Evening All.

13c again, rain all day with a fresh breeze.

Didn't do much with it being wet, had my salt fish for brekkie with bacon.

For tea took 2 sweetcorn i grew from the freezer and had them, so sweet, then made a hot and sour pan of soup, had 2 portions of that,

Will have a shrimp butty later.

Had a vid call from Oz this morning, so good to keep up with them.

Been playing more chess vid, they are so clever, when i analyse our games we make so many mistakes.

Have nearly caught up with Love Island and have hundreds of recordings to watch if needed.

I wonder when we will be able to go on a holiday with my Oz family, we were hoping to go to Penang Island, i was there on Military holiday in 1962 as we had to leave the humidity of singapore once a year, it was a 500 mile train journey.

Stay safe, Hnads, Face, Space.

Afternoon Mollie  and Hicky  Well the rain finally stopped this morning and the sun came out ....but now it’s overcast again I slept until 4.30 ....then just dozed in and off  until the alarm went off ! But I’ve been quite productive today  .....I turned the sheet ....washed and ironed duvet cover ....and wrestled it back on the bed . I was quite surprised how well it washed etc . cos it was only a tenner from Argos Apart from that I cleaned bathroom and kitchen and did another load of washing . Now I’m on the sofa watching Silent Witness Hope you’re having a good Sunday , whatever you’re doing 

Mollie , I hope your hand has settled down now I enjoyed Gogglebox on Friday I also watched an old one with June and her husband in it ....made me feel a bit sad . Hicky , I have to say I agree with Mollie about the pandemic ....while the economy can’t stagnate, I think pubs and restaurants should have been the last places to open .....neither are essential ....and both are places where people’s common sense has a tendency to go out of the window . Glad you had a nice FaceTime with your son in Oz ....but what a shame the pandemic put paid to your trip 

I shall be watching the Michael Palin documentary on bbc 1 tonight I hope you both have a good evening .....take care and stay safe .

Good Afternoon Baz.

15c here and sunny with virtually no wind, just ideal for me, it gives me the option of staying in or working in the garden.

Why do you set an alarm, can't you have a lay in.

You do realise it is Sunday, you have done as much work today as any other day, thats not good surely.

I just had eggs on toast for brekkie, going to have Pork Steaks for tea with mash, peas and gravy, made some Bramley apple sauce to go with the pork.

Yes, we may have to delay our next far eastern holiday, we were going to plan it for early next summer but not sure what is happening now.

Did the government say opening the restaurants has caused the rise in transmissions, i didn't know that, where does it say that?

I thought it was caused by people not following the rules, Hands, Face, Space, if you don't do that then the virus streads.

Just watching The Worlds Most Expensive Cruise Ships, wow, its another world, The Seven Seas Explorer.

Stay safe and sleep well.  

Hi Baz

sounds like another busy day for you today. That's good your quilt cover was such a bargain and washed well. What colour is it? Does it have a pattern on it?

Yes I did enjoy Gogglebox but always enjoy seeing Lee and Jenny especially. Aaww at rewatching  June and her hubby, they were so sweet together. A couple of Christmas's ago, my hubby bought me a copy of their book.

Hope you sleep ok tonight, I too was wide awake at 4.30 am, so listened to the radio and read my magazine.

Hicky

that's nice you had a video call from Oz, but it will be a shame if you can't get your holiday in next year.

But sadly everything is uncertain the way things are here now with covid.

I did read that because things are improving in Oz and New Zealand is clear of covid, they have re-introduced flights now between the 2 countries.

So lets' hope it improves world wide soon. What a brilliaint idea to wind back to 1962 with a visit to Penang. I am sure you will have lots of tales to tell family from all those years ago.  Gosh 500 miie train journey, how long did that take?

Re our abissmal casese of covid here now.....I am of course certainly not saying everyone in the country should stay home!! 

But even Boris today on Marr's show actually admitted the "Eat Out to Help Out" had caused this virus to spread. Now there are stricter rules in pubs but back then there were no small "bubbles", no mandartory masks and crowds of people queued to get into eateries just to get this stupid 50% off  (a friend of mine told me she saw them in the shopping centre food court as well as pubs).

There was no discount for eating outdoors or for takeaways either, so it forced people indoors to claim thier discount, which was ridiculous, when pubs were already open outdoors with good weather.  Indoors virus spread was a sure way to make the economy grind to a hault, which it has now. 

The virus had not gone back in July when Boris introduced this scheme  and then also told people to get back into the office. He lost chance to contain it in the summer, but chose to encourage people indoors uncecessarily. No wonder his support has gone down.

Scientists have already said the timing of the virus increase proved outdoors gatherings (crowded beaches and protests occurred earlier) did not spread it. I heard again on sky news today that scientists have proof the severity of this varies according to viral load, the longer you spend indoors with others with not good ventilation, the greater the viral load, so you are more likely to catch it, and catch it badly. They also said it is more difficult to catch it off surfaces than they first thought as its airborne.

