simply Sausages. It sold a wide selection of meat based sausages but there was always at least one variety of vegetarian sausage available, and the featured flavour changed regularly. So sometimes you might get mushroom and red wine sausages, at other times cheese and leek sausages. I was veggie in those days and would often pop round there to buy some.
Probably the same stuff as meat sausages seeing as the manufacturers seem to have moved away from collagen and started using this alginate stuff. Which is a pain in the arse frankly as you can't easily skin sausages made using it for stuffing or sausage rolls.
Still cold here, but as it is above freezing I hope our garden will finally thaw out in the next couple of days.
My husband headed to the gym this morning while I made a tomato and lentil soup. I then joined him for a few games of table tennis which I won four games to three, a pretty rare occurrence. We came back home for the soup which was just what was needed on a chilly day.
This afternoon will be spent on laziness. I have a meeting tonight but at least that is on line and hopefully won't go on too long.
The frost has melted in Arkland the Barmy Balmy, and the Ark's domestic water system is working again. I can now have a Proper Wash™ prior to sallying forth to Pilates tomorrow...though I think I might help to save the planet meanwhile by not wasting water by adding it to WHISKEY.
FISH CAKES n'BAKED SPUD for lunch.
BTW, I'm sure I had saucisses à la ménagère once upon a time, when I was staying with my sister in France. IIRC, the meal (which, of course, lasted a couple of hours) was eaten at a charming al fresco restaurant in Carcassonne, rather than Toulouse, but was certainly very tasty.
I'm very fond of French cuisine, but alas! there doesn't seem to be a decent French-style place in Our Town. Italian places OTOH are here in abundance, which pleases me muchly, as I also happen to be very fond of Italian cuisine...
One place in particular is a favourite, as it's (a) owned and run by an Italian family - from Tuscany, I think - and (b) I can park nearby, using my disabled persons' Blue Badge.
Really busy today, I was teaching this morning so I had to do all my admin and communications this afternoon instead, then I had lots of issues to sort out and my manager wanted a chat (about my workload!). I haven’t managed to start this afternoon’s marking and I have a meeting this evening. I’ve just taken a break and had a walk-in the fresh air. The marking may have to wait til tomorrow.
I was thinking of Côte too, and Café Rouge (possibly of blessèd memory - did they all close after the Plague, or was it just some of them?). Both most excellent establishments.
The weather here has taken another slightly barmy balmy turn here; when I woke up, Accu Weather was saying it was 8°!!! It was also intermittently Slightly Wet, but not worryingly so, at least not while I was outdoors.
Supper was cacio e pepe because I wanted something quick and easy (and didn't have much in the way of easily-assembled suppers in the house). Tessie's should be delivering a load of Stuff in a couple of hours, so tomorrow should be reasonably sorted.
Comments
Originally posted by @Puzzler
Seriously, I often feel like shouting from the rooftops to married people that they need to be prepared to take up any roles ready for when their other half is no longer able to fulfil them, especially cooking and finances. Some jobs can be outsourced to professionals but basics, no.
When our kids were small we had insurance to pay of the mortgage in the event of either death, but we wanted extra insurance too. A financial adviser went over it with us. If my husband died I would need childcare during the school holidays. If my husband died he would need childcare most days, and some weekends, and a cleaner and a gardener, and he'd have higher food bills to cover more reliance on takeaways etc. It ended up that although I earned a lot less, my husband's life was insured for 66% of the amount mine was insured for. If I was mortgage-free I could keep our family show on the road more-or-less single-handedly. But there was no way my husband could have juggled his demanding career and the house and kids without paid input.
Who knew the afterlife was so high maintenance?
The slush has indeed melted now that the tumble drier is on, and I've emptied the reservoir.
A minor nuisance is that the domestic water supply from tank to galley, via a 12v pump in the Engine Room, is frozen up - this hasn't happened for many a year - but I make do with reserve supplies in a handy water container (pre-filled a few days ago, when I saw the weather forecast) and the Kettle.
Bottled water for drinking is in the fridge, and there's enough hot water still in the Dragon-fed tank to allow me to have a wash...I shall have to go without water in my WHISKEY, but such is life.
The standpipe on the riverbank, next to the Ark, and its associated hosepipe are also still frozen.
