Joining in with Amy and Five on Friday.
1. Photos from by the river last Sunday. Alas I didn't get to stay at home in the warm, I was dragged out to look at mud in the cold. You know I love it down by the river, but last week I had a bit of a cold and it reminded me of the sort of place the heroine of an ancient novel would go and contract a terrible fever from which she would barely survive. I may have been over dramatic about it all. I have higher hopes for this weekend. At least it should be warmer.
2. Lightbulbs. I do not understand them any more. Remember the days when you went to the shop and there were four different brightnesses and you picked the one you wanted and it was all terribly simple? Then there were eco lightbulbs and they cost about 10p. Now there are about a hundred to choose from, the numbers don't make any sense to me and some of them cost £10. And they are supposed to last for years, except they don't. Even making allowances for the flying diabolo that smashed one in spectacular fashion so that glass came sprinkling down all over the living room. I really just want a lightbulb that doesn't use too much energy and lasts a long time. But which one?
3. We've been enjoying the biggest boy's cookery lately. Once I get past the surprise of having to rustle up ingredients at thirteen minutes' notice it's good to have him coming home from school with various things to eat. He made a brilliant healthy crumble, and last night it was chilli. Honestly, I was thrilled to have a day off from making tea. I must encourage the whole cooking thing a lot more.
4. On the subject of food I hear that if I keep the heating off I will lose weight. I'm allowing myself a hot water bottle and extra snacks. Not sure how long it will take, I'll keep you posted.
5. I'm actually warming to Twitter a little. It's like a newspaper with things in about the subjects I like to hear about. I have gardeners and conservationists and writers in my feed. It has slightly been hijacked by the biggest boy who keeps making me follow birdwatchers of all descriptions. I just need to make sure it doesn't take up more than ten minutes a day...
Wishing you lovely people a top weekend. I hear it will be balmy so the hats and gloves can go back in the basket. Enjoy.
Love every point in this post. Very dramatic of you to think you would catch a free etc but totally understand how you felt. Did make me chuckle. Hope you're better now. As to rustling up cookery ingredients that sounds soooo familiar. Glad those days are done for me. Found it stressful if we didn't have it all. Light bulbs, let's not even go there. Totally do not understand them now. Twitter. I have an account but just can't warm to it. Love Instagram though. Have a great week x
ReplyDeleteI'll believe the 'balmy' when I see it..more like gale force winds and rain lol. Glad to hear Twitter is going well, it can take over your life but if you follow the right people it can be very useful and educational. Now as for lightbulb you need to talk to my husband as I think he has a degree in the subject...I always regret asking him about them because I get an hour long exchange. Hey ho what ever did happen to 60 watt bulbs. Hope you have a better weekend :) Barbara
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem with light bulbs. If I knew your Twitter name I'd follow you!
ReplyDeleteThanks, and you too. Flighty xx
I am so glad that I don't have to magic up the ingredients for cookery classes anymore, my girls were terrible at giving me the list. It generally materialised the evening before the class when all the shops were shut. I too am confused about light bulbs. I do wonder how many years you have to use the light bulb for it to become cost effective. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeletehope you have a lovely mud free weekend.
ReplyDeleteHow I miss my daughters' cookery lessons - it was so nice once a week to know that I didn't need to make dinner. Light bulbs are confusing aren't they? I also don't like the fact that they take ages to warm up and become brighter; it's like living in a cave at times! Hope you're feeling better now. xx
ReplyDeleteOur life at home was transformed when I started changing those huge coiled low energy light bulbs that took about 10 minutes to warm up and only then emitted a dim orange glow for LED. I understand LED bulbs are an investment (I bought a dozen for the cottage last week - costing over £100) but they use next to no electricity, last for ever, emit no heat and do not shatter like ordinary bulbs if hit by a ball. Back in the late 1980s/early 1990s Philips Lighting in Eindhoven was one of my clients and developing LED which was starting to be specified in major infrastructure projects like port development. Goodness knows why it has taken so long to become mainstream but now it is we the lightbulb buyers should embrace it. Sorry, I always get on a roll with low energy - it is one of my passions! I remember well the day my son brought home his first apple crumble. The list of ingredients asked for a tin of apple and industrial quantities of sugar. He prepped a couple of Bramleys at home (I understood the teacher's fear of boys with sharp knives) and took in about half the amount of sugar and the result was delicious. Have a great weekend CJ and hope it's not too wet. Twitter? Me? No chance! Sarah x
ReplyDeleteRe lightbulbs and the modern ones not giving out heat; I stockpiled enough old 60 watt bulbs to last me to retirement I hope, I use them in an old Anglepoise lamp at work for heat rather than light....for cold computer fingers
ReplyDeleteYour scenery looks so sad and foggy, yet you have not lost your sense of humor:) That's good. I don't try to buy light bulbs, I let it for the hubby :)
ReplyDeleteI hope that you didn't catch a fever.
