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Well howdy doody folks!
Firstly, I hope everyone is well and that Covid 19 isn't impacting your lives too badly. Our government has decided that 'social isolation' is the way ahead - well I hardly interact with people at the best of times and I further isolate myself with healthy solo walks and bike rides. So far the draconian Spanish lockdown hasn't been mooted but even so many thousands of smaller businesses and some larger ones will not survive Corona. The panic buying that has cleared shops of anything edible this week is stupidity itself and will only exacerbate supply chain issues, I've been to three stores today looking for a bag of pasta, there is none to be had and the same for pretty much all dried staples. And what's this fascination with loo paper?
Anyhow, whilst I'm sure many lives will change this coming Spring/Summer I hope it won't be negatively for you all. Rest assured, i'll still be writing and posting as I'm sure most other authors will.
What have I been up to this week? Well on Monday I had a day out, I caught the train up to Gloucester to see the sights, do some research and i'll admit, check out the stores! Its always nice to have a break from routine and see somewhere different and with bright sunshine it was a nice days 'isolation'!
Yesterday, that's Tuesday, I set off a bit later than planned for a nice bike ride. The original plan was to stop at my 'regular' café near Trowbridge then do a loop around back to Brizzle however, that plan was scuppered when I arrived to find the café closed. I'm guessing that virus fear was the cause and so it was plan B, ride on to Devizes and maybe buy some chips.
Whilst not too bright, the weather remained dry and so I ended up riding the Caen flight up into Devizes but a chip shop, I could not see! Dang! Plan C anyone? Well plan C was to loop around to Calne, somewhere there would be a filling station, they always have overpriced sandwiches at least. Plan C quickly evolved into plan D when I decided, on a whim, to act on my joke destination of Avebury, still hoping to find a purveyor of food along the way.
The kilometres were adding up as I headed along the Vale of Pewsey then over Milk Down, past the White Horse and down to the Kennets. A fleeting view of Silbury Hill, the largest prehistoric monument in Europe, and then up and along the West Kennet Avenue and down into Avebury. After a brief photo opportunity I headed around to see if the NT café was open and Bingo! my food issue was solved, albeit at 80km rather than 40km into the ride.
After a nourishing cuppa and a baked tater with beans, salad and 'slaw, I set off once more, now into a slight headwind as I started my return westward. Calne, Corsham and then back to Bath to retrace my outward route along the bike path. 6 hours and 150km after setting out I crawled off the bike having only gotten within 2m of the café staff all day.
And so to today. I usually go to Ikea for a free coffee on Wednesdays and so I did today except they have closed all their prepared food outlets as from today. So instead I did the bit of retail therapy I was planning on and had a quick snack in the nearby KFC before trekking back home.
In case it missed your radar, Gaby - More Changes, Second edition is now fully available over on Amazon, I hope you enjoy it, here are the links;
Lastly, elsewhere on BC/TS you can read the first part of Gaby - Summer Loving, the 21st book in the Gaby Saga, here is the quick synopsis;
It might be hormones, it might be the weather but whatever it is, summer is here and Gaby is determined to make the most of it! Of course our heroine always manages to make a mountain out of a molehill, if there's a harder way to do something she'll find it! So get on board for more adventures by bike, in relationships, in work and in being Gaby, spinster of this parish!
So if you want to know what happens next , you can read Notarzt! here.
May you live in less interesting times
Madeline Anafrid
Comments
All things considered it's better than self-immolation
And who could have-predicted that here in the post-apocalyptic wasteland
the most valued barter item would be toilet paper?
~LOLz, Veronica
And remember...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifLqzLEB3E0
Once it's gone...
One knows how valuable toilet paper is, once it's gone and one has to poo.
-- Daphne Xu
Once it's gone
I've been reduced to using lettuce leaves..
It's just the tip of the iceberg..
"Reach for the sun."
Actual probem
I heard that in the UK the use of substitutes for toiled paper is already clogging pipes.
Another indirect effect of Covid-19
Paper Towels do not dissolve that quickly
One of the people on one of the jobs I was on thought taking the rolls of paper towels home was part of the job benefits. Until she had to call a plumber. One of the cities mentioned their grids going into the were clogged up. I can't begin to imagine it but they sent divers down in that to clean the plastic and paper off the grids. When they built them I don't guess they considered what might be coming down those sewers.
always
Barb
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
i heard today
That Corona beer, if consumed in adequate quantities, has enough anti bodies in it to keep you well
out of it
Madeline Anafrid Bell
In any quantities
Пиво без водки - деньги на ветер!
Something about vodka
That's one of two words I recognize. Google translate says the whole thing means something like "Beer without vodka is money on the wind." Very Russian-sounding. :)
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Baking Bread
Because it's one of those things I do, I never thought to mention it. People if you can't buy bread and you think you need some. Make your own. There are many different recipes on different methods of making bread. It's so simple no self respecting cook would not know how to make bread.
