The blethering goes on...thread 2

[ElephantOfRisk]

Still plenty to chat about. Remember this isn't fight club. Nice chatting required.....

@shouldistop

We're having sloppy joes for dinner, so nice! So glad baby ds is over a year now and we can have them again (they've got honey in them).

First day was good, just got my IT equipment set up etc and had a meeting with a colleague and boss to get me caught up on the changes.

Glad your first day back went well. Is the wee one at nursery? Did he get on ok?

@titsintiers he's in nursery two mornings, MIL 1.5 days and my mum 0.5 days. We started his 2 mornings at nursery a month ago to give him a gradual introduction, the nursery also did a lot of settling sessions before that.
Dh drops him in the mornings and says he cries a little when he's leaving but before he's even got home the nursery have sent us a picture showing him playing happily.

@prettybird

That's the tomato and mint soup that I do now

Dead simple: sweat off some onions (or shallots), add a whole load of whole tomatoes (including their stalks) plus a load of roughly chopped mint, a generous amount of sherry, cover and simmer for about an hour. Blitz in food processor (and then I push it through a mouli). Season. For Christmas I add some red food colouring to make it properly red. Drizzle/swirl some cream when serving and add a mint leaf garnish.

Thanks for the recipe. Sounds brilliant.

We're off out to get PCRs for all of us. Hopefully they're negative; can't bear the idea of being shut in with these three crazy children for another week!

In exciting cocktail news, I bought some old Babycham glasses today as they are the perfect size for a martini or the like. Hope our resident cocktail expert @Lidlfix sees this 😃

We have a resident cocktail expert? I did not know this. I got a new cocktail shaker and gibbons last year with a view to taking up cocktail making when all around me people were learning to bake bread, but never quite got round to it.

Totally in favour of blethering about cocktails you can make at home to ward off the January blues...

I’d definitely recommend an old fashioned @WhatWouldTheDoctorDo, though I’m better at drinking them than making them 🤣

DP is a bit of a mixologist and DS has been watching a guy on TikTok who makes cocktails, and made me a fine old fashioned over the holidays. Unsure if this is great or poor parenting, as he’s 13 😳

Makers mark whisky, angostura bitters, sugar, and burnt orange peel to garnish

Ooh, maybe I could get my 13 year old on the case @WouldBeGood

I’m a role model at last! 🤣

Wouldbe you were lucky I scour the second hand shops for them! I will not be complete until I have a set and a little tray to set them out on a drinks trolley. We have sugar syrup made up with muscavado sugar to make the Old Fashioneds on demand. Ah this time tomorrow...

Who doesn't love a cocktail? Only 25 sleeps until I can have one.

Yes, @Lidlfix, scoured the crazy garden centre/antique place! I made sugar syrup today, but just normal sugar. Muscovado one sounds lovely.

Dry January, @titsintiers?

Yep. Only lasted a fortnight last year. Let's see if this year is any better......

Our PCRs are all negative, but because our friend tested positive before 6 January we have to do the full 10 days of isolation. The rules are so confusing. The children are allowed to do things, but because DH and I haven't had our boosters yet (we're booked in for next week, of course) we can't take them anyway. It's so frustrating, and makes no sense.

Oh no @GrouchyKiwi
That's a bummer
So fully vaccinated now has to be 3 doses?

Yes, 3 doses at least 14 days before contact with the Unclean.

Nuts @GrouchyKiwi

That's bonkers @GrouchyKiwi They're penalising people who haven't had their boosters yet even though not everyone has had the opportunity yet. You're a better behaved citizen than me, I'd be following the new rules in your shoes. I hope your DC aren't too demented having to stay home!

@GrouchyKiwi i wouldn't be complying with that.

DH plans do to a LFT so he can take them to swimming tomorrow. It is bonkers, though. We'd have a shorter isolation period if we tested positive.

I've got a 1,000 piece puzzle to do and a giant colouring poster to finish off from my birthday last year, so that will keep us busy!

Another one who wouldn't comply, the whole thing is just batshit

A bit of humour: our Christmas tree exiting the house yesterday

Easier and less messy than taking it back down the stairs inside the house

Haha love it @prettybird
We once had to get a needle shedding disaster of a tree down the communal stairs from a 1st floor flat.
Were still seeing pine needles in March

Great picture prettybird. Definitely the sensible option!

We dragged our tree out the front door and spent the next hour hoovering

Great action shot @prettybird🤣