Evening All.

Hope everyone slept well, warmer here today at 15c but rain all day with a fresh breeze.

Had sausages, hash browns and 2 eggs for brekkie with a round of fried bread, can't remember what you use to make yours, is it butter, i know you can make fried bread under the grill just butter one side then grill it and take out, turn it over and butter the other side, then grill that, but that methos works for the frying pan as well.

My new replacement battery operated kitchen bin lid came but i only had 2 new spare AA batteries so had to take out my big bag of used ones and test them, found 4 that were ok, i only like Duracell as they are the best by miles as they don't leak, it is a sensor operated one but also has buttons to open and close, the problem is they are designed not to be in a cupboard as the doors operate the sensor, so i cut a piece from my mouse foot material and fixed it over the 2 micro sensors, sorted, now we can use the buttons or just do it manual as it had a lifting point on nthe lid, this is better than the one that came with the bin.

I just happened to look at the tv schedule and noticed Darts was on ITV4 many hours each day till Sunday, plus i have the F1 this weekend again.

Been making more pasties to use up the filling left over from yesterday which made the same again, had 2 for tea.

My shopping came, duck breasts and legs, mince, fruit, tinned toms and soups, Fray Bentos tinned steak pies, can't remember any more, haven't got the list back yet.

Stay safe and have a good evening.

Hicky

I too use oil and butter for fried bread, I used to use just oil, then found it tasted nicest if I used mainly butter. I do mine in the frying pan, haven't tried using the grill to make it.

Not sure how many KW's the fire is, so will have to check as it sounds like it might be a lot cheaper to put the central heating on.I can't just put the light on the coals, it has to have the heat on too.

You will have to check with the eye hospital to see if they can work out why you can see well with the binoclars.

Well done fixing the new bin to suit you.

I bet you pasties were nice.. I made some shortbread as I had bought some groud rice to do this awhile ago. It was a bit too sweet for me as I don't eat many biccies but MrM like it. I think I will stew some plums tomorrow as I like them quite sharp.

Milder here too today, so doggie enjoyed her walk a bit more today.

Watched GP's behind Closed Doors tonight, then the last episode of a drama. Not that good though.

Hope you are well today Baz.

sleep well both

Goodnight

xxx

Evening Mollie.

I think i will try a method that i read about, you butter the bread one side then fry it butter side down then butter the top while in the pan, then turn over when the 1st side is done.

On my coal/wood fire it has a remote control and you can select what you want so we just use the flames if someone comes.

I know, isn't it strange, how can the binoculars work on my bad eye, i will do more tests, i'll have to make a harness to fasten them to my head, only joking.

The old bin lid that broke didn't have buttons, it said it did but it didn't so i had to take the batteries out as they don't work in a cupboard and we keep ours in the boiler cupboard in the utility room which is a part of the kitchen extension.

On another forum they told me you can buy shortcrust pastry in 1kg blocks pretty cheap, so going to try that.

Been watching darts all afternoon and night, same tomorrow, and playing chess with my lad.

Wasn't too keen on the pasties, i didn't get the filling right.

At least you got a walk with doggie.

No Baz tonight.

Stay safe and sleep well.

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky  Another wet day here ....but not as bad as it’s going to get tomorrow I slept quite well last night , but not done much today ....just the every day load of washing and kitchen cleaning ....and a bit of dusting . Apart from that I anti bac’d my Sainsbury delivery and fed the birds . The case for my new iPhone finally arrived ....and I’m quite pleased with it Hope everyone else is having a good Friday

Mollie , did you enjoy GPS last night  ? I watch repeats of the old series on 5 Select every evening .....I love Dr Khan Have you managed to catch any Sewing Bee this week ? I’m lucky I have an electric fire in the lounge , but, like Hicky ,  I only ever use the light on the coals as I have my central heating on Hicky , what’s a battery operated bin lid ? I’ve never heard of those It’s really strange that the binoculars seem to  help your bad eye ....perhaps you should mention it to the consultant next time you see him ?

Well it’s a full nights viewing for me tonight ....Autumnwatch , Gardeners World and Gogglebox I hope you both have a good evening ....take care and stay safe

Evening Baz.

Glad you slept ok, thats so good, glad your food delivery came as well.

It was 15c again here light rain and a moderate breeze, i stayed in apart from a trip to the garage.

Had bacon and fried bread for brekkie, fruit this afternoon and for tea had roast duck legs and fried rice.

This is one of the kitchen bins i mean, you can get lots of sizes, this model has the same lid as the replacesment one i bought, with buttons and 2 sensors, you can't see them very well, i could see a mark where they were between the buttons and covered them so they are inoperable because my bin is in a cupboard, i have the 42L model.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dihl-...604082530&sr=8-1

I don't understand about the binoculars, i did mention the the consultant a while back about me being able to see ok using them, at the time i didn't know my left eye would be able to see as well using them, and also, i have to take my glasses off to use the bioculars, very confused.

I will watch Strictly, take 2 then darts from &pm till 11pm, watched darts all afternoon, got F1 tomorrow and Sunday and Darts as well, life is good.

Stay safe and have a good evening.

both

Baz

glad to hear you slept well and that's good you are pleased with your phone case.

I did enjoy GP's but as you said before, it is not as good as previous series with Dr Kharn. There are so many of them, eg nurses, medics etc, you don't really get to know the GP's at all!

Didn't see any Sewing Bee this week, as I thought it finsihed last week? Or is there another series started in the day?

Agree, a good full nights tv tonight.

Hicky

Shame your pasties weren't so good. Better luck next time.

Let me know how you get on with the blocks of pastry, as the frozen sheets are so small.

Oh yes, I forgot til you said, we too have a remote for the fire, not sure how to use it though.

Did your fried bread turn out nice the method you used?

It will be interesting to see what the hospital say about those binnoculars.