All I hope is this virus dies out soon.

Rained most of the day here today but luckily it stopped later to take the dog a walk.

We had a cooked brekkie, then MrM made a loaf for tea, which was lovely.

watching Murder on the Orient Express now. I'd love to go on that train. (but only if there is no murder on it!).

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

This should have gone Sunday night.

The holiday which was planned for 2021 was for when the next grandchild was 6 months old, a bit like our last one when the granddaughter was 6 months old as well, but it also coincides with maternity leave, if we miss that window we have a problem.

I can't remember how long the journey to Penang took, if i remember right the passengers just jump on and off the train as its going, i have a feeling it was going slow, i don't remember anything of the journey.

My lad is working out when they can retire and where to retire to, somewhere where the cost of living is good and the weather is good as well, he also wants us to go and live there as well, thats food for thought.

The government followed the advice of the medical and scientific group, so thats what they did, you cant Blame Boris he followed the advice given, its not rocket science, when they changed the info he changed the rules, don't forget anyone can look back and say what should have been done, but as it's a new virus, noone knew how serious the virus and transmission was.

I had 2 pork steaks for tea with mash and peas with gravy, i cooked the steaks on the BBQ as it renders the fat down best, i made some apple sauce to go with it, only had eggs on toast for late brekkie as i didn't get up till 11.30am.

Stay safe, Hands, Face Space.

Oh dear. it didn't go last night.

Evening All.

15c today rain and a breeze.

Not done much today, weather lousy so stayed in, had tomatoes, mushrooms and black pud with some bacon for brekkie.

Decide to have 2 pork pies for tea with tomatoes, had the pies in a freezer.

Was going to make bread but spent so much time trying to get the Flu jab and sign up for the NHS login thingy, it drove me up the wall.

Might get a bowl of custard, got some big sachet things of tasty custard.

Stay safe and sleep tight.

Afternoon Millie and Hicky  Hope everyone is having a good day . I slept reasonably well , but can’t say I’ve done much today Just a bit of dusting , a load of washing, rescued the bin and fed the birds  . The weather is very changeable ....one minute the sun is shining , the next it’s throwing it down ....the only consistent thing is that it’s cold !

Mollie , hope you are keeping well . I have to agree with your take on Covid , but it’s a difficult situation all round . Whatever shade of government we had would have faced an unprecedented situation......but it does feel that the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing at the moment .....which suggests a significant degree of incompetence!  Hicky , bed and your yummy brekkie sounds just the ticket ....I love black pudding Fingers crossed the covid situation is under control by the time your holiday is due 

Well, it’s Bake Off for me tonight. ( feel free to come and join us in the Big Bother forum, if you can ) But whatever you are doing have a good evening and stay safe both .

Mollie ....I’ve just realised they are rerunning an early series of Sewing Bee on bbc2 in the afternoons ......the quarter finals were today ....but you might be able to get the series on Catch Up .....and the semi final is tomorrow ...finals on Thursday .....

@Baz posted:

Mollie ....I’ve just realised they are rerunning an early series of Sewing Bee on bbc2 in the afternoons ......the quarter finals were today ....but you might be able to get the series on Catch Up .....and the semi final is tomorrow ...finals on Thursday .....

Thanks for the info Baz,  I really enjoyed this series and will take a look for it. 

Good Evening Baz.

Glad you slep ok, you still do so much even when taking it easy.

The weather is similar here, its so changeable i take an umbrella with me into the garden, it was 13c today with light rain showers again and a moderate breeze.

I made a loaf as i had ran out of bread, i used the dried active yeast, added a tbsp of wholewheat and a tsp of malt flour, a tbsp of seeds, the ricepe is from the back of the flour bag, except for the additions i put in, and you rub butter over the crust when its out of the oven, had a crust with my best butter, wow, then had a shrimp sandwich, delish.

I made the eggs, bacon and chees in the muffin tin thingies, used floi to line the muffin wells but forgot to greese them, so can't geet them off the egg.

Yes, black pun on toast really is a fantastic breakfast.

Don't know what will happen about the next holiday, too early to make a plan the way things are.

Stay safe, Hands, Face, Space.

both x

Baz

glad to hear you slept reasonably well. Your not busy sounds to me like you have still been busy though.

Oh yes Bake Off again tonight. I usually end up having to watch on Catch up, but if I don't,  I will join you. I am eally enjoying this series, I think the contestants are so nice this year. 

I agree with you both, any government anywhere would find this situation hard. But also agree these lot are incompetent. Amongst other things they have done is outsource to Serco (Dodi pal of Cummings,Talk/Talk mess up), our Track and Trace, which is a shambles compared to othercountries, eg Germany's. Its already cost the tax payer £12billion and they used an outdated excel spreadsheet! Makes me mad how useless businesses are lining thier own their own pockets to do things on the cheap, whilst putting lives at risks.

