@janetteB

I used to make hot cross buns, though nowadays I buy them from Marks & Spencer.  They were generally successful to the extent that, although they did not look entirely professional, they tasted better than the bought variety. I did learn very early, though, that they should be made with ‘strong’ (high gluten) bread flour. If made wit…[Read more]

@pedant

No research needed 🙂  The source of your quotation adorns my bookshelves, along with most of the associated body of work.

BBC APPROVED SPOILERS...

@Miapatrick

The difference between ‘garden’ and ‘yard’ is another one of those linguistic divergences to ponder.  With me, as for you, a garden is an enclosed space where people grow things for pleasure or domestic use, whether flowers and shrubs or fruit and vegetables.  A yard is a utilitarian area at the rear of a house or farmste…[Read more]

@Missy @thane15 @Miapatrick

The topic of language, the evolution of language and linguistic usage has arisen, so how could I resist 🙂

Miapatrick is correct, that the English language is a hugely flexible mongrel tongue which has, on a Germanic base with its own varying and regional dialects, evolved and, in the process of evolution, borrowed…[Read more]

@Mersey

You didn’t enrage me, and I am very sorry if I upset you by giving you the impression that I was ‘enraged’.  I was simply a little concerned that you seemed to have allowed the opinions and criticisms of others to sway your judgement.

I’m glad that you do in fact enjoy Gardeners’ World and like Monty Don as presenter and hope that you c…[Read more]

Steven Moffat’s response to the fuss about Bill’s sexuality, with applause from me.

@mersey

after reading those critical comments I started to think that maybe Don really is wrongheaded, has no professional knowledge or is just rude

This is straying somewhat off topic but, as a keen gardener myself,  I think that you are being a little unfair here.  Alan Titchmarsh’s training as a practical gardener began with an apprenticeship a…[Read more]

@mersey

after reading those critical comments I started to think that maybe Don really is wrongheaded, has no professional knowledge or is just rude

This is straying a bit off topic but, as a keen gardener myself I feel that you are being a little unfair here.  Alan Titchmarsh’s training as a practical gardener began with an apprenticeship after h…[Read more]

@rorysmith

Welcome back.

I don’t think many people thought of this

See my post #55029 above 🙂

@thane15

Delighted and relieved to know that you all survived with nothing worse than a little rising/falling  damp, though I feel for all those who were flooded out, or lost their roofs or more.

I don’t know whether you followed up the link I included, but if not, and you weren’t already aware of the site, it is quite entertaining and i…[Read more]

@thane15

Stay safe all of you.  I just checked your weather here which indicates that you are currently (10.30 am our time) still at the epicentre of a deluge.  I hope that does not mean that the water creep in your house has turned into a full scale flood.  Having experienced a flooded house once, way back in 1968 when the piddling little river…[Read more]

@thane15  (puro)

Flattery will get you a long way, 🙂 but I think that you over-praise my garden.   The word ‘professional’ would not occur to anyone seeing it at the moment, at any rate, although it has a certain degree of dishevelled charm, with the narcissi, primroses, violets, camellia and Japanese quince in full flower   It is still sufferi…[Read more]

@thane15

If they think “strip farming and changes in agriculture is not needed” the class gets nothing.

I suppose it comes down to whether or not you think that how we got to where we are now is important; I happen to think that it is, and that the more people learn about how things really worked in the past – as opposed to the myths that all c…[Read more]

Well, I’m back and all seems to have gone well with the op; the cataract is gone, although  that eye not much use at the moment – it will be quite sore for the next day or two, and at the moment the pupil is still dilated to maximum because of all the atropine they dripped into it, so I can’t focus on that side.

@winston  Yes, it has been f…[Read more]

@thane15 and puro  I’m not sure what happened there 😕  I posted a fairly lengthy screed which you evidently saw but which, at least from my point view, disappeared into the ether when I tried to edit a couple of typos. So I wrote another which hasn’t disappeared, but which doesn’t include the reference to gargleblasters or the forthcom…[Read more]

@winston @blenkinsopthebrave @thane15 @ichabod

Thank you for those words of encouragement; it feels good to be back in the groove 🙂 The only problem is that I’m not very good at multi-tasking and once I am immersed in a project of this kind it tends to occupy most of my waking hours. Yesterday I even grudged the time I spent on some necessary…[Read more]

@winston @blenkinsopthebrave @Thane15 @ichabod

Thank you for those words of encouragement; it feels good to be back in the groove 🙂  The only problem now is that I am not very good at multi-tasking, and once I am immersed in this kind of project it tends to occupy almost all my waking hours. Yesterday I even grudged the time I spent on some n…[Read more]

@winston @blenkinsopthebrave @thane15 @ichabod

Thank you for those words of encouragement;  it feels good to be back in the groove. The only problem is that I am not very good at multi-tasking, and when I’m immersed in a research project it tends to become a full-time affair consuming most of my waking hours. Yesterday I even grudged the time I t…[Read more]

Teaser for season 10, not that it is a particularly informative

Nevertheless, a little light relief, considering that I am now re-immersed in a serious piece of historical/archaeological research which I had, to my shame, been neglecting for some time.  I ran into an old acquaintance last week who has offered to facilitate my access to the ar…[Read more]