Food and Drink #20

[Into_the_tunnel]

@EllaEm87 .. they are lovely and mine is spoilt too. She has slowly become the centre of everything since I had to stop work.

Sorry for those who are suffering flare ups I hope you get through them and find your Netflix love .

I was on another thread this week where everyone who was being discussed suddenly did the “shut tattle down” thing and called us all the “lazy, jealous, living under bridge” usual. I got overly defensive I think. This place has been my safe space since my world collapsed. Apart from volunteering, I rarely talk to anyone and I although I am not jealous, lazy or living under a bridge, my life is not the same as it was before the big thing which unfortunately happened just before covid. Reading here, it seems that lots of people on here are in similar boats or have had their lives changed by covid that means it might take years for them to go back to a new normal.

I think what I am trying to say, in a long-winded way is that when people attack this place I get angry because although I know there are dark corners, the places I generally am in are lovely, and are essentially my social interaction for the day (which may be embarrassing but that is what chronic illness sometimes does).

Have a lovely Saturday.. I promise I will post food content next!

 

[Falkor]

I did thank you, dear heart. I’ve ordered both and written them on each for Nibbles, 406, April, Badger, Little Nine, Frau Viv Squiggle, er Badgers mum, Falkor and addressed them to North Scotland, the village where the lady off the BBC programme about a farm lives, but not her the next farm over where you call “ladies” and the sheep come.
Should arrive in no time!

I reckon that would stand a fighting chance of getting here!

Nibbles and April checking pockets for post.

 

[flotsam]

How have I only just found this thread

 

[EllaEm87]

Sorry to all those going through a hard time, feels like a winter slump. I’m the same,

Spoiler: Me rail moaning, sorry!

flare isn’t abating, still not eating well and mainly relying on Fortisip, and now got more on my plate as in placement until Christmas with two assignments to do. Full time work for no wage, oh student nurse life and it’s away from home so I’m staying in hospital residences without my home comforts. Luckily after each shift I’m so fatigued I literally just sleep til the next one so it’s not too bad

.

here’s a picture of lovely little Maisie, the pup who broke her leg, gazing adoringly at big sister Nala. She’s 8 months old now. The leg is healed but banana shaped. Doesn’t bother her a bit though!

 

[EddieBeds]

The cheese Welsh cake recipe also has an egg. I haven’t made them yet.

Would love to see pictures of the bakestones!

Will try and remember to pull it out tomorrow to take a pic. It’s worth so much to me on a sentimental level and I’m pleased that I took the time to learn from my Nanna how to use/make Welsh cakes and had that experience. Her recipe has an egg in it but you actually don’t use it all.

Here are some Welsh cakes I made last Christmas:

I’m on a train for the first time since pre pandemic and weirdly nervous. I find trains a bit claustrophobic. Not helped by a noisy bunch of (harmless) loud day drinkers. Them aside it’s not busy thankfully. No shin kicking or stuck tiles to report yet. Will let you all know if I get told white trash shouldn’t breed.

 

[Into_the_tunnel]

The MT is exhausting so here is a (my) dog.

Thai green curry tonight with butternut squash and some of the celery to use up. Fingers crossed everyone!

I also got a load of apples in the food delivery so I am going to make a crumble. No brioche crumbs will be harmed in the making of said crumble.

 

[traumatised sideboard]

Thanks lads, may you be blessed with beans rinsed or otherwise and six-packs of Yakult of mysterious origin The cat card reminds me that I did lol earlier when I was charging up my sentient doorbell using one of the USB ports on my PC and it caught my cat looking like something out of Crimewatch.

 

[Universal]

@Falkor so sorry about 34. I am over invested in the the ladies and feel quite sad.

Thanks for all of the good wishes about the job. I have not told anyone else as I still cant believe it. I have worked hard to get where I am but come from a humble background and its a privilege to be able to make a difference. I have a sister with a disability who through her own determination and family support lives a wonderful life. I am now in a situation where I can influence government strategy so other people who dont have the support she has can do the same .

What's everyone's plans for tonight? The weather is rubbish here and its dark already. I am watching box sets under a blankie.

 

[Sideboard Bob]

Warm/healing thoughts to anyone who needs them. I love seeing pictures of actual people here as well as the adorable pets, beautiful places and stunning graffiti!

Our work’s Xmas do will be in January instead of December which I’m relieved about to be honest.

Spoiler: More work chat

omg I fancy someone at work. It would never be ”a thing“ as she is happily married with kids. I am always respectful, polite and professional to her (same with everyone I work with). But ugh, she’s so strikingly pretty, and has such a kind, calm personality. I get crushes all the time, but it’s been ages since I’ve had a work-crush. I feel like such a teenager, but it’s just nice to get the odd moment in the middle of such a weird and rubbish time.

 

[Falkor]

Sometimes it's so useful having tame sheep.

All the ladies have been back in the fields for a week or so now, apart from one lady and her lamb who were missing. Yesterday I thought I saw them by the hill fence, so Mr F and I jumped on the quad and went to look for them. It wasn't them, but we drove further out onto the hill (sheep are easy to spot out there now because most are in for tupping) and found them happily grazing a small gully. She baa'd back at me when I called her, but I didn't have a bucket with me and she wasn't tame enough to follow me without, so as it was getting dark we left her there.

So this morning I took a bucket and went to get a few ladies out of the field to come up to the hill with me to get her back. April (of course!), Viv Squiggle and Badger's Mum all volunteered.

