My Last Bottle Of Lammsbräu
This is my last bottle of Lammsbräu.
My Last Bottle Of Lammsbräu
The supplier is still awaiting deliveries of this excellent gluten-free beer from Germany.
I ordered something else from the supplier; Beers of Europe, on Tuesday and it arrived yesterday. So at least the local loop is efficient!
Men Tire Of Shopping After 26 Minutes
This is reported in several papers and the report from the Telegraph is here. These are the first two paragraphs.
Researchers found men are generally ready to head home within half an hour after following their other half round stores.
And more than one in four men admitted to getting so fedup with the trip they have abandoned their partner and gone home alone.
Admittedly, I’ve had some turgid hot days shopping with my late wife. But usually, we found what she wanted, had a meal and went home happy.
In fact now I quite like shopping and I’ve even been taken shopping by one of my female friends, for a masculine opinion, because her husband doesn’t do shopping.
I certainly don’t tire over 26 minutes.
I Don’t Want Another Card
I am trying to declutter my life.
I Don’t Want Another Card
So the one thing, I don’t want is another card. In fact these days, I don’t bother with loyalty cards. If I don’t get decent service, I go elsewhere. Shops, restaurants, train operators and airports, have to earn my loyalty.
If I look at Heathrow, I might go out from there if I could use Terminal 5, as there is a decent gluten-free restaurant there.
I Don’t Buy Cleaning Materials Any More
I live in a three-bedroomed house, with a large living room and a small kitchen, so it isn’t the most difficult place to keep clean. I use contract cleaners, who come once a week, bringing everything they need and cost me about sixty pounds.
So as I’m writing a big shopping list for the next few days, it’s very simple, as there is no cleaning materials at all. The only thing, that I buy, that isn’t food or drink, is washing up liquid, washing detergent, soap, toothpaste and toilet paper.
It certainly makes life a lot simpler, as over the last forty or so years, finding decent cleaners has always been a problem for C and myself.
Why Is Marks And Spencer At Eastfield, So Bad For Gluten-Free Food?
Sometimes, I will buy a gluten-free sandwich from Marks and Spencer! Not often, as their selection at the moment in many stores tends to be just a cheese ploughman’s, which has never been my favourite, as I generally only eat soft or blue cheeses. But most stores in London and especially those at stations sell them, as they did yesterday in Birmingham New Street station. My two local Marks at Islington and Finsbury Pavement, always have them.In the week, I also bought the excellent gluten-free breaded cod from Finsbury Pavement.
But why are there no sandwiches at the large Marks in the Eastfield shopping centre at Stratford? Or gluten-free cod either! It’s as though specific gluten-free products have been banned at Eastfield, as try to get a gluten-free meal there in any restaurant and they say they haven’t got anything. I also heard that the other restaurants said they didn’t want a Carluccio’s there.
So if you’re gluten-free, I recommend that you don’t go anywhere near the dreaded Eastfield!
Why Do I Have To Buy 2.5 Kg Of Potatoes?
I made two chicken, bacon and potato pies last night, but in Waitrose I had to buy 2.5 Kg of potatoes, as they didn’t have any smaller packs or loose ones that were suitable for mashing.
Why Do I Have To Buy 2.5 Kg Of Potatoes?
As I had to carry them back on a bus, I wasn’t pleased.
My two pies need a kilogram and as i don’t use many the remainder will probably have gone off before I need them.
Is this why we waste so much food?
I just buy what I need to make my meal or in the case of pies, my meal and one a couple of days later.
We need an efficient cooking philosophy that minimises waste, cooking time and washing up.
Some will say this is why ready meals are popular, as all you have to do is stick them in the microwave and wash the plate up at the end. But I have just thrown an unused Marks and Spencer ready meal into the bin, as I bought it in case, I didn’t get any food on my three late nights last week, and it is now well past its sell-by date.
A Day Not To Be Alone
I’m not moaning, but I don’t think today, is going to be a good day.
I quite like my own company, but on a day like this when it’s only 16°C, overcast and the sun is on strike, there isn’t much to do. You can only go round your favourite museums and galleries so many times and it’s not the day to explore parts of London, I don’t know well at all.
My son and his partner are both working and where my three grandchildren I never see are, I know not. Two I’ve never seen and I’ve not really seen the only granddaughter since the death of my son.
There isn’t even any decent football or cricket on the television. Although after cricket yesterday, I would probably give that a miss if it were on. I won’t be watching the Derby on the television, as it’s on Channel 4 and I don’t do adverts. I’ll probably go down the betting shop at the corner to watch the race, if I’m at home.
I’ve even done all my household chores, washed my smalls, tested my INR and had my weekly bath. The last is actually a lie, as I do bath more frequently than that!
We’ve also had a run of distinctly poor films over the last few weeks, so going to the cinema is probably not an option.
I’ve a choice of things to do for the rest of the day.
I can go and have lunch in Carluccio’s at the Angel and do a bit of food shopping for tomorrow. But I was there last night with a friend.
I will have to go and get a few things at the shops anyway. The most pressing is probably two boxes of man-sized tissues for my permanently running nose. At least, I’m probably down to a box a week now!
At least this evening, I can watch a program on BBC3 called England’s Worst Football Team. Now there’s a program for the lonely and miserable if ever there was one.
I could really put the cap on the weather, by giving up on one of my principles. I’ve never had a raincoat since I was about twenty or so. As I can afford it, I should perhaps go and buy one that I could wear over my favourite jacket. I can at least afford the best!
I think, it’s probably a good idea to do some cooking. I need to make a pie on the one to eat and one for the freezer basis. My only problem is to decide on the flavour to make. Should it be fish, fish, shepherd’s or sausage? Or perhaps a new variety!
The Terror Of Packaging
These bacon packs from Waitrose are some of the many packaging ideas, that need to be opened with smoething sharp.
The Terror Of Packaging
Once you’ve opened the packet, you then have to wrap it all in clingfilm, with all the problems that means, otherwise it quickly goes off.
I think, I’ll find a proper butchers that sells loose bacon, so I can buy the quantity I want.
It’s all a plot to get us more, than we actually need.
I probably need three rashers of bacon, twice a week at most.
A A Gill On Harrods
When the boys were young, C and I used to occasionally take them for lunch on Saturdays in Harrods. It was enjoyable and we used to like to browse and sometimes we’d even buy something. For example, the Gieves and Hawkes jacket I’m wearing in this post, was bought nearly twenty years ago in the store. It’s still perfect, and has perhaps only been cleaned once, if that.
A A Gill in the Sunday Times describes the shop in some amazing words, of which the pick is probably this.
The shop is now as sophisticated as a Malibu enema.
He reserves his greatest prose for the reason for his visit; the Disney Cafe, giving it one star out of five for atmosphere and no stars for the food.
The article was well worth the price I paid for the newspaper.
Dishwasher-Safe Coasters
I was at the Clerkenwell Design Week today, when I saw some glass coasters that gave me an idea. Why can’t we have dishwasher-safe coasters? I have a messy office because, I tend to drink masses of tea all day. My late wife, always complained about the state, with tea stains everywhere.
My Current Dirty Coaster
The picture shows the one, I’m using at the moment. Pristine it isn’t!
So I went to John Lewis, arguing, if anybody would have them, they would. I found these by ashortwalk, which although, the main material will stand up to a dishwasher, the cork pads won’t.
Coasters From ashortwalk
I should say that the research I did at CDW, indicated that many would like dishwasher-safe coasters. The office market could be bigger than domestic.
The Anonymous Widower 