Evening evening all
I can't help at all with job applications, I am one of the fortunate economically inactive I think it's called by choice. My H does say regarding interviews though, because he enjoys them oddly, it is a chance to talk about wonderful you, just you, they want to hear all about you, this is coming from a man who's teenage boys think he has never done anything impressive because he's "just dad" so he he usually has an interview even if he doesn't want the job once a year to keep his hand in at interviews and to talk about wonderful him.
How would Nigel Nigel without a working oven for two weeks and counting?
Both the fan ovens on our just touching 3 years old induction range thing have blown, both of them. Parts being ordered, Tuesday most likely.
Pizza delivery this evening for during football half time. After fish chips yesterday, oh it's difficult everything we like involves the oven.
RE: Veggie options
I am veggie (I have been veggie 40 ish years, had a brief spell of veganism and now reluctantly eat a bit of oily fish when I remember since pregnancy because it's good for brains and joints but I don't really like it)
I also do not really like meat substitutes
So what does your daughter need to know @RainbowZebraWarrior
Beanburgers (from the frozen aisle) are much better than veggie meat burgers some are on the spicy side so that is all about taste
Tempah might be your friend, you get it from the fridge, it's tasteless as is, what you need to do is boil it submerged in water and soy sauce (I add both light and dark) for 20 minutes to give it umani flavour, then you can slice it in replacement of meat.
If you can used soya mince of any sort but I find quorn a bit "crumby" I use tesco own, when frying add a bit of marmite/yeast extract, marmite can be added to create a whole heap of flavour to most meat substitute dishes.
These are my top meat substitute tips, as I mention I don't really replace like for like it's just not my thing, but for the meat eating mob of the household we reach "compromises" for veggie dinners.
Otherwise just use tinned beans, like pinto, borlottei the fat chunky ones, they are "meaty and velvety".
I have been in the dry weather - pulling out 18 thousand weeds from the garden. I am clearing for "zoning" - what I think of as zoning, is basically splitting the garden into sections, looking towards hotter summers and wetter winters, so creating a lot of natural shade, trees/grape vines, for summer, and drainage for winter. Planting a natural hedge along the back, newish neighbours took out the row of trees and put in a basic fence they painted GREY GREY on their side so it is a blank canvas so to speak to plant for the future, so hawthorn, thornless blackberries, hazel. We need a strip for football and basketball. An area for herbs. And I want two cherry trees.
I already have planted and let go to seed over winter, I don't clear until now, for the wildlife and birds, and it's all very non-peat compost, I love making compost, clever worms turn potato peelings into wonderful peaty soil. It never ceases to be magical to me.
I cannot describe how much I hate artificial grass. It makes no sense to me on any level, any level at all.
And we have had major house renovations over the past 3 years, been away more in the summer, and the garden has been neglected. It was passable when I put in the time so it is now time to put it back to being part of the house again.
I have also read "Butter" I liked it. I have quite a wide range of reading material that seems a bit disjointed that I enjoy, this is why I can't join a book club, as much as I enjoy a tangent conversation that can come from character and interpretation of a text I don't have the reading minutes to read something not of my choosing, because there is so much I have and want to read, and do read, but it's disjointed. For example right now, I stopped reading "The Dark is Rising" thought it would be right up my street, fantasy, but it just didn't work for me, I am reading the Skander series though they are great (yes I know they are young reader books but these are escape for me), I have nearly finished "Once Upon a Time World" by Jonathan Miles, history of the French Rivera and love a good history gossip book. I have (another) Edward Hopper biography on the go, rarely do I not have an Edward Hopper book on the go, then have an Alan Moore novel (he wrote V for Vendetta and Watchmen) if you don't know the name, and have a new Neal Stephenson book, his Baroque Cycle is possibly the best 3000 pages even written as far as i am concerned (but I would advise reading Cryptonomicom first - yes it's sci-fi ish). There is no way a book group would read this sort of stuff!
We have had Alevel mocks this week, debate competition, and booking in of university open days. Additional teens left right and centre with no let up this weekend WITH NO OVEN. Sheesh. But with the upheaval in the world I won't complain. Well not much.
I will just complain about not being able to Nigel it up (thank goodness the marmalade is made would've been an obstacle too far if I couldn't have sterilised the jars in the oven the compost worms would have been feasting on Seville oranges right now).