Spoiler: So off we went

I headed back to the gully, but she wasn't there. Viv Squiggle was hanging back from the other two and bellowing - I should have paid more attention to her, because I gradually became aware there was a faint answering bellow coming from behind us, and when I turned round there was the missing ewe and her lamb about quarter of a mile down the valley, along with a ewe my neighbours had been trying to get back in for a couple of weeks but kept giving them the slip.

Amazingly the neighbour's ewe decided to follow mine back in - previously she'd got to about 50 metres from the gate and then turned and legged it - so I stuck them all in my front field away from the others and was about to message my neighbours when I saw their car drive down the village and flagged them down.

Rather than going back for their quad and trailer (they have the fields next to my house but live in a village 4 miles away) they decided they'd better grab her while they were there, so the three of us managed to corner her after a few circuits of the field and then Mr Neighbour rugby tackled her, skidding through the stock fence and into a pile of very fermented cut grass from the lawnmower as he did so.

I was wondering how they were going to take her back to their field, but they cheerfully lifted her over the fence, Mrs Neighbour got into the passenger seat of their car and Mr Neighbour plonked the ewe in on top of her so it was sitting on her lap with her arms around its middle. I'm not sure who was the less impressed of the two of them, but fortunately it was only a couple of hundred metres!

All my ladies are now back in the village anyway, so they'll get wormed, a ticket and flea treatment, and the six lambs can get their ear tags put in. No boyfriend for them this year, so once they're sorted out they can go back out before they get any ideas about jumping into someone else's field looking for love!

 

[DinosaurSenior]

Just wanted to say hi... I feel like I've been at a party and opened a door to find... that's where everyone is. I have a lot of catching up to do

 

[Universal]

Morning all - I have just caught up. This thread is like a gathering of people who have the same sense of humour as I do! I'll need a day off to grunk the MT.

@MaineCoonMama how are you getting on now?

It seems like a lot of people are in a bit of strange, transitional mood at the moment in real life and in tattle life too. I am finding the days hard and just want to hunker down with the curtains closed watching Bake Off. I am working in London next week, which I usually love but for some reason I am dreading it and I dont know why! As an antidote I have made the biggest pan of scouse (to keep it on topic).

I am still seeing the Economist. We text and talk a lot in between us seeing one another. Its never going to amount to anything because of the distance but Fraus I like him and I am worried about getting hurt. I cant tell anyone in real life so have told you.

 

[MaineCoonMama]

@Universal thank you, it's quite uncomfortable at my house at the moment! It's been ok but my husband can be quite the dick and he's chosen tonight to be an arsehole. The border with South Australia opens on the 23rd of this month so I'm going to take the first plane I can to my step dad's and stay there for a few weeks while I sort myself out. I just keep thinking 'this time next year will be so much better'.

 

[AlphaBetaDeux]

I’m impressed with the NHS. Had the results of yesterday’s covid test, thankfully it’s negative. Still feel grotty

Sorry that you’re feeling rubbish, but yay for not Covid! My son had a horrible not Covid cold/flu thing recently and it’s taken 3 weeks for him to get back to normal (still has the occasional barking cough even now).

Fingers crossed side effects of the booster/third primary vaccines aren’t too bad for all. I had 3x Pfizer and have been very fortunate to just suffer a sore arm.

It’s lovely to see some support for the NHS here Frauen and Herren, because it seems that after Jack’s Thursday #thunderclapforcapers fizzled out, people have forgotten very quickly the amount of stress our services have been under for the past year and three quarters, and have returned to dishing out pent up anger and frustration at the wrong people I want to point out here that the service has certainly failed for certain people at certain times and that’s absolutely horrific, but the people grumbling are normally complaining because they’ve had to wait more than 10mins to be seen for a thorn in their finger

Bah, that was so long! Apologies

 

[traumatised sideboard]

I am not good at taking photos of food but I actually made a caterpillar cake trifle as suggested by dear heart @Into_the_tunnel. It's a slice of caterpillar cake (defrosted in its own juices), a layer of cherry jam, Alpro custard, coconut yoghurt and a dusting of cocoa powder, garnished with a single fondant caterpillar eye. Haute cuisine

 

[jordishaw]

I think my cat is getting pretzels wrong. I'm finding it hard to cope with everything being darker and colder, and am also very tired of being angry, so love and solidarity to everyone having a hard time.

 

[MaineCoonMama]

It's starting to feel quite Christmassy here, first really hot day in a long time and I heard Last Christmas playing when I was at the shop.

 

[EddieBeds]

Apologies for the incoming rant/whinge but feel so demoralised. Just had a call at work and someone in our team is leaving (bit unexpected) and I was informally asked if I’d think about upping my hours - have just sat and done the calculations and the nursery fees negate the extra take home pay . I just feel so shafted and fed up. I work across two teams and have been largely forgotten by one of the teams (read ignored) so kind of already felt a bit meh so this just feels like another kick against me for not working full time/being a working parent. Add to that my wage doesn’t increase year on year (does anybody’s though?) as we don’t receive cost of living increases etc (kind of a given in the field I work in but still frustrating) and had a restructure last year so can’t see my wages will improve unless I get a new job. I do realise this is a privileged position to be in as many people struggle to find a job or are forced out due to personal circumstances.

Also trying to sort out retraining as I want to become a counsellor but trying to weigh up face to face learning with online courses - or if doing online Covid proofs the training for now? Looking at evening courses so I don’t incur childcare costs.

 

[kachoochoo]

well, fuck me, I did not expect to wake up to this today!

 

[MaineCoonMama]

As long as I'm with my Pooh-Bear I don't care about much else!
Also my step dad is really excited for me to stay with him. He was married to my mum for over 30 years and is just an incredibly awesome old bloke. @Universal Thank you so much, you've cheered me up immensely!