It's amazing how much Wash Ing Up can be done in about an inch of tepid water. Laundry will have to wait until next week.
Mrs BF and I had a chicken brick - I think Herself must have got custody of it when we parted company - but it roasted a whole chicken (in the Dragon) very nicely.
I'm having a ridiculously lazy day; after lunch I flopped on the sofa and fell asleep, and I don't seem to have the mojo to schlepp down to Tessie's. I think an online order may be in the offing, as I need bulky things like bog roll and kitchen paper, and my WINE reserves are getting dangerously low. 😳
I have, however, taken some sausages out of the freezer, and they'll be turned into saucisses à la ménagère for supper.
I've been out for coffee and lunch and had quite a successful mooch round the shops with my lunch date. I've been after a smallish pretty handbag for evening use (the odd occasion when we're away and going down to meals needing only a tissue, a phone and the room key) and I found one in a charity shop. I normally wouldn't buy handbags secondhand (as my Dear Old Mum used to observe, you never know what's been in 'em
Mr Nen's home from his Hearty, Very Cold But Enjoyable, Walk. Stir fry this evening because Saturday.
However, we're now provisioned for the week, meals planned - pizza tonight, stone bass tomorrow, bacon, spuds and cabbage (Irish soul food) on Monday. Also got more Chinese ingredients - enoki mushrooms and various manifestations of fermented black bean, to try out more interesting recipes.
Gave the youngest twanglet a trip to the park and did a top up shop (the cats would have run out of food before Big Shop Day and then there would have been trouble).
Meandering around doing Ings.
Wraps with bolognese or chicken godsons for dinner
I expect they'll come from Kentucky Fried Children.
Oops bliming autocorrupt I mean autocorrect
It is. I adapted it from a recipe in a lovely book called Provence, the Beautiful Cookbook, which we bought in Costco in St John's - sausages, shallots, rice, saffron and peas. The sausages I had must have been quite spicy - there was tingling - but it was very nice all the same.
I decided to cop out vis à vis grocery shopping and put in a Tesco's delivery order, which should arrive on Monday evening. Sadly, not quite so many club card offers as last time, but I still managed to save a few quid on WINE. 🙂
We enjoyed our stir fry and wine. I'm now heading for bed, having not got to sleep until the early hours this morning.
🤣
Now that cheques have almost vanished from our lives I recently had the exciting new technological experience of depositing a photograph of one into my bank account through my mobile telephone. It brought back a Goon Show of many years ago with Neddy Seagoon demanding money from someone and being told, "Certainly - here's a photograph of a £10 note!" There is nothing new under the sun.
Laundry is ready for the tumble dryer, and there's a sofa with my name on it ...
I did consider doing some more essay writing today. I wrote half of the first essay yesterday and could probably finish it today, other than the referencing. But I think a day off would be healthier, even if it does mean having to juggle my workload next week.
So a rest on the sofa and then early to church this evening as Mr Heavenly is on setting up duty. Mr Heavenly is currently cooking a lunch of leftover rice, chicken hearts and mushrooms.
Low attendance at Our Place - no more than a Baker's Dozen, my Spy tells me - partly due to the cold snap, and partly to the persistent Christmas Lurgy - but full marks to those faithful and loyal souls who did make it this morning!
@piglet I saw your sausage recipe in the food thread in Heaven. I have all the ingredients to turn it into a vegan version so that will be a midweek meal sometime this week.
For lunch I cooked a chicken breast topped with bacon plus roasted veg in the air fryer and green veg on the hob. Probably bread and cheese tonight, with a mini sausage roll from the freezer.
I had planned my time today around the Epiphany Carol Service on Radio 3 at 3pm, as otherwise I have missed out on Epiphany this year, but I had an unexpected visit from my granddaughter at 3.10 for 40 minutes. The best laid plans.
Thank you! I'll give it a go the next time I feel the urge to cook sausages (it doesn't come upon me that often
I went to morning service at Our Place and it was pretty full and I walked out chatting to someone I don't see very often. With hindsight I should have asked if she wanted to have a coffee with me at the local watering hole, but I was keen to get home and didn't ask and have been feeling bad about it ever since. I also think I must have missed something from the talk this morning as a friend has messaged to say how they'd really enjoyed and appreciated it. Maybe I'm just blundering through the day with my eyes and ears half closed. I had another really bad night of sleep and am feeling as though it should be bedtime.
