Friday Five!

Sounds like you've had a good week KFDancer. Hopefully no major issues with Covid. 

Happy Friday!

1.) Well the weather has been glorious...and I haven't been able to walk out and enjoy any of it. Thanks Covid! 

2.) I'm feeling pretty good and have been all week. My husband, on the other hand is really exhausted. 

3.) Was supposed to have some rehearsals and things on this weekend. BIL over, etc.  Nope.   

4.)  Gardening 

5.) Was supposed to have a few days holiday and a long weekend. Nope.  No point. 

Covid sucks!  I hope you guys both bounce back quickly and can enjoy some sun.... really hoping this isn't the only appearance in 2022!

PB, I'm so glad you're not having a bad covid experience, healthwise!  Your poor husband, though.  Tell him not to push himself.  If he's tired, or winded, he should slow down and rest.  But all your activities!  That sucks.

KF, be safe, but enjoy all the things that I can't go out to do.  I am so looking forward to the day when I will get to eat food that I didn't have to cook or clean up after again.  We didn't eat out much before the pandemic, but it was always an option.  I miss knowing the option is there.  Congrats on the embassy appointment(s)!

My five:

1.  We bought a different brand of berry flavoured suet pellets at the same time the birds decided it's spring and they don't need us so much.  Now we don't know if they don't like the different brand as much, or if it's just part if the general bird feeder slow-down we're seeing across the board.

2.  I'm trying tortillas again this week.  It looks so easy when I watch the videos, but I can't seem to replicate it.  I've ordered lard and beef drippings to try other recipes.  Groceries arrive tomorrow afternoon. Fingers crossed.

3.  I also ordered tortillas, because I'm pragmatic. We need to eat the allegedly ripe-and-ready avocados I bought last week soon, whether I manage to make tortillas or not.

4.  The weather is beautiful!  Double digits and sunny all week, and the weekend looks promising!  Which is good because....

5.  My husband has had a hectic week of work and he needs a break.  Maybe some Ooni noms and sunshine will help.

1.  We bought a different brand of berry flavoured suet pellets at the same time the birds decided it's spring and they don't need us so much.  Now we don't know if they don't like the different brand as much, or if it's just part if the general bird feeder slow-down we're seeing across the board.

My guess is it's the pellets. If they're starving they'll eat anything but given a choice, they know what they like and can be quite fussy! My cheap fat balls are the last to go but they're there if they ever need them. 

My guess is it's the pellets. If they're starving they'll eat anything but given a choice, they know what they like and can be quite fussy! My cheap fat balls are the last to go but they're there if they ever need them. 

We read reviews and agonized over the decision, because we were previously buying the expensive ones from RSPB, and the birds loved them, and the reviews for the new ones were kind of hit-and-miss.  So when we got the new ones in and still had RSPB ones left, we tried to Pepsi-challenge the birds.  But the magpies would eat both piles before the little birds had a chance to weigh in, and the only preference the magpies showed was for whichever pile was further away from the scary overhead feeders... they'd eat both piles, but started from farther and moved in only when necessary.  We tried a few times, switching which pile was which before we ran out of the RSPB pellets.  Ultimately, our results were inconclusive.  So frustrating.

We read reviews and agonized over the decision, because we were previously buying the expensive ones from RSPB, and the birds loved them, and the reviews for the new ones were kind of hit-and-miss.  So when we got the new ones in and still had RSPB ones left, we tried to Pepsi-challenge the birds.  But the magpies would eat both piles before the little birds had a chance to weigh in, and the only preference the magpies showed was for whichever pile was further away from the scary overhead feeders... they'd eat both piles, but started from farther and moved in only when necessary.  We tried a few times, switching which pile was which before we ran out of the RSPB pellets.  Ultimately, our results were inconclusive.  So frustrating.

Have you tried sunflower hearts? I prefer them to pellets. They're in the same ballpark price wise, perhaps a bit more expensive but they keep better so I buy in bulk. And the birds LOVE them!   

Have you tried sunflower hearts? I prefer them to pellets. They're in the same ballpark price wise, perhaps a bit more expensive but they keep better so I buy in bulk. And the birds LOVE them!   

One of the things we put out is a seed mix that includes sunflower hearts.

We do the berry suet pellets, suet balls, seed mix, meal worms, and peanuts (mostly to distract the squirrels, but the nuthatches and blue tits (!!) really like them, too).

2.  I'm trying tortillas again this week.  It looks so easy when I watch the videos, but I can't seem to replicate it.  I've ordered lard and beef drippings to try other recipes.

I've tried to make tortillas so many times, but just can't get them right.  It's ridiculous.... as you said, it looks so simple in the videos, but i just can't get it right!

Happy Friday!!

