bothxxx

Baz

you certainly are a busy bee.  I know it is hard work getting the shopping de-bugged and put away, without all your other jobs you are doing. Take care you don't overdo it now. As Hicky says, I think you do more in one day than I do and there are 5 of us in our house! (plus 2 pets).

Yes I do watch Bake Off  the Professionals, glad to see its back, as I am fed up of repeats!

Jenny and Lee so funny as usual, I so like Gogglebox, but it looks like it is the last for awhile as I saw them advertise the celeb version, which I don't think is so good.

Hicky

yes my doggie's black coat is her black fur, so I do have to watch her. She likes sunbathing, and one really hot year,she went asleep in front of the patio door, she ended up having a type of fit. Vet said it must of been because she got overheated. We now limit her sunbathing and dont' take her out if its hot. Interesting thought, I wonder if white cotton over her fur would cool her. I did buy her a special cooling mat with some type of jelly stuff in it to cool her, she likes that in summer.

Yes, good idea about the wall, so I told OH to check the wall over, it would not be good to damage a neighbour's property.

You and your OH certainly enjoyed your rolls, home baked breads so much nice than supermarket ones. My son made a lovely batch of cheese scones, James Martin recipe here. Very nice they were. We didn't have any pancotta though.

https://www.jamesmartinchef.co...-scones-masterclass/

That's good your garage roof stayed trouble free.

It was windy here again most of the day but seems to have died down now, thankfully.

Watching Antiques Roadshow now, then a recording as don't fancy anything on tv.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

I'll look up about a white or reflective coat for the dog, a black coat is not what you want in the summer.

 Yes, the cooling mats work, i've heard that, you can use them in bed i think as well.

I am going to make a loaf tomorrow, i don't need one but it passes the time.

I will look at that recipe after i post this, I like James Martin.

I looked again at the garage, the sides are precast concrete blocks, the whole garage is concrete and steel, the roof is a steel frame, the roof won't come off my relation fitted the galv sheets as i got them to take the Asbestos sheets off, the new sheets are fixed with special screw bolts i bought for the job, they screw right through the galv sheet and the steel frame, the head is a 10mm bolt head, the big thread has a drill tip so you don't have to pre-drill a hole, they will never blow out, put in with a power drill. 

Watching Salvage Hunters, love this program, got tons of recording anyway.

Have a good evening, sleep tight.

Evening All,

Nice today with 19c sunny with a moderate breeze.

Had some prawns for last night, just cooked and had with some butter, salt n pepper.

Made a loaf, 75 white to 25% wholemeal with 50g seed.

Used the VonShef to do the kneading etc, it seemed to work ok.

for tea had a few rounds of the fresh bread and some sliced beef with mustard and a few lettuce leaves from the garden, then had a tin of tom soup as i didn't fancy making a meal.

Keep safe, enjoy the sun, be alert and sleep tight.)

Plenty of fruit growing, will have to keep an eye to see if they need thinning.

Hi both xxx

Baz

hope you are ok today and finding life easier now you have got rid of the boot.

Hicky

glad you got the good weather today, we did too, so it was the swingchair for me and an early evening doggie walk when the sun was not strong.

I bet the seeded loaf was delicous, OH hasnt' made a seeded one as yet, but we would enjoy one I am sure.

I had cauliflower cheese for tea (son made the cheese sauce for me) , and lovely Jersey potatoes and peas.

Weather forecast is looking good for this coming week , which does help a lot with lockdown. We are still in full lockdown here, which I am somewhat relieved to know especially when I heard today that the cases of Covid had become so bad, that they have had to close Weston super Mare hospital, even the A and E. And Weston is just over the water from us. We lived there for awhile, a long time ago though.

Watched last episode of Celeb sas tonight, enjoyed the show, Joey Essex was great on it.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

Yes a beautiful day here so just potted around while the loaf was rising and proving, that was 3 hours total, going to try one tomorrow with some wholewheat and some other flours.

Couldn't see any protection for mdogs with a black coat, only for dogs with white coats who need protection against the sun as they can get sunburn.

I usually make seeded bread as i like a crunch, its supposed to be better for you as well.

I do enjoy cauli cheese but i have it on it's own.

In the culdesac by me they must have had 50 people and children, they came in cars and filled the road, they had music all from 2pm to 9pm, games, egg n spoon races, tug of war, every game known to man, tables an seats everywhere.

Kids against adults, house against house, men against women, i can see through the front window, most of it anyway.

Thats bad when they close a hospital.

Just watching Jade Fever on Quest.

Sleep tight and stay safe in bed.

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky  Cloudy , but fairly warm here . I’ve not done much  today ....just bed change , washing ,  ironing and getting bins  So I’m looking forward to an afternoon slobbing out on the sofa  Hope you are both having a relaxing day too . 

I’m not really overdoing things .....it’s 12 weeks since my accident and 10 weeks today since the operation , so ....Plus , living  on my own I have no choice but to deal with stuff as best I can . I have quite a big house and have always been a clean freak 

Mollie , hope you are well . I don’t blame you staying in lockdown ....I am too ....I think it’s way to early to start easing things off ...and I saw that about Weston Hospital By the way , if you watch either Bake Off Professionals , or A House through Time , we have threads for them over in the Big  Brother Forum ....should you , or Hicky  fancy joining us you’d be very welcome Otherwise , I will see you for Sewing tomorrow 

Hicky , wow ...those people in the cul de sac seem very , very reckless  Hope you are staying safe . My husband used to love cauliflower cheese too....that and broccoli cheese bake   

Anyway , I’ve got my Tuesday nights viewing sorted  But whatever you are doing I hope you both have a good evening . Take care 

Evening Baz.

