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Home > Blogs > Norfolk Single Dad > Posted in January 2008 Norfolk Single DadPosted in January 2008A slice of English life in all its glory, through the eyes of a 39 year-old single dad and his amazing 4 year-old son.... I Went
Source: Eddie2sox But I'll still be lurking here, adding the odd (very odd?) comment on other people's blogs.... My new therapy centre is here:
http://norfolksingledad.blogspot.com/
Thanks IMM, it's been a really good fun year here! To report this post follow the permalink aboveShould I Stay Or Should I Go?
Source: Eddie2sox My mind is already almost made up. I feel that Norfolk Single Dad's time at IMM is almost up.
My post ridiculing the police force yesterday has been removed. I've asked for a reason, so we'll see why it was pulled (hopefully). The police post was intensely sarcastic, but not offensive (judging by the comments that have been returned by the few people I have asked who read it). It was exactly 180 degrees to the media-portrayed feeling of "Good on our brave boys in blue, give 'em more cash". It was the opposite point of view. So if my posts are being deleted because they happen to clash with A. N. Other's opinion, tough.
But maybe it was an error?
However I've been on the verge of moving to a "proper" blog site for a while, for a few reasons: 1. People have to register with IMM to leave comments, which puts 99% of people off. I've been told this by many people. 2. Lack of photo opportunities. I asked when multiple photos would be possible. I was told "it's on the schedule". Presuming that a "schedule" has some kind of timescale (however vague) attached, I asked "Roughly when will that be?".....no answer after a month. 3. Lack of blog functionality, which dedicated blog sites have already embedded. This is, let's be honest, a text dump area attached to an advertising website. A fun place to dump, but limited.
I've greatly enjoyed my time at IMM, and I am really hoping that the removal of the police post was a mistake. But if I have to move, so be it. I'll wait 48 hours for an explanation of the censorship. If either no explanation is forthcoming OR I don't agree with the reason, then I'm off.
In the meantime I'm blogging to word processor. Lucky that I did the same with the police post, which will be the second one on the new blog.
My very, very most honest opinion? I think that it's shocking that an inoffensive but sarcastic post from a long-term blogger might be deleted at the whim of one reader with the opposite opinion. To report this post follow the permalink abovePoached Eggs XII - Poached Egg Machine - "The Inhuman!"
Source: Eddie2sox On loan from Old Bob of the Woolpack‘s Grumpy Old MenÂ’s Club, last in our competition is The Poached Egg MachineÂ…. It’s not really a machine of course, it’s a poaching pan, but for the purposes of this blog “machine” sounds much more exciting and “brave new world“. In fact, you often see robots on the news these days……people make robots that play football against each other, robots that disco dance, robots that run up the stairs. Well, I challenge the boffins to create a robot that can poach a perfect egg….Get cracking, Eggheads! (Wow, that last sentence had two puns for the price of one)! This Poached Egg Machine comprises a shallow pan with a tray that fits snugly on the top. In the tray there are eight holes, four large and four tiny. In each large hole is a black plastic bowl with a small raised handle. The whole ensemble is completed with a lid similar to that found on a saucepan. You can’t find this recipe on the Internet.
Ease & Effort:3.5 - Pretty much a doddle! All you have to do is half fill the pan with water, bring it to the boil, pop your eggs in the black bowls, and wait. Nothing can go wrong. Unless you scald your finger with the steam pouring through one of the tiny holes of course. Or forget to butter the inside of the black bowl before you put your egg in - luckily I remembered to do this. Sit back for three minutes and your eggs are lovely - allegedly. Three minutes came and went for me and the egg didn’t look done. Four minutes. Four and a half minutes. Five minutes. Eventually, at the six minute point I removed the egg, fearful that the yolk would have been cooked to rubber. Presentation:4.5 - The perfect circle! After eleven previous attempts with varying degrees of success, this poacher at least guarantees a round egg. The surface of the egg looked a little…..hmmmm…….wrong though, I expect due to the close proximity with the plastic bowl. Minor fault-picking apart, a good look for a poached egg. Yolk:2.0 - Despite the 6 minute stretch the yolk was pretty damn good. In fact it would have scored full marks but could actually have done with slightly longer in the pan! White:1.0 - Great shape, worrying consistency. Although the outer parts were cooked perfectly, there were part-cooked, fluid-type patches towards the centre. Once again, a little longer cooking time would have been ideal, but when the clock hits 6 minutes, this blogger/poacher gets nervous!
Final Scores On The DoorsAustralian Egg Corporation - 13.0 Mahalo - 12.5 Vash The Stampede - 12.0 Old Bob - 11.5 Mr Breakfast - 11.5 Poached Egg Machine - 11.0 Rick Stein - 10.5 Mrs Beeton - 9.0 Woolpack Wally - 8.5 Ainsley Harriott - 6.5 James Martin - 6.0 Delia Smith - 4.0 So, after two months of heated (geddit?) competition, you can see from the scores above how it all panned (boom boom) out. The Aussie Egg Corporation triumphed, so well done to them. The podium places were also filled by Johnny Foreigner, with two American methods taking silver and bronze. Leading Brit was Old Bob himself, with whom the whole thing began two months to the day ago. As far as egg recipes go, don’t shell out (arf arf) for a “Delia Does Eggs” book, it won’t be all it’s cracked (yabbadabbadoo!) up to be. Keep your eyes on this here blog because the next challenge will soon - very soon mes amis - be revealed. The emails seeking recipe-permissions are out, and the replies are starting to return….
Send Me Your Comments!New this time - YOUR chance to participate in the world’s best blog-based cooking/tasting eggy competition. The Welsh Rarebit thread prompted loads of comments and emails, and I wish I’d shared some of them with you. So. Email me at trix68@hotmail.co.uk or leave a comment on the blog.
To report this post follow the permalink above Allotment!
Source: Eddie2sox This is the new 2-Sox allotment, at a secret location deep in the heart of King's Lynn.... The aim being to produce lots of homegrown, healthy fruit and vegetables, educate Sam in all things gardening related, and get some exercise.
I think it will be a lot of fun for Sam to be involved in the entire process of food production, from preparing the ground, planting the seeds, cultivating the plants, harvesting the crops, and cooking and eating the end product.
It will be fun for me too of course, the anorak in me loves planning out what goes where, when to plant, etc etc.
There are some things we need first though. Tools. Wellies. A flat cap. So my mission now is to beg/borrow as many of the things we require, and to buy them as a last resort.
Anyone got a garden spade they don't want anymore? To report this post follow the permalink aboveThe Lost Years!