ReplyDeleteI totally empathise with the light bulb scenario which is complicated but different sizes of fittings.
I would have thought being cold made the body lay down fat to keep it warm :-)
Balmy? Ever hopeful. Have a good weekend. I hope it's better than the last.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about light bulbs - why is it so complicated and why are they so expensive! I spent ages choosing one last week.
ReplyDeleteLiz
Last minute ingredient production - I remember it well! Xx
ReplyDeleteI am totally with you on light bulbs... Can never find the right one. And I can blame my recent weight gain on the the fact that my Mum is staying with us and we have got the heating cranked up high all day. Nothing to do with cake of course!
ReplyDeleteI agree about light bulbs. I wouldn't mind so much taking out a mortgage to buy one if they lasted, but their life expectancy seems no better than the old style ones. Good diet idea though!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun group of 5! Don't get me started on light bulbs - it's crazy! I hate being cold so I'll look for another way to keep my weight under control. I'm so glad you didn't contract a deathly fever on your outing last weekend!
ReplyDeleteNice group of five. Ha, I keep the heat off most of the time and never lose an ounce. When we learned they were phasing out the out style lightbulbs we bought a load of them. Some of the lights in my house are 15 years old and they're not the new ones that are supposed to last forever. I hear they're coming out with a new incandescent (like the old ones) that use less power and last forever.
ReplyDeleteYou were very brave to go to the river when it's so cold it does look lovely though, I am totally with you on the light bulb thing I find they are very dark and gloomy or too bright I can never find one that's just right. Take advice from me and keep your heating on, it's not worth getting ill for the sake of a few pounds, I was trying to be economical and the house was freezing, I'm sure that's why i have had sinusitis for the past 3 weeks. It's always great when someone cooks you a nice meal, Have a great weekend. :)
ReplyDeleteWell, not so sure about the 18thC heroine bit, but you know! Very descriptive. The light bulbs drive me crazy too, I cannot seem to get the ones that I want, the wattages or whatever they call them now drive me crazy too. We seem to be stumbling around in the dark half the time because the bulbs hardly put out any light. Sorry, didn't mean to rant in your comments, but at least you know it isn't just you! How great that your son is cooking! Enjoy it! Thank you for joining Five On Friday, happy weekend! xx
ReplyDeleteThose light bulbs are confusing. How lovely for you to have a tasty meal made by your son and a break from the cooking. Have a nice weekend.
ReplyDeleteLight bulbs are confusing, and I swear they don't last long at all. Hope you feel better.
ReplyDeleteMeredith
A fun post - it made me laugh. I do hope you are free of river fever, although being a heroine does sound rather romantic! Lovely photos. The light bulb situation is so confusing these days and it is true that they are not very long lasting despite the claims. I try to find the cheapest ones so I don't feel cheated as much :) Always nice to have a good cook in the family to give you a break. Visiting from Five on Friday x Karen
ReplyDeleteAm I right in thinking that your boy cooks these delicious meals at school? If yes, wow, impressive! Neither I nor my son had school cooking lessons (I learned from my mum) but that would have been great. Lovely to have a night off from the kitchen. You've touched a nerve with the light bulb thingy - we're all in agreement, too confusing these days! At least I've found a solution to the bayonet/screw choice - Ikea now sell an adaptor for bayonet fittings so their screw lightbulbs fit; now I just have to puzzle out the brightness. Caro x
ReplyDeleteHi from a FOF newbie, I love your photos
ReplyDeleteJill
Kiln Fired Art
Lovely river photos. I agree about the light bulbs, just too confusing.
ReplyDeleteWell, since it has been freezing cold here, all I want to do is eat and I tell myself that it is okay because I'm burning extra calories trying to keep warm. Bring on the hot chocolate and biscotti!
ReplyDeleteHey CJ,
ReplyDeleteDo you have to weigh all the ingredients and package the up into little sandwich bags and so forth? That never made any sense to me when Alf did Food Tech. I del like sending him in with a packet cake mix from Betty Crocker at times. How would he learn about weighing and measuring and prepping etc etc etc? And why couldn't they just call it Cooking, like when I was at school? Having said that, Alf made a mean burger and his cheese scones were very tasty. As for light bulbs.... I have handed that baton of responsibility over to Marc. I'm clearly no feminist.
Have a lovely weekend. Raining here.
