General Chat

Morning all,

Nice bright sunny morning here now as it was'nt when I got up for the loo in the early hours. Its 8 degrees here and pc says mostly sunny.

I have just amended my shopping for tomorrow so I think I have everything on the list now.

Back and hip were ok when I got up but now is playinng me up.

Good morning all, early yet but still 7 degrees. looks very dull out there but dry.

Nothing planned again today so I will see what the day brings.

Mel, a lot of things take the same length of time as they would in the oven but I have found it usually cooks at a slightly lower temp and, of course you don't need the oven warm up time which can be 15 minutes on mine. The Poussin actually took less time to cook than in the oven. (oven 40 minutes, air frier 32 minutes. It may have been cooked at 30 but I didn't check it then. It does save having to clean the oven though.

Happy Birthday to G from me. xx

I would'nt have thought a Poussin would have taken that long in the air fryer but it just goes to show you.

I ended up cleaning the whole house out for the girls in the end and not just the nest box.

I thought of something a little while ago. Do any of you remember those little parafin heaters you put under the car to warm the sump up I think? we had one years and years ago and I remember it was blue. Why it popped into my head I do not know, it must be my age........

Poussin was lovely, well half of it. I flattened it laid it skin up for 20 minutes on 180. Then turned it over for five minutes, then back with skin up for about 12 minutes, this is where you check it, mine was done and I tested with the thermometer.

I'll pass on your birthday wishes to OH Mandy! He's had a very restful day today, mostly reading his new books and watching footie on the tv as his back has been twanging after changing the shower curtain. He's looking forward to going to an italian Pesto place for a meal tomorrow. I'm wearing a thick fleece to go in, so I can use it to pad their hard seats a bit! lol. It's the only downside but we'll be going early so I might be able to swap chairs to find the comfiest. :-) Nice to have some flowers and I expect you have started the chocolates. Well done young Lewis getting such a good report. That was praise indeed for him wasn't it. I bet he was beaming at your gift too and will be working at his school work even harder!

It sounds like we'll all be trying to unwedge our Hostas to get them out of their pots now. Using the wheelbarrow to raise the pot higher is a good idea to save our backs.

Thank you AnnG. I've done spatchcock chicken in the ordinary oven before but will make a note of the temperature for the airfryer. I must check size too as my airfryer isn't a large one.

Well blow me, I just heard fireworks being let off! I suppose it's because it's Mothers' Day.

The Poussin is spatchcock so can be flattened Ann and takes 40 minutes in the air frier, have check as it may be a little less. I have done one before, it is about the same time as in the oven but the airfrier doesn’t need warming up and I do it 180 instead of 190.

Afternoon all and Happy Mother's Day,

Happy birthday to OH Ann hope he's enjoyed his day and you both enjoy the birthday meal tomorrow.

Been raining here most of the day, family came this morning and I had some lovely flowers and chocolates.
Lewis and Jake came but the girls were with friends this weekend .
Lewis had a very good school report ,his teacher said he doesn't have to speak to him he gets on with his work and if he carries on like this he will be top of his year .
We gave him some money and the look on his face ,what a beaming smile .

I need to split my Hostas and they are in Ceramic pots, we had a heck of a job a couple of years ago when we split some ,we had to try and turn the pot upside down to get it out we lifted it into a wheel barrow to save our backs a bit but it took ages to release it and we took a saw to it to cut it up .
I think I'll go to Roys and buy some new plastic pots for them.

Afternoon Everyone,

Yes Happy Mothers' Day to all mothers. OH's birthday is today as well so we are out for a meal tomorrow instead of today, as places could be very busy with mothers being taken out.

The rain you had yesterday has moved up here Mel. No chance of doing anything outside today and it's 7 degrees now and a bit windy

The Hostas were bought in the ceramic pots over 7 years ago, but I stopped buying ceramic pots since, unless small, as they are too heavy to move. At that time I started using plastic pots inside the ceramic ones I already had, which I can lift out to plant up on the greenhouse bench and save my back and knees with bending over. I think I'm going to have a right game getting them out of the pots Mel! After Vera having some break I will have to be very careful. I might try the serrated pruner around the edge and across. It's making the hole to start this that will be hard, but old scissors or a screwdriver might do that. :-S

Our neighbour's ivy has broken through our fence panels and is now pulling the replacement panels we bought out of the post slots, so we are not fans of it at all.

Your meal sounds nice AnnG. How long does the chicken take in the airfryer?
This talk of lovely flowers is making me wonder if I should get some Daffs tomorrow. We need something cheery here as it is still pouring with rain and dull.

Time for a COT methinks. :-)

I had hoped to do a little bit more in the garden but it’s rained pretty much all day so I’ve just faffed about. I did cook our usual Sunday roast which we had just after 2 pm and now I feel stuffed. I certainly didn’t really need 2 helpings of plum and apple crumble and custard but it was nice :-)

Iv'e been out in the garden since my last post. I have cleaned the chickens out and pottered around but not done any weeding as I can't bend much today. I greased all the hinges on the chicken house too so they are all clean for another week. I also pulled up a big lump of grass from the side of the road out the front and put that in the chickens run and they are busy now finding all the worms in it and eating the grass.

Flowers just arrived from son, they look beautiful but are in water in one of those card containers. I know it is going to be a fight to get them into a vase so I think I will leave them as they are until tomorrow.

