"What have you eaten" Parallel Chat

Pipp said:

I guess this will confuse folks, but my father played a washboard in a skiffle band in the 1960s. He had thimbles on his fingers to make the sound.

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I remember that too. We all thought we could be musicians when we saw washboards and home made bases (a box and a stick connected by a bit of string). We couldn't, of course. You still needed to be musical. My great uncle played a saw in the music halls and my father played spoons. If you were musical, you could probably make music with anything. Oh to be gifted.

It looks like the 60s were a very interesting time!
Heh, I'm totally incapable of music too.

I was still a young child in the 60s so no housework or music for me then. But I do remember the very first supermarkets and Bejams, the freezer shop starting up. Maybe that's why I still make such good use of my freezer(s)

Today's food was yoghurt, blackcurrants and seeds for breakfast

A large sausage roll at a National Trust property, which still spiked me way too high in spite of long walks before and after. I'd intended to keep going on a few nuts but had got cold in the wind

But weirdly an ice cream mid afternoon didn't stir my bg at all

Finished today's exercise with a dog walk so about 17000 steps today.

D: hash of buttered leeks, sausage and eggs. Side salad including cress which I hadn't had for years. Was surprisingly tasty. A yoghurt jelly. 1 sq 85% and a glass red wine.

Annb said:

People use them for all sorts of things, from mini libraries to shower cubicles.

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And not unimportantly, the muggle entrance to the Ministry of Magic.
Are the Harry Potter book/movies available in Russia, @Zhnyaka ?

No, we do not want to sponsor Joanne Rowling with her stance on gender inclusivity but with your professional background I'm sure you can obtain them without it benefiting the author.



For me, the red English phone booths are a bit magic too.

When I was 15 or 16, I was a huge Bob Dylan fan, and I was just reading a Dylan biography by Robert Shelton when I visited London with my mum for a couple of days. The book mentioned the author living in Brighton, not that far away from London, and the address of the publishing agency was in the book. So I wrote to the agency, asking if I could meet with Shelton. They promptly replied with a message to the hotel, telling me to expect a phonecall in a specific phone booth close to the hotel.
This had my mum and I completely puzzled, in the Netherlands you can't call a phone booth, you can only call from it, so I didn't really believe it but I was still in the red phonebooth at the stated time, feeling ridiculous for expecting something to happen.

But behold, the phone rang!
And the next day I took the train to a Brighton suburb, to meet with a lovely old man who cooked me a lunch in a home completely cluttered with books and typewriters.

I don't think we even talked about Bob Dylan much, it was just a lovely afternoon spent between a very young and a very old person who found lots to talk about.
Unexpected connections are magic.

I'm just back from an amazing family weekend, was going to tell you about it but then this memory popped up and I felt it was more interesting.

Antje77 said:

And not unimportantly, the muggle entrance to the Ministry of Magic.

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For me, the red English phone booths are a bit magic too.

I'm just back from an amazing family weekend, was going to tell you about it but then this memory popped up and I felt it was more interesting.

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It is interesting, but I'm still looking forward to hearing about the family weekend.

Annb said:

It is interesting, but I'm still looking forward to hearing about the family weekend.

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I'll try tomorrow, too knackered from socialising and driving today and yesterday, and a shortish night spent in my car in a forest. And an unexpected meeting with Tom, that first date in september, the married one I fell in love with if you remember. No, no renewal of an impossible relationship, don't worry!
It's just that I wanted to gift him a book on sailing on the Waddenzee as a thank you for everything, and because I think the book is just what he needs if he wants to venture there with his sailing boat, it's the best book I know on the subject. We'd have loved to sail together, he'd have loved to learn more from me but it couldn't be, and this book is second best if I can't teach him myself.
So I was going to put it on his boat knowing it's unlocked, I have no other means of contacting him.
And then I ran into him, he was at his boat, yikes!
Turned out very well, we did some catching up, looked at some technical issues with his boat, had a friendly hug, and I think I can now close this chapter for real.

Cullen skink for breakfast. Sort of. I thought I had a leek left in the fridge, but no, so it was spring onions instead.
2nd meal will be the rest of the smoked haddock in a kedgeree (made with cauliflower and coconut rice).

I have a new gadget, bought from Amazon, to make it easier to peel boiled eggs. Unfortunately, there were no instructions with it so I checked the picture on the website which showed it being used with water in the egg container. That's what we did (Neil did) but there were no seals on it and the water poured out. Just as well he was beside the kitchen sink. It worked fine though. I'll try it today without water and see if it still works.

Antje77 said:

Are the Harry Potter book/movies available in Russia, @Zhnyaka ?

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You really think that we live behind an iron curtain and that we have nothing kind and bright Of course, we have films and books about Harry Potter, and my generation, who grew up on this, considers it their duty to review all Harry Potter films for the new year.

Antje77 said:

I don't think we even talked about Bob Dylan much, it was just a lovely afternoon spent between a very young and a very old person who found lots to talk about.
Unexpected connections are magic.

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Wow, this is really magic!

On Saturday, I was glad that the first flowers had bloomed.

But it started snowing on Sunday.

There are snowdrifts today, as if it were winter.

At the same time, it was raining on New Year's Eve. The weather is definitely going crazy!

Annb said:

Cullen skink for breakfast. Sort of. I thought I had a leek left in the fridge, but no, so it was spring onions instead.
2nd meal will be the rest of the smoked haddock in a kedgeree (made with cauliflower and coconut rice).

