The massacre continues. The midges are still on the loose, flying all round the kitchen in particular. Before we went away, they had just about died down. We left with clean windows & sills. After a squidging & spraying session last night I counted nearly 30 bodies on just half of one small window sill. Eating in a cloud of midges is not a pleasant thing. You can't relax as creatures dive bomb your meal/wine or into your face.
We think we've solved the question of the cause of the infestation. Last winter our council introduced a new re-cycling scheme. Now, into our green bin, we must put any food scraps, unwrapped. The result is that midges inside the bin multiply & there are always plenty around the outside eager for access to the food within. It doesn't help with the weather turning warm once more, especially when the bin hasn't been emptied for several weeks. It is only emptied on a fortnightly basis at the best of times. The last time or two when the bin was due to be emptied it has been so windy, the bins have been blown over or been swept into the roads, so we've not even dared to put them out.
We've now moved the bin a bit further from the house in the hope the problem will be eased. Much as I love the warmth, there is a bit of me that thinks roll on the winter, let it be a harsh one & kill off some of this pestilential wildlife.
On a more cheery tone, a sunflower has opened out to welcome us home. I always think they are so cheerful-looking with their sunny faces. They always make me smile. Whenever I plant the seeds the birds dig them up to eat them. So I've abandoned that idea. This is one the birds have planted themselves. The potato growing bags would not have been where we would have chosen to plant a sunflower, but as we never got around to planting any veg this year, it isn't a problem. And this golden flower certainly brightens up a dark patch of the garden.
Thursday 29 September 2011
Wednesday 28 September 2011
Home again
We're home again. And it's great. There's many good things to say about the holiday. above all it is wonderful to report that the Fox coped far better than he anticipated. The journey was tiring, but it didn't alter the fact the next day he felt up to pushing me around Cologne so we could see a bit of the city. We didn't go off the ship every day but we did have a few exploratory strolls, with some steep-ish hills & ramps, not to mention cobbles. But for all this, although he felt at times he was dragging his leg a bit he feels none the worse for the exercise. When we arrived home, he walked round the corner for some milk for teas & found the discomfort from being cooped up in the plane & taxi was eased by the gentle stroll. Things definitely seem on the mend healthwise for him. Three cheers.
On the whole it was a good holiday. I don't think I've laughed so much in my life, being reduced to tears or incomprehensibility on several occasions. The sun shone every day, quite warmly at times. It was wonderfully relaxing watching the land gently passing as we sailed along the river.
The food was the greatest disappointment. I don't think they're used to trying to cook English. They clearly had heard of the British reputation for blandness, which may have been true immediately post-war but I don't think really is the case these days. On top of which I think they were trying to cook healthily - after all we were half a shipload of ill people - with the result flavour seemed to be a strange idea. We celebrated our return with lunch of tinned sardines on toast, stunned by the idea of fish we could taste!
There were other niggles, but on the whole we return feeling we've had a good holiday, a wonderful change of scene, met some lovely people we hope to keep in contact with, well rested & ready to pick up our lives again. Nonetheless we're glad to be home. Maybe that is the joy of a good holiday.
More will probably follow, maybe even some pictures. But that can wait for another day..This blog is mainly to say we're safely home.
On the whole it was a good holiday. I don't think I've laughed so much in my life, being reduced to tears or incomprehensibility on several occasions. The sun shone every day, quite warmly at times. It was wonderfully relaxing watching the land gently passing as we sailed along the river.
The food was the greatest disappointment. I don't think they're used to trying to cook English. They clearly had heard of the British reputation for blandness, which may have been true immediately post-war but I don't think really is the case these days. On top of which I think they were trying to cook healthily - after all we were half a shipload of ill people - with the result flavour seemed to be a strange idea. We celebrated our return with lunch of tinned sardines on toast, stunned by the idea of fish we could taste!
There were other niggles, but on the whole we return feeling we've had a good holiday, a wonderful change of scene, met some lovely people we hope to keep in contact with, well rested & ready to pick up our lives again. Nonetheless we're glad to be home. Maybe that is the joy of a good holiday.
More will probably follow, maybe even some pictures. But that can wait for another day..This blog is mainly to say we're safely home.
Monday 19 September 2011
Farewell for the moment
I suspect this will be my last blog for a while. We're off on our travels early on Tuesday. With Angie coming tomorrow I'm not sure if I'll have time to go on-line. I will also have the inevitable packing to do.
We both regard this as a big chore. It isn't the putting into the case that's so difficult. It's the deciding what to take. We don't want to take an excessive amount - the less we take the easier it will be for the Fox to cart them around - but we will have a couple of parties to dress up for - the welcoming one & the departure one.
Each time I look at the weather forecast in Germany it seems to vary so I'm not quite sure whether I'm packing to be comfortable in warm sunshine or cool drab greyness. I dare say I'll end up working on the layering principle. If I have a t-shirt on I'm set for the warmth. If a wear a woolly over that I'm set for the cold. And if I wear a long sleeved blouse as well I'm set for mid-temperatures.