Much milder here today, but rain on and off. Managed to get a dog walk in with just a bit of drizzle. Had cheese and onion flan and chips for tea. And I made stewed prunes crumble that I had with ice cream for afters.

Cut one of the boys hair as the hairdressers arne't allowed to open. He seemed quite happy with it, so that's good.He cooks tea for us usually, so can't complain about doing his hair cut.

Watching Vera tonight, recording Gogglebox.

Drama son has a zoom Halloween party with his drama group tonight. MrM made him a backdrop with a white sheet and bat pictures and pumkins he'd drawn and cut out from card stuck on it . He also hung some from the ceiling. They are doing a quiz and a murder mystery, which is good as he has bene pretty bored lately.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

I'll try and get some blocks of pastry next Thursday in the shopping, the frozen layered sheets are a certain size for making spring rolls and samosa's they , had loads of them very easy to use, not so easy to keep the ones you don't use though, very delicate and they dry out so quick then fall to bits.

If you check i'm sure you can use the flames effect without the fire elements on, you must be able to check ir out.

The fried bread with buttering the bread wasn't as good as expected, i might try it in the wok with rapeseed oil.

Will have to make a loaf in the morning, have ran out.

Glad you managed to get out with doggie, it was just so cloudy here, not sure if we had rain.

Hair dresser/cutter now, what next, a halloween party on line wow, i have treats in for the children but not sure if they are coming this year, think they have been advised not to.

Cheese and onion flan and chips sounds good to me, i got a rack of lamb for Suinday.

Stay safe and sleep well.

Evening All.

15c heavy rain and a strong wind, didn't get the rain, it was like a summers day.

Had salt fish and bacon and eggs and fried bread, for tea had some of my bread and shrimps.

Been watching F1 today and baking bread also watching chess games online.

was going to have a vid call from Oz but Mrs H was home late and needed to make her brekkie so delayed till the morning.

Got a letter telling me about my Fuel payment, should have it by Christmas.

My Loaf:

Stay safe and have a good weekend.

I've got Darts & Strictly tonight.

Tried the fried bread in the wok with raoeseed oil very smokey no good really.

Will go back to veg oil, mind you nut oil has a high heat point.

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky  Cold and wet here today ! I slept ok last night , but not really done much today ....just some washing and a bit of tidying up I went out to feed the birds but didn’t stay out very long cos it’s was brass monkeys I had pork chops for lunch , and now I’m watching some mindless TV I think I’m starting to lose the plot though cos this morning I put my portage oats in the teacup , instead of the bowl Hope you are all having a good day and staying warm and dry

Mollie, did you enjoy Gogglebox ? I thought there were some real laugh out load moments thi# week Yes , they are repeating another series of Sewing Bee in the afternoon.I agree about GPs .....I think this is the first surgery that I’ve not really taken to. I hope your arthritis has settled down a bit now Hicky , nice looking loaf Did you enjoy Strictly last night ? I did , but thought a couple of the marks were off kilter ...especially the boxer girls . I saw an advert for I’m a Celeb at the weekend ....didn’t give a date just November .....but usually when they start advertising things it means they are about a week , 10 days away

Not a lot on tonight apart from Strictly results and a Michael Palin programme , but hope you both have a good evening ,whatsoever you are watching . Stay safe both

Evening Baz.

Glad you slept ok, thats a good start to the day, warm-ish here really at 15c again but rain and gales, its easy to put an item in the wrong place, your mind was thinking about something else at the time thats all.

Got a vid call from Oz, so good to see them all.

Had 4 sausages for brekkie with a round of fried bread, afternoon had some fruit, for tea had a rack of lamb then a bowl of mushroom soup with added mushrooms.

I watched the F1 from Italy, got the Darts final tonight, watched last nights Strictly recording, now watching Inside the factory, breakfast cereal.

I have no ideas what the dancing girls were doing, it was like a street dance where there is no leader, they danced ok, not sure how you mark that dance as it isn't in the dances list is it.

I know the IAC show is on in November, why don't they tell us when, must be a reason, oh, maybe its so that opposing channels don't have time to organise programs to capture the audience, of course, that makes sence, once the schedule is out for those dates then they can't change or it will be seen at dirty practice.

Just read a paper post saying IAC should start Sunday the 15th November.

I'll record the Strictly results show for tomorrow as i'll be watching the darts, it should be one of those at the bottomg of the list but maybe they have fans to vote for them.

Stay safe and sleep tight.

both x

Baz

thats good that you slept ok last night.

at you putting your porridge in the tea cup though.

Yes I too thought Gogglebox was hilarious this week  and thank goodness we avoided lots of covid stuff this week. So many of the families were funny...our usual faves, Jenny and Lee, the brother and sister, the 2 elderly ladies and I also like the other 2 young sisters.

I will have to look out for Sewing Bee if there is another series on in the afternoons then, as i did enjoy it.

I only watched the results of Strictly as I find the Saturday show too long, the commentator with dark hair annoying, and that one judge irritating. Think out of the 2 dancers I saw tonight though, that the right one left.

Some heavy showers here too today, managed to take doggie out when there was just a bit of light drizzle though.

I too watching Michael Palin tonight.

Hicky

shame you can't perfect the fried bread, I am sure you wil find the answer eventually though. I find it works well if I put lots of butter in the pan, so it is close to deep fry, but it took me a few goes to get it right. We had some with our cooked brekkie as normal today.

That is good you get extra for fuel , all helps to keep your house warm in winter whilst on pension. Is this the first year you get it?

Your loaf certainly looks good.

No sun at all here today, still wet and damp. But not so windy now. Feels mild though.

My neighbour sent me over a banana cake with walnuts on top that she'd made today, which was delicous. It was to say thanks to us as her dog had had to have some teeth extracted, and I'd sent some suitable food over for the dog. He can only eat soft food now but is doing well.