Hicky

hope you can sort the hols out because it would be a shame to miss that window of time that just fits in with the family.

That is interesting Penang train people just jumped on and off the train, I bet it all was all open then.

Well as you say, the thought of you both going somewhere warm abroad to live is certainly food for thought.

A lot to think about what with visas, health service etc to consider, but as your lad and his wife are well travelled and experienced living overseas, he will know what he is looking for, and what is likely to suit you both.

Funnily enough, we had been discussing maybe thinking of moving to New Zealand some time in the future. (us and our family can live there or Oz as we can get visas). So we will see how things go.

I bet you enjoyed your pork pies. My daughter and MrM love them. The only pies I eat are cheese and onion, but think they are really nice, especially Gregges ones. Daughter bought me some from an Iceland order she had recently.

My arthritis has been bothering me in my back the last few nights. Might be the change of weather. So its making me feel more tired than normal. So didn't go with family for doggie walk tonight, it was drizzly then.

We had sweet potato chips and pizza for tea.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

Yes, the next holiday is at risk i suppose if travel isn't any better next year, i would love to live on some tropical island, do me fine, i love the weather, the food, thats all i need, maybe some medical needs, but when i needed a doctor in Australia i was seen within a couple of hours the same day.

I can't remember much about the train to Penang, not sure if they even had stations on the way, i have a feeling the journey took many hrs, but if its 13 hrs now, was it 13 hrs 60 yrs ago?

Googled this: There is one daily train from Singapore to Penang (the Ekspres Rakyat) that now leaves from JB Sentral railway station (just north of Singapore) in the morning and takes approximately 13 hours to reach Penang's railway station on the mainland at Butterworth.

I no nothing about New Zealand, only know they must have a lot of sheep.

Its funny, i seem to be going off meat, not sure why, just get fed up with chewing it, mince is ok, but the best seafood i like and the best fish is very expensive, good food is very expensive in this country, in Oz the crab legs are half the price here.

I get emails from food places, i suppose everyone is desparate for business these days, the Butcher we go to delivers on a Thursday, the Fish place charge a bit depending on how much you spend but fish isn't cheap, they sent me a catologue, wow, you can get anything these days.

I do think the Arthritis will be worse in the cold, lots of people go to warm climates in the winter because of that.

I had to put the heating on auto so the temperature is controlled by the time of day, i can set 6 periods each with it's own temperature, i find that pretty good, last winter i tried having the heating turned to manual, that way you just set one temperature for 24/7 but the place starts to get colder of course, but with gas being so cheap as its a quarter the price of electric here i don't mind the heating being on.

i have turned off the watering for the garden, the water usage went up a lot this year, have a feeling it could be Mrs H with all her flower tubs everywhere.

Stay safe, Hands, Face & Space.

Evening All.

Hope you all slep well last night.

Not too bad today as it was 14c with sunny intervals and a fresh breeze.

Didn't do anything outside, had one of the eggs in foil, quite a challenge, also made bacon on toast.

For tea just had hot and sour soup, love that so much, trying to cut down on meals.

Have ordered a big sheet of Silicone to do the kneading on, its 60x40cm which is plenty, have also ordered another dread slicing gadget as the knofe slot in the bamboo one i have seems to move the knife around too much, have also ordered a 30cm knife to replace the bread knife i bought so i don't need a sawing action, not sure if it will work, i have one i tried but its too short.

Have made the shopping list out so that should come in the morning..

I'm going to make some more Stews, i have plenty of spuds, will look at the carrots, the growth of the greens aren't good, i've got a pack of Aunt Bessies Dumpling mix, i have stewing steak to use up in the freezer.

Stay safe and have a good evening.

There's a forum system update some time today which you need to be aware of as there will be some changes:
https://www.gagajoyjoy.com/top...date-some-time-today

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky  Wet and miserable here this morning , but now the sun has come out I haven’t done a lot today , just kitchen , bathroom, bins , and washing .....so a lazy day for me I’ve just had  my lunch ....lamb chops and honey roast parsnips  ...yummy Hope you are all having a good day , whatever you are doing 

Mollie , sorry your arthritis is playing up ....but yes, cold weather will definitely make it worse . Hope you enjoyed joining us for Bake Off on Tuesday .....it’s usually a fun thread....hope you will visit again ....we also have threads for Strictly , and I’m a Celeb , if you’re interested Hicky , I tend to have my heating set to a constant certain temperature ,so the place stays warm all the time . You certainly seem to do a lot of cooking ....and it all sounds yummy Have you never thought of moving to Oz permanently?

Thank you El Loro.

Have they done the update yet, or not?

