The Sturdy Soapbox

How much ?

I could do with one of these old Bex Bissell carpet cleaners, but this second hand shop is always closed when I am waiting for my bus home from Bob the Butchers on Saturday mornings, but look at the price.

It predates this item at 1971 which is when Britain went decimal, but do you know how much 67 shillings and sixpence is ?

I wonder if the second hand shop is asking more than its new price second time around ?

And yes, I do remember how many old pennies where in a shilling unlike most of today's kids who don't know that chips are made from potatoes, D'oh.

Also do you remember that 1001 cleans a big, big carpet for less than half a crown ?

 

Grocer Jack, grocer Jack is it true what mummy said

I have no idea why, but this song has been playing in my head all week...

 

Via Postcards from Hells Kitchen

Mindrelic - Manhattan in motion from Mindrelic on Vimeo.

The longest day

Well it was for me at least.  Woke up at 3am, couldn't get back to sleep so got up and I can confirm that by four, it was starting to get light.  Even though it was the solstice, I didn't dance naked round the chilli plants out on the balcony,it puts the neighbours off if you do that,

I used the time to clear a load of crap off the external hard drive, so many folders, finding stuff you want is nigh on impossible.  I went out for a walk at 5:45 and covered just under two and a half miles, was back by 6;30, but hit a big wall a couple of hours later feeling incredibly tired (combo of the walk and blood sugar).

Having a bit of a purge to get down to a target waypoint with the weight, but occasionally dietary frugality has a kick back and today was it.  So, my plans took a nose dive and I had to go sleep.  Still vacuumed donkey, because Darlo's coming to brekky in the morning and if the place isn't straight, she'll only talk about me all over town.

Did a little on Kils n Kins, but to be honest, my heart isn't in it.  Lack of support from committee members (one who has his own page and yet submits a paltry two hundred poorly concocted words, needs shooting.  If this was a paid position, I would consider what I am doing, but I am a volunteer busy fool.

Not planning to weigh myself til Sunday and I want to lose 1.5 kilos (3lbs), will I do it ?

Everyone's back and n'er a stick o rock

Welder's been on the phone this morning back from a week of intense physical activity climbing mountains apparently, Wally the mountain climber ?

OBC and his hearty crew of piss artists are back from Padstow, apparently RIck Stein's very pleased with their consumption of Chardonnay and mussels.  OBC took pleasure in telling me about the wild salmon he'd tucked in to, knowing I love salmon.  Oddly, I didn't eat it til I was in my thirties, due to a childhood of Sunday tea with tinned salmon (which I tried recently and still can't stand).  My parents have a lot to answer for.

And as my title says, all these people been on their hols and not even a stick of rock ! Worst offender being Charlie Chalk who went to Weston Super Mare.  I asked for a windmill to stick in one of my plantpots on this very windy balcony).  He even found a place called the windmill shop and made an excuse about not being able to cary one home.  That's him off the curry list !

So if anyone's going to the seaside, take pity on someone to whom a "trip" is a visit to Bob the Butchers on a Saturday morning and get me a windmill (can't have rock, it's made of sugar).

OBC has got me a menu from RIck Stein's, so I can see what I was missing, Grrr...

What has she started...

When Moll sent me those unusual chilli varieties from Baltimore I never imagined we'd have a scenario of pampering like the carnies have had these past three summers.

Monday, the seedlings were to a size where they could be potted on into the larger pots my sister gave me and with the bag of dirt she provided me with too.

Sent the picture to Moll and she said that I need to thin them out and use bigger pots.  Well, I was out of dirt and it is not the sort of thing I can carry back from Tesco, 4 litres of pop is bad enough weight wise.

Wireless Tone rang this afternoon to tell me he would probably come by with the rainwater he's saved me.  I mentioned my pot dilemma and he said funny you should say that...  He'd been clearing out his garage and had four 12" pots and the drainage trays and some canes.  "Yo'll need canes" he insisted.

When he arrived, he'd very kindly brought me a BIG bag of dirt too, so guess what I'll be doing in the next day or so !

I used one of the beautiful orange and fiery Habaeros Moll sent me last year in a curry today and luckily, I still have about a half dozen in the freezer, those things freeze beautifully.

I'm really busy at the moment but with things I wish I didn't have to do.  I had my deadline for producing the next issue of Kils n Kins reduced by two weeks, but I have very little to put into the magazine.  I was working late last night transcribing a handwritten report of a beer trip sent in by some members known as the Chuckle Brothers and I have to say, as I was typing it up, I was tittering away at their antics.

Theirs is the kind of input I have all day for and don't mind the fact it comes in long hand with traditional photos that I have to scan.  The writing is funny and honest and makes a good read for us all.  Luckily I had a letter too which I transcribed today and that was comment on the history of an old "mystery" pub a photo of which appeared in the last issue.  It made a fantastic read.  If I had that level of support from the committee, I wouldn't moan so much about my lot trying to put the magazine together.

OBC and the crew are having a lot of fun in Padstow,  One of them almost took a dip in the harbour after too many sherberts in the Custom House.  He is missing a shoe now, that's at the bottom of the harbour.

Had a phone call the other night late on and all I could hear was what sounded like schoolgirls giggling in the background and OBC made very little sense after a bucket of mussels and a lot of Chardonnay.

When I spoke to OBC earlier, he was on the boat and sober, but the girls were up the pub again.

