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message 5601:
by
Lez
(new)
Aug 06, 2019 01:35PM
I don't understand putting gravy on mashed spuds! They're already tasty and soft with butter and milk, how can gravy mix with that? Never heard of such a thing in Liverpool or Sheffield. And I only put salt and vinegar on chips.
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Grizzlygrump wrote: "Not unless Andover is up north! :)..."It was up north when I lived in Southampton.
Gordon wrote: "Grizzlygrump wrote: "Not unless Andover is up north! :)..."
It was up north when I lived in Southampton."
😀
It was up north when I lived in Southampton."
😀
Lez wrote: "I don't understand putting gravy on mashed spuds! They're already tasty and soft with butter and milk, how can gravy mix with that? Never heard of such a thing in Liverpool or Sheffield. And I only..."We never had much money when I was growing up, Lez Lee, and so Mashed Potatoes with Gravy is what we Kids were often given for our Tea ... we loved it and I still do now. It is the ultimate in Comfort Food for me to just have a Tin of Soup or a small jug of Gravy poured over a Bowl of Mashed Potato.
It always reminds me of my beloved Nan, and of my Nanna and my Grandad (all on my Mum's side of the family) - of racing Home from School, sitting up at the Kitchen Table and feeling so treated and loved by enjoying such a simple Tea. We may have had no money, you see, but our little Bellies were kept full and there was always love ;o>
EDIT: I should add the Gravy was eeked out among us and came from the Meat that 'the Man of the House' had for his Tea ... as he was the one who worked all hours and earned the most money. It wasn't ever much Meat either but my Grandad would often slip us a mouthful when my Nanna was supposedly not looking! - LOL!!! ;o>
Roll on 50 years to today ... and we now have malnourished Parents going without Meals or living off Bowls of plain Pasta and cheap Cereal while their Kids get the best of whatever they can get from local Foodbanks ... ?!! ... and so it would seem that that borderline Poverty for a lot of families in the UK is just as bad, if not worse than it ever was before ;o<
I watched that George Clark's damning programme on the dire council housing shotage situation last night. Really interesting programme..and it confirms everything i suspected about Thatcher's stupid right to buy act of the 1980s. Now, 40 years on....rent prices are through the roof, properties are too expensive (well they are in Pembrokeshire anyway), mortages are hard to come by..and the councils haven't got any social house stock left.It's all kinda going back a 100 years, to before the day of one MP by the name of Ackinson...the then health minister who introduced the social housing act a century ago this year!
You know why he felt it needed to be done? Men conscripted during the WW1, that came from the poorest regions of Britain, who were living in the slums then..had to be sent back home again, because they were too ill and weak, from the poverty they were living in!
Ackinson, decided, something needed to be done..and so the housing act was brought in, & for the next 60 years, councils around the country built like they never built before. The 1970's alone produced 1.5 million council homes, the greatest number built of any decade since 1919, when it started. Then 'that' witch came along..and f&%@%d everything up! How many, do you think, new council homes got built during the 1980's? Just 60 thousand....and it's been dwindling to almost nothing ever since. But the right to buy act is still active, shrinking the social housing stock down in ever smaller numbers..while waiting lists for tenants..are at an all time high...and gaining. Can you see the logic here? i can't!
Our sucessive governments, for the last 40 years, have lied about their promises to build more homes ever since. Remember David Cameron promising to get 300,000 homes built, in his manifesto pledge, during the 2015 GE campain? Utter rot! Granted..he didn't hang around long enough to perhaps see that pledge through....but a promise is a promise..in or out of office..and it hasn't happened!
No wonder our country is screwed! Yet..it can be done...they've done it before..so why can't they do it again? Our economy is supposedly bouyant once again.
Wales and Scotland, have already scrapped the right to buy policy..and it's the best thing those governments have probably done to date. I never agreed with it..as all it ever did, was fuel greed and profit. And now a large pecentage of those former council properties, are now in the hands of property developers and/or the letting agencies, making money on them.
