And Continues...

[poliphilo]

Since we've no running water in the kitchen I've been fetching it in a big plastic bottle from the bathroom- and only doing as much washing-up as is absolutely necessary.

I made an excellent lamb curry for lunch yesterday.

The BBC has been airing a set of programmes looking at the historical trends of the Noughties. I don't mean what was happening in the pop charts or the coming or going of politicians- but the underlying societal changes- the deep sea currents. Yesterday we were considering globalisation. Did you know that the rise of the Chinese economy has led to a fall in burgary in the UK? It works like this: burglary is a business like any other- and if electrical goods- which is what your old time burglar was mainly after- are really, really cheap in the shops (thanks to the Chinese making them in sweatshops) there ceases to be a market for them "off the back of a lorry".  The burglar isn't making any money, so he stops burgling- and takes to mugging instead. 

Every so often we get a flurry of snow. 

Comments

[craftyailz.livejournal.com]

I could do with a sticker, like you have for cars, on my forehead saying no valuables here at any time!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

But that's just not true :)

[craftyailz.livejournal.com]

most of the time it is - you have all the money and we've no credit cards anymore

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Ah, I thought you meant your head was empty- which isn't the case.

[craftyailz.livejournal.com]

thank you

[idahoswede.livejournal.com]

We are getting flurries here amid the sunshine and it's bitterly cold now since there is a slight breeze. Up to 10cm predicted for the next 24 hours apparently.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yup. I believe the south east is in for a pasting this weekend. Keep safe.

[idahoswede.livejournal.com]

I am a Swede, this is nothing. My daughter said it was -22c in Uppsala this morning.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Countries that are used to snow just get on with their lives. There's a humorous aspect to the way we Brits cave in every time we get a little extreme weather.

[michaleen.livejournal.com]

I should have said something about this earlier: sometimes you can leave the tap on just a trickle and it will prevent the pipes from freezing. Often, you need only leave open the hot tap, since if the two pipes run along together, then the warmth from the hot side will keep the cold side from freezing, too.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the tip. I need to bear that in mind.

[daisytells.livejournal.com]

If the pipes are already frozen, you should leave the tap open anyway, so that the water from gradual thawing will trickle through instead of "exploding" through. Frozen pipes are such an annoyance!

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

Taking into account that I am way down here in southern Spain, the water still inside in our garden hose froze and split it open. That has never happened here before.

Of course, that's nothing compared to frozen pipes in the house! It's just the absolute oddity of a hose freezing here that amazes me.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That's not at all my idea of how things should be in Spain!

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

Nor is it mine!
:D

[arielstarshadow.livejournal.com]

You might be the perfect person to ask this - I have a slow cooker, and was thinking of trying to make a curry in it. What are the basic ingredients for a decent curry (I'm thinking of using chicken, as it's cheaper).

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Hmmm.... I've never made a curry in a slow cooker.

But I guess if you make your basic curry sauce and then stick it in the cooker with the meat that should do very nicely.....

I don't have any recipes up my sleeve, so I've checked on line (which is what I often do). Here's one that looks fairly straightforward. In fact I may well have a go at it myself.

http://www.cookuk.co.uk/slow-cooker/fragrant_chicken_curry.htm