1.) Have a long weekend now. Was supposed to be last weekend, but Covid scuppered that.  Weather not nearly as nice. But not working is good! 

2.) Gonna make a pie for my husband for his birthday next week. Mmm. Pie.

3.) Tired, early starts again all week, plus that whole clock change thing. Zzz.   

4.) Cake with my work team this afternoon.  Meeting in a cafe. I like this working from home malarky.   
 
5.) Not much else, been a pretty normal week.   

My Friday Five:

1. My dad’s funeral was last Tuesday… I had been dreading it, but it actually turned out to be a lovely service and a lot of people came that I wasn’t expecting, some of whom I haven’t seen in about 25 years. It was a lovely day for it as well - 18 degrees and barely a cloud in the sky

2. I was supposed to fly to Ascension on Tuesday morning this week… yet I am still here in the UK!  First the flight time was changed from 13:30 on Tuesday to 09:30 on Tuesday, then I found out at 20:00 on Monday that the flight had been delayed 48 hours and would now be taking off at 06:00 on Thursday… but at 18:00 on Wednesday, I got word that it had been delayed by another 24-48 hours! It has now been rescheduled for 02:00 tonight… so fingers crossed for no more delays!

3. I also had to get PCR tests for the flight (due to refuelling in Dakar and the Senegal government requiring a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure. I got a £120 4-hour rapid PCR done at Bristol airport on Monday morning, but with the first delay, I needed to get another one, just in case… luckily, the MOD gave permission to get a free NHS test for the second one. But of course the further delay meant that even the second test would be out of date by tonight. Thankfully, the RAF were able to get us all a waiver, so as long as a test was done on or after the 28th, they will accept it.

4. I was paranoid all last weekend that I had Covid though... after being in close quarters with and hugging lots of people at the funeral, I was convinced I had it, particularly as I've had a bit of a cough and sore throat for the last week... but 1 LFT and 2 PCR tests have come back negative, so it seems I'm fine!
 
5. I cannot wait to finally get to Ascension now, especially as I was originally scheduled to fly on March 8th, and also with the snow(!) this week… I should have been in 32 Celsius heat by now! I will have to spend 8 days in quarantine when I get there, but with the warm temperatures it won't exactly be a hardship!

Happy Friday!!

1.) Have a long weekend now. Was supposed to be last weekend, but Covid scuppered that.  Weather not nearly as nice. But not working is good! 

2.) Gonna make a pie for my husband for his birthday next week. Mmm. Pie.

3.) Tired, early starts again all week, plus that whole clock change thing. Zzz.   

4.) Cake with my work team this afternoon.  Meeting in a cafe. I like this working from home malarky.   
 
5.) Not much else, been a pretty normal week.   

FriYAY!!!!

So pleased you are feeling better PB.  Am I correct in thinking you would have been a bit higher risk due to some health issues?  I'm always relieved when friends or family get out the other side!  Our "super spreader" event at work seems to have not been a spreader.  Two people DO have covid at the moment, but I highly doubt either are related to the event.  One knows for certain it wasn't (only tested positive yesterday and his child had it first).  The other had a lot of travel and only tested positive Wednesday. 

1.  Today is my little girl's 8th birthday.  I'm sure many of you remember me announcing my pregnancy with her many moons ago.  She had two lockdown birthdays so having a party this year.  The bouncy castle is being set up tonight and we are having pizza and and ice cream sundae bar.  As well as a pinata and other normal childrens party games.  Should be great!

2.  Our builder tested positive for Covid today, so not sure what that will mean for the build.  Plasterer is finishing his work on the ground floor today.  The decorators are supposed to come Monday for the first floor, I hope they still are! 

3.  If they are, I need to go get the paint today! 

4.  Last Saturday we were in shorts.  Yesterday it snowed.  Time for England to pick a lane!  Though I prefer snow and sun to grey and drizzle, so hopefully England will choose SUN!

5.  It's going to be a VERY busy weekend!!!!

So pleased you are feeling better PB.  Am I correct in thinking you would have been a bit higher risk due to some health issues?  I'm always relieved when friends or family get out the other side! 
5.  It's going to be a VERY busy weekend!!!!

Thank you! I had the worst lupus flare up that I have had in years and years the three days before I actually tested positive for Covid.  Once I tested positive for Covid, I was feeling so much better. I had pretty much a textbook response (from all my obsessive reading of this stuff). as someone with a good vaccine profile  I was relieved that I had a good immune response and that nothing worse happened to me as I quite worried. My husband was worse than me (though never ever remotely close to as bad as he was when he got pneumonia several years ago.) Thank goodness for science and vaccines!!! 