Evening Baz.

14c today, sunny intervals and a moderate breeze.

Didn't do a lot, a lot less than you, you seem to do so much even when you say you do nothing.

My new 30cm bread knife arrived, darn it, its the same as the one i have, sldo the delivery driver insisted i show ID to prove i'm over 18, i said, do i look under 18, he just ID please, i had to get my driving license, how strange.

I tried having one temperature, but for day and night it doesn't work, i need it cool at night as i can't sleep if it's too warm, i have 06:00 - 08:00 @ 19c, 08:01 - 12:30 @ 20c, 12:31 - 17:30 @ 21c, 17:31 - 22:00 @ 20c, 22:01 - 05:59 @ 18.5c.

Today i had bacon & black pud on toast for breakkie, fruit in the afternoon, for tea had hot and sour soup them fried a reaper burger chopped up added some mince, heated a sachet of veg rice and mixed all up, very tasty.

We were all thinking of going to an island somewhere to retire, like Penang, or maybe Portugal, somewhere warm and cheap to live, my lag wants to retire in a few years and really wants us there with him.

We wouldn't live in Oz, too expensive, some countries you can live for a third of the price.

Have a good evening, stay safe, sleep tight.)

I've got F1 the weekend from Germany, yippeeeeeeeeeeeeee

both x

Baz

Yes I did enjoy the Bake Off thread, so thanks for inviting me.

I'm A Celeb one sounds like fun too. I saw on the local Welsh news that the village nearby have been propearing for their visitors. The shops have decorating their window and the pub has their own Kiosk Keith, with a special IAC menu.

That's good you enoyed a nice cooked lunch.

How is your IBS? Hope it is behaving itself.

We too had a nice day today as we got a bit of sun as the day went on.

Hicky

gosh that Penang train journey takes a long time. I bet it is really interesting though. I love train journeys.

Hope your slicing gadget and new knife do the job well when you need to use them.

Well that has to be a compliment if you had to prove to the delivery driver that you were over 18!

I too don't like it too warm overnight, so I just turn the thermostat down before bed, as none of us can be bothered how to work out how to use the timer. Haven't needed the heating on yet though.

Our water useage seemed to go up a lot too this year. MrM thinks it is because we had a lot of dry weather in a row, and he had to water his veg and plants.

It would be nice for you and the family to retire somewhere  warm,   Penang is a lot further away from here than Portugal.  A lot to consider for you though. Is it Portugal your brother lives in? (or might be Spain?).

Took dog to vet as she had a lump and has been off her food. Vet said it was swollen mammary gland, and it wasn't painfull and in view of her age, thinks it would be best to leave it. She has lost weight again, so we are going to drop her arthritis pain relief to see if that helps and if it does, vet will think of an alternative. Not nice when your pet gets old. But doggie still enjoyed 3 little walks today, and eat quite well. Vet gave me some ideas of what to feed her to try and put weight back.

Son has just found out that taking a year out of Uni (he was supposed to go to Japan to practice his language), is going to cost him £3000, so that is a bit of a blow. This is because there has been cutbacks in student finance allowance. We are still better than England though, (they have to pay over £9000 in fees), my son will need to find £2000 in fees, but Scotland has it best as its free Uni education. So hard for young people now, Uni used to be free with a non repayable grant. Plus buying properrty now is practically impossible for them, even on a decent wage.

Watched GP's behind Closed Doors, then a recording of The Jame Harriot vet programme.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

Couldn't believe i had to get my driving license out to prove i was over 18, that doesn't sound right surely.

The lad i play chess with online has gone to st Ives for the weekend break with his family, we will still play chess mind.

My Brother lives in an Island off Spain, very cheap to live there, i wouldn't mind the journey to Penang, i would only go Business class mind.

I've had 2 holidays in Portugal, both very enjoyable.

Its not easy to get doggie to put on weight untill she wants to eat more which could be a prolem if she isn't feeling good.

Yes, Uni is expensive in some places, more in some, strange why that is, i suppose someone has to pay for it, a bit like my shopping, wish someone would pay for that, no wonder so many need to get jobs to help pay there way.

Stay safe, Hands, Face Space.

Hicky, the update had gone through by the time you posted. Topic pages themselves haven't changed. The list of topics by page is very different from what it was. For this Lounge forum it's this page which has changed:
https://www.gagajoyjoy.com/topics?forum=uk-lounge
Less effect for you and Molliw here as your Chat Room topic is the main one used so is easy to find the topic. On the Big Brother forum that's not the case and it's now takes longer to find a specific topic.

@El Loro posted:

Hicky, the update had gone through by the time you posted. Topic pages themselves haven't changed. The list of topics by page is very different from what it was. For this Lounge forum it's this page which has changed:
https://www.gagajoyjoy.com/topics?forum=uk-lounge
Less effect for you and Molliw here as your Chat Room topic is the main one used so is easy to find the topic. On the Big Brother forum that's not the case and it's now takes longer to find a specific topic.

