Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Ikea for breakfast - shopping - 34F

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As it was a Karen day we followed our usual practice and cleared off to give her a good run. Even so, when we returned, I found a few tiny tiny shards of thermos still in the bedroom carpet. It isn't her fault - as the light changes, different bits show up.

We went first to Ikea for breakfast, which I have mentioned before. The bill receipt at the side isn't in a scale relationship with the meal. I just mackled the two pics together to show you what excellent value the meals are. And free coffee, as many refills as you like. For the free coffee throughout the day though, you need an IKEA family card which doesn't cost anything, you just need to ask for one.

And their trading strategy worked. We came away with an extra bookcase, a storage box, some drinking straws, a new thermos and so on .....

Then we went up to Eastwood, the Library, the Bank and statements, and then to Lidl for a whole range of goodies and finally to Morrisons for bread, milk. tea etc., the more humdrum things.

When I got home I decided to rephotograph the cotoneaster berries - their previous picture, according to Bob, made them look like blobs of paint. I think the simple explanation is that they DO look like blobs of paint. It seems to be in the nature of cotoneaster berries.

This afternoon I did some office work and I must collect together some pictures to hand to Leslie on Thursday evening for The Exhibition. I keep putting it off and I think now it is going to have to be Thursday itself because we are hoping to go WoWing tomorrow. ..... It seems weeks since I went and I'm getting withdrawal symptoms.

Reg has suggested we may go to the Eakring Oil Wells where the nodding donkeys are. I know about it because in the early sixties I was the rural policeman covering the area. No doubt it will all have changed but at least I know how to get there.

Picture 3 is of the Yeti tracks which were left when he visited in the hours of darkness to grab a snap of our Witch Hazel. He only needed to ask and I would have e-mailed him a selection.

While Derek was with us he told us a lovely granddaughter story. You honestly couldn't make them up ! The child had gone to a great deal of trouble wrapping the dog's Xmas present. A few minutes later she was seen furiously tearing off the wrapping paper. "Why are you unwrapping it ?" she was asked "I've left the price label on" she replied.

Well, of course, its obvious and only stupid grandparents wouldn't understand.

I've posted off my Nikon body-cap for drilling prior to our pinhole photography adventure. Pictures will surely follow.

My responses to your previous comments

JBW .... Thanks again for the Lacock Abbey info and the grid reference. Is the OS "Get-a-map" associated in any way with the "Get-a-life" site ?

Bob...... Please see above re berries like blobs of paint. That is what they look like. Ditto our wrong-coloured beaked blackbird. Next time I see it I shall shoo the blighter off !

I think I share your concerns (and Jill's) about present day King Edwards. Even though they are subtly different I still consider them good for roasting.

Rob .... Apparently the Evening Post are still running with the Durban House closure story, please click for latest.

According to Reg - Alan Sillitoe and the Prof of D H Lawrence studies at the University have become involved.

Heavy guns indeed. BTW I agree with your other points.

Yvonne ..... I remember our trip to the Fox Talbot museum so very well. As I recall, the weather was gorgeous. Just wish I could find the snaps !

If no-one else wants to go, you and I will go by ourselves. Give the Sat.Nav. an airing - when we get it !

Jill ..... Delia is a staunch Desirée or Maris Piper fan for roasts. But I'm sure Bob is correct to identify others that are good. We quite like the new Rooster variety but I haven't tried them as roasts yet.

I seem to remember Duke of York as quite an old variety. According to the linked page it was bred in 1942 and Waitrose is mentioned.

Is yarn-tasting a typo? Should it be testing? I had a vision of you all flossing your teeth. When you describe the farmer lady having sheep and goats I assume the exotic sounding cashmere comes from the goats? Didn't we have an interesting blog-thread ages ago when some wool came from the belly hair of some weird creature....... ? Sounds as if you had a marvellous time though - especially with wine, nibbles and cake.

LIZZIE 4TICKS ..... Sounds very bad practice over your outstanding greetings cards and their way of dealing with it is downright rude. As you say - please keep us informed. And we would very much like to know the outcome of Thursday's meeting.

Roy ..... How strange about the cotoneaster berries and the blackbirds. I'm sure ours have been the same but I have never noticed before. The rowan berries seem to be top of their culinary list because they never last very long.

No doubt the Antiques Roadshow people were filming the water-splash. I'm sure in Erewash Valley it must be 'watter-splash'.

