Spring has sprung in Devon?

Lovely pictures Sticki! Happy New Year to you too:)

Wow Sticki, I'm so jealous!;-))

Great pics Sticki, lovely dawn photo..Happy new year..:o)

Lovely pics Sticky.......

Lovely pictures Sticki

Great to see things coming into flower. So early! Didn't expect to see daffs in bloom, even in Devon.
Happy New Year, Sticki, and may all your gardening days be happy ones!

some lovely pics : )

That is amazing!!!

Wow cool!

Lovely pics Sticki.....Happy new Year x

Thank you everyone, i thought they were nice and cheerful!!

Beautiful photographs Sticki. The Rosemary is stunning and the Hebe..but Snowdrops always steal the show, and so early.

I cant get that photo quite right pimpernel, its too dark, i tried editing it but not right yet. i think these are snowflakes ~ they are over a foot tall.

What a lovely blog, Sticki, such a lot of colour and cheer for the new year. I have a shrubby honeysuckle by my front gate and there was a bee bumbling around it the other day. I was so surprised I told the postman who happened to be in the next garden! He asked me if I'd been drinking, cheeky devil :)

Happy new year. I hope you're enjoying your stay in Devon

thanks gee ~ thats a very cheeky postman!!
thanks hywel ~ im back home now ~ got back monday, been at work today.

Some Postmen are Cheeky and need reporting! ;0)

Lovely to see all these,Sticki..so uplifting,in this horrible wet and windy weather..Happy New Year to you too.:o)

i think its nice they are chatty pimpernel ~ perhaps i have been lucky but we generally have very nice helpful postmen

I second that,Pimpernel..anyone in mind ? btw..still giggling ! :o)

is yorkshire safe from cheeky postmen bloomer? was your concern for lancashire?

Lol...

All our postmen are great round here although I think one of them thought I was being cheeky when I asked him if he liked my new knocker :) I haven't seen him since and I am still trying to live it down!

Ha ha..ha I would not have been able to let that one go Gee.!

I learnt very quickly not to shout " I've got a big packet for you " at ladies !

probably wise pimpernel!!!

Is that why they all watch out for you,behind the curtains ..,hoping it's not more junk mail ? :o)

Lovely pictures Sticki, winter hasn't reached your garden yet, Im so envious , Ive just been to see where my garden is upto a few bulbs starting to show now but way behind yours!

Lovely cheery Pics Sticki. I planted these 'Snow Flake' bulbs this year - I hope mine turn out like these - winter hasn't quite taken hold yet.
Hey you lot!!!! Most Postmen and POSTWOMEN are lovely creatures :) It's the few jerks that give us a bad name!!

Quite happy with my postman thank you!

It's my mum's garden PP, it's much milder down there, altho they had quite a tough time last winter.

These snowflakes have been out since early December I think Scottish, quite an established clump though.

Wow Sticki, how beautiful to see all those little gems! Have a great new 2012.

Thanks GM, you too!

Honestly, Pimpernel, we can't let you out alone!

Lucky Devon, we should have retired there, but got side tracked as you do!! some beautiful pictures Sticki......our Postie is a star, a smashing pair of knees he wears shorts all year round lol

What lovely flowers Sticki - lucky you :))))))))) would like you to add the hebe on a picture so I can put it to Goypedia - it is lovely :)))))))))))

Happy new year Sticki! All lovely photos and so early. I saw a tree covered in blossom yesterday and that was in Wellingborough, makes you wonder what will happen in March :o)

Hello Sticki, Happy New Year to you! Your pics are great, the Snowflakes are really lovely, it's odd seeing a flower that you associate with being a wee tiny flower, standing up at knee height, and it was lovely to see your Mum's wee 'hostlet' of golden daffodils! Great!

Hi Sticki, Glad you enjoyed your stay in Devon,Lovely photo's and a happy new year to you and your family:)

Many thank you's to everyone! and i really hope you have a very happy new year.
I will put the photo on paul but sorry i have no idea what its name is.

DD ~ why are postmen now wearing shorts in the coldest months of the year? I cant understand it!

