5 OS Pleasures in your Day Today part 2

ampersand

Oh Frith - board games...yes, I adore what the French call jeux de soci!t! - a lack, being on own in UK. They've always been a love and a longing: legacy of the only-child hood.

1. En route before 7 yesterday. How bitter it was in Charity Showroom - unbelievably so, but still marvellous stalwart supporters came and a surprising [to me] number of newbies. It's so good that word is still spreading.
2. Gladly reading reports of Blimus' Christmas Mincemeat Tealoaf - will make several for Tuesday, our last opening before Christmas, then I'm not back till Feb....if I get away[oh yes I will - even if days in advance]. Picked up more eggs from M in village after being dropped off last night. I'd left car at top of village by hedge and there was a loud shattering crunch as I moved off - my tyres wrenching free from grass verge where they'd been frozen.
3. I'm going out today - for brandy, cheapest but decent for cherry conserve and cherry stone brandy and a hunt for sth. Left cover on windscreen last night - it's still in place.
4. Agree with you sparrer, re Pamela S on SCD. Was v. surprised to have seen earlier that Matt was bookies' favourite. After her elimination, my attention drifted and I did one or two other things during rest of show.
5. Amazing restoration of lost objêt: It was suddenly there, sitting on one of many vast display tables as I walked along to find a book I knew I'd seen for someone. Oh, what a lift! Still feeling rejoice-y for my dangly turquoise earring, lost in showroom a couple of weeks back.
6. Ebay has helped me, with one astonishing result. I am so grateful for what it makes possible.
7. Collected M's clock from v. kind restorer. It's been with him a year and may come back if M decides on the recommended full works - £350 - v. worthwhile, but it's only thanks to ebay that I have been able to give the[and I know he's cut the price for me - 26hrs'work+some tweaks and working parts - because it's a fascinating clock he'd love to fully restore] £40 for prep. investigation and 'up and running' status. Will have to write this off as M's b'day and Crimbo. In all my years of dearly knowing her, I am always aware of the old saws about how aristo's stay rich.....it's true.
8. The gorgeous tongue-numbing exquise of these from HFW{I'm nibbling even before choc dipping is done - they're wondrously more-ish and there are so many]:

Make Pam the Jam's candied orange sticks for Christmas . . .

This recipe uses orange peel but any citrus fruit will work, as will milk or white chocolate instead of plain. Glucose syrup is optional but does prevent the sticks becoming too hard - you can find glucose syrup at most chemists.
[Bought it from Mr T - Dr Oetker's @ £1.19]

4-5 large oranges
500g granulated sugar
1tbsp glucose syrup
200g good plain chocolate
Step 1
Scrub the oranges and using a sharp knife, remove the peel and attached pith. Weigh out 250g or peel and cut into slices about 6mm x 5cm. Place the peel in a large pan and cover with 2 litres of cold water.
Step 2
Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes, drain and return to the pan with 1 litre of cold water. Bring to the boil again and simmer, covered, this time for 45 minutes. Then add the sugar and stir until it’s dissolved, simmer for a further 30 minutes, still covered. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 24 hours.
Step 3
Bring the pan to the boil again - if using glucose syrup, add it now - and boil for 30 minutes, until all the liquid has evaporated and the sticks are coated with bubbling syrup. Allow to cool then carefully remove sticks to a wire rack. Leave in a warm place (an airing cupboard is ideal) for 24 hours.
Step 4
Break the chocolate in to pieces and melt in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Remove from heat and dip half of each orange stick in the melted chocolate, placing on greaseproof paper to set. Before dipping the sticks will last 3-4 months, once dipped in chocolate they are best eaten within 3 weeks.

I have trebled recipe, using frozen orange qtr peels from those eaten every morning.

Will also definitely do the first 2 of these from Dan Lepard in yesterday's Grauniad:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/danlepard

Goodness me - nearly nine of your earth hours on clock.

May I ask for special thoughts for F, whose story and tragedy and courage I will not write here. It was a chance meeting in Mr T after I'd been at Addenbrooke's the other day. I ended up running her and huge shopping back there to Acorn House - google if you need to understand.
Please pray for her and send vibrant powerful encouragement to her and her now tetraplegic son T. requiring ventilation for the rest of his Life - aged 6.
Frith - I thought of you as she is also in Court battles with a.n.other, who scents big payout - I have seen the papers.

