tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027753568944514122024-03-13T11:47:46.755+00:00Daily DiatribeContrary Thoughts of an OverthinkerLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.comBlogger407125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-29934129333631154222016-06-22T11:49:00.005+01:002016-06-22T11:49:52.582+01:00Brexit: Facts Not Fear by Toby Young. How will you vote in the EU Referendum, for the UK to Leave, or Remain in the European Union?Are you going to vote in the Referendum on the United Kingdoms membership of the European Union?<br />
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Will you vote in?<br />
Or will you vote out?<br />
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Do you believe what the Prime Minister David Cameron says about our membership of the European Union?<br />
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Do you believe what Boris Johnson has to say about our membership of the Europena Union?<br />
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Or are you a fan of Nigel Farage, and agree with his views on our membershp of the European Union?<br />
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Are you voting for the UK to remain?<br />
Or are you voting for the UK to leave the EU?<br />
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It's times like this, when I wish I could sail away to my own private island somewhere warm, and forget about all of the nonsense our politicians say.<br />
I wish all of our politicians, be they Tory, Labour, Liberal, Green, or UKIP, I wish they would, for once in their lives, tell us the truth.<br />
Tell us the facts, nothing more, nothing less, the honest facts about this important decision, and let us make up our own minds.<br />
They should all be ashamed of the way they have attempted to manilaute and scare us into voting a particular way, to suit their own needs.<br />
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Not much surprises me, but the behaviour of our politicians in the run-up to the Referendum on our membership of the European Union, has disgusted me.<br />
I never thought I would witness such bad behaviour in Britain.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gILTIDr4Ra8" width="480"></iframe><br />
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There's only one day until we get to vote in the EU Referendum.<br />
Although how honest the result will be, I don't know.<br />
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I feel as though the result has already been decided, and not necessarily by our dodgy politicians, but by the people who pull their strings.<br />
And I fear the result will be to the detriment of Britain.<br />
If so, sad times are ahead.<br />
I hope I'm wrong...........<br />
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The way this whole thing has been reported in the news, the lies, and misinformation, reminds me of an African dictatorship where rigged elections are common practice.<br />
This referendum feels so unlike how the United Kingdom used to, or should behave.<br />
But I suppose that's because there are a lot of people in positions of power who are worried about the outcome. Not worried for the people of Britain, but concerned for themselves and their cronies.<br />
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You only have to read the news to know we do not live in a democracy anymore.<br />
Sad, but true.<br />
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I am definitely voting in the EU Referendum, bright and early tomorrow morning, although deep down I feel it's a watse of time...........<br />
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That's enough from me, for now.<br />
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This video by Toby Young is short, and to the point.<br />
It may help you decide which way to vote - if you are still unsure.<br />
<b>Do you think the UK will leave or remain in the European Union?</b><br />
<b>I'm interested to hear you thoughts...........</b><br />
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<br />Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-90737145377476569332016-02-19T15:06:00.002+00:002016-02-19T15:06:40.731+00:00Unicorn Black, Robinsons Brewery - Beer ReviewI like dark beer, and Unicorn Black from Robinsons Brewery is one of the best stouts I've had for a long time.<br />
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Unicorn Black is delicious, and pleasantly thrist-quenching for a stout.<br />
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It poured a dark brownish black in the glass, with a slight sugary brown head.</div>
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Aromas of chocolate, coffee, caramel, toffee, and roasted malt.</div>
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I thought it had quite a strong flavour of black liquorice, and a touch of roasted malt, coffee, and dark red fruits. I really liked the strong liquorice taste.</div>
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It had a perfect balance of sweetness, and a bitter slightly citrus flavour to the finish. </div>