I suppose they just get used to it, Sticki..we used to be the same in our schooldays ,didn't we? No trousers for girls, gymslips and grey knee socks,and the poor lads in short trousers ..well,in my day,anyway ! :o))

boys used to wear short trousers till they were 11??

I'm almost sure they did,Sticki..maybe only wore long trousers when they went to high school....

Happy new year, liked your photos

Lovely for your Mum in S.Devon to see you at New Year Sticki! Great pics . . . wish I could remember the "proper" name for those snowflakes - Oh well, just had to Google it . . "Leucojum" (knew it began with 'L', feel better now, lol!)

Most of our postmen wear shorts nearly all year round - I think it's a challenge to see who's toughest!

I wore shorts till I was 11 and went to big school. Some of them do have bets Sheilar....Then i point out that all us little kids did it. But another reason is that if the weather is really wet, it is very uncomfortable having wet trousers flapping round your ankles. it is more comfortable to wear shorts in wet weather.

I never thought of that,Pimernel,but very logical..and I suppose it would get far too warm and cumbersome,with waterproof ones over them,with all the walking ...

years ago Pimper, when I did a brief summer job as a posty there was a meeting where there was an official date were the postys were 'allowed' to wear shorts. It was said some had been abusing this rule.
I remember it was quite amusing as half of those present were already standing there is shorts with a kind of 'we're going to do it anyway so get stuffed attitude' : )

i reckon its the see who is toughest thing sheila!!

stevie is that when they wore those baseball caps too??

It wouldn't surprise me if there still was a rule somewhere Stevie...

I think the earliest was April something (not 1st). I remember the working atmosphere though was incredibly tense, the worst I have ever experienced. many of the full time chaps there were really very unhappy, some of them refused to even speak to anyone part-time!!!

dont think i could cope with that.

always thought postmen and post ladies were cheerful, post office staff not always as helpful but they seem to be improving!

Not sure how it is now, this was quite a few years ago now.
No word of a lie, there was only really one chap there who would talk to me. He was a lovely chap and we used to have a good chat, it was only later that I found out that he had been sectioned not long before!!

Some offices are quite tense places...I don't think there are any that bad now. Ours is the friendliest place to work. There may be the odd spat now and then, but it blows over quickly enough.

I think when you did your stint Stevie they all had their own "walk" and that was that. They never worked as a team, that has changed now.

lol..Stevie

Yes I think I was given someones 'Walk' on a temporary basis, and what a nightmare it was too. I had an old peoples retirement mobile home park at the end, they would break ALL the rules, ''post this for me would you?'', no madam I am not allowed to 'go on', and come out screaming 'This person is dead'' like it was me that had killed them or something and the classic ''throw all this junk in the bin at the end of the road would you'' no madam thats illegal. I remember also that someone kept posting half eaten pasties in the postbox I used to empty!!!!

perhaps they thought you were hungry?

Loved your pictures Stickie,isn't she lucky living in such a lovely place.Do you visit often? Seeing the daffodils is such a cheery sight , roll on the spring!

I had two ladies that used to send each other cakes all tied up with string, lovely....then one sent a strawberry mouse..it was everywhere. all over my mail. I had to scrape it all together put it in a damage bag and still post it! you should have seen the poor womans face.

my sister sent my mum a cake ~ it did a similar thing pimpernel mum's postman said she wasnt too popular at the sorting office!!

thanks rose, i go down about every 6 weeks or so?

pretty pics sticki, my jasmin has flowers to :o))

I've had to write this again as I had caps lock on and didn't notice. I didn't need to mention that as you can't see what I originally wrote. Just forget I mentioned it. Lovely pics Sticki, after reading all the comments and getting lost in postmans legs etc, I can't quite remember them, but I know they were pretty....not the legs...Happy New Year:-))

Forgot to mention I still have a pelargonium in flower in the garden...well more in leaf, but one does have a flower:-)

Thanks sanbaz and BA, glad you enjoyed the legs bit!!

Your pelagonium is doing well!