Source: Eddie2sox I was reclining on the settee at the weekend, tickling the catÂ’s chin (no, thatÂ’s not a euphemism), when I realised something of the utmost importance.... The Eighties. The decade from hell, when selfishness was in fashion and it was mandatory to dump on as many people as you could as you tried to reach the top of your chosen career. Let’s look at the facts. Clothes were awful. Women sported shoulder pads the size of ironing boards, puffball skirts were “cool” and the only denim deemed acceptable was stone-washed almost white. But you couldn’t wear jeans on their own, oh no, you had to team them with a denim shirt (with poppers not buttons) and top off the look with a denim jacket. Levi’s were the jean du jour, which made Barry Levi from Bolton a multi-millionaire (he invented ‘em you know). Football was dull, England were rubbish (some things don’t change), Super Leeds were relegated and suffered eight years in exile. The Olympics were rubbish too as Russia and America’s tit for tat boycotts made consecutive Games almost irrelevant. In cricket England (well, Beefy Botham and Bob Willis mainly) spanked the Aussies at Headingley in 1980, but didn’t win another Test Match for the rest of the decade. ICE SKATING was popular! Hands up if you remember any of the following cars with affection - Vauxhall Viva, Morris Marina, Ford Cortina, Austin Allegro, Vauxhall Chevette, Mini Metro? If you said yes, then you’re living proof that we remember things as being better than they really were. All those cars I just listed, plus just about every other car from the Eighties, were shambolic. Badly built and finished, most would show signs of rust within a fortnight of purchase. Maggie Thatcher shafted the miners. In fact Maggie Thatcher shafted nearly everyone, carried along on a wave of jingoism created by starting a ridiculous war with Argentina over some seemingly worthless rocks in the South Atlantic. People criticise Blair and Bush for fighting financial wars based on oil, but Thatcher was at it years ago, “reclaiming” the Falklands to ensure Britain’s presence in the mineral rich Antarctic. It’s certainly not about the people, I’ve been there and they’re a miserable bunch of ingrates who charge British servicemen twice as much for goods and services as their own inbred neighbours. What about the telly? Neighbours landed and has stuck with us like **** to a blanket. Dallas and Dynasty bored us stupid on Saturday nights. Starsky & Hutch was great (at the time) but watch it again now and maaaaaan, it’s terrible. Enough of all that though. What made me wonder about people’s sanity was…..why does everybody claim to love the music from the Decade That Taste Forgot? And I mean EVERYONE. “Ooooh I love me eighties music, dancing round the bedroom singing into me hairspray pretending I was Paula Abdul.” Eighties music was CRAP! Sure there are a few shining exceptions, but for every band like The Smiths there’s ten more like Wham. Where there’s Blondie, there’s an avalanche of Duran Bloody Duran soundalikes. Renee & Renata? Tight Fit? Kajagoogoo? Culture Club? Shakin’ Stevens, Chris De Burgh, Rick Astley, Jason Donovan, Jive Chuffing Bunny, The Police! The music of The Eighties is - just like the Clothes, the Sport, the Cars and the Politics - embarrassing.
And breathe…..
Rant over. To report this post follow the permalink abovePoached Eggs XI - Woolpack Wally - The Fold
Source: Eddie2sox Another lovingly hand-crafted recipe from a member of The Woolpack‘s Grumpy Old Men ClubÂ…. There‘s slight trepidation as I review the method. All I have is: 1. Rolling boil. 2. Virgin olive oil (2/3 drops). 3. Crack egg into cup. 4. Tip into centre. 5. Use 2 spoons to fold in extra bits. 6. Roll egg. 7. 2 minutes. 8. Serve! So there are some assumptions to be made. I used the “usual” pan that has been used for most of these poached eggs, filled halfway. But “use two spoons”? What kind? Teaspoons? Wetherspoons? No idea. As the instruction was to “fold in extra bits” I decided to use wooden spoons, a) because they’re quite big, and, b) because if I’m holding a metal spoon in boiling water for two minutes it is gonna get chuffing hot! Wally’s effort was not too bad, and leaves him sandwiched between Mrs Beeton and Ainsley Harriott - now that’s one fetish party I DON’T want an invite to…. You can find this recipe here : www.wallyscrazyhead.org.bonkersforwardslashhatstand
Ease & Effort:3.0 - Very simple instructions, always a plus point. In this case simple does not equal easy though. The main down point being the “folding” required, which makes this a very labour intensive way to poach your breakfast. I was a little dubious about the lack of “whirl”, and the use of olive oil. The oil is a complete contrast to the accepted use of acids, and I was wondering how and if that would work, as everyone knows that oil and water do not mix. It wasn’t great. The oil floated around in a tiny pool on the top of the water, and the egg spread far and wide on entry. For the next 90 seconds I tried to fold the outspread albumen into the middle, with little success, and I was thinking that this would be a complete disaster. Miraculously, in the final half minute of cooking, some order was established and the egg “sort of” came together. Presentation:2.5 - Average. The widespread white is a worry in the pan and a turn-off on the toast. Too big, not round enough, with a few straggly shards here and there. Yolk:1.5 - Not quite cooked enough for my liking, and after 11 attempts at poaching I‘m getting very particular. Spread rapidly as soon as I cut into it. White:1.5 - Not a bad consistency, but there were a few pieces that were too liquid for my taste. Also too many strands, thanks to the “unusual” cooking method.
Scores On The DoorsAustralian Egg Corporation - 13.0 Mahalo - 12.5 Vash The Stampede - 12.0 Old Bob - 11.5 Mr Breakfast - 11.5 Rick Stein - 10.5 Mrs Beeton - 9.0 Woolpack Wally - 8.5 Ainsley Harriott - 6.5 James Martin - 6.0 Delia Smith - 4.0
Running Order:12 - Poached Egg Machine Your Points Of View Sister L again, this time on the Australian Egg Corporation : “Don't like to sound too Pommie but I tried to dislike this on principle ( Kylie/Jason followed by bro Henry has had a lasting detrimental effect on my tolerance of all things Aussie) but ended up admitting I would give this one a go - it does look appetising. Is poached egg an Australian dish though? I always thought it was as British as the Full English!”
Send Me Your Comments!New this time - YOUR chance to participate in the world’s best blog-based cooking/tasting eggy competition. The Welsh Rarebit thread prompted loads of comments and emails, and I wish I’d shared some of them with you. So. Email me at trix68@hotmail.co.uk or leave a comment on the blog. To report this post follow the permalink aboveSnazzy Shoes, Soccer & Sport Relief
Source: Eddie2sox A fabtastic 27 hours with my little boy. Sam has new trainers, watched a football match, and entered his second ever Mile race! A lovely time this weekend, starting when I collected Sam from school and our walk home was with his classmate William and William's family. Sam and William had a fine old time tearing up and down the small bank just inside The Walks, I ran on ahead with them as a safety marshall.
Sam was tired after his week at school so we had a low-key Friday night, and soon he was snoring gently, live and direct from the Land Of Nod. He didn't wake up until seven next morning! I wish I could say the same, but I had one of the most terrifying nightmares I have ever experienced.
Nightmare
For some reason I had been to China on some official job, and somehow upset the government! But now I was back in England (somewhere "like" Newquay) and having a barbecue with friends outside a local pub. There were LOADS of people I knew there, mainly English mates but some Lithuanian, Pavel from Latvia, and a few more cosmopolitan types from the like of USA, Brazil, Korea, etc. Someone turned a telly on and the Chinese Prime Minister (or whatever they have - it was a woman anyhow) was pictured leading a protest march against what I had done. A mate ordered a takeaway to be delivered. Then, on the TV, a correspondent said something like "There have been threats against the person that sparked this whole incident" (i.e. me). Almost immediately a scooter pulled up in front of the pub and an oriental looking bloke jumped off with a small package in their hand and made straight for me. ****, I thought, he's come to shoot me! It turned out that he was the delivery bloke with the previously ordered takeaway.Everyone laughed but I felt uneasy and grabbed a close friend and asked him to come with me and get away from there. We walked out of the back door of the pub and got into his car, when he said "Look there's Mo (our Korean mate), getting into a car as well. He's got a takeaway too. No, hold on, he's got a ******* gun! ****!" We sped off and sure enough Mo chased us, and all of a sudeen we weren't driving in the real world but inside a huge old house, for some reason. We drove to the top of some stairs onto a landing and Mo was catching up, I told my mate to carry on to distract Mo and I would hide. Unfortunately Mo knew exactly where I was and as I hid under another staircase (one of those with just boards and no vertical bits) he shot me three times, shouting "Kill kill kill" as he did it.
I woke up terrified and extremely relieved that it wasn't real. First thought was to check on everyone else, i.e. Sam then the bloody cat (!), then I had to go and watch TV for half an hour until I even half-regained my composure. Scary as ****.
I Put MY New Shoes On!
