I was going to ask how we'd managed to get from Eowyn to Herminia - four named storms in as many days - but I understand they were named by different countries?
Couldn't we have a bit of international co-operation here? 🤔
I have wondered about getting names from somewhere neutral like Middle Earth but that's probably a Circus thread.
Well, Eowyn is indeed a character in Lord of the Rings (as enny fule kno), so I did wonder if the Storm following her might be Faramir...
As you say, maybe a subject for the Circus? Galadriel, Halbarad, Ioreth...
Herminia's coat-tails did some damage in Arkland the Damp overnight, and The Lads have spent some time this morning repairing my gangplank (one of the hinges was broken). The lack of access to the shore meant that I had to cancel today's Pilates session, but The Lads have now finished the job, using enormous hinges which look as if they should belong on a church door, and I can now go and buy more BREAD...
I'm out meeting someone to talk about Byron this morning. I am woefully under prepared as I thought we were meeting tomorrow!
There is a statue of Byron in front of Aberdeen Grammar School. It's there because Byron was a former pupil. I'm not sure he's the best example for impressionable youth to emulate.
I went for a cold and windy walk with Ted. Very Bracing, but thankfully no rain.
This afternoon pampering at the nail parlour. I think I'll go for purple. 🟣🙂
Indeed - The Lads (they are four in number) are very helpful to me in Times of Need, as are my lovely neighbours, too.
BTW, Arkland has a resident dog named Ted - he's a Rottrador (or Labweiler), and is both large and friendly. His human takes him for a 15km run every morning (human on his bike, Ted on his legs), as he seems to possess endless supplies of energy.
I'm out meeting someone to talk about Byron this morning. I am woefully under prepared as I thought we were meeting tomorrow!
There is a statue of Byron in front of Aberdeen Grammar School. It's there because Byron was a former pupil. I'm not sure he's the best example for impressionable youth to emulate.
It would keep the Press & Journal going if they did!
As I was teaching til 9.30 last night I had a slow start this morning, with pottering around. Then I went to a lecture on oral histories of WW2 sailors who needed medical care.
Alas I need to mark essays this afternoon.
Disorganised day so far - mainly on account of being awake 3 to 6 am, so sleeping in until 9.20. Finally got round to cleaning the bathroom about 20 to 1, including re-attaching the wash hand basin plug to its chain with the aid of pliers and a split ring from my jewellery making.
Should I now start making a cooked lunch (leftover stir fry) at 25 to 2, given the grocery delivery is scheduled between 2 and 3 (and could turn up on the dot)?
The session on Byron was really interesting. It was in a house that was once owned by Byron's mother and Byron lived there as a child. It is now owned by a Byron enthusiast. It's a beautiful Georgian house stuffed to gills with interesting Byron things. He read us a poem from Byron's first book of poetry (published locally) that was about the young ladies of the town, so yes I think he would have been in all the tabloids if he was around now. He wrote a lot of letters and we were imagining what his Instagram posts would have been like. Hopefully we've come up with a plan to make his local connections better known. I had ten minutes when I got home to make a sandwich before a zoom meeting about something completely different.
In fact turned up at 1.50, sadly with a smashed bottle of vermouth. Will of course get a refund for that, the spoiled loaf and the soggy garlic - but what are we going to do for Martinis? Just have to drink neat gin I suppose.
In fact turned up at 1.50, sadly with a smashed bottle of vermouth. Will of course get a refund for that, the spoiled loaf and the soggy garlic - but what are we going to do for Martinis? Just have to drink neat gin I suppose.
In the words of Tom Lehrer "The water tasted bad for a week and we had to make do with gin"
The NE Man and I both have church meetings tonight. His is in our church, mine is in the next town. I think his starts at 7, at any rate, he said he'd need dinner on the table on the dot of 6. The beef stifado is in the oven and good to go. But the NE Man headed into work at 1 o'clock, saying he'd be home by 5, and there's no sign of him. Do I start boiling the pasta on the assumption that if he wanted dinner on the table at 6, he will be home by 6?
I was up sharp this morning, making the marinade so the beef could marinate for 9 hours before going into the oven. I am not best pleased.
I thought the NE Man had retired - what's all this "going in to work" malarkey?
BF, glad to hear you're no longer unhinged ...
