General Chat

Frank. Modern Pressure Cooker aren't like the old fashioned ones! My mother had one which she used a tremendous amount, but you had to be careful using it, and I wasn't allowed near it!! We had one for a wedding present, which I used and used without any problems, but again as with my mothers, you had to be careful to completely de pressurise it before attempting to remove the lid! The design of the one I've got now is completely different, as these days they have to comply with health and safety standards so its impossible to misuse it, but it still does the same brilliant job.
Lovely day here, think the beetroot may have to wait, see how we feel later on! We both prefer to be outside when we can, so indoor jobs can wait for a gloomy day!
Thought Ripper Street was a bit slow! Not too sure whether it was a good idea ressurecting it! Have to see.

Oh Plums !!! We had some lovely juicy ones from Fitz the other day. I usually get loads of one of my neighbours too.

Crikey Liz you are going to be busy. I have never had or used a pressure cooker.They frighten me half to death :-S I would be sure to do something wrong and have an explosion like Ros had .

Mandy I have no idea what the boys like to eat.I did ask Rachel to let me know likes and dislikes but she never said.So I have just got a load of all sorts in.Ham ,cheese little pork pies,quiche ,sausages ,fish fingers,potato waffles ,etc.Then I have chicken and other stuff in the freezer.Plus plenty of ice lollies and ice-cream :-D

Frank they aren't staying here.We have no spare beds as I am in the only spare one .I find it better sleeping on my own at the moment as my hip is a right pain at the moment.So hopefully Rachel has thought ahead and booked in to one of the local Travel Lodge/Premier Inn.
We have just put the outdoor things out in the garden for the boys.Hopefully there will be something that will keep them amused.Thats the problem with not having Grandchildren.I have no toys.

I think the new pressure cookers are much safer than the old ones ,i still use my old one it was a wedding present, so its forty years old , rice puddings come out lovely and creamy and makes meat for a stew nice and tender .

Sounds as if you have it covered food wise Jane , there must be some thing in that list that they like .
Give the children a bowl of water and a few plastic cups and they will play for ages just tipping the water from one cup to another and in the heat they will soon dry out if the get wet , you could have got them some bottles of bubble mix ,my lot love blowing bubbles and you should see Max chase them :-D

Yes the modern PC's are very different safetywise than the ones of forty odd years ago! I bought a new one about three years ago and it works quite differently to my old one, it has a feature on it that makes it impossible to open without being depressurised properly also if you forget to turn it down(!!!) and it over pressures its got a special valve that automatically opens to release the pressure, so it can't.literally blow a gasket!! Stewing meat is still as tender Mandy and it cooks dumplings/steak and kidney pud to perfection!!
I'm in the garden and Cas is running about with her ring!! Must get the washing in!

Back from shopping and it hot hot hot here. Now I only have to do the dentist and may pop in Lidl if its still open on the way home.

I was scared stiff of the pressure cooker when I was little. Ours had a big whistle on the top and when that went off I used to run a mile with my ears covered. Never had one and never used one like Jane.

Beetroot don't take that long to cook anyway. I miss my home grown beets........... I may try some in a container next year as I have a couple of those deeper planting bags I have'nt used yet.

Must go and have a look and see if the deer has left me any plums on the tree.

Just talking to my neighbour and she was saying her daughter has bought her dog "The Jolly Egg " and it has had hours of fun with it ,being hard rubber and oval shape theres no way they can pick them up so they spend ages pushing them round the garden, i think i might get one for Max.

Far to hot to sit out , we are sitting in front of the fan.

Afternoon all,

Been a good boy !!! Marching on the spot, bending knee up, squats, and going on tip toe my bad leg. It hurts like hell at the moment, but I will do more in an hour or so.NO PAIN NO GAIN

;-) ;-) ;-) ;-)

When at Gayton we had 4 Golden Plum trees in the back Garden. I used to get cwt's off the trees, most of which were given away at work or the Football Club. I loved coming home from work, walking down the garden and picking and eating them fresh from the trees. Ros made loads The good thing is what ever is lof Jam and bottled the fruit in the Kilner jars. We were never without plumbs.

I am stripped out in this heat, all windows and doors open and the fan on full. I must be careful the cat doesn't suddenly decide to go walk about. If she did I don't know what I would do !!!

I bet our Jane is busy now with her Company. How many are coming ?? The one good thing is whatever is left over it can be used up tomorrow, after being stored in the fridge. Have you had anymore LEAKS lately ??

Spare Pork Ribs in Chinese rub for tonight. Ros will decide if we have Salad and new pots, or chips and baked beans. either will suit me.

I am going to see if I can manage the steps from the conservatory to the patio seats, then I can sit outside for an hour, with my book.

I'm sitting outside at the back (to get out of the wind) in the sun snoozing/reading!, it is lovely!! I shall pressure the beetroot tomorrow as I can't be bothered now! Cas has had a run and is in bed!! That egg thing sounds ideal Mandy, Max may well take to it like Cas with her ring! then it should make things a lot easier.
OH is busy tinkering in the barn, so all is peaceful here! Nearly cuppa tea time!

Oh got so hot in the garden trying to make a drag thing to get rid of the mole hills and I found him laying on his side. I asked if he was ok and did he want anything and he said a gin and tonic so I did him that and he has gone to cool off in his study at the pc with his fan on.

I am now going up the garden to see if I have any plums left on the tree or if the wasps have had them all, and of course the deer.

We haven't got any fans!! We both love the sun and just sit in the shade if it gets too much! The house is always cool in summer and warm in winter which is a feature of log homes.
At last a cuppa which is very welcome! OH will dig some spuds and carrots for supper, to go with our lamb chops.