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Mr.R also thought this was a very decent stout, and we'll definitely be buying this brew again in the future.</div>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9200278@N04/24675503609/in/dateposted/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Delicious! Perfect for this cold snowy day. 😋"><img alt="Delicious! Perfect for this cold snowy day. 😋" height="500" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1596/24675503609_1e2648e1ee.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b>From the label -</b><br />
<b><i>A modern twist on an aged old recipe, Unicorn Black is a dark, mysterious, ebony coloured stout with a distinct aroma of roasted malt and chocolate.</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>Rich, full bodied and deeply satisfying, Unicorn Black delivers a palate of roasted coffee and peppery hops leaving a robust after bitterness. It is perfectly balanced with a hint of sweetness.</i></b><br />
<b><i>4.1% Vol. </i></b><br />
<b><i>Hope variety, Goldings. </i></b><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9200278@N04/24949840891/in/photostream/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Delicious! Perfect for this cold snowy day. 😋"><img alt="Delicious! Perfect for this cold snowy day. 😋" height="500" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1544/24949840891_f2398404f6.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Unicorn Black from Robinsons Brewery is so good I felt it deserved to have two photos on this blogpost - even though they are fairly similar to each other. </div>
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I was too preoccupied enjoying the beer to spend time taking photos. </div>
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<b>Have you tried Unicorn Black, Robinsons Brewery?</b></div>
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<b>What did you think of it?</b></div>
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<b>Are you a dark beer drinker?</b></div>
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<b><i><br /></i></b>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-26301592090744359262016-02-19T14:40:00.003+00:002016-02-19T14:40:38.757+00:00Aldi Supermarket, Rotten Mouldy Tomatoes, and Bad Customer Service A few days ago, after we'd been out visiting family, on the drive back to our house we popped into an Aldi supermarket to purchase a few things.<br />
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Among various other items we purchased was a pack of six tomatoes.<br />
When we got them home and took them out of the packet 3 of them were rotten, covered in mould. Nasty!<br />
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I shared a photo of the rotten Aldi tomatoes on the companies twitter and facebook accounts.<br />
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I received a reply from Aldi on twitter and facebook, which said the same thing, <b>''We're sorry to hear this Laura, please return your proof of purchase and packaging to store for a full refund!''</b><br />
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What a joke!<br />
I replied saying that it would cost me more in petrol to return the rotten fruit, than the original cost of the mouldy tomatoes; 58p for the pack of six.<br />
I never heard anything from Aldi again.<br />
But looking at the Aldi hashtag on twitter, I saw that lots of their customers have been treated equally badly, or in some cases worse than I was.<br />
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I am unimpressed with the attitude of Aldi bad customer services.<br />
I expected more from them. They're behaving just like the big four supermarket chains in the UK. Which is why I don't shop in them.......<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9200278@N04/24713887392/in/dateposted/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Mouldy! Just bought 6 tomatoes from Aldi, 3 of them are rotten, covered in mould. Nasty! 👎😷💩"><img alt="Mouldy! Just bought 6 tomatoes from Aldi, 3 of them are rotten, covered in mould. Nasty! 👎😷💩" height="500" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1559/24713887392_539949a72b.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I've never had a problem with shopping in Aldi before this. </div>
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I like, or should I say I used to like shopping in Aldi. </div>
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And Lidl, I'm a big fan of the smaller shops, with less choice (the big four appear to give you more choice, but it's all the same products, but in tons of different size jars etc. so there's not really a lot of choice, just aisles and asiles of variations on sizes and pakaging to get you to buy more and make them even more profit).</div>
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Oops, rambling, a bit, I also like Aldi and Lidl for their better value products, there's less faffing about, shopping is quicker, and usually their products are decent quality.</div>
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So, I'm not writing this blogpost because I dislike the lower priced supermarkets. Or because I am a snob.</div>
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I just wanted to share the fact that despite buying six tomatoes from Aldi, I couldn't make for lunch that day, what I wanted to because I only had three tomatoes that were useable.</div>
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And if I'm sold six of something, then I want to be able to use, and/or eat, six of something, not three. </div>
