The blethering goes on...thread 2

[ElephantOfRisk]

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

@WhatWouldTheDoctorDo

Well done *@prettybird DS. Any news from yours @elephant*?

We are in S2 and the subject choice phase here. I don't remember having this must angst for my own back in the day!

I just chose my favourites / the ones my pals were doing

Same here @shouldistop 😂. Thankfully he seems to be taking it more seriously than I did. There are so many more choices now though (at his school anyway). Quite a few new subject possibilities (economics, engineering science etc.), and it doesn't feel like he's had a good run at S1 & S2 to enable informed choices. I'm definitely overthinking it though and he has a good idea himself what he wants to do.

@WhatWouldTheDoctorDo What area does he think he might go down or what does he enjoy?

He has no idea tbh @ElephantOfRisk so trying to keep it broad and interesting.

Drama is his 'fun' subject, he's thinking modern studies instead of history or geography, physics for his science, and then economics and engineering science for his other free choices (rather than a second traditional science, language or humanities).

I'm not sure that economics was an option at DSs school at the time thy chose options. They were definitely forced into a social subject and DS1 ended up doing geography as it was the scienciest (made up word!) one, to go with his other sciencey (made up word) subjects. I think he did Maths/Physics/Engineering Science/Computer SCience/English and Art. DS2 is the complete opposite, he would have avoided a science if he could, he did English, Maths, chemistry, Bus studies, French, modern studies and music I think.

it's hard to try to keep options open and still have enough relevant stuff for particular routes.

Yeah it's tricky. I went through both the scottish and English systems - I like our 5th and 6th year options, but like in England that you get three years before you start choosing. But I think he's opting for a good broad range, though of course can't go into school and have a good chat with his teachers yet.

Economics definitely wasn't available at o grade when I were a lass 😀, but I did it later on. I think it's a useful subject to understand when you go into the big bad world, so I'm glad he he has chosen it.

Take it we're all suitably chuffed about that result then?! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Absolutely. That ending was so stressful!

Had a good cackle at the prop's terrible lineout throw in. Surely it's sensible to either replace one player with a sub who can throw, or have everyone practise lineout throw ins just in case the hooker has a brainless moment? Not making 5 metres is rather poor.

Well, I was trying to avoid the result as DH has recorded it and I was going to watch it with him later, but never mind I'll not tell him.

Ah, sorry Elephant!

We have this trouble with the F1 since we can only watch highlights. I always follow the live text of the race so I'm not stressed when watching it later.

It's okay. I'll live . Half of Facebook is all over it anyway. DH is sorting the dishes before he sits down to watch.

@ElephantOfRisk

Well, I was trying to avoid the result as DH has recorded it and I was going to watch it with him later, but never mind I'll not tell him.

Sorry for the spoiler

You are fine @titsintiers, If I really didn't want to know I should have stayed off the internet.

Today I discovered that I am utterly useless at making caramel. Wasted nearly 2kg of sugar trying to make a dish from Oman. If anyone has some magic tricks that actually work I'd love to hear them.

Doesn't help you with caramel but it took me 13 batches (2lb sugar, 1 tin condensed milk, 4oz butter and some milk per batch ), thirteen before I could make tablet consistently (1st batch "seized" turned to sugar granules , other batches didn't set or solidified too early )

@GrouchyKiwi

Today I discovered that I am utterly useless at making caramel. Wasted nearly 2kg of sugar trying to make a dish from Oman. If anyone has some magic tricks that actually work I'd love to hear them.

Go to the supermarket and get the tin of ready made caramel. 🤪

If not the Jane's Patessierie caramel shortbread caramel is good.

@prettybird

Doesn't help you with caramel but it took me 13 batches (2lb sugar, 1 tin condensed milk, 4oz butter and some milk per batch ), thirteen before I could make tablet consistently (1st batch "seized" turned to sugar granules , other batches didn't set or solidified too early )

Did you have a particular reason for wanting to conquer the recipe? I admire your persistence; I would absolutely have given up much earlier than that!

Groovee A magic trick indeed, but not sure it would have worked for this recipe.

@GrouchyKiwi - a couple of reasons. One for me and one for others. Plus I'm bloody-minded

The "others" reason was that tablet is popular at Junior Rugby events for fundraising.

The "me" reason was that my mum had been good at making tablet and I was, in a way, recreating a memory of that. The turning point in my success was when my dad said that the recipe I was using wasn't the one that my mum had used - she'd ended up following a slightly different one (same ingredients, slightly different technique) and emailed me across her handwritten recipe, complete with the asterisk and the word "The Best" in her writing against the title.

The thirteen batches weren't all made at the same time - they were made over a few months. Not every batch was a complete failure

That is a lovely memory prettybird.

All quiet on the blathering front for a week or so.

How are we all?

I'm recovering from my cataract surgery. It's going ok.

I've been keeping my head down since getting suspended last month.
I'm doing ok, hope everyone else is muddling through.

How are you feeling after the surgery @Groovee?

I was wondering how you were @ssd how are things at your work?

They are ok thanks, , im glad masks are going to be more voluntary next month but i hope people dont get in our faces so much, ive found people getting really angry about stuff totally outwith our control. Its like people come into the shop in a bad mood already and if their size/colour etc isnt in stock they think nothing if having a rant at us. And so many staff have covid and are off so we are permanently short staffed, much to some customers disgust. I had a woman shout at me last week how shes bloody sick of covid and we should all just be getting on with it. So i walked away and she didnt get any help.