Leanne xx
Light bulbs were bad enough when all you had to worry about was whether it had a bayonet fitting or a screw one. Now they're unfathomable. I agree that it's good having a son bringing home a ready made dinner. Mine's making a Victoria sponge cake this week but I'm not sure I'll get away with calling it dinner. :-) I hope you don't end up standing about in the cold again tomorrow xx
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain on the lightbulb issue. I really detest the look of the spiral lightbulbs.. and they're huge! You're in luck if your son wants to help out with the cooking duties. My daughter would bake cookies on demand.. which was very nice. LOL! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
ReplyDeleteI hear you in the lightbulb issue since a couple of weeks ago I almost got angry in the store. My poor husband had to hear my rumbling about it. It's marvelous to have the young people helping! I have a son that loves cooking and a daughter that always loved reading so no help from her on the cooking idea. Hope your weather there is pretty good.
ReplyDeleteOh God, lightbulbs. Awful. And have you tried getting the right one in Ikea? The house here is filled with horribly bright ones because I can't figure out how to get something with a nice soft glow. So I tend to use lamps and fairy lights and we sit around trying to see through the murk.
ReplyDeleteHope you had a good weekend. We went to the zoo yesterday. It was cold and grey but Jay and a cockatoo fell in love with each other and it was very amusing.
S x
Hey CJ! I have missed your space here! So nice to come over for a visit today and say hello! Im with you on the bulbs…they make no sense to me either! Such beautiful photos my friend! Wishing you a lovely week! Nicole xoxo
ReplyDeleteLightbulbs, yes!! Oh my goodness. I stood in front of the selection in b&q recently and felt like shouting at somebody. It doesn't need to be this confusing, surely? I felt really old. Anyway, I hope you had a lovely weekend. Wishing you a happy week ahead. Xx
ReplyDeleteDon't get me started on lightbulbs...they're either too bright or too dim!! hope you had a great weekend. xx
ReplyDeleteWe've had some trouble with lightbulbs as well! We have a dimmer on the lights in the living room, but once a few burned out, we switched the bulbs to the eco friendly kind, but now they flicker and a few stay on all day even though the switch is off. The home improvement shop says we need a new dimmer. I guess changing a lightbulb isn't as simple as it sounds anymore. I hope you are feeling better now, CJ, and that your weekend was great! <3
ReplyDeleteThis post made me laugh as I am famous in my house for moaning about/commenting on what a pain lightbulbs are nowadays for exactly the same reasons you outline here. I know just where you're coming from. Also, my younger brother smashed my parents rather large glass living-room lightshade many years ago with one flick of his brand new wooden diabolo - there was glass everywhere. And we too have done the 8.30-at-night-dash to the local Co-op for ingredients for the next day's food tech lesson on many occasions for my three over the years. What fun :)
ReplyDeleteCathy x
i can well understand your fear of contracting a fever in such a landscape...perhaps an ague, even. You're a real hero for looking at mud in the cold when you're not feeling well.
ReplyDeleteI think it's brilliant that your biggest is keen on cooking....that should be encouraged in a most enthusiastic manner -- any night off having to cook is a magical thing indeed!
xo
Getting the kids to cook is definitely the way to go. We now have Annie-Tuesday. Today she cooked a tasty butternut squash soup and cheese scones. The plan was to make rolls but after a prolonged tantrum because apparently 'someone' had hidden the yeast, this didn't happen. The oldest doesn't cook, luckily, he is so fussy we would only ever eat pasta with bland tomato sauce. Hope your week is shaping up nicely. I'll look you up on twitter soon. x
ReplyDeleteOh and lightbulb choosing requires higher education these days. We seem to have a drawer full of ones that don't fit, are too bright or too dim. They are madly expensive, too!
DeleteI can't get on with Twitter at all, I must be getting old. And I agree about light bulbs. And whilst I do want them to be low energy and not cost a packet is it too much to ask for them to be bright enough? All ours are so crap it's like crocheting by candlelight. Grrr.
ReplyDeleteGood post. Item 1 made me think of all the times the heroine had to walk home and it started raining and the pneumonia or fever set in and we weren't sure if she was going to be able to survive, but not only does she survive ... but often love in a hosting household thrived. Ahh my Jane Austen love has not abated.
ReplyDeleteYes, encourage the cooking. My child seems to enjoy the cook but not the bake, I'll take whatever I can get, but honestly if he could just oof it a little with some dishes duty, I'd be forever grateful.
I concur on all things perplexing about the new fancy light bulbs, I fear I will be too lazy to reach maximum environmental benefits.
Lastly, I'm glad you're learning to enjoy the Twitter and how it works for you. I waffle about it. I just unfollowed a lovely sight with pictures of the Animals and The World places to go, because there was too much repeat and too much advertising and TOO MUCH! It doesn't mean I won't ever go back, but it's enough for now. Wishing you well. E