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Right, that's the end of my Aldi tomato woes, and it wasn't all rotten tomatoes, we did buy lots of wine in Aldi too - which was completely mould free, thankfully.</div>
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<b>Do you shop in Aldi?</b></div>
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<b>Have you ever unpacked your shopping to find Aldi has sold you rotten mouldy food?</b></div>
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-3795880644663926902016-02-09T14:13:00.000+00:002016-02-09T14:13:05.252+00:00Nacreous Clouds - Absolutely Stunning SkyAbout a week ago, we were up and out early to take the dogs to the beach.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9200278@N04/24474592290/in/dateposted/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Beautiful colourful clouds, on the drive to the beach this morning. No filter. 😍😍😍"><img alt="Beautiful colourful clouds, on the drive to the beach this morning. No filter. 😍😍😍" height="500" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1630/24474592290_d159ffb673.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b><i>I shot this photo as we drove, through a very dirty car window. Not bad eh?</i></b></div>
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Barley, our rescue and Lurcher, and Porter, our rescue Rottweiler, are both crazy about the beach. Literally.<br />
They always know when we're going to the beach, beacause they see the rucksack with their balls etc. ready for the car drive.<br />
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On this particular morning Barley and Porter seemed even more excited than usual, they were jumping about all over the place, and they whined the whole way to the beach. Thankfully it's only a ten(ish) minute drive.<br />
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Anyway, it was during the drive that I noticed how beautiful the sky looked.<br />
It was still fairly dark as we drove along towards the beach, the sun had yet to rise, but the clouds were quite luminous, they looked as though they were backlit, and reminded me of a rainbow.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9200278@N04/24676770751/in/dateposted/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="I've never seen clouds like these; rainbow-clouds. Beautiful. 😍🌈😊"><img alt="I've never seen clouds like these; rainbow-clouds. Beautiful. 😍🌈😊" height="500" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1587/24676770751_929e112ce8.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b><i>On the beach, just before sunrise </i></b></div>
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I tried to take some photos as we whizzed along the coast road. I only managed to get one that was in focus.<br />
And I took a few more photos once we were all down on the beach.<br />
The sun was rising, which changed the colour of the sky, but the clouds were still so beautifully rainbow coloured.<br />
Maybe that's why Barley and Porter had been over-excited on the drive to the beach - because they were in awe of the gorgeous clouds? Hehehe!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9200278@N04/24652661942/in/dateposted/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="It looks beautiful. But it was brutal. Never experienced such strong bitter winds on this beach before."><img alt="It looks beautiful. But it was brutal. Never experienced such strong bitter winds on this beach before." height="500" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1564/24652661942_5db200b5f9.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Necreous clouds, stunning sky at surise</i></b></div>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9200278@N04/24652629442/in/photostream/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Windswept, sand-covered boys. 🐕🐕"><img alt="Windswept, sand-covered boys. 🐕🐕" height="500" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1535/24652629442_84c809557d.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b><i>I had to include a photo of Barley and Porter - complete with nacreous clouds in the distance</i></b></div>
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Later on when we were back at the house, I shared some of my cloud photos on IG (InstaGram), which is where someone told me they were called nacreous clouds.<br />
I hadn't known their name before. I can never remember the proper names of all the different type of clouds.<br />
And I don't recall ever seeing nacroeus clouds before either.<br />
The clouds made for an absolutely stunning sky, which made my morning, as I am a bit obsessed with clouds, stars, the moon - the sky in general really.<br />
<b>Are you a cloud obsessive?</b><br />
<b>Have you ever seen nacreous clouds?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-13478360170623008962016-02-05T15:43:00.002+00:002016-02-05T15:43:24.431+00:00Wooden Hand Brewery, Pirate's Gold - Beer ReviewWe drank this beer last Summer, but from what I remember it was an quite a light drink.<br />
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It didn't pour into the glass as <i>golden</i> as the name may suggest, it looked more like a traditional English bitter, not that that's a bad thing necessarily. <br />
It had aromas of sweet malts, hops, and yeast, basically it smelt beery, with a touch of caramel, nuts, coffee, and a vegetal smell.<br />