Nice work if you can get it eh ?

 

Actually I do this a lot

Because I hate beeping microwaves

It pays to read the instructions

Saturday morning, as I drove EFPV up from the west country, I popped in to Clevedon Tesco so I could get stuff early on rather than endure chav city in my local one later in the morning.  I always shop early on before the great unwashed fill the shops with their malodorous carcasses.

When I got home I was quite hungry and I saw glued to the side of the Lurpak butter tub what looked like a cookie. 

Without applying the logic of just why a butter manufacturer would have a promotional tie in with free cookies, I hastily unwrapped it and bit into it only to almost break a tooth and be appalled by a bitter taste.

It was only when I got my glasses and read the sleeve I discovered this is a sort of biodegradable cake with Dill seeds in.

And I've just planted a tub full of Dill and Parsley and Oregano all of which are showing signs of life about three days after planting.

I don't know much about Dill except that it goes well with meat such as steak.  Parsley has to be the most boring herb invented, but I do love Oregano (also known as Marjoram).

I just bought some fresh coriander to make curry, when I noticed there was mint on special and I've got some lamb chops in the fridge.  It's a bit early for planting mint, but that is on my agenda as it's one of my favourites.  Fresh Rosemary is pretty amazing too.

Got some advice for potting on the chilli plants from Moll in Baltimore as they are about ready.  I need some big pots and some more dirt now.

As I mentioned, I was in the west country, having dropped OBC and the "crew" down in Portishead on Friday night, where we had a very nice curry in the high street.  Portishead was a terrible dump back in the 80's and now, it is quite a smart little town, so much development centred around the marina. Some lovely waterside apartments.

Gave them my beer goggles as I dare say they will need them this week !  Here's Paul trying them on for suitablilty.

The weather report was good for Saturday but pants til the middle of this week and the general discussion was centred on staying in Bristol or trying to make it over to Swansea in Wales.

Imagine my surprise on Saturday night to find they had made it all the way down to Padstow.

Spoke to OBC yesterday and he said they picked up a boy outside the harbour on Saturday night, but then it became apparent it was a buoy which they anchored close to until they could get into the harbour at 1am.

After hearing an unrepeatable story from Paul about him and a tub of Stork SB I was beginning to wonder if life at sea was making new men of them all !

Outrage in Tesco this morning.  Even the checkout lady commented at the disgraceful price hike on a 400 gram loaf of Warburtons Danish,  70p last week, 93p this morning she whispered "I bet Asda's cheaper".

With one thing and another, I reckon we're all in for a good screwing in the coming year.  I noticed prices creeping up on everyday stuff.  My favourite ground coffee in Tesco was £ 1.69 this time last year and now it's £ 2.69.  Milk went up by 3p the other week, butter by 10p on a small tub.  There's only so much economising one can do.  How people will be able to afford the little luxuries in life life quilted puppy soft toilet paper I don't know !

 

Where does the time go ?

I know, I've not posted in almost week.

A combination of being busy or off colour with my neck problem.  Went to see Dr. K yesterday and she agreed that I shouldn't rely too heavily on the DIclofenac as in large doses it's no good for your kidneys and I've had enough probs in that department.  I am now majoring on Paracetamol and minoring with dIclofenac, but she's referred me for some physiotherapy too.

My brother came over on Sunday and did a couple of jobs round the flat for me.  Put up two curtain rails and blocked the vent in the bathroom where all the shitty cooking smells come out of.  There won't be any steam build up in there to cause probs with mould, as I have the door open, it's only me and the Daleks after all.  When they smelled the awful odours coming out of there and filling the place the other week, they agreed blocking it off is the right thing (my bro and Anita that is, not the Daleks).

Anita bought over some rather nice curtains, sort of Laura Ashley style, not too girly, but the colours go well with donkey and also coincidentally the bed linen Val gave me.  It's all starting to look like I had an interior decorator in here doing my soft furnishings and my feng shui !

I ended up with two telly stands, one from Darlo's step mum and one promised me by Charlie Chalk months ago, but fortunately neither will go to waste.  The more robust one  has the old very heavy telly on (I'd love one of them flat tellys) and the other will by the end of today, be used for a printer and paper storage.  And bonus, the one the telly used to be on which was just a metal frame really, is now being used to raise the fridge up so to save my neck hurting, I don't have to bend right over to get stuff out of it.

Nice surprise in the post yesterday too.  I'd mentioned ot my sister (the consummate gardener), that I would like some oregano seeds if she saw some on her travels.  I had a package with not just two types of those, but Basil, Dill, Chives and Parsely and some money in there too (which was really unexpected and welcome).

Carnies, chillies etc are loving it out on the bal - coney.  It was so nice on Friday I even went out there and had  a sit out there in the sunshine

I have to get some of those herb seeds planted up today as it's a bit late for Oregano (indoors is OK though it says on the packet).

Charlie Chalk's gone on his holidays (for a few days at least), to his favourite childhood resort of Weston Super Mare (just down the road from where I lived in Clevedon). Where I'm hung up on Clevedon pier, Burnbeck pier is his favourite.  I've told him I want a picture of a Weston Super Mare donkey and a windmill (one of those little plastic things you stick in the top of your sandcastle).

And the welder's off on his hollies on Saturday too and OBC's off for his "boys" week on the boat.  Hope the weather's good for everybody.