Category: Food

Rain – 25 March 2024

Posted on by Zogman

Today was the opposite of yesterday. I think it rained from morning to night. If it didn’t, then it certainly felt like it did.

We finally got round to putting the cases into the loft again to let them sleep until our next adventure needs them to carry our load to some exciting place. Not exactly sure when or where that will be, yet. Hopefully it will be somewhere. Plans were made over dinner yesterday that may come to fruition.

There wasn’t much to do today after the cases had gone we had a bit more space, especially in my room. I planted some chilli seeds Scamp had bought me. The seeds came with a big metal pot and two bags of compost. They weren’t exactly pulling out the stops with the seed allocation. Six seeds in the packet. I arranged five of them into a pentagon with the final one taking up position in the centre. (I like to be accurate with these things.) I watered them and sat them on the bookcase in the back bedroom. According to the instructions, they were to be placed in a bright place but not in direct sun. The north facing window should be ideal. Good luck little chillies.

In the afternoon, Scamp brought out her mighty steam iron and got to work ironing everything she could lay her hands on. I took that as my cue to off for a walk in the rain, with the possibility of getting some photos. I’d taken a couple earlier just as bankers in the rain. They were Bellis flowers. What we used to call “Wee Daisies” before we got all technical and Latin. I did find a couple of worthwhile shots and one of them got into Flickr, but it was the Bellis that made PoD.

Dinner tonight was another “what’s in the fridge” pasta creation. It turned out quite well, but we both agreed that it cooled down really quickly.

Watched the semi-final of Mastermind and the first semi of University Challenge. I got a few questions correct, as did Scamp.

Hoping to go and get ericaceous (acidic) compost tomorrow to pot up Scamp’s new azalea.

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Scamp – 24 March 2024

Posted on by Zogman

Scamp’s Birthday today.

A lazy morning for both of us. Lots of prezzies opened and lots of smiles. Hazy phoned in the morning and I gave them space to talk while I tidied up downstairs.

After lunch Scamp wanted to get her new plants into pots and distributed round the garden. I took a camera for a walk in St Mo’s. Not a lot to be seen, but I did get some photos of a bunch of dandelions sitting on a wall and with a fence to give them some extra support.

Scamp had requested that dinner should be, Chicken & Pea Traybake, to give it its proper name, The same meal we had on Thursday. I was chef, of course, but the real cook was the oven because it did all the hard work. Dessert was Viennetta. All washed down with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from Jamie and Simonne’s Christmas parcel.

Spoke to Jamie later in the day and heard that the main works seem to be finished and now the push seems to be on to get the plastering completed. The hope being that when that is finished, they can move back it full time.

We watched the final episode of this season’s Death in Paradise. The story was dragged out even more than it usually is. Lots of old faces returning for this finale. Maybe this is, as one critic wrote, the Death of Death in Paradise. We can but hope.

I think Scamp enjoyed her birthday. I really hope she did.

Tomorrow we may tidy up some loose ends.

Driving in my car – 22 March 2024

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We set out this morning to drive to Bishopbriggs to get 2 cans of green paint. We got back home four hours later with only one can.

Wild morning after a wild night. Strong winds driving rain and hail storms all day. Got to B&Q and found the paint. Unfortunately they only had one can of silk finish, but loads of cans of matt. We bought the single can and left with that, some sealing strips for the shower and some sealant remover, also for the shower. Scamp was also looking for some flowers for her tub that hangs on the back fence, but they didn’t have the mixed pansies she was looking for.

I suggested that we drop in at Calders on the way home to get some pansies there. Again, there were no trays of mixed flowers, just plain colours. When Calders took over what was the Tesco owned Dobbies garden centre they set about enlarging the shop and the plant area. Today it’s become massive. The down side is that the folk who used to work there have almost all left now and it’s teenagers who are in charge of the plants and most of them have little or no gardening knowledge. The old shop itself was a bit crowd, but now it’s crammed full of display stands, to the point where it’s becoming a fire hazard. If there was a fire in that building, it would only need one person to panic, stumble into one of these displays and the exits would be blocked. We both felt uncomfortable in it.