17c today, cloud early with sun later and hardly any wind.

Had a rather mixed breakfast, will post picture, it was breakfast of sliced boiled spud, sliced toms, bacon, chipolatas, sliced boiled carrot, asparagus, fried egg on a slice of toast, with daddies sauce, nom nom.

For tea i made a prawn curry with rice.

Didn't do much really, raked a bit of blue slate up, sat in the sun for a bit.

Is you boot off now or are you wearing it at times.

My biggest problem is thinking of what to have for meals, got such a selection.

I've ran out of ice cream, have double cream though, and a couple of bananas left.

Its strange, i bough various clear plastic containers for the freezer and fridge as stuff in bags etc kept falling out.

What i have noticed is, the bananas usually go black in the fridge but in the plastic container they haven't, and i can take a container out and see what i have in it.

Have a good evening, stay safe and sleep tight.

Hi both xxx

Baz

hope you enjoyed your sofa slob after doing your jobs.

We have no choice re staying home as we are still in full lockdown here in Wales, its a £2000 fine for people going outside their area. But I am glad, as I think it is too early to ease off. 

What is the programme "A House through Time"? I haven't heard of that one.

I am watching Bake Off, and now I really really want a strawberry tart , but guess I am lucky to have some strawerries come today in the shopping, so will settle for those with a bit of cream.   I am on a big tv delay as was late taking doggie a walk, else I would of joined you. Thanks for the invite, I will try and make it next week.

Hicky

gosh they are party mad in your street, or just mad if they think this disease had gone away!

what a great piccie of your brekkie.   An unusual combination, but very nicely presented. Did you do it on the bargeque?

Good job you have cream if you have run out of ice cream, as fruit is so much nicer with one or the other.

I had heard seeded bread is good for you, and it does seem more filling than ordinary bread. My OH made a nice wholemeal loaf today in the breadmaker. I will ask him to give seeded break a go.

Warm and sunny here today, so enjoyed the swingchair and my book for awhile.

And washing dried nicely.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

The parties get bigger and bigger every week, it's crazy, if 1 person had the virus they would be doomed, they are just lucky i suppose.

The brekkie was done in one pan on the hob, i probably could have done it on the bbq but would have needed the pan anyway, i was using up some veg from the Sunday lunch i had.

All wholemeal bread can be a bit heavy, 50/50 or 75/25 suits me better with 50g of seeds for a 2LB loaf, i usually have seeds, when i buy bread i get a 800g brown seeded and a white large medium for sandwiches, the seeded is usually for toast.

 Stay safe and sleep tight.

Evening Everyone.

A lovely day here with 19c sunny and a gentle breeze.

Didn't do a lot, was expecting the delivery of grit and slabs, cement etc, but no.

The gardener popped in for a couple of hours, we didn't have a wheelbarrow so he was carrying the blue slate in buckets from the floor to down the garden paths, he has cleared an area to put the mortar down with the flags.

The scrap man is supposed to come tomorrow for the okd bbq and pushbike.

Had the last of my rolls with bacon on the bbq this morning for brekkie, for tea had a portion of frozen cooked meat and stock and made it into Madras Curry.

I fed some of my plants with compost tea, lots more to do.

Have a good evening, sleep tight and keep smiling.

both xxx

Baz

hope you are well today and managing with  getting round.

Hicky

the trouble is with luck, if you take too many risks, that luck is more likely to run out. So they are crazy having such big partie, especially as the death rate went up again today! You are doing the right thing, avoiding those parties and getting vit D in your own garden full of fresh air and sunshine.

That's amazing you did all that in one pan, it must of been a big pan. Did you have to start things like the carrots first as they take longer to cook.

I think my OH has started to do 50/50 with the bread too, funny how wholemeal home made bread does come out heavier than shop bought.

Glad you got the good weather today, and the gardener has made good progress, but shame your delivery didn't come. I think deliveries are very busy right now though.

My OH has been busy watering his veg, I think we need to borrow you to install one of your high tech watering systems!

Very hot here today (around 25) so felt too hot to sit out for long. OH did a BBQ of potatoes, broccoli, asparagus, sausages, bananas and pears.

Watched Paul O'grady with the dogs, now time to watch Sewing Bee.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

Yes, you can take 1 risk too many.

On the breakfast, the potato and carrots were left over from Sunday, had them in the fridge and didn't want to waste them, so sliced and fried them before frying, they added sausages, then bacon, Asparagus, tomato with egg last.

It wasn't the biggest frying pan either, then the spuds and carrots were ok i piled them on top of one an other.

Try using 75% white bread flour with 25% wholemeal so it's less dense but think it's all down to the kneading etc how light it turns out.

