Come and tell me your dull and unexciting news 30: 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 a link to the prior thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5013993-come-and-tell-me-your-dull-and-unexciting-news-29-calmly-through-the-day

Welcome to all regulars, lurkers, and new contributors! Everyone is welcome to join.

Havoc you are playing a blinder, fantastic!

My house is quiet today and I enjoyed some personal time this morning.

Death, I love your epic post!!! 🥰
Culture, trying my best over here! 😁

Got Havoc out for a run last night. 😁Nothing cuter that a toddler jogging along happily arms flailing. Baby was in stroller blissfully asleep. Havoc commenting here and there on the houses and people, ie Mummy, what are they doing? They're having a party, Love. I want a party, Mummy. 🥰 We also stopped to look at flowers, Mummy smell them! 💕

My dull news of today is that my autistic, dyspraxic dd who has been doing ballet for 5 years did her first exam today. Previously I had agreed with the teacher that she should progress with her group without worrying about the exam as she had zero coordination but loved to dance. This year she has grown in confidence so we gave it a go. She put lots of time into the coursework element as she is actually quite academic on the quiet. She also practiced with a zoom link the teacher sent everyday for the last two weeks. She will always be the weakest dancer in the class but fingers crossed she will have done ok all things considered.

@MissConductUS that blueberry loaf has made up my mind. I need to make time for a walk up my local bilberry hill tomorrow. Is it a fruitcake recipe with blueberries in place of dried fruit?

On the Covid front I have had it once a year since it first started, though it could be more often if symptomatic. Never very bad but I had some weird heart related issues after I got it last year. I wonder when we will really know the full impact it is having on us.

Have been following the thread- busy times.

@DandyDandylion wishing your DD all the very best for her ballet exam results, sounds like she put her heart and soul into it.

@bizzey your posts always make me smile- I love how close your little family is.

@Mumtobabyhavoc the baby havocs are certainly keeping you on your toes- they sound adorable

Thanks, Half. Adorable, yes. I think they're going to be partners in crime, though! 😂
Dandy, cheering your DD on from Vancouver. 🤗
Helena, almost done!

Walked around the Canada Place area for a bit with both dc earlier today to take in a bit of Canada Day festivities. First stop was the Taiwanese fest at the Vancouver Art Gallery north plaza after walking over via the south side and through another "event" which was a pro cannabis thing of some sort with some guy ranting, imo, on a mic. 🤷‍♀️ Didn't stay to figure it out. 😂
I think the water features in front of some buildings along the way were up the best part of Havoc's day, though. 😄 We don't really have fireworks anymore, although a few suburbs still do them (Burnaby snd Surrey, I think, but I haven't been).
It was a bit difficult navigating through so many people pushing baby in stroller and holding hands with toddler, but I put a blanket down on the sidewalk at the railing for Havoc to sit and have a snack and watch the boats below (a gigantic Disney cruise ship was in; Wonder, I think it said on the front); and we caught a bit of the music on the stage before wandering back to the car then home. Otherwise a fairly low-key day.

Mumtobabyhavoc · Yesterday 14:57
Death, I love your epic post!!!

@Mumtobabyhavoc

You see I have the energy for a few things!!!
Love to hear about the little Havocs! There's a whole fascinating world out there for them (before they get on their phones!). Flowers, cars and muddy puddles! It used to amuse me no end when my nephew would find a muddy puddle! It had to be jumped in and swished around! I used to be fascinated by 'bride ladies' as I called them.

@Lemonsandlemonade
That was a lovely pic!

@DandyDandylion
Wonderful to hear about your daughter's progress! I started ballet cos a friend wanted to go. Mum was happy as she thought it would help my co-ordination and strenghen (?spelling) my bones. I had (have) rheumatoid arthritis. But the teacher was a bitch. I was very clumsy and kept falling over on the slippery floor. She said it served me right. I was not mucking about, just trying to remain upright. She told my mum that I would never make it as a ballerina. Mum said that was not the point, she just wanted me to get some strength. To be honest I do not and never did have a tiny ballerina body and the thought of being that careful with what I ate..nope! I regularly used to fight my dad for the last roast potato! But i do admire anyone who makes a career of it. You must be so proud!

@DandyDandylion, the blueberry pecan bread is a quick bread, as in there's no yeast and the rising is caused by baking soda and baking powder. I think in the UK you have something called self rising flour that already has these mixed in. I've never made a fruitcake, so I don't know how similar they are.

I've posted a picture of the recipe below.

