Saturday, April 25, 2009

Saturday - 58F wind 9mph SW - Cooking

.
Picture 1 is of two facing pages from my National Trust, Weather Forecasting book scanned and collaged together. I've chosen to publish it because our sky this morning looked very similar to the picture.

But before we get to Picture 2 and our Brinsley sky I would like to publish in the body of the blog, a link to David's Sailing Club's website and their extremely good live weather page. The site in general is lively and good fun and I wish I knew how they do the changing pictures at the top of the page.

Apart from some drizzle around lunchtime the forecast from my book seems fairly accurate.

This morning we did a quick shop for bits for tomorrow and also nipped into Jacksdale Garden Centre for some minature gardening gloves for Millicent - she is keen to help, and will be encouraged. We spent a small fortune on weedkillers, and insecticides and stuff. The stems leading to some rosebuds are already infested with aphids. I seem to remember that my Dad just used soapy water, occasionally with a jollop of Jeyes fluid therein ..... Much cheaper !

Picture 2 on the left shows our Brinsley sky this morning.

When we got home I spent a couple of hours in the kitchen preparing the Bolton HotPot, but it will make things easier tomorrow and I shall be able to enjoy TJ's company without slaving over a hot stove etc......

Picture 3 is the Bolton Hotpot and the recipe, a tried and trusted one, from my Best of British Cooking book which was a present from Stewart A. maybe thirty years ago. Often with recipe books you are lucky if you find 3 recipes that are really good. In this book I have at least 10 which are first class.

The forerib of beef I swear by and the cauliflower cheese is a nuisance but worth it.

Y makes an excellent Fruit Salad from it. The Carse of Gowrie's Fruit Salad is its 'given name' and again a lot of messing-about but the end result is delicious.

I had a nice chat on the phone to Debra and the sale of their house is nearing completion. I hope the planned move to Broadstairs comes about soon - won't it be fun having family living at the seaside ? Friends have offered to put them up if there is an overlap - now there's real friendship for you, accommodating a whole family.

If you open the link it looks a fun place and I can't wait to have a browse in The Old Curiosity Shop.

My responses to your previous comments

David ..... Thanks for the web-address of your Sailing Club. As you will see I've linked it in the body of the blog. Good site !

Bob ..... Thanks for the chicken low-down. The gamekeeper at Winkburn used to keep Banties and Silkies as a hobby mainly but he used to use the eggs and give me a dozen when he had a surplus.

Which reminds me of a reminiscence. Once I caught a well known poacher from Chesterfield 'trespassing in pursuit of game" at Winkburn. I took his shot gun saying "I am confiscating this gun" to which he replied "It's up to a Court to 'confiscate' it young man - you are 'seizing' it". Embarrassment for keen young policeman because of course, he was right. Still, he had the decency to plead quilty ! I stressed how helpful and non-aggressive he had been and the bench only fined him a £5 - but of course, he lost his shot-gun. I was given the task of destroying it in the boiler-room fire .... I seem to remember we kept the skeletons of a couple of twelve-bores just in case the Magistrates Clerk decided to check, so ..................... He was delighted. I never found out where the brace of pheasants came from, which appeared just inside the Police House gate ..............

The mind boggles on Wordsworth let loose on dandelions ! Perhaps Rob could delight us with a Haiku.

Your Bank Holiday commitments sound manifold. Hospital ? Don't understand that bit.

JBW ..... Lovely little homily....... Well worth bear-ing in mind !

Yvonne ..... I well remember Steven and the central heating at St Leodegarious in Basford.

............................

Quotation time .......

"All the world's a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed."


Just showing off. The RSC stage at Stratford.

And by popular request


.

3 comments:

bob said...

I believe very dilute washing-up liquid does for aphids.
(or you could try vinegar/sodium bicarbonate which do most things).

If you ever again cook me a meal please promise that it won’t be Bolton Hotpot!
My aversion, no fault of dish (it could be worse; eg, breast of mutton).

I made a weekend visit to Broadstairs (c1962) for my then fiancée to meet a Finnish pen friend.
It was nice (not Nice).

1st Mayoscopy (not Bank Holiday).

Jbw:
P’raps I’m half of several of the ‘many young couples today’ referred to!

Yvonne:
Moving? Not moving?

*****************

For anyone who missed ‘Have I Got News for You’:
It is reported that some dishes served in Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant are shipped in from a warehouse kitchen.
But the delivery van does have 4 Michelin tyres (Frank Skinner).

“Money’s a horrid thing to follow, but a charming thing to meet.”
(Henry James)

Rob said...

As Wordsworth might have written, had he been any good at haikus:
Dandelions found
Wandering around the Lakes
Lonely as a cloud
I keep thinking I should do a book of illustrated haikus.

Rob

Jill said...

Back from the frozen north - except that it wasn't, they called it a heat-wave, five days of blue skies, sunshine, about 17/19.

Have read all the entries/comments, but shan't comment, it's out of date. Loved the flower photos, in particular the stripey tulips in my sort of colour. Very glad about improvement in your blood levels, G.

Like Durham a lot - though no-one told me it was hilly? - friendly people, cathedral glorious. Good big room in hotel with view of river, daffs (no tulips yet) and castle. Food could/should have been better though.

Saw Barsley Chops in butchers! couldn't find them in restaurant though. Also had Stottie bun,and a steak mince and gravy sandwich, soup with dumplings. So many cake shops and pie shops, everything seemed to come with pastry/bread.

Got called 'pet' twice (by bus drivers) - new word 'vennels' (would seem like my Manchester friend's 'ginnels', but more like York's shambles, but vertical...)

Part 2 tomorrow.....