Amazon exiles discussion
Don't Kill Snails with Salt ... Creme Eggs & Toasted Teacakes ... Biscuits & Bench Stories, Life, the Universe, & Everything!
Gosh, two little strangers have made a splash! Thanks to all, I've learned something new, never a bad thing. :o)
Hmmmm. 10th May and it's been snowing all day so far. Hello summer 😕
Isabella wrote: "Gosh, two little strangers have made a splash! Thanks to all, I've learned something new, never a bad thing. :o)"I've jut looked at your photo, Isabella. Definitely a hybrid duck. :-)
SussexWelsh wrote: "Isabella wrote: "Gosh, two little strangers have made a splash! Thanks to all, I've learned something new, never a bad thing. :o)"I've jut looked at your photo, Isabella. Definitely a hybrid duck..."
Thanks, I know a bit more now. Definitely a bumbling amateur, me but I like to learn and when something's just outside the window it would be daft not to take notice. ;o)
When We're next able to go to the wildlife reserve I shall keep a lookout for a hybrid duck
Lez wrote: "Isn’t this gorgeous? From the BBC weather forecast.https://www.bbc.co.uk/weatherwatchers..."
It certainly is!
When you need a laugh.....https://www.facebook.com/ABCTV/videos...
You probably won't recognize many of these faces but they are our leading actors, news reporters, chefs, journalists, TV and radio hosts - and they are so right!!
They're fabulous, Val. I'll have to keep going back to them.
Ohhh, I really love that, Val! ... HA HA HA HA HA!!! ;o>
Serial wrote: "For you, Suzy.https://metro.co.uk/2020/05/17/need-e..."
Sorry, Poppet, I've not been well so I've not been around to read or answer this until now. Hmmm? - some of those prices are rather shocking, aren't they?!! I'm not sure that I'll ever be THAT desperate for some Cheese!
I tend to just bulk-buy, cut up or grate, and then freeze Iceland's and Asda's 30% Lighter Mature Cheddar at the moment to use as our main go-to for cooking or for a quick and tasty Cheese Butty. Just a quick 15 second zap in the Microwave is all that is needed to defrost it into being a lovely soft and warm fix of the good stuff! - LOL!!! ;o>
When I was struggling at the start of the Lockdown I was Google searching Food Suppliers and found a few Catering Companies offering up great Trade prices to the general public for the first time - and many of them were offering up bargain prices on big blocks of Cheeses even though they usually only offered just the one kind and it was hard to tell who made it or to guess as to what kind of quality or strength of flavour it might be.
We live almost on the boundary of Stockport and Cheshire and Derbyshire so we are very close to large rural areas that have got quite a few little Farm shops scattered all about here and there. I decided to Google 'Farm Shops' and check out any Websites or Facebook Pages that they might have and found a little gem of a place for Cheese that I now use to buy for us and a few other folk that I currently buy in food supplies for as well ...
https://www.joseph-heler.co.uk/
... so we can all get to have a really fantastic choice of top quality Cheeses at really fab prices plus we also get Free Delivery on them too for spending over £30 between us ;o>
My next Order is going to be for a couple of kgs each of the Blackstone Cheddar, the Cheshire, the Leicester, and the Gloucester - plus a Orsom Woodew for Mum and me and some Orsom Blue for my Dad and a Neighbour ;o>
Just in case this might help anyone else ... I've spent several hours every week since the Lockdown having a really good look around online at all of the various kinds and brands of Hand Sanitisers. I was in no great hurry to buy as we are shielding here and will be continuing to be doing so for the foreseeable future - and so we thankfully had no urgent and essential need of buying ourselves any at the shocking and silly prices that were being asked up until just a week ago.
I came to the decision, being as this Covid Crisis isn't going to be ending anytime soon, to go for buying in bulk to save us money in the long term as well as buying myself peace of mind too on not running out of it any anytime soon as well and bought us this one last week from off Amazon ...
Solo Alcohol Hand Sanitiser Gel - 2x 5 Litre Refill for £69.99 + £5 p&p ...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...
... and, having decanted some of it (using a small Funnel that I bought at the same time) into some small portable Travel Bottles that I had already bought right back at the very start of the Lockdown and trying it out a few times over the last couple of days, I'm glad to report that I'm very pleased with it and happy to recommend it ;o>
suzysunshine7 wrote: "Serial wrote: "For you, Suzy.https://metro.co.uk/2020/05/17/need-e..."
