Beyond Adolescence - part 2

[SpanielsGalore]

No point banning coffee, as it didn't work last time. 🙄
Haven't had any cake updates from a while. @VanGoSunflowers Have you stopped baking already? You still had 8 cakes to go to make it economical.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks glad you managed to get your coffee. We ran out of beans so I had to forego my morning filter and schlep up to the restaurant (only a 5 minute walk mind 🤣) for a double espresso off the fancy machine. Feel like I could have drank 10 of them in a row!!

@YorkshireFelix I did have a coffee out as well (and a bacon and cheese English muffin and a rocky road) as my reward for being so fearless. Then three more when I got home!

Aren't you ever tempted to take the fancy machine back home? Not sure I could manage knowing there was a proper machine so close and yet not in my own kitchen.

Did I tell you all I was gifted a hamper with a bag of ground coffee in it?. 🤮🤢🤮🤢🤮

@CoubousAndTourmaIet We were right. There was no milk. I felt slightly better that he said they'd only had two in first thing, so it's not because I left it too late.

Bit of a bummer though as I have just realised, not only can I not have another cup of tea today, but I can't make Yorkshire puddings to go with my roast dinner. 😭

I am very jealous of @TheHungryHungryLandsharks big shop. I'm not going to brave the drive to Tesco, as the road has already been closed for hours today by lorries getting stuck in the snow.

Didn't they have any long life milk @SpanielsGalore ? We've found that long life blue cartons make a passable cup of tea in an emergency, although the green ones are a waste of time. I can't do without tea. Me and tea is like @TheHungryHungryLandsharks and coffee. The mug of Clipper organic after our walk was blissful.

Brie is currently overtired and is frantically carpet digging 🙄

@CoubousAndTourmaIet Nope. All they had was a few cartons of oat milk. And at £2.50 a litre, I wasn't prepared to risk it.

I too cannot function without a cup of tea. Even in 30° heat. And especially in -1° .

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks i would check your emails, and if nothing is forthcoming, then maybe ping over an email, detailing the inconvenience etc.

Oat milk is okay for porridge @SpanielsGalore , but I find it vile in tea. Likewise soya (which I'm not a fan of generally, despite being a veggie).

We got nothing when our Morrisons delivery didn't turn up. Or when Tesco sent an order that had 6 bottles of milk missing... We only use Sainsburys now, they seem more reliable.

@YorkshireFelix Pupsy has only worn her Equafleece a few times but it is very nice quality and if I felt she needed it on she’d have it on. So in that sense I definitely recommend, but I can’t recommend it very well in action as she really has hardly worn it. Their customer service is 10/10, too.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet I’m just glad someone is enjoying the weather and if that someone is Brie then all the better as she hasn’t had much ideal weather lately with all the rain! I am not enjoying it but I admit it is nice coming back in clean and not covered in mud, even if I’m frozen.

I’ve twice had compensation vouchers from Ocado.

@SpanielsGalore who gifted a hamper with coffee to you?!?

Also, it's not a roast without a Yorkshire pudding. So you're going to have to have something else.

And agree with @CoubousAndTourmaIet oat-milk is great in porridge as it makes it creamy but not coffee (no idea about tea). It's also brilliant in overnight oats (this one is amazing) as it lasts a bit longer without splitting away from the yoghurt than regular milk. Keeps in the fridge for a week and is still edible. Almond and soya milk is awful and tastes like toilet water.

@Silverbirchleaf I shall email them! And I'll include a photo of the rod as evidence that someone with winter tyres could have gotten up 😁

Oh. I have turned into my mother....advocating for overnight oats and saying certain types of milk taste like toilet water 😩

I've started buying the filtered milk - more expensive, but then I don't have to use my very limited brainpower to remember how much I've got, as it lasts forever in the fridge (three weeks or so) and lasts longer once it's opened too.

Bill, who has refused to go out in the backyard even during the day for most of the autumn, today insisted on going out there with his vile chews and his various toys, but only if I came too. As I want him to be comfortable enough out there to occasionally have a poo, I've spent about an hour on and off in the backyard, wearing all my outdoor clothes, for periods of about five minutes at a time, so I can shiver and hold a vile chew for him. On the upside though, tonight I gave him a stuffed horrible hoof so I could practice the piano for five minutes (I'm terrible, and he tends to let me know) - and he actually ASKED to go outside ON HIS OWN, IN THE DARK to eat it.

Do you think he might be a PMD or a Goldie in disguise?

I confess, it's not just her, it's me @brushingboots I thrive in cold and dry conditions, just as Brie does. When she goes out for her last wee at 10pm I put my coat on and sit on the garden bench, skywatching for a while as she just lies there chilling. I just love winter (as long as it's not wall to wall rain).

Oh god, those overnight oats are making me drool @TheHungryHungryLandsharks . I eat porridge every day. Not fussed about cakes or puddings, don't even eat chocolate but oats are my staple.

Ah, clearly Bill is appreciating the drier conditions too @Bupster . Shocked that he went outside on his own though... Is this the start of his independence? Is your velcro chick finally going to spread his wings, or was it just a one off due to your piano practice ? Time will tell...

Maybe that's the trick, @CoubousAndTourmaIet ! I'll start playing the violin and that'll teach him. I'll never have to hold his chin in my hands while I use the loo again. Mind you, that's quite sweet, and also I don't want to have to play the violin on the loo, so perhaps not...

