5 OS Pleasures in your Day Today part 2

mcculloch29

Thank you for that lovely comment Ampersand, your posts bring me such pleasure -and great to see DD posting -I also loved Eric Idle's human cannonball.
BoP will probably know, as I do, that the surviving lads left shamefully unprotected on the Sir Galahad thirty years ago, sang 'Always Look On The Bright Side of Life' .. as they waited for rescue. Now every time I hear it, I think of them; their (black) humour in not wanting to let the horrors overwhelm them.

Re radio listening. I used to really enjoy Radio 4 up to about 16 years ago, then found myself screaming at the radio when I heard Harriet Harman on the Today programme (she was having a go at single parents.) I often found myself yelling at the Today programme....

It was not a good start to the day, particularly as I muttered "expletive government" afterwards and then realised not only had I voted for them, Tony Blair was my MP and I was one of his constituency Party members.

So no more Today - I switched to Mark Radcliffe and Lard, then on Radio 1, to make me laugh instead. Then I got out of the habit of listening to other R4 programmes I enjoyed - my favourite was John Peel's Home Truths.

1. Stayed in on a dire day yesterday, fielded various deliveries, including the Jamie Oliver food processor that Am*zon sent me to trial. It was in use within the hour, and after a few heart-stopping moments when it appeared not to work (assembly has to be very precise) it zapped the large quantities of finely chopped onion and bacon for Estonian pirukkad (pirukkas, also known as peroshkas or pirogies/perogies in States) in a few seconds.

2. To make a vast quantity of pirukkas as my Mum Elgate (Helga) did.

Helga's Pirukkad/Pirukkas
You will need a bag of white bread mix or equivalent quantity of dough.
C 900 g cooking bacon, pref. one with bits of smoked bacon and gammon in. Heron's is great. Tesco's isn't but will do. Take off most of the fat, if it's got visible amounts.
C. 750 g white onions.
Baking sheets or trays, greased and floured or lined with silicone sheets.
Milk or beaten egg to glaze.
Make up a 500g bag of bread mix (or enough bread for an 800g loaf and leave to prove whilst chopping cooking bacon and the same quantity of onions.
Fry onions and bacon gently until soft but not brown. Dry frying is best, if you can do it.
Leave onions and bacon to cool, whilst you knock back dough. Take walnut sized balls of dough and roll out small circles from each. Prepare a dozen or so for each tray. Place roughly two heaped teaspoons of cooled onion and bacon on lower half of each dough circle, fold to make a mini pastie and seal with fork. (Observe at this point how pirukkas, peroshkas, perogies and pasties all begin with the letter P, and wonder just how old these recipes are.)

A dozen pirukkad should fit on a baking tray, depending on size of both.
Brush each sealed pirruka with milk or beaten egg and milk if you can spare it and bake in a 200 Centigrade oven for 20 mins or so until golden. This recipe makes about 40, halve it if your family is not as greedy as mine.

They keep for a few days in the fridge and taste even better on subsequent days.
In Estonia they were eaten with soup, as savoury profiteroles are in Spain, but we have them as party food, for Christmas, Easter and birthdays.

3. Speaking of Estonia, email from my bro in Cardiff. We hadn't heard from our cousin in Estonia, whose wife was expecting a second child, and feared the worst. Cousin had lost my email addy and emailed bro - cousin's son Thor is now 9 months old. Yippee! A girl, then a boy, -just like my grandmother, mother, me, and my daughter.

More later, must get on with preps!

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

Welcome back Luton Lass. Thanks SPARRA, but although the name suggest, I canna swim toooo well.

Mcculloch. Minds me of the morn Skid Marks found out his young brother was down. Grew up that day. Still remember watching the Simon Weston programmes in Pigs Bar, avidly glued to every word. Some have remained forever young.

5 Did me thirst vegetable soup. Everything in, mushed and served. Tasted ok, but slight over on Garam masala. Lady Black also had trifle, and did not realise I has down runny top for a change. Cat cleaned up.

4 Smoked mackerel kedgeree for tea, with sala

3 nieces turned up, gosh have they grown. Eldest is now with man, seems alright.

2 Missed church cos of other things, but had a bought passed on from or next mp. The adverts are all for loan companies, bookies and slaughter games. You get your money from the hark, hand it over to the bookie and when it goes wrong, do reality. Mmmm made me think.

1 day till go.

Frith

Mcculloch - I've eaten pastries similar to those you describe, cooked by my friend who is Latvian.