Anyway, no pansies were for sale today, so I coaxed Scamp into going to Torwood garden centre, near Falkirk, just another 10 miles or so along the motorway. We still didn’t get the pansies, but she did get some Tiarella flowers which, apparently we say at Edinburgh Botanic Gardens a few years ago. Pretty wee pink flowers. We also got a Geisha Orange azalea to replace one we had a few years ago and also a packet Cerinthe and also Basil seeds. We stayed at Torwood for our lunch. Just a bite to eat in the middle of the day.

We drove home through more rain and hail and pulled off just after Castlecary to go to Tesco for the makings of tonight’s Fish Curry the recipe courtesy of Jamie. Just as well we took the slip road off, because ahead of us the main motorway ground to a halt. This looked more serious than the usual late Friday afternoon moving carpark. But we were off the motorway and driving up to Tesco where I spent about 20 minutes wandering round the shelves looking for Edamame beans. I’d given up and went to the checkout, but asked the lady on the till if she knew where we’d find them. She did, and got a runner to go and bring a pot of them. I was so grateful for that bit of help and now we just had to drive home, almost four hours after we set out.

Back home the skies cleared and the sun shone. I didn’t have to be asked twice. I put my boots on and went for a walk in St Mo’s. Dramatic skies all around and the occasional shower of rain but I did get a PoD which is a view across the pond to more incoming rain clouds.

Scamp made the dinner and I processed the photos. The curry was very tasty but it’s been repeating on me all evening. Other than that and a lack of salt it looks like another keeper from Jamie & Simonne. Thank you.

Tomorrow’s dance class was hanging in the balance, but it’s going to go ahead. More driving, although today’s was self inflicted. Hopefully the weather will have calmed down by then.

Stirling in the rain – 20 March 2024

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Met Alex today to go for a wander through Stirling.

Picked Alex up at the train station and we drove through the rain to Stirling and parked at the multi-storey carpark in the town. Alex had had a haircut in the morning. Number 2 on top and a Number 1/2 on the back. Very brave when it’s only the middle of March, but who am I to say. Then he left his hat in the car. Not so clever, so first stop was M&S for a cheap bunnet. Then it was coffee time in Nero and plans were laid.

We walked up King Street in the rain and then on to Baker Street and Broad Street with its canons still guarding the road to the castle. On the way we found a flowering cherry tree that had dropped some of its flower on the metal metal seating in a park, and that’s where today’s PoD came from.

We got as far as Mar’s Wark, a townhouse from the 1500s and decided the rain was on for the day and started to head back down the hill. About halfway down the rain lessened and by the time we were down in the shopping precinct, it had stopped. Too late to go back and anyway, plans had been altered to give us a place to go for lunch.

We drove out along the St Andrews road to Coffee Bothy and had lunch. I knew, when I saw the amount of mayonnaise on my Cajun Chicken sandwich that I was going to suffer for it later, and I did. I didn’t even enjoy the food today which is really strange.

We drove back through much lighter traffic than I thought we’d have, and manage to get Alex back in time for his 4:37 train home. We agreed that we hadn’t seen the best of Stirling today and vowed to come back on a DRY day. It was really annoying driving back into the makings of a good sunset, after such a disappointing day, weather-wise.

Later Scamp and I drove up to the British Legion for our midweek dance class. Only two of us tonight, which meant there was nowhere to hide. It wasn’t my best dance class. I made countless mistakes, despite Kirsty and Scamp trying their hardest to ease me in to it. It just wasn’t working for me.

Hoping to go to a tea dance tomorrow. You can’t say I’m not a glutton for punishment!

Admiring my handiwork – 19 March 2024

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Surprisingly, no aches and pains, no pulled muscles either from yesterday’s tentative return to home decorating.