I'm not that enthused about this recipe but it will get one started. I suggest cutting all the measurements in half unless you have four or more in the family. Remember this is fresh bread. It will mold within a week. It doesn't have those factory bug killers in it.
https://www.browneyedbaker.com/white-bread-recipe/
If there are several in the family rules will probably need to be laid down on who gets the end slices. Fresh from the oven, ends, butter, jelly, and a taste of heaven. Knives must be sharp or one will end up tearing it to pieces rather than making slices.
hugs people
always
Barb
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
But! Why white bread?
I made some Soda Bread today. Very quick and easy.
Last week, I made a load with a 50/50 mix of spelt flour and stoneground wholemeal. (stone as in the stones of a waterwheel)
White bread would be about the last sort of bread I'd make.
Is it that you don't have different types of flour available in your stores?
Oh, and kneading dough is pretty theraputic. You can pretend that it is the head of your least favourite politician. :)
Samantha
Flavor of bread depends on taste
White bread is pretty well acceptable to most people in the U.S. as that is what most were raised on. Whole wheat bread off the shelf is actually NOT whole wheat. It is a mixture of processed flour and a dash of whole ground wheat. Bread made entirely of whole unprocessed wheat has a real strong flavor. It would never sell in the U.S.
Shall we get into pan bread, Indian Fry bread, and of course cornbread along with literally hundreds of others? And if we stray that far there is hundreds more as Tortillas among many others are truly a bread.
I have a flour mill and it isn't stone. It is capable of grinding wheat or most any seeds into flour. I'm like most though. If the electricity ever goes off indefinitely I'm hosed. No stream to turn the grinding wheel.
You ever eat whole wheat cooked just as it is, a seed? Like eating rice, different flavor. Really strong flavor. One thing I can't do is butcher any animal. Daddy tried to teach me and I spent my time down on my hands and knees puking my guts out. Every single time. Mentally I can't do it.
Hugs Sam, stay safe, wash constantly like you was a nurse in a hospital.
always
Barb
Life is a gift.
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
white bread can be dressed up
The last loaf I made was laced with caramelized onion and topped with grated cheddar before baking.. Another favorite has two tablespoons of Italian blend seasoning added to the dough and topped with pizza cheese for a one and a half pound loaf..
Knew your Soda Bread sounded familiar
The recipe is the same for Drop Biscuits, which was one of the staples in our house when I was growing up.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/102151/easy-baking-powder-...
Soda Bread or Drop Biscuits have several different recipes, so home chiefs find the one that works for you. Sam's Soda Bread uses buttermilk if I'm following the Irish recipe. Momma used fresh milk to make Drop Biscuits. Darn, so many memories going back in this life. I believe every cookbook I own is over a hundred years old, inherited from my mother and grandmothers.
Momma, thank you for teaching me how to cook.
Hugs people
always
Barb
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
Damn girl now you're going after my heart!
Drop biscuits, Mmmmmm. dragging one through some molasses poured out on a plate is almost as good as smothering them in some good old homemade breakfast gravy :)
We the willing, led by the unsure. Have been doing so much with so little for so long,
We are now qualified to do anything with nothing.
molasses
Molasses is for baked beans and cookies along with baked good made with same. We put butter and honey on our biscuits or put the biscuits on top of shepherds pie or a like concoction
Have a good day and enjoy life.
Sorghum
We used sorghum on our biscuits. It's a syrup similar to molasses but much lighter, almost honey-like, in flavor. It's made from sorghum cane after the grain has been harvested to make cattle feed. Same plant as millet or milo maize.
I can't find it here in California on shelves. Bottles labeled "sorghum molasses" are not the same thing; they're usually at least 50% sugar cane molasses which means they taste like molasses rather than sorghum. I can order the stuff on the internet, usually only in huge containers which are hard to use up.
Back when I was a kid, any relative visiting MS, AR, MO, OK, KS, or TX was expected to bring back jars of sorghum for everyone to share. Back then, and still today I guess, it wasn't produced in a big commercial way. Just farmers making it for themselves and selling the extra in the same little roadside stands where they sold pumpkins, tomatoes, sweet corn, and eggs.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Use
I use it instead of honey in wheat breads and replace part of the white flour with sorghum flour like the way it tastes not to reduce the gluten content.
Have a good day and enjoy life.
Pricey
Found this duckduckgoing https://www.goldenbarrel.com/product/golden-barrel-sorghum-s...
Pricey but least a 16 oz jar is not huge.
look at
Look at the price of maple syrup trout white fish cod haddock and then look at the cost of shrimp crab lobster salmon and oysters.1 pound of sorghum goes further than a pound of those and costs less.
Have a good day and enjoy life.
Sounds disgusting.
Maple syrup trout white fish cod haddock? Yuck!
-- Daphne Xu
that listing
that listing was about cost of items that many people buy to eat not a recipe for a dish to eat.
Have a good day and enjoy life.
Looks as if...
... one is talking about the price of "maple syrup trout white fish cod haddock". It still sounds disgusting, as well as expensive.
There is a good reason for commas. "Let's eat kids!" vs. "Let's eat, kids!"
-- Daphne Xu
"Let's eat kids!"