I had a rather busier day today - one voice file in particular entailed a lot of faffing about, and held me up. But neither J nor B is going to be in tomorrow, so with luck I'll get caught up again.
I still have enough chilli to have with a BAKED POTATO, but I decided to leave it until tomorrow or Thursday; chilli three days in a row is maybe a bit much, so I got scampi and chips instead.
I hope tomorrow's meal is more relaxed @North East Quine . I really dislike that feeling of having to stuff down a meal and get out of the door again quickly, even more annoying if it's a meal you've put a lot of effort into.
Mr Nen has a meeting this evening and also announced he needed our meal at 6. Fortunately it was Lazy Curry - the remains of Sunday's chicken, a jar of Korma sauce and a sachet of rice (2 minutes in the popty ping).
The NE Man went to work? I thought he had retired?
I've been out and about today and have also had two online meetings so it's been pretty busy.
Marking went well (still on obesity essays) and I am on target to get them returned on time.
Tea was Manx smoked kippers (which I bought especially for Mr Heavenly as I prefer white fish) and very good they were too. I served them with fried onions, garlic, red peppers and spinach, with additional cream.
I then had a small margarita, which came as a freebie with this morning’s shop!
@Piglet, @Nenya, he has retired. That doesn't mean he has stopped working entirely, it just means he doesn't get paid for it.
In fairness, he did say he needed to eat at 6 on the dot in order to be back out for his church meeting, and he arrived home at 5.57, so he was ready to sit down at 6. But the pasta wasn't ready till 6.06.
I retired first, which meant a lot more cooking and driving (that hasn't changed yet...), because I was mostly at home and we thankfully went back to one car. One of the most obvious post-retirement changes was the colossal increase in coffee consumption.
My frustration thus far today with the cricket has been leavened by finding a church with a medieval wall painting that appears (it's rather faint) to show a chap with his tadger on display and, in the graveyard, the grave of someone who must have been one of his descendants, one Richard Tugwood!
Feeling better now? I am giving credit to Adil Rashid.
My cricket club represents an attractive village in East Shropshire. The ancient village church has, on the walls of the nave a scheme of paintings dating from about 1200, including a frieze of fighting knights. We have them on the club badge.
Up helping with Grandsons today. Huxley and the next one are at school but the littlest is here and fascinated by what he's calling "the big boy diggers" - the tree surgeons are here as sadly their house has some beautiful Ash trees and an enormous conifer all of which are diseased and are having to come down 😪
My frustration thus far today with the cricket has been leavened by finding a church with a medieval wall painting that appears (it's rather faint) to show a chap with his tadger on display and, in the graveyard, the grave of someone who must have been one of his descendants, one Richard Tugwood!
Feeling better now? I am giving credit to Adil Rashid.
My cricket club represents an attractive village in East Shropshire. The ancient village church has, on the walls of the nave a scheme of paintings dating from about 1200, including a frieze of fighting knights. We have them on the club badge.
I certainly am! One of English cricket's great regrets should be how little, relatively, red ball cricket he played - but England just don't do playing leggies. As a purveyor of back-of-the-hand filth, I find that deeply regrettable.
My frustration thus far today with the cricket has been leavened by finding a church with a medieval wall painting that appears (it's rather faint) to show a chap with his tadger on display and, in the graveyard, the grave of someone who must have been one of his descendants, one Richard Tugwood!
Feeling better now? I am giving credit to Adil Rashid.
My cricket club represents an attractive village in East Shropshire. The ancient village church has, on the walls of the nave a scheme of paintings dating from about 1200, including a frieze of fighting knights. We have them on the club badge.
I certainly am! One of English cricket's great regrets should be how little, relatively, red ball cricket he played - but England just don't do playing leggies. As a purveyor of back-of-the-hand filth, I find that deeply regrettable.
10 first class centuries, 37 fifties and a first class batting average of 32.48. England never treated him as an allrounder
This batch of marking done and returned, and enough done for me to manage to fit my own studies in tomorrow afternoon (my job has flexible hours and study is done in my own time). Back to marking on Friday.
Tea was tagliatelle with mushrooms and spinach in cream, topped with pork sausages that needed using up.
Yesterday the new wine racks arrived so we sorted out the drinks cabinet and are now using up bottles with small amounts in. I have just had a Slingsby quince gin and tonic.