The kiddies werent allowed to knock for Trick and Treat this year, so daughter had made up some treat bags for them with sweets and flavoured bubbles, and hung them on our front fence. One little boy and his mum put a thank you note through our box and a mini milky way, that I didn't notice at 1st, until I realised the rabbit had found it and eaten half of it! Luckily he as ok today.

Anothe family put an envelope with some wrapped sweets through the box for us too. Luckily that was too big to fall through the letter box cage MrM put up awhile ago because the bunny had been eating our letters.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

I have gone back to using veg oil and doing it in the frying pan, thats fine.

You get the fuel money after a certain age, i've been getting it for years.

I think you need to get o/h to make a wire container to fasten under your letter box to cath mail etc, you can't afford a rabbit loose with your paperwork.

No trick or treaters here, the road is in darkness by me as the streetlight outside is out, that was a good idea of your daughter putting stuff out.

Have recorded strictly results for tomorrow, just watching darts and playing chess with my lad.

Stay safe and sleep well.

Evening All.

12c today with light rain showers, mainly sunny though, strong winds.

Had cheese and tomato on toast toasted for brekkie, fruit later, for tea made Tempura batter as i had a lovely portion of cod fillet, i sliced it 3cm thick so it cooks easier.

Had a problem with the batter as i think i misread the instructions for the nix, it said [water 1 : 1.5] and i thought it meant 1 portion of mix to 1.5 portions of water, i put 1 portion of the mix in a bowl and then added 1 portion of water, i then mixed it and realised i couldn't add ,ore water, it was thinner than it should be but it was ok, i will freeze whats left for another day, i will add more mix when i reuse it.

Dug the carrots up to throw away and found tons of lovely carrots to my surprise, some are 6" long, wow, did i get a shock, going to wash, trim, chop and then blanch and freeze in portion size.

We have had fireworks going off every night for at least a week, i suppose no much we can do about it.

Got a chocolate fudge brownie mix to make tomorrow, add eggs and butter and choc chips.

Stasy safe and keep smiling, sleep well.

both xxx

Hicky

yes MrM did make a wire container for the post after getting a few letters damaged, but this mini milkyway fell through one of the square holes of the wire.

Not surprised there were no trick or treaters knocking your door, I think most kiddies were told not to do this at school because of covid.

Good job you managed to sort the batter mix out in the end despite misreading it.

What a nice surprise for you when you got to unearth all those lovely carrots.

I bet you will enjoy your choccy fudge brownie. Is your OH able to share some. (as I recall you said she has diabetes?).

Quite wet and very windy today but managed to get a dog walk in again when we got a bit of sun.

Had some curry lentils with new potatoes and veg for tea, followed by blueberry crumble with ice cream.

Watched Corrie, but nothing else I wanted to watch tonight.

Goodnight both ,

hope you sleep well xxx

Evening Mollie.

Didn't realise you had a wire basket under the letter box, it worked well. ha ha.

Yes, the instructions on the batter mix confused me, must mean 1 part water to 1.5 parts batter mix.

It was utter shock when i dug a 6" carrot up, i pulled one up the other week and it was 1" long so i assumed they all would be, i was just collecting waste plant matter for the garden wheelie bin.

Not sure if o/h can eat choc fudge stuff.

Blueberry crumble and icecream sounds yummy.

I watched Aussie Gold Hunters and Gold Divers.

Keep safe and sleep well.

Afternoon Millie and Hicky We had hail just now I didn’t sleep very well cos I was worrying! Yesterday I noticed a drip from one of the overflow pipes outside ....cue panic .....a) because I wasn’t sure what it was .... b) although I have Brit gas insurance for it , if it’s the tank in the loft then it means having someone in the house....and I’m terrified  Plus the loft was another area Mr B used for his hoarding .....and it’s not been cleared out yet Anyway , I finally bit the bullet this morning and phoned them ....they are coming tomorrow ....so I will just have to mask and glove up and hope for the best Plus I rang the doctor and explained that I had no way of getting to the surgery for my flu jab .....but apparently being old , scared , with a bad ankle , and unable to get to the surgery ......which is about 3/4 miles away across town ......doesn’t qualify for a home visit Consequently I’ve not really done much today But I have rescued the bins , fed the birds and changed (washed and ironed ) the bed sheets. I hope everyone else is having a better day than me

Mollie , how lovely that you put out treats and that they put a thank you note through the letter box   We  had no trick or treater at all  .....and we usually have quite a few ....but although I did have some sweets at the ready , just in case,  I’m glad they stayed away . Don’t forget it’s Bake Off tonight ....probably too much to ask that we get rid of Lottie !Hicky , gosh , that’s some sized carrot We’ve had fireworks going off here for weeks ....but as you say , nothing we can do about it . What did you think of the strictly result ? I thought it was very much a foregone conclusion

Well it’s Bake Off for me tonight , and after that I’m not sure Hope you both have a good evening . Take care

Evening Baz.

Oh dear not been a good night / day for you, yes a dripping overflow pipe is usually serious as it means the ball valve that contols the level of water in the header tank is not closing properly.

It is possible it is condensation from your hot water cylinder which probably vents outside as well, but it need looking at to find the cause.

I wouldn't worry too much about the plumber coming in the house, just as long as you wear gloves and a mask or face shield, the chances of him having the virus are probably 100 to 1 or more.

I suppose you need to be bedridden to get a home visit as you could get a taxi.

I thought that when you compare a good dancer against a not so good its a foregone conclusion, i would hate to see a good dancer go instead, that will happen later on when the fans of dancers control the voting, i have seen the better dancer kicked out before when the one with the final vote picks who they like most.

Liverpool public are all going to be virus tested, the results could be back in an hour.

I washed/top and tailed the carrots and blanched them in 4 lots, they are now split into 9 packs wrapped in clingfilm and in the freezer.

I made the choc chip Fudge Brownies, wow, they are very more-ish.