Sorry,..."
The wonderful world of cheese, Suzy!
:)
It's the little things that come to matter the most in a Crisis.Fancying and not being able to have a Cheese Butty would be beyond unbearable!
I had 3 weeks of having no Bananas at the start of the Lockdown ... and I'm not even a huge fan of Bananas? - but not being able to just have one almost drove me nuts because I just became utterly obsessed with constantly wanting one!!!
When I finally managed to get a Delivery including Bananas I completely lost all self-control and ate 4 of them one after the other and then, quite deservedly, felt sick all afternoon! - LOL!!! ;o>
suzysunshine7 wrote: "It's the little things that come to matter the most in a Crisis.Fancying and not being able to have a Cheese Butty would be beyond unbearable!
I had 3 weeks of having no Bananas at the start of..."
I had a desperate longing for those mini Scotch eggs and when they came back in stock I kept shoving them down. Luckily they're freezable so I managed to stockpile.
It's terrible, isn't it Lez?!! ... having such a craving you just can't satisfy!And especially weird too when it is for something that you don't normally care all that much for! I think the fixation on Bananas came more out of feeling so isolated, and so alone, and finding everything to be such a huge and shocking struggle in the first few weeks.
I knew that if I couldn't source and get all of our essentials delivered then my Parents would insist on going out to get them - and if they got sick, then it would be all my fault, and I wouldn't be able to live with the consequences of me letting them down.
The worst I felt, the more I just absolutely HAD to have a bloody Banana! ;o>
This, amongst many other feel-good things, made my Heart sing today ;o> ...https://www.manchestereveningnews.co....
Ohhh, welcome to my World, Aunty Acid! - LOL!!! ;o> ...
Helen The Melon wrote: "Random question of the day time......does anyone use these beeswax food wrap thingies? I've been meaning to try them for a while but not got round to it & I don't know anyone who's tried them. ..."More fascinating chit chat here...
So, I am eventually experimenting with using those beeswax food wrapper things. I decided to buy a roll of the stuff so that I could cut it to size. Only used it to cover bowls & half-cut lemons (yes, they've been at the vodka again) so far. It seems to be working ok but I can't warm it up much with my permanently icy cold hands. And it's leaving a waxy residue on the bowls which is difficult to remove (I don't have a dishwasher). Not sure how truly "environmentally friendly" it is, it's printed and was made in China. Must be better than clingfilm tho'?? At least it came in a cardboard container with no plastic wrapping.
I looked into and thought about using these, Helen, but in the end decided to go with something much more practical ande easier for us - and so instead of just buying more glass Pyrex dishes whenever I need to replace things I now only buy the ones that also come with their own Glass or Plastic Clip-on Lids as well. It may not be as environmentally friendly but it still saves on having to use lots of Cling Film and they will last for years if they are treated with enough care ;o>
HAPPY ! HAPPY ! ! HAPPY ! ! ! ;o>I've been after some really bright bold and cheerful looking top quality Towels for a few years now to replace the rather ancient, quite faded and slightly tatty 12 year old ones that I have now.
My Hands are so bad these days that I find it far easier to use a size of Towel that I've always bought from John Lewis - a Guest Towel - but the colours have all consistently been either really dark and dreary or washed-out pastels for so long now that I got fed-up of waiting on yet another year to see if they changed to something much more uplifting, refreshing and bold.
And the quality at John Lewis hasn't been what it was once for a while now and, being a bit of a perfectionist, I used to have to go instore to have a good rummage through so many piles of Towels just to try to find any I wanted without a dodgy seam or having lots of pulls on it.
More Shops now seem to be offering up Guest Towels these days (the 40-50cm by 65-75cm size) but the Reviews were pretty poor on the quality of them from Debenhams and Mark & Sparks and so, on a whim, I tried looking at the Christy Website instead and ... WOO-HOO!!! ... on there was exactly what I was looking for! ... YAYYY!!! ;o>
Christy used to be a good name but suddenly went through a rather 'orrible cheap and nasty phase a while back and lost a lot of their good reputation as a result - so I checked out the recent online Reviews first and was very disappointed to read through just how bad so many of them were ... BUT? ... the colours are bang on what I want, and the prices are spot on at the moment too not least because they have got a Sale on, and they looked SOOO good in the photos, and they are a local Firm so I could always have gone directly there in person to complain if I did lose out on a lot of money to them ... soooooooooo? ... I just HAD to take a risk and go for them, didn't I?!!