Tomorrow afternoon the Fox is off to the barber's for his hair tidy, while I try to get thing in the bags. I just hope we can decide on a reasonable quantity for the week's holiday.
We're only away for just over a week so I should be back before the end of the month. So for the moment farewell & I will tell you all about the trip when we're back.
We both regard this as a big chore. It isn't the putting into the case that's so difficult. It's the deciding what to take. We don't want to take an excessive amount - the less we take the easier it will be for the Fox to cart them around - but we will have a couple of parties to dress up for - the welcoming one & the departure one.
Each time I look at the weather forecast in Germany it seems to vary so I'm not quite sure whether I'm packing to be comfortable in warm sunshine or cool drab greyness. I dare say I'll end up working on the layering principle. If I have a t-shirt on I'm set for the warmth. If a wear a woolly over that I'm set for the cold. And if I wear a long sleeved blouse as well I'm set for mid-temperatures.
Tomorrow afternoon the Fox is off to the barber's for his hair tidy, while I try to get thing in the bags. I just hope we can decide on a reasonable quantity for the week's holiday.
We're only away for just over a week so I should be back before the end of the month. So for the moment farewell & I will tell you all about the trip when we're back.
Friday 16 September 2011
In party mood
It was a grand day yesterday. The sun shone, even fairly warmly. I spent most of my morning out on the Mean Machine.
First I set off for the hairdresser's. It's time for a last minute smarten up before our holiday. I was struck by how many smiles everyone seemed to have. I think it was the sheer relief of seeing blue skies, feeling some warmth on face, above all not being soaked & blown about.
After that I went to the fish shop for some cod & scallops for dinner. More smiles. Ray, the shop owner, is also a fisherman. His potted shrimps are among the best. He even appeared on a Rick Stein TV show, taking the latter on a shrimping expedition. Yesterday, as I got to the shop, he was just preparing for such a fishing trip. He hasn't been out all week. It's just been so rough that he's not bothered. I don't blame him. Needless to say I got some of his potted shrimps as well.
It never ceases to amaze me how a bit of sun can raise the spirits. Everyone I passed seemed in good humour, almost in party mood. Complete strangers cheerily called out greetings. Even the birds seemed exultant. On the sands, near the waters' edge were at least a hundred oystercatchers rootling in the moist sands. The butterflies seemed more active with red admirals & small tortoiseshells fluttering around.
Unfortunately the extra warmth brought out our midges once more. They seemed to die down in the colder weather. Yesterday I think I ended my meal by squashing a dozen of them. The Fox did likewise. We're becoming adept at this - too much practice. I've had another go today. The windows are once more covered with smears. Angie is getting a lot of practice at window cleaning.
Needless to say, today is back to grey & damp. It couldn't last for long.
First I set off for the hairdresser's. It's time for a last minute smarten up before our holiday. I was struck by how many smiles everyone seemed to have. I think it was the sheer relief of seeing blue skies, feeling some warmth on face, above all not being soaked & blown about.
After that I went to the fish shop for some cod & scallops for dinner. More smiles. Ray, the shop owner, is also a fisherman. His potted shrimps are among the best. He even appeared on a Rick Stein TV show, taking the latter on a shrimping expedition. Yesterday, as I got to the shop, he was just preparing for such a fishing trip. He hasn't been out all week. It's just been so rough that he's not bothered. I don't blame him. Needless to say I got some of his potted shrimps as well.
It never ceases to amaze me how a bit of sun can raise the spirits. Everyone I passed seemed in good humour, almost in party mood. Complete strangers cheerily called out greetings. Even the birds seemed exultant. On the sands, near the waters' edge were at least a hundred oystercatchers rootling in the moist sands. The butterflies seemed more active with red admirals & small tortoiseshells fluttering around.
Unfortunately the extra warmth brought out our midges once more. They seemed to die down in the colder weather. Yesterday I think I ended my meal by squashing a dozen of them. The Fox did likewise. We're becoming adept at this - too much practice. I've had another go today. The windows are once more covered with smears. Angie is getting a lot of practice at window cleaning.
Needless to say, today is back to grey & damp. It couldn't last for long.
Wednesday 14 September 2011
Sad news
Last night the banshees finally arrived. The wind had obviously changed direction so now it howled down the chimney. It seems a bit calmer this morning. That's not to say it's wind-free.
But first I have sad news to report. There's a great pile of soft grey feathers at the base of one of our evergreen trees. There's no sign of an actual body. I suspect from the colour & quantity of the feathers, this pile represents the demise of one of our collared doves. I hope it isn't a sign that the peregrine falcon has returned. Although the latter is a magnificent bird to see, it doesn't alter the fact that it means an absence of other birds for weeks. They don't seem to have been very plentiful of late but I had put that down to the gales that have blown.