In fact, we drove up to the local B&Q to see if they had the paint we’re intending to use in the front bedroom. They didn’t have it in stock. It wasn’t a great surprise, they never have what you need in this store. Scamp agreed and said that you don’t see crowds of people shopping for anything in this store. It’s usually joiners and builders we see in this B&Q. I’m guessing they get a good trade discount, paid for through the full price the general public have to fork out. I’m amazed it’s still in business.

So, it was in and out again as quick as possible today and then on to Tesco for the weekly shop. No problem with the general public there. Tuesdays are usually busy and the shelves are usually full. We avoid Mondays when the bakery department seem to take the day off en masse.

Back home and after lunch I had a quick discussion with my brother on WhatsApp about where we’d go this week. I put up a good case for Stirling which has architecture and the occasional grand church which he likes and what can be gorgeous view along the carse to the Lomond hills which suits me.

With that settled I went out for a walk in St Mo’s, but I could just have returned home after a five minutes walk because I found today’s PoD not a hundred metres from our front door. Just a wee daisy that had made its home in a crack in the pavement next to an inspection plug for the wireless cable. A shot in the bag is always a great thing.

Wandered round St Mo’s anyway since the photowalk is not just about taking photos, but also about keeping moving, getting some exercise and increasing my daily step count.

When I got home, I was just going through today’s 17 photos when Scamp started cheering. I thought we’d won the lottery before I remembered we had just torn up Saturday’s failed chance to become a millionaire. No, it was the early arrival of Laura & (Big)Ross’s baby girl and John & Marion’s first grandchild. Three weeks early. Good luck to them all.

Dinner tonight was Paella a family favourite that I hadn’t made for months, and it showed. A bit soggy, but apart from that it was fine. It filled a space as we say.

Tomorrow Alex and I are off to terrorise Stirling. Scamp has nothing planned apart from cleaning and ironing.

Foxtrotting – 16 March 2024

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We drove over to Brookfield hoping for a new start in the ballroom dance class, but were pleasantly surprised by the appearance of an old friend or two.

The dance that was chosen to get us on our feet and started was Mambo Marina. A very old favourite that we learned a long, long while ago. It was buried deep in my memory and the first dance was a bit of a struggle, but after the second track most of the wrinkles were ironed out and it flowed like it should … almost.

Next was the Foxtrot, the old foxtrot we’d learned yonks ago. At first, like the MM it was a bit of a blur, but gradually with help from Scamp the figures fitted together and even the Continuous Hover Cross which was my nemesis in dances gone by was recovered from muscle memory and we went through with hardly a mistake by track three or five!

The Mayfair Quickstep was next. Two tracks to dust off the cobwebs of this well known and oft dance sequence and we were almost two thirds of the way through the class. Jive was next on the agenda and it was a refresher course on figures we’d already dances and which were fairly fresh in our memories as they were similar to some of the jive routines from many years ago.

To finish off, we were invited to dance any Waltz. We started on the Spring Waltz, but fumbled our way through it before we changed to Kirsty’s Waltz Nioli. It’s shorter and simpler and we did manage to finish it and then restart it again.

That was it for the ballroom class. Drove back home feeling that we’d accomplished something today.

After lunch I went for a walk in St Mo’s and just as I left the house, the rain started. I was concentrating on getting some photos of the Larch Pineapples I saw the other day. I found them and although the light was a bit low, so was the wind and that allowed me to get some sharper photos. One of them made PoD.

Dinner came courtesy of Golden Bowl and it was delicious. Lovely and fresh for both of us. Mine being a Special Chow Mein and Scamp’s was her usual Chicken Chop Suey and Fried Rice. Amazingly it was still light and about 5.15 when I went to collect the food.

That was about it for today apart from trying to send some photos to Alex and them bouncing back to me. Similar to my previous Google problem, but not the same. I’ll worry about it tomorrow … or the next day.

No plans for tomorrow apart from worrying about things that cannot be fixed.

