Cooking for one (Mark Three)

caronc

Good evening everyone,
Lovely sounding dinner Brambling - I wish it had been mine.:)
Unsurprisingly I was later back than expected so dinner is a quick cheese & mushroom omelette and toast. I really fancied an onen baked spud with beans & cheese but cba waiting that long.

I came back to a very cold house - I thought I had popped the heating on timed to come on at 8pm but had actually set it for 8am.......:o:o Thankfully a quick blast on high has warmed the place up, there was a definite glisten of ice on the car windscreen when we were coming home so unless it clouds over I think we might get a "proper" frost tonight.:eek:

caronc

wort wrote: »

I love my home, yes it could be warmer but that's probably cos I'm a thin blooded bad circulatory person:rotfl:

I love my home too wort despite all it's quirks, tattyness and chilly bits. I love coming home to it if I have been out or away and feel it is really my space. No doubt one day I'll need to rethink but for the foreseeable future I'm staying put. I'm very grateful to have a home I can feel safe. secure and at peace in:D.

wort

Absolutely Caronc, I love to come in and curl up in my home knowing I don't have to go out .
I'm eternally grateful to my daughter who paid off my remaining mortgage when hubby died so I don't have to worry about losing the house. It's definitely my haven. Full of memories and love. .

flubberyzing

Morning all!

It was lovely and warm here yesterday! I went out in the evening without my jacket, which I haven't done for a couple of weeks now. Looking at the sky this morning, it looks like we might be in for the same.
In the rain, last Sunday morning, I was telling my auntie that summer often has a last hurrah around my birthday (tomorrow). I do tend to be quite lucky, weather-wise, around the date. Saying that, I've heard it may cloud over again for the weekend. But as long as it doesn't rain, I'm not bothered.
On Saturday I'm driving over to Peterborough for the day. I have a friend who lives in Norwich, and Peterborough is about halfway for both of us. There isn't really much there, but we just float around the shops and coffee places. Sometimes we have a bit of a poke around the cathedral. I'm not religious, but I do like to light a candle for my dear departeds when I get the chance.

On Sunday, my local BBC radio station are hosting a "county day" at the stately home very near me, so myself and another friend though we'd go along, it's free to get in, and parking. Apparently they do it every year, at different statelies around the county, but it's the first I've heard of it!

Looking forward to my chippy tea later! Very much!
Currently doing a little bit of private tutoring for a young girl with special needs in the town, so I'll do that, then come home via the chippy.

PasturesNew

Brambling wrote: »

That's quite a wish list PN, have you worked out which ones if any you will compromise on?

One can only work out what can be a compromise when you're actually comparing actual properties.

MY parking ... my borders... my fences... is non negotiable
Not next to open areas/paths/etc non negotiable.
Sunny south/west facing is essential.

I think the rest can be compromised on - but it's always a mix of the overall package, which includes price and the ability to do (minor) works that could make a change.

It'd be impossible to get "the perfect" one that had it all .... all in the right sizes, orientations - and the "flow".

Brambling wrote: »

Thinking the gun turret would be worth it just to see my neighbours faces

Go for it


Right. Waiting for the gas man (been trying to arrange this and have him turn up since May) - and it went from important to critical when the weather turned a bit cold....

He should be here "soon".

I put the chicken breasts in the SC for 1.5 hours on high, then roughly sliced the breasts into half (to aid cooking) and added 3 small/medium chopped onions and the jar of (4sda) piri piri sauce (is piri piri the same as peri peri? no idea). Turned it down.

At some point I'll go and poke it about a bit to cut the breasts up smaller.

Have to see how that turns out ... and if I like it.

I'll serve it with basmati later... got no chips unless I decide I need chips and go and get them. Might toss some peas into either the chicken, or the rice.

Who knows... it'll be hot and food... later.

PasturesNew

caronc wrote: »

I'm very grateful to have a home I can feel safe. secure and at peace in

That's all I want really ... somewhere I can relax without other people doing annoying things where they're not supposed to be at all.

Open plan estates don't work if you've the sort of neighbours who just see "open" as meaning "free/communal" ... and ignore boundaries, deeds, freehold statuses.... especially when those neighbours are the Knee Highs and their noisy assortment of wild friends/relations with an assortment of noisy toys (skates, scooters, bikes, balls). Nobody should have to have a staring contest with a strange fat child that's standing above them on their wall, while the child's accompanying other Knee High is plucking the little apples from your ornamental tree and flinging them at passing traffic .... and other annoying behaviours.

caronc

Good morning everyone,

PN- as far as I'm aware Piri Piri and Peri Peri are one and the same.

Got up a frost here this morning - first proper one of the season. Nice and sunny now but still very cold. I have a grocery order coming this morning and then it's back to gardening for me while the weather is ok.
Lunch will be soup but not sure about dinner yet.

caronc

PN- a lot of folk would think where I live would be noisy and lack privacy as it's a terrace on a main road. It's not- as the houses are old the walls are thick so I seldom hear anything from the neighbours and the gardens are enclosed and very private. The terrace blocks any noise from the road in the garden so it's very quiet. If you see any like that could be worth a look to see if it ticks any of your boxes.

PasturesNew

caronc wrote: »

PN- a lot of folk would think where I live would be noisy and lack privacy as it's a terrace on a main road. It's not- as the houses are old the walls are thick so I seldom hear anything from the neighbours and the gardens are enclosed and very private. The terrace blocks any noise from the road in the garden so it's very quiet. If you see any like that could be worth a look to see if it ticks any of your boxes.

The trouble with very modern stuff tends to be dinky gardens... say 20'x12'... and allocated parking outside of those fences... so some kids then hang out in the car areas, even though they're really tight to turn/park ... and if you've a road with, say, 10-20 houses, that can mean up to 12 kids/bikes/scooters/balls (because they don't all live there, but come from other roads) ... and some kids are going round on their skates holding their bike chasing the boy with the ball. Mayhem! And screaming, for 3-4 hours ... screaming when they're all under 40' away from you... screaming/shouting for up to 4-5 hours/day.

I did specifically choose a house that is "non estate" and not near any "child friendly" spaces... but I had no idea people would toss kids out into areas where cars are parked! I've seen many areas with that layout before, but never ever seen kids playing in them... and they're not "communal parking" areas, each is a private/freehold space, so there is NO "public/communal" parts whatsoever.

Then you're powerless to stop it. Especially if you've no kids yourself, you're "trumped" by parents who don't care ... and make out YOU are the problem for being a "moaney old git"....

No, I'm the git that READ the paperwork when I signed it .... and knows what's what. One neighbour mentioned she "looked after/cut back" a bush as if she were doing some (non existant) management company a favour - and I pointed out "Yeah, but it's YOURS.... it's on your deeds, that's YOUR land; you OWN that bit ... and that bit ... and that bit" - she'd never read them.

caronc

I don't think I could live on a modern estate, give me an old house despite the quirks/maintenance any day.
My front garden is a decent enough size so the house is a bit away from the pavement. Being a main road you don't get parking or kids playing on it. My back garden is 120ft by 30ft - when the houses were built most folk grew a fair bit of fruit & veg and the garden size reflects that. The houses were originally "tied" homes for local workers. My sister lives in a newish build terrace 2 bed, tiny front open space and tiny back garden. She has had issues with neighbours, encroaching kids etc. in the past. I think she will move when my nephew leaves home. She'd like a big old flat near the sea (lots locally but quite pricey for what they are).