Chitchat thread #24

[mothhawk]

Morning all.

The weather is doing nothing much.

I have to wait in for two deliveries today, flowers from my sister in the U.S., so no telling what time they will arrive, and books! that I bought with Christmas gift vouchers that will come via royal mail. I only ordered them on Wednesday.

This is a real treat, because apart from kindle books, (which don't count) I don't buy new books, though I buy lots second hand. I love browsing in second hand bookshops, and so many have gone now. It's not the same browsing online, you don't get the tattered but comfy old armchair and cup of coffee that comes with the tacit implication that you are welcome to stay all day

[mothhawk]

Mornin n’alln’all

Well,that was a long day travelling!…can’t believe the numbers of cars on UK roads compared to French ones.
We’ve set today aside for a grory hop whilst everyone’s at work.
Not sure what else yet today will bring…enjoy your day peeps

Most people in the world don't realise how small and crowded the UK is. Area 94,000sq miles (244,000 sq km), and a population of over 69 million, and more than 57 million of those are in England, which has an area of only 54 thousand sq miles.

France is two and a half times bigger, but slightly less population, 68.4 million.

[Nicos]

There’s a great charity shop where we’ll be going today MH which sells a vast amount of second hand books.
Strangely () all in English
So I’ll no doubt be wading through many of those - and taking back quite a few .
Funny how you take for granted simple things like that until you can’t access them.
Which reminds me….I’m thinking a nip into a pub might be rather good at some point! Hands down it beats a French cafe bar in winter.

[Snoop Puss]

Morning all.

I had no idea that there was even such a thing as non-stick tin foil. Thanks, mothhawk.

Time your pub visit right, Nicos, and you'll be there for lunch. Last few times I've eaten in pubs in Cumbria (don't ask me the names or places, I just go where I'm taken), the food has been excellent.

LD, my view on needing to sleep more in winter is that it's normal. We might not hibernate, but I reckon all sensible mammals stay tucked up and warm as long as they can at this time of year.

That said, anyone else noticed that the days are getting visibly longer? I woke up to light coming in the bedroom window yesterday. First time in ages.

As for here, well, I've just lit the range. Not as cold as the last few mornings, but grey and damp. We ended up with a bit of rain last night, but no snow. So phew for that.

The usuals for me today... Need to do some domestics as well, but hoping I might be able to palm those off onto Mr Snoop if I bribe him with fresh bread. My proofer has arrived and I'm keen to have a play. If not today, then definitely this weekend.

Hope Lord Ginger and Frank got on OK yesterday, Flo.

Have a great day, everyone.

[Bren In Pots]

Morning

MH Thanks for posting the YouTube link its now bookmarked and I've passed it on to MrPots, it'll keep him amused for hours I can't remember the last time I bought a new book, most of mine are from charity shops I do use my Kindle most of the time unless its a recipe book.

Waiting in for a parcel today hopefully tracking data will be soon updated so we have a time slot.

Snoop I've not noticed the days getting longer its been dull here for most of the time lately.

enjoy your day

[greenishfing]

Good morning all.

It's a chilly 3°C here and the car is frozen. Don't forget to visit your local £1 shop for cake and loaf tin liners, Nicos.

mothhawk, I completely agree about the population density, but also car ownership has increased so much. In the sixties there were so few families in my village that owned a car. Now there are two or three cars to most houses, all fighting for road space and parking. I travelled all over England and Wales with my dad, in the cab of his lorry, in the days before the M1 and M62 were built. Anywhere that was not an overnight trip. I loved it. (Little girls were spoilt by lots of his customers). I could sheet and rope an articulated lorry by the time I was 11 or 12, be he had to tighten the knots. Even better he didn't care if I ended up scruffy. I remember him being pulled up by the police once and they asked if I was a hitchhiker. The worst traffic jams were trips to the coast on sunny weekends.

.....back to today. I'm taking Mr GF to the dentist in a nearby small town at lunchtime. Hopefully the car will self- defrost before then.

[Florence Fennel]

Good Morning All Dull, damp and cold here. Lord Ginger didn't turn up at all yesterday, I think he must have spotted Frank and thought better of it! Have a good day

[bramble]

Good morning all. Bright and sunny here and 8 dogs.
We have bern lucky here with this weeks weather.

Mothhawk, that site looks good Mr bramble will be very interested in it

The column of cars on the roads here is crazy, plus ala k of parking makes it worse.
Apartments bring built with no provision for a parking space.

Nicos, I love browsing the second hand book shops, we have a charity shop nearby who do a great trade in books.

Have a good day all.