All of the measures are American. 350 degrees F is 177 degrees C. I have a convection oven, and it's always done in 50 minutes. I've substituted blueberries for cranberries and Turbinado sugar for white sugar. I sprinkle a few tablespoons of the Turbinado sugar on the top before it goes in the oven. American all-purpose flour is milled to a consistency similar to your self-rising flour but without baking soda or baking powder, which is why the recipe calls for adding them separately. I think an American cup is about the same as a UK cup, but I'm sure the conversion is online somewhere. Three tablespoons of butter is three ounces by weight. I tend to go a bit heavy on the blueberries and pecans. I omit the grated orange rind when making the blueberry version, but feel free to keep it. I can see that the amount of sugar called for is a little unclear in the photo. It's three quarters of a cup.

DH and I took time off yesterday to take the newlyweds car shopping. We found exactly what we were looking for, a 2025 Subaru Forester with all of the latest safety features. They flew to Florida this morning to visit some of his family there and relax on the beach but will be back on Saturday and then pick up the car on Monday. It's our wedding present to them.

Thank you @MissConductUS that is indeed similar to an English fruit cake which would have dried fruit rather than fresh. Traditionally we would have these for wedding cakes baked by the best baker in your village/church but people have all sorts nowadays.

Dandy, the cake Miss has made isn't a variation of fruit cake. It's a loaf. Think a bit less sweet than cake and without icing. It wouldn't have the ability to last any length of time like a fruit cake does. We would say bread or loaf over here and cake if baked in a square pan.

platedcravings.com/blueberry-bread/

I have lots of blueberries to use up in the freezer- will be trying this loaf out Havoc- thanks for sharing!

Dandydandylion** well done to DD! I did ballet too as a small child over 40 years ago. I never took an exam as the teacher (I assume) thought I would disgrace her, I was just allowed to progress with everyone else. I gave up eventually.
Nice to hear from Lemons and Helena.
Bizzey and Death lovely to hear your news.
Hope you feel better soon Penguinsa.
Cake looks lovely Miss!
DS1 recommenced pre season rugby training today. DS2 starts next week. They are practising for the summer touch tournament initially but will start contact training soon.
I will watch the odd football game and follow the tennis, but what I am really looking forward to is the olympics!

The cake recipe (aside from the fresh/dried fruit difference) reminded me of a cut and cone again cake as you have to rub the fat and the four together as opposed to mixing the butter and sugar then adding eggs and flour like in a traditional sponge cake.

https://pennysrecipes.com/16424/cut-and-come-again-fruit-cake

Hope you DD exam went ok dandy.

MissC do you not have self raising flour in US?

ThanksSprouts I am also looking forward to the Olympics and don't really watch football or tennis. Will watch general election too.

Glad you are fine Helena

Thanks Uman and Death

Lovely recipe MissC

You are such a lovely Mum Havoc

I am still covidy, more out of it than feeling desperately unwell, but taking it easy. Have just done house insurance today and sent a few e-mails. All washing now done from Borneo.

DH has 5 weeks off work now as he was getting stressed so decided to take all his leave to September and 2 weeks from next year, not sure 2 weeks from next year is a good idea but first three weeks is fine and nice to have him around. Have plants arriving from RHS tomorrow, am hoping to plant later this week. DD off to Kefalonia on 4th.

Penguinsa, I was covidy for about 2 1/2 weeks thus round. Hope you do better! Your dd's trip sounds awesome! I love Greece. 😍
Lemons, that recipe looks interesting! Will have a read- through.
Sprouts, also looking forward to Olympics here. 👍

Had baby to health authority for 6-month vaccinations & covid. Booked shingles vax for my mum. Taking her to mammogram appt for oncology later. Managed playground time with Havoc earlier. Played in water park, playground and then found a stream to toss pinecones into. Did a bit more of a wander and saw some wild berries starting to come out. 😋 I think they're blackberries, but saw some red ones, so maybe wild raspberries.

Love this thread so much !

@DandyDandylion well done to your dd for persevering.
Ballet is a wonderful form of exercise and the core conditioning never leaves your body !

A little secret for you all...
I am an ex ballet teacher ! 😁😁.

I love football and tennis !
So I was channel hopping a bit tonight between the 2 !

No football till Friday now so I can concentrate on the tennis a bit more !

Love the Olympics!
Especially when they are on at nearly our time , so to speak !

(As opposed to being xx hours ahead or behind !)

Bizzey, fantastic! I looove dance! Did a bit of jazz dance and figure skating as a young girl. 👍
Penguinsa, missed thanking you for your lovely compliment. Thank you. 💕

Errands done. Gorgeous evening now. 😎
Feeding baby and trying to call Havoc out of kitchen.
Havoc, what are you doing? Come here, please.
I can't, mummy. I'm busy doing tea.
🤦‍♀️
Havoc now beside me, has a tea bag and is telling me it is, Really, really hot.

