Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 19 June 2022

Today's forecast threatened / promised "a shower or two". I risked hanging washing out on line and it is almost dry. Most is now decorating the loungeroom. A good thing we don't entertain LOL. I did NOT look at the garden; the clay soil is too wet & boggy to weed.

Lindy - I am sure your flower basket will be lovely as is the rest of your garden we have seen photos of. It is sunny and breezy here so I am going to make a start on my garden list soon. I may watch the cricket later. It was great fun towards the end of the day yesterday.
Hope everyone’s aches and pains are OK. I am particularly thinking of OG as we haven’t heard for a while.

Hello all
I'm doing usual Saturday shopping today, with eldest and middle daughters. Then lunch here.
Middle daughter has mentioned getting an air fryer - trying not to put her normal oven on very much because of rising prices. She works three jobs and I help out with money etc ( as HARELADY says, we won't see them struggling !) I'm just wondering if anyone one here has one ? I'm happy to get one if she wants it, though.

Heather: My grandson has an air fryer and swears by it and for a minute I was afraid he was going to buy me one for a birthday or something. I'm wondering if it's one of those gadgets that you use for a few months then stick in a cupboard; still given the rising energy prices anticipated here, it might be a good idea. Have you looked on the Amazon and/or Google reviews to see the pros and cons; you can get a lot of info about products there.

We are still in a holding pattern here. My sister remains in the hospice and all is in place for her to come home - except the folks there won't let her out without four carers in place (they might consider three but they think four is optimum) and there simply aren't enough available. The coordinating person said that they also have concerns about how family caregivers will fare with fewer than four. Meanwhile, my sister is seeming not to be too bothered and the staff is very sweet (they made us a large pot of tea when we arrived yesterday); moreover she has a room with doors that open onto a patio and a view of the gardens, which are really lovely with lots of nooks, crannies, benches and walkways. Unfortunately, she's bedbound so no chance of getting out there. She does have a birdfeeder and we watched two very bold magpies stop by for a snack yesterday. It's an hour each way by the time you've dealt with road work and back ups....

Heather, we've had an airfryer for several years and use it virtually every day. We're on our second one as we swapped the first on for a digital one. Wouldn't be without it now and hardly ever use the oven.
Best wishes to every one and sending special thought to Annette.

All three have been ill with Covid. Still not feeeling quite right, but now testing negative.

Heather - re the air fryer - radio 4 had a phone in recently about this and someone asked if its cheaper to cook in the air fryer or large oven - so they did an experiment and cooked chicken and jacket potatoes with no other appliances being used and the air fryer used half of the energy of what the large oven used - so I too am considering this.

i do however have a microwave that is also a convection oven and use this on a combination setting - the jacket pots cook in 10-15 minutes and are crispy.

Thanks for comments regarding Air fryer ! I think that it would be useful for me, never mind my daughter !
I hate turning on the big oven, just for myself.
ANNETTE - it would be good if the hospice at home could find enough staff. I'm sure that you would have wanted to see that in place while you are there. Fingers crossed..
OG - you were unlucky to have Covid, the three of you. It's visited two of my daughters but they managed to keep it to the one who had it - but that involved isolating the affected one, which would have been difficult for you. I'm glad that you are recovering.

OG - so sorry that all 3 of you caught covid. I wonder how you got it? I do hope you are all getting over it now. Thank goodness for the vaccinations.
Re the air fryer - I haven’t got one and I use the fan oven just for me. I wonder how many times you would have to use an air fryer before you began to recoup from the initial outlay. I don’t think the oven burns all that much electricity. Anyway, that’s just me and my practical mind speculating!!!
I got my gardening done but had to keep dodging some heavy squally showers.