I wasn't expecting the gardener, he rang and said he was outside so very happy to have him for a couple of hours, when the stuff arrives i need him and his mate who has a company doing drives flagging etc, he has a wheel barrow and a cement mixer as well, otherwise it would be a lot of work for the gardener on his own.

Yes, you could do with a watering system, there are lots of ways to get auto watering, it's not expensive and good fun.

Your BBQ food seems interesting, i just love the sausages done on the bbq, probably have that in the morning.

I'm just watching what is on when i do the hourly scan of the programs.

The scrap man is supposed to be callijg tomorrow for the old bbq and the bike.

Stay safe and keep smiling.

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky  Very sunny here today ....although it is a bit breezy . I’ve not done a lot , just the usual washing and cleaning ....but I did go out and have a go at cleaning the patio ....not very well , and it’s still not looking great Hope everyone else is out enjoying some sunshine .

Mollie , Sewing Bee was good last night , wasn’t it  Don’t forget it’s Marigold tonight . I hope you’re enjoying the sunshine ....must be lovely ....good for the soul....being by the sea at times like this  Hicky , I agree with Mollie , those people are very inconsiderate ! What do you both think about the new virus tracing thing ? Do you think it should be mandatory ? I have to admit that after the Cummings business I feel a bit ambivalent about it ! 

Anyway , I hope you both have a good afternoon and evening ....and maybe see you in the thread Mollie Take care both 

Evening Baz.

Glad you are taking it easy, not that you sound as if you are, cleaning the Patio, you be careful, what are you using to clean it, you need a jet-wash thingi.

Oh yes, much wash the Marigold, they won't make contact tracing compulsory in this country, like most rules they are flexible, people do what they want in this country, unlike China, if you don't agree with the rulers you go to jail until you do.

Don't forget, the Cummings affair was nothing to do with him breaking the rules, Labour want him out, so do some of the conservatives as well, because they don't like him, the whole think is political thats why Boris stopped his companions talking about it, they are not political they are Civil Servants.

I have made another 6 big bread rolls, sprinkled with seed.

Have a good evening and sleep tight.

both xxx

Baz

take care cleaning the patio, my friend tripped on hers and broke her collar bone!  It was wooden decking though, so had got slippy. How is the strength in your ankle now?

Yes Sewing Bee was great, and being over at the forum was fun too.

Will try and make it to Marigold after.

I haven't been able to go to the seaside since lockdown as we don't live close enough and we are only allowed to walk local. My fave seaside place is about 20 mins drive, you see. Never mind, don't mind staying local as the main thing is to stay safe.

I don't trust the tracing thing one bit. The Isle of Weight bit is already problematic. This government have not got one single thing right yet, eg care homes, PPE, testing,  I know a lot of people working in care homes and they had to travel over 60 miles each way to get tested , not easy with the hours and poor pay they are on, and they were only offerred the test a couple of weeks ago.  And as for Cummings, ...who drives 60 miles to test their eyes? He must think the public are mugs to fall for that one. I think people should wear masks on public transport to protect others and staff though. 800 dead in the last 2 days is still appalling. But as Hicky says, this is not like China, (fortunately), so can't see anything been forced on us.

Hicky

what a good idea to use Sunday's left overs for brekkie.

I'll ask OH to try your mix for the bread.

That was good you managed to get hte gardener for that amount of itme. Let's hope he's free when you need him and his cement mixer.

Very hot here again today, quick sit in swingchair before it got too hot.

Had sweet potato mash and veg with mini pizza for tea, followed by strawberries and cream.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

The Cummings thing is political, nothing really to do with him, or what he did, Labour want him out to weaken the Government, very clever of the multi millionaire, also the members of the Cons also want him out as he is so clever, its all about Sir Kier getting the BBC to bang thr drum and cause a problem, it's all very clever really, nothing to do with him going out.

And everyone has been advised to wear a mask on any public transport, thats been out a few days.

My lates rolls i made today are fantastic, i couldn't tell them from bought ones.

I was reading some google links about making bread and rolls, and have found out where they have me leading me wrong.

I have been kneading the dough after it has risen, this is totally wrong, you mix the ingredients, then Knead for 8 minutes, then oil the surface and put in a bowl to rise, leave for 1 or 2 hours till dough has grown double sizw.

You then knoch down by pushing your fist through the dough, kneading 3 times then make into ball or shape to the bread tin, put in the tin or divide into 6 or 8 to make rolls, cover wih a damp cloth and leave for 30 minutes for dough to prove, put into an oven at 200c for 30 minutes or 15 for rolls, but check that they are baked and the base sounds hollow when tapped, i will post the recipe.

https://searchingforspice.com/wprm_print/8697

Website and Jamies schook of baking.: https://searchingforspice.com/...iver-cookery-school/

All the slabs ans cement came today with the sand etc, just need some workers now.

Had a new roll for tea with sliced beef and tomato with mustard,

Sleep tight.