Another thing that needs to dumped..simply on the principle that it can't work if the stock isn't that there to make it work..is that utterly unfair bedroom tax. Taxing the poorest people..because they can't be moved to a smaller property, cos there aren't any!!! What's the point of that??!! Don't bring in a policy that can't do as intended, when there aren't anywhere near enough 1 or 2 bedroom council properties, to make it work smoothly! And it was Gordon Brown who brought that stupid policy in, towards the end of his short rein, thereafter inforced by that toff Cameron and his right hand man idiot Osbourne! (Not counting Clegg!)
In some ways, i feel....this once great country of ours...appears to have been going backwards..for a very long time!
And while i'm on the subject....as much as i had enjoyed watching them in the past..but haven't in years now...these property programmes, that capitalise on making money from houses. That.....has to stop. Homes under the Hammer..that programme's format is all about greed and profiteering. I have never been interested in how much a house is worth after it's done up...or how yield it could get from renting.....who cares??!! All i ever used to watch it for...was to see these scrappy, dingy wrecked buildings be restored to a gleaming beauty once again! Especially those characterful olde worlde places. I've no interest in 1960-70 dull square boxes..or flats, that were once a social property...so boring! Why are they showing those...they're shite! Fine..if it was council home, cos a home is a home.....but on a property programme that's glamourising them.....fug off with ya!
it's all money money money...had enough of it.....the Tories need throwing out for good...it's all they ever have cared about...making the rich richer. Even Labour isn't the party it first started as...it's members are increasingly leaning towards the more wealthier & priveldged types, some even public schooled ffs! Both parties are broken and lost..i say scrap them...AND ban all those media attention seeking toffs that are ALWAYs there. Some backbenchers..maybe okay...but not ones that nobody likes, but are always in the fecking limelight! I want them gone..for eternity..and start again with new political system...but not communism...we've seen what that can and has done in other countries...that way lies madness!
Where does that put me politcally..i wonder..i neither like capitalism..or communism....i'm sort of in political pergatory aren't i?
Oh almost forgot....Kevin whathisname with that posh programme..Grande 'I've got more money than sense' Designs. Some of the things that get built on that programme, defy understanding belief..or even morality! Some of them are just downright plain horrible! And they cost an unbeliveably eye exploding bankrupting amount of money! I used to like GD, way back when it wasn't like that...but now..whenever some over paid git...is going to stick up some glorified wendy house costing squillions...i just switch over. I couldn't care less.....i don't wanna know what some over paid twonk is gunna blow a lifetime's worth of money on.....i just hope a storm knocks it down again!
I've never owned a house..but would like to, if could afford one..but not to make money on it. It's a house..it's to live in...it's to provide a safe place for one to call there own. If i ever..come into the good fortune to be able to buy a small simple cheerful little place of my own...that'll be only house i'll ever get in my lifetime. I would go down the renting route..but it's too expensive...and there's no guarantee i could live there for the next 30..40 years, given the way the rental system works in this country. So, to buy a small house for peace of mind..would do me...the only question then..is on passing..who do i give the house to.....i'm not married..and i won't be having any kids!
It's a bonkers system we have got currently..and it's crippling the housing market..enough already.
Right...having sucessfully vented my spleen in every direction..it's late..i'm tired....i'm going to bed....rant over!
Goodnight, and ...er....sleeptight!
Scotland have got round the bedroom tax problem by making sure no-one's eligible to pay it!
Lez wrote: "Scotland have got round the bedroom tax problem by making sure no-one's eligible to pay it!"Good good...it seems Scotland and Wales..are currently the only two UK countries...that are working ways around this stupid set up!
Back in Sept 2018 ... Gordon wrote: "Does anyone know why all the supermarket chains stopped selling apple doughnuts at the same time? I don't like jam doughnuts; I'm not mad about custard ones, either. I did like the apple ones but they no longer exist"Well, it's certainly been a while since back then, Gordon, but we bought some of these the other day and they were very good - so if you have a Waitrose anywhere near you, or come across a Store on your travels, you might want to consider trying them out? ;o> ...
Essential Waitrose Apple Yum-Yums ... https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/product...
