Thunder last night, and after breakfast the rain, hail, gales resumed outside
I have no incentive to go out of the door, even between showers!!
Inspiration is lacking as well
Back to a bit more tidying, in case the Oily One (aka son#1 and eldest offspring) does decide to come up from Wales and stay for a few days!!
Late up this morning after a late night!
So today didn't start on a good footing. But eventually I got into gear as it hailed and rained ,carried on the gales rattling around the house...and being Westerly the wind blows into the extractor fan vents in the kitchen and bathroom and past the brushes in the letterbox!! Draught sausages are employed everywhere, but that draught still gets in ! I know we need ventilation, but...
So to keep warm I got busy in the kitchen, with the reduced veges I had managed to find in a shop before going to Glasgow last night.
With leeks and garlic from my garden went a cauliflower, a pepper, some potatoes and barley (cooked separately) plus a tin of butter beans to make an orzotto. Six portions for the freezer and one for supper.
Then a spicy lentil and carrot soup...five portions in the freezer.
After lunch, I got my tools and lino out...but no inspiration atall...
I'd gone back to some tiny blocks yesterday afternoon...
I know I've got a good beginning there...
the owl needs redoing...but taking the next step to pick up the threads of ideas again is proving a problem that I need to work around.
Last night was the end of season race night, for all ages and abilities...Pies and Pursuits...the Pies being mince pie prizes!
The pursuits were 8 lap (2 km) long in teams of three or four ( time taken on the third over the line) and there were also team sprints...start with three and the lead rider peels off after a lap, same again then one to finish.
And the commissaires had fun as well.....
And the riders did too...
And home late... getting back as the Weather kicked in!!
Yesterday sort of disappeared, doing all those bitty jobs..
This was the final version of this year's card...they won't all arrive for Xmas, but it will be contact maintained..
It was good to start the day with some blue sky...and it did improve, nicely sunny with a bitter wind....the foretaste of this weekend?
And this morning...it was Friday... somehow although I've kept track of the numbers, the days left me behind!! This morning's job has been making the living room a welcoming place...things have been sorted so that each variety of Stuff isn't here and there...
Which is a great improvement...but I've reached the point where every surface is covered...so it is coffee and toast time then the last push..even if it all goes in a tray To Be Sorted this weekend as if the forecast is correct, I won't be going anywhere!!
Recycling collection missed...but not much to collect so that can wait.
Thankfully no appointments missed..as I checked straight away!
And if the weather doesn't turn pear shaped early (80 mph gusts forecast for Saturday) I can go out tonight to see friends.
http://www.thebeatcroft.com/2024/12/compliments-of-season-christmas-at.html
I miss Tom Morton's programme Morton At Midnight...but his blog and playlists are good.
I had an appointment with a Physio who is also a sports scientist...he has worked for the NHS after qualifying....and was physio for Rangers football team.....and he rides a bike as well..just a mountain bike at the moment...and runs.
Completely different to the NHS physiotherapist assessment...she wasn't hands on, only talked about my ankle and didn't want my socks off....gave me the exercises and said I could be referred to a local hospital physiotherapist in a couple of months.....
He dealt with the whole me.
Learnt my history...then sorted my back, got my hips aligned properly. He likened it to a builder putting a good foundation down first....then treated my shoulder and my ankle and feet.....
And I have three exercises to do...one is for my shoulder...
Well over half an hour, £55 for first appointment...worth every penny.
I haven't done much since getting home as the gales rolled in again.
Just some reading.
I went in a couple of shops before my appointment....the usual Xmas Musak... including Elvis Presley singing "Blue Christmas". And "First Christmas without you" Hmm.
Monday's washing done, I phoned a friend to see if she was over the cold that she had last week...and she was!!
Off in the car this time..a bus does go through their village, but not very often! Getting there would mean a bus to Ayr...a bus to Girvan...then a bus that goes out through their small hamlet!
Different roads to those on the weekend..not one A road, all B or C !
But worth it for the views...
It wasn't quite as dark as that...but if I lighten the image, I lose the shaft of sunlight
31 miles and just over an hour's drive...but worth it to catch up with friends, first Pirate's then ours.
Lunch together, and talking through the afternoon until just after 3...and time to get home just as night fell.
On the return journey the sun was setting behind me, a bright yellow ..it would just have burnt out to white in any photo, but it was beautiful and lit up the dried beech leaves and dead bracken with a lovely glowing light.