For brekkie i had bacon and black pud on toast, for tea had a stirfry, thought there seemed to be a lot of veg, it seemed like enough for 2 so looked ar the packet, oh, it was for 4.

Keep safe and sleep well.

Evening All.

12c today and sun/cloud/rain with a moderate breeze.

Had eggs on toast for brekkie, for tea had Chili Con Carni (hot) version, had it with rice, yummy.

Just had 2 more fudge brownies, wow, are they super.

Been looking around the garden in between showers, noticed a lot of the green seedless grapes outside have been eaten by, i assume, the squirrels, to protect the vine against squirrels is possible it would be quite a big job, going to look into it anyway over the winter, will prune the vine and take off a lot of the main size to give me better control of it, it would mean a complete framework to support a chicken mess to totally enclose the vine, of course i would have to be able to get at the vine to look after it.

I have a packet bread mix o/h bought some time ago, could make that into bread rolls in a day or 2.

Made my shopping list out, mind you, i don't need much as i have so much in stock.

There is a IAC show on Sunday ITV 8:10pm for 2 hours, and and dec looking back over the 19 series.

I have a list of possible entries into the Jungle/Castle.

IAC Celebs 2020
From Gwyrch Castle Abergele
______
Ruthie Henshall
Russel Watson
Hollie Arnold
A.J. Pritchard
Jessical Plummer
Victoria Derbyshire
Vernon Kay
Mo Farah
Vinnie Jones (doubtful)
Jenny Ryan
Maya Jama
Baga Chipz
Beverley Callard
Tamzin Outhwaite
Amy Hart
Matt Baker
Eric Cantona
Joe Sugg
Jeremy Clarkson
John Barns
Lucy Fallon
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Susanna Reid
Keith Duffy
Faye Brooks

Stay safe, have a good evening.

both xxx

Baz

Aaaww sorry about your worries about the overflow, hope you get it sorted. As Hicky says, don't worry about someone coming in the house, we have had to have people in a few times since lockdown and just open windows/doors, as this virus hates air circulation and wipe down when they go anywhere they have touched.

Shame you can't get home visit for the flu vaccine, but as HIcky says, if you really would feel btter about getting it, you could get a taxi. But I have read the cases of flu in the southern hemisphere was practically non existant over their winter just gone and it is 98% down so far this season here too.  At least you aren't mixing with a lot of people who could pass it onto you either.

Well what a surpise Bake Off was last night. I am so looking forward to watching all the lovely contestants that are left there now.

Hicky

You did well sorting out all those carrots ready for freezing. You certainly won't be sort on carrots for meals now and I bet they are delicous.

Choc fudge brownies, I bet they won't last long. (I know they woulnd't with my family!).

Did you manage to eat all of the stir fry veg meant for 4? although it doesn't matter if you did as veg are so good for you and not fattening.

Sounds like you have a busy job on your hands to protect your vines.

Thanks for the IAC list, I recogninse quite a few of them, but not all of them.

Not long to go now till it starts.

I am looking forward to being able to go back to Costco soon and to having my friend over to sit in the garden as our lockdown ends on Monday. Its been about a month (mabye 6 weeks ) now of not being to be able to go out of our area. Don't want to leave it too long to get to costco as it will get busy soon as Christmas approaches. I won't go to ordinary supermarkets becuase of the risk, but Costco is so huge it is easy to avoid people if you go early, and they are strict with their hygience measures.

A lovely sunny day all day today, even got to sit on the swingchair with my book and the dog enjoyed her walk as it was so warm in the sun. Hope it lasts.

Going to watch "Educating Greater Manchester" tonight, after Corrie.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

didn't think i would get all those carrots sorted in a day.

The problem with the Choc fudge brownies is they are so rich, can manage 2 a day.

No, i probably ate 1/3rd of the stirfry, didn't realise there was so much till too late as it was in the wok, omg it filled it, will know next time, have 2 more in the freezer, think they may be smaller.

Yes, i will design a protective cover, think i need a stiffer mesh than what i have, but plenty of time, they don't attack them till October-ish.

Yes, it will be good if you can get back to Costco, get some Christmas stuff in as well, we don't know if we will be able to have anyone here for Christmas, will need to order stuff in case though, we have the butvchers or the fishmonger to get stuff, also Sainsbury's as well.

I was confused with the weather forecast today, it said rain, the sun was out, i go out and it rains, go back in the sun comes out, i only ever go in the rain with an umbrella, if i get wet i get a cold, always have, no idea why, i have to go to the garage to get items from the freezer.

stay safe and sleep well.

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky   Well today was worse than yesterday Plumber came yesterday but said it was the header tank , so had to have a heating Engineer. He came today and  did something to the header tank , but if that doesn’t work they will need to replace the cylinder , which is a half a day job .....to say I’m panicked is an understatement We won’t know for a couple of days ....but if it starts dripping again ....... Hope you’re day is going  better than mine Apart from the engineers visit I’ve done two loads of washing , and bleached the house within an inch of its life Plus I nearly gave myself carbon monoxide poisoning by wearing three disposable masks....got really dizzy  

Mollie , yes , we can relax and enjoy Bake off for  the rest of the series now Having said that , and much as I disliked Lottie ( she should have gone a couple of weeks ago !) I think that David and Laura were probably worse this week . Still I’m thankful for small mercies Will you be joining us for Masterchef next week ?Hope you have a nice visit with your friend  Hicky , thanks for the I’m a Celeb list ....I actually know 16 of them ....which makes a change I actually saw the castle on an old Michael Portillo train programme the other day ....it looks impressive , but it’s going to be a lot chillier than the jungle . Have you been watching Autumnwatch ? Nice to see the scd spoiler thread on DS again

Not sure what I’m going to be watching tonight ....apart from Autumnwatch .....but have a good evening whatever you are both doing .....and as always , take care

Evening Baz.