Since Sam started full time school I'd noticed a slight problem that nobody had foreseen. When Sam was at nursery he was always in "civilian" clothes when I picked him up on a Friday. Now I collect him from school he is in uniform, with no civvy clothes or shoes. So, rather than Sam having to spend all weekend in his school shoes I decided that he needed a pair of trainers that would be kept at our flat. Trip to Clarks, feet measured, and Sam picked some Absolutely Bobby Dazzler red and white trainers, that look more like something that Paolo Maldini would wear than a 4-year-old. He loves them though. So home for dinner before heading out to the match!
King's Lynn 1 Tiverton Town 1
Sam has been to a "proper" football game before, but it was 16 months ago and he didn't really care about being there. This time we went because he'd asked if we could go to a football game, and he had (well, so did I) a brilliant afternoon. We paid into the stand before kick-off, and after a trip to the club shop to purchase a King's Lynn woolly hat - Sam chose an England one instead. Sam actually took an interest in the game, and I'll copy and paste my two-pennorth from the KLFC web forum if you don't mind:
As a "nearly neutral" I really enjoyed the match today, and was as amazed as some of the other posters here as to how well the pitch held up. I guess dropping 2 points at home to a mid-table team will be used by a lot of people as "Webb Out", "We're @#$%&" ammunition, but that wasn't really the case from what I saw. Lynn set the pace with two crunching "chase 'em down" tackles in the first 10 seconds, and the momentum built up by that eventually led to an early lead. Scored by a 1 goal a year man apparently, but he finished it off brilliantly. Apart from one incident when Warren was turned, left for dead, but helped out by the goalie, the first half was one way traffic, as the two bookings for Tiverton defenders serve to illustrate. I have seen hundreds of games in my time and was fully expecting a halftime lead of at least 2 goals, should have been more. The crossing from both Francis AND Frew (who was skinning their number 3 every time thanks to lots of clever passes between the full back and centre back for him to run on to) was almost always superb, and needed someone to do an Andy Gray and GAAAAMBLE, sliding in on their ass with their foot stuck out. That "gambler" would have had a hat-trick by the interval! I don't think Defty is anywhere near mobile enough to even attempt that kind of thing. Talking of Defty, I last saw him against Corby when they lost 0-1, and thought he looked chunky, yet people said he'd slimmed down - well today I think he's added some timber back on. Not that I can comment really, being a self-confessed lard-ass. The second half was better for Tiverton, I guess they got a bollocking after their woeful performance before the break. Skippy had a half-decent game, despite looking frozen solid and wearing girlie gloves. It was 80% Lynn on the attack, but I missed the visitor's goal when I had to take 2-Sox Junior to answer the call of nature (sorry to anyone in the stand who we made stand up 2 or 3 times today). In the last quarter there were chances galore, which definitely made me think that this team needs a QUALITY striker to finish off all the good approach work. Nolan did come on but looked ineffective to me. In summary, I really enjoyed the game! So did 2-Sox Junior to some extent, although being just 4 he didn't pay full attention for the whole 90 minutes. But he's asked to go again, so maybe there's a new Linnet in the making. Francis - runs brilliantly with the ball, tricky and a lot faster than he appears. £11 well spent!
We carried on having fun on the way home with running races, comedy hat-pulling, and dancing, and then all too soon the dreaded time arrived once more. Time to go back to Mummy's.
Sport Relief
As a blatant plug, please take a look at Sam's Sport Relief sponsorship page, and if you can spare a bob or two, please do! We're running at 10 a.m. on Sunday March 16th in Norwich. The web address is:
http://www.mysportrelief.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=20858
The Final Word On A Good Weekend
It doesn't matter how great the time together is. When you leave your home laughing and joking with your son, and then return 20 minutes later alone, in silence, with just their coat and a pair of shoes, it's still utterly heart-breaking. Luv ya Sam xx To report this post follow the permalink aboveScams Latest
Source: Eddie2sox Seconds Out - Round Three! At last one gullible scammer has replied to my second standard reply. What a breakthrough. He's even started including the word "Frottage" in the subject line, bless him/her.
Naturally I have returned a new standard reply, which reads as follows: "Hi xxxx old bean, Thank you for the email. The word “FROTTAGE” tells me you are genuine. However, I cannot continue until I am sure about you and your religion. I am a member of the religion known as “The West Norfolk Congregation Of Left-Handed Rug Munchers”. We have very specific beliefs and rituals and I need to know if your own religious beliefs are compatible. For example, how many times a week do you - personally - felch? Please let me know all about your religion before we can continue. I (literally) can’t wait to hear from you again. Remember - FROTTAGE on top. Huggles, Delia Oliver"
Fingers crossed that he continues his good form and makes himself the first member of the "fourth reply" club as well. At that point I'll introduce a request to see him/her posed with some ridiculous message or item, as shown in the pic. Scammers. I love 'em! To report this post follow the permalink abovePoached Eggs X - Australian Egg Corporation - The Lemon
Source: Eddie2sox Let‘s face it, Australians are not renowned for their humilityÂ…. I was expecting this recipe to proclaim something along the lines of “this bleedin method knocks the dingo’s socks off any of your crappy Pommie or American ways, ya great galahs!” But it didn’t. Amazingly, the Australian Egg Corporation seem almost apologetic, as the phrase “cooking them just right can be tricky. Here’s our best advice” hints. Is the Aussie Egg Co’s publicity department run by an Englishman? Or have we accidentally stumbled upon the first ever example of an Australian who admits that the way Oz does it might not be the best? Shocked by this revelation I got on with the recipe. The sole reason I picked this one was the use of EITHER vinegar or lemon juice as the binding agent. I guess this means that all those who say only vinegar works are wrong, it seems that any acidic cooking-friendly liquid is the way forward. You can find this recipe here : http://www.eggs.org.au/index.asp?pageid=193
Ease & Effort:4.0 - Simple, straightforward, no hidden tricky bits. BUT. On two vital points the Aussie ambiguity cannot be ignored. The recipe states “Add one teaspoon of vinegar OR lemon juice”, and later “Either create a whirlpool OR wait for all the tiny bubbles of (sic) the side of the pan to disappear”. Two important choices left to the individual. I am guessing that most people who (need to) follow recipes do so because they want to be told exactly how to create the perfect end product. Having to make your own decisions, twice, will surely only create some doubt and apprehension. I chose to use lemon juice for the novelty, and to create a small whirlpool (mainly because there were no smalls bubbles on the side of my pan!). The lemon juice was interesting; when added to the water it fizzed almost like Alka-Seltzer does, and kept producing small twisters of tiny bubbles on the base of the pan throughout. So much so that the cooking time passed very quickly as I watched the water. Unheard of. A good effort, let down by the two “up to you, cobber” choices. Presentation:4.5 - This turned out beautifully! A “small whirlpool” and the implementation of the mid-point of the cooking time range produced a lovely-looking end product. In the pan the egg had four or five strands floating around, which was slightly worrying, but when the egg was drained - through the slotted spoon on a paper towel - the strands stuck in place and a well-defined “yolk inside the white” shape was the result. Fabulous! Yolk:2.0 - Consistent yellow colour throughout, tasted lovely, the only minor criticism I can make is that the eventual 3 ½ minute cooking time was just so ever-so-slightly too much. As you can see from the pic the yolk didn’t spread very far. But I’d rather “ever so slightly” too little than WAAAAAAAY too much, any day of the weekend. Almost perfect. White:2.5 - Spot on. No points lost. The Torville & Dean of the Poached Egg Challenge. Take a look at the photo. The white is very nearly a perfect circle, it is perfectly cooked, you can’t taste the lemon juice, and it even had the decency to leave its hangers-on at the paper towel stage. If Carlsberg cooked poached eggs, they still wouldn’t get it this right. Summary:Exceptionally, I have decided to summarise this method. It was fan-bloody-tastic. No airs and graces. Simplicity itself. Try it for yourself. The only downer? In a recipe that I started by describing possibly the first Aussie on Earth to show humility instead of arrogance, the end product was totally deserving of a large slice of Arrogant-Told-Ya-So Pie. I’m converted to lemon juice.
