Idle chat

Last post 24-05-2013 8:52 AM by sue1002. 6920 replies.

• 28/05/2012 06:37 PM

  sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 9,474

  Reply | Contact  The Avon Skin so soft product that everyone talks about as being 'the one' to repel insects is this one, it seems to work for everyone else but it has never worked for me.  It sounds like it's starting to cool down up north first Susiq, our lowest temperature for overnight is 17°C so I'm going to leave the greenhouse door open tonight  Tomorrow's daytime temperature is pretty much the same so it will be a lot cooler and I'll make a start on potting up the chillies tomorrow.  The oca that I started off in small pots is doing well so I will plant those into buckets tomorrow too. I used some of the newly harvested new potatoes for dinner with a salad, I had tuna with mine and the others had scampi.  sue1002

• 28/05/2012 08:17 PM

  lillyrose Location: kent Joined on: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 2,973

  Reply | Contact  Hello everyone. Phew it's been another scorcher here today . I did manage a bit of gardening early this morning before it got too hot but had to give up by lunch time and must admit spent a big part of this aft sitting indoors with the fan going full pelt. Glad your arm is better now Miranda, hope you don't have to go through that again. I would love to see some pics of the garden you have just done too.  Well done on sorting out the new freezer door Richard, good job you are so handy. I bet your bbq was nice, been the perfect weather for one. I have had a nose on Nicola's FB page. Her cakes are just so amazing, I love looking at them. I had a 'feel around' in one of my spud buckets today Sue but they still feel rather small. Mind you you were quite a bit ahead of me in planting up the buckets. I wanted to pot on my chillies today but the GH was so hot I didn't bother. I left my door open last night and will do tonight too. My smiles were for another bargain I got today Susiq. How is Portia, are the tablets working. Oh yes what is a franke sink. I have just been offered one for £25 and was told it was a bargain......

• 28/05/2012 09:04 PM

  sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 9,474

  Reply | Contact  What bargain did you get earlier lillyrose? I've never heard of a franke sink, so sorry, I don't know the answer to that one. It was the middle of February when I started off the first bucket of spuds inside the greenhouse, and only about 2-3 weeks ago that I took them out and placed them by the wall of the house. I found and squashed eight lily beetles today, two couples died very happy sue1002

• 29/05/2012 08:27 AM
  sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 9,474	Reply | Contact  Morning all, it's definitely cooler here this morning and much more comfortable for me  I'm going to bein the greenhouse this morning potting up those chillies sue1002

• 29/05/2012 11:06 AM

  Susiq Location: Northumberland Joined on: 16 Feb 2008 Posts: 3,125

  Reply | Contact Hiya everyone Lillyrose a FRANKE sink is one of the bestest makes of sink money can buy - snatch their arms off! Is that the bargain you were meaning or have you got another one too? Great you caught the nasty red blighters Sue - especially with your collection of stunning lillies. I've got some spuds in buckets that are coming along well, but they are for a competition - we do get them back after the 'weigh in' though! Can't remember the date when we have to take them along. Well I knew it was going to be cooler, but we've got grey drizzle as well Still at least I can get more done in the poly and gh in comfort! Got some mackerel, hake and white crab meat this morning

• 29/05/2012 11:23 AM

  lillyrose Location: kent Joined on: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 2,973

  Reply | Contact  Morning all, cooler here too and cloudy. I am glad though as am like Sue and don't like it too hot. The sink I was offered was a double one Susiq and the girl who was selling said it is stone, any way it is far too big for our kitchen so I said no. I did have a quick look on line but couldn't find one. How is Portia Susiq. What are you cooking with your fish then and what time would you like me He he Sue, I could picture you squishing the lily beetles, I don't want to temp fate but so far I haven't had any. The bargain I got wasn't the sink, it was a silver and onyx bracelet. It is very chunky and heavy and most people will probably turn their noses up at it but I love silver and black jewelry. Any way, I bought it for £8 and after showing OH took it to a local jeweler I know and he said it was worth at least £200 - £250 so am rather chuffed

• 29/05/2012 02:10 PM

  sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 9,474

  Reply | Contact  Good luck with those competition spuds Susiq, if they're the new potatoes, I wouldn't think the comp would be too far away Wow lillyrose, that certainly was a bargain with that bracelet, no wonder you were chuffed  I'm not a fan of silver jewellery myself (it would be boring if we all liked exactly the same things) but then I'm not a big jewellery fan anyway - the only jewellery I wear is my watch (gold plated) and my gold rings. All my chillies and tomatoes are planted into their final pots now  It was lovely working in the greenhouse at a very respectable 20°C. sue1002

• 29/05/2012 02:19 PM

  Susiq Location: Northumberland Joined on: 16 Feb 2008 Posts: 3,125

  Reply | Contact Flippin' heck Lillyrose, no wonder you were so smiley - not only is it something you really like, but a mega mega bargain, no wonder you are so 'made up' Shame the sink is too big, it is probably not real stone, but part of their 'granite' range, which isn't real granite either, but looks great and usually have lifetime guarantees with them. Hee hee you can 'tip up' anytime you like for dinner - I'm doing an asian spice mix to rub in the mackerel then bake in the oven, and guess what (don't fall down with shock Sue) I'm making rhubarb and crumble ice cream for afters! I'm half way through making the ice-cream, its just we've still got loads of rhubarb to use up. Meant to say earlier Sue, thanks for that link to the Avon stuff - now have got to try and find someone local that sells it Oh thanks for asking Lillyrose, Portia has stopped limping completely, but am not sure if it's because of the painkillers? We've been trying to keep her from running about like a lunatic, but, sometimes she manages to do a 'Steve McQueen' and escapes