I am confused, which tank has the dripping water, from the header tank in the loft, or is it on top of the cylinder, what has an overflow got to do with a cylinder, a cylinder cant overflow, it is supplied by a header tank so is always full of water, surely if you have an overflow it means a float valve isn't closing properly, maybe the float valve has corroded or something and just needs replacing, why did the plummer call a heating engineer? i would ask them to explain the problem, if i didn't know them i would assume they are trying to con you, unless the plummer is a family member.

11c here today with light cloud and a gentle breeze, looked around the garden, have found a source of galv netting with 25mm hole, 90cm wide by 15m long for £47 + delivery and that would cover the whole of the vine, would have to add more frame to what i have now but i have the wood.

Looking forward to IAC, as you say, it will be a lot colder in or by the castle, i don't watch autumn watch as they talk about the lovely colour of the leaves, well, i can't see what volour they are so a waste of time.

I'll just watch a selection of stations, i do a seach every hour to see what is available starting at 1, the first worth watching i click on, then go back to searching to see if a better show comes up, if it does i click on that.

Stay safe and sleep well.

both x

Remember, remember the 5th November.

Tonight MrM did a BBQ and we had burgers, sausages, bread rolls, salad, with Pringle crisps and choc fingers to celebrate Fireworks night. And we had some sparklers that MrM found in the garage from last year.   (it was too wet last year for them). Odd to not go to a display this year, but all cancelled due to covid but we enjoyed our own simple little celebration.

Baz

Aaaww Baz, you poor thing. Sorry to hear things were so complicated today. Let's hope its ok now and you don't need to get that half day job done. You must be exhausted with the stress and the bleeching. Are you saying your wore 3 face masks at the same time? Don't forget the fresh air/open doors.windows theory, as the virus doesn't do well with fresh air.

Yes David and Laura did not do well this week at all, but I think over the weeks as a whole, Lottie made quite a few boo boos.

Thanks for the Masterchef invite, I will certainly join you if I get chance to watch the series.

That is interesting you saw the IAC on the Portillo train show, shame I missed that one. It will definatly be cold for them all! That castle had been derelect for years and someone only recently bought it to do it up. What a lucky buy from them now IAC are using it. I did read they have put a part roof on it. And I saw an overhead photo in the Welsh press of a  photo of the marques they have put up around it. Not long to wait now.

I am usually busy around Autumnwatch time, but I did catch a little the other night when the baby hare and its mum was on. Fascinating.

Hicky

yes that is the problem, things are so uncertain about Christmas, so hard to know who or how many you will be able to have over Christmas time. As long as you have room in the freezers, it won't do any harm to order it in though.

That's good you managed to find a source to get your netting from.

That is the trouble this time of year, if you get caught in a shower, it does feel cold.

We were lucky today and had sun right through the whole day. We had to go to town to send a registered letter to Student Finance for son, as they said they would reply within 15 working days and it is 19 days now and they have not even acknowledged his form. (they said they would acknowledge within 5 days and haven't at all!).

It was like a ghost town with most shops closed and the odd ones open hardly had anyone in. Which is what this lockdown is all about I guess. There is a security person on the post office door telling you where to stand. Only 1 person in there when I went in, which was good.

Watched that ugly house programme, I often think the end house is worse than how the original one is.

Also watched GP show.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

Not really got much room in the freezers, and you can't stock up with stuff in the fridge ahead of time as the dates don't give you much time, thats why i try to get frozen food, it keeps.

I was quite surprised about the price of the netting that would do the job covering the vine, the 15m will do the floor area, the roof area, the 2 ends and the 2 sides which come to 14m, of course a frame needs constructing, that shouldn't be a problem though, it will be fastened to the main central supports, on each end of the raised bed with a beam across the top, the frame needs to be 2.4m long, 0.6m wide and 1.5m high which will support the wire mesh.

Its such a pain when these places say they will respond, then do nothing.

I watched the Billion pound cruise ship, wow, 2200 staff, 6000 guests, 18 decks, never seen anything  like it, try to watch if you haven't seen it, then i saw Britains most expensive house, wow, he bought it for £76m and is doing a refurb for £68m, it will be worth £250m when complete, it is out of this world, it has 210 rooms, he got a dance floor made of mirrors, when finished someone said, wait a minute you can't have women dancing on mirrors, oh dear.

Have a good evening, stay safe and sleep well.

Evening All.

Hope you got your water problem fixed Baz.

11c today with sunny intervals and a gentle breeze.

Had a nice brekkie of bacon, egg, sausage, hash brown, black pud and fried bread, for ta made french fries and had a fillet of plaice.

Didn't do a lot really, cut all the bunches of grapes off the greenhouse vine, 2 buckets full, will have to cut all the bunches from the outside vine now as they have been attacked by squirrels.

We have had a great deal of rain, i had a 40L tub in the garden and i had to empty it with a bucket as it was full of water, and thats a lot of water from a 50cm dia area, it must me over 12" of rain.

Stay safe and have a good evening.

both x

Hicky

I saw some of that cruise shop programme last week. Yes it is incredible, like a whole shopping centre on board.

A 210 roomed house, just think of the cleaning and heating bill, so think I will have to pass on one of those!

Another 2 buckets of grapes! Wow you did have a good crop.

I hear Sainsburys are cutting back on staff a lot, hope MrsH's job is secure.

Yes we did have a lot of rain recently, so it has been extra nice to have another sunny day today.

Doggie enjoyed her walk and my washing got nearly dry, so will just air it indoors now.

I didn't do a lot today , other than help son sort his Uni invoice out. They have agreed to monthly payment until he hears from Student Finance. £9000 in Uni fees is a lot this year now students are studying nearly all of it online. Good job he is registered with a local Uni, so he doesn't have accomodation fees as well though.

I ordered my Christmas grocery delivery slot and they are selling out quicky, so was lucky to get one.

The theatre rang me to cancel our theatre panto tickets, but we are going to see a drive in socially distanced one instead now.