A day of two halves – 15 March 2024

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Rain in the morning and a bit of sunshine in the afternoon

The morning had light rain to start with but soon that turned to heavy persistent rain. Scamp was out to go to FitSteps, only to return half an hour later because nobody appeared. No teacher, now FitSteppers, nobody. We can only surmise that Kirsty, the teacher, had a hospital appointment to check her wrist was setting well. I’d just started reading the last few chapters in my latest book “To The Dogs” by Louise Welsh, but now it was put to the side.

Lunch was the remaining half of yesterday’s Ginsters pasty, baked in the microwave. That sounds awful, but with a combination of microwaving at ‘warm’ setting and convection heating at 220º is part microwaves, part bakes the pasty. An hour after lunch the rain stopped, but it was still cloudy. Half an hour after that, the sun shone. I’d been processing some of my favourite holiday photos to pass on Alex, but I knew the sensible thing to do was to put my boots and get out while the going was good.

The frogs that had been so busy making babies a couple of days ago seemed to have left en masse. I did find a small group at the far corner of one of the small ponds, but the biggest contingent had gone. I probably missed the big love-in when we were on holiday. It didn’t matter, because I did get some shots during the week, so I didn’t miss it all.

Instead of walking round the pond, I went looking for frogs in some of the tiny wee ponds in the woods, but didn’t find any, nor did I find any frogspawn. What I did find was a couple of sixteen spot orange ladybirds (Halyzia sedecimguttata). They were still hibernating, one tucked under some moss high in a birch tree and the other in a crevice from a broken branch in another birch. I hadn’t seen any earlier in the year, so maybe the recent warmer weather had tempted them out and then the colder weather had sent them back under cover. One of the ladybirds got PoD.

Dinner tonight was an old fashioned home made stir-fry made by Scamp with what we had in the fridge. It was really good. I’d forgotten how good Scamp’s stir-fries were.

Tomorrow we’ll probably be driving to Brookfield for a dance class. No confirmation that the class is on yet, but we’re hopeful.

 

Starting to get back to normal – 13 March 2024

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Whatever ‘Normal’ is.

Task for today was to purchase a new SSL which as you probably know is the bit of code that turns HTTP into HTTPS. I remember the mess I got into trying to install it. This time, all I needed to do was hand over a few quid to someone at my hosting company and they installed the software for me. I’d been dreading going through all that rigmarole again and according to my receipt, it’s solid until 2025.

The next thing to do was to put fingers to keyboard to flesh out the notes I’d made during last week about where we went and what we did. That took up most of the morning and half of the afternoon. It’s still a work in progress, but there has been progress in the work, if that makes sense. If it does, it will be a first.

As the afternoon wore on and the sun was shining, I thought it would be a good idea to put the boots on and go for a walk in St Mo’s. It was indeed a good idea because the frog influx had started in earnest and two of the ponds were full of them and their jelly frog spawn. That gave me a potential PoD. Further on in my walk I found some Alder catkins glowing in the sunshine and they just beat the frogs to the first place and PoD.

Dinner tonight was ‘red Pasta’ or Pasta with a Tomato Sauce. I used some strange round pasta I found in a cupboard and it took a long time to soften, but it was voted a success by Scamp. I wasn’t so sure.

First night dancing at Kirsty’s class for almost two months since her tumble just after Christmas. Tonight it was Foxtrot and when I settled in to it, most of the figures that made up the dance were fairly well known to me. It was just a case of fitting them together like a jigsaw. Of course, as with all jigsaws, there were pieces missing. Hopefully I’ll find them by next week.

Weather looks really wet tomorrow. That might be a good thing because it will let me get on with fleshing out the remainder of last week’s blog posts.

Scamp is out to lunch tomorrow and I have work to do.

Dull and cold wind – 8 March 2024

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Sat for a while out of the sun, but gave up after a while and went into the big round building where yesterday’s Gala Event had been. It was warmer there.

Eventually when the skies cleared a bit and the sun shone, we walked to the ‘Island’. It’s actually a man-made island built on boulders and the last time we were there we had to queue for a table. Today was similar, but we managed to get an inside table out of the wind. I had a burger and Scamp had two of the fattest Sea Bass fillets we’d ever seen. We both had Mojitos.