Scores On The DoorsAustralian Egg Corporation - 13.0 Mahalo - 12.5 Vash The Stampede - 12.0 Old Bob - 11.5 Mr Breakfast - 11.5 Rick Stein - 10.5 Mrs Beeton - 9.0 Ainsley Harriott - 6.5 James Martin - 6.0 Delia Smith - 4.0
Running Order:11 - Woolpack Wally 12 - Poached Egg Machine
Your Points Of ViewAnother nice comment from Sister L who added the following, referring to Mister Breakfast : “this looks quite appetising. Liked the Americanisms - they're something else aren't they?”
Send Me Your Comments!New this time - YOUR chance to participate in the world’s best blog-based cooking/tasting eggy competition. The Welsh Rarebit thread prompted loads of comments and emails, and I wish I’d shared some of them with you. So. Email me at trix68@hotmail.co.uk or leave a comment on the blog. To report this post follow the permalink aboveA Walk In The Park?
Source: Eddie2sox Not in our park, that's for sure. It's flooded again.... The route to and from Sam's school cuts across the "Victorian masterpiece" park The Walks in King's Lynn, there's even a new path being built onto our exact trajectory across the biggest open space. Shame that it's been under water since Tuesday eh? (See pic). Sam's not that bothered, it just takes an extra few minutes to go a longer way round, although I'm sure he'd rather run straight through the middle of it, however the heck deep it might be. He has that wistful "I wish...." look in his eye when he looks at the sodden ground.
So, what's been happening? I was really sick for 36 hours, added to the fairly sick of the last week. Seems to be on the way out now though, although I've shelved the pub cleaning for the time being. The free papers delivery nearly chuffing did me in for good! Anyway, onwards and upwards, I now have applications in and pending for nine jobs, and I am feeling quite confident in myself that I'll land one of them. It's going to be weird to get back into a proper routine. In the meantime I've been starting to make the most of my (hopefully) last week or three at home in the daytime, starting to give the flat a massively thorough clean. I need to obtain a new mattress too, the current one has had it! Mattresses aren't cheap though, so I was wondering how I was going to afford it - then karma strolled in and paid my interest on all the karma points I've been trying to bank recently. Someone I lent some money to to help them through a crisis last year (or was it the year before?) has finally sold their house and moved, so with any luck that money will be making a return journey to buy the new mattress. Yay for karma!
Tomorrow Sam and me will be zooming into town in the morning to get Sam's hair cut and also feed the ducks in the park, and in the afternoon Sam wants to go to see King's Lynn host Tiverton. So if you see an old ugly git with an incredibly handsome 4 year old, who looks like he's just had a haircut and is sporting a new KLFC bobble hat, say hello, it'll be us! To report this post follow the permalink aboveUnclean!
Source: Eddie2sox Keep away from 2-Sox Towers, because There Be Germs! I've be sick as a parrot for the last two days! No, I haven't just been on the losing side in a football match on Match Of The Day. I have been practicing my International standard vomitting, and I have to say I have become very good at it. Usually get it in the toilet bowl and everything. Anyway, I've dragged my sorry ass off to pick up Sam from school, which I ajm quite proud of. Less proud of phoning in ill to the cleaning job.
So, the time with Sam. It's still far too short, as mentioned last week, but at least I get to see him and feed him nice food. And comb out his nits. We've had some slightly unhealthy teas. Last night was pork and leek sausages, mash and beans, tonight we had veggie pies, alphabetti spaghetti and oven chips. Sam didn't eat all of his because he stuffed two massive bananas down as soon as we got in from school. Mucho laughter watching Scooby-Doo and Shaun The Sheep, a little bit of homework (Sam's mum mysteriously picked up on this, but she doesn't read the blog, oh no), it's all good. Blimey, how much do I love my little star? Luckily he seems to think I'm OK as well!
Thursday demands that I do the papers. WE all got a telling off for late deliveries last week but I phoned today to explain the sick bug situation, and that was fine. Gotta be done tomorrow though, hope I wake up feeling better. To be honest, the actual delivery part of the papers is quite good fun, it's the sorting of the leaflets that's the pain in the bum. But then again, how many jobs can you do while watching TV or listening to the radio? Hopefully tomorrow will be cleaning the pub, delivering the first round, dinner of chips and beans from Denny's chip shop, deliver the second round, then home to fill in two more job applications. If I feel OK I might even go bonkers and treat myself to a cosy date with my mate Stella in the evening. (Artois that is, not McCartney).
Horror moment of the day? Claudius the Cat jumped onto the back of the settee for some fuss and promptly sneezed into my face. Snot and everything. Animals have such weird ways of showing affection, and it's not like I'm short of germs at the moment. Maybe I'll get my own back later and vomit on him while he's sitting in his litter tray. Revenge is a dish best served "projectile style"! (The pic is my ideal next cat after Claudius). To report this post follow the permalink aboveFab weekend
Source: Eddie2sox Well, I like reporting that life is crap, but this weekend was not too bad.... It started on Friday night when Sam had a bad dream just as I was going to bed. Of course I shovelled the little lad into Daddy’s bed, meaning to put him back later - but I didn’t. Sam had a good night’s sleep but he’s a right jifflebum (copyright my mum and dad) so I had the worst night’s sleep ever. Sam fidgeted, the water boiler fizzed and gurgled, upstairs were noisy, and one of Sam’s fire engines decide to sound its siren at random intervals. I went to bed at 12.05 and was awake at 1.15, 2.45, 3.05, 4.26 for sure. Probably in between too. We spent a nice morning inside, where the cold couldn’t get us. The radio was on as we played, and ate a great breakfast of scrambled egg, bacon and toast. Sam is gradually becoming more open to new foods which is a delight to see. Might give the Brussels sprout ice cream a miss for a while though, I know I love cramming hidden veg into foods but there’s a limit! The morning was such fun, we didn’t get dressed until dinner time! Lots of play involving Sam’s Lego, he really enjoys it, and he loves the fact that he can say, for example, “Daddy, what my goodies need is like a boat that can fly, but has a radar and a fridge and a muffin making machine, and 3 seats, 2 steering wheels and 4 engines”. And we get the Lego box out and we cobble something together, as if by magic. In the afternoon we went to visit Sam’s Nana in Sleaford. It was freezing cold but we still took Didi the dog out to chuck a ball for her to chase and wear her out, and Sam was highly delighted to find that there were some Christmas presents for him that we’d missed last time we visited. It was a nice visit, and I hope it boosts Nana’s spirit’s a little too. Back home we devoured chicken curry. I offered Sam the option of rice or leftover chip shop chips, so guess what he chose. He absolutely wolfed his tea down, in the belief that it’s chicken - if he knew it was Quorn I don’t know how he’d react. But we both had a big tea, then a happy bathtime, then the dreaded return to mummy’s. You know, I can’t do anything right in that woman’s eyes. Sam came home on the Friday without his school sweatshirt - “You have to make sure he has everything with him” - how’s about the people in loco parentis actually do that kind of thing? I told her that I had used nit treatment in Sam’s hair (thinking that was a positive thing) - “Oh there’s no point doing that, the nits are immune to it anyway, you need to just wash the hair and use a nit comb like I do” - (Except you don’t have a nit comb, and that’s the second time you’ve told me that lie expecting me to believe it). At this point I was struggling not to say something back, so rolled my eyes and made an intake of breath instead - “I’m not telling you off, I’m just telling you what you need to do” - (“telling me off”? I’m not 8 years old. You are, in fact, criticising me, and every aspect of my parenting). I kept my cool in the end - hey, I’m a better person. Then I went to the pub. I had a huge THREE pints of Kronenbourg, and a great chat with Sue & Trevor (hi chaps!). Three pints. I was VERY pleased with my self-control. On Sunday and Monday I have just been cooking up food for Sam, cleaning the flat, going slowly. Made myself some fantastic fried rice which I combined with some Dad Curry from the freezer, I am a culinary superstar! Today? It’s Sam time! I’ll be off to collect him at 3, for some quality Dad & Lad time. Bangers and mash for tea, with healthy baked beans. To report this post follow the permalink aboveOnline Surveys?