Did an hour in the garden fighting the ivy and took down an old set of non working lights, then weeded for ten minutes but the soil is still very cold and I had not put gloves on as it is easier trimming the ivy without gloves.

Came in and pre cooked veg for tonight. I have a spatchcock Poussin which I will do in the air frier. And also made soup which went down well for lunch Mixed veg, cauliflower outer leaves, carrot, red pepper, leeks and courgettes, very tasty Oh there was a small amount of chopped tinned tomatoes in it as well.

Might go for another potter in the garden it is still 11 degrees not much sun and PC says rain coming.

Its dropped a degree here to 8 now and the suns out which is strange.

Bet Mandy is having a lovely Mothers Day. Do we have a Grandmothers day???? so why not.

Must now go and give the chickens a clean nest as its not too windy I can manage and I don't have to bend down to do that. Fed the wild birds but do need to put another fat tablet out.

Just spent about an hour in the garden cutting back the ivy which is all over our garden no matter how many times I cut it back. I think it actually might be holding up next doors fence so I just trim it my side. At least it is green but it does choke the clematis. I have also weeded out some more cellandines and placed a couple of the old stepping stones from the other half of the lawn in the large border. There are three there now which helps me get to the stuff on the fence. It is dull here and 11 degrees, can sort of feel rain in the air, hopefully it will rain later and get rid of the dirt on the outside of the pots from the power wash. I can get Jake to do it, as he should have done, with the hose but that will be using more of my water.

Happy Mothers Day all you ladies.

Mornig all,

Much brighter here this morning and the same temp as Anng of 8 degrees.

Day before yesterday I shot a rabbit in the garden and slung it over the back fence for the fox. Well the fox did'nt get it because yesterday I had two lovely Buzzards feasting on it. One was just standing on it and looking towards the trees so I did manage to get a pic but the bedroom window is so dirty its not very clear. Later the two were there together but they have such very keen eyes the mo I walk in the bedroom they fly off into the trees over the back.

I must try and take a pic of the Wrens nest today too. When I showed BIL he thought it was really funny.

Slept right through last night but my back hurts this morning as well as my hip.

Good morning AnnG and all

There will be no gardening here today. It’s very wet and the rain is forecast on and off for the whole day.

We had some pots break so our hostas are now in plastic pots. OH bought some very large black ones. I don’t think we would find pottery ones large enough to contain the plastic pots.

I’ve been up over an hour so it’s time I got dressed and had some breakfast.

Good morning all. 8 degrees at the moment and it looks nice outside. Hope the wind has dropped so I can get out there and do a few things.

It had been forecast for your area yesterday Mel, to rain, but it had also been forecast for here and we didn't have any. In a way I could do with some to wash away the dirt left by the power wash splashing on pots etc.

Hope you managed to get the things out of the moulds ok in the end. frustrating if they break.

I have some Hostas in pots too that I should look out. and I have now started putting plants in plastic pots that will fit inside pottery ones.

Mothers day today. I have two envelopes downstairs waiting to be opened, so cards from daughter and son.

They will break the pots if they are pottery. a lotof the pottery pots have a lip on the inside which is why I never put them in those but put them in plastic pots and stand the pots in the pottery ones. I have tried to cut the roots up with an old carving knife but that was ok for small not too crowded ones but a saw is much better.

Hope you all sleep well tonight.

It's been a drizzly day where you are then Mel which puts me off doing anything outside. The shop must have been fed up with having no internet and might have lost some custom. I always keep a bit of cash in the car, just in case and take it out when the car goes in for service. Where will we be if they do away with cash altogether though?

My Hostas are in just the same state and need splitting. They were in pots with two other plants originally, but have gradually pushed the other plants out and taken over the pots completely and been like that for several years. I tried to get a trowel in one pot to dig some out last year and just couldn't make any headway. I might try hammering a screwdriver in and waggling it in a few places to see if I can loosen some bits. They are in so tight I'm worried they might break the pots.

Was up quite early this morning and slopping around when BIL turned up. A short visit he only came to to deliver the deisel he had put in my car as he likes to keep it for when its needed. I think he want to try and get the big zero turn mower going this year and that takes deisel.

Yes the camelia is a beautiful shpae and colour and looks so very healthy.

Its been dull and miserable all day today but not much wind that was forcast but its still very cold. its 8 degrees and it only went up to 9 degrees earlier and its been that fine rain all day.

When I went down the shop this morning there was hardly anywhere to park in the village and the shop was full of customers. Now I know why I go later than 12 o'lock.
They also had no internet so no cash machine working or the card payment machine which threw everyone even me till I remembered I had popped a tenner in my phone so I was lucky.

I have some of the new moulds in and am about to see if they have come out ok. Sometimes the first ones come out a bit fluffy but that cold be that I have to put talc in them when getting them off the formers so the rubber dos'nt stick together as sometimes happens and then I have to start all over again.

You got on well today Vera with all the jobs you have done in the garden you put me to shame. I must take a look at my hostas as I am sure they need splitting but they are all in very big plastic pots so may have to wait till BIL is here to help this old girl get the pots off and saw them up.

Its now getting dark so need to turn the light on and take a look at the moulds.

You would have to find something to buy with the credit then Ann. A new TV maybe?, camera? Not silly are they.

Vera I had not heard of the maintenance box before either and had to look it up, it never occurred to me that overflow ink has to go somewhere. It actually came up with a box where the ink replacement box comes up and says that it is nearly finished and it is the warning to buy a new box as you can't print once it is full.