[lottie dolly]

.Morning all,your right Snoop,i noticed when i left my group yesterday afternoon how light it was from just last week,it also feels much warmer this morning,not put the heating on yet,so that is good,ref lord ginger,maybe thats why he comes to you,if his owners have a new pet ?,GF them were the days,kids were kids,we made our own amusement out of what was around,i remember making dolls houses out of a cardboard box,furniture,curtains,even a dolly made out off yarn,when a bit older we moved to a brand new council estate,opposit us was a large waste land with a brook running through,we had fun outside over there,looking back,it make our minds develope,we all inocent kids having fun,no phones,and TV was not what we got these days,how times have changed,plus we were safer than the kids of today are,have a good afternoon all

[Containergardener]

***(waves)*** Happy New year. Thought I'd pop in and check you are all well x

[Nicos]

Mornin n’alln’all

Happy New Year to you too CG lovely to see you,
Have you got anything started yet plant wise for this coming year?

Looks like the new secateurs I bought will come in handy today. Tidying up in my son’s back garden and a visit to the tip. So glad I brought my thermals

Whats everyone else up to today?
Star buy for me yesterday?…a yard of Jaffa cakes for £1 and a pork pie

Enjoy your day peeps and pass on that smile!

[Bren In Pots]

Morning

You can keep the Jaffa cakes Nicos but i do love a good pork pie.

No real plans here today so a mix of the usual gardening, domestics, some reading with either a stroll over to the shops or a walk.

Waves hello to CG.

Wrap up warm and enjoy your day

[Snoop Puss]

Morning all.

Happy New Year to you too, CG. Lovely to see you again. Have you got bulbs popping up in your containers yet?

Nicos, was that literally a yard? If so, could you go out and get another lot. I'll have the jaffa cakes and Bren can have the pork pie. And you get to keep all of your first lot. How's that for a deal?

Tremendous frost here this morning. One of those really filamentous frosts (not sure if that's really a word, but the spellchecker hasn't complained, so looks as if I got away with it), anyway, one of those really filamentous frosts that look like snow from a distance. Beautiful.

Bright blue skies as well, so I'll be playing with my new toy today, my bread proofer, which requires electricity. A total extravagance that I can't justify at all except on the grounds of predictability and not having to stay up till well past my bedtime, waiting for bread to bake or running the risk of it overproofing by leaving it in the cold all night when it's not far off ready to go in the oven. Anyway, Mr Snoop's arm was very easy to twist. He loves bread in a way that would baffle most people. Plus he had a new CD player so expensive it's Christmas, birthday and Kings' Day presents for the next few years, I reckon. And he loves music probably even more than he loves bread. He has very eclectic tastes, so no idea what he'll be dancing to this morning. Actually, I should say 'we'll be dancing to', as even I've started to jig about in a way that alarms the dog.

Right, on with the show. I've had an almighty cold these last few days and it has at last lifted, so I need to catch up on work that I couldn't do for being befuddled.

Have a great day, everyone.

Oh, the music has started. Saint-Germain, apparently. A French techno band. I've put my foot down... It's going to be George Michael, loud. I never liked Wham but this is a solo album and what a winner it is. He had got a great voice. See you later, I'm off to whirl about while doing the washing up.

[Florence Fennel]

Good Morning All HNY CG, nice to see you back. Sunny here. Have a good day, or should that be dance Snoop?

[greenishfing]

Good morning all.
It's a grey, murky 3°C here, but it doesn't look as if the car froze last night. I didn't wake up until late ...well to be honest I was awake for a while but I couldn't move, the bed was acting like a warm, comfortable coccoon. Only the thought of a mug of coffee eventually broke the spell.

Nothing in my diary for today. I really ought to do some domestic goddess jobs. I'll be happy when I get me hair cut on Wednesday. It was delayed because the hairdresser was snowed in last week. The urge to grab a pair of shears is getting close to overwhelming, but I keep visualising the poor sheepdog on the Specsavers advert.

Happy New Year, CG.

Snoop I am now visualising you floating dreamily around your kitchen while baking. I really shouldn't have rewatched "Stepford Wives" the other night.

Nicos, pork pie and a yard of Jaffa cakes. You're getting your priorities right.

I do keep saying that one day I'll have a go at making a pork pie ... but it hasn't happened yet. We used to have a local butchers in the city centre where, if you went at the right time, you could get their pies fresh and warm from the oven. Mr GF and I used to sit in the car outside and eat them while the jelly was still semi liquid. Unfortunately the shop is now swallowed up by yet another pedestrian precinct with no parking nearby.

I tried one of my new baking tins the day before yesterday and I'm impressed. I made another Paradise slice. This time I slightly overcooked it, but we've already eaten half. I'm going for third time ... perfection. My jars of raspberry jam are going down at an alarming rate.

Time to put Mr GF a croissant in the oven.