We spent the day with Nenlet1 and the GrandNenling which was very lovely. During the afternoon Nenlet1 started to feel Under The Weather and had a lie down for an hour or so. This meant we had sole charge of the GrandNenling who was gratifyingly happy with us and didn't once ask for "Mama."
We had a takeaway lunch of fish'n'chips so no cooking this evening for me - yay!
Heading for bed and book soon. Mr Nen is down the pub with his Wednesday evening pub blokes.
A very nice day. We headed out for a walk with the Ramblers in cold but sunny weather, and saw quite a few snowdrops as well as a hare and some deer. This evenings tea was a slightly experimental salad of couscous with avocado, asparagus and spinach with an orange and tahini dressing (from the Vegan and Vegetarian Roasting Tin cookbook) which turned out to be yummy, and the council meeting tonight was pretty straightforward and finished by 8.30.
Grey and wet in these parts.
Little Twanglet has returned to the hallowed halls of learning.
I've had a couple of frustrating niggles:
Niggle 1) why, oh why do all the roadworks happen at the same time? I keep having to figure out new routes to get to the various settings (5 different towns) where they are foolish enough to pay me.
Niggle 2) why have all the supermarkets stopped stocking lapsang tea?
Some of you may recall my saying that 45 people have left our parish church (deliberately) since the arrival of the present incumbent. He has announced his departure, stepping down because of ill health, I understand. Incumbents come and go, but this church has been standing for 800 years.
It will be interesting to see what happens next, as it is a rare single church small town parish, surrounded by four multi-church groups in the nearby villages, to which some of us have migrated.
Well, you might see a replacement incumbent (perhaps on a half-time or house-for-duty basis), but I suspect your parish is most likely to be linked with a group...
I think this was what the Diocese proposed some years ago, but the previous incumbent had “ parson’s freehold” and refused the idea. Not sure if parson’s freehold still exists, but I believe his successor was appointed on the same basis. The Patron is The Crown.
On the basis that the clergy of neighbouring groups are fully stretched, especially geographically, this is a tricky one for some body to sort.
Is it possible that the people who have migrated elsewhere because of the departing incumbent might come back if you get somebody else?
Talking of church matters, I mustn't hang about here for too long, as I've got a Vestry meeting later. Somebody remind me not to let myself get roped into that again - I'm really a bit rubbish on committees ...
Because I didn't want to have to faff about with cooking, I bought a popty-pingable paella for supper, to which I added some extra prawns. It was all right, but not as good as I'd have made myself (which I would have done if I hadn't been short of time).
Because they were on a special offer, I also bought a chicken korma, which is now in the freezer for the next time I need supper in a hurry.
Yoga this morning followed by coffee with the ladies as usual. A little bit of work this afternoon then some study (the use of visual imagery in political communication in the Tudor period).
Tea is green veg and goats cheese soup with sourdough croutons, courtesy of the organic food delivery soup kit. There will be enough for 2 days. I’m trying to vary our diet so trying different things out.
Busy day for me, helping a neighbour with her iPad, and a Quaker library committee meeting this afternoon. All went well but I have a niggling headache.
Salmon, rice and peas for tea.
Good to have blue skies and sun all day though it was still cold.
Would that be a contender for the Quietest Thing in the World contest? 😃
Reasonably productive Vestry meeting, at which I don't think I got roped into anything I don't want to do!
Yesterday was busy, lip reading class, followed by charity bookshop shift and then round the corner to more or less finalise plans for our kitchen.
Today I don't intend to do much, though I have been to Waitrose to buy the ingredients for tomorrows and Sunday's meals and pick up the local paper and their weekend magazine. I do the prize crossword every week and every week I'm convinced I'll win the £100 gift voucher, which I haven't done so far.
The rest of the day is going to be fairly lazy though I do have to do some council stuff to do and I need to get my head round where my piece fits in my writing group's latest project.
Before I do that I think a cup of coffee calls.
Many years ago (more than a decade) a spot on the NE Man's bedroom started sinking if you stepped on it. Fixing it would have required moving furniture out, and lifting the carpet, and the NE Man was just too busy for any sort of disruption of that nature. So we got used to stepping round it.
It's been a very low level source of anxiety to me as I worried that something bad was happening to the structure of our house and ignoring it was just letting it get steadily worse until one day something major would happen. Low level anxiety, but constant, over a decade.
