Amazon exiles discussion
Don't Kill Snails with Salt ... Creme Eggs & Toasted Teacakes ... Biscuits & Bench Stories, Life, the Universe, & Everything!
YAYYY!!! - my very first buy of the New Year (ordered at exactly 1am GMT this Morning) has just been 'Dispatched' according to the Amazon Email that I have been sent in the last hour ;o>Hmmm? - but can anyone guess what it was?
It is yummy, first I tried with lam(supposed be of better value than pig, grazing local grass you know...), next pig, turkey yesterday. Addsqueezed onion, salt, black pepper, paprika, thyme, a little water a little lime juice. Let the meat soak in it for an hour or two. That's all.
Best coal comes from fruit trees, next is birch, oak, can be alder.
No way use of pines or fir kind.
And most important I have no vegans nearby shouting about burning corpses.
Tomatoes murderers.
It's a lovely mild day - blue sky and some glorious Winter sunshine shining ;o> ...
Val wrote: "Chocolate BrazilsWhat's my prize?"
Nope! - as a very generous Welsh Father Christmas has kindly made sure that I now have enough Chocolate Brazils to see me right through until Easter! - LOL!!! ;o>
I bought myself an ... Ice Cream Scoop!
An absolutely essential buy for everyone at 1am on New Year's Day, hey? ;o>
Post Soviet wrote: "It is yummy, first I tried with lam(supposed be of better value than pig, grazing local grass you know...), next pig, turkey yesterday. Addsqueezed onion, salt, black pepper, paprika, thyme, a lit..."
ERRR, I have a complaint?! ;oO
Me and Val are sat here with empty plates! ... where's ours?!!
"Me and Val are sat here with empty plates! ... where's ours?!!"County Leitrim?
/0)
Val? - grab your Coat! ... we're off to County Leitrim! ;o>
Mitz was up and down the Stairs like a Yo-Yo last night - as both her and Tia usually respect but can, nevertheless, open the Dog Gate with considerable ease if they really want to - LOL!!! ;o>She wasn't too scared by all of the Fireworks though because the NutraCalm had worked it's wonders as usual - she apparently just wanted company while there was still an odd Bang going off and she definitely wasn't going to be taking no for an answer.
At one point, around 4am and about the 5th time that she had head-butted my Bedroom Door open and dived on top of me - I tried pushing her using all my Body weight behind her across the Landing and back downstairs - and she sat resolutely upright, dug all of her Paws into the Carpet. and virtually 'superglued' her cute little Bottom to the Floor!
And I simply could not budge her so much as a single Millimetre! - no matter just how much I coaxed and cajoled, pushed and pulled, and even tried a few times to half-carry her! ;oO
I ended up collapsed on the Top Stair in an exhausted heap next to her and laughing my Head off as daft hysterics had kicked in by that stage ... in me and not her ... although she did seem to find it all to be rather amusing too as she started barking excitedly and wagging away with her little Tail going thump, thump, thump!
And Tia was just absolutely delighted by all of the fun and games in the dark and so she enthusiastically started with racing like a Rocket up and downstairs several times as well - to join in with my Move-The-Unmoveable-Mardy-Mitz's Game!
Mum then got up and staggered still half asleep out of her Bedroom utterly bemused and bewildered at being woken up by what she said sounded like a herd of Elephants playing Twister in the dark on the Landing?!! ... AND THEN ... yes, you've guessed it! - I was the one who got told off for making a noise and for trying to wake everyone up?!! ;oO
I can hardly wait now for all the Fireworks to start up again tonight!
HA HA HA HA HA!!! ;o>
My second purchase of the year 2019? ... a Telescopic Pickle Fork!Ohhh yeah!!! - just living it up and living the dream, Baby!!! ;o>
I've also just ordered another Radio Alarm Clock from John Lewis ;o>M&D are apparently thrilled to bits with the one that I gave them on Christmas Day ... but my Dad seems to have decided that it is for his side of the Bed as it has stayed in pride of place on his Bedside Cabinet ever since then?
This means that, as it is my Mum who actually uses it as a Radio and is the one who frequently turns it on and off at various times during the night when she can't sleep, the old Radio Alarm Clock is still in use on her side of the Bed while they both merely admire the new one on my Dad's side for being little more than just a light-up Clock?!! ;oO
The only solution to this then seems to be to buy them another one and so I have! If they really need two then they can have two - one each ... Parents, hey?!! - LOL!!! ;o>
suzysunshine7 wrote: "Val? - grab your Coat! ... we're off to County Leitrim! ;o>"Some funny folk in Leitrim
https://www.leitrimobserver.ie/news/h...
