Caullkhead

Happy Birthday Graham!

Sorry to hear @Jennizor such a shame to loose that farmland.

Congratulations @kalos wonderful news!

Hoping @ann141 your Mum’s funeral went well. Thinking of you today.

Today’s money saving tip, if you make Xmas mincemeat that needs warming in the oven like Delia’s, I used the slow cooker, just under 3 hrs on low, just cooling now before alcohol & potting up. Hope everyone has a good evening.

Had a good walk this morning , lovely & bright. Washed & brushed down the front path with some bleach as it’s getting a bit slippy & obvs the usual autumn pressure wash can’t be done. Had a parcel arrive from boots, used up my points, had ordered a big bottle of lynx shower gel for the men in house to make up to free postage, we’ll the poor post lady was so apologetic that it had leaked everywhere (probably her van will be thumping out Toto for a while 🤣) luckily nothing ruined or missing from the soggy box, but had to wipe all the other bottles off before it soaked into the labels.

It’s now raining. Cake smelling good in the oven & today’s energy saving tip, currently have ds work sweatshirt drying draped over the oven with the grill open using that escaping heat.

It’s supposed to be. raining here, but the suns out. Trevor (dh) wanted to help with the Xmas cake this year, so we’re just going to start. The fruit has been soaking since Friday in a cocktail of flavoured gin & Eastern European liquor too nasty on its own but great all together with amaretto too, hicc! He’s just choosing some classical music as too early for Xmas music 🙃

We went out out last night! Went with my friend & her mum who Iid been out with before c on girls dinners out quite a bit, she’s been nagging me for ages so last week during my hair cut I said yes. So dh came too plus another couple I know from pta days. We went to a local pub that’s just been taken over by a young local, food was excellent (steak & peppercorn sauce, no starter & lemon tart to finish. It was also quiz night so we joined that as a table did ok till the sports questions 🙃 forgot to take photos , it was pretty busy with people eating & staying for the quiz & others including our next door neighbour coming just for drink & quiz, it felt very friendly & so glad we went!

Oddly I had just looked that up 👍

Also of course what about currents, cos there dead flies according to garibaldi 🤓

One of neighbours has given me her green tomatoes, have no saltanas, just mixed dried fruit ready for cake & mincemeat ( have loads) or dates & figs. So do I A, use any of those, B, get saltanas, or C throw them in the compost cos there’s jars left from last year?

Sounds like a great idea, when are we leaving & are we funding it by go fund me or cash in the attic? Harry can have a penthouse suite to keep him extra safe. 😁

That’s really annoying @davecttr, hope someone can give you a lift.

Your right @twotravellersLondon it was that one, I don’t think I’d have thought it anything special had he landed in the garden, I do like to see birds in the garden ( & out of course) there’s a family of buzzards that nest in the trees here, they like to chase our neighbours white doves, & the choughs are getting much more prevalent. Haven’t got the bird feeder up at the moment as we had rats. It’s looking a lovely day if a bit windy , going to have a walk in a bit.

Just popped to sainsburys to get dried fruit as dh was disappointed when I said I wasn’t making* a Xmas cake, no raisins so I’ll just got mixed bags cheaper hopefully ok. I’ll mix cranberries in thanks to Avril for that idea, got enough to make mincemeat but forgot the suet. There’s loads of twitchers at the end of our road parked all over the place including a mini bus, looking for the blackburnian warbler apparently, I think it was spotted on the Scillies yesterday? Hope a cat doesn’t get it 😂

This afternoon we changed the brake callipers & pads on the car, first time we’ve done that in some while, dh has disk damage to his back but we managed, me in overalls passing tools etc just like 30 years ago changing engines & tinkering with one of his many minis, bit different working on a BMW X3 though. Having Chinese takeaway for dinner can’t be doing with cooking now!

Had my hair cut, no sheep in sight 🤣. She’s persuaded me to go out for dinner next week to a local pub that’s been recently taken over, it’ll be a little group herself, her mum, dh & another farming couple who happened to be having their hair cut too, she’s been nagging me for ages to join her, we used to go out a few time a year a little group of women dh has never been with us & I only know the couple from kids pta school days, feeling quite brave 😬

Crikey, just caught up thought I’d signed in to the Mother & Baby site by mistake! spot on Vamps if your baby’s & you are happy & healthy then that’s best. Off to the farm next door later for a hair cut (my friend has a little salon in a barn), I’m a bit weird having never liked going to the hairdresser, never sure what to have done & my hair just throws off colour & perms ( yes I had the 80s perm!) so it’s a quick trim & catch up with the gossip, I even wash it & walk up with wet hair so there’s non of that horrid sitting back at the sink. I started going grey at 16! still colour my hair but do it at home because it just doesn’t last, drives me mad, not brave enough to let it go though don’t want to look like my gran did at 50.

Well I thought I’d try cooking fish fingers in the actifry the other day, but as I thought would happen the paddle broke them up. We bought the actifry as it’s the only one that cooks decent homemade chips. Back to the grill for the fish fingers though.

Glad to see you posting Emma @ccpm we’ve been worried about you! Sorry to hear your news, but sounds like you’ve made a positive move & making the most of things. Pleased you can cruise again too.

@purplesea can your daughter not book at st Clare or is she not with Atlantic? St just chemist sent out a text yesterday to say they are taking bookings ( although they seem to be permanently short on the pharmacist recently so maybe not)

I really want one of those beer glasses @wowzz put it in your handbag will you! 😂

On a positive note, spent the morning looking through photos as it’s my big sisters 60th tomorrow, found all sorts of lovely memories!

Thank you @grapau27. My Dad died of cancer too melanoma on his back, too much working outside & sailing with no shirt on 😢. My friend started her treatment last week chemo, keeping positive for her! Sorry for Pauline’s loss too. X