• 29/05/2012 03:18 PM

  sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 9,474

  Reply | Contact  The ice cream sounds gorgeous Susiq, can I have the recipe please?  Our rhubarb seems to have come to a halt at the moment but it looks like we might get another couple of servings from it.  I bought an ice cream maker last week from Lidl's and have so far made a vanilla one, a mint choc chip and a vanilla one using creme fraiche instead of cream, all have gone down very well here.  I've only used the 'no cook' version recipe so far too and haven't felt brave enough to try any of the ones where you make a custard from scratch. That's good that Portia has stopped limping, let's hope she's still stopped when she finishes the painkillers sue1002

• 29/05/2012 04:32 PM

  Susiq Location: Northumberland Joined on: 16 Feb 2008 Posts: 3,125

  Reply | Contact Oooh Sue you never said about your ice cream maker - trust me, you won't know yourself now you've got one! Funnily enough, this is the first 'no cooking of custard' one I've done, there is cooking, but its for the rhubarb and the crumble! I've made tons of 'proper' vanilla since we got ours - but there again, we've got our chooky eggs to use up, so that's always been really handy - go on, be a devil and try some Much easier than you think, and at the end of the day, you are a much more talented person in the baking department than I'll ever be! Anyway, enough rambling, here's the link; http://www.deliaonline.com/home/Print-Recipe.html?PID=2355&ampCID=365

• 29/05/2012 06:27 PM

  sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 9,474

  Reply | Contact  Thanks for the recipe Susiq, I'll definitely be trying that one The no cook recipe that came with the instruction manual for mine is to whisk 2 egg yolks with 50g caster sugar until it goes really pale in colour.  Add 1-2 sachets of vanilla sugar (but I used 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence instead). Whisk in 200ml of milk and then stir in 200ml of whipping cream that's been whipped stiff and the resulting mixture is similar to a thick cream.  Put in the fridge for at least 4 hours before pouring the mixture to the ice cream maker. As I wasn't able to find cartons of 200ml in the cream, I have used the 300ml size instead and reduced the milk to 100ml and it comes out nice and creamier For the mint choc chip, I used peppermint essence instead of the vanilla (and will only use half a teaspoon next time as it was a bit too strong), added a few drops of food colouring for the green colour and added a 100g pack of milk chocolate chips about five minutes away from it finishing. As it uses the eggs and the eggs are not cooked, it does say in the recipe that it will need eating within a week of being made - there's no danger of it hanging around here as it went straight away sue1002

• 29/05/2012 10:40 PM

  richardpeeej Location: Leicestershire Joined on: 22 May 2009 Posts: 3,498

  Reply | Contact  Hi all I have not been on here much lately, I've making the most of the weather and getting the back garden tidied. I still have a bit more to do. Our  potatoes are growing well in the pots and in the bean trough Sue. The runner beans are climbing up the poles, the blue peas are growing well and I planted the 3 clematis, I bought a few weeks ago, in the garden today. You did well with your jewelry lillyrose, what a bargain, you certainly find some good buys. Shame that the sink wasn't suitable though. Glad Portia is on the mend now Susiq. Your rhubarb crumble ice cream sounds just the thing for this weather, I am sure that it goes down well with mum and OH. Good to hear that your arm is better too now Miranda. -Richard

• 30/05/2012 08:29 AM

  sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 9,474

  Reply | Contact  Morning all, it's another cooler day here with the sun trying to poke through the clouds, we might even be in for a bit of rain later on I don't blame you for making the most of the weather Richard, especially if you like being outside in the heat.  I haven't planted my runner beans out yet, I'm waiting for the onions to get to a decent size and be almost ready before I poke the sticks in for the beans and plant those alongside - I've run out of room... Have a good day everyone and will catch up again after work. sue1002

• 30/05/2012 09:47 AM

  richardpeeej Location: Leicestershire Joined on: 22 May 2009 Posts: 3,498

  Reply | Contact  Good morning all, and its a sunny day here again. I know what you mean about running out of room Sue. In my two large troughs I have potatoes in there and at the back are  runner beans and in the front Kohl Rabi and I am also putting some peas in there.Have a good day and hope the work part goes quickly for you We are ordering another recycling bin for cans and plastic as we fill the other one and are looking around for bags. Cheryl has had a clearout of her wardrobe is getting some bags for recycling the clothes...I don't think she will have the extra space in wardrobe very long as it will soon be filled up again. She has 3 wardrobes and I have just the one The Midland Hawthorn trees just outside the garden have just one or two 'florets'on them this year (looks like cauliflower ). Last year they were absolutely covered. I will be back out in the garden today for a while until I get too hot. We have our grocery delivery coming between 1pm and 3pm as we didn't go yesterday because C had a swollen foot.   -Richard

• 30/05/2012 11:38 AM

  Susiq Location: Northumberland Joined on: 16 Feb 2008 Posts: 3,125

  Reply | Contact Hi everyone, Another dull damp day up here in the North East! Thanks for those recipes Sue, I will try the mint choc chip one, haven't had that for donkey's! The rhubarb crumble ice cream was absolutely delicious, will certainly be doing that again soon. Ha ha ha Cheryl is a woman after my own heart Richard on the wardrobe front Hope her foot gets better soon and is nothing too serious. We had to order another bin last week Richard, they charged us £31. I'm doing the hake tonight, wrapped in parma ham with a sweet pepper confit, Tesco's had some new stylie small sweet peppers that I'm going to try out.