I missed all the talk of the posties and their knees earlier -
The rule about the shorts was removed when they started issueing us with shorts! I think they introduced them to make sure we all looked the same. Some of the guys in my office used to wear football shorts and white trainers which was a big NO NO!!
Many many years ago, females used to have a skirt with a pleat down the middle both front and back - I and a few of my collegues used to take them to the tailors to have the pleats removed and made into a pencil skirt - this was frowned upon too!! But when you are a young teenager - you just didn't care - you wanted too look good!
There was many a time I would come straight out a nightclub and go straight to work - all dressed up and going round my delivery on a Saturday morning - my customers used to laugh their head off!!

Beautiful pics, Sticki ... especially like the markings on the Snowflake flowers ... :o)

Thanks Shirley.

When I was working with young children we used to go to the sorting office every year for the children to learn how the postmen do their job, they had a collection of old uniforms to try on.

Just remembered a tale from my daughter's student days ... toast was a popular item to send in the post! ... Wonder if they do that these days? ... Oh and I only ever post letters/cards in the morning ... too many incidents of pillar boxes being set alight ... :o(

i posted my purse once ~ had to get to the post box early in the morning to meet the postman!!!

true story, years ago when i was teaching TEFL, the Chinese students started to complaint none of their letters were getting home. Turned out they were posting them in the 'green' postboxes, when they showed me it was the local tall green rubbish bin with a slot

That's funny!
Did they get junk letters back?

One of my old delivery offices was directly next door to a primary school....kids were there all the time - they used to have a ball pretending to be postmen - it was funny when the really little ones used try put the posties bag over their head.
That's a funny tale Stevie - poor students!

We could tell some stories eh Scottish...Some days are just daft.

What's the best story?

Not telling...unprofessional, you will have to wait for our memoirs

You can change the names!?

Hi Sticki good to have a look at your mums garden, its always nice to go home to mum for a few days.

thanks stroller, mum usually has a list of jobs for me!! but thats fine! we also usually get to go out for lunch and maybe coffee too!!

Well I was just going to say that your photos look even better than your cakes Sticki, if that's possible. Your Mum is very lucky seeing you so often when you live so far away. Fancy there being two posties on here! And I always thought Pimpernel was one of the gentler sex!

you learn something everyday steragram!! i think the scarlet pimpernel was male??
you are very kind steragram, mum lives in a little cul de sac where she has very good friends who all help each other. also my sister goes down to visit as frequently or more so than me ~ she has an even longer journey.

its funny how we find out about each other on here isnt it!!

Don't know about Pimpernel but all my funny stories usually involve a customer in some sort of state of undress or something illegal going on :)))))
There are lots of us about Steragram....and we are generally a friendly bunch :)

I think I am of the Gentler sex Sterra!

I have a few naked stories and loads of dodgey stuff going on...

But it the plain silly things that keep me laughing. One Postie delivered two packets to a house...as it came closer to 1pm he thought he had not got a signature for a registered packet. Went back to the house...no answer..Ok...just down the road lived the parents...Postie , parent with key go back to the house. The Alarm goes off..Parent forgets the code and can not find the packet...Police turn up! Parent gets marched back down the road to pick up OH..The alarm gets switched off. They phone the Daughters mobile no and ask where the packets are..." here" she says "both of them the normal one and the one I signed for."

That's another book for you to write pimpernel! No wonder you can write, you have a wealth of observations and stories on your walks every day!

you can't beat working with the public for humour at its funniest,..supermarkets,hotels and restaurants being my recollections, where I have worked over the years...all life is out there :o)

Working with young children can bring some funny moments too!

Oh yes,Sticki..forgot about those..priceless..although can be embarassing at times :o).I remember being on the bus with mine,and she was staring at a very elderly lady on the seat behind,who was smiling back at her...My daughter said to her''you are going to die soon,aren't you ? '..I wanted to crawl under the seat..!

I'm very sorry but that makes me laugh! See, I haven't grown up either?! Even though some small child will say that to me one day soon.

My big embarrassing moment was many years ago, when daughter was about three, and we were at the hairdressers. A lady was just having her crowning glory sprayed, when D leant across and asked her kindly "Have you got greenfly?" Not so much embarrassment at her question as at the way I descended into helpless, hiccupping hilarity. Luckily, so did everyone else.

