The macabre sense of humour enjoyed by 6yr old boys is probably as timeless as the joy a good game of 'hide and seek' brings. We probably played it with kids in our caves and the whoops of delight must have sounded similar.Andy cooked a delightful chunk of fresh salmon, wrapped in prosciutto with some red-pepper and one of his renowned sauces. Served with small, herby potatoes and an interesting salad with dill and something dressing. The clean plates told their 0wn story. Then for pudding we had a choice of apple crumble, rhubarb crumble, with either ice-cream or custard. There was a small portion of the salmon left over and I was allowed to bring it home in a doggy bag. I would have hated to think of it in the bin.
One of my presents from Debra and Andy was this delightful book, from a charity shop - they know the old boy's idiosyncrasies by now ! It is written by "Professor" C.E.M. Joad who older readers may just remember on BBC Radio, chairing The Brains Trust. I used to listen during the war with my parents. Joad was certainly erudite and was often trotted out for an 'expert' opinion. I keep dibbing into the book and it is difficult to put down. Often outrageous by today's standards, but important reading for anyone wishing to do pedantry impersonations!Comments..... How lovely for your family Jill, to have climbed a telly-imortalised tree! I am glad you have thought it cold too. Perhaps Bungus is having hot-flushes. So pleased though that his hospital day went so calmly. Also pleased he managed a digital photography chat with his driver-convert.
The culinary differences in 'boils' is interesting, as are many distinctions made by chefs. My '100 ways with the Potato' by Marcel Boulestin classifies about 10 different characteristics, from waxy, yellow, white-dense etc...... I might edit Wikipedia (never done it, yet!) because, in his list of books, there is no mentioin of it. And there my volume sits,/ in the kitchen. Ha Ha! Joad recommends the conjunction with the comma, when the comma alone is not strong enough. I shall soon be rivalling 'you know who' for the post of head pedant.
.....Haven't used this "sheep/dog" for some months. Night night. Kip calls. Catch you tomorrow.....
3 comments:
Sorry if this is a bit late. The temperature that water boils is dependent on the air pressure, At std. pressure 14.7 p.s.i, it boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit at higer altitude where the air pressure is lower its boils at a lower temperature (insufficent to mash tea) If the temperature becomes higher than boiling point ,it becomes water vapour(wet steam)then dry steam and finally superheated steam (this if I remember correctly has to be at a higher pressure. If further info requireed 'Heat Engines' by H.C.Walshaw was the text book together with 'Steam Tables' which have disapeared together with my log tables and slide rule.
Wages--- 1963 on return from National Service (one of the last in the RAF) I was a draftsman on £14 a week The mortgage when we brought a new 3 bed detached house (£2330) was £13 13s 4p a month. Rolls- Royce draftsmen were on £15 they were always payed more than the pesants. I think a hair cut in my fathers shop was 1s 9p
The Nempf Photographic Exhibition in Durban House is I believe better this year then last year and is worth a visit. It is on all this month.
That salmon sounded good....
I bought a packet of pearl barley in Waitrose today - it is in their Healthy Eating section, and is called 'Wholesome Pearl Barley' and there is nothing on the packet that says about boiling it first before using in slow cooker. It says 'wash thoroughly before using' (I assume it is referring to the pearly barley? I don't pre- wash it) It says to put it in a saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to boil then reduce heat and gently simmer for 45/60 minutes. Isn't 'gently simmer' what the slow cooker does? There is an e-mail address for any queries, so I have asked them their expert's views....
I remember listening to Professor Joad with my grandfather, who was very much self-educated and listened to every word the Brains Trust said.
I get confused with all the different sorts of potatoes, we used to have one sort (King Edwards probably) that you could mash, roast boil, chip etc.etc all satidfactorily. I had some 'from a named farm' from Waitrose that are the best I've had recently - Duke of York, they mashed and boiled and roasted and jacketed all well. The ones before that - Maris Piper - were awful to boil, all the outside fell off and went to slush and left a hard bit in
the middle. They did great roasties though.
Welcome back to the sheep-dog...and tell Y I got her note this a.m. and thank her.
I remember Professor Joad very well. And, as a 1958 National Serviceman, I was seconded to an archaeological survey of Roman tombs in the Libyan desert led by Mrs Olwen Brogan, the wife of Prof DW Brogan who also appeared frequently on the Brains Trust.
I still have the original drawings I made and it was on this trip that I first encountered the Volcano Kettle.
Re boiling of beans: On reflection, I am a little concerned that you may not poison just yourself but also others with your cavalier approach. It is probably a bit like leading a winter walk upon the fells without a map and waterproof coat,/ unlikely to lead to disaster but …
I try never to serve wild fungi to anyone else before first having tried them myself.
I once read that the chemical analysis of potatoes is such that if they were manufactured they would be banned for human consumption. I don’t know the full analysis but I do understand that they contain meths (which is why they can be used to keep a windscreen frost free).
Re ” My '100 ways with the Potato' by Marcel Boulestin classifies about 10 different characteristics, from waxy, yellow, white-dense etc...... I might edit Wikipedia (never done it, yet!) because, in his list of books, there is no mentioin of it.”
No mentioin of what? In whose list?
I have never before heard of what is now known as a ‘forward slash’ (don’t go there on a windy day) being called a ‘conjunction’. Are words missing?
I don’t know who currently holds the post of ‘head pedant’ but I am sure he/she did not need to take lessons.
Re the cold weather. I can only think that although the air temperature was relatively mild on Fri, the wind gave it a massive bite as it did on Sat. I noticed that last night’s (Sat) BBC TV weather forecast for today predicted another ‘warm’ day (I think 5 C).
I have adopted good idea 206? (or whatever) of using an A4 drawing pad as mouse pad. Good one.
Also got into ArtDaily videos as instructed and thence to the brilliant Masters of Photography, Doris Ullman – a compulsive atmospheric record.
Comment on comments:
Anon (which one)
I was given an old 12” slide rule last year, in a battered case. Unfortunately it has no cursor!
In 1963, as a 31 year old qualified architect (1956) I was on £1,000 pa and able to buy a 700 sq yd plot of land (£500) and have a modest house bullt (£3,000). A spec house of similar size on an estate would have cost £1,500 to £2,500.
Good on ya, Jill for taking up the pearl barley quest. My packet says:
“Co-op Dried Pearl Barley.
Rinse … under cold water and drain thoroughly …
Transfer … to a saucepan … (add) cold water to cover and bring to the boil … boiling for approx ten minutes. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for approx 1 hour …
Alternatively, fast boil for ten minutes before adding to a recipe, simmer … as above.”
PS
Re early wages:
When, just after my 16th birthday in Aug 1947, I first started work as a 3 year articled pupil (for which my parents paid a not inconsiderable fee) my employer (known to all his staff as ‘The Guv’nor’ and who was not obliged to pay me anything) gave me ‘pocket money’ of £1 a week for the first year, £2 the second year and £3 the third. I then became an assistant rather than a pupil and my wage shot up to £7.
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