Source: Eddie2sox I complete several online surveys on behalf of market research companies each week. I just had a surprise! One group I complete surveys for is called "Global Test Market". I've been doing surveys for a while, and you are awarded a certain number of points for each one.
For once I thought I would see what my points might have earned me, and blow me down, it's money! ALLEGEDLY.
For every point you earn you gain five US cents. Doesn't sound much but I had totted up 1678 points. This works out at about $80+, not bad as a surprise windfall. Sure, it's a very slow way to earn a few bob, but what a nice surprise to think I might be £40 better off.
So, I've pressed the "Redeem" button, and apparently a cheque, in sterling, will arrive within 6 to 8 weeks. Is it a big scam? Who knows. Hopefully I will be able to report back that it is all above board. If not, "I predict a riot!" To report this post follow the permalink aboveBedsocks!
Source: Eddie2sox What do yours look like? As you can see, mine are bright red. They're actually the Sport Relief socks from 2006. And very warm.
Bedsocks. I love 'em. To report this post follow the permalink aboveWomen? Crap Drivers!
Source: Eddie2sox Chaps, women spend hours telling us how they can "multi-bloody-task".... And I've always suspected that they can do several things at the same time, but badly.
View the photo. Women say they are better drivers. Laughable. The car in the pic is a result of a woman "multi-tasking", also known as driving AND talking on a mobile.
The result? Loud, hard chick on chick action. Crash, bang........cry. This was a two bird collision near 2-Sox Towers. Yes I laughed. Don't mind me, I'm just taking the pee.
Women? You claim every high ground going. But, really, you're just baby machines....with added washing up duties. (Irony). To report this post follow the permalink aboveTom Hanks - Football Hooligan?
Source: Eddie2sox Have a read of this press release and make your own mind up. Is Tom Hanks one of the "top boys"? Amazing but maybe true! Tom Hanks likes getting involved at football? I'm not saying I believe it, but why would any reputable press company (Re*ters) go for the following?
January 9, 2008 -- Updated 2113 GMT (0513 HKT) The 51 Year old Oscar winner paraded in regalia of the Birmingham outfit at the premier for his latest offering Charlie Wilsons war, in London ,Wednesday. Asked by assembled reporters for an explanation, he indicated that the Villa’s prowess on the soccer field was what attracted him to be a fan. Now, in an astonishing interview, his publicity assistant Juliette Ohala has hinted that the reason Hanks is being tempted to defect from his beloved Oakland Raiders, may be a little more sinister. It seems that while Hanks was making his Oscar nominated 2002 blockbuster ‘Catch me if you Can’, his security detail included one Steven Hughes, a 41 year old Englishman. Hughes left the UK in 1997 after being convicted of committing violence at soccer stadiums in England and being a member of a banned hooligan outfit known as the ‘Villa Youth’. Hanks was already aware of the English hooligan scene through his close friend Samuel L Jackson, who ran with a crew called the Liverpool Urchins while making 51st State in the UK in 2000. Jackson often describes his time in Liverpool as ‘the most alive I’ve ever felt’. He’s well known on the Hollywood party circuit for waxing lyrically about the ‘honour and comradeship’ he felt while he was an honory member of the Urchins. At a press briefing in New York, Friday, Ohala seemed unaware of the bad feeling generated by soccer hooligans in England and Europe. She told over 40 showbiz journalists that, through his friendship with Hughes, Hanks has spent time with the Villa Youth gang in recent weeks and was on the fringes of an ‘off’ (fight) when the side played English champions Manchester United two weeks prior. “ This is not gang violence as we know it in the US”, explained Ohala. “This is fighting your equals without weapons, and without protection from the law. Tom finds it a totally primal experience. Its just so out there for him”. She went onto say that Hanks hopes to link up with his new friends again later this year and has already been buying designer Italian casualwear, much favoured by the Villa crew. “This is a big thing for Tom”, said Ohala. “He’s achieved so much, but feels that modern life removes so much of the risk our ancestors faced daily, that we need to put ourselves back into that environment in order to reconnect with our true selves. The next time he goes to the UK, he’ll be right in there with the guys—he’s going to totally tear the place up”. Whether the English police will share Hanks enthusiasm for his new pastime remains to be seen. Soccer hooliganism is seen as a serious offence in the Europe and can carry a jail sentence of up to 5 years. To report this post follow the permalink aboveOn The Up! Yes, You Read That Right!
Source: Eddie2sox That was a wet, wet, wet Friday, that was! I was so utterly drenched and full of damp when I got in from Tesco and the chemist that not only could I feel it in my fingers, I could feel it in my toes as well. Terrible weather. Fortunately it did stop for an hour when it was time to collect Sam from school, so at least he didn’t get soaked too. He just got muddy in the park on the way home instead, don’t tell mummy! We had a lovely relaxed evening tonight, without the six o’clock Sword Of Damocles hanging over us. Bathtime included treatment of Sam’s nits problem, generously passed on by one of his school buddies (and forewarned by his mum on the phone last night). Sam was sooooo good about the whole thing. It involved a normal hair wash and towel dry (never been something that Sam enjoys), then glooping some stinky stuff on the hair and massaging it in as well as you can manage. This has to be left on for ten minutes then rinsed off, and finally the hair has to be carefully combed with the nit comb provided, to remove any remaining critters, alive or dead. Let’s hope it worked. Incidentally, naughty mummy, telling me to get a nit comb “like we’ve got here” - then Sam volunteering the information “Mummy has lost her nit comb Daddy, she used a big comb brusher”. Tut Tut! Tea was great, very tasty, but not too unhealthy. Low salt/sugar baked beans, small low fat sausages (aka Wee Willie Winkies), Daddy’s home made chicken nuggets (DAMN they’re good!), and for a blast of authentic lard, proper chips from the chip shop. The bonkers lady in Denny’s gave Sam a lolly as usual, which made his day. Tomorrow we’re going to visit Nana in Lincolnshire as it’s two weeks since we were up there. Spoke to her tonight and she’s really looking forward to seeing the little chap again. Sam’s looking forward to going too - especially as the wheelbarrow should be FULL of mucky water for him to tip out after the recent weather. We’re aiming to arrive at 2.15, as Nana is going out to Horncastle before that. We’ll be having our big meal (chicken curry) at dinnertime tomorrow to ease the rush when we get home later on, and it will be ham sandwiches for tea (which I’ll make at dinnertime and keep in the fridge). I am now officially not a member of Samaritans anymore after seven years service, following my resignation chat with the director of the King’s Lynn branch. I had a lot of satisfaction from my time with Samaritans, and was privileged enough that two people “allowed” me to be with them when they decided enough was enough and took their own lives. I’ll miss the work and most of the people but will be getting into some other voluntary stuff sooner rather than later - there are absolutely loads of organisations needing people in this area, it’s just a matter of finding something that I enjoy and can get motivated about. It’s been a busy day job-hunt-wise too. I’ve applied for four more places, two in the NHS in King’s Lynn, one as a driver for Tesco Dot Com (!), and one at a large local insurance company. I just know that this year is going to be great for me and Sam, so landing one of these jobs would be a good start. Keep your fingers crossed for me. To report this post follow the permalink aboveA-Roving We Might Go?