Not a word to Phoebe, but it's International Cat Day today. Also, and probably not a coincidence, it's 'Happiness Happens Day' !
Oops! - I thought it was tomorrow! ... I'd better get the Cat Treats out and start apologising to our little furry lodgers for only receiving special treatment today instead of extra-special treatment! - LOL!!! ;o>
suzysunshine7 wrote: "Back in Sept 2018 ... Gordon wrote..."Thanks Suzy. We only have a mini-Waitrose in Shrewsbury, which doesn't sell them. I have to travel to Newport (Shropshire) fairly regularly, though, and they have a full-sized Waitrose.
It's interesting that we have two Lidls (one of them absolutely enormous) and are about to get our second Aldi but don't have a proper Waitrose. We do have a M&S Food as well as a regular M&S, though.
An artisan bakery recently opened up less than a minute's walk from my house. They do lovely cinnamon buns but they are hellishly expensive.
Hmmm? - I'm not too sure about 'Happiness Happens' Day, are you?In my experience, happiness is something that tends to require a certain outlook on life, a positive attitude, and sometimes a lot of time and effort put in to get there. Then again, I might be thinking that because I unfortunately happen to know of several incredibly unhappy and extremely miserable people? - LOL!!! ;o>
It's suddenly really oppressive here, thundery and with forked lightning. It's many years since I saw forked lightning, looks good against the hills!
Gordon wrote: "It's interesting that we have two Lidls (one of them absolutely enormous) and are about to get our second Aldi but don't have a proper Waitrose. We do have a M&S Food as well as a regular M&S, though"I must admit I do quite like Lidl - and especially since it also started selling far more familiar and well-known Brands - but our nearest one is a bit too far away for me and it is situated in a rather odd place that isn't all that easy to get to.
I rarely ever use M&S as it also too far away and just as difficult for me to get to (they stopped running the 4 times a day Bus Service in favour of a once a week Coach Service instead that has got no Disabled Access and won't allow for my Wheelchair either) ... in the other direction to Lidl.
M&D like to go and get their Free Coffees and reduced price Newspapers from Waitrose - yet mainly tend to use Tesco or Morrisons (and ever so occasionally Asda) for our Grocery Shopping ;o>
The only things that I wasn't too keen on was the Icing Sugar on the Yum-Yums but that's probably just me and easy enough to shake off ;o>I don't know what it is with Icing Sugar and me? - but I always manage to somehow inhale it whenever I eat anything covered in it and then I start turning red and choking in an attempt to clear my Airway! ... which is not exactly the most elegant or lady-like of looks when I do ever get to go out anywhere and we stop off to enjoy a sweet Treat!
I really hate it whenever I order a nice piece of Cake, or a Scone, and it unexpectedly comes to the Table served up completely covered in a very generous layer of it.
Well? - where would we all be without the wonder of the Internet?!! ;o>I've been spending quite a bit of time online in searching all around Stockport and into Cheshire for various kinds of Supported Housing options for Mr & Mrs C to consider taking a look at - and have put together a rather small List of all of the ones that will warmly welcome Residents with Pets.
However, although the List may only be small, there are two places that I happen to already know quite well and have always really liked the look and the sound of - and, on carefully researching them and studying their independent Reviews before emailing them for more Info, they have both almost immediately responded with the absolutely fantastic news that they have both got Short Term and Long Term accommodation available at the moment - YAYYY!!! ;o>
Mr & Mrs C have now got a morning appointment set up for tomorrow in Gatley to view one of them and then an afternoon appointment in Bramhall to view the other ... and I don't know quite who is more excited about all of this? - them or me?!! - LOL!!! ;o>
Oooh? - and now two very positive Email responses from places in Cheadle as well?!! ... YAYYY!!! ... this is turning out to be a very 'Happy' day indeed for everyone here ;o>
Why is it when government bodies, councils etc after some monumental cock-up make profuse apologies and fatuous promises that "lessons must be learned" only to repeat the whole damn thing six months later?
Martin wrote: "Why is it when government bodies, councils etc after some monumental cock-up make profuse apologies and fatuous promises that "lessons must be learned" only to repeat the whole damn thing six month..."Cos it's their default go to nonsensical excuse whenever they realised they bullocks something up!
