Friday Five!

Ahhh! I noticed your avatar yesterday and thought it was fitting for your name!  I don't imagine I'd ever get my husband to go on that slide, but it looks like fun to me.    I could totally enjoy a boat ride down the Thames, with some cool beverages (or warm, depending on the weather).  I never do the "fun" stuff when I go to London.

My five:

1. I made the best batch of pizza dough ever last weekend.  Then we proceeded to destroy it making our pizzas.  There are no photos, but trust me when I say mistakes were made.  (If I'm being completely honest, the mistakes were made by my husband, but they had a knock-on effect to my pizza... mine wasn't too bad except for where it mixed with his pizza mess.)

2. We also learned/invented/modified a recipe for an awesome method for making tarte tatin in the Uuni.  Cute little individual-sized ones in miniature cast iron skillets I bought on Amazon.  My husband suggested I order four more miniature skillets so we could have a set of six. We can make the caramel and the puff pastry in advance, then quickly whip out a few of these for dessert by chopping some apples and arranging them if we have guests.




3. I have been dying for a proper Americanised pork eggroll since forever (5-1/2 years?), and I am going to attempt to make some on Saturday.  If this works, there will be so much rejoicing, you'll hear it in Scotland.  You don't even know my disappointment when I have been told "spring rolls are the same thing".  They're not.  Okay?  They're just not!

4.  We're still looking for a car.  We have not found one that meets every criterion, yet.

5. Don't tell my husband, but I bought him (us ) an espresso machine for his birthday.  I scheduled delivery for the day before his birthday, while he's at work, so I won't have to try to hide it for a week.  This should be our last weekend making coffee in one of these:



.... So, if you saw my comments in the Food section about how Grocery Day is a big deal in our house, you might .. uh... notice a theme.  4 out of 5 of my Friday Five are about food and drink.  And, if I'm honest, I want the car so I can go pick out my own food.    I am obsessed!  Would you guys believe I only weigh around 8 stone (which is more than I weighed when I moved over, but by no means reflective of how much I talk about food!).

I'm drooling at that tart.....

hahahaha my mom had one of those mini espresso maker pots. I feel like it was a staple in every italian household where I grew up LOL

I definitely have stuff in my closets I can wear

Typo?  You have multiple closets?  I don't even have one.  Someday™ we will have built-in wardrobe around the bedroom, but currently, my clothes fit in an alcove in the dining room and in the piano  bench/storage seat thing in the spare bedroom.

4. The house is in a state! ... we're (I say we, but it's definitely my husband) doing lots of DIY on the inside (AKA bathroom and now loft conversion + en suite), stuff just gets shuffled around and we haven't found a final spot for a lot of it so it's just sitting there, in the way but we just don't have any time to try to sort it out as we just seem to have one event after another as of late!

This is just how we've been living since we moved in 18 months ago.  *sigh*

Congrats on finishing the bulk of the bathroom renovation!  Ahh, Someday™...

I'm drooling at that tart.....

hahahaha my mom had one of those mini espresso maker pots. I feel like it was a staple in every italian household where I grew up LOL

We'll make it for you when you come to visit!

I am looking forward to the Machine, but I think I've developed some affection for the little pot.  I didn't like coffee before this, because I always felt the flavour let me down.  But my husband introduced me to espresso, made in this little pot, and I finally found a drink that measured up to the promise from the aroma.  But the Machine will be convenient, for sure.

Would you guys believe I only weigh around 8 stone (which is more than I weighed when I moved over, but by no means reflective of how much I talk about food!).

My starvation diet starts Monday (not starvation... but let's just say I stopped at Greggs on the way to work this morning as a final farewell before we break up).

I'm also having to end my affair with Mr. Kipling.   

My starvation diet starts Monday (not starvation... but let's just say I stopped at Greggs on the way to work this morning as a final farewell before we break up).

I'm also having to end my affair with Mr. Kipling.   

But you have a goal, I trust, and once you reach that goal, you will be allowed to moderately indulge... right?  This isn't goodbye forever.  This is just a break.  You will get back together.

But you have a goal, I trust, and once you reach that goal, you will be allowed to moderately indulge... right?  This isn't goodbye forever.  This is just a break.  You will get back together.

That's my problem..  I always return to those lovers.   

Yeah, this is just to FINALLY drop the baby weight after #2.  It fell off after #1.  Not the case with #2.  I saw photos of me on holiday <shudder>.  Next holiday is end of August.  It would be nice to like my photos from that one. 

Typo?  You have multiple closets?  I don't even have one.  Someday™ we will have built-in wardrobe around the bedroom, but currently, my clothes fit in an alcove in the dining room and in the piano  bench/storage seat thing in the spare bedroom.

This is just how we've been living since we moved in 18 months ago.  *sigh*

Congrats on finishing the bulk of the bathroom renovation!  Ahh, Someday™...

We'll make it for you when you come to visit!

I am looking forward to the Machine, but I think I've developed some affection for the little pot.  I didn't like coffee before this, because I always felt the flavour let me down.  But my husband introduced me to espresso, made in this little pot, and I finally found a drink that measured up to the promise from the aroma.  But the Machine will be convenient, for sure.

