Chitchat thread #24

[greenishfing]

Good morning all.

We've got a proper hoar frost too, a rare event here. As soon as I opened the curtains in the lounge I commented on it to Mr GF who hadn't got his hearing aids in and came to look at the "horse" he thought I'd said was outside. The prettiest hoar frost I've ever seen though, reminiscent of an old fashioned Christmas card, was early one morning about 20 years ago between Rotterdam and Amsterdam on an excursion with P&O ferries. We had a whole freezing day in Amsterdam and I have never been so cold in my entire life. We went into some very weird places to try and get warm......

I have no intention of even going outside today until the temperature rises a few degrees. The birds are out en masse though looking very fat with their plumped up feathers. Good job I bought more bird food and made another loaf of bread yesterday. I must put bread flour on my shopping list.

On days like this I am so grateful for modern central heating. I must be getting old.

[Snoop Puss]

^^`There are designated hunting days - Thursdays and Sundays - for most game. Boar, however, can be hunted any day of the week. And boar hunts are when you get the big posses of hunters and their dogs.

The farmer was in hospital for 17 days with his injuries.

Most of the village hunters are responsible, and the farmers are grateful for the reduction in the boar population, as boar numbers have risen dramatically and they have become a pest. But this particular group of hunters operate what are almost military exercises with walkie talkies and big klaxons, sweeping through huge areas and corralling everything they come across. The dogs get over-excited from all the racket and blood and wander far and wide, not under the hunters' control. Within this group of hunters is a smaller group who rampage through the countryside at the slightest sign of mud or snow. Even if hunting wasn't an option, they'd find another outlet for their behaviour.

No idea what will happen to their dogs. The farmer in question was very lucky and managed to drag himself to his car, parked very nearby. If the car had been any further off, the dogs would have killed him.

On a cheerier note, my cookware is a proper hodgepodge. I've got carbon steel frying pans from the same manufacturer and pressure cookers from the same company, but everything else is all individual items. I do have lots of ceramic items from the same company, but I only ever buy them on special offer as they're too expensive otherwise, so the colours don't match and in one or two cases are downright ugly.

[Nicos]

I was just thinking gf that the frost would make wonderful piccies for Xmas cards.

Don’t the birds look lovely all puffed up. Poor things.
OH topped up the bird feeders yesterday and this morning melted their water/ ice so they can drink. Peeps forget about water too don’t they?
We need a new hen water bowl…the present one split in the last cold snap of -11C
Plastic splits under pressure of expanding ice and metal gets stupidly hot in 40C summer heat. One of each I suppose

[bramble]

Good morning all. Well it's a balmy 9 degs here although it's a bit showery..
Off to Mass shortly and then visiting my son and daughter in law.
It's their wedding anniversary so we will go out for lunch.

Snoop, that poor farmerk go in the car to be on the safe side.
Lots of stories circulating about dogs not being kept on a lead atticking people.
The laws need to be tougher.

Have a good day all .

[Bren In Pots]

That's scary what happened to the farmer Snoop i know I'd be using the car at the first sign of hunters being out.

[greenishfing]

Snoop, those hunters and their dogs sound really scary. Take care!

I am so glad to hear it's not just me that has the hodgepodge of non matching kitchenware. I know people who dump whole sets of stuff because there is a problem with one part. Most of mine spends the greater part of it's life in the cupboard anyway. It's not for display....just to be used.

[greenishfing]

Ooooooh! I've just noticed I've turned into a "Mature Fruiter". It sounds as if I'm getting old..... It reminds me of once going to look for a new secondhand car. I really fancied a gorgeous red sports car and I could actually afford it, but then common sense kicked in and I realised just how extortionate the insurance would be. I said this to the salesman who made some comment about it shouldn't be too bad now that I was middle aged......I was only 31 at the time. He certainly didn't get a sale that day despite trying to desperately backpedal.

[Florence Fennel]

My eldest GG wants a two-seater Porsche, one seat for her and one for her handbag Those hunters sound horrific. The Year of the Rabbit was heralded here by a massive amount of fireworks, more than we heard on Bonfire Night probably due to the influx of the Chinese population in Sheffield. It's very cloudy here now.

[greenishfing]

My eldest GG wants a two-seater Porsche, one seat for her and one for her handbag

I had to stop putting my handbag on the passenger seat as it set off the fasten seat belt alarm every time......not that it's full of rubbish and really heavy. I have only recently discovered the joy and freedom of going shopping with just a smartphone (with a couple of notes tucked into the case for emergencies) and a debit card tucked into my pocket.

[rary]

Good afternoon, just home from church but not much on the cards as its raining here, showing 7°c but feels colder, OH attends to the flowers in the church, between her and a friend they set out the flowers, but OH looks after the money, and the donation list, but guess who has to make up the list and print it off, as well as check all income and expenditure and it usually happens when I want to either sit or do something in the greenhouse, ah well she might want to reward me in some way well enjoy your day whatever the weather and smile

[Florence Fennel]

Cash seems to be a rare entity these days gf and I think cheques are obsolete. My grandchildren use their phones for almost everything.

[Nicos]

Congratulations gf!

My kitchen pots and pans are mostly non matching too.
I did buy some Le Creuset matching pans when we got married but realised very soon that they were almost impossible to lift once full
Mine are mostly steel and a few nonstick. All live in cupboards out of sight too.
My crockery is mostly white porceline…any make and plain. I want to see my food not a village scene or flowers etc…also means that it’s easy to mix slightly different styles. All my mugs are different colours and styles.

Many years ago I was told by a policeman neighbour to put my handbag into the footwell as they’d had a spate of thieves smashing passenger windows at traffic lights and grabbing bags..better still if you have a shoulder bag then thread your seatbelt through the handles and place it in the footwell. I really never would have thought that one up

I decided to make a coconut cake this afternoon whilst the wood fired oven is hot. Not tried the recipe before but it’s going to be more like a slab cake so I can freeze most of it for ‘ damage limitation’ to my diet
No doubt I’ll spend the rest of the evening sucking bits of desiccated coconut from my teeth! Yum.

[greenishfing]

I agree about the weight of le creuset pans, Nicos, but my really massive le creuset frying pan is indispensable when I want to pan fry something like large plaice fillets. It's like having a hotplate. I mostly cook my veg in a 3 tier steamer (lightweight stainless steel) though. My tableware for several years is/has been black and/or white which all sort of goes together. If I wanted to be really posh I do have three inherited china dinner sets boxed up somewhere that I've inherited over the years.

Flo, I completely agree about cheques. Somewhere I do have a check book. The printed date starts 19.. My handbag now usually lives under the front of my seat where it just fits on this car, completely out of sight.

Mr GF tends to buy biscuits from time to time, all kinds that I would never eat and that he dumps in the biscuit tin. I'm only a chocolate digestive or ginger biscuit fan. I have told him that if he works his way through them I'll then go into baking mode and make him some. Today he opened a packet of Jammy Dodger type things and decided they were revolting....I had a nibble and agreed. I'm glad to say the birds like them.

[Jay22]

Evening all. It’s been a miserable kind of day. Cold and smirry. Haven’t been over the door. Got a few boxes of rubbish sorted and a small ironing so not a completely wasted day.
Thats awful news about your local farmer Snoop, it would definitely be car for me if I thought the hunters were about.
Enjoy the rest of your evening folks. Catch you all later. x

[rary]

Good evening, was out in the greenhouse for a time this evening potted up some Chrysants and Alstromarea, just hope we don't get anymore extreme cold spells, will wait a month or so before sowing any veg, just feels good to get started again. Take care tomorrow and remember to pass on smiles