Reply to: test please delete

[NickFitz]

The usual wildlife selection filled the day, including Monkey Life in which the Argentinian chimp Sacha seems to be settling in well, though her brother is being a bit more reserved

Early night now as I might pop down south tomorrow. There's not much left to sort out at my parents' house, but one thing still there last time I was down was a box or two full of old newspapers, at least some of which are Liverpool papers from my Dad's time as a journalist and probably contain news stories by him. It's possible my brother has already been through them, but if not, I'd like to grab them - don't want them to just go into the recycling if there might be something in them

Rain, however, has arrived, and the radar suggests there'll be more of it before there's less. So I'll see what conditions are like in the morning. With the lighter evenings, I could even go down after work during the week and be back by dusk

Goodnight all

[ladymuck]

Ents so far: Surgeons, Whitstable Pearl

[NickFitz]

Tea has been from the kebab shop

The refurbishment doesn't seem to have been particularly extensive - maybe a lick of paint on the walls, though of course more might have been done in the back room where the pizza ovens live

[ladymuck]

Started packing! I filled two small boxes with some recipe/cook books.

Also started the process of freezer emptying with a chicken kiev and chips dinner.

[ladymuck]

The decorator has done a number of jobs but finished none as they all require time to dry. So he's gone off and will return tomorrow, at 8am. That means the office and conservatory will remain in disarray for another day but the moving around of stuff has given me opportunity to have a bit of a clean up in areas that otherwise might not see the light of day until I move out...

The sun has made an unforecast appearance through the cloud but it's still set to be beaten back by the rain, the arrival of which has been pushed back an hour it would seem.

Now to decide about that visit to my storage place. I'd rather take something with me and not go there with an empty car. However, the prime candidates are boxes of stuff that are in the cupboards in the office, which are inaccessible at present. I think I can see where this is going!

[NickFitz]

Phone call from the GP (well, one of the pharmacists there) which I'd forgotten I was expecting some time this morning

All test results are apparently OK, except one of the thyroid function ones is a bit low, so they want to repeat that one but in a more detailed form or something like that. Upon investigation, I find that symptoms of hypothyroidism include tiredness and weight gain. Might be nice to have something other than old age and indolence to blame them on

[NickFitz]

Morning denizens

Cloudy day today, with the possibility of light rain - in fact, there's supposed to be some right now, though I can't see it. Not any warmer either at 8°C and aiming for 11°. The barometers are only one notch up at 992/1001mB, so essentially still unchanged

[DoctorStrangelove]

Me write to the Metro? .

Morning.

Damply dry again.

Grey.

Sunless.

Chilly in here at 13.5 deg, 12.5 in the kitchen, 13.5 in the leanto.

1000.25 mBar, 29.5373 in Hg, 750.25 Torr, 14.5 psi, (up from 1000 last night), 77% RH (GDR hair), 70% RH (Lidl electric).

Meanwhile on the 22nd of September 2019 NF was watching "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" followed by "The Siege (1998)" with Bruce Willis & Denzel Washington, whereas I watched "LA Confidential", and Xogg used to live in Bromley where once H.G. Wells had an abode (and a more recent plaque). Since it was a Sunday, the beef it was aroasting, and since it was wet no gardening transpired, which was gratefully received.

Shopping trip to Morrisons done dusted washed dried sanitised & put away.

Lunch: baked spud etc.

Entertainment: Money Box. <click>

Dead Ringers.

Walk (unabbreviated) walked in the grey gloom & cold wind. Strewth it's a bit chilly out there.

Bits of Star Trek IV.

Freecell score: 91%, running average: 86% (86.1%).

Tea: spag with Morrisons bol: not as nasty as the Tesco version about sums it up.

Entertainment: Toast on about Greenshield Stamps and Argos again

The Endless River on Sky Arts.

There's yet another (new) rehash of the tragic tale of Syd Barrett at 21:00.

Dixon of Dock Green S20 E1 "Eye Witness (1973)". George goes on holiday with an eye witness to a murder.

The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre S2 E8 "Backfire (1961)".

Goldeneye (1989): biopic of Ian Fleming.

[ladymuck]

Morning all

Dull and damp. Currently 6 degrees with a high of 12 expected. Rain forecast this afternoon and into the evening. Barometer continues its downward trajectory to 1004 mBar.

Up early for a Saturday because the landlady is finally getting things fixed in the house where leaks have occured in the conservatory. It's like she decided to hedge her bets on me leaving to get the place in order for remarketing.

There's also works to be done in my little office and so I'm going to have to spend the morning dismantling my desk and kit to allow room for the repair of a fault noted on the check in report that has only gotten worse over the past 20 months or so.

Hopefully I can then go out to the storage unit.

Triangle of Sadness was an entertaining film, I might have to watch that again.

[NickFitz]

Tonight's major motion picture premiere has been Triangle of Sadness (2022) which follows an influencer couple who blag their way onto a cruise aboard a yacht full of multimillionaires where things go very wrong in a variety of drastic ways, ultimately leading to a modern rehash of the plot of The Admirable Crichton. I found it very entertaining, though those of a sensitive disposition might be somewhat discombobulated by the graphic sequence of passengers suffering from extreme seasickness when a storm strikes during the Captain's Dinner

And then a further episode of S3 of The Wire

Goodnight all

[NickFitz]

Tea, then has been braised beef short rib in Guinness gravy, with chips and peas. The beef concoction turned out really well so I'll have to remember whatever it was I chucked in there when I started making it first thing this morning, that being what passes for a recipe in my world

Lots left too, which is mildly inconvenient with limited freezer capacity. But I daresay I'll manage

This was accompanied by the rest of an episode of Trucking Hell that I'd partially watched

[NickFitz]

Mundane laundry is on

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the kitchen, beef short ribs are slow cooking in a Guinness-based gravy. They turned out to be slightly too big for the slow cooker, so I'm using the InstantPot™ in slow cooker mode. They seem to be cooking a bit too slowly on the lowest setting though, as they still don't fit completely in the stock and that seems to be cool enough to not steam the half that's poking out very much. They were done well enough to peel the meat away from the bones, and I've turned it to its highest "slow cook" setting for the final three hours or so. The advantage of them being in there is that if they aren't properly deliquescing at the appointed time, I can just switch it over to pressure cooker mode. The gravy has already developed a nice, rich flavour so a quick blast of high pressure to finish the meat off should work out nicely

[NickFitz]

Lunch has been a few M&S honey & mustard cocktail sausages with a bag of plain crisps

[ladymuck]

Hey DrS, have you been talking to The Metro??

https://metro.co.uk/2024/04/25/two-s...ndon-20716892/

‘This is 100% something a One Eyed Witch would warn as a sign of some disaster about to happen,’ wrote Doc Strangelove.

[ladymuck]

Morning all

Bright and dry with wispy fluff. Currently 9 degrees with a high of 13 expected. No rain forecast but it is likely to cloud over this afternoon. Barometer down a snifter to 1006 mBar.

I didn't get the flat. A couple with a child got it because they wanted an 8 year term. Can't argue with that. I've decided I will quit my place and hope that something suitable presents itself within the next two months. I will pop down to my storage place tomorrow for a recce to see what room it's got and clear out the tat I'm never going to use. Then start planning what to put in it to make the move easier.