Self-isolation Activities

[Bryan 14,357]

20 hours ago, sb photos said:

 

Before the coronavirus pandemic I used to split my shops between Aldi, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Morrisons and Co-op, normally due to price or products. Now I shop more for safety, where I know there will be less shoppers at certain times and adapt meals around what is available, but it's costing more. I shopped at Sainsbury's last night, was at ease there. They had plenty of eggs but still no flour. Was told by the checkout girl that when flour arrives it sells out within the hour. We also have a weekly delivery of mainly vegetables from a local pub/restaurant, owned by NT but run by the local Chiltern Brewery. I only wish we had room for a bigger fridge freezer to minimise shopping.

Made the mistake of going early 8 am to the shops, huge queue at  Sainsbury's so headed for shorter queue at Aldi, but couldn't get all we wanted so had to go elsewhere. Still no good so returned to an empty Sainsbury's in the evening to finish the job. Tried to arrange home deliveries but can't even register at Sainsbury's, despite shopping there for years, better luck elsewhere but no slots available. It's a tad frustrating when you are told that you are in a vulnerable group but the weekly shop brings you into contact with so many people. In future no weekend shopping and evenings only.

[Ed Rooney 3,634]

I envy you people who are gardening your flowers and veg. The inner city has little to offer with the lockdown. But I've had no trouble food shopping. Mostly I've been going to the large M&S Foodhall on Church Street. Their longest queue had only a 15-minute wait. Mostly there's no queue outside. Inside they have spacing marked and a short wait. Mostly, I don't find prices at M&S to be higher than at the other supermarkets. I often get items that have been reduced. I'm saving a lot never eating out now and I don't eat dinner. There's also a Tesco Express around the corner and a Boots Pharmacy near M&S. 

 

Am I sick of this situation and bored? It is mind numbing. On my daily walk today I didn't bring the RX100/6 with me. How many shots of empty street or restaurant signs do I need?

 

I did capture the Beatles statutes yesterday with no one else near them.

 

 

 

Edited April 26, 2020 by Ed Rooney

[Allan Bell 2,417]

16 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

I envy you people who are gardening your flowers and veg. The inner city has little to offer with the lockdown. But I've had no trouble food shopping. Mostly I've been going to the large M&S Foodhall on Church Street. Their longest queue had only a 15-minute wait. Mostly there's no queue outside. Inside they have spacing marked and a short wait. Mostly, I don't find prices at M&S to be higher than at the other supermarkets. I often get items that have been reduced. I'm saving a lot never eating out now and I don't eat dinner. There's also a Tesco Express around the corner and a Boots Pharmacy near M&S. 

 

Am I sick of this situation and bored? It is mind numbing. On my daily walk today I didn't bring the RX100/6 with me. How many shots of empty street or restaurant signs do I need?

 

I did capture the Beatles statutes yesterday with no one else near them.

 

 

 

 

They are yours to do with as you please.😃

 

Allan

 

[Ed Rooney 3,634]

Allan, as you might imagine, there is normally a line of tourists waiting to do snapshots of themselves in front of these statues, even in the rain. The combo of the lockdown and the lovely spring weather is opportubity. But frankly, it's an opportunity I would rather not have. 

 

 

[Allan Bell 2,417]

4 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

Allan, as you might imagine, there is normally a line of tourists waiting to do snapshots of themselves in front of these statues, even in the rain. The combo of the lockdown and the lovely spring weather is opportubity. But frankly, it's an opportunity I would rather not have. 

 

 

 

Edo I must say I prefer the photo you took from the rear. It has a kind of appeal but can't put my finger on it. Like it better than the one with the people in from the front.

 

Got it. The one from the front to me is a touristy shot. The one from behind tells a story. Love it.

 

Allan

 

[Sally 1,630]

7 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

Allan, as you might imagine, there is normally a line of tourists waiting to do snapshots of themselves in front of these statues, even in the rain. The combo of the lockdown and the lovely spring weather is opportubity. But frankly, it's an opportunity I would rather not have. 