On the palate it was lightly fruity, with a slight tart taste, plus flavours of toffee, nuts, biscuity malts, and apples. The apple flavour reminded me more of a bitter.<br />
The finish was distinctively hoppy and sweet malt flavours, and quite dry. <b><br /></b><br />
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Wooden Hand Brewery, Pirate's Gold, was a drinkable beer, but I doubt we'd buy it again.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9200278@N04/20537292036/in/photolist-xhNZq1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Wooden Hand Brewery. Pirate's Gold, 4%"><img alt="Wooden Hand Brewery. Pirate's Gold, 4%" height="500" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5642/20537292036_83587fd8f1.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b>From the label -</b><br />
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<i>Pirate's Gold</i><br />
<i>Easy Drinking pale coloured ale, a tempting hop aroma with light fruit notes. </i><br />
<i>Strong malt and hop flavours with a dry tangy fruit finish. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>This beer contains Maris Otter malted barley, torrified wheat, crystal malt, amber malt, English and European hops married with a fine English ale yeast. </i><br />
<i>Best served slightly chilled. </i><br />
<i>Brewed and bottled in Truro, Cornwall. ABV 4%</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Wooden Hand Brewery</i><br />
<i>Grampound Road</i><br />
<i>Nr Truro</i><br />
<i>Cornwall</i><br />
<i>TR2 4TB</i><br />
<i>www.woodenhand.co.uk</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
We weren't overly impressed with this Cornish beer - the label was probably the most interesting thing about it.<br />
<b>Have you tried Wooden Hand Brewery, Pirate's Gold?</b><br />
<b>What did you think of it?</b><br />
<b>Would you drink it again?</b><br />
<i><br /></i>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-37005803184053808812016-01-22T17:43:00.003+00:002016-01-22T17:43:32.133+00:00Delicious Homemade Griddled vegetable PizzaWe don't eat pizza often, but when we do it's always homemade.<br />
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A few days ago Mr.R made this seriously tasty pizza. He used puff pastry as a base, and topped it with a rich homemade tomato sauce, and lots of lovely griddled vegetables, including aubergine, courgette, onion, mushroom, sweet chili peppers, and cheese. Perfect!</div>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9200278@N04/23584484074/in/dateposted/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Homemade pizza; homemade tomato sauce, topped with lots of griddled vegetables and four different cheese. 😋"><img alt="Homemade pizza; homemade tomato sauce, topped with lots of griddled vegetables and four different cheese. 😋" height="500" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1564/23584484074_174a168e8f.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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It may not look particularly tasty, but that's because I'm not good at taking photos of food - I blame the strange colour light in our house. </div>
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But believe me, this homemade pizza tasted absolutely delicious. </div>
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<b>Do you make your own pizza?</b></div>
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<b>What's your favourite pizza topping?</b></div>
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Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-44946502689219249492016-01-21T18:37:00.000+00:002016-01-21T18:45:40.162+00:00Primula Cheese Selection - My First Ever Competition Win!I've recently started doing online competitions.<br />
And after entering just a few comps, I won. I won!<br />
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My first ever competition prize was cheese. Well, sort of. It's cheese, but not as I know it.<br />
One day last week a delivery man rang our front doorbell, and handed me a large package. Oo-er missus, let me rephrase that, he handed me a large parcel.<br />
The parcel contained a cool bag, inside which were several Primula cheese products.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9200278@N04/24352919131/in/dateposted/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="My first ever competition win! 👍 Not sure what to do with though, because we don't really eat processed 'food' like this. 👎 Appreciate the end though. 😬"><img alt="My first ever competition win! 👍 Not sure what to do with though, because we don't really eat processed 'food' like this. 👎 Appreciate the end though. 😬" height="500" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1530/24352919131_ea807edb28.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I was seriously excited and pleased to have won something; I was jumping up and down with joy, even though I'm not a Primula cheese eater.<br />
I only entered that particular competition because I thought comping is a numbers game, so the more I entered the higher my chances of winning.<br />
