Diary summary week ending 12th March 2023

[Roobarb]

Sorry to hear you've had such bad news RTL, hard to deal with when you weren't aware of his illness. It's very thoughtful of you to delay telling your sister in law, I hope it's not too much of a shock for her.

Good to hear you got some help with your insurance claim, that must have been a load off your mind.

Caroline, excuse my ignorance, I don't know what Angels is. I can only think of the Robbie Williams song and I doubt you mean that! Hope you've enjoyed it whatever it is. 

Griffo, I find the dark mornings depressing too, thank goodness we're on our way out of that in the UK. But at least you have some nice warm weather to cushion the blow. 

It's been a beautiful sunny day here, there was apparently a sprinkling of snow a few miles inland but none here at the coast. Forecast for Thursday and Friday not looking good, hope it decides to veer off. Anyway, I decided to go to the beach as it was so lovely and I needed a lift to my mood. It was pretty cold but I was wrapped up well, on the walk back the wind was towards me, certainly had some roses in my cheeks after that. Did some tidying in the garden this afternoon, making the most of the sunshine.

[griffo99]

Good morning to everyone! LM, I'm glad you got help with your insurance claim. I had an accident not long before covid when someone jumped the lights and ran straight into the side of my car. Nobody hurt thank goodness, but it really knocked my confidence even though it wasn't my fault. Someone mentioned having a lesson with an instructor, good advice and I wish I'd done that as I've become quite a nervous driver now, and I have always been a nervous passenger. I try to stay positive as I'm not going to allow some else's stupidity have such an impact on my life.

RTL, sorry for your loss.

I can't believe that it's the second week of March and I'm hearing about snow! Is this normal or global warming? I grew up in Kent and I don't remember snow after January - or is that my rose-tinted glasses?! I'm planning a visit next year and was thinking of travelling in early April but I might have to reconsider!

[Roobarb]

We did have the Beast from the East in late February, early March 2018, that certainly was a beast,  really heavy snow that hung around for ages. The local news today was showing a report from the coast around Tyneside, they've had some significant snow but it doesn't seem to compare with 2018.

There's a saying that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb so hopefully the lamb would be around if you visited in April!

[Viktoria]

Yes R.T,L, sad news indeed.
Such a long acquaintance.
I had not known our Church organist for all the years he had been our organist ,but he played for 64 years , from being a young boy, his father before him.
What a loss, I only knew him for about 20 years.
He taught my daughter piano.

How brave to jump in a big deep pool, I could not do it!

Flash Harry is pressing the point home re his terrible pain after writing in school. He told the teacher it was her fault because she keeps making him write .! Well today he went to school, wore the mittens I knitted for him  for
Christmas.
A phone call from the school re what had he done to his hands?
Mummy asked why,—- “ Because his hands are covered in sticking plasters!”
Anything to get out of writing !
I am not sure if he is clever or naughty!
Why he has such aversion to it I have no idea.
I know he is not firming his letters properly so he will be ready for cursive writing .. He does not seem to be corrected ,my word the teacher I worked with when there was a big intake , would not let that pass, but to be fair ours “ wrote “ in sand first ,correct formation - “ a— all the way round and up, down,flick” abut not like that a !
He is smart no doubt but so honest about it all, he “ fesses up” readily.

Glad you got through the formalities L.M. Such a worry.

We are in for a very cold night seemingly.

Son is quite ill, bad nasty cough, sweating and aching , had he not tested positive I would have thought he had the flu.

Phoned little lady who is almost blind and very deaf, and who has no proper heating in her house, to wrap up warm tonight as we are to have a really cold night .She weighs six stones!

I think  it terrible people have  to go back to work whilst still ill, makes no sense, however my son working from home has to carry on ,the emails keep coming regardless.

What a lovely day here,some freezing overnight ,ice here and there this morning butI got  a big load of washing out ,so white and dry by mid afternoon .
Chicken breast fillets for tea, baked in foil with herbs and  butter three ,so either chicken and chips with salad tomorrow tea or butties for lunch .
Well time to do milky coffees and biscuits ,then teeth and bed .
Thanks for your news, look after yourselves .
Thanks also for your kind enquiries re my son
I am just carrying on ,it is hard when in the same house ,I was not nearly so ill when I had Covid , a new strain perhaps.
However he was  always a bit chesty,  as a little boy , so is affected more than many have been I think.
Cheerio, I did not know whether to laugh or be a bit shocked  at Flash  Harry’s antics. The thing is he readily tells you ,no effort to lie but the little monkey did wear his mittens!
Cheerio.Viktoria.

[candleflame]

RTL sorry to hear about the bereavement from your church family.

[candleflame]

Morning all
Still no snow here though we had some hailstones yesterday tea time. However our daughter in Kent has the real white stuff!
Viktoria, in an earlier post did you mention you were having braised steak for tea, done in your pressure cooker? How long do you cook it for and with what in with it ? I used to have a pressure cooker until quite recently and need a new one and was wondering whether to get one or not. We love braised steak but I’ve never tried doing it in a pressure cooker, so I thought I’d pick your brains and anyone else with tips. Thanks.

[radstockjeff]

Woke up this morning here in Radstock to a good covering of snow and it looks like it is going to continue for most of the morning.

[Viktoria]

My cooker is a Tower, but the recipe is from my old Presto  but that does not matter.
One and a half pounds of rump steak.
One carrot,one good sized onion, two sticks celery.
Half pint of stock— OXO ,or  Bovril or Knorr beef stock cube in hot water.
Pepper and salt.
Fat to brown meat.
Good pinch mixed herbs.

Do sliced onion and soften as usual, remove.
Brown meat ( I don’t use that much for two and I like to flour it in seasoned flour before frying off.)
Put veges in cooker ,add meat and stock,seasoning and some herbs.
Put lid on bring to steam,add weight, bring to full pressure ie 15 pounds and then lower to keep at 15 lbs and cook for 20 mins, allow to lower pressure on its own.
I mess about though and do much smaller amounts and often cube the meat,
It only needs mashed  potatoes doing then as the mixed veges suffice,
It is really nice .
Any leftovers make a nice top crust only pie either ordinary or suet pastry.
Bon appetit .
Viktoria.

[louisa maud]

I had a pressure cooker years ago, then something  came in about aluminium and I threw it away, by then the modern ones seemed very complicated to me, but it was the best thing I ever had, I remember somehow releasing the nozzle and I has greasy liquid from a ham joint all up the caravan walls, my stupidity.
I often microwave a casserole,  takes about an hour, always very tasty.

I won't  go on about  my car accident but my insurance can be thoroughly recommended, if anyone wants to know, PM  me,   spoken to 3 difference staff and they are all very kind and helpful but it doesn't alter the fact my Ford Fusion  it is a possible write off.

Had snow at 4am, didn't lay, looked out at 8am and it had started  snowing again but it has all  melted now, just hope it doesn't freeze tonight

Viktoria,   my lovely neighbour has covid, she was my passenger on Friday, second time she has had it and first time she eas very ill, she is like I am, masked and sanitised  all the time , I suppose if we are going to get it there really is no protection,  I just hope you keep clear of it.

Your recipe by the way sounds scrumptious.

Flash Harry sounds a bit of a lad

Keep warm everyone

LM