General Chat

Thanks for your ideas ladies. They've made me put my thinking cap on. We've been involved with this club for around 35 years and I try to take something different each time but it gets harder to think of things. From time to time I do a fresh fruit salad or a plate of strawberries and grapes as they are the puds that I like best but most people seem to go for gateaux and creamy things. Last year I did a lemon cheesecake and that went down very well, it disappeared in no time.

I've had a look through some recipes from years ago and found 3 possible desserts that are easy to make. One is a strawberry mousse so that might be nice to do while we can still get decent strawberries. None of us ever bring shortbread as one of our members is the Queen of the Shortbread Bakers. She always brings a load of both savoury and sweet shortbread and they are better than any I've ever bought anywhere.

For my other item I had wondered about a quiche but was thinking in terms of a big one. I like your idea of individual ones better Mandy. I've never done a crustless one. Are they easy to do? I'd be frightened they'd fall to bits when I turn them out of the tins.

I really enjoyed my cold lamb, salad and jacket potato tonight. I gave myself a much smaller helping than OH but I finished it all so I really feel I'm over that migraine at last.

I didn't sleep very well last night but I am so tired that I am optimistic that I'll sleep OK tonight. I hope you all have a peaceful night as well.

Evening all,

It's been sunny here at times and then it clouds over and feels quite chilly .
Got a few odd jobs done today ,a bit more washing which I got dry and I pulled up a few bits of poppy ,then as if was nice I sat and read a little of my book .

Vera I was going to say shortbread too, what about little savouy biscuits with cream cheese and cucumber or a French stick cut into rings with something savoury on ,salmon , tuna ,humous, egg ,or a little roast beef and mustard.
Little savoury crustless quiches made in bun tins or go old school with a cheese and pineapple hedgehog lol
Get a large water melon and cut into slices ,chocolate dipped fruit or just a fruit platter everyone likes a bit of fruit .

I do hope that you are going to be able to go to your garden party. that is the day (my birthday) that we are going out for sunday lunch as a group and going to see the Mikado in the grounds of a public school in Cheltenham.

Cake was lovely Vera, we both had coffee and walnut sponge and it was really good..
we battled the traffic and called in at The Range on the way back but they didn't have a Morphy Richards slow cooker so I have ordered one on Amazon. At first I was really pleased to see they had a red one like I had once before. Then realised the delivery date was November. The one I have ordered should be here on 11 August.

What about strawberries and shortbread and cream for a sweet (cheat and buy the shortbread.)

Funny old day again; it’s grey and quite cold for a while then the sun comes out and it gets really warm. After half an hour it goes grey and cold again. There have been a few spots of rain but nothing much.

I changed beds and did 3 loads of washing and I’ve brought that all in now nice and dry. I also did some more deadheading in the garden but 20 minutes of bending forward is enough for my back and head. OH is having to rest his back today because he overdid the weeding yesterday. I’m trying to convince him that we’d get more done if we each did 15 or 20 minutes a day, weather permitting, than trying to carry on too long and then being out of action for days.

We have a club garden party on Sunday and I am determined to get to that as we have missed so much recently. The host provides tea, coffee, soft drinks etc and we all contribute some food and take our own alcoholic drink if required. Couples take 2 things and I usually do something savoury and a dessert. I just can’t decide what to do this time. I’m just not in the mood for anything that’s fiddly or time consuming to make. I’ve got a pack of 40 small sausage rolls in the freezer that would be ideal but lots of the others tend to take that sort of stuff so I might do a salad of some sort. If you can think of anything better please let me know. All ideas are welcome.

Talking of food, I hope you enjoy your tea and cakes this afternoon AnnG. Dobbies seem to do quite a nice selection of cakes. Our Dobbies is about 20 miles away buti it’s not far from the hospital so we sometimes go there after a hospital appointment.

It’s an easy dinner tonight, just cold lamb and a bit of salad with a jacket potato so I think I’ll catch up with something on iPlayer till I need to get it ready.

No another friend is taking me, one who takes me out more than Cynth so I am rewarding her with the voucher.

Morning Anng and all,

Another bright sunny morning here and pc says 14 degrees and mostly sunny so I am looking forward to today.

I have two parcels to post this morning and then the rest of the day is mine to do as I like.

Arm not too bad this morning and back is'nt either but I have only been up half an hour.

Enjoy your tea and cake at Dobbies. Is Cynth taking you?

good morning all bright and dry here and 13 degrees. Not got anything planned for this morning but am going to Dobbies garden centre this afternoon as I have a voucher for tea and cake for two. (birthday)

been aa ovely afternoon warm with a light breeze and plenty of the yellow stuff.