I just wanted to win something, anything, and then I'd just enter competitions for things I'd really like to win - a new TV would be good after our Rottweiler attacked ours and smashed it several months ago.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9200278@N04/23807156354/in/dateposted/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="My first ever competition win! 👍 Not sure what to do with though, because we don't really eat processed 'food' like this. 👎 Appreciate the end though. 😬"><img alt="My first ever competition win! 👍 Not sure what to do with though, because we don't really eat processed 'food' like this. 👎 Appreciate the end though. 😬" height="500" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1708/23807156354_cd76953c77.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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So, I won some cheese, well sort of, it's hardly a deliciously tangy mature cheddar, but I do truly appreciate my first ever competition win.<br />
But we don't really eat processed food, Mr.R cooks everything from scratch using real food ingredients, so I knew we wouldn't be eating my first competition win.<br />
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So what to do with my cheese win? We definitely didn't want to eat it, but I couldn't throw it away - I don't like to chuck food out - however unlike <i>real food </i>I think it is.<br />
We offered it to a friend, but he declined. Hahaha!<br />
So we eventually gave it away to a family member, she was very pleased with the cheese, so at least it's not going to be wasted, or thrown in the bin.<br />
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My Primula win included -<br />
<b>Six tubes of different flavoured cheese;</b> Light Cheese, Cheese with Ham, Original Cheese, Cheese with Chives, Cheese with Smoked Salmon, and Cheese with Prawns.<br />
<b>Three tubs of different flavoured cheese; </b>Smoked Cheese, Cheese with Onion, and Cheese with Chilli.<br />
<b>Three Microwaveable Dips; </b>Cheddar and Roasted Garlic, Cheddar and Habanero, and Cheddar.<br />
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So after only entering online competitions for a very short time period, and only entering a few individual competitions - I am a winner!<br />
I won! Yay!<br />
Now I've got my first win, I'm going to concentrate on winning that new TV - wish me luck.<br />
<br />
Disclaimer - I'm writing this blog post under much stress; seriously noisy neighbours, loud music is blaring through the walls, and a Rottweiler who really doesn't like loud music so he is very stressed, poor thing, so that's the reason for any spelling and/or grammar mistakes. My head is banging, I can't concentrate properly.<br />
I could have left this for tomorrow, but I just wanted to get it finished and online.<br />
<b>Do you enter online competitions?</b><br />
<b>What have you won?</b><br />
<b>Or, if you're not a comper, do you eat Primula Cheese products?</b><br />
<b>And if you do, what do you think of them?</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-91486671410472236682016-01-20T12:40:00.001+00:002016-01-20T12:40:34.530+00:00Box Steam Brewery, Derail Ale, India Pale Ale - Beer ReviewWe drank this Box Steam Brewery India Pale Ale last Summer.<br />
<br />
Box Steam Brewery Derail Ale pours amber gold in the glass, with a small cream head.<br />
Aromas of hops, floral, sweet malts, biscuits, grass, and citrus zest.<br />
Flavours of sweet malts, caramel, and an orange hop bitterness to finish.<br />
Medium-bodied, drinkable, but quite a light beer.<br />
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<br />
<b>From the label -</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<i>Box Steam Brewery Est 2004</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The Taj Mahal of traditional India Pale Ales - full flavoured yet perfectly balanced, with a subtle aroma. 5.2% ABV</i><br />
<i>Ingredients; water, malted barley, hops.</i><br />
<i>Steam brewed in Wiltshire</i><br />
<b><br /></b>
<i>Talented as he was, Isambard Kingdom Brunel didn't get everything right. If his fame rested solely on the steam locomotives he designed for the GWR, his reputation might have been derailed long ago.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Brunel's engines Thunderer and Hurricane proved to be less than reliable and were swiftly replaced. A small blip in the great man's career - but more then enough to inspire the name of this pale ale. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>engineered by hand</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>We've won so many awards we can't show them all here. You can view them all at:</i><br />
<i>www.boxsteambrewery.com</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Box Steam Brewery,</i><br />
<i>Holt, Wiltshire BA14 6RU UK.</i><br />
<i>+44(0)1225 782700</i><br />
<b>Do you like Pale Ale?</b><br />
<b>Have you tried Box Steam Brewery, Derail Ale, India Pale Ale?</b><br />
<b>What did you think about this beer?</b><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-40112562502058385122016-01-14T11:16:00.001+00:002016-01-14T11:16:12.710+00:00It's Nippy in The North of England - Especially Now it's Snowing!I woke up this morning to be greeted by white skies, and gentle flurries of snow.<br />
It all looked very pretty, when viewed through the window from the warmth of the living room.<br />
And that's where it's beauty ended, at least for us - neither me or Mr.R like cold weather.<br />
But having dogs means we go out every day, come rain or shine - or snow.<br />
<br />
So, we put coats on the dogs, and ourselves - we also wore hats, scarves, and gloves.<br />
