General Chat

good morning all. not raining here yet but very overcast and dull, breezy but not yet a strong wind. My fingers are crossed (difficult when typing!) that the winds don't get too strong as at 12 I set out for the hairdresser.

Vera it is so frustrating when you know a previous method worked with things like pharmacies, doctors and scripts. Have you noticed that the 'improvements' that they put in always benefit themselves not their customers?

Mel did you see the meat recipes for the air frier. Anything that you like there?
I heated up a defrosted cottage pie (frozen by me when I last did cottage pie). It took 15 minutes on 180 in the air frier. There was melted cheese on top that I freshly sprinkled on after it defrosted. It was delicious. Just as if I had just cooked it. I transferred it first from the plastic container to a small oven proof one.
I wouldn't cook bacon in it though as it spits more and smokes.

If you don't like reading instructions how do you ever get things right? :-) :-) :-S

I saw one flash of lightening tonight and it did rain a bit but the winds dropped now for the moment. Had a hail shower just as I went to corn the girls.

I like the sound of your air fried meals AnnG. I hope you don’t get blown over or soaked getting to your hairdresser tomorrow. I had a little walk in the rain from the car park to my hairdresser but luckily it had stopped before I had to walk back.

I had a frustrating time with my script. The system used to work perfectly. I never saw my script. I just picked my meds up every 4 weeks. Then the doctors surgery changed it and nothing has gone right since. I went to the pharmacy and asked for my meds only to be told they hadn’t received a script from the surgery. So I had to go back home and phone the dispenser at the surgery who insisted it had been sent to the pharmacy on 18th October. After a lot of argy-bargy I had to get a bit stroppy and point out that while they were arguing about who was at fault I was left with no medication which I needed. The surgery dispenser eventually agreed to reissue the script and get one of the doctors to sign it off today. But I have to make another trip to town in the next couple of days to pick the meds up. Why, oh why, did they need to change a perfectly good system? I’m not a happy bunny.

I’m typing this on the iPad and I’ve just noticed it’s very low on charge so I had better post this and plug the iPad in to charge up or I won’t be able to read my library book on it when I go to bed. Sleep well everyone. I hope the wind and rain don’t keep you awake.

Always some way of making you wait Vera!!! glad it was all good though. I suppose it is a good thing that they want to keep an eye on it, even if an inconvenience. Hope you didn;t get too wet. Our hair appointments seem to run neck and neck!!

Mel a few non fish recipes.

Roast chicken etc.
Drawer 1 Whole Chicken 1.3kg air fry 180, 30 mins breast down, turn then another 30 mins. check internal temp 75 degrees centigrade….another 5-10 mins if necessary. Then rest 15 mins.
For 1.8 kg chicken, 70 mins AF 180, max crisp 5 mins. Rest 15 mins
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In drawer 2 Roasties. In advance Par boil 6 mins, drain, put back in saucepan, add carrot and parsnips, Toss in oil or goose fat. Leave for at least 15-30 mins.
air fry 180 for 30 mins. (Add chipolatas, onion, pepper after 15 mins).
Toss at 15 mins.
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frozen uncooked Yorkshires, 210, 12 mins

Chicken breast. chicken wrapped in bacon, onions, mushrooms , peppers on roast 180 25 mins

Pork belly slices 200C, 22 mins

Tesco quiche 170 15 mins

Frozen chicken wings 170C 25 mins

Morning all

Wet and windy here. I’m just off to the hairdresser and pharmacy for my meds. We’re not going on to Freeport to shop and have lunch out. Don’t feel like traipsing round in this weather.

I got seen dead on time for all the tests and scans at the eye hospital and then had to wait over an hour to see the doctor. He was pleased and I hoped he would discharge me but no such luck. He wants to see me again in a couple of months.

Better get going if I’m going to be on time for my haircut. Might bbl.

Morning girls,

Thanks for the cooking times and I know its all trial and error but I hate reading instructions. I have watched a lot on Youtube re the air fryer. Thing is I don't eat fish much. Hate peppers and shell fish. the only thing I will eat is thee cod fish fingers, smoked haddock and tinned salmon and pilchards.

Anyway another new month and I really don't know where this year has gone its passed so quickly. Its one of those days when its bright oiut the back to the south and grey to the north out the front. Pc says cloudy and 10 degrees.

Good morning all 11 degrees here and very dull and showery. No plans to go anywhere as the forecast is not good. Unfortunately it is the same tomorrow and I have to walk to the hairdressers which is not a lot of fun if it is raining.

Mel with the air fryer, if you have a container that fits either of the drawers, many things will work the same as in the oven. It is all about trial and error.

I have done Tesco quiche in the air frier Mel. Same temp as oven but slightly less time. And no warm up time either. Pie should be ok.

And did you get your rubble of thunder????

We had mostly sunshine this morning but it rained this afternoon and is still raining now just as the kids would be going out trick or treating. It poured last year on this night too as little Sam and Em next door got soaked so they hav'nt gone this year but he's gone down the club.

Going to cook a chicken pie now. Have any of you done them in the air fryer? not sure about that and it only takes 30 to 35 mins in the oven and that will warm the kitchen up too.