Meanwhile I'm back to the last bit of topside. You may remember that last week I had a bit of a culinary disaster with a very tough bit of cooked topside that went into some Durham cutlets. I've been resisting using the other half ever since. Today I've decided it's got to be used up. I'm making a beef curry. I'm hoping the long soak in the moist sauce will help moisten, & so tenderise the meat. Either way it will be that bit used up. It will not be hanging over me all holiday.
We're off to do the food shopping this afternoon. I'm very much in two minds about what to get. We're off away next week. It is already about three weeks since the last big shop so the cupboards & fridge are looking pretty bare. On the other hand, there's not many meals to go & I don't want to get too many fresh ingredients that won't keep before we go. It certainly would be useful to have some food in so we don't have shop immediately when we get back except for the inevitable milk for the all essential cups of tea. We usually appreciate a couple of days to recover from the travelling & to regain our bearings.
But first I have sad news to report. There's a great pile of soft grey feathers at the base of one of our evergreen trees. There's no sign of an actual body. I suspect from the colour & quantity of the feathers, this pile represents the demise of one of our collared doves. I hope it isn't a sign that the peregrine falcon has returned. Although the latter is a magnificent bird to see, it doesn't alter the fact that it means an absence of other birds for weeks. They don't seem to have been very plentiful of late but I had put that down to the gales that have blown.
Meanwhile I'm back to the last bit of topside. You may remember that last week I had a bit of a culinary disaster with a very tough bit of cooked topside that went into some Durham cutlets. I've been resisting using the other half ever since. Today I've decided it's got to be used up. I'm making a beef curry. I'm hoping the long soak in the moist sauce will help moisten, & so tenderise the meat. Either way it will be that bit used up. It will not be hanging over me all holiday.
We're off to do the food shopping this afternoon. I'm very much in two minds about what to get. We're off away next week. It is already about three weeks since the last big shop so the cupboards & fridge are looking pretty bare. On the other hand, there's not many meals to go & I don't want to get too many fresh ingredients that won't keep before we go. It certainly would be useful to have some food in so we don't have shop immediately when we get back except for the inevitable milk for the all essential cups of tea. We usually appreciate a couple of days to recover from the travelling & to regain our bearings.
Tuesday 13 September 2011
Blown around
I see the second leg of the Tour of Britain cycle race, due to go through this area yesterday, was cancelled. I can't say I'm surprised. The amount of wind & rain we've had all weekend!
Yesterday we went along the prom to the Pub. As we drove along you could hear the persistent pecking of sand hitting the car windows as it blew off the beach inland. In parts you could see great drifts off sand crossing the road. I wouldn't like to have been walking, let alone cycling, in such weather.
Today is at least bright &, so far, dry. But it is also very, very windy. The wind is drying the ground rapidly. I actually managed to reach the apple tree to pick a few apples this morning before I started to sink into the sodden green area, known as our lawn.
Still, we've had some good news. The tickets for our holiday have arrived. I've booked the taxi. All we need now is a few euros & we're set. I can't see why we should need many as I suspect most of our spending will be on the boat & that we can pay on card at the end of the trip. But you never know, maybe the weather will improve & we will feel inclined to get off the boat to explore & need some cash for entrance fees, drinks, souvenirs etc.
The landlord of the Pub is on a cruise at the moment. He was due to cross the Bay of Biscay yesterday. I suspect there were a few seasick passengers on that ship. Hopefully it won't be so bad on a riverboat such as the one we are going on. But whatever the weather it should be a welcome relaxing break from routine. Hope so.
Yesterday we went along the prom to the Pub. As we drove along you could hear the persistent pecking of sand hitting the car windows as it blew off the beach inland. In parts you could see great drifts off sand crossing the road. I wouldn't like to have been walking, let alone cycling, in such weather.
Today is at least bright &, so far, dry. But it is also very, very windy. The wind is drying the ground rapidly. I actually managed to reach the apple tree to pick a few apples this morning before I started to sink into the sodden green area, known as our lawn.
Still, we've had some good news. The tickets for our holiday have arrived. I've booked the taxi. All we need now is a few euros & we're set. I can't see why we should need many as I suspect most of our spending will be on the boat & that we can pay on card at the end of the trip. But you never know, maybe the weather will improve & we will feel inclined to get off the boat to explore & need some cash for entrance fees, drinks, souvenirs etc.
The landlord of the Pub is on a cruise at the moment. He was due to cross the Bay of Biscay yesterday. I suspect there were a few seasick passengers on that ship. Hopefully it won't be so bad on a riverboat such as the one we are going on. But whatever the weather it should be a welcome relaxing break from routine. Hope so.
Saturday 10 September 2011
Going better
We've finally got space in the garage. Kelly & her partner came round to take away the dining table & chairs. Suddenly there seems masses of space. I wonder how long it will take us to refill it?
