Swet dreams Lindy. xx

Morning all.

How are we all? Seems Lena that you have the 'cold/flu' that has been going around. Drink lots of liquids, keep warm - and take it easy!!!

Got caught in the rain yesterday and felt like a drowned rat. Cup of tea, hot bath and bed really helped!

I too like Peaky Blinders. Wish we had Sky as there are some really good things on it.

Just thought of another song but can't remember the title - it is by the Eagles.

Gosh, limiting it down to 8 tracks is really difficult.

Well, off to tackle ironing and washing floors.

See you later I hope.

evening all, there are a lot of colds around at the moment....I think I can survive but im not feeling 100%...


I did see an idea of lists of people you would like to have to dinner, which seemed an interesting idea....although if they came to mine, I think I might need it catered!!!


I was thinking of buying a birthday cake for my daughter and then just decorating it.....but.....I wanted a big round cake, and have a feeling I might have to make one myself, and my cake baking skills are along the same lines as Georgy,s . I also never seem to be able to make anything like this cheaper than the shops.....the recipes I like tend to have a couple of expensive ingredients that you need a pinch of...!!!

Does anyone have any failsafe cake recipes?

I too loved the story of Johnny Cash and June, I had heard of him before the film ....but the film itself was fantastic.... A wonderful story of almost unrequited love, and love triumphing over everything else... and then I read the book as well, which really brought Johnny Cash to life, his childhood was so basic....picking cotton...and living on the poverty line.

I didn actually start my fantasy dinner guest list...I wonder how many I could invite??

As they are talking about a new x files movie...I might like to start with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, Then add in Chris Packham from the really wild show, Annie Lennox, Bill Bailey, David Mitchell and his wife, as she writes some really interesting articles, and Robert Webb...maybe Tyra Banks for a bit of Glamour...an Mel and Sue for a bit of humour....Oh and Kevin Bacon and Julia Roberts ..Keanu Reeves and Johnny Depp.. and ..probably my OH as well in case he felt left out.....


and of course John James in honour of this thread.....

I can refer you to the Barefoot Contessa website (or Food Channel). The only way to make a foolproof cake is to make sure the butter - and the eggs are room temperature - and use a mixer!

BFC also has a great recipe for butter cream frosting - one using cream cheese and the other chocolate.

If you really want to cheat - you could buy a plain cake and then get Betty Crocker Chocolate Frosting (Waitrose have it in a tin in the baking section).

Alternatively, you could always make cupcakes and frost them with either of the frostings mentioned above! Does this help?

Guess I'd invite John too but then I'd have Einstein, Gregory Peck, Graham Norton, Golda Meir, Eric Bruhn and Carla Fracci (ballet dancers) and Placido Domingo - oh yes, and George Gray, who discovered liquid crystals.

Good morning jjat

sorry i didn't pop in yesterday
but my mood was not that good
i spent 4 hours on the M25
i would say parked
but sometime i got up to....... 5 to 10 miles a hour

just having breakfast now
and the gardener has just arrived to clean up the leaves
so i,m going to have a quick read back
before i start the cleaning

Hey .......... lol

and No

now shall work on my...... fully catered dinner party list
while i catch up on my cleaning
that will
give me something to think on

be back later
the gardener is calling me

thank you this is a lot of help.....

What are liquid crystals????

Some roads are nightmares to drive....the M25 is one of them, as is the A12, im not sure what the real problem is on the M25 but id guess its the same problem as the A12. During rush hour, and the hours before and afterwards....the
A12 is packed with cars driving almost bumper to bumper. But everyone is in such a massive rush they are all driving at 70 or close to 70mph. and at that speed collisions are almost inevitable. So the road is constantly being closed because of an accident...


There are so many accidents and so many times you just get caught in a traffic jam, and they aren't fun.....

I have a general question.......

David Cameron and the conservative party seem to have spent most of the last week, visiting China, who seem to be their new best friends and they seem to be encouraging Great Britain into new trade alliances....

But isn't China still officially at least a Communist country? One of the last Communist bastions left in the world????


Does anyone else find the notion of a very right wing conservative government in the UK, being best friends with a communist country totally bizarre and ironic....?????

Well, not really, I don't, to be honest To start with, the coalition we have is not what I would call really right wing, and it's job is to look after Britain's interests, promoting trade wherever the opportunity exists......which is what they're doing.

The interesting question for me would be: is China still genuinely communist? Or is it more of a one party state, based on old party allegiances?