First sighting of hot cross buns!!In today's Aldi catalogue - on sale Jan 9th. 6 varieties available!
Fruit hot cross buns
Fruitless hot cross buns
Mini fruit hot cross buns
Mini chocolate chip hot cross buns
Brioche chocolate chip hot cross buns
Brioche hot cross buns
Do you think they'll keep till Easter?
(Aldi are a bit slow - Coles had them on the shelves on Dec 27th!)
https://www.redlandcitybulletin.com.a...
My local Coop does hot cross buns all year round...I don't think supermarkets know what seasonal means nowadays!Anybody remember when one could only get Strawberries during summer months? They're available all year round now.
Quite surprised that supermarkets don't sell xmas cakes & puds all year..why not..nearly everything can be bought thoughout the year...ack..let's have the Easter eggs too...why not?! :)
Val wrote: "Some funny folk in Leitrimhttps://www.leitrimobserver.ie/news/h......"
I did wonder why Goldilocks was at this Barbeque ;o>
Val wrote: "First sighting of hot cross buns!!In today's Aldi catalogue - on sale Jan 9th. 6 varieties available!
Fruit hot cross buns
Fruitless hot cross buns
Mini fruit hot cross buns
Mini chocolate chip h..."
As Duke says we have the standard Supermarket Own Brand ones on sale all year round - but the special ones still don't usually tend to appear until just a few weeks before Easter.
I buy when I see them and then freeze them so I don't have to think about battling my way through the Shops at Easter-time. It never used to be like this, from my memories of childhood, but Easter Grocery Shopping is increasingly getting to be almost as frantic and manic as Christmas Grocery Shopping is these days?!
WoW?!! ... I heard the Doorbell ring and made my way down the Stairs to find the second Radio Alarm Clock delivered and left waiting in the Porch! ... and I only ordered it yesterday!!! ;o>I had this one delivered to save time on collecting it - John Lewis clearly specify on their Website that they want to see your Passport or a Driving Licence as proof of ID when you Click&Collect and I have neither of these things. I did take my Greater Manchester Bus Pass and my Blue Badge - both of which are photographic proofs - but the Counter Lad looked a bit uncertain as to how to proceed when I produced these instead and seemed rather reluctant to hand my Parcel over - and I really didn't fancy going through that again.
It cost £3.50 extra for Courier Delivery but it has helped to save so much on time and effort and it has also made the Gift stay a surprise a bit longer too so it was worth paying out on. M&D would know the minute that I said I needed to go to John Lewis that it would surely be to pick something up.
They are off out taking Moo and Tee a walk and so I'll wrap it up first and then give it to them as a New Year Gift later on this afternoon ;o>
We gave it our best shot and tried to see in the New Year, but by 10 'o clock Mrs Grizzly was asleep and I gave in about half an hour later - that's the closest we've got in the past ten years or so, so maybe next year, who knows? :)
Our tree and decorations were all taken down and put away yesterday, much to the disappointment of Phoebe, who then tried to steal a bauble or two as they were being packed away :)
Our tree and decorations were all taken down and put away yesterday, much to the disappointment of Phoebe, who then tried to steal a bauble or two as they were being packed away :)
I've never shared M&D's almost obsessional love of plain white papered and white painted Walls throughout the House - my Room is the only one with any Colour to it - so I'm rather dreading seeing both of the Christmas Trees and the Cards come down and all of the green Garlands and lovely Candles and the wooden Nativity Ornaments put away in a couple of days time as the House will surely only look even colder and more empty on their removal ;o<And our darling Tia has just been SO well and SO incredibly happy as well - and the Vets didn't think that we'd even have her with us for Christmas, never mind the New Year.
I just wish that I could freeze time, keep everything all bright and beautiful just as it is right now, and somehow continue to make these very special and ohhh so precious days last forever.
Hello! - I've found a new friend ;o> ...
Are you going my way? Can I hitch a lift? ;o> ...
Wednesday, January 02, 2019 4:32 a.m. CST - New Brighton Brothers unveil their giant Snow Snail ...
"New Brighton, MN (WCCO) - The New Brighton brothers whose popularity has grown along with the size of their snow sculptures unveiled their latest creation on New Year's Day.
This year Austin, Trevor and Connor Bartz’s family home has a giant snail standing 23-feet tall parked in the front yard. Its 35 feet in length and 10 feet wide.