I ordered in the early hours of the morning on the 23rd (Saturday) and they surprised me by arriving first thing this morning and you know what? ... they ... are ... absolutely ... fabulous!!! ;o> ... ;o> ... ;o>
Just the right level of thickness to them, they are the ideal size for me, plus all of the 6 Guest Towels and 6 Face Cloths are simply perfect - with not a single mark, poor seam, pull, or flaw to them and, believe me, I've examined each one very thoroughly indeed - LOL!!! ... and the colours are just SOOO beautiful and ohhh SOOO me ;o>
Christy Prism in Mojito ...
Christy Prism in Taxi Cab ...
Christy Prism in Orangeade ...
They're yummy Suzy! What colour did you get? I agree with you that most companies seem dedicated to shunting us into tight little corners called "fashion" - fine if you really love grey! But who wants grey towels? Sometimes I see things in the Aldi catalogue (bedding, rugs, towels, etc) and they come in grey, off-white, navy and maroon. Not what I'm after at all. Most of the sheets and duvet covers I've bought in recent years have been second-hand off eBay - many of which are unused but have been sitting in someone's linen cupboard for years. And the quality is superb! My favourite brand is Actil, which was made in Australia of really good quality cotton and the fastenings (on duvet covers) never tear or come away. I recently picked up a real bargain for £25 consisting of a reversible queen size quilt cover, a reversible continental size cushion, a small decorative cushion, a chair cushion, a bedside lamp (and shade) and a valance (which unfortunately was for a single bed) - all matching in shades of blue, cream and apple green. I think they must have been made to order and they are truly gorgeous. They're now in use in a guest bedroom and I love 'em!
"who wants grey towels?"me.
our bog has an industrial look and feel to it, so we demand grey industrial towels with which to dry our unworthy industrial bodies!
.......we also have some nice mustard coloured towels, which add a nice light touch to the dystopian drabness we surround ourselves with - a patch of vibrancy in a dark, but functional, environment.
note: the mustard ones have enhancements of industrial grey interwoven, just so we don't get too comfortable.
New towels are exclusively for guests only and only come out for the short term. Real towels are dirt coloured, frayed and crack when you fold them.
"crack when you fold them"ahhhhhh, that sandpapering your arse feeling, bliss!
Val wrote: "They're yummy Suzy! What colour did you get? I agree with you that most companies seem dedicated to shunting us into tight little corners called "fashion" - fine if you really love grey! But who wa..."Two Guest Towels and two Face Cloths in each of these colours, Val. I love bright and zesty but also deep and mouth-wateringly refreshing-looking orange, yellow, and lime colours - but they have proved to be a real challenge to try and find ;o>
Orange can often be an unpleasant light startling neon, have much more of a pinkish tone, or be a far too over-brown burnt colour ... and lime greens can be far too light and acidic lemony-limey shades or more of an olive kind of grey ... and there is a whole multitude of colours that try to pass for a lovely soft warm mellow yellow colour, isn't there? - from barely there beigey-creams through to dark antique golds!
I thought the yellow might be a touch too pale for my liking as I do like my yellows to have a bit more of a richer Egg Yolk colour to them, but no, they have got a really creamy depth to their slightly softer yellowness that contrasts and compliments the other two colours so beautifully.
I've got us sorted out enough now under this Lockdown that I can afford to get back to spending elsewhere on things that I also really need and I'm ashamed to admit that my current 12 year old Towels have been fraying for a few months now and a few are even starting to actually tear around the edges too. I was getting so fed-up of waiting on John Lewis every year to see what this year's new range of Towel colours might be. And these are of such an excellent quality and John Lewis has sadly branched out somewhat over the last 10 years into selling more and more ranges of much more cheaply-made and far poorer quality stuff. I think it is to compete with Primark and TkMaxx? - but if I wanted much more cheaply-made stuff from Primark and TkMaxx then I'd be buying it from Primark and TkMaxx instead and not hoping for and expecting it of John Lewis ... if that makes any sense?! - LOL!!! ;o>
I'm SO blown away by how fabulous these Towels are that I raced back online yesterday to check if the Sale was still on now the Bank Holiday is over - and put in the same order again for 6 Guest Towels and 6 Face Cloths (2 of each in each of the colours) and have also added on a Bath Sheet in each of the colours too.