Thanks El Toro, glad the update went ok, as so many don't.

Stay safe.

@Hicky posted:

Thanks El Toro, glad the update went ok, as so many don't.

Stay safe.

Thanks, Hicky . The update hasn't gone down well with some people though.

Evening All.

Hope everyone slep well last night.

A cooler day here today with 12c light rain showers and a fresh breezing.

Had eggs on toast for brekkie, fruit midday and for tea got the last of the portions of Souvlaki out the freezer and a tin of potatoes to same me peeling some, made a little gravy to help heat the meal.

Have founf another fish supplier from Grimsby, and a lot of the seafood/fish seems a lot cheaper, i would have made an order out but 1 item i wanted is out of stock, Bacalao, i've found 15 items i would like very much.

Dressed crab, rock lobster tails, crabsticks, imitation lobster tails, smoked salmon pieces, smoked salmon slices, bacalao, roll mops, frozen cooked crab claws, boneless kipper fillets, boil in bag kipper fillets, plaice fillets, raw peeled tiger prawns-big, anchovy fillets, frozen conger eel, now that is what i call heaven, free delivery on orders over £90, i'll post the linky so you can have look see.

https://www.kingcrab.co.uk/

The German F1 practice 1 & 2 was called off because the route to a hospital by helicopter was too misty/foggy for them to land on the helipad and it was a 45 minute drive to the nearest suitable hospital and they put safety first, hoping tomorrow is better.

I have Darts on tonight from World grand prix darts from Coventry day 4 from 7pm to 11pm on Sky Sports Arena channel 427 on my BT box.

Stay safe, Hands, Face Space.

@El Loro posted:

Thanks, Hicky . The update hasn't gone down well with some people though.

Hi El Toro.

If its now harder for people to find topics etc, what was the update meant to achieve? and what was the point.

@Hicky posted:

Hi El Toro.

If its now harder for people to find topics etc, what was the update meant to achieve? and what was the point.

Good points made. There are posts made on the hey.crowdstack site from long term members of other sites saying the same thing so you aren't alone. Crowdstack says that they will be able to do development work at a faster rate than before so it may be that they listen to the criticism and act.

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky Another poor nights sleep .....and it’s rained most of the day , so I’ve not done very much at all  ....just one load of washing and cleaned kitchen . Apart from that I’ve just lounged about on the sofa watching rubbish tv I hope everyone else is having a more productive day than me Hi El

Mollie, glad you enjoyed Bake Off I like GP Behind Closed Doors too ....although I’m finding it hard to take to the new set of doctors I did enjoy Gogglebox last night though .....as always Jenny and Lee were hilarious ....as were the old dears Sorry to hear about your doggie ....and bummer that your son is going to be so out of pocket ....this darn virus has a lot to answer for Hicky , you talking about souvlaki suddenly took me back to out holidays in Greece ....happy days My mum used to love rollmops ....or soused herrings , as she used to call them ...it would have been her birthday todayBut you can keep the eel

Well it’s Michael Palin  and David Attenborough for me tonight Have a good evening , whatever you are doing ....and remember to stay safe

Evening Baz.

Sorry you didn't sleep too well, you seem to have been busy again.

Pretty miserable day here as well, 13c with rain and a strong wind so stayed in.

Had a vid call from Oz this morning, watched F1 practice 3 then racing for pole.

Made a tray of scones using a Sainsburys mix, added the sultanas, just had 2 with butter and strawberry jam.

Had kipper fillets for brekkie with bacon and black pud and a round of toast.

For tea decided on having the Korean noodle soup, always nice.

I checked up on the Birkenhead market, it's open every day but Sunday, and most of the stallholders do delivery, the fish place has even got a website, its called Wards Fish, i'll ring them Monday.

The market:  https://www.birkenheadmarket.co.uk/

The fish stall:  http://wardsfish.co.uk/index.php

The lad i play chess with is in Cornwall, he sent me a couple of pictures, it looks lovely where hes staying.

Got the darts tonight anyway, i'll look if theres anything on and record it.

One person on another forum is Greak, or seems to be and he says what food he enjoys, another person on another forum is living in Greece and makes up to 20 portions of meals, Greek food.

I think next week i'll be trying to get to the fish market, what i can't get there i will order online, why i am going off meat and towards fish i don't really know, it could be with living within a couple of miles of the sea all my life.

Stay safe, Hands, Face Space, sleep tight.

@Hicky posted:

Thanks El Toro, glad the update went ok, as so many don't.

Stay safe.

thanks for the info El Loro,

... and I thought it was me being thick when it took me longer to find the BB forum.

both xxx

Baz

sorry you had a bad night again. Its good if you do have a non productive day now and again and just rest with a bit of tv,  especially if you haven't had much sleep.