Planning on sauteeing prawns with spinach and sundried tomatoes and tossing with spaghetti for dinner. Will keep one prawn out plain for baby as I am now introducing allergen foods. This week is shellfish. Last week was wheat (Squirrelly bread was well-received!😋). Doctor was impressed at baby's 6 month well baby check. Mummy got an "A." 😁

Havoc, it's hard to believe the baby is already six months old. Well done for the positive check up.

Penguinsa, did you have covid when you went to Borneo or do you think you caught it traveling?

lemons, I had never heard of self-rising flour until I saw it discussed here on MN. I have never seen it in the supermarket. However, an online search revealed that it can be bought on Amazon, presumably for the many British ex-pats who live in the U.S.

Tomorrow is our Independence Day holiday. It has something to do with taxes on tea, not having our own MPs, and various disagreements with mad King George III. How fitting, given our likely election choices this fall.

Miss, I always thought self-rising flour had a ratio of 1c flour to 1 tsp baking powder, but Google says it's 1.5 tsp bp and 1/4 tsp fine salt. I first saw self-rising flour in Australia years ago. Didn't have a clue what it meant. Tip: don't use it to mage gravy. 😵‍💫 We have it here, but it's not easy to find/isn't commonly carried.

No taxation w/o representation and all the tea thrown into the ocean. Is that right?

Yes, super happy baby is doing well. 😅😍

Congratulations Havoc can’t believe babyHavoc is 6 months already!

I did 5 hrs dance a week from 5-18 Bizzey including ballet. And went back to it as an adult between DC3 and 4. I loved it but as DC got older and their evening activities got later, I stopped being able to get to the classes.

Good to have vaccines done Havoc

MissC I felt fine flying out to Borneo and was handgelling everything but there were lots of people on the flight out coughing and I was on an aisle seat without a mask. A few days later I started feeling tired and hayfeverish but put that down to climbing 600 steps several times a day and being in jungle then started to not feel hungry which thought was heat. Go on to next place and first day I'm OK and we see orangutans and sun bears but after that I feel dizzy, think just tired and at meal that night fine and breakfast next morning. Still feeling dizzy then that dinner DD asked me what is the food like and I say its lovely can tell its all fresh veg and seafood and chicken but odd its completely tasteless. DD went Mum can you smell your food as I can smell it from here and I don't think that would be tasteless, do you think you could have covid. I couldn't smell it and that's when I realised. But thankfully we had seen all the wildlife by then and still felt well enough to go to rainforest discovery centre which is all outdoors and then got through flights back OK. Luckily had a lovely airport hotel with buggy service so very easy and nice outdoor pool. My taste and smell have come back but I still feel dizzy / out of it, appetite is definitely back. Been about a week now but felt quite mild throughout which is good as I didn't have last covid vaccine. I had 2 other vaccines which made me quite ill for 48 hours. Its going its just when it will go and I really want to be gardening and swimming again.

Enjoy your day off MissC

Good to hear the ballet love Helena and Bizzey Never did it, did a lot of gymnastics but never ballet.

DD is off to Kefalonia in the morning. DH has 5 weeks off work just annual leave as he said he needed a break. He is driving DD and her boyfriend to the airport at 4am. It will just be a beach / swimming holiday but its been so busy for both of them with A levels / uni / work its lovely they get a break together.

Meeting for DS tomorrow, cahms signing off and autism keyworker should be starting which is an nhs thing. Probably equally useless. We now have universal credit for DS as education seems non-existent here.

Floof hoping DD will take him on holiday.

Glad you’re feeling a bit better, Penguinsa. Just going out to vote here.

Self-raising flour is a very British thing! We feel the same sense of slight bafflement when we see 'all-purpose flour' in a US recipe (actually I think it’s what we'd call plain flour, ie not self-raising). I’d actually never thought of there being salt in SR flour, havoc, or not in the packaged version you buy, anyway - I just went to have a look in my pantry and lo and behold, there is a tiny bit. Every day’s a school day, as they say….

@Penguinsa
I fear Floof would only be jealous by the pretty cats in Greece. Some are stunners. My friend and I visited an island near Kephalonia and saw some really exotic looking beauties, like Egyptian or something! Always plenty around when we were eating, but not in an annoying way.

@M@Mumtobabyhavoc

The tea bag incident made me smile. When I was young, I decided to treat my mum to tea in bed. I went downstairs turning on all the lights and put some tea bags in the pot and poured water on top. Mum came down not amused that it was stupid o'clock abd I had used cold water! Did you have to boil it first??? I was probably a fair bit older than Havoc!!!

Happy Independence Day MissC and everyone else across the pond!
🇺🇲🌎🇺🇸🎆🎇
Hope the day goes well .