I paid £3 p&p last time around as although it said on the actual Listings that it was Free Delivery for £30+ I think that was an old offer that they had forgotten to remove. I didn't want to go mad with money on my first Order in case they turned out to be awful quality or didn't arrive at all as a few recent Reviewers had complained about. My second Order came to well over the £50 now set for Free Delivery then a Pop-Up Box told me that I'd got over 300 Loyalty Points from my first Order which once cashed in took £3 off ;o> ... and then ... as I went through to Checkout another Pop-Up Box offered me a further 15% off! ;o> ... so I'm now a very very VERY happy bunny indeed and eagerly awaiting my next Delivery! - LOL!!! ;o>
https://www.christy.co.uk/christy-pri...
Tech XXIII wrote: ""who wants grey towels?"me.
our bog has an industrial look and feel to it, so we demand grey industrial towels with which to dry our unworthy industrial bodies!
.......we also have some nice mu..."
I do like lots of other colours but my favourite ones lift my spirits and make me feel good in a way that I can't explain. They have the effect on me just like coming across a large Jug of iced Water while out lost in the middle of a relentlessly hot and dry Desert.
Some colours turn out to be mere mirages but others are the real deal and they never fail to please ;o>
Sera69 wrote: "New towels are exclusively for guests only and only come out for the short term. Real towels are dirt coloured, frayed and crack when you fold them."My Neighbour apparently really loves those faded kind-of a salmony pink coloured ones and has them all hanging out on her Line as I type this now. They look so utterly washed-out and downright dodgy a colour to me - and it makes me feel just as lack-lustre, tired and worn-out as they look.
I almost dropped myself right in it a few months back by telling my Neighbour that I was putting together a collection of things for a local Animal Sanctuary that I support and that they were always interested in any old Towels to use as Bedding materials - when she thankfully jumped in by saying that she had unfortunately already thrown away all of her old Towels just after she had bought her lovely new ones from John Lewis in the Christmas Sales!
I then had to pretend to admire them ... while all the while thinking how lovely her old Towels had always looked compared to her brand new set of decidedly grubby-looking blood-tinted Phlegm coloured ones!!! ;oO
Tech XXIII wrote: ""crack when you fold them"ahhhhhh, that sandpapering your arse feeling, bliss!"
Don't get me started on texture!!! ... Towels need to be soft and absorbent but not too thick and too bulky that they hurt my Hands in trying to dry myself off with them ... and they need a certain amount of 'roughness' to them as that weird peach-skin kind of Microfiber Fabric or a velvety feel is a texture that always makes me shudder.
These Towels I've just bought have got a thin strip of velvetness just on one side of them but I can tolerate that as they look and feel so good that it really isn't a big deal to me ;o>
I'm such a particular perfectionist, aren't I? ... HA HA HA HA HA!!! ;o>
suzysunshine7 wrote: "Tech XXIII wrote: ""crack when you fold them"
ahhhhhh, that sandpapering your arse feeling, bliss!"
Don't get me started on texture!!! ... Towels need to be soft and absorbent but not too thick a..."
As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing worse than towels that have been washed with too much fabric conditioner!!
They are just no good for drying yourself then. I keep on getting told off for not using any fabric conditioner as it means the towels end up "too rough" :)
ahhhhhh, that sandpapering your arse feeling, bliss!"
Don't get me started on texture!!! ... Towels need to be soft and absorbent but not too thick a..."
As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing worse than towels that have been washed with too much fabric conditioner!!
They are just no good for drying yourself then. I keep on getting told off for not using any fabric conditioner as it means the towels end up "too rough" :)
suzysunshine7 wrote: "Tech XXIII wrote: ""who wants grey towels?"me.
our bog has an industrial look and feel to it, so we demand grey industrial towels with which to dry our unworthy industrial bodies!
.......we als..."
I absolutely agree, Suzy. Colour (for me) is far more important than sound, I'm not into music in the way that many people are. Bright clear colours lift the heart. Fortunately, the DH is in to colour as well. Sitting here, I can see the glow from the hallway where light from the skylight falls on the orange wall. Even on a grey day, it lights the place up.