Meanwhile yesterday I managed to make a meal that, whilst not exciting, was reasonably well cooked. It was a vegetarian main course soup. I even used Big Ears, our new slow cooker, for the first time. Until now it's been the Fox's toy. Much as I try to persuade myself all the lentils & chickpeas are every bit as nutritional & filling as meat, I can't quite convince myself. Just occasionally I enjoy of vegetarian meal. I feel I ought to have a go at them. We do have vegetarian friends & one of these days we might end up inviting them around for a meal - unlikely I know. Disability & entertaining don't go - too demanding, stressful & tiring.
I do at least feel encouraged at the sight of the great slab of belly pork, currently sitting in the fridge ready for cooking this evening. Having a break has certainly renewed my enthusiasm for cooking & hopefully the results will keep it going.
The car's been repaired, at not too great an expense. The only cause of anxiety that remains is the fact the tickets haven't arrived yet for our holiday. We're due to be off in just over a week. We're reluctant to order the taxi to the airport until we have the times & flight numbers confirmed by the actual ticket. We've known them to change times substantially, incurring some inconvenience, not to say cost, to reorganise other arrangements such as parking & taxis. Hopefully they'll be here Monday. Then the last pieces of organisation can fall into place & we will be ready for go.
Meanwhile yesterday I managed to make a meal that, whilst not exciting, was reasonably well cooked. It was a vegetarian main course soup. I even used Big Ears, our new slow cooker, for the first time. Until now it's been the Fox's toy. Much as I try to persuade myself all the lentils & chickpeas are every bit as nutritional & filling as meat, I can't quite convince myself. Just occasionally I enjoy of vegetarian meal. I feel I ought to have a go at them. We do have vegetarian friends & one of these days we might end up inviting them around for a meal - unlikely I know. Disability & entertaining don't go - too demanding, stressful & tiring.
I do at least feel encouraged at the sight of the great slab of belly pork, currently sitting in the fridge ready for cooking this evening. Having a break has certainly renewed my enthusiasm for cooking & hopefully the results will keep it going.
The car's been repaired, at not too great an expense. The only cause of anxiety that remains is the fact the tickets haven't arrived yet for our holiday. We're due to be off in just over a week. We're reluctant to order the taxi to the airport until we have the times & flight numbers confirmed by the actual ticket. We've known them to change times substantially, incurring some inconvenience, not to say cost, to reorganise other arrangements such as parking & taxis. Hopefully they'll be here Monday. Then the last pieces of organisation can fall into place & we will be ready for go.
Friday 9 September 2011
Not a complete waste
The hospital trip was a real waste of time. We duly got there in plenty of time. We stood in a queue for ten minutes while the receptionist sorted out the one person in front of us - reckoned the computer was on the go slow! Meanwhile the chap behind us enquired whether there was even a receptionist working. We assured him there was. Eventually she finished with the man in front of us. The Fox moved forward & handed over his letter of appointment to be told the session had been cancelled. We asked why they hadn't told us. Even if the session was cancelled that day they could have phoned us as our telephone number is on file. She had no idea & entirely agreed with us. We went away disgruntled, to see the chap who'd been behind us in the queue following almost immediately. Presumably the same thing had happened to him.
Fortunately the day was redeemed by our visit to the Asian food shop, where we eventually chose two bottles of soy sauce. That was quite a challenge. There were shelf loads of them, differing slightly according to where they came from. We could have had Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Thai, Japanese...... We plonked on a couple of Chinese ones since we cook primarily Chinese food. It's certainly different from Morrisons where you're hard put sometimes to find one bottle, let alone a choice.
We also successfully got the sandals. Not one pair but two. They were both on sale so the two pairs more or less cost the price of one full price pair. That should be me sorted for sandals for quite a while.
The shopping we did before setting off to the hospital. Afterwards we decided to keep to the idea of eating out. We'd been looking forward to it & we hadn't bothered to prepare anything expecting to be eating out. We also didn't fancy trying to get around Lancaster in the midst of rush hour. We decided to go to Caton, a small village on the east side of Lancaster, like the hospital, & so avoid the traffic standstill that is Lancaster at that time of day.
We took the country road over to Quernmore, so avoiding Lancaster city centre. It's ages since we've been that way. It really is beautiful. At one point, you can see over the city of Lancaster, with its old buildings such as the priory church & castle, across the sands of Morecambe Bay, to the Lakeland fells. It was so clear & bright. Fabulous.
The pub we went to I suspect we would have liked if it had only been more accessible. It was impossible to go to the loo without going around the outside of the building & even then the last bit was too narrow for a wheelchair so I had to walk. I managed but it's not something I would want to repeat too often. It's amazing how not being able to get to the toilet plays on your mind when you are eating & drinking out.
By the time we were ready to leave, the traffic had virtually disappeared from Lancaster so there was no hold up getting through the city - much easier & faster than it would have been earlier at 5pm.
The meal & the successful shop did mean the afternoon wasn't an entire waste of time. Now we await another letter, another appointment time, & probably another late trip into Lancaster. What's the betting it will be when we're away in Germany?