I have picked plums and brimbles and moree plums off tthe other tree.

Vera, nice that your friends felt they could just call in and good that it seemed to help them.
At the moment the plant is still in its large pot as it has been raining off and on all afternoon. It might end up in a large pot if I can’t find garden space as I can only find space when it stops raining.
I am more cross at myself about the slow cooker as it was careless and I guess could have been dangerous if it had not cut itself out. Never done that before but I was a bit stressed trying to make three meals instead of one.(for daughter and SiL).

Your veg seem to be doing well Mandy. Lack of space means I usually only do tomatoes and herbs and the tomatoes aren't doing brilliantly this year, though some of them are beginning to ripen at last.

It sounds as though your plums are doing well too Mel. Be careful not to hurt your arm or back when you're picking them. I do like plums and used to buy them regularly but I've stopped buying them in the supermarket as they are generally hard and flavourless and we don't have much in the way of farm shops close by. There is one we like but it is very expensive and is a good 10 miles away.

Your Rudbeckia should look lovely AnnG. I've got several clumps in the garden, all Little Goldstar which I think is similar to your Little Star. They are very hardy and reliable and are looking gorgeous at the moment. That's a shame about your slow cooker.

Today has been a combination of grey skies and bursts of sunshine with a strong breeze but at least it has stayed dry. I tried to do a little bit in the garden but I couldn't keep bending my head to the plants as it was making me dizzy and making my eyes go funny. OH managed a little bit of weeding before it got too much for him.

We have friends who are going through a difficult time with a close family member very ill in hospital. We told them to just turn up for a coffee and a chat any time they wanted and this morning they did just that so that was most of the morning gone. I was pleased they came as the wife in particular seemed a bit less stressed when she had got a few things off her chest.

OH is eating pretty normally now so after our friends had gone I cooked his favourite roast dinner for him, lamb today. I managed to eat a couple of small slices of lamb and some veg so that pleased me. This afternoon the phone hasn't stopped ringing so I am all talked out now. Funny how you get a few days when no-one calls and then a day when the phone's ringing off the hook.

I can't hear a sound from downstairs so I reckon OH has dozed off over his book. I'm feeling sleepy myself but I certainly won't sleep tonight if I doze off now so I think I'll go and make a nice cup of tea to wake myself up.

Just paid for another year on here. I had changed my card so they got in touch as they could'nt renew on my old one.

Sunshine here today and big white clouds in the blue sky. I must say it makes a change to see the sun.

Mandy you are doing well with your veg this year. I need to go up the garden and pick more plums and see if the brimbles are ready yet. I m hoping the rain has'nt damaged them as they don't like the rain.

There's been a few wasps about too. I trod on one this morning outside the back door on the patio and they are on the old banty house eating the wood to make their nest but I hav'nt found out where there is a nest this year.

Your plant sounds nice Anng can we have a picture please?

Did myself egg and bacon for dinner with tomatoes and a frankfurter so full to the brim now.

Hope Vera is ok today and the nasty head soon goes.

Went to the garden centre this morning and it was sun and cloud all morning. Just had the first shower today, quite a heavy one but sun shining again now.
Had a £5 birthday voucher for the garden centre so put it towards a large pot of Rudbeckia little stars, it is very delicate and very pretty.

Went to put the slow cooker on and the last time I used it I must have left it switched on and it has seized up. So I guess something internal has gone. It is not the plug, I have changed the fuse of that. It has done well as had constant use I think for about 5 years. so will get a new one on Amazon.

Morning all,

Sunshine and showers here but more showers than sun and the wind seems to got up.
I did go out between the showers and pick some runners for tonight ,I kept picking and picking and ended up with a huge pile of them so son will have some tomorrow and there will still be plenty for us for tomorrow too.
I also picked my first lot of tomatoes yesterday ,the cucumbers have slowed up but there are lots of little ones coming .

Morning all,

Bright and sunny so far today and 14 degrees and pc says sunny for the first time in weeks.

Not sure what I am doing today yet probably just painting and maybe I will have another go at the Tudor lady.

Good morning all it is sunny but only11 degrees here so more autumn than summer. Going to the local garden centre for brunch at 11 o'clock, just four of us. we were going to highnam park again, where we went a couple of months ago but it will be too wet underfoot so that has been delayed until September.

My hose has not been used at all this year, just watering cans

Island That would do it :-D :-D :-D

I fitted a new nozzle to my hosepipe in June Ann, haven't used it since :-0

I don’t think there will be a hosepipe ban.

Oh that’s good news about the owl Mel.

It’s wet, wet, wet. The only time today when we haven’t had heavy rain is when we were getting VERY heavy rain. Some of the plants in the garden are looking a bit battered now.