Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 6 October 2019

Glad your heatwave is over, Diane :-) Thanks for starting us off!

(Please look back at the end of the last thread if you want a scrambled egg recipe, as Diane began this whilst I was editing my ramblings!)

Hi, folks. 

I've had a frustrating couple of days. My computer's hard disk crashed. I turned the air blue!!! Oh, the sweary words...

I spent hours trying everything to resuscitate this old machine (I bought it in 2014). I couldn't even reset it. I finally had to find my recovery flash drive and just reload everything. The good news is that so far it's remained stable. The bad news is that the recovery took me back to Windows 8.1. I made the recovery drive when I bought the machine, and I installed Windows 10 later.

Now that I'm back in Windows 8, nothing looks or behaves right. Luckily, I did have a backup of all my personal files, but all my settings are gone, my bookmarks, etc. I have to stop and think before I do anything. I had to reload all my Office programs. Sigh, again. I'll be able to reload Windows 10 eventually, but I'm going to wait until I finish this work project, because I don't know whether I can trust this computer not to give up the ghost.

IMPORTANT INFO: I've always really enjoyed making birthday cards for the folks on this thread. However, during the crash recovery, I lost the calendar where I kept all those dates and info. I'm not going to attempt to reconstruct it. I don't want anyone to feel bad when I don't post a card or well wishes on your special day. My old brain doesn't remember dates (or a lot of other stuff, these days). I was afraid that someone might think I was angry at them or something.

Everyone have a good week! I'm going to try to stop swearing.

Sorry about starting the thread early, Lindy. I need to call Microsoft tech support and sort out reloading a couple of Office app subscriptions.

Evening all and thanks to Diane!!  

It's definitely  cooler at night here and it was very cool at night in Prescott Valley (5,000 ft elevation) with a stiff wind each day. I grabbed warm pants and tops as I was rushing out the door here - thank heaven I did - I wore them most of the time...

Lindybird: Your previous post snuck in under Diane's "Starting New Thread."  Thanks so much or the microwaved scrambled eggs recipe  :-))

Have been lolling all day; plan to do more of the same tomorrow....

Diane:  Well I'm definitely not connecting the dots.  Missed your post about the computer.  Horrors - and the ghastly thing is that it takes So Much Time to sort all this stuff out.  Good luck with Microsoft and hope the computer stays stable so you can get that project (assume it's the one that's been causing so much angst?) out the door for good!

DIANE – Thank you for starting us off. Sometimes I think life was simpler before computers – perhaps we did not expect so much.

ANNETTE – So you were one of the “day scrags” as the boarders called them! (Not me, I didn’t say “boo to a goose” back then.) Many of the boarders were from outback stations and their parents owned square miles, while mine only had acres. My mother insisted I go home at weekends, having learnt from older sisters’ experiences that nuns were not the best judges of health. They tended to ignore spots (measles, etc) and sprained ankles until really serious.

I had scrambled eggs for breakfast on recent bus trip. They seemed so, well, nothing much. My scrambled eggs are a main meal not breakfast and have lots of things stirred through, cheese, bacon bits, peas, onion, tomato, whatever is available.

What a difference a few hours make. After 34 C yesterday, a thunderstorm last night. I lay in bed counting to 5, yep, a mile away. This morn it’s breezy, mid-teen temps. A brief sprinkle after church, hardly call it rain. I have destroyed another patch of weeds before back began complaining. The spring bulbs are taking turns to flower; this week – ranunculi and these two –

I call them miniature gladioli, about 1 foot high

 

Little unknown orange things, flower appears on long thin stalk, also about 1 foot high. They spread by bulb & seed, hence appear everywhere, even in the lawn.

Good morning; variable cloud cover here dropping some rain – but less than forecast, after a very rainy night.

ANNETTE – J’s flexible work schedule is only by negotiation due to his medical issues. The current “acting boss” has so far adhered to what his real boss arranged, but I have a feeling that might change after Christmas – or even after the October holiday. It’s good to see that you are “lolling” over the weekend!

LINDA – I like chopped sautéed mushrooms and/or crumbled grilled haggis added to my scrambled eggs – so long as OH doesn’t let the eggs go dry.

DIANE – thank you for setting us off on a new week, despite the computer frustrations.

AQ – your loaded scrambled eggs sound a lot like our omelettes – J commented yesterday that our evening omelette (baked, not fried) was full of vegetables. I didn’t like it much as the egg was browned underneath, which is one of my pet hates. Pretty garden bulbs – the white things are a type of Gladiolus, and the orange things look like our “Kaffir Lilies” as we always knew them – but that word is no longer considered “PC”.

Talking of vegetables – UK folks – does anyone agree with me that the quality of Birds Eye frozen peas has seriously deteriorated over the past few years? Any recommendations of another brand?

Going to phone a Daughter now – risky as she is possibly still in bed reading the Sunday Times supplements!

OG - I always buy Birds Eye petit pois, prefer them. I haven't noticed a difference but that is not to say there is... My OH told me that they used to grow for BE, it was true, he said, that they were picked and frozen extremely quickly. Maybe that has changed?

PS - I like a spanish type tortilla which can be full of veggies but fried in a little light oil and turned using a plate on top of frying pan, before it has browned and then finished off, again, before it has browned. I was shown the method by a Spanish lady years ago.

Heather - My sister makes a mean tortilla, and I have often thought I should try it, as I like to do something a bit different with eggs. I have been trying to work out your 'turning' method - doesn't the oil run out when you tip it? Or is it more or less dry by that time? I think I might well try that - and I'll let you know the results.

I use supermarket own-brand frozen vegetables, but I don't use them as an individual vegetable, but only in stews or stir fries, so perhaps the quality isn't quite so critical.

All this talk of food - and I was invited to share a delicious Harvest lunch today. The first course, of cottage pie and vegetables, was excellent. The desserts were ... very naughty indeed. I had a portion of blackberry and apple crumble - and then succumbed to a portion of raspberry Pavlova. Well, they say confession is good for the soul ... although I'm sure the Pavlova was not good for the hips!