Source: Eddie2sox Right, opinions needed. Should I or shouldn't I? Do you think I should use the "2-Sox Disaster Fund" money to acquire a camper van for me and Sam to adventure in? I've had this amount of money stuck away where I can't get it up to now. However, I think we could have so much fun and enjoyment using a camper van. Also, VW vans are not losing any value, so if I decided it wasn't right in a couple of years, we'd probably get the same money back that we pay?
I asked some mates via text and they were somewhat split, a majority said "Yeah, go for it, great idea!", but a sizeable minority said "You would never use it". So I don't really know, what do you reckon? To report this post follow the permalink aboveMissing My Dad
Source: Eddie2sox Some things are just not fair.... I'm really missing my Dad. Don't know why. But wherever you are, I wish you could come back and tell us about the SWO at Hereford, or the weather at Barry Budden, or the theatre in Singapore. One more time would be enough. I didn't give you enough time, sorry Dad, we thought you'd be there forever. To report this post follow the permalink aboveDo You Know Anyone Called Cl51sea?
Source: Eddie2sox Didn't think so. Must be a VERY unusual name.... I spotted this chav abomination the other day. I'm not against personalised number plates per se, but this kind of rubbish?
If anyone out there would like to find, purchase, and give me (for free) "2 SOX" I'll buy you TWO pints!
Dignified plates do seem to add to a car. A Rolls Royce with "FR 1" gets you wondering who FR might be.
But please, CL51SEA? To me this screams CHAV WITH CASH!
Bloody awful.... To report this post follow the permalink aboveBumpy Start To Full-Time Education - For Daddy!
Source: Eddie2sox SamÂ’s started school full-time this week. Not long until heÂ’ll be doing his GCSEÂ’s and bringing girls home. He does enjoy his school, but thereÂ’s a couple of things about the new term that IÂ’m not enjoying.... First of all, pick up time. Quarter past three. Sounds lovely, same as I used to do from nursery. What’s different though is that nursery was a car ride away, whereas school is about a ten minute walk. Ten minutes walking for me that is, on the way back it’s twenty minutes, because Sam is only 4 years old. So, we arrive home later than we did from nursery, and by the time we have shoes/coats/schoolbag sorted, it’s quarter to four. Then there’s the homework. At FOUR years old, I am amazed and disgusted that pressure like this is being put on such small children and their parents. Much as Sam enjoys reading with Daddy, doing numbers work, writing bits and pieces, etc, he would rather be playing after school, and as he’s only 4, I totally agree. But we have to spend 20/25 minutes doing whatever homework has been set, plus reading a book together, all of which I have to make a note of in the Reading Log and Sam’s homework sheet. So, we’ve finished homework at about quarter past four, it’s already one full hour after collection, and Sam has yet to have any “fun”. Sam’s mummy has insisted that the return time is brought back from half past six to six o’clock - supposedly that Sam can get to bed OK. But with a six o’clock return we have to start getting shoes and coats back on at twenty to six. So, after homework and before return time, we have approximately one hour and 25 minutes. Sounds a lot, but in that time I have to make tea, we have to eat tea together, and also fit in bathtime. So, since Christmas, my midweek time has been massively reduced, despite an apparent cut-back of only half an hour. I guess I am just feeling annoyed about it, as this is the first week we’ve done it, but whereas before the holiday our midweek evenings were relaxed and leisurely, now it’s all about Daddy pushing Sam to the next essential item on the “to do“ list. I wouldn’t think that’s a lot of fun for Sam, it certainly isn’t for me. But balance that against Dads who are never allowed to see their kids and I have to admit I am Mister Luckypants. And when I eventually land a “proper” job I might have to cut the midweek stuff altogether, which will be traumatic all round. So, for the time being I’ll be doing my best to make the most of things. I’m going to have to start making our tea the night before so I can just microwave it, which will save some time but add extra faff to my life. Small price to pay I guess. It might sound like I’m whinging for no real reason, but yesterday and today Sam has been in buckets of tears when it was time to leave, because he wants to stay and play, and it’s not fair, and I don’t want to go back Daddy. And that’s ****ing tough to deal with. To report this post follow the permalink aboveReview UK Support Payments Policy!
Source: Eddie2sox I think there should be more flexibility in Britain's maintenance payment policy, and here's why.... To me the system seems to assume that the male divorcee will be earning a good wage, and the female divorcee will be staying at home to raise the children. And I "guess" that in a majority of cases this actually is the situation. But what about the remaining cases? I'll use me and Sam's mummy as an example.
When we divorced I was earning very reasonable money in the RAF and Sarah was not working. The divorce settlement dictated that I pay 15% of my earnings to her, to support Sam. Fine.
Soon after and I was made redundant and Sarah took a teaching job. Complete reversal of the situation. Since then I've meticulously paid Sarah 15% of everything I earn. Currently that is a small RAF pension, and almost insignificant wages from cleaning and newspaper distribution. In effect my already very, very low income is taxed at 37% (22% Income Tax and 15% maintenance).
I'm finding it extremely tough keeping my head above water and raising the rent each month on the flat - as well as providing for Sam when he's with me. In December I made a loss over the month of £220, which I can't cope with for very long. My payments to Sarah keep her supplied with life's bare essentials - Sky TV, new laptops, refurbished kitchen etc. To her credit, Sarah was almost embarrassed to tell me last week "I get paid 29k, and Rich gets 25k". She's even offered to let some payments slip too, which is a really fantastic gesture. But I have a conscience to contend with, so the 15% will continue to be paid, on all my disparate incomes. Equally I know that Sarah feels slightly awkward about receiving the money.
It's seems incongruous to me that a system designed to prevent hardship for the female divorcee can actually cause hardship for the male.
Now, I don't begrudge them their money, indirectly it helps Sam. But I think the system of divorce settlement needs to be looked at. Maybe there could be "what if" clauses included, so that the amounts are adjusted each year according to each parent's income. Maybe payments should cease if the male's income drops below a certain level, or the female's rises above a set threshold? Equally, maybe the male's payment percentage could be increased if his earnings go up and up?
Incidentally, have you seen those Coinstar machines (see pic) in supermarkets recently? They helpfully count your loose change and you can reclaim it from customer services. Or so I thought! I needed petrol today so I walked up to Tesco, bag of coins weighing down my recycled jute shopping bag (how twee), only to discover that there is a small commission charge. Actually, a not-so-small charge - 7.9%! What a rip-off. So until I can get to the bank and pay in some shrapnel I'll have to be careful if I use the car. Ho hum. To report this post follow the permalink aboveThe Hunger Site
Source: Eddie2sox Why not take 30 seconds every day to help people - the easy way.... It's called The Hunger Site although there are six very good causes there. In 2007 they achieved the following, just through people like you and me clicking on their website:
Hunger - 53 Million cups of food provided
Breast Cancer - 7,151 mammograms given
Child Health - 657,000 children helped
Literacy - 328,000 books given
Rainforest - 40,000 acres protected
Animal Rescue - 42 Million bowls of food provided
Go for it, click HERE To report this post follow the permalink aboveNew Year Motivation
Source: Eddie2sox So we're a week into 2008, and determined to make it better than 2007. If you're struggling already, read this poem and I hope it provides a little inspiration.... Vitaï Lampada by Sir Henry Newbolt
There's a breathless hush in the Close to-night -- The sand of the desert is sodden red, -- This is the word that year by year Poppy's Birthday Party
Source: Eddie2sox What a great afternoon! Sam had an invite to his good friend Poopy's birthday party! It's been a slightly different weekend, access-wise. Usually Sam is here all day on a Saturday to 6 at night. This week however Sam was required at a cousin's birthday party (Mummy's side of the family) on Saturday afternoon. It coincided with Poppy's party on the Sunday - and as "Daddy does birthday parties" (I love 'em) Sam went back to Mummy's on Saturday dinner time, and I collected him on Sunday dinner time for the party and some serious Sam n Dad time.