Being able to give a little advice or a hand to hold a bike when someone is working on the other end..being useful. Our club kit is the black red and white.
Being appreciated more than I'd ever expect...
Most knew Pirate...and are sad that he isn't here to enjoy the weekend...but are glad to see me. That's nice!
After a foray into town and Prestwick..just two hours to do four things, plus a cuppa and wander round the garden centre sale corner (nothing worth having)...which would have taken me a very long day by buses....
Back home to get the apple cheese done.
Some apple butter recipes don't add sugar...some do, 1 apple pulp to ¾ sugar by weight. I use 1:1 as I want this to keep..I have just opened a two years old jar, and the contents are fine. Apple cheese is basically Apple butter cooked down further to get a more solid preserve that you slice more than spread.
Ideally you would put it in jars that have no shoulder so that you may empty the whole jar onto a plate..so easy to slice...and eat with a good strong cheese...or you can take it a little further like Membrillo and then spread it in a lightly oiled flapjack tray...then cut it into squares...
And while I was doing that, two machines were also busy for me, making bread and yoghurt!
The washing up and the floor can wait till tomorrow...
Duolingo French lessons and bedtime for me now!
It looks like our Blogger problems have been solved, if my reading list is anything to go by!
I like dipping back into my reading list, as I told them..but not THAT much!!
And my car problem looks to be solved too..not just the calipers as we knew but three new brake pipes... which he put on at the cost that he paid for them...and a lot of time that he didn't put on the bill...as he said, it shouldn't have taken that long!
This morning was all frosty !
I went on the bus to town, with a bag of base layers..top and bottom...a couple of books and an ornamental dish..to the charity shop where I have been finding some good things.
Then to the travel agent to clarify exactly what I do when I have the stopover on my long journey.
When I do a journey here, I can use Street view so that I know what to expect..now she has eased my worries!
This evening after I got my car back I started prepping apples to make apple butter..or perhaps cheese . Longer cooking, but it keeps better.
I still have one layer of apples in a mushroom tray left...but I think they will keep ok in my cool cupboard.
After a couple of current posts from you I had to scroll down half a dozen "load more posts" until I reached another...then another fifteen.
I have posted a question on the "help" section of blogger, after sending feedback last night.
Looking forward to the response, the more of us that do this the better. It doesn't take long.
Literally...all day..but a beautiful clear day from the morning
Right through to the evening
Although calling it the evening at 4.35 doesn't feel quite right!
The car saga continues...one further corner has obliged which leaves the last obstinate nipple..which is probably going to need a new part..
So not much achieved today apart from hauling out half a dozen track wheels and a helmet. If I can work out how much to sell them for they might go this weekend coming... Scottish national track champs...if the car is behaving...
I will leave you with Dave's story about nipples....put as a comment on my fb..
"A decade or two ago my friend was working on his Land Rover and the brake nipples were rusted tight, and he remembered that I had a special spanner that was designed for the job. So he called me and I said I’d go find it and he could come and pick it up. So I called back, and I thought it was his wife who answered, who’d been party to the previous conversation and I said “Can you tell Ken I’ve found the spanner to fit his nipples….” And the line went dead.
A few moments later the phone rang and it was Catherine who could barely talk for laughing, “My mother just slammed the phone down and she said it was some filthy pervert asking about her nipples!”
His blog is still there..wish he still blogged!
https://gritinthegears.blogspot.com/?m=1
I'm still getting blocks of old blogs in my reading list, up to twelve years old now...it IS nice to re read ... But now it is getting a bit of a pain!!
The car has been mended.....but I don't get it back today...the rear calipers fitted, back brakes bled..but the nipples on the front are rusty. Hopefully by lunchtime tomorrow.....
I did two lots of washing last night so as not to waste daylight...the first and half of thr second dried so much overnight on a rack in the kitchen that they didn't need to go out on the line!
Yet more sorting......more rubbish in the wheelie bin for collection tomorrow morning ( landfill goes out once every three weeks).
Yesterday's loaf is a decided success...next time I will increase the proportion of rye flour...I do miss baking, but there are so many other things to do!!
Including a session on the turbo....
I had thought of a ride outside until I cleared the ice off the car before taking it to the garage!
Decorations are up....
That'll do!! 😄
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