Fortunately the day was redeemed by our visit to the Asian food shop, where we eventually chose two bottles of soy sauce. That was quite a challenge. There were shelf loads of them, differing slightly according to where they came from. We could have had Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Thai, Japanese...... We plonked on a couple of Chinese ones since we cook primarily Chinese food. It's certainly different from Morrisons where you're hard put sometimes to find one bottle, let alone a choice.
We also successfully got the sandals. Not one pair but two. They were both on sale so the two pairs more or less cost the price of one full price pair. That should be me sorted for sandals for quite a while.
The shopping we did before setting off to the hospital. Afterwards we decided to keep to the idea of eating out. We'd been looking forward to it & we hadn't bothered to prepare anything expecting to be eating out. We also didn't fancy trying to get around Lancaster in the midst of rush hour. We decided to go to Caton, a small village on the east side of Lancaster, like the hospital, & so avoid the traffic standstill that is Lancaster at that time of day.
We took the country road over to Quernmore, so avoiding Lancaster city centre. It's ages since we've been that way. It really is beautiful. At one point, you can see over the city of Lancaster, with its old buildings such as the priory church & castle, across the sands of Morecambe Bay, to the Lakeland fells. It was so clear & bright. Fabulous.
The pub we went to I suspect we would have liked if it had only been more accessible. It was impossible to go to the loo without going around the outside of the building & even then the last bit was too narrow for a wheelchair so I had to walk. I managed but it's not something I would want to repeat too often. It's amazing how not being able to get to the toilet plays on your mind when you are eating & drinking out.
By the time we were ready to leave, the traffic had virtually disappeared from Lancaster so there was no hold up getting through the city - much easier & faster than it would have been earlier at 5pm.
The meal & the successful shop did mean the afternoon wasn't an entire waste of time. Now we await another letter, another appointment time, & probably another late trip into Lancaster. What's the betting it will be when we're away in Germany?
Thursday 8 September 2011
To Lancaster
Hospital day today. We had intended to go into Lancaster early. The appointment is at 4.45pm but that means trying to cross Lancaster in the midst of rush hour. Lancaster is always a bottleneck. The traffic grinds to a halt from about 4.15pm to 6pm.
We're hoping to do a bit of shopping first. At least then we will be on the same side of the city as the hospital.
Recently a couple of Asian food shops have opened up - the first in the area. We find them full of wonders & mysteries. We need to buy some more soy sauce, both light & dark, & some Shaoxing wine. Although the former we can easily buy at Morrisons here in Morecambe, the bottles are so small. We cook stir-fries etc so often the bottles empty very quickly. Our only problem with these Asian shops is that so many of the goods have writing in Chinese or Japanese which neither of us can read. Still, the staff is very helpful.
I was also hoping to have another hunt for sandals. Time's running out. It's less than two weeks to our holiday & I'd like to be able to take them with me.
I'm dithering from present to past tense as I wonder how much we will really want to shop if the rain continues as it is at the moment. We're having yet another wet day. It's rained all week, even closing some roads to Lancaster with flooding. At least the wind has eased a bit. Many trees are now standing bare, leafless for the winter. I'm wondering if any apples & pears will still be on the trees in our garden by the time the ground is dry enough to stand on to get to the trees to pick the fruit. The prospect of traipsing round Lancaster in the rain, then sitting around the hospital in wet clothes, does not greatly appeal.
The reason why we have to make this trip to the hospital is to get the results of the Fox's MRI scan. It seems ages since the scan - in fact mid-July. Meanwhile the tinnitus rings on. Maybe we will finally find out if there's something that can be done to help him. Hope so.
We're hoping to do a bit of shopping first. At least then we will be on the same side of the city as the hospital.
Recently a couple of Asian food shops have opened up - the first in the area. We find them full of wonders & mysteries. We need to buy some more soy sauce, both light & dark, & some Shaoxing wine. Although the former we can easily buy at Morrisons here in Morecambe, the bottles are so small. We cook stir-fries etc so often the bottles empty very quickly. Our only problem with these Asian shops is that so many of the goods have writing in Chinese or Japanese which neither of us can read. Still, the staff is very helpful.
I was also hoping to have another hunt for sandals. Time's running out. It's less than two weeks to our holiday & I'd like to be able to take them with me.
I'm dithering from present to past tense as I wonder how much we will really want to shop if the rain continues as it is at the moment. We're having yet another wet day. It's rained all week, even closing some roads to Lancaster with flooding. At least the wind has eased a bit. Many trees are now standing bare, leafless for the winter. I'm wondering if any apples & pears will still be on the trees in our garden by the time the ground is dry enough to stand on to get to the trees to pick the fruit. The prospect of traipsing round Lancaster in the rain, then sitting around the hospital in wet clothes, does not greatly appeal.