 

 

The only way I could get a photo of these guys without tourists in the shot (no matter how long I waited) when I visited Liverpool was to zoom in, but not really what I wanted.

[John Morrison 3,710]

These modern statues seem specifically designed for photo opportunities. They're on the ground, not on a plinth: down-to-earth, not grand.

 

Visitors to Morecambe pose next to the statue of Eric Morecambe, singing "Bring me sunshine"...

 

 

 

[Ed Rooney 3,634]

 

Sally, I do have an advantage with the great Fab Four monument, living in Liverpool. I have over 100 images of it now. On the other hand, I don't have a single image of Scotland. 😉

 

[losdemas 2,839]

4 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

Sally, I do have an advantage with the great Fab Four monument, living in Liverpool. I have over 100 images of it now. On the other hand, I don't have a single image of Scotland. 😉

 

 

Longer lens?

 

[spacecadet 3,810]

16 hours ago, John Morrison said:

These modern statues seem specifically designed for photo opportunities. They're on the ground, not on a plinth: down-to-earth, not grand.

 

Visitors to Morecambe pose next to the statue of Eric Morecambe, singing "Bring me sunshine"...

 

Here he is trying on my hat in today's weather..........

 

Edited April 28, 2020 by spacecadet

[losdemas 2,839]

18 minutes ago, spacecadet said:

Here he is trying on my hat in today's weather..........

 

 

Wonderful. Now there is a man whose legacy of bringing joy lives on.

[Thyrsis 456]

On 26/04/2020 at 19:11, Ed Rooney said:

I envy you people who are gardening your flowers and veg.

 

 

 

 

 

I planted this weird looking eremurus  bulb  late last year. Little did I know then how much time I would have to watch it grow! And I’ve just realised I spelt the name wrong on the caption...doh! 

Edited April 28, 2020 by Thyrsis

[spacecadet 3,810]

On 26/04/2020 at 19:11, Ed Rooney said:

I envy you people who are gardening your flowers and veg.

You could probably get some herbs, at least, in pots. Lemon trees take a while but we get something to slice into our gin- and it tastes better.

[Harry Harrison 448]

My neighbour has given me 4 sachets of yeast! Hurray, I can bake some bread again. I see that the standard Doves Farm 125g pack of dried yeast (£1.15 from Doves Farm - out of stock) has sold on ebay for over £35.00.

[NYCat 2,468]

30 minutes ago, Harry Harrison said:

My neighbour has given me 4 sachets of yeast! Hurray, I can bake some bread again. I see that the standard Doves Farm 125g pack of dried yeast (£1.15 from Doves Farm - out of stock) has sold on ebay for over £35.00.

 

Interesting. I was talking to a friend of mine in New Jersey and he said yeast is the one thing that is impossible to find now. All you wonderful people spending your isolation baking. Yummmm.

 

Paulette

[Thyrsis 456]

1 minute ago, NYCat said:

 

Interesting. I was talking to a friend of mine in New Jersey and he said yeast is the one thing that is impossible to find now. All you wonderful people spending your isolation baking. Yummmm.

 

Paulette

 

I’ve got yeast, but can’t find flour!

[spacecadet 3,810]

15 minutes ago, Thyrsis said:

 

I’ve got yeast, but can’t find flour!

You may have to get a 16kg miller's sack as a few people we know are doing and doling it out. Apparently only 4% of flour is  sold at retail and there aren't enough bagging machines to package more.

At least that was 3 weeks ago, or 300 years if you prefer.

Edited April 28, 2020 by spacecadet

[Martin P Wilson 1,140]

My wife makes a sodabread loaf each weekend and I would not swap it for a leavened bread. It is very tolerant of what flour is used, at various times she has replaced some of the strong bread flour flour with: pin head oatmeal, plain white flour, and wholemeal bread flour. It is always fabulous, it keeps well but it doesn't last😋 If she made it more often I would be the size of house!

 

There are a lot of straightforward sodabread recipes out there. BTW - it doesn't need kneading or proving, so it is quick to make.