That's even funnier! Shows she was used to a mother who gardened and not one who spent her time at the dressing table!!

Still does! These days D classes us, somewhat scathingly as "Peasants."
Don't care! I can scrub up quite nicely when the call arises. Who needs makeup and designer jeans when digging potatoes?

I'm not into designer jeans or any other designer, don't have that sort of money and If I did I wouldn't spend it on clothes and definitely not make up. Wish I could say that I scrub up alright but that never works either. Quite happy in tracksuit or jogging trousers, trainers and a jumper or hoodie!!

Kids ! so funny aren't they ? and the cringeworthy ones,always stick in your mind ! As for designer clothes etc,and make up..thay would go bankrupt if they depended on me ..Good old 'Mat***n.etc..many other shops are available ! :o))

ah yes i have some long trouser things that look like a skirt from there ~ i have had more compliments from those than anything else!!!

Nice smug feeling when you get a good bargain,isn't it ?

always good, doesnt happen often!!!

Yes the Pimernel was male, but I didn't connect it with him, was thinking of the tiny red flower, all wrong for a big male postie! Yes we do find out things - I recall being very surprised to find out Bamboo is female.

Gattina your story has made my day!

love all the comments on this blog, gave me a laugh,

good fun eh yorkshire ~ i like blogs that go off into all sorts of chats, you never know where they will end up!

true, our postman invited us to his wedding, did I tell you before, and the home delivery man knocked on the door with all the christmas presents we had ordered online, and asked us what was in them, like the silly buggers we are, we told him.

oh i forgot you were friendly with the postmen!!! my postman played guitar in the same band as my son.

well my postman had two kids before he got married, beat that,

i think lots do it that way round these days!!

Our new postie is a rather dishy young lady called "Imma". It's quite astonishing how quickly my OH is off the starting blocks when we see her little white van start coming down our drive.

funny that!!!

we had a good looking postman, only a youngster where we lived before, he was nice, everyone liked him.

stop objectifying your Posties please! I am damned handsome but..really

I can vouch for that......(Was that supposed to be our secret, P?)

Lol...lovely lady.

I think it's the uniform that does it :))))
A fireman's uniform does it for me everytime :))

See that big cat she has on her Knee...It is always stuck up a tree..!!

and scottish is stuck there too??

Lol P :)
The local toerags went through an arson phase on the waste ground over from our house and there was a weekly visit from the fire brigade....couldn't get anything done for watching :)

Hadn't thought to get myself stuck up a tree Sticki...thanks for the tip :)

I hope you hid the box of matches well, Scottish.

Isn´t the last photo from Africa? Lol.

Not quite katarina! I see what you mean but I think their sky would be redder!? And only squirrels in the trees, no lions!

you lot are sex mad!!!!!!

Yeah, well January's boring!

WHAT yorkshire?? not me.

lol..You post a perfectly innocent Blog and.......

exactly pimpernel, what shall i do with them?

what is the world coming to,Sticki .. :o) too much time on their hands,..that's their trouble..

shall we give them a job to do?

Good idea..we need some inspiration .....cogs now turning,albeit very slowly ..

some very hard work i think, maybe mending all those fences that the wind blew down??

That should keep them occupied for a while..:o)

im not sure they will accept.

Neither am I,Sticki..maybe they will decide to treat it with contempt ? I can feel it in my bones,somehow ...

yorkshire's computer is broken.

Oh dear...do you mean since she left her last comment ?

it is possible, she borrowed her OH's computer yesterday afternoon.

Hope it isn't serious...

dont know, dont think she said??

I've got lots of fencing to mend and only managed to get the shed moved back into my garden today - so been a very busy girl. Have to measure up tomorrow and order the timber.....that will keep me busy for the next week or so :))))

Oh no Scottish, I forgot you had to mend your own fence. That's not good at all is it. Not sure which does most damage, high winds or high water, both devastating.

It's Yorkshire's punishment for call you sex mad....that'll teach her:-)

oh dear!!! poor yorkshire!