Don't know if I'd be able to live with anyone like my friends' husbands who think off-white is a bit garish and needs toning down with brown and beige...
suzysunshine7 wrote: "Sera69 wrote: "New towels are exclusively for guests only and only come out for the short term. Real towels are dirt coloured, frayed and crack when you fold them."My Neighbour apparently really ..."
...grubby-looking blood-tinted Phlegm, I believe that is this year's "in" colour for the fashionable lady :P
I made the truly terrible mistake of being the first one up to answer the Phone early on this morning ... then had to sit on the Stairs grimacing and biting down hard on my own Tongue through listening to almost a whole hour of such an unpleasant load of bluster, baloney and bullsh*t until my Mum came down ... whereupon I literally threw the Phone like a Hand Grenade with no Pin in it at her just so that I could bolt for Patio to cleanse my inner self with some deep breaths of desperately needed sweet and fresh air! - LOL!!! ;o> Hee, Hee, Hee!!! ... I'm SO glad my Neighbours don't know about this Forum!!! ;o>
How's this for a whole new kind of Racist slur? ..."Have you met the new tenants of number 15 yet? They speak English but he's so dark-looking you can still smell the Sand on his Skin" ... ! ? ! ? ! ! ! ... what the?!! ... ! ;oO
Yes Susan, he was the Neighbour who so very thoughtfully and kindly left a couple of Malteser Bunny Chocolates in all of his Neighbour's Porches on Easter Sunday ... and he was actually born and raised in Kent in England just like you were!
... and ... B R E A T H E ! ! ! ...(*make note to self to NEVER accidentally answer the Phone to her EVER again!*)
... and ... B R E A T H E ! ! ! ...
Grizzlygrump wrote: "Wow!!"It's certainly a new one on me?!!
She probably thinks I come from the Middle East because I love Falafels?!!
;o>
I wouldn't mind being described as having the smell of sand on my skin. It might mean I'd just arrived from sunny Spain or a beautiful Caribbean island. I can still remember an older generation saying "a touch of the tar". There's nowt so queer as folk.
Yes, I'm pretty sure 'a touch of the tarbrush' was still in common use in Liverpool in the '80s.
"the smell of sand on my skin"maybe just for those who've visited sunny Saltcoats!
Val wrote: "I wouldn't mind being described as having the smell of sand on my skin. It might mean I'd just arrived from sunny Spain or a beautiful Caribbean island. I can still remember an older generation say..."It would be rather lovely if it was said in rather dreamy and admiring way, wouldn't it? ;o>
Mmmm, my Falafels with Cous-cous for Lunch was absolutely delicious ;o>... now please excuse me while I just go and feed my Camel! - LOL!!!
Tech XXIII wrote: ""the smell of sand on my skin"maybe just for those who've visited sunny Saltcoats!"
Well, I just had to go and Google 'Saltcoats', didn't I? ... ! ! ! ...
https://www.ilivehere.co.uk/saltcoats...
;oO ... ;o>
So, it has been decided that it will be the last night to clap for the NHS and Key Workers?I've never been that big a fan of the clapping to be absolutely honest with you but it did help to encourage awareness and publicly show respect and appreciation as well as it helped to keep so many folk feeling much more connected with each other and their communities whilst still living behind locked Doors ... and yes, I will miss that.
We are not going to be any part of this Lockdown easing up any time soon and I must admit that I'm rather worried and upset at the thought that we might now find ourselves to be even more alone and isolated and forgotten in the months to come.
And the NHS still will be doing an excellent job and, while all of the Free Drinks, Food Boxes, and Takeaway Deliveries being given to them are a really generous and caring gesture they will STILL continue to always be in urgent and essential need of PPE.
It's M&D's House and they don't like things like Posters, Signs or Stickers stuck to Doors or Windows but I've just explained how I am feeling today and they have finally agreed to allowing me to put a couple of things up now that the official clapping is going to be ending tonight ... so I've just found and bought these online to stick onto the Glass Panels in the Front Porch ;o> ...
Amazon exiles
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)
‘Rather sad that it's lost its red face patches along the way. There is something called a Mulard which is a muscovy cross and seems to come in a wide range of variations on the general black/white feathers, bill colour, facepatches or not’