“It’s definitely the one with the most snow so far,” said Trevor Bartz, the middle brother. “It’s probably twice as big as any other one we’ve done.”
This is their eighth year creating the snow sculptures and each year news of their creations gets national and worldwide attention. The brothers have received knocks on their front door from NBC News, the Travel Channel, the Weather Channel as well as Ellen DeGeneres. During Tuesday’s unveiling, well over 100 people showed up to take a selfie in front of the snail and images of their sculptures have been published as far as China.
“Our sculptures every year follow a sea life theme,” said Trevor.
Some of their creations in the past included a pufferfish, a shark, a walrus, a sea turtle and an octopus. Six people helped with the project this year.
“This one took us the most hours out of any one we’ve ever done,” said Connor. “There was a lot of weather things that made it really tough, along with a lot of interesting intricate features.”
The brothers also use the sculpture for fundraising. This year they are supporting “One Day’s Wages” to provide clean water for people in Vietnam.
The Bartz brothers say there’s no plans to stop creating the sculptures, they hope to do it as long as they can. You can find the sculpture at 2777 16th St NW, New Brighton, MN 55112"
https://kfgo.com/news/articles/2019/j...
suzysunshine7 wrote: "I've never shared M&D's almost obsessional love of plain white papered and white painted Walls throughout the House - my Room is the only one with any Colour to it - so I'm rather dreading seeing b..."
As we only had the tree, some cascading icicle lights in the window behind it, a few Christmas cards and three small stockings hung up on the fireplace, taking them down hasn't really made that much difference to the lounge, especially as we have different coloured string lights set in the fireplace, vases either side of the fireplace and illuminating the interior of the bookcase which are all on most of the time.
All I can say with Tia do what you are already doing and count each new day that she is still with you, and happy, as a bonus. We found out yesterday that my Step-daughter had to have her cat put to sleep on Friday as the poor thing was suffering from arthiritis in all four paws, heart problems and was showing signs of dementia. He did make it to 15 though, so not too shabby really.
As we only had the tree, some cascading icicle lights in the window behind it, a few Christmas cards and three small stockings hung up on the fireplace, taking them down hasn't really made that much difference to the lounge, especially as we have different coloured string lights set in the fireplace, vases either side of the fireplace and illuminating the interior of the bookcase which are all on most of the time.
All I can say with Tia do what you are already doing and count each new day that she is still with you, and happy, as a bonus. We found out yesterday that my Step-daughter had to have her cat put to sleep on Friday as the poor thing was suffering from arthiritis in all four paws, heart problems and was showing signs of dementia. He did make it to 15 though, so not too shabby really.
Awww, your poor Step-daughter ;o<M&D have a very busy brown patterned Carpet and very little Furniture throughout the House plus white Ceilings, white Walls, white Doors, white Skirting, Picture Rails & Coving and white Windowsills.
My Mum sometimes says that she'd like to see some Colour but still keeps on with resisting having any. I often sneak things in as Gifts - the Glass TV Stand, a couple of Bookcases, a Wardrobe and Chest of Drawers in the empty Spare Room, Table Lamps, Cushions for the Sofa to try to make the House feel less sparse.
I'm very much a minimalist by nature myself but even I find the distinct lack of Furnishing and Furniture very frustrating as we have almost no Storage options available - and I must admit that I absolutely adore and have a bit of a secret obsession with the kinds of Furniture that has got lots of clever and useful Storage space ;o>
Just seen my first Creme Egg advert of the year on the TV........ about time they made some new ones, isn't it?
And for that you should win ... a Crème Egg! - LOL! ;o>I tried a Crème Egg last year to see what they were like since Kraft bought up Cadburys, promised they would never dream of changing the UK Recipe, and then went ahead and did it mere months later ... and (as Granny no longer looks in anymore) I can post now that it really wasn't nice - the Chocolate was just awful.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/snake-dishw...Snake in a dishwasher and other animal mishaps.
(Nothing upsetting, Suzy)
Awww, thank you for remembering how sensitive I am, Lez Lee ;o>Oooh? - I had to Google the Cat though ... that looked very nasty and it must have hurt like Hell, the poor little love! Thankfully he made a full recovery and is back safe with his Owner ;o>
Brunch today ... a slice of left-over Gammon Ham with some left-over Sausagemeat Stuffing, fridge cold left-over Christmas Pudding with some fridge cold left-over Brandy Sauce ... YUM!-YUM!!-YUM!!!I can just picture the look on Lez Lee's face and our tech 'boaking' ...