It was a fabtastic time. We wrapped up Poppy's pressie together, and Sam wrote in the card, and on the envelope. We then chilled out with a little bit of Scrapheap Challenge while playing Batman versus the Joker with Sam's Lego. Then off to the do!
It was in a village hall, and it one of the very best birthday parties Sam has been to. Great fun from start to finish. The magician was awesome, and kept the 26 - yes TWENTY SIX - little people captivated throughout his act. No mean feat! The food was deliciously home-made and everyone seemed to tuck in heartily, and messily (de rigeur dahling). After the food there were games like Musical Bumps, Pass The Parcel etc, and some dancing songs such as Hokey Cokey, If You're Happy And You Know It etc. And after that playtime until hometime. The children had a stupendous amount of fun, and Sam really liked seeing some of his old nursery friends again.
He starts school FULL TIME tomorrow. Have fun Sam, Daddy luvs ya!
Sam came away with a lovely party bag, a balloon, and a Spiderman torch! Lucky boy. I also met lots of the mummies and daddies from the "party scene" who I haven't seen for ages and that was lovely too, made me feel all....."awwwww, we're ace parents us lot!". It's going to be sad that we may not ever meet again now that our little ones are starting school - different schools for the most part. Shame.
Back home and Sam was obviously tired! As I got tea together, he just slobbed on the settee and browsed his latest Lego catalogue, which arrived yesterday. Tea ready! I'd sold it to Sam as very smooth chicken meat.....would he go for it? Damn right he did! He wolfed down his Quorn curry as if it was the first food he'd eaten for two weeks.
Bathtime followed and a right good splashing time was had by all. Daddy's Baddies had written a rude message on the side of the bath with Sam's bath crayons....."Goodies Stink"....implying that they keep themselves clean and smell horribly of soap. Anathema to the unwashed hordes of bad guys.
All too soon, once again, it was "shoes" time. It still feels really contradictory to me to build up something to Sam that I absolutely hate....i.e. him going back to Mummy's. So much so today that I had a massive blub in the car on the way home, and a bit when I got home too. Haven't done that for quite a while.
Soon be Tuesday. To report this post follow the permalink aboveGenial Gerry's Fry-Up
Source: Eddie2sox One of our resident Jocks is Genial Gerry, the world's nicest Scot. He brought some of us a real taste of Scotland back with him after Christmas.... ....and it was absolutely delicious. You wouldn't want this meal more than once a month though! (Well, "you" might, but your arteries would object strongly). Gerry brought me two square slice, tatty scones, two links and black pud. To which I added a couple of obligatory fried eggs. Hey presto, the taste of Scottish breakfast. It was really filling, totally unhealthy, and completely more-ish.
So, cheers Gerry! When you next off up to the homeland eh? To report this post follow the permalink abovePeculiar Day!
Source: Eddie2sox Weird one today, started off being very poorly, ended up fantastic! I was up from 1 a.m. throwing up, so I had to call in sick to the pub AND didn't get out delivering papers either. However, I had promised to pick Sam up at 10 (one of Sam's elderly relatives is very unwell), so I dragged my sorry arse out the door and managed to put on a convincing "I'm fine, really" facade.
Sam and me had a really lovely day. By dinner time I was starving after my pukefest, therefore starving hungry, which meant bacon butties all round. In the afternoon we carried out the first couple of experiments from Sam's "Horrible Experiments" set, which Sam thought was great entertainment, and therefore Daddy was happy too. We made watery fireworks using water (of course), vegetable oil and food colouring. We made a lava lamp using the same stuff, but with salt as a catalyst. We made a fizz bomb which was quite bizarre. When the weather picks up we'll be launching our own rocket and creating our own volcano. If it sparks off an interest in science for Sam then it's all cool beans eh? In between playing we listened to the radio (well, it was on anyway) and grazed on a huge bowlful of grapes.
A lovely quiet hour was spent on the settee watching a bit of TV (Scooby Doo, Bear Behaving Badly) before a nice tea of Daddy's Famous Spaghetti Bolognaise. Bathtime was fun, and Sam re-discovered his water gun.
Now? Sam's asleep, I feel exhausted. A day of two halves.
The pic is Sam's Vegetable Oil Lava Lamp. To report this post follow the permalink aboveBusy Day, Part Four (The Final Word)
Source: Eddie2sox So I've described how I made loads of lovely food, and not spend too much money....but you know what? The pic is the end result of this afternoon's cookathon. 14 bags of tasty, super healthy food ready to go in the freezer.
There is also a special ingredient in the food that I cook for Sam (and that you can and should cook for your little ones).
You will NEVER find it in the jars and bottles you can grab from a supermarket shelf.
My special ingredient?
LOVE. To report this post follow the permalink aboveBusy Day, Part Three (The Financial Bit)
Source: Eddie2sox ItÂ’s all completed now, and I thought IÂ’d work out the actual cost of each meal. Before I list the cost of today’s cooking, it’s only fair to point out that I already had some of the necessary ingredients sitting in the cupboard/fridge. However, so will you. I guess that the “already have” items would kinda even out. Even if they don’t though, you’d add a pound or three on your first shopping trip, but be set up for the second, third, fourth etc…..So, here’s the actual cost of all the food I’ve cooked for Sam and me today.
Kid’s Chicken CurryFor a start, let me tell you that I’m slowly starting to reduce the amount of meat in our diet. Therefore, I used Quorn Fillets instead of chicken fillets in this curry. If you used chicken breast fillets instead of the Quorn ones, it would cost you £3 or £4 more. Don’t knock Quorn by the way! Anyhow: Quorn Fillets (2 packs)……………………………..£3.40 Onion………………………………........................£0.17 Garlic (also used in the pasta sauce)……………….£0.34 Baby Sweet corn (only Organic available)………….£1.08 Korma Paste………………………………............£0.71 Tomato Puree (also used in the pasta sauce)………£0.68 Frozen Peas (only used 200g of 1kg)……………..£1.49 Coconut Milk………………………………..........£0.93 Already had : Vegetable Oil, an Apple, Mango Chutney. Chicken Stock Cubes. Total cost was £8.80. Cost per portion was £1.46. (“Meat” included). I guess if you bought ready produced curry sauce there would be less vegetables included in it, and a LOT more E numbers, salt, sugar, and other bad stuff. I think £1.46 is a pretty good price to provide Sam and me with a healthy and delicious tasting “chicken” curry. So, onto the super-healthy pasta sauce….
Hidden Vegetable Pasta SauceI made up eight portions of Sam’s favourite pasta sauce. He loves having his spaghetti long and uncut, because his ex-Grandad used to say that when you eat spaghetti bolognaise, some of the fun was sucking in the spaghetti - which sometimes made a little bit of a mess on your chin. Wise words Grandad! Onions………………………………............£0.34 Garlic (also in curry)……………..…………£0.34 Carrots………………………………...........£0.27 Courgettes………………………………......£0.74 Mushrooms………………………………...£0.49 Passata………………………………..........£0.58 Tomato Puree (also in curry)……………….£0.68 Oregano Refill (run out!)…………………..£0.90 Already had : Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, Brown Sugar, Vegetable Stock Cubes, Bay Leaves Total cost was £4.34 Cost per portion was £0.54 OK, so you still need to add the minced beef to this (I recommend the Extra Lean version, MUCH less fat), but how much does a jar of something like Dolmio cost? I have no idea, but I’d guess about £1.50. And once again, with all the nasties included, and a LOT less of the goodies.