The reason why we have to make this trip to the hospital is to get the results of the Fox's MRI scan. It seems ages since the scan - in fact mid-July. Meanwhile the tinnitus rings on. Maybe we will finally find out if there's something that can be done to help him. Hope so.
Wednesday 7 September 2011
Culinary disasters
I'm just about ready to give up on cooking. Much as I love it, I'm coming to the conclusion that I've just lost the knack.
What set me off on this line of thought?
It began on Monday. We had Durham cutlets - triangular shaped rissoles using up some left over roast beef from the freezer. I diced the meat rather than minced it, added all the other ingredients, coated them in breadcrumbs & duly fried them up in the evening. Talk about tough! We chewed & chewed. It didn't help that is was pretty tasteless too. The Fox abandoned his cutlet before the end. He'd just had enough of chewing for so little reward.
Now this is a recipe I have done many times before & we've enjoyed it. The beef, a piece of roast topside, was very dense. I was aware of that as I diced it. I'm now left wondering what I'm going to do with the other bit of the same joint that's still sitting in the freezer. Dare I risk mincing it before re-heating it? Or would it be better to put it in plenty of sauce to soften, & hopefully moisten it, it a bit? A curry perhaps. At present I'm tempted to just bin it, but that seems an awful waste & I abhor waste.
I was really put out by this disaster & felt totally disillusioned. Nonetheless I agreed I'd cook again yesterday, just some frozen pies. I preheated the oven as instructed, popped the pies in & got on with the accompanying vegetables. After 10 minutes of the recommended 30-35 mins cooking time, at a lower temperature than stated on the packet so allowing for the extra heat of a fan oven, I was struck by a rather acrid smell. I went over to the oven. I sniffed at the vents, looked through the door window & hastily opened the door. The pastry lids were black. I turned the oven down, left the door open a while to speed up the cooling down process. The rest of the cooking time was spent diving to & from the oven opening the door, letting out the smoke.
It didn't help that the content of the pies was chicken, not something I wanted to serve not properly cooked. I feared the pastry might be burnt but the contents raw. At the end of the cooking time, when the veg was ready, I nervously took the pies out to serve, cut one in half & inspected the chicken. It looked cooked. I served up. Needless to say we both cut the black top of the lid off.
I'm not entirely sure now how safe a meal it was. My tum's been upset all night & even now doesn't feel entirely settled. I'll be writing an e-mail of complaint to that company. There's something drastically wrong with their cooking instructions. I'm confident our oven is working normally. I've certainly not had any other problems.
So it is with some relief that I write the Fox is cooking today. He's getting the wok out to do a chicken in black bean sauce stir-fry. Then tomorrow we're eating out. The Fox has a hospital appointment at 4.45pm in Lancaster. By the time we're out of there we reckon all we'll want to do is eat, not start to cook.
I'll see if I can raise the courage to cook again come Friday. Maybe it's time I had a break. Maybe this holiday on the Rhine later this month is just what I need - a good battery recharge & hopefully regain my cooking skills.
What set me off on this line of thought?
It began on Monday. We had Durham cutlets - triangular shaped rissoles using up some left over roast beef from the freezer. I diced the meat rather than minced it, added all the other ingredients, coated them in breadcrumbs & duly fried them up in the evening. Talk about tough! We chewed & chewed. It didn't help that is was pretty tasteless too. The Fox abandoned his cutlet before the end. He'd just had enough of chewing for so little reward.
Now this is a recipe I have done many times before & we've enjoyed it. The beef, a piece of roast topside, was very dense. I was aware of that as I diced it. I'm now left wondering what I'm going to do with the other bit of the same joint that's still sitting in the freezer. Dare I risk mincing it before re-heating it? Or would it be better to put it in plenty of sauce to soften, & hopefully moisten it, it a bit? A curry perhaps. At present I'm tempted to just bin it, but that seems an awful waste & I abhor waste.
I was really put out by this disaster & felt totally disillusioned. Nonetheless I agreed I'd cook again yesterday, just some frozen pies. I preheated the oven as instructed, popped the pies in & got on with the accompanying vegetables. After 10 minutes of the recommended 30-35 mins cooking time, at a lower temperature than stated on the packet so allowing for the extra heat of a fan oven, I was struck by a rather acrid smell. I went over to the oven. I sniffed at the vents, looked through the door window & hastily opened the door. The pastry lids were black. I turned the oven down, left the door open a while to speed up the cooling down process. The rest of the cooking time was spent diving to & from the oven opening the door, letting out the smoke.
It didn't help that the content of the pies was chicken, not something I wanted to serve not properly cooked. I feared the pastry might be burnt but the contents raw. At the end of the cooking time, when the veg was ready, I nervously took the pies out to serve, cut one in half & inspected the chicken. It looked cooked. I served up. Needless to say we both cut the black top of the lid off.
I'm not entirely sure now how safe a meal it was. My tum's been upset all night & even now doesn't feel entirely settled. I'll be writing an e-mail of complaint to that company. There's something drastically wrong with their cooking instructions. I'm confident our oven is working normally. I've certainly not had any other problems.
