Thread 16 - TalkLair: "Well, I'm not exactly quaking in my stylish-yet-affordable boots, but there's definitely something unnatural going on here."

[Kucinghitam]

(Previous thread 15).

Another year over, a new one just begun...

In the TalkLair, the hearth is glowing, the walls festooned with tinsel, books by non-approved authors line the shelves, rugs are down on the floors, the tree is twinkling with fairy lights (and possibly being clambered on by cats). The denizens of the lair are a welcoming bunch though, always eager for general chit-chat on all manner of topics.

We just won’t mention the gnawed bones of our prey Christmas roast beast over there in the corner of the cave…

Sympathies on the tooth pain @Britinme, it really is one of the worst feelings!

I am quite excited about your antique skillet on your behalf @Vegemiteandhoneyontoast Recently Instagram started showing me reels of some cast-iron-cookware restoring person and I found myself sucked right in! (My previous Instagram reel thing was handmade Chinese teapots, hypnotically enjoyable to watch).

The weather continues sub-zero here. Fortunately we are gradually losing the snow and ice bit-by-bit during the daylight hours and the main road (major bus route) is completely normal. However, our road is still virtually impassable with a huge sheet of ice all the way across the bottom. Not only did our road miss out on the bin lorry and milkman this week, but Amazon has failed to deliver - it's the apocalypse, I tell you! I am very glad of my YakTrax which have enabled me to trudge out to the corner shop for milk, eggs and bread.

Yak Trax are great for icy surfaces, we have them too.

More snow overnight here too. I think I can avoid using the car today. Pretty sure I can live off what's in the fridge for a day or two.

OMG, the skillet's out for delivery, 26 stops to go!

It's barely above freezing here and there was a light snow flurry at lunchtime. I was driving back from getting a new phone, after mine died this morning.

£2.99 a month on my previous tenner a month, over 2 years. Dave in Curry's set it all up and transferred my data in about 15 minutes, I was impressed.

Nice one, Sinner.

The skillet has arrived! It looks good, a fair bit of baked on grease but nowhere near as much as expected and the inside is smooth, no signs of rust. I'd love to know where it's been stored all these years. You can see '1932' on the patent stamp on the outside. I'll wait for it to warm up a bit before starting on the soda and hot water, then let's get this show on the road.

The skillet sounds very exciting; will there be pictures?

Here it is, and one with the small skillet I restored in 2015.

I've found a bowl to soak it in and it fits perfectly. It was meant to be.

This is what the small one looked like before I got hold of it.

The original surface looked like this and I managed to clean it up to this. It's pitted but non-stick.

That’s an excellent restoration job! This one looks like it’s arrived in a much better state.

Thank you! I used a 1:10 dilution of molasses, having heard about its rust-eating qualities, and was pleased with the result.

Well done, I bought my daughter a little cast iron cauldron two Halloweens ago, which she left outside for ages. I found it by chance, rusted to buggery and she wanted to throw it away.

A number of sessions with stainless wire wool, over a few days sorted it.

Glad you fixed it up again. What did you do with it?

Amazing stuff, cast iron, it can look done for but really says thanks if you give it some TLC.

Stainless wire wool and water, then mineral oil.

That sounds good, I bet it slurped in the oil. Is it now on display somewhere?

I'm very excited for you, @Vegemiteandhoneyontoast and your previous restoration looks close to miraculous to me. You'll make easy work of this one.

The foxes were back earlier having at it. I let them have their privacy this time, recognising the screams from hell for what they were this time. I'm really hoping it is mating and that maybe the cubs might come to the back garden later in the year. The number of cats around might put the mother off or maybe she'll put the cats off. I'll just have to wait and see!

My dodgy lungs aren't just dodgy today they are carrying infection. I started to notice yesterday that that might be the case. Blew my nose last night and

TMI READ AHEAD AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION
a huge hard lump of green bogey shot out which gave me pause for thought. Since then I have been coughing up similar but less hard - thankfully - lumps of green from my chest

BACK TO MORE NORMAL AND LESS DISGUSTING STUFF NOW
I feel a bit rough but it's sort of almost a relief because at the moment there is a reason for my lungs hurting so much, being breathless and pain and all that nonsense. I should have called my surgery today but I did a lot of sleeping so I'm going to do that tomorrow and hopefully get some antibiotics. Blah, blah, moan. I am fine though and this is a walk in the path compared to the majority of last year.

@Britinme how are you? Are your teeth problems sorted yet? I do hope so.

I wish, @FagsMagsandBags ! I have an appointment on Tuesday afternoon but that's just for an imaging thing and I'll probably have to wait a couple of weeks to get it taken out (unless the imaging thing shows it's rescuable). I just have to make sure I don't drink or eat anything that is hotter or colder than lukewarm in the meantime. My throat is still on fire and I'm coughing a lot and feeling grim, but the doctor yesterday seemed to think it was some random winter virus and it will just go away in the end. She swabbed and tested for streptococcus and that was negative, and I'd already tested negative for Covid. However, my best friend here is now having similar symptoms (apart from the tooth, which is my own particular delight) and one of my tenants also has something similar (called this morning because her heat is out so DH is off sorting that out for her) so I think it must be some kind of bug going around.

If it's any consolation, @FagsMagsandBags , I have the same, now well past its worse; one of umpteen different bugs knocking around. But something you could well do without, of course. So pleased to hear you thriving.

There seems to be an interesting trimodal distribution going on here: www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5248783-distance-between-you-and-your-place-of-birth?

Almost everyone falls within: 0-20 miles; 300-600; or >5000.

129 miles, just to be awkward!

13 miles for me, though I've lived all over the place in between times. We moved when I was a baby, but I'm back.

I was born in Berkshire but my mother hated it. My two older sisters were born in London. We moved back (for Mam) to the Northeast when I was about 6 months old, then to the Midlands just before I started primary school.

I moved back to Newcastle aged 13, after parents divorced.

I'm not sure how far my birthplace is away from my current residence - I'll check in a bit.

I'm about 500km from where I was born. My sister is about 18,000km from where she was born. So that works for us!

I've just realised that I last saw her at Chinese New Year, 2000. Ha! We are not close!

Hah, am I the >5000 of this thread?