Been watching the Marigold

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky Hope everyone is having a good day . I’m still not feeling a 100% ....nothing to do with my ankle ......but I’ve managed to get the housework done....and even managed to hoover upstairs , for the first time in 3months Apart from that I’ve just been resting . Talk talk went down nationwide for an hour this morning .....luckily I’ve got 4g on my iPad Pro and my iPad mini is set up to piggie back off my iPhone ...but even so I still panic when the WiFi goes down 

Mollie , hope you are having a good day ....Marigold was good last night ...apart from up herself Britt! I’m with you , I don’t trust the track and trace either ....and given what’s happening with some other countries , who are now experiencing a new round of the virus ...I don’t think they should be loosening lockdown just yet Hicky , I agree that they were already gunning for Cummings , but I still don’t agree with what he did ....and I think Boris should have sacked him , if only to save his own reputation I detested Corbin with a passion , but don’t mind Starmer 

Anyway , I hope you both have a good afternoon and evening .....it’s Springwatch, Gardeners World and Gogglebox ( on plus 1 ) for me tonight Have a good one 

By the way , have you both seen Lori post about the new look forum that is coming on June 1st ? There is a pinned post in the Big Brother Forum if you haven’t .

@Baz posted:

By the way , have you both seen Lori post about the new look forum that is coming on June 1st ? There is a pinned post in the Big Brother Forum if you haven’t .

Baz, Lori cross linked her post across all forums including the UK Lounge. She's also sent an email to everyone so that people who don't go on here every day realise that things are changing.

Moving from the old format which is now called Crowdstack 1 to new format Crowdstack 2 so biggest change in years. Expect changes in the appearance of the top Home page, menus, the various forums pages which list the topics (so the UK Lounge page and the Big Brother page for instance). We moderators haven't been involved so don't know what these will look like. I believe that pages like the UK Lounge and Big Brother which list topics can be viewed by people in either something called Card mode or something called List mode or Horizontal Rows mode - we can toggle the page between those two modes though I think the List mode is the one which will be more recognisable and the one to use.

In topic threads such as Hicky's the way people post won't change.

That's almost all I know. I think Lori will need to be on hand to deal with all the questions people have when the change is made.

Evening Baz.

What a beautiful day, 24c with full sun and a moderate breeze.

It went to 40c in the summerhouse with 1 door open and 2 windows.

I got an email about the changes for June 1, no problem, myself i would rather they left it alone, never known an upgrade give me any benefits.

You do an awful lot in a day, i think you do too much, you should be taking it easy, you have all summer to do most of it surely.

Didn't know talk talk went down, never dealt with them, only ever had BT.

They have to loosen the lockdown, you can only box people up for so long or they will stop following the rules anyway.

I don't agree with what Cummings did, but all this row isn't really to do with that, thats just a cover to get rid of him but Borris didn't fall for it.

I don't like labour anyway, never ever did, but this Sir millionaire feller has landed his dream job, he could never get anywhere in the Con party so thats why they choose Labour so they can get up in the ranks and get a good pension, he is sly, he will just did the knife in and stand back, very clever, wonder why he didn't stay as a barrister, more money following Corbyn.

Have a good evening, sleep tight.

_______________________________

I forgot to add my food today.

1) Had a nice foodie day, started with one of my new bread rolls, halved and toasted, coated with Kerrygold Butter then taken to BBQ where i cooked 3 chipolata sausages and a piece of smoked back bacon, that was rather nice.

2) During the day i had a punit of strawberries while mhaving coffee in the summerhouse, also had a banana.

3) For tea decided on 2 rounds of white fresh bread from the freezer coated with Irish butter and i emptied a 70g pack of brown shrimps on the bread with seasoning, that was heaven.

4) Then i thawed out 2 small pack of bacon ribs which i covered with boiling water in a big pan and put in the oven for an hour on 115c as warer can only reach 100c so no point in wasting money, when cooked i add some Kimchi to the side of the plate, love that stuff, it's ,only fermented Chinese Leaves but very spicy and delicious.

5) Then i washed half a punit of Strawberries and sliced them into a dish, also added a sliced banana and some double cream, then added 4 scoops of vanilla ice cream, very nice.

6) For supper i will have 2" of sliced Chorizo with small pieces of diced Lancashire Creamy cheese.
I will probably stop eating then as it will be time for bed.

Don't feel hungry at the moment though, so thats good.
Do i eat too much? maybe, but i blame the food for being so nice.
I'll probably have a mini choc bar as well or a 50g pack of salted peanuts.

Hi both xxx

Baz

sorry you have been feeling a bit off today, hope you feel better soon. Good job you have Gogglebox to watch tonight,

Not nice when your internet goes down, especially during lock down. Good job you had the back for awhile and that it wasn't down for too long.

Yes a nice ending to Marigold, but as you say, Britt was so annoying. 

Hicky and I are miles apart on our political views now .(I still love you HIcky  though!)   When we had our dear Emptybox with us here, the 3 of us never agreed about anything politics wise.

I am a floating voter, but recenlty I decided 10 years of tory severe cut backs had decimated our nhs, police and schools, plus they've made it so hard for young people with most facing huge student debt, far too expensive housing, zero hours jobs, so I stopped voting conservative.. I think Boris's main aim is to keep the billionaires happy. And being top of the charts in the death rate is nothing to be proud of, the sceintists are warning the death rate is too high to ease down, but Boris isn't listening. Cummings thing proves one rule for the elite, another for the public. Starmer I like, a clever man, worked hard to get where he is, his mum was a nurse and his dad a toolmaker. He does well in parliment, quietly gives makes his point, unlike Boris, with his jeering crowd behind him.

