Happy St Andrew's Day

From Facebook Archives

30 November 2011 at 17:24

The Virgin man is here installing a Tivo box - Ferretfingers is hugely excited!

30 November 2018 at 08:45

A happy St Andrew's Day to all of us of Scottish descent.

Away with friends for the weekend so the start of this year's Advent Calendar will be delayed until Monday.

Lang may yer lumm reek.

Drummerman  “Away with friends” sounds a bit harsh...

30 November 2023 at 08.43

Happy St Andrews Day

Xmas planning so far?

Goose in freezer, puddings boiled and in cwtchdanstar, fruit for cake still steeping in jivo, some gifts got for boys, cards purchased last January.

Today's plan?

Ferretfingers' annual medical 9.45.

Rest of the day to be spent prepping for tomorrow's LDNE Board and Annual General Meeting; I have a Chair's report to do.

And a ring around of Springfield Community Association volunteers to see who can help at various Xmas do.

And the WI newsletter if there's time.

It's amazing how a couple of days in bed puts you back...

Lang may yer lum reek

AND finally

30 November 2025 at 09.02

Last night as we were sat watching telly Ferretfingers suddenly announced 

"St Andrew's Day tomorrow."

"Yes it is."

"Haggis!"

 

We have one in the freezer but even so Fester is intent on going out and finding another.

 

Catholic Tastes?

From Facebook Archives

27 November 2023 at 08.23

And the good news is; for the first time since last Monday I didn't have a gut wrenching coughing fit in the middle of the night.   

So perhaps not going to the Quayside market yesterday and staying in mostly doing needlework was a good idea.

Ferretfingers is full of snot.

Just heard Thunderthighs sneeze.

Fester is safe home from Sheffield, his cold is much the same as when he left on Friday and he appears to have had a good time.

Today's task is to get the car's passenger side headlight replaced, and sort out next year's year planner and diary, and next month's calendar.

Henlady  Get well soon !

Mrs Lasagne  Get well soon Ben xxx

Kentishlady  Kentishlad has had a cold (?) that's put him out of action for over a week now.  He has tested negative for covid but I'm wondering if we have duff tests.

Bentonbag  I tested negative too when this all started three weeks ago.

Miss Doozer  You all sound like you have the plague.  Shall I paint a cross on your door?

Bentonbag  No - just leave rum or stout (sweet or milk in preference)

Bazoukiboy  Hopefully you have turned the corner

Later

Bentonbag  Car headlight replaced at Halfords Silverlink at a very reasonable price  

Took the opportunity to go to Superdrug and stock up on Vitamin D.   

Yesterday being Stir Up Sunday, Dr Fester and I have stirred together the Christmas pudding; it's Delia's but as usual we've gone off piste, this year the liquid is pear cider not stout as that's what was in the drink drawer.  It will rest overnight and himself will steam it tomorrow.

Bazoukiboy  oooo!

GW  Hope you'll all get better soon xxx

Ms Exlibris  Your variety of alcohol never ceases to surprise me.

Bentonbag  I think it's called Catholic tastes...

Skitterflutes

“Skitterflutes” was what Mum called tiny new potatoes, the sort you find when you grow your own and have to be scraped as there’d be nothing left if you peeled them.  I don’t know whether it’s Northumbrian, Tyneside, Scottish, Irish or family coinage.

From Facebook Archives

25 November 2009 at 22:47

I’ve just witnessed Felix the cat standing on the side of the bath and drinking Fester's bath water. 

By the time I got the camera he'd stopped.

25 November 2010 at 10:57

I was right!  Fester has had letter from sleep clinic 

"severe obstructive sleep apnoea" - the lung people will be sending him a machine to blow air up his nose as he sleeps.

Strawangel  Eeeeh  You'll not know yourself missus.......when was the last time you had undisturbed sleep?

Bentonbag  November 15th when he went to the sleep clinic - before that any time he's away for the past 17 years and 4 months

Henlady  So glad to hear they can help Fester.

25 November 2010 at 16:46

There will be no Tyne Bridge morris practice tonight due to ice.

See those of you who are coming at 10.50 in Whitley Bay Shopping Centre (indoors)

25 November 2013 at 20:26

Well the Treegrass Parents & Friends Association meeting was more interesting than I expected!

Henlady  Really................. 

 

Pomegranates Goldfinch Pudding

From Facebook Archives

24 November 2013 at 23:12

This may sound like a stupid question but…

Is anyone else finding the pomegranates really bitter this year?

