5 OS Pleasures in your Day Today part 2

ott09

Hi everyone,

Not been able to come on here as much as I'd a have liked although enjoyed catching up with everyone's posts. I'm up very early this morning- wanted to make most of quiet time as I have left school work pretty much to last minute as usual and I am very productive early in the morning.

Helped me that the cat decided to wake up early too. Also,today I will go and pick up my new car and I've decided that new car day is great opportunity for a new year- style, new me kind of thing. So I think that I'm going to start a DFW diary. :eek: Love reading others and it has totally changed the way I think about money etc so far but I think a diary would help me even more. Initially I was worried that no-one would want to read my drivvle but actually it's more for me than anything- to keep me on the straight and narrow. So,once I've got a name for it,I'm off- woohoo!

So my 5 for yesterday:

1. Coming back from lovely relaxing couple of days away- they weren't very OS but very chilled and we did do a mini walk while we were there (that's free isn't it?!)

2. Although I love going away,love coming back home and we were back in time to do some jobs at home and have sit down and tea before popping out again ( I am SO old before my time!).

3. Not having to get anything extra for dinner as we had plenty already in fridge/freezer.

4. Loving that the house is still pretty clean and tidy after big tidy up day the other day- usually Sunday is housework and schoolwork day and its always a race against time. Determined this Sunday not to have that horrible back to school feeling that you get and instead have an early night. Unfortunately I'm not so sure that will happen as I have a mountain of marking left untouched.

5. Well,the fact that I have made decision to start my new diary- and that I'm getting my new car today- oh and having my hair cut later. Sounds like rather an extravagant non OS day but haven't had my hair cut since start of this year and in dire need. Love the feeling you get 'Like you just stepped out of a salon!'

house elf- as you are a fellow teacher I feel your pain- I too was feeling the guilt that I haven't really done any school work and that yet again I've 'wasted' my holiday.Now I don't even have the excuse of children as I have none other than the little 'cat baby'. However like you say taking the time to spend with others is really more important isn't it? That is never time wasted whereas time that I sit pondering my literacy plan is! I also find that the more time I have to spend on my work, the more time it takes. Plus I never stick to my plans anyway so its always a complete waste of time in the first place!!!

Hope you're all good- I'm amazed at those who do personal replies in their replies- very dedicated and very thoughtful. You must be really nice people to do that.

Also Olliebeak- are you like me in that you don't need too much sleep as you are always up so blinking late-how do you function????

beachbaby_2

Good morning. I was up at stupid o clock as usual - can't get out of the habit for whatever reason. Just wanted to say thank you for everyones good wishes and PMs. I am trying very hard to stay positive. I am going for coffee with a friend this morning and have family round for a meal tonight so I will hopefully be keeping busy. Thanks, again. X

villagelife

My five for yesterday are

1. DS1 coming home with NO washing!!

2. The carrot and butterbean soup.

3. A £10 M&S voucher in the post.

4. A chat with a friend on the phone.

5. Batch cooking chicken pie and bolognaise sauce.

ampersand

Good morning all,
Catching up on old posts slowly.
1. BT renewed 40year+ line from house to telegraph pole yesterday, so I am back in world of comms. As I coiled up the 30 metres of old stuff that came down, it snapped internally like so many little twigs - good knows how it kept going so long. The new cabling is black flexi; the old was thin, triangular, grey - dated from 1964 I learn.
2. Mild still.
3. Will bike to tiny near village jumble sale this afternoon, after using bus pass shortly to Mr T for Grauniad and 1 or 2 other bits.
4. Being online again means access to i-player ce soir.
5. New reading and more Festival of Ideas in Cambridge.

Beachbaby - I feel same at Gym, but use the mindless local radio's extreme awfulness to get through the 10+15+ min bordeom of hated cross-trainer, treadmill and warm-up/down. I would be happy to have story/playreading/poetry to help me through, but don't possess the techie bits needed. Hope you can be feeling more 'up' this weekend.
I still say you have come a long way in a short time...yes, you have.
Someone earlier - mineallmine, I think - mentioned condensed milk use/recipes.
Shall post 2 goodies later
################
Try this:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/03/creamy-lemon-crumb-squares/

The other one is from the condensed milk tin label:
Chocolate Caramel Squares
Shortbread Base -
Beat 85gm butter with 45gms caster sugar[I used Poundland's ordinary Whitworth sugar - fine]till light and fluffy. Sift in 150gms plain flour, then turn out and knead briefly before pressing mix into 20x28cm[approx8x11"]tin. Bake till firm - about 25 mins at Gas Mark 4.
Filling-
In a pan, put 120gms butter, 75gms brown sugar, 30gms honey, can of condensed milk[apx 400gms]over medium heat, STIRRING CONSTANTLY, until all is melted and well combined - it will thicken.
Pour it over the shortbread base and leave to set.
Top with a 225gm block of chocolate, melted over low heat.
Cut into 24 squares just before chocolate reaches setting point[or 2 large pieces, if you prefer.]

I've put some of these useful conversions up on fridge - handy if I'm using Oz or American recipes, and non-gas temps.
http://www.recipes4us.co.uk/conversion_charts.htm

Primrose

Olliebeak - meats wrapped in cellophane can get a bit sweaty sometimes and not look too palatable as a result but are often perfectly OK to eat as long as they've been stored in a refrigerator. I find the best way of dealing with them is to take them out of the wrapper, give them a good rinse then soak for a short period in cold water to which a tiny drop of vinegar has been added just to get rid of any sweaty residues. Hope your ham joint is OK.

