Good News stories

[french frank]

I admire your fortitude. My fear is power cuts this winter as we are all-electric. I toy with the idea of cooking over a paraffin heater but blench at the fire risk.

Become a fresh food vegan There's always a solution! I shall try cooking Sunday lunch on a portable hotplate in my workroom. (Fortunately, the water supply has been restored)

[smittims]

Thanks for the suggestion.

[HighlandDougie]

Cherry plums. They can be garden fruit trees, eg Mirabelle de Nancy, or a feature of country hedgerows as they are often planted for wildlife, landscape or shelter purposes, as well as arising without direct human input.
In my part of the world they are a welcome sight both in spring when they are often the first blossom to appear(before blackthorn in many cases), and then from July when the fruit starts to ripen in an assortment of colours from yellow through red to darkest purple, and with varying flavours. Many are acceptable to very good eaten in hand but otherwise they cook well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_cerasifera

I was reminded of this post when I noticed earlier how much the badgers appeared to appreciate the myriad of these plums in the garden, judging from the holes they have dug for their 'doings'. I much agree with OOO in his appreciation of the early blossom - and then of a succession of differently coloured fruits, depending on the tree. The trees, though, do need quite a bit of cutting back/pruning - and they do indeed appear without direct human input. Not as bad as laurier sauce (i.e. bay) which is now to be found where it was most definitely not planted by human hand.

[oddoneout]

I was reminded of this post when I noticed earlier how much the badgers appeared to appreciate the myriad of these plums in the garden, judging from the holes they have dug for their 'doings'. I much agree with OOO in his appreciation of the early blossom - and then of a succession of differently coloured fruits, depending on the tree. The trees, though, do need quite a bit of cutting back/pruning - and they do indeed appear without direct human input. Not as bad as laurier sauce (i.e. bay) which is now to be found where it was most definitely not planted by human hand.

Yes they do need keeping in check, but that's not a problem in a hedge, and unlike some other components of a roadside hedge they seem to be fairly tolerant of the dreaded flail approach to hedge cutting.Once of the most extreme examples of that tolerance I saw was in a retail park carpark, where cherry plum had been densely planted and formed into approximately metre cube blocks but, as I discovered, still managed to set fruit. Not the best flavoured ones as it happened (they were yellow which I find a bit insipid generally), and getting at them buried in the dense and thorny growth was a challenge, but foraging is a challenge to which I can rise on occasion, and I was wearing long sleeves, and had a pair of gloves in the car. Two helpings of spiced stewed plums was the result - worth it I thought. Got some strange looks from a couple of folk, and I must admit to a bit of a twinge about helping myself on private land( I tend to be more sensitive about that than most I've discovered over the years) - but I doubted the owners were going to harvest them, and one bush was not going to deprive any wildlife that wanted them.

[Serial_Apologist]

The builder has knocked off for the week. I have spent the last week living on cheese, Ryvita and fruit (and wine, of course, and coffee) stuck in an upstairs room surrounding by pots, pans, crockery, herbs & spices, macaroni, rice. Washing-up after meals is done in the bathroom.

The weekend looms and I have no cooker, washing machine or kitchen. But ... only two more weeks to go!

No microwave, even?

[french frank]

No microwave, even?

Nope: a kitchen largely machineless as far as cooking appliances are concerned. But I have just produced an edible meal of baked gammon. broccoli and steamed potatoes with a (Co-op) maple sauce, cooked on my two-hotplate portable emergency thing. With a Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages 2023 from Tesco it was quite satisfying. Banana and black coffee to finish :-). i had cheese for lunch so no cheese now.

[french frank]

Today I succeeded in assembling kitchen steps/stool from IKEA. It arrived in a slim flatpack at 14.16 this afternoon and I finished assembling it at 16.30. Only one misstep (literally) as I failed to notice that the two steps were of differing lengths so having fixed the long step at the top of the stool I finally admitted defeat on trying to fix the shorter one.Then I had a light bulb moment when I realised one step was longer than the other and logically ... the rest followed.

[Dave2002]

Today I succeeded in assembling kitchen steps/stool from IKEA. It arrived in a slim flatpack at 14.16 this afternoon and I finished assembling it at 16.30. Only one misstep (literally) as I failed to notice that the two steps were of differing lengths so having fixed the long step at the top of the stool I finally admitted defeat on trying to fix the shorter one.Then I had a light bulb moment when I realised one step was longer than the other and logically ... the rest followed.

Well done!

Good job there were only two steps

[smittims]

I've always founnd IKEA products good quality and easy to assemble, with clear instructions. Ive never understood why they have a sort of 'comedian's joke' reputation of being shoddy and impossible to put together. Maybe its because they are made in Sweden and some people think Sweden is . If they were made in India this would be called racism.

[french frank]

I've always founnd IKEA products good quality and easy to assemble, with clear instructions. Ive never understood why they have a sort of 'comedian's joke' reputation of being shoddy and impossible to put together. Maybe its because they are made in Sweden and some people think Sweden is . If they were made in India this would be called racism.

I was asked to complete a survey for them afterwards and they asked a number of questions about the ease of assembly; and of course they offer that as an extra service if people want it.

I've just checked the width of the steps: one was 340mm long, the other 380mm. When laid out on the floor the difference wasn't immediately perceptible, and even when fully assembled the slight splaying out at the base is hardly noticeable. I broadly agree with you though: I find IKEA furniture well designed and serviceable if tending to be a bit basic (which I like). I've never experienced poor functionality, instability or breakage.

[Old Grumpy]

I was asked to complete a survey for them afterwards and they asked a number of questions about the ease of assembly; and of course they offer that as an extra service if people want it.

I've just checked the width of the steps: one was 340mm long, the other 380mm. When laid out on the floor the difference wasn't immediately perceptible, and even when fully assembled the slight splaying out at the base is hardly noticeable. I broadly agree with you though: I find IKEA furniture well designed and serviceable if tending to be a bit basic (which I like). I've never experienced poor functionality, instability or breakage.

The product names can be quite amusing (if they still do that).

I presume you buy online. A visit to one of their out of town stores (especially with children) can be a bit of a trial. Hampton Court maze has nothing on and IKEA store!

[french frank]

I presume you buy online. A visit to one of their out of town stores (especially with children) can be a bit of a trial. Hampton Court maze has nothing on and IKEA store!

Yes, I have to buy online now. I used to visit the local store a couple of miles away by car. The difficulty I had once inside was in finding the way out again. Where are the stairs or lift when you want them?

[Pulcinella]

Yes, I have to buy online now. I used to visit the local store a couple of miles away by car. The difficulty I had once inside was in finding the way out again. Where are the stairs or lift when you want them?

You have to follow the yellow brick road, I think.
I'm surprised that some of them have (presumably) passed Health and Safety requirements in terms of signage and escape routes in the event of evacuation being needed.

[AuntDaisy]

Nope: a kitchen largely machineless as far as cooking appliances are concerned. But I have just produced an edible meal of baked gammon. broccoli and steamed potatoes with a (Co-op) maple sauce, cooked on my two-hotplate portable emergency thing. With a Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages 2023 from Tesco it was quite satisfying. Banana and black coffee to finish :-). i had cheese for lunch so no cheese now.

How is the new kitchen & is it finished?

[smittims]

Yes, I admit one has to walk all the way round, regardless of whether you've found what you want early on. And yes ,they still do the funny names. Our favourite is Billy (the bookcase) as it's the name of our cat.