Edited April 28, 2020 by Martin P Wilson

[Bionic 109]

Annoyingly we’re also struggling to find flour. What is frustrating is that we have about 850 tons of milling wheat in the grain store but no way to grind it down 😠

[Marianne 868]

I've been baking a lot but go through flour quickly as I am gluten intolerant and it only comes in small 1lb boxes. My husband got some plantain flour and almond flour as well as the all purpose gluten free King Arthur's brand but that's only enough for a few quick breads and some cinnamon coffee cake. 

 

Was headed out to a state park nearby shortly after lunch today (parking is free after 4:30 pm at which point there is nowhere left to park so best to get out before the crowds or you often have to turn around and go home) but my car battery is dead from sitting in the driveway unused. I didn't want to intrude on my husband's work day for him to jump it. Hubby has a small sports car. Although I actually taught him to drive a stick shift years ago when we first met, it's been over a decade since I drove a stick and I decided despite having 30+ years of practice before that, this wasn't the time to try my luck, grind the gears, and find myself stranded. So, out for a walk around the neighborhood.

 

Was out earlier hoping the Blue Angels would pass close enough for us to get a peek - the map showed them heading well north into the NYC suburbs, but they weren't even close enough for us to hear them coming. An odd time to salute our healthcare workers, though it was "lunchtime" I doubt many doctors and nurses in NYC were out and about at that hour, though I'd guess it would have drawn crowds of others just like the hospital ship coming into port. But I'd have love to have seen them - a nice if brief distraction from the monotony. 

 

After my walk I actually will try to turn my "compost" pile - rotted wood and leaves piled high in a corner of the yard. I'll have to read up on how to use it. But the dirt underneath is always dark and rich looking so I'm guessing it's worth adding to the soil when I plant? Will rotted wood leave me with bad stuff - it was from a tree that we had to cut down at leas 15 years ago - shortly after a huge oak came down and we ended up with so much firewood we couldn't use it fast enough before it rotted. 

 

What's the difference between LEAF (edit) mould and compost? So much to learn.

 

One thing this pandemic has done is convince me when we move it will be to a small house and not an apartment. But I better learn to garden. 

 

 

Edited April 29, 2020 by Marianne

[The Blinking Eye 317]

 

Edited April 29, 2020 by The Blinking Eye
Did not like that red arrow! I share my personal story and get a red arrow? WTF judgmental much? I do have many loved ones who are elders and in nursing homes who I think about daily. Not here to be judged negatively, thanks.

[Marianne 868]

Scavenged my emptying pantry and made a meatless pumpkin quinoa black bean chili. (I found a recipe, didn't have half the ingredients, so I innovated, e.g. substituting a couple of sweet potatoes for butternut squash, adding garlic, and choosing a different palette of spices - not to mention using black beans instead of pinto beans). My husband, who normally treats any meal without meat or fish as a side dish rather than a real dinner, loved it and found a single serving to be very filling. 

 

While I cooked he made us Magheritas with fresh squeezed limes, which we had with the homemade humus I made a few days ago and chips (delicate corn chips, what you'd call "crisps.")  A real cocktail hour before dinner as the pot of chili simmered Nice way to wind down the day. 

 

Tomorrow we get the car towed for a new battery. No luck with the jumper cables. The car is a little over 5 years old, low mileage but I think that's about the life of a battery so I shouldn't be surprised. 

Edited April 29, 2020 by Marianne

[Bryan 14,357]

Another longgggg day at the allotment beckons. A fellow gardener is marooned elsewhere by the lockdown so I am obliged to use their greenhouse as well as my own, it's all becoming a bit too much like hard work....  Rain forecast later in the day, so an early finish may be possible.

[Thyrsis 456]

13 minutes ago, Bryan said:

.....it's all becoming a bit too much like hard work....  

 

But so rewarding when you can pick your own fresh organic vegetables! We will have broad beans ready to pick in a few days.

[Ed Rooney 3,634]

16 hours ago, spacecadet said:

You could probably get some herbs, at least, in pots. Lemon trees take a while but we get something to slice into our gin- and it tastes better.

 

Mark, are you talking to me? Are you talking to me???