Primrose

Last couple of days:

1. Eating delicious Bara Bryth teabread made by OH, and being able to give a second loaf to next door neighbour who has done us a couple of good turns recently.
2. Getting the lawn cut in between showers. We now seem to be mowing right up to December, but at least keeping it short prevents moss forming and it's a bit more valuable material for our compost heap.
3. Picking up for 4 books I would like to read for £1 from a jumble sale.
4. Watching 3 red kites circling overhead and marvelling at how regularly we are now seeing these birds which only a few years ago were almost extinct in this part of the world.
5. Enjoying the autumn leaves and making the most of that last hour of daylight today before the clocks come forward this evening. Uugh !

sparrer

Primrose wrote: »

5. Enjoying the autumn leaves and making the most of that last hour of daylight today before the clocks come forward this evening. Uugh !

Primrose please don't set your clocks forward tonight, they need to be turned back, which means you have an extra hour in bed . I use the saying 'Spring forward, fall back' to remember which way they go. Enjoy your extra hour :j

Olliebeak

Primrose wrote: »

Olliebeak - meats wrapped in cellophane can get a bit sweaty sometimes and not look too palatable as a result but are often perfectly OK to eat as long as they've been stored in a refrigerator. I find the best way of dealing with them is to take them out of the wrapper, give them a good rinse then soak for a short period in cold water to which a tiny drop of vinegar has been added just to get rid of any sweaty residues. Hope your ham joint is OK.

Just popping in for a quick update on my ham shank. Soaked it in cold water for a while (forgot about putting vinegar in as well ), but still wasn't convinced by the smell. Thought well, give it a go and see what it's like in the morning and left it in the SC all night - still no better this morning. Certainly doesn't look 'iffy' but it's the smell that isn't quite right.

Rang the Bacon Supply company but got an answer machine, so left a message for them to get back to me - but they could be closed on a Saturday.

Decided to ring the shop where I bought it. Spoke to a lovely lady, 'Maureen', who said it can sometimes happen and to return it to them and they would replace/refund. I explained that I don't live that local and it would cost me £5.00 return bus fare when the shank only cost £2.50. She then said to 'whang it in the bin' and just make myself known next time I'm in the Market and we'll come to an arrangement - 10/10 to Maureen and Yates Greer of St.Helens Market :T.

In the meantime, I sent OH to our local shopping centre for a replacement for tonight. He came back with two (£1.99 each or 2 for £3.00) - they're not as big as the one that I'd bought but hey what the heck!

As I'm now short of time, they've each been done in the Pressure Cooker, while at the same time, I've been cooking the veggies in the Microwave. Shank No.1 is now in the SC and Shank No.2 finishing off. When that's done the soup/broth mix will go in the PC. Veggies are now in a pan on top of the cooker 'doing their thing' until I get the shanks 'peeled and chopped up. Then everything will go back into the SC and dumplings added - a case of musical pots/pans/microwave/slowcooker :rotfl:.

I've also had my hairdresser here today and I'm now a 'ravishing redhead' once more - well let's just leave it at a 'redhead' :j!

beachbaby_2

I'm going to post mine for today as I have a busy evening planned,
1. Coffee and a chat with a good friend.
2. Voucher for a day at a local leisure club.
3. A walk with the dog and it stayed fine.
4. A lovely conversation with a wonderful lady on this thread- you know who you are!!
5. A happy evening planned with my sister and her family. Making quiche for the buffet as we speak.
Many thanks again for all the good wishes. All these ((hugs)), It's the most intimate I've been in months!
Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour tonight. Love to all. X

CCP

Evening all.

beachbaby - I hope you have a lovely evening, and thanks for the reminder about the clocks - I hadn't exactly forgotten, but it had temporarily slipped my mind.

Ollie - that's a real shame about your bacon joint. :T to those nice people, though - it's always good to see such good customer service. And at least you did get some bacon in the end!

Primrose - you're so lucky to be able to see red kites. I've never seen any. (You don't get them in Portsmouth, obviously, but I've never seen them elsewhere, either.)

ott09 - please excuse my ignorance, but what's a DFW diary? Good luck with it, whatever it is!

sparrer - that's another fine bit of customer service, getting a free berry bush. Sounds like you've got the makings of lots of nice jam in years to come from your new collection.

Blimus - hooray for the new washing machine!:j I hope your weekend isn't too stressful with your visitors.

My pleasures for today:

1) Waking up early (well, early for a weekend) to the sound of rain on the windows, then going back to sleep and waking up later to sunshine.

2) NSD, my first for... erm... a while.

3) I had a cooking day today - I've now got a banana nut cake, some spicy tomato soup (only a small batch as it was an experiment - it's good enough that I'll make some more, though ), a loaf of granary bread, and a chicken, squash and white wine casserole that's currently in the oven.

4) Portsmouth won. :j

5) A rather silly game I've found on the internet, where you play a ghost who's got to try and scare a load of annoying people out of your home. Daft but fun!

Have a lovely evening, all - I must go back to my haunting experiments.