Chicken - good to hear about new dog. I am so tempted to get another Jack Russell now! Wonder how it would get on with the cats, though? And our garden is really too small.

& - it probably doesn't mean anything to access. :-( He was found guilty of 20 counts of fraud a couple of years ago and just received a fine. He is allegedly in trouble for something else which may carry more weight. Always amuses me that he is a school governor...

Pleasures for today. (Christmas Eve Eve).

1) A sleep as long as you can imagine!

2) Made it to Sainsburys. River flooded but barriers up now. All shopping done (presents and food) except some cheese for dad and I'll get that in flood barrier town tomorrow.

3) Had lunch with my school friend, at her parents'. It's her birthday today. Her parents live in a little village with a large piece of common land in the middle. Some of the tracks are so badly flooded, they have swans on them!

4) All presents wrapped!

5) Just spoken to sons on the phone. Perhaps not a good idea to sit in the dark, alone, watching The Snowman without them. :-(

6) Got the stove going well so just going to have a tidy and clean the bathroom this evening before settling down with some sloe gin to watch Peep Show.

and 7) Looked at all the root vegetables in the fridge and cooked up sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips and leeks and made them into a crumble. Not bad at all!

Tealady_2

Evening

DD - Lovely to see you posting again (((Hugs)))

Pleasures for today,
1. Call to say SIL is in hospital which is not a pleasure but the anti-biotics they are pumping into her seem to be working but looks like she may be in over Christmas.
2. Organised for long train journey tomorrow - wraps made up and soup just needs heating and putting into flasks plus a few other treats ready in the bag.
3. Presents delivered to the inlaws so one less thing to worry about
4. Nice lie in this morning and finished reading my book in bed with a mug of hot chocolate.
5. Lazy dinner of fishfingers, beans and oven chips.

Operation Christmas Suprise goes into its final stage tomorrow as we get the train to the North East and fingers crossed there doesn't seem to be any flooding on that line, hope it stays that way. I probably won't get back on line for a few days so wanted to wish everyone a very happy and peaceful christmas.

Tealady

Broomstick

:j DD

mcculloch I tend to switch the radio off when the Today programme gets confrontational in its interviewing style. Puts me right off.

My five pleasures for Sunday:

1. Another load of recycling etc out of the house and to the dump.

2. Did the final food stuff supermarket shop with DS1's help. We stopped at the lovely proper organic veg shop as well and got carrots and baking spuds from there. Using this place regularly is definitely on my list of new year's resolutions.

3. Cheese omelette, steamed spuds, carrots and broccoli for supper. Very simple but tasty.

4. DSs ended up being much more cheerful this evening than they had been earlier. Lots of laughing together trying to remember Christmas jokes over supper.

5. Realising that the nights are now getting shorter and the days longer. Summer is coming! :T (River level is still holding out as well. Fingers crossed.)

Sweet dreams

B x

Popped back to add that I've just watched the early evening news on iplayer and wanted to send some more 'travel safely' thoughts to anyone travelling through the worst of this weather and 'stay strong' to people who are being flooded. It's not a pleasure but I am feeling quite fortunate tonight.

Skint_yet_Again

Chicken.. JR seems to have found a home and a place in both your hearts

B hope river continues to hold x

Dundee lovely to see you (((hugs)))

tealady sorry to hear about your SiL hope she gets well soon x

1. sorry weather still mild, and got 3 loads washing mostly dried on line .... not quite bikini weather tho

2. heating off all day, just flicked on tonight to air washing

3. final of DS presents wrapped. Just family presents to do before we go away on Thu

4. afternoon nap. Have been waking up at 4am

5. NSD/NPD just snugged up on sofa and watching TV with DS

sparrer

BoP you don't have to swim to watch water polo. Doh!
Chicken poor little dog must have been very confused, too many people all at once in a strange environment but hopefully he and your DM will have some quiet time now to get to know each other.
Tealady best wishes to your SiL, hope she makes a steady recovery

1. Was enjoying a lie-in when the phone rang - a lovely friend in Beijing calling from the airport to wish me Happy Christmas before she goes back to Edinburgh for her holiday. She's flying back in the NY via Heathrow so may get a chance to meet up with her
2. Excellent meeting with friends at lunchtime, the usual laughing and joking. We're not a glum lot!
3. Went on to DD's pub for the children's Christmas party which was fun. At long last I've met my great-granddaughter who is now 5 years old! Grandson and his partner split a long time ago and she was difficult about him having access but thank goodness that's over now. The LO is so gorgeous! (Well she would be wouldn't she ) gave me a big hug and kept coming back from the party games to sit with me. She certainly knows how to win hearts
4. Went to Mr S for petrol, was surprised there were no queues, in fact very few people about this afternoon. maybe they're all spent out!
5. Home to pack up the pressies I'm taking to DD's on Tuesday and tidy the chaos that was Christmas wrapping sessions. All put away for another year, the kitchen looks so much better now
6. A strange but interesting selection of programmes of the box, the best of which was the Diamond Queen. As a staunch royalist I enjoy watching anything about the Royal Family - the real one, iyswim