Hicky

thank you for the bread links, those rolls look lovely.

OH did us a BBQ, which was nice as it was far too hot in our kitchen to have the oven on. I just had potatoes, salad, and a slice of pizza, but family had spicy chicken streaks too.

Hope you can get the workers you need soon.

Too hot for me today, so didn't sit out long in the garden. Only a short walk for doggie after 7pm, as too hot for her too.

Watching Vera now, always reminds me of Emptybox, as he never missed it, bless him.

I love your food list....all sounds healthy though, with just a little treat thrown in here and there.

I too had strawberries and cream with a bit of daughters apple cake.

Goodnight both xxxx

evening Mollie.

Missed you last night, i mustn't have come back here.

Another beautiful day with 24c again sunny and a moderate breeze.

Had an omelette for brekkie, did it in a cast iron small double handled small fruing pan thingy.

It was eggs mixed with grated cheese then added sliced chorizo after a quick cook on the stove i added more cheese and chorizo then put in oven as it is cheaper to run.

For tea decided to use up the left over frozen bell pepper filling so used a pack of Filo pastry to make Samosas, nice.

Been finding more baby trees in the raised beds, kept 4 and dumped 6, not sure which they are, don't think they are Oak because the nut didn't look like an acorn, so i'll have to wait.

Had parties in the road since 2pm, Bingo etc, so many people they come from miles away, the road is full.

The strawberries don't last long, too easy to eat, have got enough for another nice pud. got planty of ice cream though.

Stay safe and sleep well.

Afternoon Mollie  I got a good nights sleep , and felt fine this morning ....now I feel rough again....women’s problem  ....but I think I’ve worked out what’s causing it , so, and I feel better again now.  Apart from that , I’ve done two loads of washing , cleaned the kitchen and emptied the bins  ....and nowt much else Hope everyone else is having a good Sunday and enjoying the sunshine .

Mollie , did you watch Gogglebox ? Shame a lot of it was repeats . Will you be watching the Celebrity one next week ? I think my politics are in tune with yours Hicky , are you enjoying the sunshine I think my garden could do with some rain tbh . Gosh , they are very reckless down your way ....mind you , there seem to be lots of people / cars up and down our road this weekend. People are being very reckless imo

Anyway , I hope you both have a good evening ....stay safe ...and stay cool 

Evening Baz.

Another good warm day, it was 27c in the shade sunny all day and only a slight breeze.

Did sausages and crumpets on the bbq, nice.

Did a machine of washing, hung on the wall pull out line and it dried no preblem in this heat.

Had a sandwich earlier, brown shrimp and a beef one, so tasty.

A relative of my elderly neighbour who keeps falling came to her house and installed a watering system for her, she was in hospital as she banged her head, came back today after a week.

She wanted to pick my brains, no problem, gave her a few tips etc and some spray heds to try, not much i don't have.

For tea am going to fry the rest of the samosas i made yesterday, have got some tomatoes and Kimchi to have with them, the Kimchi is very spicy, it's fermented spiced Chinese Leaves.

Glad you got a good nights sleep, you need it.

My garden doesn't need rain and Mrs H waters her flower tubs etc and the front flower raised bed.

Stay safe, stay in and sleep tight.

@Baz posted:

By the way , have you both seen Lori post about the new look forum that is coming on June 1st ? There is a pinned post in the Big Brother Forum if you haven’t .

thanks Baz,

hope its not too different, I am not good at techy stuff.

@El Loro posted:

Baz, Lori cross linked her post across all forums including the UK Lounge. She's also sent an email to everyone so that people who don't go on here every day realise that things are changing.

 

Moving from the old format which is now called Crowdstack 1 to new format Crowdstack 2 so biggest change in years. Expect changes in the appearance of the top Home page, menus, the various forums pages which list the topics (so the UK Lounge page and the Big Brother page for instance). We moderators haven't been involved so don't know what these will look like. I believe that pages like the UK Lounge and Big Brother which list topics can be viewed by people in either something called Card mode or something called List mode or Horizontal Rows mode - we can toggle the page between those two modes though I think the List mode is the one which will be more recognisable and the one to use.

 

In topic threads such as Hicky's the way people post won't change.

 

That's almost all I know. I think Lori will need to be on hand to deal with all the questions people have when the change is made.

Many thanks El Loro for the info, I would of been in a panic if I had tried to come here and I hadn't realised there was a big change coming. 

Baz and HIcky

Baz

Hope you have worked out your problem and carry on feeling better, horrible if problems go and then come back again.

I only watched the beginning of Gogglebox, then thought "oh no repeats", so turned it off. Will probably watch next week, but will keep compaining that I miss our old faves, like Jenny and Lee. Did you think Lee might be leaving, as he mentioned to Jenny last week about moving? Hope not, as they are my faves.

The grass in our garden is looking very dry too, but OH has to keep watering the veg with a hosepipe.

Hicky

how interesting you kee finding little trees. Do you think they just came from acorns, seeds or something, or that someone before you planted them?

I heard on the radio what a good crop this years British strawberries are, so glad you are appreciating them .I am too, had some with melted choc as I ran out of cream but prefer cream. Will have some with ice cream tomorrow.

They are party mad in your road! How did it get so popular that people come from miles around? Like you, I'd keep well away.