I know what you mean about the GP's on this years show, not quite so interesting as there are so many of them. Iused to really like Dr Amir in a previous series.

Yes Gogglebox was brilliant again, especially Jenny and Lee, and the elderly lady Bristolians.

Hicky

that's handy you found another fish delivery company from Grimsby, and the Birkenhead fish market too. It will be nice if you can try both of them. Fish is so good for you, it;s probably a good thing, you seem to prefer fish over meat now.

I see you have been scone making now. I bet they were delcious straight from the oven.

That;s nice the F1 and darts have been on for you.

I have been to St Ives many years ago, so beatiful down there.

We are not allowed to go on holiday at all now,either by flying or driving. We can only leave our local council area for essential reasons, they had road blocks last weekend to check.

I am not really complaining as I know they are trying to control this awful illness and we can at least go to the beautiful coastal areas that are within our boundary.

It was a lovely day today, so we went down the seafront and family had fish and chips and I had chips and mayo. whilst we sat on a bench on the seafront. The dog walked quite well as she loves walking down the seafront. When her legs got too tiresd, she went in her pram. I think chips always taste nicer when eat outdoors.   I then had a stripy lime ice cream cone.

There was quite a few people around, but quieter than usual for a sunny Saturday, as only locals can go and the hotels/caravan parks have had to close. Sad to see the big hotel on the seafront closed down. The chip shop was certainly busy for take aways though, as were the outside cafes, so that's good, they need all the custom they can get now.

I'm watching BGT final now, enjoying quite a few acts, but a few not so much.

Managed to get the dog to eat today by feeding her by hand. She had sweet potato earlier, then a whole Costco cod portion tonight. Think you'd like their frozen fish Hicky, the cod looked light and flaky. But it does sound like you have now found some really good suppliers.

My washing dried really well in the wind and sun today.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

If i can get some of the seafood and fish i want from the Fishmonger it will save me ordering it online and also i can see what i'm buying, have bought from this particular stall at the market for many years anyway.

I had 2 of the scones and Mrs H had 2, 2 left, so nice.

Yes, F1 in the day and darts at night, great stuff.

I could go to the fish & chip shops on the coast but something is holding me back, strange really, probably with being locked in so long going out will take some doing.

Its such a pity about the hotels, a disaster for them and the airlines and a lot of other businesses as well, the cost of this virus is incalculable in money and lives etc.

I have all the shows on record, i'll just skip through in my own time, that lets me go to the loo or kitchen on my terms.

At least you got doggie to eat something, i know they eat anything, but aren't they supposed to have a certain diet, i thought that was what the normqal dog food was for.

My Lad mentioned again had i any more thoughts on where to go to retire, well, it took me by surprise really, unless he is thinking if we had a holiday where we want to retire to then we would get a good idea what it would be like.

Stay safe, sleep tight, have q great Sunday tomorrow.

Evening All.

Hope you all slept well and enjoyed your Sunday.

Quite pleasant here really at 13c with sun all day and a gentle breeze.

Just had a round of toast and one of those bacon/egg/cheese muffins, after defrosting the foil came off ok.

For tea made battered prawns using a tempura mix, very nice.

Am thinking of ordering some Silicone large type of cases bigger than muffin size but it will let me make the egg/bacon/cheese snack flatter and removeable, and save a lot of cleaning up.

Watched the F1, Lewis won again, have got darts tonight again, so i'm sorted.

Had another scone, super with butter on.

Will be making another loaf tomorrow, got plenty of flour and ingredients, will use the same recipe as the last one as that was rather yummy, it also uses some Whole-wheat up and Malted flour as i need to use them slowly, don't want to bin them, also they do add to the flavour.

Stay safe, Hands, Face Space.

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky  I didn’t have a brilliant night , but I’ve been quite busy today all the same I decided to turn my mattress ....which is for a king size bed , and is very heavy .....so I’ve had my workout for the month I can’t actually turn it over ....it’s far too heavy on my own ......so I just turn it around ....which still means moving the bedside cabinets and the wooden blanket box at the bottom of the bed . Cue aching muscles tomorrow ....but that’s it for another few months !  Apart from that I changed the sheets etc , hoovered and cleaned kitchen .....now I’m cuddled up on the sofa watching tv The weather is wet and miserable , but I hope it stops long enough so I can put the bins out later . The gardener came very early this morning and did a bit of weeding , so with what I did yesterday , at least the garden is being kept tidy Anyway , I hope you are both having a good day .

Mollie , I used to like Dr Amir too .....he was lovely ....he had a real old fashioned bedside manner Regards the restrictions down your way , I think those sort of things should be brought in in lots of areas in England ....especially after seeing the scientists on the tv this morning How is your arthritis now ? Hicky , like you I think going out again is going to be very difficult for me too Are you not yet retired ? I had sort of assumed you were Are you likely to be affected by the severe lockdown measures coming ?