Safe journey to everyone travelling over the holidays, have a super time

Sweet dreams

Kittenkirst

Hello :0) I've been trying to be more oldstyle recently and spent today baking in order to keep me out of the shops (I live a few minutes from Leicester city centre and have an addiction/compulsion for food shopping!)

So my 5 OS pleasures today were:
-Baking my Christmas cake; bought a Mary Berry one for £1/£2 in Jan last year and have made that today. I then marzipan & iced it using leftovers from my work christmas cake in jar gift project :-D finished with some iving snowflakes & edible glitter. Its a bit rustic but dead chuffed!
-whilst that was baking for 3 hours, warmed shinnof beef casserole the boyf slowcooked yesterday, served with mash & greens. Yum!
-Also popped in some lavender sugar biscuits (googled recipe for boscuits without eggs as ran out and then added lavender).
-Made savoury pancakes for breakfast using a pack of batter mix, corn & cheese!
-sorted out 6 blog posts & pics to publish at intervals throughout the week!

A sneaky no.6 is that my brother called so I know he is okay at the moment (he's a vulnerable person so worry alot!)

Hope everyone stays dry & safe during the fesive season! Is it too early to say Merry Christmas?

Kittikins

Merry Christmas Kittenkirst and everyone xx

Feeling rubbish and DD is really not well again, so just a quickie......

1. NSD

2. Friend gave me nice bottle of wine and choccy cookies to say thank you for stuff I did yesterday

3. DD and I stayed in bed til nearly 10am cuddling, snoozing, giggling and trying to get better!

4. Packed everything bar the kitchen sink and have come away up to my parents to be pampered

5. Popped in to see a friend on the way to drop something in and had a lovely, if too brief, chat.

6. Lovely text from a couple of chums to wish us merry christmas.

ampersand

Absolutely not, kittenkirst - and Welcome with your lovely post!
Can you perhaps budge up along that sofa and make room for one more as I, too, have JUST sat down after completing all 3 cakes and 4 jars of h/g framboise/cognac preserve...have to say it's gorgeous. It's been a long week.
All cleaning up done too and preserving pan away, at last.
Other big things nearly completed, last one to be sorted by meeting quelqu'un@9h. It suddenly feels as though things are settling, which is not the same as completing. Long haul still.

1. That round thing that you've been talking about - I think I saw it here today, not for long, a bit bleached out looking. definitely not very yellow, but I'm sure that was it.

2. Trust we all noted the new flagged up mention of 'that hippy couple who've moved into Bluebell Cottage' by Susan Carter? What odds on a Vicky crimbo labour?[after which a new overkill story line is required - time for HIPPIES] Is Lilian being won back by Matt?

3. Thoroughly approve of the new isihac Archers game therefore. Liking Jack Dee more and more and someone chose this segment on potw ce soir. Extreme jollities.

4. ...and today's Waitrose trolley find was...a birthday card! Each time I take an item back to cs desk, they wave it away, saying said items can't go back on shelves and should a person enquire, they'd replace forgotten item with a fresh one anyway, which makes sense and doubtless appeases elfin safety. Loved that free capuccino again:-) It was my halfway pause in day.

5. I'll count the found green token as a reverbe, since it goes in one of their 3 good cause coffers. I put mine always in the one with least support...quelle surprise!

6. Pukeko gummies have been worn all w/e[necessarily] and I've had a lovely time in them and on-purpose puddles.

7. France-Inter[162 longwave] was glorious en route in car this morning and gave me a complete time/place tfr.

8. Okay, have suddenly done it, enticed by a 25% previous passenger DFDS em. I'm clearing off at close of anniversaire, which will have been a big Spitalfields day, heading for Dover...just need a quick transmanche flit for a few days[£38 rtn], in my usual rough and ready, smell of an oily rag way, back in time for next Spitalfields. A little bit of a scout for stock can be pretend justification. I need my French revivals and they know by now that they must pay for themselves.

More to write, but need byes and ny-nyes. Please accept flat tone and excuses.