I'm sure someone mentioned administering Bromide to Gattina......

really?? not me.

was it someone with medical qualifications?

I doubt it... but if they are reaching for Bromide, I bet they could administer a paultice.

Is this first aid training for the delivery services?

Good gracious, P., NOBODY except you has mentioned giving me bromide!!! And where exactly do you suggest the poultice should be applied? The mind is busy boggling. Are you plotting behind my back?

No..it is your sedate walk in Devonshire..

I have done the Identity parade Gattina...I know who it was..but I am BLOOMer ing stumped if can think of the name.

Are you casting aspersions on my good character,Pimpernel? Me? What? Where? could have been ? Probably ? Thanks for dobbing me in.."friend" :o))

Well she needs damping down with somthing..A clammy cloth a the very least.

Think if it was dunked in Italian wine ,she would enjoy it !

oooh i like italian wine, can i have some please?
i like marsala, is that italian??

Don't tell me that you fancy a good rub down too,Sticki ? well,really ! or am I missing something here ? Methinks you mean just drinking it..:o) ..not sure about where Marsala comes from....

We used to call it embirication...Smother the most ailing with Vicks and let the rest sniff...........Ahh

NO i dont want a rub down but i would like a glass!!

why dont we all have one? ~ i have a bottle ~ pass your glasses!!

At least its a better than Goose grease,Pimpernel..I love the smell of Vick..:o)...go on then,Sticki..just a tiny one for me..just to be sociable.:o)

It is Italian I just checked!! but i also have limoncello i think???? might have finished it.

Ah,Limoncello..I remember that well.We bought some in Sorrento in 1999,in a lovely glass bottle,engraved for the Millenium,and opened it at midnight..so yes please,if you have any left ! :o)

you will have to be quick there is/was only a glassful

Thats ok,Sticki..a coffee will be fine..you must have it :o)

Ooh put your slippers on girls...Pimpernel has a bottle of Baileys! Snuggle up.

always happy to have baileys, thanks pimpernel, yes please, slippers are on.

Now you're talking ! just scrubbing slippers(gardening gear sometimes) ..and neat please,no ice ! :o)

ice or not, whisky neat but baileys on rocks or not, best slippers on.

Haa! Relax ladies...I got me Fav socks on and the gas fire on full throttle.

come on yorkshire the drinks are poured.

Yes, Marsala is Italian. What the H**l is the rest of it all about? - you've lost me. I've got my slippers on and I'm not sure what we're all supposed to be waiting for......

Bailey's gattina ~ whiskey based cream liqueur.

Could I have the latest Hazelnut Baileys, please? Don't much care for whiskey.

Large dark rum n black pls, and dont talk while the teles on

ooooops what are you doing on here stevie ~ thought you were in competition.

I wandered over here when I heard there were free drinks : )

help yourself!!!

;o))))) Hic!

Coffee anyone?

Probably a good idea.

and im sitting here making a list of whats to be done, the list is getting longer!!
would rather be on here

How wonderful Spring certainly has sprung for you ST ,yesterday it looked and felt like spring .

No blooms out yet just have to look at yours .

i have a few here scotkat, but these are from devon where my mum lives.
found a rhododendron out today!!

Lavetera is blooming here now..I thought the plants would have sorted themselves out by now.

what??? thats incredible! i found a rhodedendhron out today and bergeria??
very confusing for plants never mind me!!

when i drove down to my mums in early december there were quite a lot of lambs in the fields!! somewhere in the somerset area i think.

Marigolds going mad in a neighbours garden! What happened to the offer of a drink? Soon as I come on here everyone goes quiet and talks innocently of plants. I wasn't born yesterday you know (said in an eeyoreish kind of way)...wish I was though:-)

What would you like BA? Think it was about same time last night the bottles were opened!

Coustomary to bring one with you as well ;0)

Ah, glad you called in pimpernel, any baileys left? I have a little sloe gin and some very nice whisky.

I have taken the pledge ..Again Sticki, one of each please...Port anyone? With Stilton and the Chutney STT Home made.

Exactly which pledge did you take pimpernel?

And yes please I would love port Stilton and stevie tt's chutney,

I don't think meanie will have any pears with the stilton!