Anyway , I hope you both have a good evening , despite all the doom and gloom . Take care and stay safe

Good Evening Baz.

Sorry to hear you didn't sleep well, such a blow, i don't know how you manage to do so much in a day.

Not sure about turning the mattress over, are they all reversible, i'm not sure, it might depend on the make, what i read was that the mattresses these days are one sided and don't need to be flipped, turning 180 is recomended to even out wear, also it depends on the design, the way the springs are fitted etc.

I only went to the garage to get some Monkfish pieces to make battered fish bites for tea, had one of my frozen bacon/egg/cheese thingies on toast for brekkie.

Made a loaf today, will have a couple of rounds with butter and shrimps, used the new dough kneading mat, non stick, fantastic, give it a wipe and roll it up, you even get a elasticated band to put round it.

Ordered my seafood and fish from the fishmonger in the market, they will deliver on Thursday, fantastic, just ordered 2kg salt cod fillet, dressed crabs, dark and white crab meat, plaice fillets, scallops, Manx kipper fillets, so excited.

Yes you need to keep on top of the weeding, having a gardener do it is best.

I am well retired, i walked into an air raid shelter in 1940 or whenever the sirens went off so that will give you some idea if i am retired or not. Ha Ha

I don't think the lockdown should effect me, i don't go out while this virus is around, i can manage with my stores i have.

Keep safe, and sleep well.

both

Baz

sorry you didn't have too good a night. Gosh that sounds hard work turning such a big mattress all on your own. Hope you don't ache too much now.

Its been dull and drizzly here too today, but at least it dried up later in time for us to take doggie a walk.

That is good that it was ok for your gardener to fit in a bit of work for you though.

Yes no one here seems to be complaining about the local restrictions on movement, as it is not a big sacrifice if it helps control this virus. Boris still says he won't bring it in England though, so Welsh government are not happy, as it puts their efforts to control it here under threat if tourists from high infection areas in England flood into Wales.  With half term coming up, this could easily happen.

But like you and HIcky we get everything delivered and wouldn't go inside a pub, so it doesn't really affect us.

Hicky

Yes it would make sense if you and your family are thinking of retiring abroad together to try and plan your hols around the same place, so you can check it out. Any ideas of where yet?

Dogs with sensitive tums can be advised to eat human food, as most dog foods put a lot of junk in it. So because our dog had pancreatis age 2, the vet advised us to give her plain healthy human food. So she has eg, fresh plain chicken breast, veg, plain fish. She does have dog chews to help her teeth though.

Those silican baking things look quite good.

My mattress is one of those mattresses that can't be turned due to it being one sided.

That's good you are pleased with the kneading mat.

I bet you are looking forward to Thursday now as you get your fish market delivery.

How interesting about the air raid shelter. Can you remember going into one? And can you remember the noise of the sirens? That is some years ago now. You are like a walking history with your Singapore tales too.

Yesterday was another warm sunny day, so we went to the seafront again(best to go whilst we can with winter just around the corner). I did , of course, have to partake in another lime striped ice cream, but resisted chips again.

I made a crumble mix and added some frozen cherries I had, came out nice with a bit of ice cream.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

I've been looking into Penang Island, it is rather special, the conversion rate to the pound from Malayan Ringgit is 5 to 1, to AUD is 3 to 1. so its not expensive to live there.

I was quite surprised how the new kneading mat worked out, so good to use, then give it a wipe and roll up.

I know most dogs will eat anything, i watched them feeding the dogs in Alaska, some boil the fish for them, others throw the dog a frozen fish, mind you when it's -40 everything is frozen.

I thought some mattresses are one sided, the springs might not work both ways.

Yes, i remeber the air raid sirens, it was 1 mile away, but across 1 mile of fields and golf course, we used to get an old pram and walk a mile to go and get a bag of coke from the gas works, the air rain shelter was sunk underground opposite our house, we lived in the bottom houise of the road, the road was on a hill, pretty steep as well, the road along the bottom of all the roads was built but stopped at our road, so from where i lived the road was just a mud track, un-adopted, i remember hiding under the stairs sometimes when the siren went off, mother didn't like the shelter, we were alone as father was in the merchant navy, he got torpedoes 4 times.

At least you got to the seafront, hard to resist ice cream, i wouldn't have resisted the chips though.

My lad is in St ives for the week. his lad is home tutored so he can, his mrs took her surf board of whatever it is, he loves the Pasties, he had a chicken Thai green curry Pastie yesterday, wow.

That reminds me, need more crumble mix packs as have rather a lot of apples.

stay safe, sleep tight.

