WEEKLY CHAT (Non-Osprey) SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2018

Hallo all!  Happy New Week.  (Sorry no picture.)

  • Quick look in, folks - been busy getting ready for my brother and sis in law's visit. I'm very annoyed with myself, cooked a gammon joint and instead of following my own method,  baked in oven. Far too salty. Yuk.

  • HEATHER:  Suggest you ply visitors with lots of wine before serving the gammon (but how frustrating for you!).

  • Good idea, ANNETTE! I have nice Speyside malt warming as we speak - for my brother only as sis in law and I don't partake!

    BTW,it wasn't my brother who started up a business, he works ad hoc but is 69. You may have been thinking about my son who opened a whisky shop in 2016.

  • HEATHER - sorry about the gammon.  I know modern hams don't need the hours of soaking and skimming that we used to give them but I think I would still cook a large one half boiled and then finished off in the oven.  I still find Scottish food very salty anyway - was reducing salt before we moved here (15 years now!), and still find certain things too salty for my taste!  and people-watching in restaurants, I wonder that folk can ever taste the food under all the salt they shake over the plate - before they have even tested it for flavour!

    Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!

  • Yes, OG, I usually cook mine the same way as you describe. Why didn't I? No idea but won't make same mistake again. Agree about salt, I like good sausages but often find them too salty for my taste.

  • HEATHER: Now I'm thinking that it was your nephew who went to France to start some kind of tech support business...  

  • Food shop this morn, followed by dash to hardware/nursery store for 2 tomato plants; I am weeks late this year, no hope of tomatoes ripening before C-mas. No nanny duty this week (school holidays). Instead Dau & Trio are coming tomorrow for lunch and play. A quick “lick & a promise” cleanup of house before they come. Lunch will be salad & cold meat. Yesterday it reached 30 C with a very loud & long thunderstorm in evening. Despite all the carry-on, only 4.2 mm of rain <sigh>

    Annette - My last bus trip for the year is this Sat/Sun, staying overnight in Swan Hill, Victoria. 

  • Hi folks.  Dry day and sun is just burning through a layer of thin cloud here.  I think we have an indoors morning and then finish cleaning the greenhouse later.  All very underwhelming!

    Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!

  • We have RAIN!  :-)

    AQ: Suggest cat's lick and promise wait until after the Fab Four have gone.

  • FB:    Yes, it was a long lunch  yesterday (but I have been back some time!)

    Friend and I were too busy catching up with news of other mutual friends and family, to make much progress with sorting the world.

    Her OH has just had a pacemaker fitted, after some scary episodes.

    Hope the Fab Four's visit was not too taxing, AQ.

    Looks like a good weekend visit to look forward to. We all enjoy reading about your visits!

    A useful amount of rain, Annette?

    Not much here for several days. Just cloudy. I keep thinking I can stop watering the containers, but am nurturing the box plants.

    Hello to OG, Heather and all.