It's politics....anything they ever say is akin to male bovine droppings! :) They never learn....ever!
Lez wrote: "Not a word to Phoebe, but it's International Cat Day today. Also, and probably not a coincidence, it's 'Happiness Happens Day' !"
I reckon she already knew, judging by the way she has been under my feet every time I got up, or sat on my lap staring at me all day. Even when I got up for work, there she was face to face with me, with a look that said "Where's my present?" :)
I reckon she already knew, judging by the way she has been under my feet every time I got up, or sat on my lap staring at me all day. Even when I got up for work, there she was face to face with me, with a look that said "Where's my present?" :)
Hee, Hee, Hee!!! ;o> ... did you have to sneakily get Mrs Grizzly to distract her while you went into the Kitchen to grab a Tin of Tuna? Then shove it in your Pocket, race upstairs, and then rush around desperately trying to find an appropriate piece of Giftwrap to best present it to Phoebe? - LOL!!! ;o>Cats always know, you know?!! ... and this oversight will NOT be forgotten! ;oO
Actually, you are in luck as it seems it is celebrated on the 8th in the UK ... whaddaya mean you STILL haven't bought Phoebe a present?!! ... "RUN-HOOMAN - RUN!!! ... TO SHOPS WITH MONEY NOW!!!"
It's odd having Cats here in the House after so many years ... I'd forgotten just how much they sleep compared to Dogs who love to stay up and try their best to fit their lives in around whatever you are doing ;o>
suzysunshine7 wrote: "It's odd having Cats here in the House after so many years ... I'd forgotten just how much they sleep compared to Dogs who love to stay up and try their best to fit their lives in around whatever y..."You've never met Rig, his daily routine is:
I get up around 07:00 and wake up Rig.
Short walk in the forest and give him his breakfast.
Rig then has a nap until about 09:30 when we go into Lydney, he has a run in the park and we visit all the places where he get's fed by the gullible locals.
We go home and Rig has a nap.
Lunchtime around 13:00, Rig wakes up briefly in case he misses any food, then goes back to sleep.
Round about 15:30, we go for our afternoon walk somewhere in the forest, usually get home about 17:00.
Rig has a nap.
19:30 Rig's dinner time, then he goes in the garden for a quick wee and comes back in for a nap before bedtime.
Roundabout 23:30, tip Rig out of his bed and throw him outside for another wee before he drags himself slowly up the stairs to his bed in our bedroom.
Repeat as above.
He's been like that since he was a puppy, bone idle! All the puppy books tell you that when you wake up get your puppy outside to wee, etc. immediately and then tell him/her what a good boy/girl they are. I tried it and Rig wouldn't get out of bed!
suzysunshine7 wrote: "Hee, Hee, Hee!!! ;o> ... did you have to sneakily get Mrs Grizzly to distract her while you went into the Kitchen to grab a Tin of Tuna? Then shove it in your Pocket, race upstairs, and then rush a..."
No matter what the distraction, you can NEVER sneak a tin of anything past Phoebe - even when I think I've picked up a tin from the cupboard without making any noise whatsoever, Phoebe always appears from wherever she is sleeping, just in case it is a tin of tuna :)
No matter what the distraction, you can NEVER sneak a tin of anything past Phoebe - even when I think I've picked up a tin from the cupboard without making any noise whatsoever, Phoebe always appears from wherever she is sleeping, just in case it is a tin of tuna :)
HA HA HA HA HA!!! ... perhaps Rig aspires to living the life of a Cat?!! ;o>He is very busy what with all of his walking and eating Meals and Snacks in between his naps though, isn't he? These Cats just yawn and, if you don't take the hint and go away, they glare at you for disturbing them and before rolling over and going back to sleep ... for roughly around 20 hours out of every 24!
Tia and Mitz have slowed down a little bit, what with Tee having Cancer and them being 12 this year, but you can always rely on at least one of them to be up and about (usually Tee) and eagerly volunteering themself for company, conversation and guard duty ;o>
suzysunshine7 wrote: "It's odd having Cats here in the House after so many years ... I'd forgotten just how much they sleep compared to Dogs who love to stay up and try their best to fit their lives in around whatever y..."