Now the NE Man is retired and fixing his bedroom has been the main priority. Yesterday we lifted the carpet (and took it to the tip) and this morning the joiner came.
To my immense relief, it was a simple and straightforward repair. A much larger area of flooring had to be removed and replaced than anticipated but there was no lurking rot, or bizarre problem.
We can now do an eightsome reel on the floor if we feel like it!
I am so relieved!!!!!! I didn't sleep very well last night, worrying that something catastrophic and wildly expensive was about to be revealed. But everything is fine.
The painter comes on Monday, and the new carpet goes down on Wednesday.
North East Quine, doing a Happy Dance on the replacement flooring!
Sos-ages, homemade chips and beans for dinner tonight.
Catch up with my oldest friend on the dog and bone this evening.
A Belgian beer is fridged in anticipation.
Bach B minor mass is in the cd player.
We're going to watch Up with the littlest twanglet.
CHICKEN PIE n'CHIPS for lunch, something sustaining being required on another cold day in Arkland the Desolate. Mind you, the Big Yellow Face was evident for about half-an-hour round about noon.
Feeling a bit peckish still, I'm now about to pan-fry some Turkey Rashers, which will be placed in a Sanwidge, after being garnished with Brown Sauce.
Comments
I have wondered about getting names from somewhere neutral like Middle Earth but that's probably a Circus thread.
As you say, maybe a subject for the Circus? Galadriel, Halbarad, Ioreth...
Herminia's coat-tails did some damage in Arkland the Damp overnight, and The Lads have spent some time this morning repairing my gangplank (one of the hinges was broken). The lack of access to the shore meant that I had to cancel today's Pilates session, but The Lads have now finished the job, using enormous hinges which look as if they should belong on a church door, and I can now go and buy more BREAD...
I went for a cold and windy walk with Ted. Very Bracing, but thankfully no rain.
This afternoon pampering at the nail parlour. I think I'll go for purple. 🟣🙂
There is a statue of Byron in front of Aberdeen Grammar School. It's there because Byron was a former pupil. I'm not sure he's the best example for impressionable youth to emulate.
Indeed - The Lads (they are four in number) are very helpful to me in Times of Need, as are my lovely neighbours, too.
BTW, Arkland has a resident dog named Ted - he's a Rottrador (or Labweiler), and is both large and friendly. His human takes him for a 15km run every morning (human on his bike, Ted on his legs), as he seems to possess endless supplies of energy.
It would keep the Press & Journal going if they did!
Alas I need to mark essays this afternoon.
I'm a poet!!!!
Should I now start making a cooked lunch (leftover stir fry) at 25 to 2, given the grocery delivery is scheduled between 2 and 3 (and could turn up on the dot)?
In the words of Tom Lehrer "The water tasted bad for a week and we had to make do with gin"
I was up sharp this morning, making the marinade so the beef could marinate for 9 hours before going into the oven. I am not best pleased.
BF, glad to hear you're no longer unhinged ...
I had a rather busier day today - one voice file in particular entailed a lot of faffing about, and held me up. But neither J nor B is going to be in tomorrow, so with luck I'll get caught up again.
I still have enough chilli to have with a BAKED POTATO, but I decided to leave it until tomorrow or Thursday; chilli three days in a row is maybe a bit much, so I got scampi and chips instead.
Mr Nen has a meeting this evening and also announced he needed our meal at 6. Fortunately it was Lazy Curry - the remains of Sunday's chicken, a jar of Korma sauce and a sachet of rice (2 minutes in the popty ping).
The NE Man went to work?
I've been out and about today and have also had two online meetings so it's been pretty busy.
Tea was Manx smoked kippers (which I bought especially for Mr Heavenly as I prefer white fish) and very good they were too. I served them with fried onions, garlic, red peppers and spinach, with additional cream.
I then had a small margarita, which came as a freebie with this morning’s shop!
In fairness, he did say he needed to eat at 6 on the dot in order to be back out for his church meeting, and he arrived home at 5.57, so he was ready to sit down at 6. But the pasta wasn't ready till 6.06.
Were I in that situation, I would sum it up in five words.
Four of those are "that for a lark!"
My cricket club represents an attractive village in East Shropshire. The ancient village church has, on the walls of the nave a scheme of paintings dating from about 1200, including a frieze of fighting knights. We have them on the club badge.