Roast chicken for tea.
BTW, was I the only one to mentally translate saucisses à la ménagère as Manager's Sausages, or Menagerie Sausages?
I did Google the recipe (it sounds delicious), and it's quite OK to use different sorts of sausage. If there's any going spare, please to send it post-haste to Arkland the Famished. Thank you so much.
Chicken in a lorry for lunch.
The magic of the cup on tv.
Ironing tonight (I'll be needing "proper" trousers for work tomorrow)
I'm copping out of cooking this evening; a recent conversation reminded me that I used to like Hawaiian pizza (don't judge me!), with sweetcorn and mushrooms added.
When I went to the website of the local pizza place, it wouldn't let me add more than one topping, so the mushrooms had to go, but I'll find out shortly whether I still like it or not ... 🤔
Have been having vertigo on several days recently, but I felt OK when I got out of bed this morning, and walked down the hall without bouncing off the walls. Arrangements made to get to church, but the vertigo hit after breakfast, so that was cancelled.
I decided to make a pan of celery soup to make use of the time, but after walking backwards & forwards between veg prep counter & cooker a few timesthe vertigo was much worse, so as far as the morning was concerned cooking was not a good idea.
The pan of cooked celery was left on the back doorstep to cool enough to whizz in the processor, I must get Mr RoS to fetch it in, or it will be frozen solid. I think I will finish it tomorrow.
If I can walk in a straight line!
Like pork sausages, doesn't that question answer itself?
You mean they’re not?
@Roseofsharon I hope the vertigo goes away soon.
When I lived in Old Street, London in the 1990s there was a shop in Clerkenwell called Simply Sausages. It sold a wide selection of meat based sausages but there was always at least one variety of vegetarian sausage available, and the featured flavour changed regularly. So sometimes you might get mushroom and red wine sausages, at other times cheese and leek sausages. I was veggie in those days and would often pop round there to buy some.
I've seen recipes for Glamorgan sausages, which seem to involve cheese, leeks and breadcrumbs, although I've never tried making them.
Probably the same stuff as meat sausages seeing as the manufacturers seem to have moved away from collagen and started using this alginate stuff. Which is a pain in the arse frankly as you can't easily skin sausages made using it for stuffing or sausage rolls.
YMMV, no doubt
My husband headed to the gym this morning while I made a tomato and lentil soup. I then joined him for a few games of table tennis which I won four games to three, a pretty rare occurrence. We came back home for the soup which was just what was needed on a chilly day.
This afternoon will be spent on laziness. I have a meeting tonight but at least that is on line and hopefully won't go on too long.
FISH CAKES n'BAKED SPUD for lunch.
BTW, I'm sure I had saucisses à la ménagère once upon a time, when I was staying with my sister in France. IIRC, the meal (which, of course, lasted a couple of hours) was eaten at a charming al fresco restaurant in Carcassonne, rather than Toulouse, but was certainly very tasty.
I'm very fond of French cuisine, but alas! there doesn't seem to be a decent French-style place in Our Town. Italian places OTOH are here in abundance, which pleases me muchly, as I also happen to be very fond of Italian cuisine...
One place in particular is a favourite, as it's (a) owned and run by an Italian family - from Tuscany, I think - and (b) I can park nearby, using my disabled persons' Blue Badge.
Really busy today, I was teaching this morning so I had to do all my admin and communications this afternoon instead, then I had lots of issues to sort out and my manager wanted a chat (about my workload!). I haven’t managed to start this afternoon’s marking and I have a meeting this evening. I’ve just taken a break and had a walk-in the fresh air. The marking may have to wait til tomorrow.
The weather here has taken another slightly barmy balmy turn here; when I woke up, Accu Weather was saying it was 8°!!! It was also intermittently Slightly Wet, but not worryingly so, at least not while I was outdoors.
Supper was cacio e pepe because I wanted something quick and easy (and didn't have much in the way of easily-assembled suppers in the house). Tessie's should be delivering a load of Stuff in a couple of hours, so tomorrow should be reasonably sorted.