So it is with some relief that I write the Fox is cooking today. He's getting the wok out to do a chicken in black bean sauce stir-fry. Then tomorrow we're eating out. The Fox has a hospital appointment at 4.45pm in Lancaster. By the time we're out of there we reckon all we'll want to do is eat, not start to cook.
I'll see if I can raise the courage to cook again come Friday. Maybe it's time I had a break. Maybe this holiday on the Rhine later this month is just what I need - a good battery recharge & hopefully regain my cooking skills.
Tuesday 6 September 2011
The Reith Lectures
I've just been listening to some of the "Reith Lecture" on BBC Radio4. The speaker was Baroness Eliza Manningham-Buller, the former Director General of MI5. Her subject today was terror. We seem to be surrounded at the moment by programmes, both on radio & television, of that terrible day ten years ago when the Twin Towers were attacked.
At the time the Baroness was the Deputy Director General. She accompanied the Prime Minister & others on their trip to the United States to offer advice & support to the US government after the incident.
What struck me most, is that they should have listened to her more at the time. Experience with the Irish IRA had taught her, you can not defeat terrorism with violence or policing. All that achieves is martyrs for the cause. No, the way to defeat terrorism is to remove the motives that justify the actions of the terrorists.
In this instance it would have meant making Muslims feel included in western society, to enable them to be as affluent as people in the West, certainly not to be threatened by the West.. Maybe try to get Israel into a more settled peaceful relations with its Arab neighbours, using political rather military methods. It wasn't to try to bomb Muslims into submission.
I can't help thinking she was right. I've never understood the justification for going into Iraq. Much as I admit that Saddam Hussein was an evil man, it didn't mean we had the right to go in all guns blazing. Equally I'm damned if I can understand what we're doing in Afghanistan. I've no time for the Taliban but that's Afghanistan's problem & it is for them to sort things out. All I can honestly say that has been achieved, is that Muslims around the world, even moderate ones, must feel that Islam is under attack in the West. They are looked at with suspicion wherever they go, even when they have done nothing to justify it. They must end up feeling resentful if nothing else. On top of which many will now have family & friends killed, often for no reason except that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time when bombing or firing broke out. Is it surprising that increased/increasing numbers should rally to the extremist Islamic cause? It's certainly not helped with the iniquities of Guantanamo & rumours of torture there, & elsewhere committed by, or on behalf of, the West.
None of the above is to deny support to our armed service personnel, fighting, getting wounded & dying in the subsequent wars. They were doing the jobs they were ordered to do to the best of their abilities. Most have shown great bravery & stayed within the bounds of what they were ordered to do. Their masters may have given wrong orders, but that does not detract from their efforts.
At the time the Baroness was the Deputy Director General. She accompanied the Prime Minister & others on their trip to the United States to offer advice & support to the US government after the incident.
What struck me most, is that they should have listened to her more at the time. Experience with the Irish IRA had taught her, you can not defeat terrorism with violence or policing. All that achieves is martyrs for the cause. No, the way to defeat terrorism is to remove the motives that justify the actions of the terrorists.
In this instance it would have meant making Muslims feel included in western society, to enable them to be as affluent as people in the West, certainly not to be threatened by the West.. Maybe try to get Israel into a more settled peaceful relations with its Arab neighbours, using political rather military methods. It wasn't to try to bomb Muslims into submission.
I can't help thinking she was right. I've never understood the justification for going into Iraq. Much as I admit that Saddam Hussein was an evil man, it didn't mean we had the right to go in all guns blazing. Equally I'm damned if I can understand what we're doing in Afghanistan. I've no time for the Taliban but that's Afghanistan's problem & it is for them to sort things out. All I can honestly say that has been achieved, is that Muslims around the world, even moderate ones, must feel that Islam is under attack in the West. They are looked at with suspicion wherever they go, even when they have done nothing to justify it. They must end up feeling resentful if nothing else. On top of which many will now have family & friends killed, often for no reason except that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time when bombing or firing broke out. Is it surprising that increased/increasing numbers should rally to the extremist Islamic cause? It's certainly not helped with the iniquities of Guantanamo & rumours of torture there, & elsewhere committed by, or on behalf of, the West.
None of the above is to deny support to our armed service personnel, fighting, getting wounded & dying in the subsequent wars. They were doing the jobs they were ordered to do to the best of their abilities. Most have shown great bravery & stayed within the bounds of what they were ordered to do. Their masters may have given wrong orders, but that does not detract from their efforts.
Sunday 4 September 2011
A not so clean home
Angie, our regular cleaner, should be back tomorrow. She'll be having a shock. We're usually reasonably clean anyway but not this time.