I certainly am! One of English cricket's great regrets should be how little, relatively, red ball cricket he played - but England just don't do playing leggies. As a purveyor of back-of-the-hand filth, I find that deeply regrettable.
10 first class centuries, 37 fifties and a first class batting average of 32.48. England never treated him as an allrounder
I did!!!
Supper was Act III of the chilli, which really wasn't as scarily hot as I'd first imagined, stuffed into a BAKED POTATO, and very nice.
Tea was tagliatelle with mushrooms and spinach in cream, topped with pork sausages that needed using up.
Yesterday the new wine racks arrived so we sorted out the drinks cabinet and are now using up bottles with small amounts in. I have just had a Slingsby quince gin and tonic.
We had a takeaway lunch of fish'n'chips so no cooking this evening for me - yay!
Heading for bed and book soon. Mr Nen is down the pub with his Wednesday evening pub blokes.
Little Twanglet has returned to the hallowed halls of learning.
I've had a couple of frustrating niggles:
Niggle 1) why, oh why do all the roadworks happen at the same time? I keep having to figure out new routes to get to the various settings (5 different towns) where they are foolish enough to pay me.
Niggle 2) why have all the supermarkets stopped stocking lapsang tea?
Could do...
Somewhere there is a mountain of smoky tea trapped in the transport network....
It will be interesting to see what happens next, as it is a rare single church small town parish, surrounded by four multi-church groups in the nearby villages, to which some of us have migrated.
On the basis that the clergy of neighbouring groups are fully stretched, especially geographically, this is a tricky one for some body to sort.
Talking of church matters, I mustn't hang about here for too long, as I've got a Vestry meeting later. Somebody remind me not to let myself get roped into that again - I'm really a bit rubbish on committees ...
Because I didn't want to have to faff about with cooking, I bought a popty-pingable paella for supper, to which I added some extra prawns. It was all right, but not as good as I'd have made myself (which I would have done if I hadn't been short of time).
Because they were on a special offer, I also bought a chicken korma, which is now in the freezer for the next time I need supper in a hurry.
Tea is green veg and goats cheese soup with sourdough croutons, courtesy of the organic food delivery soup kit. There will be enough for 2 days. I’m trying to vary our diet so trying different things out.
Salmon, rice and peas for tea.
Good to have blue skies and sun all day though it was still cold.
Reasonably productive Vestry meeting, at which I don't think I got roped into anything I don't want to do!
Today I don't intend to do much, though I have been to Waitrose to buy the ingredients for tomorrows and Sunday's meals and pick up the local paper and their weekend magazine. I do the prize crossword every week and every week I'm convinced I'll win the £100 gift voucher, which I haven't done so far.
The rest of the day is going to be fairly lazy though I do have to do some council stuff to do and I need to get my head round where my piece fits in my writing group's latest project.
Before I do that I think a cup of coffee calls.
Many years ago (more than a decade) a spot on the NE Man's bedroom started sinking if you stepped on it. Fixing it would have required moving furniture out, and lifting the carpet, and the NE Man was just too busy for any sort of disruption of that nature. So we got used to stepping round it.
It's been a very low level source of anxiety to me as I worried that something bad was happening to the structure of our house and ignoring it was just letting it get steadily worse until one day something major would happen. Low level anxiety, but constant, over a decade.
Now the NE Man is retired and fixing his bedroom has been the main priority. Yesterday we lifted the carpet (and took it to the tip) and this morning the joiner came.
To my immense relief, it was a simple and straightforward repair. A much larger area of flooring had to be removed and replaced than anticipated but there was no lurking rot, or bizarre problem.
We can now do an eightsome reel on the floor if we feel like it!
I am so relieved!!!!!! I didn't sleep very well last night, worrying that something catastrophic and wildly expensive was about to be revealed. But everything is fine.
The painter comes on Monday, and the new carpet goes down on Wednesday.
North East Quine, doing a Happy Dance on the replacement flooring!
I request a video of that dance 😉
Sos-ages, homemade chips and beans for dinner tonight.
Catch up with my oldest friend on the dog and bone this evening.
A Belgian beer is fridged in anticipation.
Bach B minor mass is in the cd player.
We're going to watch Up with the littlest twanglet.
Feeling a bit peckish still, I'm now about to pan-fry some Turkey Rashers, which will be placed in a Sanwidge, after being garnished with Brown Sauce.