I heard some science professor guy say the infection rates are as high now as when we went into lockdown and have not even started to go down yet, so you are wise carrying on being careful. We are still in lockdown here, can't go more than 5 miles from home and no one seems to be complaining as they prefer caution.

That is so useful you could offer watering system hints to the neighbours relative, so it will be all ready for her when she comes home.

I see you had a good varied diet today.

It has been so hot here the last couple of days, it has exhausted me. Had to go to bed early under 2 fans last night, so didn't get round to posting.

This house does get very hot though because the sun is on the back all afternoon.

The pets are spending a lot of time just stretched out napping.

We had our usual cooked Sunday brekkie today, then had some flatbreads, halloumi, and salad. Have you tried halloumi Hicky? We love the Costco halloumi. Son slices it then  lightly fries it and its so tasty.

Watching Antiques Roadshow now.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

Fried the rest of the Samosas and ate half will have the rest another day, will freeze then heat in the oven when needed.

About the new trees i am finding, we bulldozed the whole of the land when we moved here and laid down weed matting to cover the whole are, everything was built from scratch, the Gazebo, summerhouse, garden shed, greenhouse 5 x raised beds.

I think the squirrels have planed the nuts, whatever kind they are, last autumn i moved a lot of compost from tubs i had finished with into the raised beds, some nuts etc can lay in ground for many years then when the conditions are right they sprout, the positions they were in could only happen if buried in the last couple of years, found another 2 or 3 today, will leave alone for now, i've got the others in hydroponic jars as i have no plant pots suitable and no compost left, will be ok for autumn as the buckets become free.

I had enough strawberries to go with a banana and ice cream for tonight so all good, yes they are all from the UK which is good and plenty of flavour.

The one who runs the street scene is a DJ with a Facebook following and has all the music, speakers and mics, he organise's and prints the schedule for each saturday or sunday and plays music from 2pm till 9pm, they play every game there is, even tug of war, egg and spoon race, quiz. line dancing.

I think there is very little chance of anyone catching the virus outside as long as you wear the rubber gloves, the mask is needed in a place like public transport.

The track and trace would only kick in if you were within 2 metres of an infected person for 15 minutes.

Who can say the infection rates are the same as in March, we wouldn't be coming out of it if they were, where do these people come from?

This bungalow stay hot for a long time, it is 25c by my computer, had to open the window last night as the fan so trying to cool the puter.

I have had Halloumi fried and deep fried in batter i think.

Been watching some recordings of rich house poor house, so good.

Stay safe, stay alert and sleep tight.

Evening All.

Another lovely day, 23c with sun and a gentle breeze.

Had bacon on toast via the bbq again, yummy.

The gardener came today and moved most of the flags from the front to the back garden to make it easier when they come to lay them, the nearest date i can have them so far is Thursday/Friday 11/12th June.

Found 2 more baby trees growing, gardener thinks they are oak as the nut looked like an acorn.

My VonShef Blender/Grinder/Juicer came today as well, but with 17 parts i will have to try and find room to store it all.

For tea i cooked a load of small scallops and had it with a Thai Green Curry and rice.

Have a good evening, stay safe and alert and sleep tight.

Just had 2 of the Mango Smoothie Ice Lollys, wow.

both

has the forum changed now? If so, doesn't look much differnet, just a bit more longated.

Baz

hope you are feeling well today, and the ankle is not swelling too much.

Hicky

that's interesting you think the squirrels might be the cause of the trees.If you find any more, you will be able to grow a forest soon.  It will be nice though for you to give them a go come autumn to see what you can do with them.

Oh yes, I remember you did a lot of work on the house and a lot of garden work yourself when you moved n there, unitl you got it just how you wanted it. You even got all the electrics done there too didn't you?

Its lucky the gardener was able to come again whilst the weather is still nice. Shame you have a bit of a wait till your delivery though.

Do you have a link for the Vonshef, that sounds good, it will help you a lot with your cooking preparation.

The parties and Facebook...I forgot a lot of people use that to make contacts, so that is why word gets round about the parties.  As you say, no problem outdoors if you aren't sitting close for over 15 mins. We went to VE day thing with neighbours, but we all sat apart, on our own talbes and chairs, and didn't share food, so I wasn't worried, but I don't fancy a very busy crowded party. But sounds like your neighbours have decided to really enjoy themselves in the good weather we are having.

I fear this government (especially with the lockdown ended now in England) is going for safeguarding the economy, rather than vulnerable peoples' health now, so I have decided to just carry on being cautious. (I have been told to by docs as chest x ray was not clear after that pneumonia).

Its the ONS plus the scientists who say the infection rates are 8ooo a day, the same as in March, I also heard a scientist discussing it on the radio the other day. , , Very scary imo. 

And this is one of the articles I found from March...

http://www.xinhuanet.com/engli...25/c_138913229_2.htm

Covid-19 cases exceed 8,000 on first day of lockdown  ..

..then this one from the daily briefing only a few days ago...

https://www.independent.co.uk/...-wales-a9539891.html

He added: "I think the other more important thing is that we still have a lot of cases here in this country. The numbers of infections that we have is about 8,000 new infections every day in England alone."