I'm not sure of 'trassin' either. 'Tazin' I know - as in "he was really 'tazin' along in his Peugot."

I'm afraid you are right about Local Government expenditure too. Durban House would be a sad loss because we were all so pleased when it was so well renovated and dedicated to Lawrence.
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Quotation time ...... I think this is accurate - but I can't actually track it down.. Even if not accurate, it is certainly true.....

"The government solution to a problem is usually worse than the problem."

Milton Friedman

"Sleep tight - catch you tomorrow"

With lots of pictures like this please open that link !


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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Surely you "get-a-life" going out breakfasting and WOWing!
The Get-a-Map is accessed from the Ordnance Survey website as is Old Maps - the original maps from the first ever survey done during the 1800's.It is very interesting to look at how things were then, the roads and the very few houses.
Having accessed the GaM and found the area wanted it is possible to 'copy' several maps and then put them together in PShop so that you can produce your own A4 or A3 page.

Anonymous said...

All my rowan tree berries go first too. Perhaps the cotoneaster berries need maturing? Do they improve after a hard frost, like brussel sprouts?

I feel deprived, I've never had an IKEA breakfast.

Love the grand-daughter story, you couldn't make it up.

We do call it 'yarn-tasting' - I think it is because you have 'wine-tasting' evenings, etc. I was out again tonight (!) meeting friends in the woolshop-with-a-wine-bar at the back of Waterloo Station, we were joined by three actresses from the Old Vic (close-by) who needed to know how to knit for their stage appearances. The play is 'Dancing at Laughansa' if anyone knows it - I don't!

It is amazing how this little street - Lower Marsh - has gone up in the world in the last year since IKnitLondon has been there. A coffee shop, two other small cafes, an organic butcher and a branch of Boots has appeared. I do hope the iron-mongers manages to hang on, along with the laundrette (which always appears crowded) and a barbers.

Anonymous said...

Bungus bowled over by Ikea breakfast.
But how is 15% VAT on £1.86 only 24p?
Perhaps in same way that BBC News-at-One yesterday made a one third increase in the rat population take it from 24M to 36M (for non-arithmaticians, that is actually a 50% increase).
Old codger tears out hair – not just grammar and punctuation awry but maths too!

Today’s photo clearer than yesterdays but, henceforth, cotoneaster shall be known as the ‘paint-blob-plant’.
My mother always pronounced it ‘Cotton-Easter’.

Eakring has changed.
There is now a museum (closed) and a statue, as well as a sample nodding donkey.

Yes; Roosters are good.
The firm that developed them produce 80% of all British carrots.

As (in sans-serif) I always read ‘yarn’ as ‘yam’, tasting is OK participle.
But why is my comment serified when others are Arial?
Was it Merino?

In Mansfield t’wor ‘trammin’’ as opposed to ‘tazin’’.

Rob:
Saw headline on R-Nottm homepage but assumed it was birthplace(?) in Eastwood not Durban House.
Poor David if Bistro is threatened too – but surely he has a contract?

Panthers did well. P’raps t’weather suited?.

Jill:
An IRONMONGER. That should set RG off on a nostalgia trip!

Unknown said...

Just been talking to Margaret M. Her grandson, Robert, was awarded the Man of the Tournament on Saturday and received a watch! (Do young people wear watches these days?). And he goes to China on Saturday for two weeks - and this is as well as studying for his degree at Nottingham Trent University. A true amateur.

Jill - however good the Ikea breakfast was - it wasn't a patch on the one we had a fortnight ago at 'Cluff Towers' ...... Hannah is staying with us next week so be prepared for me becoming totally au fait with all sorts of strange things on the internet. She is so keen to teach me!

P.S. G. has bought me a Valentine's present at Ikea - I do hope it's not a self-assembly set of shelves. I've spent all the morning trying to sort out a storage box ...........

Anonymous said...

Bob - the 24p VAT is included in the £1.86 as it's on the sub-total of £1.62. Yes Panthers are doing well but running out of games. The next three fixtures could prove decisive - Belfast (away) on Friday, Sheffield (away) on Saturday and Coventry (home) next Tuesday. Those three teams are in the top four with Panthers lying second at the moment. Come on you Stags!!

Yvonne - congrats to young Rob; he's doing very well at the moment. Elaine's two sons rely on their mobile phones to tell the time. Obviously, they rarely use them to ring their mother!

It must cost more to produce an 'Ikea' breakfast at home than it does to buy it at Ikea!

Rob