Is there any chance of you putting up a picture of them so that we can see what Tee and Moo can't? :)
Is there any chance of you putting up a picture of them so that we can see what Tee and Moo can't? :)
Grizzlygrump wrote: "suzysunshine7 wrote: "Hee, Hee, Hee!!! ;o> ... did you have to sneakily get Mrs Grizzly to distract her while you went into the Kitchen to grab a Tin of Tuna? Then shove it in your Pocket, race ups..."Awww bless 'er!!! ;o> ... I have the same problem with Tee and the Fridge Door followed by the release of the Plastic Clips on the sides of my Fruit Salad Box ... I shut the Kitchen Door, and open the Fridge and then the Box ever-so-quietly and ... she either headbutts the Kitchen Door open and stands there waiting for her cut (she just absolutely adores Tinned Peaches!) or I sneak out of the Kitchen and then virtually fall over her lying in expectant wait for me in the Hall ;o>
No matter where she is ... inside or out? ... she just materialises out of nowhere!
Grizzlygrump wrote: "Is there any chance of you putting up a picture of them so that we can see what Tee and Moo can't? :)"Well, I'm sure Mr & Mrs C wouldn't mind but I STILL can't find my flippin' Camera! ... and Dad is no help whatsoever because he can't even remember that I lent it to him or what he wanted it for, never mind where he put it afterwards ... GRRR!!!
To be honest, I think he may have lost it outside of the House? I seem to remember he wanted it to take Pictures of the damage caused to the Bumper of our Neighbour's Car by a careless Driver - and I wouldn't be at all surprised if he took it with him into the Bodyshop Repairers and left it there somewhere ;o<
They are both long-haired fluffy white Cats ... except that Bertie has a black splodge on his Nose ... and Benjie has 4 grey Legs with black Paws ;o>
from the National Aquarium of New Zealand Facebook page, with some amusing comments too.https://www.facebook.com/NationalAqua...
Typical;
Been dodging the worst of the heavy rain showers all night, and now that I'm home with no further need to be outside, the sun is shining and it looks like being a nice day.
Been dodging the worst of the heavy rain showers all night, and now that I'm home with no further need to be outside, the sun is shining and it looks like being a nice day.
Val wrote: "from the National Aquarium of New Zealand Facebook page:
"
So, that's the good and the bad, where's the ugly? :)
"
So, that's the good and the bad, where's the ugly? :)
Spoke too soon - a dirty great rain cloud has just parked itself above the house.
If they weigh penguins, is there also a whale-way station?
To make sure they're not breaching the weight limit on the Whale Road?
What a bloody wonderful few weeks. Our eldest has had a couple of grand fleeced from his bank account, our daughter's been in a smash on her motorcycle (she's ok thank God) and just yesterday, mother's got ill. Weird innit, before yesterday I was hoping there was no truth to bad shit coming in threes.... now I'm hoping there is!! Can't be doing with owt else.
Sorry, bringing the black cloud with me again...
Well, our gutters and drains can't come close to coping with this downpour. Our dining-room window frames are letting in water. We've lived here for 9 years and that's never happened before.
Oh, Blastro I'm sorry to hear about your troubles. Is there any chance of your lad getting his money back? There are new regulations for banks now.
Blastro ,I'm glad your daughter is ok.I hope your mother is feeling better soon .Someone I worked for had £40 taken from their account.
Gee...it's getting windy out there....and i've not eaten any beans either. It's batten hatches down time folks...sleep safe.
Blastro: Sorry to hear of your family woes mate.
So sorry to hear about your troubles Blastro and I do hope things get better for everyone concerned. It's not you though, it's that thing called "life". Just when you think things are travelling along on a reasonably even keel, out of the blue comes an unexpected event (or in your case three) to trip you up for being smug. You're lucky in that you have a strong family unit that will pull together to get you through this difficult time. Take care and know we're all thinking of you.