Really hot here again. OH made a BBQ for tea, little potatoes and his home grown carrots were lovely, family had a butter chicken too.  Us and the dog were too tired and hot to go a walk today as there was no breeze at all.

Watching Long Lost Family now on itv.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

Yes, when we bought this place we started from scratch, new doors, windows, gutter, soffets, kitchen, bathroom, en suit, power lighting, central heating, flooring painting the lot, spent a lot, over £50,000 including the gardens.

This is the Blender, Juicer, Grinder i bought: https://www.vonshef.com/vs_en/4-in-1-blender

I was going to link to Amazon but the link covered about 10 lines, crazy.

Not sure what you mean about them not safeguarding the vulnerable people, if you want to stay in stay in, noone is saying go out if you don't want to, if you social distance, wear rubber gloves how can you catch the virus outside, impossible.

People are getting restless, they need schools to go back, the country can't stay locked up for ever they have to start a slow road back to reality surely, small steps they said, if people don't do it right then they will re lockdown the area that is the problem.

The 5 tests were made so they went ahead as they said they would, it's like when you run a bath, you should always test the water before jumping in.

I see so many people out and about and noone has rubber gloves on, i don't understand you must be 10 times more likely to pick up a virus on your hands than you ever will being outside in the air, the virus doesn't stay in the air outside, it either falls to the ground as it's wet and heavy or in this heat the water droplets would evaporate anyway.

Have a good night and a good sleep.

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky  Hope you are both enjoying the sunshine .....rain , and much lower temperatures forecast here from tomorrow ....but the garden can do with it , and it will save me having to keep topping up the bird bath  Anyway , just  a flying visit today ....I’m not feeling very well ....nothing to do with my ankle though But will hopefully pop back a bit later for a proper catch up on all your news . Take care 

Evening Baz.

Sorry to hear your not feeling too well.

Do ring the doctor or seek help if you think you need it.

It was 22c today sunny and a gentle breeze.

Had Hash browns with tomatoes, beans and eggs for brekkie.

My new loaf tin arrived today from the US so if i didn't have so much bread in the freezer i could make some.

For tea i decided to use some beef i had, it really was a minute steak but they weren't so good so cut up cooked it in stock and made a curry, and a rice cake.

Need to get an assortment of fruit so i can make some smoothies etc, had another Mango smoothie ice lolly before, so good.

O/h going to see her sister in the morning, hasn't seen her for months, mind you they talk on the phone for hours, more or less every day.

Yes, rain tomorrow, thursday and saturday, i don't need it though so i have turned my watering system off for now on the main timer.

The scrappy came today and took the old bbq and o/hs bike.

Keep safe, hope you feel better soon.

both

Baz

aaww sorry to hear you are not feeling too well. Hope you feel better soon. Yes you are right, the garden could do with a bit of rain now as its been so dry.

Hicky

that blender looks great, so many different attachements.

I think they are forcing too many people back into school/work too soon before it is safe enough in England,so instead of delaying it a bit more, have run the higher risk of the 2nd wave. eg....it wouldn't of hurt to delay school (as they were advised to by sceintists). especially as its nearly the summer hols now. 

My cousin got the virus ;ast month and was on a ventilator and had to have kidney dialasis, intenstive care for 2 weeks,in his 50's, so not elderly. My poor aunt thought she was going to lose him and wasn't even allowed to visit him. He became ill very quckly and had to be taken in ambulance to hospital, it is really a very nasty illness. Fortunately he is home now and recovering. They sent him home with oxygen though. Not sure when he can go back to work though.

My lad is due to go back to Uni in September, but they are still not sure if they will only be offerred online, in which case he is not keen. so might delay a year and try and get over to Japan to practice his language.

Yes more should wear gloves/masks. As you say, it is most easiest to pick it up on your hands.

We had our Morrisons food delivery today, I am very pleased with the quality of their food, but there is quite a few things you can't order. They have improved recently with choice of produce though.

The strawberries today were excellent. and I got some double cream delivered too.

Hot all morning here, but at last we have a bit of a breeze tonight.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

Going to see if i can get the fruit etc needed to make some nice drinks, i have the built in ice maker so thats not a problem, also the yoghurt maker will be handy.

To open the schools is a gamble between the damage to the children staying away and having more mental problems and taking a chance on going to school.

The 5 tests which were needed to allow schools to open have been met, end of, some scientists will always say it's too soon, but they can't wait for all 80 scientists to agree.

Wonder how your cousin got the virus, yes one of the side effects is kidney damage, very serious, also it can take months or years to recover depending on how bad you had it.

It's awkward for your lad, i assume most of the lessons will be via online links so the teachers can stay away from the children.

It is very hard when you can't order certain stuff on your shopping list, i imagine it is getting better though as more factories get back to work.

I have the dentish this month, hope they can get on with the treatment i paid for.

My 5 new trees are still alive, i left them out in the sun today but put them aways tonight as it is due to rain tomorrow.

Goodnight, stay safe, sleep tight and stay happy.

Wow, one of the changes is good, they gave the cookie thingy after i had posted, but in case anything went wrong i copied my post then did an f5 which signed me out, signed in and my post was safe so all good, they corrected the Bug in the source code at last.

Evening All.)

Cool today at 14c with a heavy rain start leading to light rain till the afternoon with a moderate breeze.

