Chatback number 22

[Mr Bones]

Afternoon.
Lovely day again, took a while to be as warm as yesterday but it got there. 17°C now. Just got some chapatti dough on and now I'm thinking about my dinner 🍽

[Nicos]

Quite a complicated procedure to keep things within building regs. I have a load of scrounged bricks to clean of old cement first.

Not sure if you are aware (I guess you may well be!)but if you scrub them with white vinegar you can remove a lot of the white still stuck to them - even in situ one reused.

Hope it all went according to plan!

[Florence Fennel]

A young, pregnant, Moroccan girl has just asked me, with very little English, to give her something to eat from the garden. After much signing and pointing, and me insisting there was nothing edible yet, I asked her into the garden to show me. She led me to the globe artichokes and I mimed them flowering, but she shook her head and pointed to the leaves. We managed to break some off and she smelled them and looked enraptured. "Good with meat" she managed to say. I've never heard of the leaves being cooked have you? I've googled but can't find anything except for use in herbal remedies. When she left she couldn't stop thanking me and blowing kisses. I hope it's not a pregnancy craving or makes her ill!

[Snoop Puss]

Morning all.

Florence Fennel, the stems below the flowers are really popular here, dipped in flour and egg and deep fried. They're delicious. I imagine the leaves will be perfectly safe. If they're anything like the stems, they'll be scrummy.

Busy, busy here and got trouble with internet. Grr. Anyway, up early to see if I can get online and here you all are. I'll just let loads of smiles out the bag and hope they find their way to you. Not a problem if not, I'm sure they'll reach somebody.

Wet weather ahead for the next few days. Was hoping to get some gardening done, but quite a bit of rain is forecast. Good in one way but a bit of a nuisance another.

Have a great day. Catch you soon.

[Snadger]

Morning all

Tired Grandson out yesterday and he went straight to bed after helping me demolish steps and clean plaster of bricks. Managed to get concrete steps to front door demolished and cleaned off about 100 used bricks for rebuild.Grandson is 15 years old.My Dad was 14 years old when he started work. Youth of today!

Need to do some shopping for the Sunday dinner when shops open. A nice bit of lamb methinks.

Diet has plateau'd again but at least weight ts the same as last Sunday, so hopefully only a blip.

TTFN

[Nicos]

Mornin n’alln’all

I had a bit of a goooogle in french, but couldn’t come up with any recipes Flo - although I may not have chosen the correct words!
Not much traditionally goes to waste in French cuisine, so there may well be one lurking somewhere!

I got a fair bit of gardening done yesterday and hope to crack on again today. A lot of time though was spent watering pots. I was amazed at how dry they were.

We’ve gone for a nice bit of brisket Snadge. I’ve stopped dieting for now.

Right....time for a brew!...

[Mr Bones]

Morning all
Glad your building work's going well Snadger, (sounds like hard work). Re artichoke leaves and stems, I wonder if they're a bit like cardoons. Our lotty neighbour (from Zimbabwe) grows pumpkin plants to eat the leaves and stems. The spiny string/skin is peeled and then they'ye cooked like spinach with cream. Nice flavour but a bit of a faff peeling them.
Hope your internet gets sorted soon Snoop, feels awful when you lose it. Like losing a window to the world.

Slight frost again this morning but the sun's shining

Happy Sundays

[Containergardener]

Morning
Another frost , thin layer of ice on the bird bath. The sun is trying to break through the cloud though.
Need to nip first thing hen back to gardening/weeding and some potting on .
Forecast looks cooler and showery next week so best make the most of the weather.
Enjoy your day.

[Florence Fennel]

Good Morning All Thanks for the research, reassuring. Hope she comes back for more. Sun is shining here. Better get some chairs outside for the visit. Have a lovely Sunday

[Bren In Pots]

Morning another frosty start but the suns been out for a couple of hours and so have my plants I plan to spend the day in the garden with a walk later on.
Enjoy your day.

[bramble]

Good morning all. The plants are all out in the sun.
It was beautiful earlier but has gone quite cloudy now.
Some family members visiting this afternoon, outdoors of course.
Have a good day all.

[greenishfing]

Beautiful sunny morning here. Off to the allotment shortly.
My gas cooker would seem to be dying slowly. The big oven is just not getting hot enough and I really don't want to poison us. I thought about getting it fixed but the call out fee is horrific around here and the cooker is pretty old and very well used. The other little oven in it died several years ago. So now I am trying to decide between gas and electric or dual fuel, one oven, two ovens,Choices! Choices! I want to make the right one.
I don't think we'll starve before I get one as I realise I've still got a grill, four rings, a microwave, a toaster, a breadmaker, a deep fat fryer and a small table top halogen oven. In fact I'm surprised there's room for me in the kitchen sometimes. When I think of some of the very basic cooking facilities I've used in my younger days I am spoiled. But I just hate change.....and getting used to a new oven.

[lottie dolly]

Afternoon all,you all sound busy busy,i checked into the green house and see the brasica's are on the move,will soon have some potting on to do ,good luck with the new steps Snadger,
ref a new oven,i personaly always prefer a double electric oven,the reasons being,you can cook more stuff in the larger bottom one,owing to the air flow,i have a spare shelf from my previouse one,when needed,it is great to have 3 shelves in,for things like cakes pies yorkshires,the top oven is not only a nice height for the grill,but a keep warm draw,and yes,i will be taking it along to my new one,where as a gas oven,you usually have wait for it to really warm up,and no air floe,unless they have improved from when i had one,same with plain electric,having to be carefull where you put your dish,over all,i find the ones that i have had and got,save on time and room in the oven,so less waste space and lecie,have a good afternoon all

[Bren In Pots]

LD I'm another fan of electric double oven cookers, for the same reasons as you, plus we don't have mains gas and I didn't want to go down the bottled gas route.

[bramble]

Electric fan oven here as well.

Good evening all.It was sunny but quite a cool breeze in the afternoon.
Did a bit of pottering and potting on some ageratum.
Sent my husband to his brothers with some tomato plants, so now I have a bit more space.
All under cover for the night but hopefully they will be staying in the greenhouse soon.