I love sun titled they make me chuckle. The weather forecast has just promised there may be a rubble of plunder :-D

Quite a good day, got 7 cards made. Then Cynth took me to the small nursery garden centre to take the last two bags of flower pots and seed trays for recycling. I have been told that they re-use a lot of them in the nursery which is great. I also bought some tulips and narcissus to plant in the box/trough that tomatoes grow in. The bulbs will be finished by the time the tomatoes need to go in so it makes double use of it. Slowly getting rid of rubbish from the shed.

good morning all and another month gone. November to me is the start of winter and the run up to Christmas ugh!!!

Vera hope all that chopping was worth it and that you enjoyed the stir fry.
That was good getting the eye appointment, hope all goes well with that. At least it will be out of the way and one less appointment to look forward to.

Mel, at least they are close subs. :-)

Morning all,

Dull dreary and raining but pc says rain to stop and 10 degrees but it feels cillier than that.

Shopping comes today and I have two subs one my tenderstream broccoli for tenderstream tips 20p difference in price and only 100grams instead of 160 grams and Walkers crisps multi pack instead of plain ones same price.

It’s been quite a nice day here though I don’t think it’s been as warm as at Mandy’s. There hasn’t been much sun and no wind to speak of but it’s been dry. I did 3 wash loads but they just hung there and were only slightly drier when I brought them in. I finished off some stuff with a short time in the dryer and the rest is hanging around the house. I’ve still got bedding and towels to wash. How can 2 people produce so much laundry?

OH thought he fancied a stir fry tonight so I’ve been cutting up veg and meat. I know it cooks quickly but it seems to take ages to prepare.

I didn’t get out to do anything in the garden today but OH spent an hour out there. The garden bin is full again and doesn’t get emptied till next week

I am overdue for an eye appointment at the hospital and today I got a phone call offering me an appointment tomorrow. I expect they had a cancellation and fitted me in. We did have plans to do a bit of shopping at Freeport (a retail outlet centre) and have lunch out but it’s more important to get my eyes looked at so I accepted the appointment. I think the doc will be pleased and I won’t need an injection. I certainly feel my eye problem has stabilised.

There’s an open bottle of wine in the fridge with my name on it so I think I will go and pour myself a glass. I’ll enjoy that before I need to start cooking :-)

Mandy I have roses ut onthe wall and my Albertine rose at the end of the decking should only flower once but it has flowers on it again now. Its planted on the north side of a wall with a fence on top so it get the sun from out the back. I have never seen it flower twice before and I hav'nt cut it back this year.

Phoned the waterboard again and they said they wiuld send someone down and that they would ring me the day they were coming to look at the new stopcock they put in. They seem to think its that thats not letting enough water through.

Afternoon all,

It's been a lovely sunny morning so we've been in the garden doing a bit of cutting back of the roses ,I meant to say the white rose in the front that only flowers once has three or four flowers on it ,I've never seen it flower twice .
It was really warm out so we sat out and had our coffee out there and you could feel the heat of the sun in fact it was so warm I took my jacket off ,hard to believe its late October.
We need to put the bin out this afternoon ready for the morning they are usually here about half six and usually wake us up with the lumping of the bins .

Hope you can get somewhere with the water board Mel ,it's a nuisance having to go all this time with the low pressure.

Done the post van and put the recylking out popped in the shop for my scripts.....not there yet.

Fed the girls and fish and put a coat of rubber on some new moulds.

Amended the Asda order and I am now going to ring the waterboard AGAIN.

Morning all,

Nice and bright here at the moment and it 10 degrees and pc says mostly cloudy and rain later. No change there then.

Need to go to the post van today and get on to the water board again as they have still left me with no water pressure and it driving me mad now having to wait so long to fill the water filter jug up etc. and I still can't use the shower.

Hav'nt done anymore int he garden over the weekend.

Must check the Asda order too so I better get on.

good morning all 11 degrees bright and dry. sort of slept ok but not as well as I would like. A few small jobs to do around the house and garden and I must walk down and post a birthday card to my 4th Grandson.Other than that I can make some more Christmas cards.

Vera you did very well yesterday, hope you slept ok last night too.

I was thinking the same as AnnG, Mel. I’ve had lamb shanks from Tesco and Sainsbury’s and squeeze everything in the pouch into an oven dish, put it in the oven and it cooks with plenty of gravy, usually flavoured with mint or red wine. Are the Asda ones different?

I didn’t sleep well last night so I was up early and as it was dry for once got on with jobs in the garden. I was out there for just under an hour but my back is paying for it now. OH spent a while out there later until it started bucketing down again. Goodness knows when I’ll get around to planting all the pots with bulbs but at least we are beginning to get the garden ready for winter at last.

We had roast loin of pork with stuffing, potatoes, parsnips, carrots and broccoli. The broccoli had 5 minutes in the microwave but all the rest went in the oven. I usually manage to cook a crumble or something like that in the oven at the same time but we had a cheesecake from Iceland today.

Finished my library book so I’m going to search the Libby app and see what I can borrow next. I don’t use many apps but Libby has been a boon.