Hello everyone....my Friday

Returned to work today after having 10 days off......boo...10 days off because of annual leave, not because of Covid.  At care home I work at, out of 71 staff, myself and 3 others are the only ones not to get Covid yet.  Don’t know how we avoided it, at the start of February it went rampant through our care home and workers and service users were dropping like flies.

Luckily my time off had the nicest weather so far this year

Got to drive my new used car to work today.  Spent Mother’s Day driving 3 1/2 hours from Scotland to Preston to see a car for 30 minutes then drove 3 1/2 hours home.  It was delivered yesterday.  I am now the proud owner of a 2018 Prius Prime plug in hybrid.  She’s sooooo purdy. her colour is listed as spirited aqua....having trouble coming up with a name for her though.  My last car was blue and named bluebell....this one hasn’t told me what to call her yet.  Added bonus was I sold my old car, 2009 Kia picanto....back to the garage I originally bought it from 2 years ago for £150 less then I originally paid for it.

Will be able to charge my new car at work for free...yeah...car should get around 39 miles on a charge and my round trip is 22 miles to work and home.....

Got home and opened work email to find out I got a raise....

It’s been a Good Friday....although in reality, it’s my Monday because I work Friday to Tuesday

Hello everyone....my Friday

Returned to work today after having 10 days off......boo...10 days off because of annual leave, not because of Covid.  At care home I work at, out of 71 staff, myself and 3 others are the only ones not to get Covid yet.  Don’t know how we avoided it, at the start of February it went rampant through our care home and workers and service users were dropping like flies.

Luckily my time off had the nicest weather so far this year

Got to drive my new used car to work today.  Spent Mother’s Day driving 3 1/2 hours from Scotland to Preston to see a car for 30 minutes then drove 3 1/2 hours home.  It was delivered yesterday.  I am now the proud owner of a 2018 Prius Prime plug in hybrid.  She’s sooooo purdy. her colour is listed as spirited aqua....having trouble coming up with a name for her though.  My last car was blue and named bluebell....this one hasn’t told me what to call her yet.  Added bonus was I sold my old car, 2009 Kia picanto....back to the garage I originally bought it from 2 years ago for £150 less then I originally paid for it.

Will be able to charge my new car at work for free...yeah...car should get around 39 miles on a charge and my round trip is 22 miles to work and home.....

Got home and opened work email to find out I got a raise....

It’s been a Good Friday....although in reality, it’s my Monday because I work Friday to Tuesday

  Did you look into whether that Prius has the catalytic converter that everyone wants to steal?  I think it mostly depends on the age. 

PB, I'm so glad you're not having a bad covid experience, healthwise!  Your poor husband, though.  Tell him not to push himself.  If he's tired, or winded, he should slow down and rest.  But all your activities!  That sucks.

KF, be safe, but enjoy all the things that I can't go out to do.  I am so looking forward to the day when I will get to eat food that I didn't have to cook or clean up after again.  We didn't eat out much before the pandemic, but it was always an option.  I miss knowing the option is there.  Congrats on the embassy appointment(s)!

My five:

1.  We bought a different brand of berry flavoured suet pellets at the same time the birds decided it's spring and they don't need us so much.  Now we don't know if they don't like the different brand as much, or if it's just part if the general bird feeder slow-down we're seeing across the board.

2.  I'm trying tortillas again this week.  It looks so easy when I watch the videos, but I can't seem to replicate it.  I've ordered lard and beef drippings to try other recipes.  Groceries arrive tomorrow afternoon. Fingers crossed.

3.  I also ordered tortillas, because I'm pragmatic. We need to eat the allegedly ripe-and-ready avocados I bought last week soon, whether I manage to make tortillas or not.

4.  The weather is beautiful!  Double digits and sunny all week, and the weekend looks promising!  Which is good because....

5.  My husband has had a hectic week of work and he needs a break.  Maybe some Ooni noms and sunshine will help.

I've been told that the tricks to making good flour tortillas (I assume you're doing flour?) are: that the dough needs to be pretty "wet" and also to not cook them as long as you think you need to. Wrap them in foil when you take them off the griddle and they will continue to cook slightly while you are frying the others.  And to use a flour that has a decent gluten level, as that makes it pliable.  You can also use veggie shortening or butter if lard is not available, although it does change the flavor a bit. I usually use butter, and make them a bit thick so they're more like a fry bread than a tortilla, but they still work and I have never had leftovers. 

If you're making  corn tortillas, be sure you're using masa harina and not cornmeal. (I'm sure you already know that, but I've run into people who do not.)

Good luck.

  Did you look into whether that Prius has the catalytic converter that everyone wants to steal?  I think it mostly depends on the age.

Didn’t know that was a even thing but looked it up.....mostly happens in the states but it’s the older Prius’s ....harder to do it on the newer ones it seems... they added a bolt and it’s not as easily accessible