Quick reminder ....it’s Bake Off tonight Mollie ....if you fancy joining us Have a good day both

Evening All.

Not too bad today, 12c with some sun, it was supposed to raun, didn't see any, a moderate breeze.

Had bacon, black pud, toms, mushrooms, hash brown and a round of toast for brekkie.

For tea, used more of the left over batter, today i prepared button mushrooms and onions rings, the batter goes a long way, i have had prawns, fish and todays meal from 1 portion of batter, and i threw half away, also it is so easy to make the batter anyway, so next time i will.

I took all the apples from the 2 eating apple trees as they are falling off, i picked up m about 10 that fell from yesterday.

The new cupcake/muffin Silicone cases arrived today, very pleased, will make 6 or 8 tomorrow as i have the bacon, the eggs and the cheese so it should be ok.

Keep safe, Wash Hands, Cover Face and Make Space.

both

Baz

thanks for the Bake Off reminder, I enjoyed the show and enjoyed joining you and the others.

Hope you have had a good day today.

Hicky

Penang sounds interesting. Can you sitll collect your UK pension there? Wonder if you'll be tempted to do a train ride there? It has been mentioned a few times in the comedy drama called Singapore Grip I have been watching. It is set in the war when the Japanese arrived there.

That is interesting about the sirens when you were younger. The whole thing sounded hard work back then.

I am sure your lad will enjoy St Ives, such a beautiful place and I remember how huge and delcious the local Cornish pasties are. Doesn't do the kiddies any harm to miss school especially now with so many being off ill. I think kiddies do most of their learning outside the 4 walls of school .

Do you make your own batter, or buy some type of mix ?

I bet your apples will make a yummy applie crumble.

Enjoy your muffins , let me know how the silican performs.

A nice sunny day here today, so got a swing and read on the swingchair and the washing dried nicely.

It started to drizzle a little when we took doggie out, but not much.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

I looked into getting the pension in other countries, it didn't seem to be a problem.

I have been recording the Singapore Grip programs.

Yes, it wasn't easy in the early 40's , raods where only part built, some of the route to school was over unkept ground and gorse bushes etc.

The lad in St Ives is home schooled, he has a private tutor so scholl not a problem really.

I used a Tempura batter mix, but next time i'll make my own as its very easy.

The silicone cupcake caes are free standing so that should be interesting.

What i am doing with the loaf, is, keep it in a zip lock in the freezer, when i want a round i take it out of the bag and stand in the microwave cut side down, set it to defrost for 100g, take it out and using the slice guide cut a round off, if i need another slice put back in microwave, when finished put in bag and back  in freezer, it works fine.

At least you got a swing during the day, just sorted the apples out and put those on the floor in the rubbish as they get damaged when they hit the slate.

The green seedless Lakemont grapes are looking good.

Stay safe, Wash Hands, Cover Face, Make Space.

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky  I had a disturbed night ! Slept until 4.30 , fell asleep again but had bad dreams ....not sure what , but I woke up at 7 feeling wiped out and  upset Consequently, I’ve not done a lot today .....spent most of the morning checking out the new iPhone 12 series Apart from that, all I’ve done is a load of washing and cleaned the kitchen .The weather is cold , and alternating sun , and showers I did have a nice piece of salmon for  my lunch  though Hope everyone else is having a better day than me

Mollie , glad you enjoyed Bake Off , and the thread I still think it should have been Lottie that went , she was by far the worst , but the other girl did have a bad episode too . How is your arthritis now ....any easier ?Hicky , wow , I admire anyone who lived through the war .....Mr B was also a war baby , but I was lucky to have been born just after it My dad was a Japanese pow . Worst I had to put up with was rationed sweets until about 1953 St Ives is beautiful ....I envy your son living there

Well it’s the new Inside the Tower and the Savoy for me tonight Have a good evening and stay safe

Evening Baz.

Sorry to hear you didn't sleep well, dreams can be annoying, i usually wake around 4.30 or so, i pop to the loo whether i need to or not but it cools me down so i can snuggle in again.

You do so much when you say you do nothing, iphone 12, no idea what they are like, never had an iPhone.

We had a ration book, i have a brother born during the war and one born after the war, you Dad must have had a rough time under the Japanese control.

I made 9 of the egg/bacon/cheese muffin thingies, had one for breakfast, Mrs H had one as well, she says it's just a piece of omelette, can't argue with that, took them from the cases and put on a tray in the freezer, will put in a bziplock tomorrow.

For tea got a meal from the freezer, it was a beef curry left over from a takeaway i had a while back, so nice, just made a rice cake.

Added some more fish to my delivery for tomorrow, 2 x 200g of each, hake, halibut, haddock and cod, should be nice in batter.

Glad ive been making some room in the garage freezer, that the problem with space, you can only fill it once.

Stay safe, Wash Hands, Cover Face and Make Space.