I wonder if Meanie would have Green Fruit soup ? A Pru Leith concoction that I do now and again.

perhaps if its all green and not variegated??? what is in it?

Well..from memory Any green fruit! Kiwi, Grape, Apple, Suttana( just a few) Lots of root Ginger and Honey to sweeten..I will sort out the proper one. It is like a punch!

Green Tea is the liquid...I forgot.

doesnt it look more like fruit salad?

i like punch very much.

We must be running out of booze now though.. I have got a little something in my sock for later!

in your sock???

where has BA gone? out to fetch some booze?

I think she is smootchin..Is STT still washing up?

smootchin?

I dont know ~ is that what he was doing??

I would think STT was Smoozing..but if BA was Smootching and....they met? Another Gin Stick ?

how many have you had???

Meeeeee!

Nothing at all..I'm handing out nibbles and collecting glasses.

Just had a nap, back now, had a dream I was Smoozing

Sorry Stevie BA..Has legged it with at least half a bottle of Tia Maria

and washing up with that pristine tea towel from your photo pimpernel?

BA can keep the Tia Maria, what else is there to drink? or maybe something to eat now?

Is it time for a curry yet? or kebabs?

A kebab for me please...

Started Spring-cleaning the drinks cupboard today - what's that 10 year old pineapple syrup (for making pina coladas) doing in there with the coca cola and cooking wine? I haven't actually made it to the back of the cupboard yet, and it's only the first of two (plus the cellar)!

Oh..Thank you Gattina..The Bar is Open Sticki

Hi gattina, glad you could come! I have sorting out cupboards on my list but got distracted, (as usual) and did front garden instead.

Double please pimpernel.

Eggnog anyone..........? Three snowballs and a Baby Cham?.. I am off clearing Glasses in the Cider Tent...

Snowball or cherryB or cider thanks!

Well,Pimpernel..you have managed to post the 200th comment on Sticki's blog..most of them about the devil's liquid ...I worry about you ! Congrats,Sticki..I award you a GoYer trophy....a cup ,filled with whatever drink you fancy ! :o))

Ha, I'm back from smootching???? whatever that is! Nigella said she has tonic with a dash of angustura? bitters so I bought some. Haven't tried it yet. A sophisticated smootching type woman like me is not the sort to be offered Tia Maria...thanks whoever suggested it harrumphhh. Can I have an award too Bloomer $:-] and I've cut my hair, do you like it? $:-)

thanks bloomer, right now its coffee [just got back from work] can i keep my option open for the evening please?

angustura bitters BA? i put that in my xmas cake, it was a nice cake. not keen on nigella im afraid although she does make some nice things.

Wow, lovely sticki, Happy New Year, albeit a little late :^))

hi daylily, happy new year to you too!!

Wish I was there. Thanks for sharing. :)

you're welcome!

I used to like Nigella very much Sticki, but she seems to have turned into an embarassing caricature now:-(

i rather think the camera man liked her too!! sophie dahl seemed to be in the same mould.
i like lorraine paschal though.

OH is nutty about Lorraine P. I can understand why - she's lovely. Absolutely spot-on with your summing up of Nigella, BA. I can't watch her any more. I have a feeling that the tv production company told her to play up the "ravenous slut" image as it got her a lot of publicity. (Am I allowed to use the "s" word on here?) Can't see Delia doing that. Or Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

james martin is rather easier on the eyes i think!!

Oh, I agree, Sticki, but I somehow can't see him fannying around the kitchen, putting out culinary soft porn. For me, the food is quite enough to cope with! One thing at a time.

james can be very naughty. i went to see one of his shows, hairy bikers were there too ~ well i have no idea what he cooked, we laughed until we cried.

OOohhh. Tell me more......

well i cant mention all the things that the BBC [cos it was a BBC Good Food Show] had to put up signs repeatedly saying "BBC does not approve"

......and then there was the pink rolling pin............

a little later, and not connected

was finding out where exactly the various cuts of meat are on a cow [ i think???]

have to leave the rest to your imagination.