OMG I am pooped!!!. I forget how lively and full on little ones are. The boys have spent most of the day playing with water.The grass and flowerbeds have been well watered .I bought an inflatable turtle that attaches to the hosepipe and the water sprays out of the top .They then found every watering can and filled them .3 changes of clothing !!!!.My tumble drier is going now lol.I have tiny clothes too hanging on the line and 2 pairs of trainers drying .
It all starts again tomorrow LOL
They left about 8pm and are staying in a Travel Lodge (or something similar at Desborough).It was cheaper there than here in Kettering.
I need to go and buy more bubble mixture stuff tomorrow as the little Water /Bubble Guns have been a huge success. When the bubble stuff ran out it was Fairy Liquid ,but that wasn't half as good as the bought Bubbles/.Ethan has collected loads of pine cones which are now covering the patio table.Also he found a few Hazelnuts that the Squirrel must have missed.He wants to keep them.But I am pretty sure they won't be allowed into South Africa.

We have been trying to get the Patio Umbrella down and it is stuck half way :-S.In the process Chris managed to knock a glass of the table which shattered all over the patio :-S :-S.So with the aid of an outside light (which is not the best) and a broom and pan we have swept up the best we can for tonight.First thing tomorrow I will have to go and see if we ha e missed any shards.I don't want little bare footed boys or Thomas getting any glass in their feet.
Thomas has been so funny.He being a cat obviously hates water so has been slinking up the side of the hedge to get to the house(well away from the boys and water ).He did have a little stroke and rub from Zach ,but then quickly vanished again.I think he has just been watching all the antics from the safety of the hedge today :-)
Chris has gone to bed and `i am following shortly.I just need t oget the big fan unplugged and cart it upstairs as I think it is going to be a hot and sticky night(weatherwise ;-) )
Chaos will resume about midday tomorrow!!

Keep up the good work Frank(re your exercises).It will get easier :-D

Night Night everyone .I must get some beauty sleep before tomorrow :-D

I too am pooped. I did the dentist and then went to Lidl and then went back into Torrington town to get the fish and chips. I don't think I have been on the go like that for a very long time.

It is really hot here tonight and I am having the fan on too.

I am off now so see you all in the morning, night night.

Morning All

I thought I was going to be late today but see I am the first.
I have been and bought a new Table Parasol,got more bubbles.Had a second shower and hair wash as I am so hot and sweaty. :-S. Hopefully I have a little while before the gang arrive so I can cool off a bit.I am notsuref if it actually feels hotter than yesterday.

That Earthquake in Italy is terrible. I am just thankful Hannah ahd Gareth went a few weeks ago as this is the same area they stayed in !!!!.
I probably won't be back again until tonight now.
Have a lovely day everyone.

Morning all,

Bit cloudy here today but I think the sun is trying to come out! I hope so anyway.

Oh is just changing over his mower decks so I guess he is mowing the big lawn today over to the west. Its jsut started up so I will see if I am right.

How are our boys this morning. Frank did you get any decent sleep last night? and how's Colin today Mandy?

Swept up on my shed and now I am going to clean the inside of the windows......in the shed not the house!!

7 eggs again this morning and I don't know what to do with them all. Do I make a nice quiche AND some cakes? or is it omlets and chips tonight?

Forgot to post that and I have now done the windows in the shed.

Yikes it is toooooooo hot.I have had to come in and sit by the NEW fan that I had to dash off and buy this afternoon as the big one in the lounge packed up.
Rachel is supervising the boys dinner outside.There has been one paddy today from Ethan.But other than that the boys have played well with limited 'toy's ' in the garden.
I think they are moving on tomorrow sometime and not Friday as planned.

'tis awful quiet here today.

Been a fantastic day here. Yes it's been very hot but hey, it is August, so nothing too unusual about that!!! I washed all Cas's bedding and its now back in her bed, did a load of housework, then we both spent the rest of the day outside reading, pottering around and snoozing in the sun! We're now having a glass of wine outside sitting on our veranda! bliss!! We had lunch at lunch time outside, so scrambled eggs for supper. Son coming tomorrow for supper, so must have a think about what to give him!! Children at the weekend, so must get my head round their food too! Hope the weather holds! Glad your visitors were a success Jane.

Evening all,

Another scorcher ,i think its going to be cooler tomorrow and we should get rain but just incase i have been out and watered tonight .
Max has just had his last walk and is now having a chew on his kong .

Sounds as if the children have kept themselves amused Jane and Thomas had the right idea of keeping away from the water.

Mel how did it go yesterday at the dentist ? Hope your teeth are ok now.

Colin has an appointment tomorrow to have his staples out ,they rang to say they had a cancellation at ten past nine so we wil have to be up and about ,we have just been taking our time in the mornings ,it's usually nine o'clock before we have breakfast ,it's surprising how long it takes to help Colin with a strip wash each morning .

Bank holiday weekend coming up ,anyone doing any thing nice ? I see Liz has family coming .

It ha s been 34 degs showing on the patio today.Even Rachel who is used to hot weather was struggling.
The rain has just arrived . The gang have just left for the night.Will be back tomorrow as her plans have changed. The boys will be left here for an hour or two while Mum goes to Next for a bit of clothes shopping.

Early start then tomorrow Mandy. A quick lick and a promise for OH.That will be good when the staples are out.

Nothing going on here for BH Liz.Other than Rachel's brother ,wife and baby popping in on the 1st for a few hours.

I am off to bed as my hip has been a devil today.It's all the running back and forth with the children I think.I am just waiting to be able to take a couple more painkillers .
I will watch the Great British Bake off on catchup.