Blessings to all today, cherish each other dearly.

gratefulforhelp_2

Caterina wrote: »

4 - I had a dispute with a customer services assistant at the supermarket, she would not accept my coupon because she said that the product is not like the picture on the coupon - never mind that the coupon said "Any product of xxx brand". She called another colleague, then yet another and they treated me really badly, like if I was an inconvenience. Eventually they agreed to put the coupon through, but in really bad grace. I went to complain to the store manager - but I was so upset that I started crying. He was really pleasant and also extremely apologetic, told me that he would mention it as a training issue to the customer service manager and gave me a £5 gift card. Not that £5 is a price for my upset but his attitude made me feel better (and the fiver is at least a little bonus).

Why do they issue vouchers and then treat people like scam artists? Its hardly going to get return custom, is it?

unwelcome visitor was hideous ex, I guess frith will relate to the pleasure of his absence!

Kitchenbunny

Hi everyone, it has been another mad week. Here goes with a few recent pleasures:

1. Relaxing under a blanket - we're having a day off everything today and it's nice and leisurely. So far.
2. Getting my Christmas Eve cooking schedule sorted so there's precious little to do on Christmas Day.
3. DH brought me a cup of tea in bed.
4. Watching the birdies in the garden. Aww

Couldn't quite think of 5, but the 4 were good ones so I'm not fussed. Tea will be spaghetti bolognese later, and that might stretch to toasted sandwiches tomorrow night. Back to work tomorrow with an early start (so early to scrape the car off, too!) to pick up some things from Mum's before work. I'll have to make some nibbles for work tomorrow night (everyone takes in a bit of food on the last week before Christmas to make it a bit festive). I've got some flatbread/tortilla things and will spread them with cranberry sauce and then layer some turkey with stuffing on it and roll 'em up like pinwheels. Hopefully that'll do. Anyway, (((hugs))) to those in need, and even if I don't post as often of late, I do think of you all on here.

KB xx

Primrose

Only seem to manage to post every few days. It's a manic time of year, isn't it?

1. Recent carol service. Need REAL christmas music to get me into a Christmas mood. "I'm dreaming of a White Christmas" just doesn't do it for me.
2. Attending a packed concert. I do enjoy seeing live music being performed by skilled musicians.
3. Not having to go out shopping after yesterday's heavy snowfall, thanks to the luxury of a well-stocked cupboard.
4. Getting our driveway mostly cleared of the worst snow. Can at least now get the car out of the garage if it's needed for an emergency.
5. Having time to feed the birds regularly and just watch the huge numbers of them coming to the garden to be fed.

Minette23

Bonjour everyone!

Sorry i haven't had any time to post since my first ever post eeek

My 5 for today,

1. Rescue kitty plucking up the courage to try out sitting on my lap, and finding out she likes it. I'm now ambushed everytime i sit at the computer desk, but she makes a lovely hot water bottle.

2. A lovely Raclette last night with some good friends, the house now stinks of cheese and there's loads of washing up, but my friend Bosch will take care of that

3. Changing the living room round and finding an amazing lay-out that changes the feel of the whole room. Takes me back to my childhood days when i used to change my room around every few months, pure joy!

4. Going to a lovely christmas market and splashing out on some locally made nougat, delish!

5. Wrapping the geese that we've raised for 10 months up in clingfilm and popping them in the freezer ready for the new year's eve meal..... evil i know, but at least they had a good life free-ranging in our huge field, saved us buying a lawnmower and will now feed a huge family. Better than buying battery-farm meat i say.

Hope you're all well and warm in snowy england!

dundeedoll_2

Just a quickie as I'm having a 'defrost break'...........Had over a foot of snow yesterday and then it was -19 C :eek::eek: (or should that be :cool:???) overnight, so have been outside for the last hour trying to move the snow off of my car and to clear the drive. Haven't even done 1/2 of it yet.
Not sure it's worth it as the road is just as bad as my drive :rotfl:

Not going to be going anywhere as the cold temps are forecast for the week, which means the snow won't go and that sort of throws all the Christmas arrangements into doubt.
Really wanted to be with my friend whose son has the cancer to give her a bit of support and was so pleased that my son - whose friend it is- would spend the day with him as................??? Shouldn't think like that, I know.................got to be positive, but...........

Pleasures from the last few days

1) Went to see 'It's complicated' at the 'rural cinema', a village hall in a beautiful village - think Bridget Jones' Diary snow scene at her parents' house in The Cotswolds. (The scenes were shot in July tho' so it was fake snow, but looked roughly the same )
Enjoyed the film.