By the time we were going back, the weather was improving and I went for a walk again in the wilderness. Got a photo of a group of wild goats and also what looks like a locust. I remember seeing locusts in Lanzarote a few years ago and these were very similar.

Came back to the hotel and watched the qualifying for tomorrow’s F1 GP. Didn’t find out who was on pole, because somebody pulled a plug somewhere and we were left with a black screen and muddled sound. No explanation. No apologies. That’s the way it is here.

Entertainment in the evening was two acrobats. The bloke seemed to have trained as a ballet dancer and the girl’s speciality appeared to be the splits. There was a fair bit of faffing about and posing. Entertaining for a while, but I was glad when it was finished.

PoD was a stunning Bird of Paradise flower in the hotel garden. Beautiful colours.

Tomorrow is Saturday and the days are slipping away.

 

In the big city – 7 March 2024

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We got the ‘Cooncil’ bus to the big city of Puerto del Rosario.

A slow trudge through roadworks, then an unnecessary detour through a satellite town on the outskirts of Caleta where nobody got off the bus and worse still, nobody got on, but the driver was doing his job and covering the bases. Then out to the airport where one person got on and a host of hopefuls asked if this was the bus to Caleta and were told in no uncertain terms that this was the bus to Puerto del Rosario and the next bus, also a Number 3 would be going to Caleta. I don’t think he was believed, but it turned out to be the truth.

We stopped at the big central shopping centre and walked down a hill hoping to find something interesting. We found the church with the bar in the grounds, but although the church was open, the bar was securely shut. We found a three storey building whose gable being treated to a black and white mural of someone. Then we found a street cafe we’d been to the last time we were in Rosario.

There was a street market in the pedestrian area, mainly because two cruise ships were in the port. A fairly large P&O Azura and the enormous Aida Cosma. Not for the first time I marvelled at just how big these ships are. We walked down to the port and took some photos of them because that’s going to be the nearest we’ll get to a cruise this year, then went on an expedition looking for a fountain with models of dolphins round it, a line of hand painted benches and a big white Puerto del Rosario sculpture we’d photographed ourselves at. Despite our best efforts, we found none of the above, but went back up the hill to the cafe and had lunch. Scamp had Spanish Tortilla and I has Serrano Ham and Tomato in a baguette, both walked down with a beer.

We walked down through the street market and the further I went the more sure I was that we were on the track of the tree missing items. Sure enough at the bottom of the hill we found the big white 3D sign and the painted seats, but alas, no dolphin fountain. Maybe the next time we come this way DV.

After a seat in one of the painted benches we walked back towards the town and found another missing item, not dolphins, but a massive mural of Time Square NYC. Now looking a bit worse for wear, by still impressive. We went in to the big multi-level shopping centre looking for somewhere that sold power adapters. We found one, exactly like the item Scamp was looking for. Bought it and headed for the bus stop. Just got to the stop and the No 3 arrived, our bus to Caleta. No available seats. The bus drove away. Next one was about 10 mins later and it was a rammy! Folk shoving other folk out of the way and an opportunity for us to sharpen our elbows for a change.

A long journey through more traffic works and we got dropped outside the Atlantico Centre where we bought some stuff and went from there to the hotel

We had a Gala Dinner to look forward to except:

  1. Service was slow and without a smile
  2. Some of the starters were baked on to the plate because they were under heat lamps. Fillings were tepid inside.
  3. My entrecôte was as chewy as my walking boots and my roast potatoes were actually baked potatoes.
  4. Best of all, Scamp’s Mango Sorbet was actually a Blackcurrant Smoothie.

Gala Dinner showing off what the hotel can offer? I think not.

We did get to dance salsa again to Tina on the sax. Great fun for us and we got two rounds of applause!

Long day, some disappointments and some highlights. That’s what it’s all about.

PoD was a beautiful sunset over the hills.

As usual, no plans for tomorrow.