On Friday, the man eventually came to service the gas fire, at 1pm, not my idea of morning. Sure enough the fire is now working. But what a mess he made! Even before we dared go out that afternoon, the Fox had felt the need to get the vacuum cleaner out. The chair nearest the fire, was grey, not the usual dark blue. The skirting board below the fire seemed to have an inch of dust on top of it. I, meanwhile, had gone off to the loo to discover the sink was similarly grey with dust so ended up washing the sink as well as my hands. Last night the Fox went to put a CD in, some jazz to accompany a particularly splendid Chilean chardonnay. He found his hand turned grey as he touched the hi-fi equipment. Out came the duster. This morning when I ventured out, I couldn't help being struck but all the mucky fingerprints over the normally white door.
On top of that, war has been declared in the Fox's den. We seem to have had a plague of midges. It's difficult having dinner with them flying around in front of your nose, trying to land in your dinner, going swimming in the wine glass & bottle. We're killing every one we can catch. The kitchen windows have smears all over from squashed bodies. They seem more somnolent in the night, when it's cold, & first thing in the morning. By now the windows could definitely do with a wash.
So tomorrow Angie will have plenty to do. Meanwhile I will be continuing to wait. The spare part has still not arrived at the garage. Until then we can only wait for the repair to be done. Here's hoping it will be done tomorrow.
On Friday, the man eventually came to service the gas fire, at 1pm, not my idea of morning. Sure enough the fire is now working. But what a mess he made! Even before we dared go out that afternoon, the Fox had felt the need to get the vacuum cleaner out. The chair nearest the fire, was grey, not the usual dark blue. The skirting board below the fire seemed to have an inch of dust on top of it. I, meanwhile, had gone off to the loo to discover the sink was similarly grey with dust so ended up washing the sink as well as my hands. Last night the Fox went to put a CD in, some jazz to accompany a particularly splendid Chilean chardonnay. He found his hand turned grey as he touched the hi-fi equipment. Out came the duster. This morning when I ventured out, I couldn't help being struck but all the mucky fingerprints over the normally white door.
On top of that, war has been declared in the Fox's den. We seem to have had a plague of midges. It's difficult having dinner with them flying around in front of your nose, trying to land in your dinner, going swimming in the wine glass & bottle. We're killing every one we can catch. The kitchen windows have smears all over from squashed bodies. They seem more somnolent in the night, when it's cold, & first thing in the morning. By now the windows could definitely do with a wash.
So tomorrow Angie will have plenty to do. Meanwhile I will be continuing to wait. The spare part has still not arrived at the garage. Until then we can only wait for the repair to be done. Here's hoping it will be done tomorrow.
Friday 2 September 2011
Still waiting
I'm still waiting. I feel I've been waiting all week.
I suppose I always feel a bit unsettled when it's a Bank Holiday weekend. My sense of the days of the week gets disrupted.
Then on Tuesday we went out, with it being our wedding anniversary - another disruption, enjoyable but undeniably another a disruption.
Wednesday was a day of waiting as the garage had said they would be round to sort out the car. They came, but a spare part had to be ordered, so more waiting. They said they would be around again as soon as the part arrived. Next day perhaps.
So yesterday I waited for the man from the garage to return. No sign of him. Presumably the part didn't arrive.
So now I'm waiting for two things. One - the man from the garage. Two - the man to service &, if necessary, repair the gas fire. The fire wouldn't light the other very cold evening. We'd even ended up putting on the central heating. It was just so cold. But it seems ridiculous to have to put on the central heating when you just want to take the chill of one room for an hour, maybe less. The fire is due its service later this month so we thought we might as well get the two jobs in one go.
So it is, I sit here, tapping away on the computer, one eye turning to the window at every sound or sign of movement in the street, waiting. And waiting.
Even the day seems to be waiting. It's one of those dark brooding sort of days. I feel rain is in the air but doesn't seem to coming down. Just waiting like me.
I suppose I always feel a bit unsettled when it's a Bank Holiday weekend. My sense of the days of the week gets disrupted.
Then on Tuesday we went out, with it being our wedding anniversary - another disruption, enjoyable but undeniably another a disruption.
Wednesday was a day of waiting as the garage had said they would be round to sort out the car. They came, but a spare part had to be ordered, so more waiting. They said they would be around again as soon as the part arrived. Next day perhaps.
So yesterday I waited for the man from the garage to return. No sign of him. Presumably the part didn't arrive.
So now I'm waiting for two things. One - the man from the garage. Two - the man to service &, if necessary, repair the gas fire. The fire wouldn't light the other very cold evening. We'd even ended up putting on the central heating. It was just so cold. But it seems ridiculous to have to put on the central heating when you just want to take the chill of one room for an hour, maybe less. The fire is due its service later this month so we thought we might as well get the two jobs in one go.
So it is, I sit here, tapping away on the computer, one eye turning to the window at every sound or sign of movement in the street, waiting. And waiting.
Even the day seems to be waiting. It's one of those dark brooding sort of days. I feel rain is in the air but doesn't seem to coming down. Just waiting like me.
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