test please delete

[NickFitz]

Morning denizens

Another "mostly cloudy" start out, currently 16°C and aiming for 21° but with little chance of rain (around 30% for the odd hour this afternoon and evening). Barometers are up a bit at 1007/1015mB

[NickFitz]

My tomato plants aren't looking very happy. I suspect my chilli plants will not survive either. It's not been good weather for them.

[ladymuck]

Morning all

A marked difference in weather this morning. There's blue sky and high level fluff. The patio is drying out nicely, my flat is drying out nicely too (but the small patch of damp carpet is going to take a little while longer I suspect). Currently 17 degrees with a high of 23 later. No more rain expected. Barometer up a touch to 1014 mBar.

It would seem I got off lightly with my little puddle, compared to other parts of London:
https://metro.co.uk/2021/07/12/flash...tain-14917503/

Today's Kantar diary fact is:
The world's first championship cat show is held at Crystal Palace in London 1871

[DoctorStrangelove]

Morning.

Dry.

Warmish at 21.1 deg in here.

Was sunny.

Blue white sky.

1013 mBar, 29.91 in Hg, 69% RH.

Tuesday.

TV Times purchased (I had to speak to someone to ask for it)

Walk walked.

The reason for the rivers of water flowing down the gutters yesterday: the drain grids at the top of the hill being clogged with pine needles.

So I cleared them a bit.

Lunch: scrambled egg & poached tomato on Morrisons sunflower & pumpkin seed toast (crust, very thick), a red corner yog, a blackcurrant jam sandwich on same, 0.91 pints of good Glengettie tea.

Entertainment: Engineering Disasters (seen before), The Repair Shop (seen before), alternated in a bizarre fashion according to a) the adverts and b) how boring the particular bit was.

The repair shop featured a rather nice grandfather clock which turned out very well, alongside a battery wireless set that had been to France & returned via Dunkirk.

The contrast between the clock repair chap, the chap doing the restoration of the clock cabinet, and the chap with an AVO Minor with a bent pointer fiddling about with the battery wireless was quite striking.

Freecell score in the unbearable heat: 87%, running average 84% (84.03%).

First bucket & a half of apples consigned to the compost heap.

Grass snake* spotted basking in the rays on the compost heap.

*Assumed to be, I didn't see its head.

Tea: Tesco breaded cod, stewed gooseberries & custard, 0.91 pints of good Glengettie tea.

Entertainment: Discovering Anthony Hopkins, boyo, on Sky Arts.

Nearly started watching "The Racket (1951)" with Robert Mitchum and Robert Ryan, until I discovered I'd watched it 6 weeks ago.

Watching NCIS S8 E1 instead, for the nth time.

The Extras on the bluray of ST into Darkness.

No commentary on this one so that's saved 2 hours.

American Experience: the life of Wyatt Earp on PBS.

He's just offed Curly Bill Brocius.

Massive Engineering Mistakes on Quest.

The Big Red Building in Chicago that lost windows due to cracked glass, one of which killed a woman.

The Buncefield explosion.

Montreal bridge corrosion problem.

Now: Forged Fire & Iron: those rednecks making muzzleloader guns. Arkansas & Kentucky, yeeeeehaw.

He's making a bear pistol.

[NotAllThere]

This morning, Russian sauna (twice, at 95°C). I don't know why, but when it is chucking it down, the plunge pool outside is extra cold. Really enjoyed it. Not many people around so wifey ventured the plunge pool as well (it's a no swimming costume zone).

My daughter decided to harvest five of her carrots. I steamed them lightly, so they were warm but still firm. So sweet. Accompanying the carrots, we had roast pork, roast potatoes, steamed cabbage/black pepper/olive oil.

I also sauteed the carrot leaves with thinly sliced garlic and a very small amount of chili flakes, in olive oil. Never tried it before. Also tasty - but cut away the stalks.

Daughters are off this evening for their (Chinese) swordsmanship (includes any edged weapon). It's a martial art with belts and stuff. Younger daughter is a grey belt in Chinese archery.

[NickFitz]

Another excessively busy day, but I got stuff working by the end of it that has taken a long time together working

Lunch was chicken, tomato and lentil soup with multiseed bread

I've got a Big Chicken to roast this week, so I'll have to decide which kind of chicken soup to make - or maybe, God forbid, even try a fourth recipe

[NickFitz]

Walk briskly walked, green ring closed

The other rings are still a little way from being closed, due to me having spent so much time today sat at the computer getting confused by things

[ladymuck]

HWMBO took apart a chicken, bashed the hell out of the breasts, wrapped them in pancetta with sage, pan fried and served with sage mashed potato, tomato and avocado salad, and grated carrot salad.

As a reward he has had to watch TdF highlights and S5E1 of The Curse of Oak Island.

[ladymuck]

I didn't realise it was a double episode. Poor HWMBO.

They did find some iron nail / stake type thing in a spoils pile from last year.

HWMBO was entertained by my impression of the voice over chap, "is this an iron nail that was used on Jesus' cross and bears his DNA, proving that he was on the island over 2000 years ago?"

[DoctorStrangelove]

I didn't realise it was a double episode. Poor HWMBO.

They did find some iron nail / stake type thing in a spoils pile from last year.

HWMBO was entertained by my impression of the voice over chap, "is this an iron nail that was used on Jesus' cross and bears his DNA, proving that he was on the island over 2000 years ago?"

Don't give 'em ideas.

Have they done the Roman spear thing yet?