Oh For Goodness sake, Sticki, don't let my imagination loose here - we'll never hear the end of it.

i sent you a pm

Too much oestrogen floating around here!! girls...remember you're gardeners....think of Bob Flowerdew and calm down:-( Anyway, they can't have been worse than Gino at Malvern:-)

Isn't Lorraine Paschal the girl who doesn't actually bake? More of a buy the bits and stick 'em together in the program I saw:-)

Well, the Lorraine Pascal I've watched certainly seems to know her stuff, but she doesn't make quite such a song and dance about baking as some of the TV cooks. She DOES seem to stay remarkably calm and clean, though, something that never happens in MY kitchen. I think her programmes are very heavily and cleverly edited.

that never occurred to me, lorraine does buy some things but she also makes things that you really want to try making and even more look delicious!!

bob flowerdew BA?? not my favourite im afraid.

why was gino worse than james and the bikers?

He was so macho and seemed to enjoy putting people down and putting his hands and mouth on women and telling their husband or partner "I do it because I can". It's one thing to make a woman feel good about herself, but not at the expense of humiliating someone else for a laugh. I told you to think of Bob Flowerdew to calm you down Sticki! Could have said Alan Titchmarsh, but I'm amazed to see lots on here fancy him so it wouldn't have worked lol:-) Gattina, maybe I should have given Lorraine more of a chance:-) Has anyone been watching sports relief bake off? I haven't, only noticed the word sport and missed the bake off bit:-)

i watched it,Ba,and enjoyed it..nice to see they aren't perfect,but good efforts.,and good humoured..Arlene Philips was the worst,I think..and should stick to dancing ! :o)

i see your point BA i wouldnt have liked that at all.

yes sport bake off warmed up, the last one was good.

I can't STAND Gino - yeughhh! He'd have got a darned good slap if he'd done that to me - not that he'd ever be tempted, of course, but that's beside the point. As far as I'm concerned, the word "Macho" and the word "A***hole" are synonymous. There's no bigger turn-off than a man who thinks he's sexy.
Phew! Good to get that aired!

Sticki would it be ok to click 'stop following' this blog, I know its only 226 comments!

you dont need my permission stevie!!
227!

Just didnt want to seem hasty ; )

Well you could always hang around...

......until 250???

We have covered a few topics Sticki..as always on long blogs ..( speaking from experience ) Lol..so we could easily get to 250..what tangent shall we go off on next ? I'm sure we can find something with a link.(or not).we usually do ! :o))

Lol Gattina...don't hold back, you're among friends here;-)

Hello Bloomer\0/ we could talk about food, who our favourite chefs are?? personally I love a lot of Jamie's recipes, but I'll read any cook book. I'm still trying to make the perfect pastry and experimented with several for mince pies over Christmas. Unfortunately, my favourite had loads of butter in, in fact it was rather like shortbread.
If anyone has a healthier, but gorgeous pastry recipe I'd like to see it, but without lard please:-)

Yes, BA, (and everyone else) so sorry about that outburst; I don't know what came over me.....Feeling better and calmer now, and breathing normally.

Gino had that effect on me too lol:-)

i make pastry with white flora ~ is that any better BA??

Yes Sticki, do you just use I/2 fat to flour or do you have any special tip? egg? milk? Somehow I can't remember how I used to make pastry years ago...it was so lovely you could eat it on its own. I tried Nigellas tip of putting stuff in the freezer and using orange juice....it was ok but not heaven...am I asking too much lol:-)

no i use half fat to flour, but that white flora makes lovely crumbly pastry. no egg and milk just to paint over to make it brown in the oven. i do use brown or wholemeal flour sometimes for a quiche base, its nice and nutty

Aren't you supposed to make it with iced water, and then, when it's made, leave it to rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge before rolling it out?

Oooh never seen white Flora, I'll give it a go, thanks:-) I watched Lorraine Paschal tonight and really enjoyed it...also watched A Question Of Taste, enjoyed that too:-)

that was hard! i cant answer many of those questions and i thought i knew a little bit about food ~ obviously not ~ i know nothing!!

A bit like Manuel, then

¿qué

Exactly!

;-))