SteveO

You could always try eating more veggies

I won last Friday's quiz so will be QM tomorrow (Friday 17th April) Topics are: FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD CONNECTIONS ANYONE REMEMBER TOURISM? Half-time break NORFOLK HAMS CITY NICKNAMES SPREADING INSANITY Kick off 8.30-ISH in Chat;, -https://www.nbnquiz.co.uk/chat/ no password required

Got a long-awaited delivery from ASDA the other day, Most things we ordered arrived except for the fresh veg, which was unaccountably "out of stock" and coffee beans. There were some annoying substitutions, including fresh noodles instead of dried, sliced mushrooms instead of whole ones and small sizes of things instead of the normal size we take. Fortunately I managed to get a "click and collect" slot from Tesco on Saturday so should be able to get the stuff that ASDA couldn't manage.

Signed

We had an order from Waitrose on Monday. I was highly impressed when their liveried footman came down the drive with a green insulated zip bag and opened it to reveal a brace of partridge and a dozen quail's eggs. Good substitution for the small roasting chicken we ordered

Love it or Lump it. Star Trek, The Search for Soap.

Property shows will have had their day too. I predict: Location Home (and no Away) No Escape to the Country George Clarke's Confined Spaces

So the usual roads signs saying "No Riff-Raff" don't work anymore?

I was speculating on another thread about the sort of new TV programmes and films we will be seeing next year, after the best part of a year of self-isolation has put a stop to many TV staples. Some light-hearted thoughts I had were: (No) Friends A man Behaving Badly Call the Intensive Care Nurse Carry on up the Garden Bogroll Hunt Two's company (Three's illegal) Now I know you lot are much cleverer than me, so what are your thoughts? Prizes may be awarded.

People's behaviour over Easter is going to be very telling and could be make or break for the UK. I see the supermarket ads suggesting family Easter meals without actually saying so. Surely they must know that get-togethers with anyone except those living under the same roof would breach self-isolating rules.

I love to see the skills exhibited by the restorers on Repair Shop, but I too feel that the "emoting" bit has become way too prominent of late. Truth is, you never really know what you are watching on TV and the BBC manipulates everything within an inch of its life - seems to be in its DNA. I also wonder about some of the back stories of the items brought in. If this is such a treasured family heirloom, why have you left it in a damp, rat-infested shed for the last 50 years? You see the same hands at work on Bargain Hunt, where the format has been twisted almost beyond recognition in an attempt to draw more excitement out of the programme, but this usually fails when you get into the auction room with an audience of 3 pensioners and a dog, none of whom have any cash; Flog It, where many items are under-valued to create drama when they go over the estimate and Antiques Road Show, where the valuations are so high that we talk about "BBC money" which bears no relation to the real world for most items. I too spend more and more of my time watching restoration videos on YT, which tend to go into the level of detail I need in order to be satisfied and generally avoid the over-production pitfall. One consolation is that, during the period of self-isolation, many of the shows we have been used to can no longer be made, so we may see big changes next year. That or a lot of repeats of the trashy stuff.

If this goes on much beyond summer, it is going to wipe out whole sectors of our economy. I don't think that the government can borrow enough to cover wage bills and support businesses for that length of time. My guess is that they will want to keep the old and infirm at home whilst getting as many as possible of the young working population back to work and paying tax as soon as possible.

If this is allowed to go on until Christmas, I fear that the cure will kill more people than the disease.

When we roast a chicken, we always stuff half an onion and half a lemon up its ar*e to keep the meat moist and impart some flavour. Having prepared the carcase as per MM, I leave the onion in with the bones, which works wonders for the stock, add a bay leaf and a small peeled carrot and then add water and simmer for a long time - an hour or so. This is then allowed to cool down, sieved to remove the bones and vegetation then placed in a bowl in the fridge overnight, or it can be frozen for another day. You can use the stock to make chicken-noodle soup per MM, or do as I do and add any veg you may have kicking around in the fridge. This is a good way of using up veg that is nearing the end of its useful life. Chop the veg up into small cubes and simmer it in the stock until tender. You can then serve up as a chunky soup or blitz with a hand-blender to make a smooth, unctuous one, You could add cream to this for a touch of luxury but I don't bother because it tastes good without it.

My rev counter dial is by Smiths. Lovely chrome bezel and, as a former employee of the company, it reminds me of where my pension comes from. The oil pressure, water temperature and alternator volts dials are nasty, rectangular black plastic monstrosities from the 1980's and I would love to be rid of them. Have seen new old stock of Smiths dials on ebay for silly money and notice that there is someone in South Wales who makes new Smiths instruments, which would be more in keeping with the boat. Just need to persuade myself to unlock my sporran and spend the money.

I have taken the executive decision to limit the amount of Cov-19-related TV "news" that is watched in our house. Much of what passes for news on the pandemic is speculation or politics thinly disguised as science and a lot of it seems to be designed to ramp up anxiety without actually informing. There are, for sure, some massive lessons that need to be learned from this, but the constant political sniping and point-scoring by political comentators on TV is, for me, inappropriate at a time like this.

Our 42nd wedding anniversary today. We were planning to go out for a meal this evening, but that is clearly now out of the question, so we had to improvise with a lunch of steak, chips and salad cooked at home, followed by ice cream with home-made raspberry coulis – delicious. The home-made cards that we exchanged this morning were much more meaningful than the usual £3 worth of cardboard cr*p from the People's Republic, purchased from Sainsbury's. We plan to take our customary social distanced walk round the village this afternoon and then will get back to the garden. Around 15 years ago, I foolishly followed radio gardener Bob Flowerdew's advice to cover spare ground with old carpet as a weed-suppressing mulch. This has since been covered with a lxuriant growth of ivy, brambles and nettles that have grown over and through it, making it the very devil to remove. Anyone with ideas of how to dispose of 400 sq ft of dirty old carpet pieces? Still, slow and steady wins the war, so I will press on.

A reminder of better times

I'd heard it was medium-rare sweet n sour pangolin.

Puts it into perspective. Stay well,

Wait until you are 66 and the young folk start talking down to you as though you are senile.

Have spent the last few days gardening to good effect. Today I gave up my shorts in favour of trousers and wore a jumper over my T shirt, but it was warm enough out of the wind. As things cool down, I will move to indoor jobs - I have a batch of beer to transfer to bulk storage and a friend has given me a sourdough starter culture, which I intend to use for a batch of posh bread. When those possibilities are exhausted I may go for a bit of creative play with my lathe. Not missing the broads much - honest!

More so than if you were wearing one of the wife's stockings on your head.

Missed this morning's session but will try to get in this evening.

We opened a tin of Spam the other day, which was just as good/bad as it would have been in its prime. Some of the manufacturer's shelf lifes are a swiz. Especially for dry and canned goods. Best to trust your eyes and nose and use common sense on these.