When i say closets I mean wardrobes hahah sorry (I have my main wardrobe which is tiny an another wardrobe where the overflow goes). Sorry to disappoint, but no actual closets lol

Keep the machine for when it's just you and you just want a nice bit of nostalgia haha

My starvation diet starts Monday (not starvation... but let's just say I stopped at Greggs on the way to work this morning as a final farewell before we break up).

I'm also having to end my affair with Mr. Kipling.   

hahaha I know that type of farewell all too well...

My problem is that I like food too much that I don't even want to have self control..

1.) I was confused as to why people were saying it was a short week.  I was working Monday when it was a bank holiday.   
This week as sucked balls for me at work.   

2.) Had beans on toast for breakfast. Yum.   

3.) We got new bicycles and we're picking them up today.  I've been cycling on the roads on my 29er mountain bike and that is hard going.      

4.) Family next week.  And high school reunion. Off to a visit to the US!   

5.) Just had a fire alarm. It's a gorgeous day outside, so no complaints at all.  Supposed to be thunderstorms later.  Thunderstorms are usally very disappointing here. 

5.  Big week at our house this week.  We have FINALLY had the fence replaced! 

I love your fence!  You must feel so much more secure now. Will you be painting it, which colour?

1.) I was confused as to why people were saying it was a short week.  I was working Monday when it was a bank holiday.   
This week as sucked balls for me at work.   

2.) Had beans on toast for breakfast. Yum.   

3.) We got new bicycles and we're picking them up today.  I've been cycling on the roads on my 29er mountain bike and that is hard going.      

4.) Family next week.  And high school reunion. Off to a visit to the US!   

5.) Just had a fire alarm. It's a gorgeous day outside, so no complaints at all.  Supposed to be thunderstorms later.  Thunderstorms are usally very disappointing here. 

Oh man, I try to actively avoid reunions! haha

I have found that too that thunderstorms are usually very disappointing but the last few we've had over the last two months or so have actually been decent!

I love your fence!  You must feel so much more secure now. Will you be painting it, which colour?

Definitely!  No idea on color.  Many MANY sample pots will be purchased tomorrow.

Suggestions?  I'm thinking light-ish?  Like a light grey maybe?

The gate will be painted black to match the house from the front, but we can have some fun with the fence all around the back. 

Oh man, I try to actively avoid reunions! haha

I'm kind of looking forward to it.  I was a socially awkward loser in school, few friends, huge geek, band nerd.  Most school mates though are still living in and around the armpit town we grew up in and doing nothing interesting.  I am still a huge geek and still a band nerd.  But at least I think I have some interesting stories to tell now. 

Fence looks good KFDancer!

4.) Family next week.  And high school reunion. Off to a visit to the US!   

5.) Just had a fire alarm. It's a gorgeous day outside, so no complaints at all.  Supposed to be thunderstorms later.  Thunderstorms are usally very disappointing here. 

Have a great trip, PB!

In all the time I've been here, there's been one thunderstorm worth watching.  I woke up, probably from the rumbling thunder, or the seizure-inducing flashes of light coming in the window, and had to go use the toilet.  While I was washing my hands, looking out the window, a bolt of lightning struck in our neighbour's field outside, and I yelled "Oh $h|t!" just as the loudest clap of thunder ever shook the house.  Obviously, this woke my husband, who, in an instant rolled out of bed, crashed into the bi-fold bedroom door (who puts a bi-fold door on the bedroom?!) that I'd left partly open and flew to the bathroom to see if I was okay.  By then, I was laughing too hard to reassure him, so he thought I was dying.  Which made the whole thing funnier.

Anyway, after all that excitement, we couldn't immediately go back to sleep, so we watched the storm.  There was a LOT of lightning.  I think it was this storm...?  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40653713

I'm kind of looking forward to it.  I was a socially awkward loser in school, few friends, huge geek, band nerd.  Most school mates though are still living in and around the armpit town we grew up in and doing nothing interesting.  I am still a huge geek and still a band nerd.  But at least I think I have some interesting stories to tell now. 

Fence looks good KFDancer!

We must be the same age (1998 graduate)!  My reunion is in July.  I would have gone had I been around.  There are definitely people I'd love to catch up with and reconnect with.

I was a '91 graduate (I'm so old!  But I graduated at 17, if that matters).  I was in Ohio finishing up grad school when my 10-year came around.  I was in LA and not willing to make the trip home when my 20-year came around.  If I'd been in my hometown (or state, or within 1000 miles of it), I might have gone to one or both.  But I'm just not that attached to the people I finished highschool with.  I was only there for my last 3 semesters, but they all knew each other since kindergarten.  They definitely didn't need me, and I didn't find many of them particularly interesting.  I'm Facebook friends with the ones I care to associate with. 

Definitely!  No idea on color.  Many MANY sample pots will be purchased tomorrow.

Suggestions?  I'm thinking light-ish?  Like a light grey maybe?

The gate will be painted black to match the house from the front, but we can have some fun with the fence all around the back.

There are so many lovely wood preservative colours these days!  .

The black will look very smart to match at the front. A greeny-grey would be gorgeous for the rest of it. 

https://www.cuprinol.co.uk/products/garden_shades.jsp