And so to bed......:yawn:

Night Augusta, night all xx

Sleep tight :sleep: :sleep:

Lindy xx

But.....China is such a complex society........and there seems to be so many issues involved in working with them.

I actually find it quite sad that we are so actively trying to promote trade agreements with a country where corruption seems so rife, where environmental issues seem to be totally ignored etc etc. Friends of my OH in telecoms have been involved in doing business with Chinese companies where the culture is always about agreeing with the customer and telling them they can do anything instantly and it will be on your desk tomorrow.......when in reality they cant.....


I spose what frustrates me, is that seem to live in this idealistic world of work, where everything is possible and no problems are ever allowed to exist......and any problems that do occur end up being blamed on individuals...when in reality its mainly the process itself that is at fault.... Surely Its almost impossible to create a system without flaws, so why don't we acknowledge this at the start, build in time and money to resolve problems in the first place, and give time to let things settle down and find the existing problems... instead of assuming it can be with us tomorrow?


And having seen all the container ships coming into Felixstowe packed with Chinese goods...I do wonder why this country cant produce anything themselves anymore. Surely we should be bringing back a little bit of protectionism and encouraging some home grown and local manufacturing .....rather than paying for goods to be transported thousands of miles around the world.....at goodness knows what cost to the environment.... The successful European economies like Germany, actually produce and make things......but this country doesn't actually make very much at all nowadays....All the telecoms and hi tech gadgets are now made more cheaply overseas, as are clothing etc....


China to me seems to be going through something equivalent to the Victorians and the Industrial revolution, and think of the dreadful pollution and exploitation of this period,
with children working down the mines, mass poverty and filthy cities... And here are the co alition going over to China and encouraging them!!!!!!!


And no I don't really think china are really remotely communist any more.........but it is still the name they give their brand of politics!!!!

sorry for the rant.....its just some things get to me...


like this idea again of reintroducing nuclear power stations, with Chinese investment.........I am so scared of the idea of poluuting the earth for future generations....with the unspent nuclear rods etc, and the safety issues of places like the broken Japanese nuclear power station.....


just so we can indulge our selfish desires for power now....

never mind...its strictly on tonight.....

and a couple of tweets from John James


John James ‏@uk_JohnJames_oz 6h
@kris_d........ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwZVZ5qZnoA …

Apparently he gets ''All the girls'' if this video clip is to be believed......


and then one about horse racing...

...
@KPM...... How do you draw barrier 2 on Chiarmonte and find your self in so much trouble on the home turn ???? Class horse rode BADLY .

Well said Augusta I don't necessarily 100% agree with everything you've said - but I wish I had the passion to say it as you do!

I agree that China is going through an industrial revolution - but it'll do that, whether we trade with them or not. And yes, it would be great if Britain could develop it's manufacturing base - I speak as a child of Birmingham, which used to be known as 'the workshop of the world' However, we'd at the least need a cultural change, whereby we'd be willing to pay more for local (and possibly but not necessarily better made) goods

Quick, where's that copy of the Economist I ought to have read? I feel very ill-informed right now!

Take care and have a good day all xx

They are in watches, train signage etc etc - the work was done at Hull University and this development has revolutionized a lot of things.

Morning all.

In a bit of a rush. Have just made some tomato soup and now have to go to post box to mail more letters for o/h - who is doing work work for the weekend.

However, I am going out for tea at the local garden centre with my neighbour next door.

Need to get dressed, make the bed and do some ironing .

Bye for now.

that sounds lovely, hope you all had a good day....



wasn't strictly amazing....I love the Costumes.....just watching all the programmes about David Frost, what an interesting man...

Morning all.

Anyone else have the thunder and lightning show this morning?

Haven't heard anything like it since we had hurricanes back in NY. Amazing!!!

One of our drains is clogged so can't use kitchen sink or dishwasher. Have to call the plumber first thing tomorrow. I hate washing pots and pans!!!!

Anyway, hope everyone has a great day.

See you later.

hope you get the drain cleared....

we still don't have our satellite signal, we think the dish got bashed or moved when the scaffolding came in, and there isn't much point in calling anyone out, until the scaffolding is taken down, so we are relying on an old freeview box.....at least we get a few channels I spose, but I really miss saving and freezing programmes....and being able to fast forward through adverts!!!

Just got drenched again - the rain seems to be following me around this week No thunder and lightning though, and I'm not as wet as I was during the week as at least I was better prepared today .

Went to a local country shop. They have their Christmas trees up and all the gift stuff out. Oh dear, must get moving on Cmas

Have a good day all x