2) Getting up the very steep icy hill in 1 piece...........as well as down again to get to 1) :j

3) A lovely filled with laughter phonecall with a friend. :A

4) Knowing I've got enough food in should I be unable to go to the shops for a while........catfood included! Oh and NOT having to worry about how many cigarettes I've got and how will I get some more.

5) Off for round 2 outside.................so it will be a pleasure to come back into the warm when I've finished :cool:


Thanks mhagster & ampersand for the recipes.............will try both out.

FRITH Have PM'd you! x

newlywed

Hi all,
here's mine

1. cooking brownies in my nice clean oven (spent most of yesterday afternoon scrubbing it into a slightly less horrendous state).

2. Chicken and barley hotpot. Easy and everyone eats it all without complaint.

3. Eating choc brownies! (yes feeling much better thanks!)

4. Having a lazy day, long lay in, and then just washing, pottering and tidying bits as I feel like it

5. Having a day off tomorrow - and then only two and a half days left of work

CCP

Evening all. Hope you're all well, and that everyone who hasn't been well is feeling better.

Mine for today:

1) More snow. :snow_grin

2) My favourite breakfast of HM bread with smoked salmon. :drool:

3) Mooched round the farmers' market. It was a bit wet and cold, but also rather fun - with the snow coming down heavily and the Sally Army band playing, it was like shopping inside a Christmas card. :xmassmile

4) Bought a replacement present for my sister - a selection pack of locally-made cider - so I've got something to give her if, as looks increasingly likely, the presents I ordered over the internet don't turn up in time.

5) The usual selection of yummy freebies at the market, including a butternut squash and coconut cake that's one of the nicest cakes I've ever eaten. :drool:

6) Wrapping my sister's new present while watching the (very exciting) showjumping.

Have a lovely evening, all - I must go and brush up on my Christmas trivia for the last pub quiz of the year. :rudolf:

BlimusOreilly

Hugs to all who are down and under the weather. And special positive vibes to ampersand's friend. What an absolutely horrendous thing. I am so thankful for my families good health.

ampersand also - thanks for sharing that orange stick recipe. Not like anything I've ever attempted before. But I would really like to try. And as much as I'd like to take the credit - the mincemeat tea loaf wasn't mine.

Despite the snow at this end yesterday on the way and the snow at my mum's end when we left, I am really pleased that we managed to make it safely there and back to my mum's for my side of the family's christmas do.
So here are mine for yesterday and today:

1) An anxious drive but we made it safely! In Norfolk the temp was actually -15 :eek: I've never experienced a temp as cold as that before and it was a 'strange' pleasure to feel what it felt like (briefly).
2) My lovely sister took me to her favourite local wool shop to show me how great it was and we bought each other a ball of wool. I felt bad for her in her wheelchair in the christmas rush though - her head was at handbag-swinging level and she also couldn't get into several parts of the shop easily to take a look at the goods. So I am thankful for my mobility.
3) Looked in the local charity shops near the wool shop. Found some nice books for both the boys. Also some bits in the charity shop that will be good christmas presents for the boys. I am pleased that my sons have followed in their parents footsteps and love 2nd hand stuff
4) A superb meal with all the family at my mum's house. There are not many left of my side of the family, just my mum and my sister and her family. But we all get on so well.
5) Some lovely presents! Including the best cheese hamper from my sister which was covered by a bizarre hand-knitted cheese blanket! She won't mind me laughing about it on here, it was the source of great mirth yesterday!
6) A late night walk in the snow with my mum and DS1.
7) The roads weren't too bad on the way home.
8) A nice warming bath with some new bubble bath.
9) The fire is blazing nicely in the background.
10) Looking forward to going through the christmas Radio Times to mark what we want to watch over the christmas period

Ladyhawk

Evening all,

Hope you are all well wrapped up and warm!

I'm feeling so much better today. My nose has nearly stopped running and my cough has also improved.

1) I fixed my heating... well it is working now so I'm claiming that I fixed it!

2) HM soup for dinner with the dregs of the veg in my kitchen and a whoopsied roll.

3) Chatting to my mum on the phone

4) Snooze on the sofa with the kitty

5) Got some good recipes from here for more Christmas goodies for my DB and SIL's Christmas hamper. Now I just have to find the time to buy the ingredients and make them. Ampersand - thanks for the recipe - yours was the first t be noted down!

Night all - have a fab week!

L

ETA: Frith - boardgames?