Barley, our rescue Lurcher, doesn't mind wearing a coat, he's used to it as being a slender breed he feels the cold so wearing a coat is not an unusual occurrence.<br />
Porter, our rescue Rottweiler, does mind wearing a coat. He wasn't at all impressed as Mr.R wrestled with him trying to fasten the coat around his neck and body. There was quite a lot of growling during this process - and that was mainly from Mr.R. I'm joking! Hahaha!<br />
<br />
Eventually we were all wrapped up and ready to venture outside for our morning dog walk.<br />
The snow hadn't settled much at this time, but the roads were slushy and fairly slippery.<br />
Barley and Porter didn't care about the slippery roads, and why would they - they've got four-wheel-drive.<br />
Me and Mr.R on the other hand, were gingerly walking down the hill to the local country park. As both the dogs are strong on their leads, we didn't want to rush in case our walk turned into a full-on slide - right down the road and in through the park gates.<br />
<br />
Once the dogs had done their business, we walked back towards the house.<br />
The snow was still falling, and the bitterly strong wind was stinging our faces.<br />
Thankfully the walk back seemed to be less slippery, and we arrived back at the house without either of us falling on our arses.<br />
<br />
Life in the North of England is much colder than anywhere we've ever lived before, and I doubt we'll ever get used to it.<br />
Living right by the North Sea is much <i>fresher</i> than when we lived in the South of France - the North Sea is most definitely not the Mediterranean. In fact, it's much colder here than London - which is where we're originally from, and that's a lot closer than France. Hahaha!<br />
The weather app on my phone says it's 1c degree, but feels like -6c. That's fecking cold for us <i>soft Southerners. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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I didn't manage to take any photos whilst we were out, but I did shoot just one shot from the kitchen door.<br />
Usually we can see the sea from the kitchen, but today the view was more-or-less a plain white canvas, with just the roof tops and chimneys of the neighbouring houses poking through the whiteness of the snow.<br />
<br />
Now we're back in the warmth of the living room, the wind and snow outside don't seem to bad, and as<br />
pretty as snow can look, I don't like it. It's fun when you're a child, but nowadays warm sunshine is more of a pleasure for us. As is snuggling n front of the fire, which is what all four of us are doing right now.<br />
<b>Do you like snow?</b><br />
<b>Is it snowing where you are today?</b><br />
<b>Are you going to build a snowman, or have fun on a taboggan?</b><br />
<b>Or are you planning to stay indoors and snuggle in front of the fire?</b>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-718243386437912332016-01-13T11:24:00.001+00:002016-01-13T11:24:45.327+00:00Karpackie Premium Lager - Review Just because it's from Lidl doesn't mean it shouldn't have a review written about it.<br />
<br />
Karpackie Premium Lager is a Polish lager, brewed by Browar Van Pur S.A. (Brau Union Polska) in Rzeszów, Poland.<br />
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It pours a light amber colour in the glass, with a white head of medium retention, and moderate carbonation.<br />
Aromas of sweet malts, wheat, and hops; typical Euro-lager smell, and a light touch of spice - possibly cloves or cinnamon.<br />
On the palate it's quite sweet with flavours of sweet malt, honey, grains.<br />
A fairly clean crisp drink, pleasant enough, easily drinkable, but nothing to get excited about.<br />
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<br />
Mr.R and I spent a lot of time travelling round Poland, and we drank lots, and lots of seriously good Polish beer, which is probably why Mr.R bought some Karpackie Premium Lager home from Lidl - he must have been reminiscing about our World travels.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>From the label -</b><br />
<i>Beer. Alc. 5% vol. </i><br />
<i>Ingredients: water, malted barley, brewing barley, hops. </i><br />
<b>Do you shop at Lidl?</b><br />
<b>Do you like Polish beer?</b><br />
<b>Have you tried Karpackie Premium Lager?</b><br />
<b>What did you think of it?</b>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-28926099443358227302016-01-11T12:37:00.001+00:002016-01-11T12:40:47.901+00:00Hotel Chocolat Snowflake - Much better Than Bills Dropping on the DoormatChocolate!<br />
I love it. Well, no, not love, but I like it - very much.<br />
So, I was a happy lady when Mr.R told me he'd won some chocolate, several wins actually.<br />
<br />
The first win that dropped through our letterbox was this white chocolate snowflake from the Hotel Chocolat brand.<br />
Chocolate snowflakes dropping on the doormat are preferable to bills.<br />
<br />
It says '<i>British Cocoa Grower' </i>on the label, so I suppose that's a good thing.<br />
There were two white chocolate snowflakes in the packet.<br />
<br />
White chocolate is not my favourite type of chocolate, but that doesn't mean I didn't eat the chocolate snowflakes.<br />
I did. Both of them. But not at once, they lasted me for a couple of weeks; I broke off small pieces to nibble each day.<br />
And as Mr.R doesn't like white chocolate at all, I obviously had no choice but to eat it all myself. Hahaha!<br />