The snow has arrived in West Yorkshire 😫

It's here too! Just opened the back door for pupsy to go for her bedtime wee and got quite a surprise!

I'm glad I didn't waste money on oat milk, now it's been given such resounding reviews. 😂
@Bupster What is filtered milk? I've never heard of it.

We have quite a bit of snow now. This is the only time any of the ungrateful wretches go on the raised bed - to eat snow or ice off it. 🙄

@CoubousAndTourmaIet it is absolutely delicious! I do it with or without the chia seeds (no chia seeds = an extra 1/4 cup of oats as I like mine a bit runny) and do it with oat milk instead of almond milk. I also use a bit less maple syrup. It's so filling and you can add fruit on top. I had it at about 6am this morning and probably won't eat again until gone 3 now.

Shout if I am wrong, @Bupster but isn't filtered milk things like Cravendale etc? We tend to get that or Gold Top - but Gold Top doesn't heat up that nicely for a coffee...it just sort of curdles.

Would love to see some snowy photos from everyone's walks today! It's still like a ski-slope here, so I (so very sadly) didn't make it into the office today and am WFH instead. DH tried to, but was practically rugby tackled at the frontdoor when I realised what he was up to. I had to point out that if he commuted in...then everyone else in our department would wonder why I claimed I couldn't when we're married! Not exactly the brightest spark in the box, is he? 😳

I'd use oatmilk and skip the seeds too @TheHungryHungryLandsharks , it sounds perfect! I just had organic porridge made with organic whole milk and served with a dollop of organic honey for my breakfast at 7, and I'll most definitely eat lunch! I'm a little and often eater.

We haven't ventured out yet. It was -8 when we got up, currently -4, so we're going to attempt a walk together at 3. Safety in numbers kind of thing, we can attempt to keep each other upright 😬 If it was deep snow it'd be fine but it's a very thin layer currently and quite compacted, so it could well end up being a rest day...

We've only had a smattering of snow, not enough to be any fun or danger. It was minus 5 first thing but I think we've made it up to -1 now. Venturing out shortly.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet Ah! We're the opposite then. I'm a 'eat a huge portion twice a day' type person 😁I struggle when DDs are around as they constantly snack which is fine for them as they're young and do a tonne of exercise so they keep the weight off! But if I see them eating, I want to eat...

That sounds lovely; the sort of cold where you can snuggle down on the sofa with a cup of tea (or coffee in my case) and just enjoy the day. That's the worst sort of snow - it's sort of what we had here, thin and compact and then it melts and gets slippery.

Good luck on your walk though, I know if I tried to take DH to try and keep me upright he'd just pull me down. Feeling a bit bad as I've essentially implied he's an idiot and also not useful on a walk so far today...he has his good points, I swear 😂

@tizwozliz how's your first day back at work? Hope you and the dogs enjoy your walk!

I left my heating on low last night, but turned the bedroom radiator off. It was so nice waking up to a warm house. Only 14° but better than the 9° I have been waking up to.

About to venture out to the shop with K in an attempt to get milk. I saved my last little bit yesterday, so I could have tea this morning. Cancelled a vet appointment as I'm not risking driving the 30 mile round trip.

I'm a eat breakfast around 11 and dinner around 6 person. And I have to not buy crap when I go shopping or I'll snack all day in between. Not because I am hungry. Because it's there, calling to me from inside the cupboard.

I managed to order dog food and a new bed yesterday. Turned out it was operator error and not the app crashing. It's amazing what a difference entering the correct security code for your bank card makes. 🤦‍♀️

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Having a WFH day sounds like an excellent way to ease yourself gently back into work after your holiday. Glad your DH didn't spoil it for you.

Hope everyone who manages to get out has a lovely walk, with no falls. Just started hailing here, so I might wait a while.

We went out at 10, having first taken the car on its (at the moment) daily 15-mile round trip to try and prevent battery death. Having genuinely not slept very well worrying about it it started absolutely fine even covered in snow, and the roads were fine, just salty.

On the walk it was apparently -5 but I didn’t feel cold at all and took my film camera out with us so I could take some proper photos of pupsy in the snow. Will post some on here eventually when I finish the film. I am a super snow grinch and loathe the stuff (except for skiing on) but on the first day, when it’s soft, it’s lovely and we had a really nice clean walk. Pupsy loves the snow when she’s out but seems very happy to come in and get warm. Not that my house is warm, of course, it's baltic.

@brushingboots Do you not have central heating? Or do you just not put it on? I can't cope with a cold house.

@SpanielsGalore Ohhh I am so glad it's not just me who suffers from the voice in the snack cupboard. Crisps are the worst. I don't even like them, but once I've had one...that's the pack gone. Then maltesers - only psychopaths can eat one malteser or leave any in the pack/box.

My WFH day has not consisted of much work to be honest. It's uncomfortably quiet which is making me nervous.😩

Your failure to enter the right security code made me chuckle. I think it was a sign that you really wanted fish and chips.

@brushingboots looking forward to these pupsy photos. I'm very much like you on the snow - first day is great, anything after is awful.

Twatdog is doing his Brie impression @CoubousAndTourmaIet he's not come in all day. He didn't even want lunch. He's just spreading stuffing of elephant around the back garden looking happy. I must say, as much as he's a wanky git, he is a handsome git.