A new 'tougher' thread... and so it continues

mcculloch29

I started catching up with this thread an hour ago and I've only been missing 3 days....

I was an EB '...of Adventure' fan, but my biggest love was for Monica Edwards' Punchbowl Farm stories. I had won some Amazon vouchers and had others as gifts so I have 3 Punchbowl Farm books republished by Girls Gone By coming in the next few days, plus one published at the end of the month on pre-order.
I can remember being sooo excited when I found out that Punchbowl Farm really existed, and so did nearly all the animals in the books, with Lindsey and Peter being based on Monica Edwards' own children...

Almost matched by the excitement I had in the late 60s/early 70s, when I read the first James Herriot story and later realised it was all based on truth, that Darrowby was a mixture of Thirsk, Barnard Castle and Richmond, and that JH was a real vet called Alf Wight. It made moving to Catterick a lot more exciting fifteen years later...

fuddle

This is the first night in about 6 that I have woken and can't get back to sleep. I thought it was too good to be true. Anyway, there's reward enough for letting lil pup out of his bed in kitchen to come curl up beside me.

We have finally finished the living room decoration :j We have looked at bare plaster and ripped paper for so long I feel like I live in a home now and not a squat. I's a great feeling...good for the soul.

I have an inch of stocking stitch on my knitting needles :j I finally sussed it and I'm loving the process of knitting. Going to search for some smaller circular needles so I can do my leg warmers after the snood. That will have to wait till next pay though, and the pattern and fabric for the poncho type jacket I have in mind to sew.

My mum is here and is staying overnight. I actually thoroughly enjoyed her company yesterday - I'm thinking that it is the anti-d's helping me to not take things so seriously or personal. It's nice to be able to laugh things off and not stew over pointless words.

Steamed pudding in the slow cooker is simple and delicious by the way. Mine was sat on high for hour and a half.

I'm about to browse the net to see if I can make some nice curtains for the bay window cheaper than it would be to buy. I'd like to line them too as it's freezing in here come the autumn. I just don't know if my sewing machine skills are up to the job. :cool:

Caroline-Encore

VJsmum wrote: »

Margot Joey Bettany's triplets - first of 11 children, and her supposed to be delicate. "Al sereno old fruit, you go ahead and i'll follow" :o:o:o

And is it Eesalt?

Not to mention all Joey and Jack's adoptees as well

Do you mean Yseult Pertwee? (and yes that is spelt correctly - I got out my CS A-Z to check!)

mcculloch29 wrote: »

I was an EB '...of Adventure' fan, but my biggest love was for Monica Edwards' Punchbowl Farm stories. I had won some Amazon vouchers and had others as gifts so I have 3 Punchbowl Farm books republished by Girls Gone By coming in the next few days, plus one published at the end of the month on pre-order.
I can remember being sooo excited when I found out that Punchbowl Farm really existed, and so did nearly all the animals in the books, with Lindsey and Peter being based on Monica Edwards' own children...

Hope you enjoy Spirit of Punchbowl Farm when it comes - I only read that as an Armada paperback so am looking forward to reading the unabridged edition

SpikyHedgehog wrote: »

:rotfl: I belong to a Chalet School forum, and there have been long threads starting with the question 'How do you pronounce Yseult?'

From that comment I guess you might possibly be on the CBB? Feels very weird different strands of internet life mixing!

Kittikins

Wow, all this talk of lovely books.......TOm's Midnight Garden is on my top 10 books of all time

I was also a huge fan of Swallows and Amazons, and am hoping DD will be too, once she gets over her silly Horrid Henry phase!

Can't wait to have bookcases at our house and be able to get the books out of the boxes in the garage (plastic boxes so they should be safe for a while).

mardatha

To the ladies who cook - can you help me make a perfect beef stew ?
I cooked it long and slow in the crockpot yesterday.. beef stew, carrots, some turnip and onions. I threw in a glug of cooking wine (never used it before dono what to do with it). Now what ? There's still a lot of watery gravy swimming around in there :eek: - and I had visions of this gorgeous dark rich thick sauce... What do I now?

Molly41

I loved the "Katy" books by Susan Coolridge

katieowl_2

Take some (most) of the gravy out and simmer it on the stove to reduce it and then pop it back in, or thicken it with some cornflour or gravy granules. I'd be inclined to reduce it a bit first anyway, as crock pot stuff always has too much liquid.

Kate

[Deleted User]

MAR - drain off most of the surplus liquid into a saucepan and reduce it until it is only about a third of its volume and add it back in. Keep the slow cooker on and give it another hour - should solve the problem. Try the reduction for seasoning before you put it back and add more salt/pepper if needed. Hope that helps Lyn x.

Mrs_Chip

Morning Mar - stew in June says it all :rotfl:.

I would put the thin gravy into a pan and reduce it down till it is thick enough, you might need to give it a bit of a hand by adding some thickener (I would mix a bit of flour with a bit of butter and stir bits of it in to the hot gravy but you could use gravy powder or cornflour).

The slow cooker does not allow for evaporation of the cooking juices so unless you use flour at the start you need to fiddle with it at the end of cooking, and tbh I have never made a good stew in a slowcooker, I can't seem to get the flavour right.

mardatha

Ok will do ty. He moaning his face off that the crockpot is using ELECTRICITY !! so I said well we could have the stew raw if you like..
I wish I could cook, but I hate trying because it always comes out like sewage