Hee, Hee, Hee!!! ;o>
Not come across a snake in a dishwasher before, but I did once find one in our airing cupboard!
suzysunshine7 wrote: "Brunch today ... a slice of left-over Gammon Ham with some left-over Sausagemeat Stuffing, fridge cold left-over Christmas Pudding with some fridge cold left-over Brandy Sauce ... YUM!-YUM!!-YUM!!!..."
All on one plate?
All on one plate?
HA HA HA HA HA!!! ... so did my Mum! ... it was temporarily my Brother's new Pet - and there was one Hell of a row before his friend was rung up and ordered to come back round to return the Record that he swapped it for and to take it away! ;o>
Grizzlygrump wrote: "All on one plate?"Two Bowls ... 'cos I is a Lady, don'tcha know?! ;o>
We don't have much in the way of leftovers now, despite getting a 20 lb turkey for dinner on New Year's Day - Step-daughter took home a plastic tub full of carved breast, we had the legs yesterday with bubble & squeak (using up the leftover veg) and today I've had a couple of slices with an omelette, leaving just enough for Mrs Grizzly to have in a sandwich when she gets home from work :)
Still not touched the Christmas Pud yet :)
Still not touched the Christmas Pud yet :)
I’ve not encountered any snakes in the wild, but I had a frog in my welly once. Luckily I felt it before I did it any harm.
Grizzlygrump wrote: "We don't have much in the way of leftovers now, despite getting a 20 lb turkey for dinner on New Year's Day - Step-daughter took home a plastic tub full of carved breast, we had the legs yesterday ..."This was our 3rd Christmas Pudding!
Keep up, Kid, Christmas is no time for slacking! - LOL!!! ;o>
Lez wrote: "I’ve not encountered any snakes but I had a frog in my welly once. Luckily I felt it before I did it any harm."
I've heard of wellygogs, but not welly frogs :)
The snake in our airing cupboard had escaped from next door, and had been on the run for three weeks!
Had I known for definite that it wasn't poisonous, I'd have picked it up and taken it back to the neighbour, instead of rushing round there to get her to fetch her snake before it decided it was time to disappear :)
Neighbour hadn't even mentioned that she was missing a snake!
I've heard of wellygogs, but not welly frogs :)
The snake in our airing cupboard had escaped from next door, and had been on the run for three weeks!
Had I known for definite that it wasn't poisonous, I'd have picked it up and taken it back to the neighbour, instead of rushing round there to get her to fetch her snake before it decided it was time to disappear :)
Neighbour hadn't even mentioned that she was missing a snake!
Lez wrote: "I’ve not encountered any snakes in the wild, but I had a frog in my welly once. Luckily I felt it before I did it any harm."EUUUUUUUWWWWWWW!!! ;oO
I can hardly wait for Twelfth Night ... it'll be time for Mum's infamous Sherry Trifle!!!Just breathing in the fumes off it can intoxicate and incapacitate you for several days - and trying to get up again from sitting at the Dining Room Table can prove to be one Hell of a challenge! ;o>
Grizzlygrump wrote: "We gave it our best shot and tried to see in the New Year, but by 10 'o clock Mrs Grizzly was asleep and I gave in about half an hour later - that's the closest we've got in the past ten years or s..."Cats do like their shiny things, don't they?! lol!
Happy new year to the both of you, hope you a good xmas.
suzysunshine7 wrote: "And for that you should win ... a Crème Egg! - LOL! ;o>I tried a Crème Egg last year to see what they were like since Kraft bought up Cadburys, promised they would never dream of changing the UK ..."
That's probably because some years back, they changed the recipe and now using more palm oil in the chocolate instead of veg oil in the past. Btw...Kraft doesn't exist in Europe anymore..the company changed it's name to Mondelez International, Inc, since 2012. Memorable name ain't it..not!
Kraft still exists in the US, but the international side of the company is now Mondolez, ever since Kraft merged with Heinz Foods Group in 2012.
Still....what they did to our once glorious Cadbury's products, is forever unforgivable....bladdy American companies coming over here and messing with our stuff....bah!
Grizzlygrump wrote: "We don't have much in the way of leftovers now, despite getting a 20 lb turkey for dinner on New Year's Day - Step-daughter took home a plastic tub full of carved breast, we had the legs yesterday ..."No Xmas food left, just some choccies (not much left), but heaps of booze, which i hardly touched yet. Dispite the fact that i don't drink much these days, i recived several bottles of spirits fom the family on xmas day. I guess i need to update them on my current drinking habits!
