Come and tell me your dull and unexciting news 22: Calmly through the day

[MissConductUS]

I've started a new one. Please join us and share the boring and mundane things happening in your world. It will be calming for all.

Here is the link to the prior thread:

Come and tell me your dull and unexciting news 21: Calmly through the day

Congratulations on the benefit win silkie that’s a real achievement for today! Hope your break is a lovely one.

House sounds ideal champagne and brilliant that all the hassle is after exam season.

I’ve only tried making my own hot cross buns once makiwa they are too easy to buy here! How did yours turn out?

What is the siginificance of hot cross buns? I found this on wikipedia.

Good Friday is a high fasting day - so traditionally it is boiled potatoes at ours.

Silkies so sorry to hear the news of darling Silkiecat.
The saga of your benefits application is frankly appalling. You are probably right that it's made difficult on purpose. I hope you'll enjoy your trip with all that behind you.

Like MissC I have the cremated remains of my previous Dcat on the mantelpiece. I found a very nice pet crematorium situated incongruously about a block from the boundary fence of the local enormous airport - it was a surprisingly peaceful spot with a little room almost like a church where I was able to spend a last few minutes with Dcat's remains. Her water bowl was hand painted by DD3 when she was about 6 and has now been inherited by current Dcat.

Cleaning and medicating current Dcat's ears is not going very well, or I should say it's going as well as expected. She hisses a lot and can close her ears tightly by folding them back. Sigh...

Congrats Champagne on the house. Fingers crossed there will be no ongoing issues.

Hope your DD enjoys her internship this summer, MissC. It's fantastic that her room and board are covered. Congratulations on DS's upcoming graduation.

Hope it's just a cold, Lemons. Illnesses in babies and toddlers always take it out of you and then you find you have caught it too, the double whammy.

DD4 (who is an atheist) has reminded me that Easter is this weekend and that it's time to take out the collection of Easter bunnies. I have already found a bunch of pussy willow sprigs and put them in a vase. Have to try to find a joint of meat to cook for Easter dinner. We're probably going to end up with a slow roasted shoulder of pork plus roast potatoes, and spring veggies. Definitely a lemon meringue pie for dessert and maybe some tiramisu, though I might bake a coconut cake. It's weirdly warm and thunderstormy today after hail and sleet a few days ago, and Easter itself will be chilly.

Prok, that's a good summary of the history and significance of hot cross buns. It's just going to be the two of us this easter so I probably won't bother with them, but they are a nice treat.

Math, I have no Easter dinner plan at all. It doesn't seem worth going all out with the kids away.

I think that one of the duck couples has moved into the mysterious stone structure in the reservoir.

Glad you managed to get somewhere with your benefits claim Silkie.

Am loving time off with DS even though he has been Ill and I’m tired from nights of broken sleep.

Where my DH's family comes from the easter eggs are brought by a fox not a hare. Both animals visible signs of the rejuvenation of life as is the egg. There are other fun customs around that time. Easter water, easter wheels, lots of predictions (see Krabat).

Good Friday is a day of fasting here too prok well it is in my house. We’ll include screen time as well, certainly until after 3pm Mass. DC are altar serving the whole Triduum and have a rehearsal tomorrow afternoon.

Your menu sounds great math. I finally decided today on roast chicken, roast potatoes, new potato and leek dauphinois, beetroot and carrot crumble, broccoli, peas and Yorkshire puddings. We’ll have a hot cross bun ice cream bombe for pudding which went down really well last year.

Also curious to know how the hot cross buns turned out Makiwa, I've never made them either..

I want to make something chocolatey for Easter Sunday- not sure what yet- a chocolate biscuit cake maybe, or chocolate Malteser cake, slow cooker chocolate mini egg cake is also a runner..DS and I gave up chocolate for Lent and I cannot wait for that first piece on Easter Sunday..

Helena your menu sounds delicious! Enjoy!

Champagne, congratulations on the house purchase- I hope you all have many many happy years there.

Silkie wishing you safe an d happy travels- you deserve a lovely break away.

Helena What is beetroot and carrot crumble please?
Working as an administrator for our parish I'm up to my eyes and have volunteered for Children's Easter workshop on Friday morning, but come hell or high water we're off in the campervan on Friday afternoon

We're having cheese tortellini with parmesan here on Good Friday. DD4 will put pesto on hers.

Today is our 15th anniversary, but we would normally not go out as DH has work tomorrow. However our boiler is broken so we seized the opportunity

DS is also out and there has been "an incident" and a friend has been taken off in an ambulance. There's a 99.9% chance it's nothing, but we've had several panicked texts and a phone call.

It really drives home that, however grown up and capable they seem (DS went to Africa on expedition at 15 for 3 weeks) that they are still young boys.

I've messaged to say that he's in good hands, DS should get some sleep and I will see him in the morning. I received an x in return so I think he's properly shaken up by it

Blimey Champagne that's great news about the new house, we know how long and hard you've been hunting. I hope you and your family will be very happy there.