Had eggs on toast to finish the eggs off, for tea decided to have the last tinned Fray Bentos steak pie, so good, only really get them in for winter, had a Korean seafood soup before the pie.

I rang the gardener to see if he had any spare time as the growth coming under the base concrete slab of the fence is unstoppable and it is far too much for me to even try and tackle.

He rang and said if his afternoon job was called off he would pop up, he did, so pleased, he sorted the growth out then moved more slate from where the slabs are going, he was here 2 hours.

It seemed so cold to my feet, with no socks etc just open sandals.

Earlier it said rain tomorrow, now forecast says no rain tomorrow.

Evening Mollie and Hicky Hope you’ve both had a good couple of days . I had to finally bite the bullet today and ring the doctors . They rang me back , and were brilliant.... she sent aN electronic prescription for some antibiotics to the chemist who delivers my repeat prescriptions ...and within an hour they had brought it to me .

Mollie , very sorry about your cousin ....but glad they are recovering ...don’t forget it’s Sewing tonight Hicky , I used to love Fray Bentos pies ....takes me back to my younger days 

Anyway , whatever you are doing , I hope you both have a good evening . Take care 

both xxx

Baz

hope you are feeling better today, I will try and find you in the sewing bee thread, but with the change here , I can't see it on the right hand side, so may take me a while.

Hicky

Built in ice and yogurt maker, you'll be well away with that one now.

glad you enjoyed your Fray Bentos pie, you just reminded me, we have one stored in the garage, I will have to dig it out for tea one night for a nice change.

Yes hopefully food supplies will get easier. Still can't get hold of yeast either at the moment.The good news is my neighbour managed to get me some lovely sweet potatoes, as I had trouble getting these. Have you ever tried them on the BBQ? They come out really nice on a BBQ. They are also my dog's fave, and are very good for you. (as well as being good for the dog!).

Tha'ts handy they have fixed the logging out thing, I hated that if we lost our posts through it.

That's good your gardener had some free time to help sort things out for you.

Yes I think you needed socks on today, as the temperature has dropped so quickly. I must admit though it was much more pleasant walking the dog today without the extreme heat. And is much nice in the house no it is not so stuffy.The garden needed a good water with that rain.

We ate OH's carrots yesterday and the day before,cooked them on the BBQ with small potatoes, and they were delicous. They were his first attempt, it was a beginners pot he got from B and Q. They were the small carrots. (Chardonny?).

Hope you get your dentist appointment soon, I would think they will just carry over what you have paid till next time you can go.

I reckon those 5 new tress will do well under your care.

My aunt isn'tsure where cousin caught this virus, maybe through work (even though he mainly worked on his own), or just a supermarket. But he had been through a hard time, as he lost his wife 6 months ago to cancer, so I reckon that affected his immunity.  Luckily he is on full sick pay from work as he worked for them a long time.

But as you know this disease has proven a puzzle to the professionals for a lot of reasons. I have heard a few now say this virus may be a blood vessle thing which is why it affects other organs rather than just the lungs (as in my cousin's case with his kidneys being affected). Article here explains a bit...

https://elemental.medium.com/c...rything-2c4032481ab2

I think schools at least should of been kept closed this term. (except for key workers children). because kiddies are well known spreaders of everything and I find today's figures of 1871 new cases and 359 dead  both tragic and horrific. So I don't believe what Boris said today about he has it under control .  It can't be, as the day we went into lockdown it was less at 335 dead. So this is going up, not down. All those poor families.   Its a terrible disease. My aunt was crying night after night on the phone to me, she felt helpless as she couldn't even visit her son in hospital nor go and help him at home when he came out of hospital. Luckily she ended up being one of the lucky ones though as at least he survived, thanks the NHS care. She said staff at the hospital were wonderful to her, made the effort to speak to her each day.

Sewing Bee time.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Baz.

So glad you got in touch with the doc and got some antibiotics, why suffer if there's an answer, and having them delivered is fantastic.

The Fray Bentos pie was so ggod, full of such a rich gravy, the last of the stock i had in.

Made my shopping list out, lots fo fruit if it's in the shop.

Mrs H going shopping early in the morning.

Hope the antibiotics start working, if no improvement by the 3rd day get back onto the doce as they aren't working.

Some work the day or next day, they are the ones i like.

Stay safe, stay happy and keep smiling.

We posted together Mollie so didn't see your post.

The Yogurt maker isn't built in, just another of the gadgets i have to hand.

I don't get sweet potatoes, just the  normal ones.

I have a dentist appointment for the 18th June, they gave me that when the March one wqas cancelled, think dentists opening on the 8th in England.

My carrots are growing, i have one type in 1 tub and the ones from the USA in another, whether they will be edible no idea yet, they are very small, i have a tub of beetroot, a tub of spring onions, loads of onions growing everywhere, a tub of lettuce, seeds from the USA looking nice and ready to eat, you just take the leaves you wanat off, everything growing well so far.

Yes, the virus turns the blood sticky, thats a massive problem as it blocks the lungs up and the kidneys with it being sticky, a bad virus, defo man made.

We'll have to see if letting some children back to school is ok, children need the schooling can't keep them away for ever, doubt if 2 weeks would make any difference.

keep safe and stay happy.