A litre of Baileys original, anybody?!
Yes, they publicly promised faithfully not to mess with the original UK Chocolate Recipe and then they immediately set about sneakily changing it over to the more American-style of Chocolate - and it would seem that they actually thought that they would get away with it without any consumer protests because no-one over here would even notice the difference?!!It is an over-sweet, thick and greasy Chocolate that sits like a semi-solid and fatty goo in the Mouth instead of delightfully melting away. And I understand that was commercially created to better withstand exposure to more extreme Temperature changes than we tend to have in the UK - so I don't understand why they feel like they have to make it in exactly the same way in this Country as they do in others?
It must be a much cheaper way of making Chocolate, I guess? - but their Profits will have surely plummeted here as a result and so I don't think that they will have benefitted much from the Recipe change.
Such sad days when something like this happens. I wish we had put a Patent on UK Chocolate with the status of 'Protected Geographical Indication' and legally bound Kraft to it before they bought Cadburys and Green & Blacks. I've never been a huge Chocolate fan myself, but nevertheless, I find I really miss the Chocolate of my childhood ;o<
theDuke wrote: "Dispite the fact that i don't drink much these days, i recived several bottles of spirits fom the family on xmas day. I guess i need to update them on my current drinking habits!A litre of Baileys original, anybody?!"
Well, you have a couple of options open to you, Duke? You could always get to re-gift them during the year for Birthdays - or you could ring up a local Charity and ask them if they will accept them as potential Raffle Prizes.
We tend get given Bottles galore during the year by Neighbours who don't seem to realise that all of us rarely ever drink Alcohol but, when we do, then we enjoy drinking favourite drinks and not drinking Wine in general.
We discreetly save them up and then two or three times a year we load up the Car and take them to various local places - a Hospice, an Animal Sanctuary, a Carer's Group - and they use them up as nice Raffle Prizes to generate more money for themselves ;o>
"Cadburys"we sat back and let it happen!
There's even more truth now in the age-old warning to children ..."Never take Sweets from a Stranger" ... !
theDuke wrote: "Happy new year to the both of you, hope you had a good xmas."
Cheers, Duke; and yes, we had a good Christmas and New Year, managing to see the kids and Grandkids as they came over to us for a change. After all the mayhem of young kids running amok I even managed to squeeze in a quiet Birthday yesterday :)
Hope the Festive period was a good one for you and your mum :)
Cheers, Duke; and yes, we had a good Christmas and New Year, managing to see the kids and Grandkids as they came over to us for a change. After all the mayhem of young kids running amok I even managed to squeeze in a quiet Birthday yesterday :)
Hope the Festive period was a good one for you and your mum :)
I haven't had a Creme Egg since I was a kid, and wasn't overly keen on them then, thinking them quite sickly in the first place. I shudder to think what they taste like now!
OHHH DAMN!!! ;o< I forgot your Birthday, Grizzly?! - and I did know that it was coming up very soon after New Year as well, so I've no idea as to why on Earth I didn't realise that it must be any day now ... I'm so sorry, Poppet! ...
x x x ... ! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY GRIZZLYGRUMP ! ... x x x
suzysunshine7 wrote: "OHHH DAMN!!! ;o<
I forgot your Birthday, Grizzly?! - and I did know that it was coming up very soon after New Year as well, so I've no idea as to why on Earth I didn't realise that it must be any..."
Thanks suzy and don't worry about not knowing - Mrs Grizzly still can't get it right after 20 years!
This year, she thought it was on the 2nd, but at least she got the right month this time :)
In future, I think it'll just be easier if I celebrate my Birthday on whatever day Mrs Grizzly thinks it's supposed to be on :)
I forgot your Birthday, Grizzly?! - and I did know that it was coming up very soon after New Year as well, so I've no idea as to why on Earth I didn't realise that it must be any..."
Thanks suzy and don't worry about not knowing - Mrs Grizzly still can't get it right after 20 years!
This year, she thought it was on the 2nd, but at least she got the right month this time :)
In future, I think it'll just be easier if I celebrate my Birthday on whatever day Mrs Grizzly thinks it's supposed to be on :)
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)
We went to the village New Year's Eve party over here in France last night. Seven course meal, wine champagne and entertainment for 65 euros each. We were the only British ther..."
Congrats on lasting/consuming as much as you did! Sounds like a good night was had by all - especially by those who had more cheese and pudding!
Wishing you all the best for 2019.