Watching Corrie, then Gogglebox. I love Gogglebox.

Hope Baz's plumbing problem is sorted ok.

Have a good evening both xxx

Evening Mollie.

Such a shame about the grapes, they should have been eaten end of September really but there is so many and some are going soft & wrinkled so too late to give them out.

I don't know about Sainsburys, haven't heard anything.

Fireworks been going off all the time, should stop soon i imagine.

My lad had the report from his MRI scan, oh dear, not good, transplant seems to be being rejected, it's part manmade, lad didn't know till the day of the op, he needs injections of plasma etc to help the healing, he has to keep using the cutch.

Its very expensive this Uni lark, how on earth are they supposed to be able to pay these fees, no wonder they need part time joobs to help pay, good job he is close to the Uni, wow, imagine paying accommodation.

Another drive in theatre production, should be good, hope the weather will be ok on the day/night.

Strange no word from Baz, yes, hope they were able to stop the drip.

I got my Sunday meat in my shopping, the rack of lamb is too expensive now so i got a boneless leg of lamb and a nice piece of brisket, each can be divided to give me 4 joints.

Stay safe and sleep well.

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky  I slept a bit better ...once I got to bed .....I keep waiting for the US election to be declared Apart from that I’ve changed duvet cover, washed and ironed , cleaned kitchen , and dusted .....I really know how to live It’s sunny ,but very cold here ....hope you are having a good day , whatever you’re doing

Mollie , I loved Gogglebox last night ....the brother and sister crease me up Hope you can make it for Masterchef ....the thread is normally a laugh I guess you’re out of Lockdown this weekend ....just as we go into it . Yes, I had three masks on I also had the windows open ....so if COVID didn’t get me pneumonia might Hicky , the plumber ...and the heating engineer ....are from British Gas  ( I have an insurance ) . The reason I had to have both a plumber and the heating guy is because apparently one deals with the cold tank , and the other with the header tank. Both of them acknowledged that it was stupid , but that’s how it is The heating guy explained that if adjusting the ball cock didn’t work then it could be a small crack in a pipe in the water cylinder which causes a sort of blow back But I’m keeping everything crossed that it’s fixed .

Well it’s Strictly for me tonight ....followed by a new series of Britain’s Historic Towns Hope you enjoy whatever you are watching . Have a good evening both and take care

Evening Baz.

Glad you slept better, thats something.

It was 12c here with sunny intervals and a gentle breeze, didn't do much, took all the bunches of half eaten grapes off the white grape vine, only half a bucket as it looked like the squirrels ate half, but its so annoying they eat half of all the bunches because they can walk along the vine, they won't next year when i enclose it in seel netting.

Had kipper, bacon and eggs for brekkie with toast, for tea had a dressed crab, ate it with a spoon, best way then you can really enjoy the crabmeat, then had a tin of tomato soup, and a small slice of a mini iced fruit cake.

I am very confused with the people looking at the drip, looking into the cold storage tank shows in a minute if the float valve is closing properly and he could see if the water had reached the overflow pipe because the ball valve should shut the valve off so it never reaches the overflow pipe.

They said if adjusting the ball valve, what, either the ball valve was working properly or not, you don't adjust it if it is and if it isn't you fix it, what a load of garbage nthey are telling you, either the overflow is caused by the float ball valve not closing or where is the drip coming from.

Its simple really, 1, what pipe is the drip coming from, 2, is the ball valve working properly.

Here is the normal heating system when you don't have a compact boiler.

What header tank are they talking about, the cold water tank is usually called the header tank, there is normally on 2 tanks, cold water and the hot water cylinder, maybe they want to make a big job of a simple fix, and to say i pipe might have broke in the cylinder is a joke, about 1 million to one of that happening.

They might be just looking for work, has the drip stopped, have they been in the loft and looked into the cold water tank, you need to know what they are doing, they don't sound to me like plumber/heating enginee, a plumber would say that, it doesnt even make sense.

I quote your pot here "The heating guy explained that if adjusting the ball cock didn’t work" what a stupid thing to say, either the ball valve was shutting and working properly or not, was the cold tank overflow causing the drip or not, i can't believe he is even a plumber.

Will watch Strictly, watching Darts but wanted to record 2 programs but don't think i can and watch another.

Have a good evening, stay safe.

both x

Baz

let's hope your heating is fixed, so no one else has to come out.

at your 3 masks, I have worn 2, as I wan't sure which was the best one, ( a pretty silk one over a disposable one) but not 3. Best to do what you feel best though if it makes you feel safer. But I am glad you have the windows open as I think the fresh air thing is so important. I too had the front and back doors wide open and every single window when they came, but it was a bit warmer back then.

We too had to have 2 different fix it guys out when our tank played up recently and leaked through the ceiling. One thought it was the boiler but had to call out another guy as it was the emersion.

I assume because you have insurance you don't have to pay for this, if it does become complicated. If so, it has been well worth you getting insurance now a problem has happened.

I too thought the brother and sister were funny in Gogglebox, what I like about them is not only are they funny but they show sensitvity too. Aaww at her crying at the thought of her and others losing their jobs because of lockdown. I noticed the absence of the 2 old ladies, I don't think we will see them during lockdown, as we didnt' see them last time during lockdown.

I turned on the dancing last night and I thought the 1st couple (the 2 women) danced just awful!  I nearly turned it off but was glad I didn't, as I liked Caroline, Bill and the nice guy who the judges slated and gave awful marks to. I know who I want to leave, but strongly suspect there is no way they will.

Hicky

Oh dear, sorry to hear about your son's ongoing problems with his knee. Are you saying they didn't tell him until the day of the op that the replacement was part man made? If so, sounds like they were being evasive until the last minute, as surely they know some would reject a foreign body? I hope these plasma injections help cure his problem quickly.

What a shame about the wasted grapes, pity Baz and I don't live in your street, else we'd have helped you eat them.