That should have read £40,000 from their account .
Val wrote: "from the National Aquarium of New Zealand Facebook page, with some amusing comments too.https://www.facebook.com/NationalAqua......"
Awww! ... ;o> ... ;o> ... ;o>
Blastronaut Mk2 wrote: "What a bloody wonderful few weeks. Our eldest has had a couple of grand fleeced from his bank account, our daughter's been in a smash on her motorcycle (she's ok thank God) and just yesterday, moth..."Blastro?!! ... Ohhh, no?!! ;oO
Sending you all my love, positive vibes, and very best wishes as always ... x x x
Gordon wrote: "Well, our gutters and drains can't come close to coping with this downpour. Our dining-room window frames are letting in water. We've lived here for 9 years and that's never happened before."I can certainly sympathise with that, Gordon, We left our French Windows half open for only about 10 minutes last week while in different Rooms of the House and came back in to find it was actually torrentially raining sideways right into our Lounge!
A huge section of the Carpet was completely saturated and sodden in the space of just a few minutes and it took blotting with seemingly endless rounds of Bath Towels and a whole day and night for it to dry out. Luckily it is only old Carpet that has been long overdue for replacement for a few years now. It would have been a much worse and upsetting situation in just a couple of week's time when we hope to be having the brand new Carpets fitted throughout the House.
I've never known rainfall quite like the rain that we are getting these days!!! ;oO
Anita wrote: "That should have read £40,000 from their account ."! ... it always fills me with terror the thought of that ever happening to us, Anita ;oO
The real reason why I'm banned by M&D from shopping at any High Street Pet Shops ;o> ...
Ah thanks for your considerations folks, that's really kind. I shouldn't have gone public with my/our woes but I guess I was feeling particularly sorry for meself on Friday. The bank has put a few hundred back into his account and has promised to put the rest back after investigation. I hope their 'investigation' uncovers the fact that someone allowed one of these vermin to take out over £1000 in one go (the rest was used in smaller amounts to purchase stuff ... and all this in THREE hours!!) across the counter without ID! They'd managed to get his card, either out of his pocket or even his hand (yes he seems to've been too pissed to be even that careful) but the number's another thing. We're guessing the vile bastards - sorry but I'm still seeeething - had someone hanging around, discreetly peeping over folk's shoulders when they took out money. Really hope he's learnt his bloody lesson. Don't get me wrong, he earns his cash and if he wants to urinate it up the wall down Sheff each weekend, that's up to him; I mean he's 21, what do we expect him to do? Just be careful, good grief.
Daughter was going round a roundabout, her right of way, when some clown in a van decided he could make the gap. Tw@! She braked but still hit him. Really lucky cos the bike's wrote off! At least that's what the (his) insurers tell us but I'm not very trusting of insurance companies. It did look a tad knackered mind. He's obviously gonna contest the claim (company van) so there's a lot of umming and ahhing on their part re mending or replacing said bike. You'd think the damage to both vehicles would bear out the truth plain n simple but... insurance companies eh? Great at taking but when it comes to covering...
My mother's situation (she has Alzheimer's) some of you may know about but up till this last week, we'd been trying to keep it as quiet as poss. Not any more. She announced it to the local hairdresser (who, lovely as she is, does talk) so the whole village is now aware. It's a wonder she's kept it to herself for this long but, as time goes by....
Anyway, good news is she's recovered from whatever (an infection it turns out) knocked her for six for a couple of days, so we're just grateful for that. We're lucky to have a good GP who didn't mess around with a phone call; as soon as she got the message from receptionist, she was knocking on the door. Bless ya Doctor M!
That's about it. Again, thanks for the kind thoughts, I didn't deserve em as I should've sulked to meself rather than in public... as seems is my wont, sadly.
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Books mentioned in this topic
Ten Poems about Snow (other topics)And So This is Christmas: 51 Seasonally Adjusted Poems (other topics)
The Tiger Who Came to Tea (other topics)
The Quangle Wangle's Hat (other topics)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Christina Rossetti (other topics)John Keats (other topics)
Joan Aiken (other topics)