I've had about three, one was inedible (even Fester twisted his face at it) and the others I had to make a reall effort to finish.

StBernard  I get the prepared pomegranate from Morrisons for my lunch and they've been fine though I have noticed the segments are bigger than in the past which is good (is that a seasonal thing?)

Hagrid  I've NEVER eaten one! My mum gave me one when I was a kid... With a cocktail stick??! I thought it was some kind of cruel joke 😉

HGB  I dunno what they are..😔

Bentonbag  Exotic fruit available October/November (always got them for my sister's birthday), hard yellow/red skin which you slice with a knife with lots of little black seeds inside with pink translucent flesh around them.  Used to be sweet and juicy but the ones I've had this year have been dark red inside, not particularly juicy, big pips and quite bitter.  You can eat them with a pin but I prefer to slice them open and suck the seeds off.

24 November 2017 at 08:25

Opened the curtains to see goldfinches on the teasles: it's worth letting them grow.

24 November 2019 at 15:05

It being Stir Up Sunday we have stirred up the Xmas pudding using half the fruit that's been steeping in booze since Tuesday.  The other half has had the drained off booze poured onto it and will continue steeping until cake making day.  Himself did all the measuring under my instruction as I sat on kitchen stool. 

Later 

Bentonbag  Two and a half puddings now steaming in the jam pan.

Mrs Elplates  I need to get out the mixing bowl and get my pudding made. Thanks for the reminder

A String Of Pearls

Short and sweet posts for this day from Facebook Archives.

23 November 2010 at 22:56

Another pair of trousers bites the dust - Ferretfingers came home today with his in very nearly kit form, only held together at the waist. The seam had ripped and he's finished the job. 

Anyone fancy sewing them back together again?*

23 November 2017 at 11:12

Damn! 

My LDNE memory stick has bounced under the desk and I can't find it in the mess.

JM  Ah that’s fine. You will have a backup.

Bentonbag  It was the backup!

23 November 2019 at 22:34

Poorly. Went to bed at 6pm last night and spent today on chaiselongue.

Sandy  I thought Chaise longues/ Chaises-longue? were for swooning onto only.  

If you were poorly on it it's a sofa.

Paganess  Rest, the men in your life will not go hungry! You may have to send out for personal food parcels though**

23 November 2024 at 09.29

Ferretfingers and Fester were planning to go out today.  

Ferretfingers just went into the bedroom where his father is lying in bed. 

"Have you seen the weather? It's horrible" said Fester defensively.

"Rigger boots" replied Ferretfingers firmly.

They will be going up to the shops later as God Forbid we don't get the papers.

23 November 2024 at 11.15

Having breakfast this morning, Thunderthighs and I watched Only Child on iPlayer, which we both laughed at in parts.

When it was finished Thunderthighs looked at me and said "What's that in your hair?"

"No idea."

He pulled out some black crumbs and grease.

"Toast" I said.

"How did you get toast in your hair?"

"No idea ... you do realise this is like a scene out of Only Child?"

 

* This is why Fester bought me a sewing machine for Christmas one year.

** The men in my life prefer their own food preparation to mine, and Fester is a feeder. 

Cupboards Card Coldcall (contains curseword) Cat

From the depth of the Facebook Archives

22 November 2009 at 16:35

Bazoukiboy, God bless him, has just been round and helped Fester carry 2 tall half-wardrobes up into the boys' room and the buggered shelving unit they are replacing down into the garage. 

Now I have to spend the evening sorting stuff out.

22 November 2013 at 16:02

First Xmas card arrived today

StBernard  Aye, you can never be too safe with that Xmas postal surge😜

Ms Beardsely  From Ricky and Pat, by any chance? 

Ours always is!

FifiD  Mine too. From Daisy. Xx

22 November 2017 at 10:58

As I was typing that last post my mobile rang and, after the satellite pause, an African sounding voice asked 

"Is that Benton…bag?"   

"Who are you?"  

"I am Mat...thew from People's Reseach ..."

I'm afraid Matthew was given short, but polite, shrift.

Fester pipes up from the seat next to me 

"Is that Bentonbag?  Does it sound like Bentonbag you dozy fucker?"

"Was that this morning when I was out?” 

"Yep"

22 November 2021 at 12:44

Thunderthighs just went out, then came back in again with 

"There is a cat that is not our cat sitting on a flowerpot that is not a flowerpot." 

No, it's the windowboxbasket that I replanted with cacti and succulents the other week. 

Jessicat from No3 simulateously taking the biscuit and the p.