Don't know about Baz, but for a non tech mind like mind the heating diagram is a bit too complicated for me.

Yes Uni costs for youngsters are ridiculous, most will either never get out of debt or take years to get rid of the debt. Luckily in Wales they do get some allowance, but still not enough to even cover the full fees. In Scotland there are no fees for locals, and in England they have to pay (or borrow) over £9000 a year to pay for Uni.

Our recording system has the same problem. I can only record 1 show and watch the other, so I get a problem if 3 shows I want to watch are on the same time, or overlap.

Bit dull today but still dry, so will take the dog out soon.

Had a nice cooked brekkie that son and I made. He makes the bacon and egg as I dont' like either of those , I make fried bread, toast, tomatoes, mushrooms and MrM freshly squeezes the oranges and clear up the dishes. So makes it easier if we share the jobs. The other 2 in my family prefer to stay in bed!

I see 24 hrs in Police Custody is on tonight , I find that interesting. Not sure if I will watch IAC, as it is just repeats. But wont' miss the launch next week!

Have a good day both

xxx

Evening Mollie.

12c today with drizzle and a gentle breeze, had salt fish bacon and eggs for late brekkie.

Decided on a brisket dinner with onions carrots and mash with a nice gravy.

Didn't do much today, i watch Sunday Brunch in the morning then Darts 12 - 4:00 and Darts 6 till 10pm will record strictly.

The boiler diagram is quite simp;e, it shows the cold feeds, the pipes between the cold storage tank and the cylinder, the overflow from the storage tank and the ball valve, there is only one way cold water gets into the storage tank and only 1 overflow, to tell if the ball valve is working is very simple and to tell if water is coming from the hot water vent pipe should be easy, that would mean a fault in the cylinder, a pipe that is the circulating coils which carry the hot water from the back boiler if there is one in the house, otherwise the cylinder wouldn't have any pipes inside it to break, a plumber going to the header tank/cold water storage tamk would know in a minute what the problem was, if he didn't then he sure isn't a plumber.

Yes, my lad is in a fix with his knee, mothing he can do, he will just have to do whatever is best to try and recover from the problem.

Such a shame about the grapes, but beaten by the virus scare, going to net the outside vine next year but will cut it back to get more control, have found a steel mesh tht should do and i know how to make the frame, the net is 1.2m x 10m with a mesh of 25x13mm and 1mm wire, cost £23 plus delivery.

Had a vid call from Oz this morning, that was great and they send a load of pictures every week, we feel as though we are there with them.

Stay safe and sleep tight.

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky  Some good news on the COVID front ....fingers crossed ....it might not be the end , but it might be the beginning of the end I slept quite well last night , so have been a busy Baz today I’ve hoovered , cleaned , done two loads of washing and ironing  , and anti bac’d my M& S delivery (which I managed to get a slot for yesterday ) . I hope you are all having a good day , whatever you’re doing. I noticed it’s Emptybox birthday today ....just wanted you to know I’m thinking about him

Mollie , it was lovely to see you in the scd thread yesterday .....pity we didn’t get the result we wanted ....such a shame Jason went....he wasn’t the best , but I do think the choreography was to blame ....it was appalling imo If you are watching the Celeb launch next Sunday we have a thread for it We watched Police Custody last night too .....several of us enjoy those sort of programmes ....don’t forget it’s the second part tonight Hicky , thank you for all the information .....I don’t understand most of it though I just know that whatever they did it’s so far so good . ... but if it doesn’t then at least it won’t cost me anything . I’m really sorry to hear about your sons knee I hope they can do something to help him in the long run . I’m lucky , I can record two programmes and watch a third on my Sky box .

Well it’s Police Custody for me tonight ....but whatever your watching , have a good evening and stay safe

Evening Baz.

Glad you slept better, Oh, Emptybox's Birthday, miss him every day, he would possibly have suffered greatly with Covid-19 being around if he needed mediacal attention.

Glad your M&S delivery arrived ok, can't beat that.

14c today with light cloud and a gentle breeze, didn't do much, pruned some of the vine in the greenhouse, found another 4 bunches of grapes, eyes not too good.

Have ordered the netting to enclose the vine outside to protect from the squirrels.

Had Frosties for brekkie, 2pm had a round of my bread toasted, covered in best butter and then covered in Chunky Chilli-Lilli Pickle, for tea had some spuds with the left over brisket and gravy, started putting some english mustard in with some Worcester sauce.

I think i can record 2 programs and watch a third, not too sure, but i can record 2 and watch a recording as well i know that.

Thats good news if your water loss has stopped, are you on a water meter? i'm on one and can never understand how we could possibley use all the water they say we do, like 54,000 Litres which is 54 cubic meters of water for the last 6 months.

I don't know when any new treatment for my lads knee may begin, meantime he use the crutch to take some of the weight off the joint.

stay safe and sleep well.

both x

Baz

yes let's hope it is a bit of good news covid wise. The cases have started going down here in Wales already after the lockdowns, as they originally started about 6 weeks ago, so let's hope it continues.

Sounds like you have had a busy day. Hope you ankle held up throughout.

You did well managing to get an M and S delivery slot because they are not easy to get. I am sure you will enjoy the produce they delivered.

That sounds hopefully that your plumbing problem looks like its holding up.

i too was sad to see lovely Jason go, I would like to join you for IAC if all is quiet at home, that is, else I end up watching on catch up!

I am recording part 2 of Police Custody as I haven't had chance to catch up on part 1 yet. I often get behind on tv.

Have had to catch up on food shopping, help son with student finance stuff again. Its lucky you are able to deal with 3 programmes as the same time, as life can get complicated when tv shows clash!

Aaaaww dear sweet Emptybox, thinking of him on his birthday, bless him. ..Yes we miss him so much.

Hicky

its so nice that thanks to modern technology you can keep in touch so often with your family, even though they are the other side of the world.