"Let's eat kids!"
(Pointing to young goats.)
Kris
{I leave a trail of Kudos as I browse the site. Be careful where you step!}
Leave
You leave my angora goats alone they work hard all summer as weed control in the garden and fields. The rosters on the other hand do insect control but only get one season of the fat life then become food in the fall.
Have a good day and enjoy life.
I hesitate to order that from them
The syrup in the image is dark, the company has molasses in their name, and nowhere do they say "pure sorghum." In fact, it looks exactly like the stuff called Sorghum Molasses available here in CA. Also saying sorghum is in the corn family is only sort of accurate; sorghum is a rice. The two nice reviews give one some hope.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Ewww.
Touch a slimy politician? No thank you. Thank the Goddess that not all politicians are horrible people.
My other half regularly bakes
My other half regularly bakes bread, but the shops are out of bread flour this week. Not as sexy as toilet paper perhaps but I guess everyone thinks it will keep better than bread. Or maybe they have more time to bake if they are stuck at home ?
Grabbed some Red Lentils yesterday.
There's a wonderful Syrian soup I'd like to make again as well as try to make some of that bread. Thankfully some dry good are still around and a long time ago I bought a large bag of rice though I never thought I might end up using it down the road possibly like this.
I'm thankful though as it's Organic and I like the company. Strangely enough a lot of rice was available around and if I wanted Split Peas I was good.
Alcohol was another matter entirely as well as some Witch Hazel.
Gah need some more Olive Oil.
Toilet paper we're ok on and if push comes to shove we could buy the Bamboo toilet paper. It costs more but lasts longer as it's great single ply and doesn't tear easily.
I kinda wonder how many people are looking at Bidet's after this problem.
Self Insulation
In their infinitesimal wisdom my city PTBs ruled that anyplace that could be a gathering point for people - bars, restaurants, libraries, gyms, banquet rooms, etc. must close down. I wonder if they considered what the effect of no alcohol will be on people already frazzled by events. Me, I'm annoyed by the restaurant thing. Drive-throughs and food deliveries are okay, just no dining room-type service. Frankly that has been my only point of contact with what I loosely term 'my fellow man'.
Speaking of gathering places of large numbers of "the great unwashed masses", Walmart is still open. I guess if you can't get TP, diaper wipes, sanitizer, bread, and such you can still buy frozen veggies. I understand canned soup is in short supply also. That's okay, there are plenty of people that could stand to shed a few pounds.
Speaking of which, I just got over the regular seasonal flu as this started. It was pretty rough. Back on the O2 for 7-8 days, fortunately avoided having to have my lungs suctioned. If you've never had the pleasure give it a try! Dropped at least 10lbs, had to add extra holes to my belts. Felt like I was rode hard and put away wet.
Well, just polished off a bag of popcorn I found hiding in the back of the cabinet. Off to La-La land.
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
On a lighter side ...
This self-isolation isn't all that bad. Not boring at all.
However, it does raise the odd unexpected question!
Like:
Why does this bag of rice have 15,734 grains in it - whereas this bag has a mere 15,386?
Self Isolation can be productive
My muse had been going full blast this week. over 24,000 words (unedited) since 09:00 on Sunday.
I did want to get out into the garden. It had finally stopped being squishy underfoot. But it has been drizzling most of the day.
There are four panes of glass on the greenhouse that need replacing as well as a load of seeds and onion sets that need planting.
Will we ever get some warmth?
Samantha
This weekend
should at least be dry
Madeline Anafrid Bell
Sorted out the Greenhouse today
The recent storms took the door clean off and three other panes were smashed. My resident foxes have been using it to sleep in but no longer.
Then I put the Onion sets in the ground. Bloody foxes have already dug up a few... Didn't take them very long.
Oh well can't win them all.
Now to get myself ready for the 'scrum' at the supermarket in the morning.
Samantha
Orange peel
Bits of orange peel around the areas you don't want the foxes messing with should keep them out. You have to put out fresh every day for a week or three. It works on dogs and cats, they don't like the smell. Citrus and dogbane are both in the rue family.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Bread!
I use a bread machine to automate all the prep. Got a couple good recipe books. Still trying to make Hawaiian sweet bread as I don’t have a recipe for it. I do add extra yeast to both my recipes and any mixes. Makes the rise better so the bread is lighter. Of course fresh bread requires real butter too! Some interesting WW2 supply stories I have heard involve TP hoarding and TP as trade currency. Wal-Mart gets to be open‘cause it’s also a grocery store. Those are the greatest concentrations of people around here (central Washington). Good thread!
BAK 0.25tspgirl
It was indeed dry weather here
Time to thrash on through months of lawn growth, and fill the compost recycle bin to the brim with shredded shrub. Am well "exercised" now, and smell of pulverised greenery.
Have made bread before, plain white loaf, just delicious. Finding flour is the thing though.
"Reach for the sun."
not seen any
flour, rice, pasta in the shops in over a week. However, prepared pasta, sliced bread and micro rice all in the shop on Friday! But still no LP!
Madeline Anafrid Bell