All in all, I think taking the time to make your own, healthy food is SO bloody worth it. JFDI! The photo is the pasta sauce after being blitzed - same appearance as, for example, Ragu, but grainier because of the extra vegetables! To report this post follow the permalink aboveBusy Day, Part Two (The Cheerful Bit)
Source: Eddie2sox Cooking healthy food for Sam gives me a satisfied, warm glow inside, so the earlier grumpiness has been overtaken with semi-smugness.... This photo shows the Hidden Veg pasta sauce when everything is finally included. Hey presto, it suddenly looks "right". Cook it for 40 minutes, then blitz it with a blender into a proper sauce consistency, and TAAA-DAAAAA! These two pans will yield eight portions of sauce, and when one portion will feed both Sam AND me, that's good value for money. The curry "should" make six hefty portions, but I might make it go into eight this time.
For the rest of the day? It's sorting out the leaflets for the papers, putting the leaflets into the papers, and loading the first round's-worth into the car. Tomorrow will be busy too, due to a late change of plans (one of Sam's great-grandma's is ill). I'll need to be in the Woolpack, cleaning, by quarter to six, thence straight out to deliver 300 of the 600 papers, and then picking Sam up just before 10 a.m. from school. Crackers! To report this post follow the permalink aboveBusy Day, Part One (The Grumpy Bit)
Source: Eddie2sox What the chuff is the point of going to bed early and avoiding beer if you STILL wake up at half past bloody three? I spent an hour unsuccessfully trying to get back to sleep, then gave up and got up. I was in a FOUL mood. Abominable. Despicable. Poor old Claudius the cat got shouted at for asking for food! GRRRRRRR!
Went to clean the pub, that was fine, brief chat with Debbie and Obersturmbahnfuhrer Ian revealed they get annoyed with their cats too. Not just me, good.
Then into the kitchen to get cracking on cooking up some more batches of Sam food. Healthy, veg-rich food created by cute chefette Annabel Karmel (known to her followers as AK). Today I did a BIG pan full of Kiddie Chicken Curry, and two pans of the famous "Hidden Vegetable Pasta Sauce". The photo shows the curry (black pan) and the hidden veg sauce (green pans) before any of the tomato based extras were added......it just looks like a panful of vegetables doesn't it? That's because it is! Carrot, courgette, onion, crushed garlic, mushrooms. Yet when it's finished, your children don't realise they are devouring a massive amount of veg, with all the good stuff that goes with it. Underhand but effective. Age and treachery really does beat youth and enthusiasm every time.
I'd have liked to make a series of three or four photos on this subject, but it's a no-no at the moment on IMM. Multiple photo blogs are "on the development schedule". IMM people? What is the forecast for the introduction of this improvement please? To report this post follow the permalink abovePoached Eggs IX - Mr Breakfast - The Yankee Doodle
Source: Eddie2sox The entertaining “Mr Breakfast” is back on the scene, following their competent mid-table result for their Scrambled Egg. This American website is more than just lists of ingredients and methods, they add some real human warmth (with a side of humour) to the way they present their food. I like the site a lot, and would heartily recommend a visit, but will their Poached be a Patch on their Scrambled? Mr Breakfast was first up for the aforementioned challenge, and their great yet basic recipe may have scored higher if tried later in the voting. You can find this recipe here : http://www.mrbreakfast.com/ask.asp?askid=16 The recipe was simple enough, and here are the votes of the Norwegian jury. Ease & Effort: 3.5 - Not the easiest, not the toughest. There is a slight linguistic faff surrounding the word “skillet”, which - on average - is translated to “frying pan”. But a frying pan 3 inches deep? You’ll be pretty lucky I reckon. The biggest such Pan I have, when almost filled to the brim with water, was only 2.4 inches deep. But, then again, Mr Breakfast later says “2 to 3 inches of water”, so hopefully you’ll have something deep enough. The rest is fairly self-explanatory, written as a reply to a “possibly made up” question from a reader called Florence. Such as, on putting the egg into the water, “Now, gently…gently Florence…ease your egg….etc” Very entertaining though, well done Mr B for adding a unique style to your recipe. Presentation: 3.5 - It didn‘t look “awful“, but it was a distance from perfect too. I’m purely guessing that the lack of “swirl” or vinegar, to help keep the egg together, accounts for the spreading of the egg. This is even acknowledged in the recipe…..”Those flowing strands of white are nothing to be worried about.” With the egg I cooked though, the finished product ended up with the yolk at one end and the white at the other, which detracted from the overall effect. Yolk: 2.5 - Couldn‘t fault it! A cooking time for “medium“ yolk was 3 minutes, which worked very well. Especially bearing in mind the “bonus” 30 seconds that I decided on due to “The White Clause” (see below). Absolutely perfect! White: 2.0 - Mr Breakfast must be given great credit, as he is the only person so far to suggest checking the egg white for firmness before removal from the “skillet“. Due to the spread-out nature of the egg, it was a little difficult to tell if the white was simply “cooked through but covered with water” or “not quite cooked, and watery”. On Mr B’s advice I returned the egg to the water for 30 seconds just in case, and ended up with a fantastic poached finish. Not quite the perfect shape, but perfectly cooked. Good work Mr B, you’re carving out a good reputation for yourself in England!
Scores On The Doors Mahalo - 12.5 Vash The Stampede - 12.0 Old Bob - 11.5 Mr Breakfast - 11.5 Rick Stein - 10.5 Mrs Beeton - 9.0 Ainsley Harriott - 6.5 James Martin - 6.0 Delia Smith - 4.0
Running Order: 10 - Australian Egg Board 11 - Woolpack Wally 12 - Poached Egg Machine TBN - Wally Webb
Your Points Of View Following on from her comment the other day, Sister L (Nope, she’s not a nun. Not that I know of anyway) added the following, referring to Delia’s poached egg abomination (she lives in Lincolnshire. Sis, not Delia) : “Yuk! Is this the best of Norfolk? TEN minutes? At least there's time for a G & T but I'd have gone off the poached egg idea by then and be on my way to the pub for a sarnie!!” Again, WELL SAID SIS!
Send Me Your Comments! New this time - YOUR chance to participate in the world’s best blog-based cooking/tasting eggy competition. The Welsh Rarebit thread prompted loads of comments and emails, and I wish I’d shared some of them with you. So. Email me at trix68@hotmail.co.uk or leave a comment on the blog. To report this post follow the permalink aboveIt's For You Daddy....
Source: Eddie2sox Well, Sam totally dumbfounded me today with an amazing show of generosity and caring, while we were cleaning The Woolpack together! It's not ideal, taking Sam there for two hours while I scrub, polish, mop, hoover etc, but when offered "bonus sleepovers" like last night, then it's a necessary evil. Today we headed on down there about quarter past nine. We’d agreed to do the pub, then head off to Tesco to buy some essential food supplies. “And maybe a toy or a magazine Daddy?” “No mate, not at the moment, there’s hardly enough money for food next week, sorry.” “Oh.” He always takes this kind of news so graciously, whereas I think the traditional 4-year-old reaction “should” be to throw a complete wobbler when aspirations of toys etc are denied. But then, Sam is no ordinary young boy. So, we got into the pub, Sam had a bagful of toys to keep him occupied, but also insisted on “helping” wherever I thought it safe and appropriate to do so. Cleaning in the Ladies loos, Sam spotted a 5p coin on the floor, and held it up triumphantly. “Look Daddy!” “Great!” I said, “That can go into your piggy bank when we get home!” “No, no Daddy, it’s for you, to help buy us our food.” To report this post follow the permalink above |
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