Congratulations on your ESA award Silkie, sometimes I think that form is designed to put people off claiming what they've paid into all their working lives. It's disgusting the hoops people are supposed to jump through. Hope you enjoy your break and see the puffins and especially pufflings, they might just make your heart sing.

I have my hospital appointment tomorrow (I've checked the letter twice) and am convinced by my increased stomach cramps that I will need an operation to remove an abscess. I am sanguine about it, but let's see how I react tomorrow when I get the news.

Your easter menus all sound amazing, I am vacillating between lamb and chicken, but as I live on my own I'm not sure I can be bothered.

All this Easter food chat is making me hungry!

It’s also reminded me I had thought about making an Easter card for it DS and sending it to my DGM who is in her 90s and who church isn very important to.

We will be having fish on Friday not sure how but might do a fish pie.

Sunday DH is working DS and I might pop to DM. I would do a roast but that would take a lot of effort when it’s just me and DS.

The man should be coming to fix the boiler "first thing" this morning - he has yet to arrive

@IWanderedLonely

I'm going to do 7 hour lamb-it's one of our favorites, and the easiest recipe in the world. You brown the lamb, and sit it on a bed on carrots, onion and whole garlic cloves, add stock and white wine; then leave it in the oven for 7 hours. The meat just falls apart.

Todays walk will incorporate returning some items to shop - I ordered them online but they accept returns to the shop.

Good luck for your appointment today doctortwo - I hope it’s something minor that can be easily fixed.

What a lot of lovely news to catch up on! Loving reading all the Easter food plans, though it is making me hungry now. Also the benefit system triumph, new house happiness, all the DC news and the duck adventures!

Discovered yesterday that we do luckily have some lovely people around us, DD medication was running out and they have a stupid system here where you ring the paediatrician office 10 working days in advance, leave a message on an answer phone (and hope that somebody has heard it cos you get no confirmation) then go to the hospital (where you have to roll a double six to park) to collect.
DH and I are still Covid stricken so couldn’t collect, but luckily DHs mate’s wife works in said hospital. This lovely lady has never met us but happily went to collect DDs meds and also bought her an Easter egg.
Faith in the loveliness of some humans restored 💕

How lovely shoes, there are good people in the world

The boiler man is now due to arrive between 10 and 12. This is good as DDog2's patience is waning as this is day 3 with no heating. DH also forgot to take their breakfast out the freezer last night so she's in a very sour mood with life in general

DS is home and after last nights shock has rallied with some paracetamol, a McDonald's breakfast and some drum practice. I am secretly in awe of the resilience of youth to alcohol

Prok I can understand you taking your hair off early with chemo and 2 very small children. My hair still looks the same but is starting to come out a lot but want to try and get through this weekend away with DS before cutting it off. Though we will take things for if it goes super rapidly. DS has always been very attached to my hair, he used to eat it until about 8.

Good luck today DrTwo hope it goes OK at hospital.

That's lovely Shoes Hope you are feeling better soon.

Thanks Maths and Helena Your Easter plans both sound lovely. Thanks Half Chocolately things sounds great.

I have a video call with oncology at 12.10pm I am hoping will be on time as want to leave for the hotel but things rarely run on time. I can potentially do from car. I have received a letter from them today re my side effects which was not expecting but will be useful for ESA form evidence. I discovered last night can type in the PDF so am in the process of redoing the 26 pages as the one I did said black and capitals and did not always use capitals. Plus it saves it. Received another you need to send another sick note or ESA will finish text but gave date stopping as 16/6/22 and then another one saying will be paid by 20/4. Hoping to my bank account as did it on steroids and just remembered account number which seemed fine not to double check on steroids. Though I am great at remembering numbers so think will be OK.

Off today to hotel for 3 nights, boat trip, canoeing etc and really looking forward to it. Dinner tonight at 6.30pm paid for by the charity. Was hoping to canoe today but think will be tomorrow now due to oncology call put back and also DH seems to be operating very slowly. He said he was getting up early at 6am then got up with prompting at 8.30am. So far he has had a shower and he is now supposed to be cleaning rabbit and silkie but appears to be on the phone to France instead. I can see us leaving very late.

DD has gone out with two sets of friends today.

Apparently MIL gave DD 150 euros 'for chocolate'

That's such a granny thing to do silkie! DS is an only DGC and has benefited similarly over the years

€150 for chocolate . I never had a granny like that! Good to know that the energy spent on the benefit was worth it Silkie. Have a great time away.

Good luck with the op DoctorTwo. Shoes and Lemons I hope that your households are returning back to good health. We're still suffering with cold symptoms but have much more energy than earlier in the week.

Miss those ducks look very daper.

Helena and anyone else who asked, the hot cross buns turned out well although they're not all the same size! We didn't quite split the dough in to 12 even balls. We'll be having lamb on Easter Sunday. DD1 and her DP shall come over, covid permitting, with their souvenirs from South Africa for us.

I am satisfied with the stair painting now. All masking tape can be removed and clearing up can be done this afternoon.

No nor did I Makiwa, the one granny was 50p and one year my brother got 10p and I got 50p , other one was £10 at Christmas. Though MIL knows the way to attract DD.