Come and tell me your dull and unexciting news 4: Calmly through the day

[Prokupatuscrakedatus]

Curry I hope you do not mind?
I put the last message in, and didn't find a new thread. Which I found disquiting, so to calm my nerves here goes.

We had a lovely Zoom call last night with DS and MIL.

DS has to do a full time internship this spring and has been selected to do it at a multinational accounting firm in Boston. The plan was for him to stay on campus and commute in on the train. He's now been told that the internship will almost certainly be remote, which creates a bit of a dilemma. He can stay on campus and do it remotely from there, enjoying clubs and sports, or he could come home. Doing it from home would save about $4,000 in room and board charges, plus he's probably a bit more comfortable at home and the food is better. They've also canceled or cut back most of the socal activities on campus.

We've told him that we would love to have him home but are more than happy to forego the savings if he decides he'd have more fun with his mates at uni. I think he'll probably come home, which would be lovely as we all miss him.

I just picked up my John Lewis order from my local Waitrose and the enormous box that I thought must contain my new duvet, in fact contained two boxes of plates and a lot of packaging.

Just sat down after collecting DS from school - we cycled (first time in a week, what with the weather and various appointments!), so I had to put the bikes and things away, help DS out of his uniform, do some baking for lunchboxes and coffee breaks (tbf I didn’t have to, but we’ve all become spoiled and too used to homemade cake), clear up after all that, deal with a load of washing that went in before I left and try to remove paint from DS’s school jumper (why did he have to get paint all over a brand new one, and not one of the secondhand ones?!). Jumper is now in the washing machine so fingers crossed for that, and banana bread is starting to smell pretty good too! I can’t stand bananas but I do like a bit of banana bread 👍

Homemade (but frozen) lasagne currently in the oven... early, I know, but that's how we roll!

DD wants to bake a cheese cake tonight - granny's recipe (DH's mum not mine, my mum's is difficult). But there was no Schichtkäse to be found, so they - DH and DD - called me at work. The little corner shop next to my office had it.
And now I am waiting ....

What's it like in NY now @MissConductUS? Do you have many restrictions?

I've just had a snack.

@Frownette

What's it like in NY now *@MissConductUS*? Do you have many restrictions?

I've just had a snack.

With the exception of certain very specific neighborhoods in NYC, covid infection rates are very low. We're still wearing masks in public, especially indoors and no large indoor gatherings. Schools have reopened with limited numbers in at any one time and restaurants are back to seating customers indoors at 25% of capacity.

Hospital capacity is fine and A&E is running at normal levels with little or no wait to be seen most of the time. People are generally less stressed but still cautious.

I'm having a ham sandwich with cheddar and coleslaw and it's good but not great. I've just had a walk outside and it's a lovely fall day here.

What was your snack and how was it?

Urgh, cases are zooming up locally and it's a bit unsettling.

Anyway, back to much-needed calming things: we had toad in the hole for supper and DC cleared their plates, so that was gratifying.

I had some reheated vegetable and bean stew, with melted cheese on top. Love the idea of a fall walk.

I'm going to take a shower shortly

DH wants cherries and raisins in the cake. DD accused him of being unraisanable. We think raisins belong nowhere and certainly not in cheesecake. They agreed on 1/3 with 2/3 without.

We have to wear masks in the office now when SD can't be observed. I kept my mask on, blue and brown stripes with black beetles.

Baked cheesecake is so superior to unbaked, IMHO. Cherries yes, raisins no.
I've put all of 'the big shop' away. Now we'll settle to an evening of watching the news with our mouths open in incredulity.
I might make that cake tomorrow. Or, indeed, I might not.
Written over 1100 words today but not pleased with them. Meh.

I have put on my "indoor" hoodie.

Don't have Britbox or whatever it's called, so I'm disappointed that I can't watch the new Spitting Image.

Just started to rain now, no surprise there.

All this talk of cake is definitely more exciting than you'd expect from a supposedly dull thread 😁👍. We had fish casserole tonight, made by DH, very tasty.

I am really a very science oriented person, both professionally and in my hobbies, but most of the streaming I've been doing lately is very woo - Ancient Aliens, Good Witch, Charmed and now a series about demonic possession called Evil. I'm loving them all.

@FawnDrench - do you need Britbox because you're outside the UK? I've looked at it but there's so much good British programming on Netflix I've never run out.

Sodding was relentless at dinner again. We had posh burgers in brioche buns, with a few (bought) roast potatoes and roasted veg. We ate our burgers without incident, in spite of Sodding jumping up on to the table more than 15 times. DH guarded DS’s potatoes while DS nipped to the kitchen. In the split second between DH lifting his shielding arm and DS sitting down, Sodding leapt on to the table, snatched a roast potato, leapt off the table and sprinted to the kitchen. DS chased after him and confiscated the potato. 🤦‍♀️ Sodding had a posh pouch before dinner, so it is not hunger. I think he enjoys the chase.

I was working with clients today. Some of them weren’t distancing properly and stood too close to me. We were all wearing face coverings and hand-sanitising regularly, but I was glad to get out of work today.

MissConduct - Have you found Outnumbered on Netflix yet? It is classic British humour and the three kids are brilliant. Most of their scenes were only loosely scripted. The writers gave them a topic or scenario and let them riff on it. You sometimes spot the adult cast trying hard not to laugh at what they are saying.

www.theguardian.com/culture/2008/nov/10/outnumbered-kids-animals-film

I've not bothered getting dressed for 3 days.

SoddingK - I've just checked and sadly, Outnumbered is not available on Netflix in the US.

What got me addicted to British TV in the first place was Foyle's War, which is possibly the best TV series I've ever seen. Then, of course, Sherlock, Doctor Foster, Marcella, Broadchurch, Happy Valley, The IT Crowd, etc. It's your great cultural gift to the world. I have a British TV addiction.

Sodding Kitten did not actually want the potato. It was practicing hunting skills by stalking the potato.

Soddingkitten needs a job, can't you introduce some cunning mice?

The cake is in the oven, the oven light is broken, so we cannot look inside.

@Prokupatuscrakedatus

Soddingkitten needs a job, can't you introduce some cunning mice?

The cake is in the oven, the oven light is broken, so we cannot look inside.

One of our neighbours has several well-visited bird feeders. I’ve heard through the grapevine he’s started staking them out. It won’t be long before I come home to a kitchen full of feathers, gore and chaos.

MissC - Black Books is by the same writers as IT Crowd & is on UK Netflix.

I had a busy day working from home. Luckily I work part-time so it wasn’t too strenuous.

@soddingkitten

MissC - Black Books is by the same writers as IT Crowd & is on UK Netflix.

Sadly, it is not on US Netflix. I should try using a VPN that lets you select what country you want to appear to be located in. I suspect though that my account only allows US programming no matter where I am.

I found one Amazon package in the shed and another under the wheelie bin.

A man came to look at why the roof is leaking. He couldn't see though, because you can't see that bit of the roof without scaffolding. Scaffolding sounds expensive.