I agree, poor Emptybox would have found these covid times so hard.

Hopefully that netting will protect your vines next time from those hungry squirrels trying to stock up before winter arrives.

Frosties is a change for you for brekkie.

Such a shame your lad is still having to use a crutch , let's hope his treatments don't take too long now.

Son made a roast dinner tonight, I love his Yorkshire puds.

Then I had some blueberry crumble I'd made with custard for afters.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

Yes, being able to chat with the family in Oz in real time is incredible, so easy, free and fast, they are expecting the birth this month as well.

I have worked out what i need to construct a framework and although the cage isn't needed till say August or so it needs to be sorted before the vine start growing in the spring, say April.

I thought of having some Kellogs flakes but frosties are so good, i have the baby boxes, it stops me filling the dish which i would do if i had the big box, its just so i cut down on the fried meals.

Not much my lad can do about his knee, just wait to see what they want to do, think he has some months yet to even know if its improving.

You are spoilt with your roast dinners and yorkshire puds, can't beat that, blueberry crumble sounds great, enjoy.

It will be great when they get this vaccine out in the public domain.

Have a good evening and stay safe.

Evening All.

14c today with cloud sun and a gentle breeze.

Quite warm again, had sausages and a tine of toms for brekkie, for tea cooked a breast of duck and had the leftover spuds fried with a cuple of eggs.

Spent a couple of hours in the garden, took up the failed beetroom, took the spring onions out, they grw fine but noone to eat them, pruned more of the vines so the garden wheelie bin if full now, going to try and get 5 of the big tubs in the greenhouse for next year as the veg grows so much better under cover.

Going to make another loaf tomorrow as i finished the other one, have loads of flour anyway.

They have dispatched the wire netting but the overnight delivery is now a 48 hr one.

Not much news really, will find stuff to watch on tv, got hundreds of recordings.

Stay safe, Covid Jab not so far away.

both

Hicky

gosh I didn't realise the new baby was due as soon as next month. A Christmas baby perhaps then?

Yes those individual cereal boxes are very handy for portion control. and Frosties are yummy, I agree.

That's good the weather was nice nough for you to send  a copule of hours in it. It was very mild here too today, but that of course meant we got some wet weather. Managed to take the dog out inbetween the showers though. And got some washing half dried.

I too had left over potatoes for tea, with some lefover mac cheese and veg. The microwave comes in handy for leftovers.

Going to watch Bake Off as I enjoy that.

Hope Baz is ok today.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

The Baby is due this month, maybe a couple of weeks.

Very pleased with what i managed to do, had to force myself to stay out as when i do some carrying, cutting to bin i need to rest for a few minutes, still got the other tub of carrots to pull, will leave them a bit yet, got an awful lot of leaves in the garden, like a carpet from the Oak at the bottom, when all the leaves are off the tree i'll get the gardener as he has the blower, its too much work for me.

I looked on the Gov website, i can see how much i owe, its due 12th Feb so might leave it for now but this year it says i can pay by Debit card so thats better than a cheque.

They have dispatched my netting but but overnight is 48 hrs now, think i said earlier.

I've altered the greenhouse fine to 2 branches on one side of the greenhouse, leaving the other side free and the end free, i've removed 50 ft leaving 16, i am rducing the length of the white grape vine as well so i can get it all enclosed in mesh.

Glad you managed to get out with the dog in between showers, i was expecting some rain as at times it was so dull.

Won another game of chess with my lad, and i was playing the black pieces, as we finish one game we start another, its good to keep the brain active, on this website we are using i am 8+1/2 and he is 9+1/2 thats out of 18 games.

I usually work out what to have for brekkie and tomorrows tea, it helps me sleep. not easy when you have so many options and try not to have the same thing 2 days running.

Stay safe and enjoy your evening.

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky  Dank, dismal , breezy, and chilly here today. I slept ok last night , but I’ve felt weary the last couple of days , so I’ve had another lazy one  Just a load of washing , kitchen and bathroom cleaning . Apart from that I’ve had two nice lamb chops for lunch , and now I’m watching old Bill episodes. I hope you are all having a good day , whatever you’re doing

Mollie , I enjoyed Bake Off last night , but was surprised that Peter survived Did you watch Masterchef ? I think they made the wrong choice with one of those they got rid of. I agree about Frosties Hicky , ooooo a new baby , how lovely ....something to look forward toI can empathise with your son and his knee problems .....my ankle still plays up a bit . I’m guessing that if it wasn’t for Covid I would have had follow up appointments and physio , but these are not normal times, eh

Well it’s Masterchef again for me tonight .........have a good time whatever you are doing ...and as always , take care

Evening Baz.

Glad you slept well, thats not good feeling weary, you do rather a lot when you say you do very little.

You can't beat lamb chops, always a winner.

It was 14cm with cloud mainly and a moderate breeze.

Didn't do a lot, put some more garden stuff in the brown garden wheelie bin and my new netting arrived this morning, had to get the porters 2 wheel trolley to get the roll into the garage.

Put off my loaf till tomorrow as i ran out of time, i have been trying to get all the text into bold but having trouble as the sections that say change to bold etc dont seem to be available, i ended up with setting a reverse option for the colours as i have so much trouble reading coloured text on various backgrounds, the revers option makes black white etc and in a lot of cases it is very good, i can see this page well because the background is black and the text looks white as it contrasts.

But faces show as negative which is a nuisance, but i can turn the inversion on and off using the Window key + ctrl + c.

Yes, i am sure you would have had some follow-up for your ankle, i don't know if its too late now to even get any help or whether you still need it.

I am very hopeful that this vaccine program will be successful.

I searched today whether you can freeze Crumpets, it seems you can so they are on my shopping list for the morning, i don't need much as i have so much food stored, i try to get as little as possible foods with a short life that cant be frozen.

Stay safe and sleep well.