I have a new gadget, bought from Amazon, to make it easier to peel boiled eggs. Unfortunately, there were no instructions with it so I checked the picture on the website which showed it being used with water in the egg container. That's what we did (Neil did) but there were no seals on it and the water poured out. Just as well he was beside the kitchen sink. It worked fine though. I'll try it today without water and see if it still works.

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I just use a mug, half full of cold water. Pop hard boiled egg in and give it a good shake with hand over the top, over the sink. Soon the shell shatters but stays whole so the water gets in between and the shell slides off

Cwc, then a 90 minute dog walk
A chunk cheese. More cwc

Exploring a coastal town
L: seafood pizza. I did leave most of the base and only ate the toppings. Was envious of hubbys seafood steam pot but didn't fancy the tomato and cream sauce it came with.
Late afternoon another 90 minute dog walk on a stunning beach, but oh the bitter wind!
D: a burger patty with cauliflower cheese. 4 large strawberries. Half a lidl protein hazelnut pudding with added cream. 1 glass red wine.

Tums feeling a bit delicate. Over 15000 steps today

My son is coming again today and we are having roast Lamb. It's on special offer at Tesco. They fly back to US on thursday so I'm making the most of him. My daughter-in-law Kim, spends her time here with her mum who is undergoing treatment for cancer. I haven't seen much of her this time because I have been too ill to go out. Have a lovely day all, I know I will!

By yesterday afternoon I realised that more vegetables would not be a good idea, especially cauliflower rice. I ended up just having a couple of crackers and a cup of tea.

That left the ready cooked fish to use up this morning so I added all the extra fish to the Cullen skink and had a kind of fish stew for breakfast.

Might have bacon and egg for a 2nd meal.

Tried for a less active day today as finding this holiday very tiring!
Slept 10 hours last night!

Skipped breakfast.
Had cinema tickets for 10 :30 am! Over 60s included coffee and a very large scone! Gave half mine to hubby.
Film was Black bag. Very good espionage drama. Worth a watch

L: cheeses and coleslaw. Strawberries
Short dog walk
Afternoon, another castle! Lots of steps.
An ice cream
Dog walk on the beach in glorious sun, without wind!
D: pork belly slices, sprouts and garlic mushrooms. Hazelnut protein pudding mixed with cream (this way tastes better and means I get 3_4 servings out if a pot meant for 1)
Glass red wine

Still did about 13000 steps. Need to get home for a rest

Utterly nervous for 3 consecutive days of work for the first time (last week was only a single day).

Pipp said:

Well payday will be something to look forward to!

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Payday is very low on my list of priorities, this is much more about seeing if I actually can have a regular job without dropping into a deep depression again.
Yes, the payment is cool, and it may actually mean I'll be able to keep the house I love, which is a serious motivation!
But it's nothing compared to the things I fear, which, in short, is dying. Mental health takes precedence over money or even keeping the place I love.

The last time I did something more or less full-time was 9 years ago, I lasted 6 months even though I really liked doing what I did, and my neighbours discussed how large the risk was they'd find me on some unlucky day.
They weren't wrong, in hindsight I think it was a 50/50 % chance to come out alive.
I did, and it was only in the past year and a half my depression seems to have miraculously lifted for no clear reason.

I have a very good feeling about this job, and I also have a very good reason to be scared. I never want to go there again, the past year has been so much better than the 10 years before!

Antje77 said:

Payday is very low on my list of priorities, this is much more about seeing if I actually can have a regular job without dropping into a deep depression again.
Yes, the payment is cool, and it may actually mean I'll be able to keep the house I love, which is a serious motivation!
But it's nothing compared to the things I fear, which, in short, is dying. Mental health takes precedence over money or even keeping the place I love.

The last time I did something more or less full-time was 9 years ago, I lasted 6 months even though I really liked doing what I did, and my neighbours discussed how large the risk was they'd find me on some unlucky day.
They weren't wrong, in hindsight I think it was a 50/50 % chance to come out alive.
I did, and it was only in the past year and a half my depression seems to have miraculously lifted for no clear reason.

I have a very good feeling about this job, and I also have a very good reason to be scared. I never want to go there again, the past year has been so much better than the 10 years before!

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Look forward, not back.You are in a different place mentally and physically .

And as a sailor I need to know my bridge lifter is alert and in charge!

Antje77 said:

Payday is very low on my list of priorities, this is much more about seeing if I actually can have a regular job without dropping into a deep depression again.
Yes, the payment is cool, and it may actually mean I'll be able to keep the house I love, which is a serious motivation!
But it's nothing compared to the things I fear, which, in short, is dying. Mental health takes precedence over money or even keeping the place I love.

The last time I did something more or less full-time was 9 years ago, I lasted 6 months even though I really liked doing what I did, and my neighbours discussed how large the risk was they'd find me on some unlucky day.
They weren't wrong, in hindsight I think it was a 50/50 % chance to come out alive.
I did, and it was only in the past year and a half my depression seems to have miraculously lifted for no clear reason.

I have a very good feeling about this job, and I also have a very good reason to be scared. I never want to go there again, the past year has been so much better than the 10 years before!

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That was 9 years ago Antje. You are a different person now. You can do this. What happened 9 years ago was back then and doesn't need to repeat itself. You are more experienced now than you were then and more in control. You've got this.