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This white chocolate snowflake was nice. Although it was way too sweet for my tastes, (I much prefer the bitterness of good quality dark chocolate) and apart from the sweetness, it didn't actually taste of anything - I'm not sure if it even tasted of chocolate.<br />
That may be because my tastebuds are used to eating very bitter dark chocolate, and not a reflection on this white chocolate.<br />
<br />
But hey-ho it was free, so who am I to complain. Ha!<br />
Seriously though, (I'm joking about it being free, it was, but that's irrelevant) it is nice to have a product that's actually made in this country. Something British! As Blighty seems to make so little these days.<br />
<b>Are you a chocolate lover?</b><br />
<b>Do you like white chocolate?</b><br />
<b>Have you tried Hotel Chocolat?</b><br />
<b>What did you think of it?</b>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-74730629925081411872016-01-11T12:18:00.001+00:002016-01-11T12:19:44.815+00:00Sheppy's Draught Cider - Review English cider!<br />
We tried Sheppy's Draught Cider a while ago, back in the Summer of 2015, but I do remember the taste.<br />
It was alright, not bad, but not a cider we'd go out of our way to buy again.<br />
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It poured a light gold in the glass, without any head.<br />
<br />
The aromas were of green apples, wood, smoke, straw, green apples, and a touch of vanilla.<br />
It was pleasantly carbonated.<br />
<br />
Initially it tasted quite sweet, but with a slight sour aftertaste it wasn't unpleasant, with flavours of apple pulp, pear, straw, and a hint of vanilla.<br />
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<b>From the label -</b><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><b>Craftsmen cider makers for over 200 years</b></i><br />
<i>The Sheppy family have been farmer-cidermakers since the early 1800's, </i><br />
<i>producing ciders of quality and character. The skill and craftsmanship</i><br />
<i>which produce Sheppy's ciders remain unchanged over generations, </i><br />
<i>although modern technology helps with some of the hard work.</i><br />
<i>Home-grown and locally sourced apples guarantee the quality of the </i><br />
<i>blend and ensure that you get a drink to be savoured. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Somerset Draught combines cider apples and eating apples to produce</i><br />
<i>a crisp, fruit taste. So sit down and drink-in the rural beauty, the history</i><br />
<i>and the craft of six generations of cidermakers.</i><br />
<i>5.5% vol</i><br />
<b>Are you a cider drinker?</b><br />
<b>Have you tried Sheppy's Draught Cider?</b><br />
<b>What did you think of this cider?</b><br />
<br />
<br />Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-58925083091688326662016-01-11T11:56:00.003+00:002016-01-11T12:02:00.753+00:00A Lurcher, Rottweiler, and a Bull Terrier Walk Into a Bar.......Actually it wasn't a bar, it was backyard, and the Rottweiler had to make his excuses and a speedy departure - for the safety of the Bull Terrier.<br />
<br />
Our friend popped round a few days ago, which he does most mornings, but on this morning he wasn't alone - he had Vera, one of his Bull Terrier puppies with him.<br />
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<b><i>Vera, a little timid at first - hiding under a table in the back yard</i></b></div>
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Initially our friend stood outside our back gate, letting Vera and our two dogs give each other a good sniff.<br />
Our Lurcher, Barley, was very excited to meet Vera, as was our Rottweiler, Porter.<br />
But unfortunately it was all just a bit too exciting for Porter, so he made his excuses and left (went indoors).<br />
Our rescue Rottweiler, Porter, isn't aggressive, but he was over-excited and we didn't want him to hurt the Bull Terrier puppy.<br />
<br />
Then after we all felt the dogs had spent sufficient time sniffing each other, our friend bought Vera into our back yard.<br />
Vera was quite nervy initially, even hiding underneath a table at one point, but eventually she came out of her hiding place and played with Barley.<br />
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<b><i>Vera - Beautiful heart-nosed puppy</i></b></div>
<br />
Then after a while we all came indoors, it was cold outside, and we wanted to make sure Vera wasn't too cold. She had a little sniff around the room, climbed up on the sofa, and then sat down on the floor watching Barley.<br />
<br />
Barley was such a good boy, he was very calm with Vera - the perfect gentleman. Proving what wonderful pets rescue dogs can be.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9200278@N04/23715560169/in/dateposted/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Eric! Our friend brought another one of his Bullterrier pups to meet our dogs. Porter wanted to eat him. Barley wanted to play. Eric and Barley seconds after they met for the first time. 🐶💛🐶"><img alt="Eric! Our friend brought another one of his Bullterrier pups to meet our dogs. Porter wanted to eat him. Barley wanted to play. Eric and Barley seconds after they met for the first time. 🐶💛🐶" height="500" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1595/23715560169_c1765635c3.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Barley and Eric, seconds after they first met</i></b></div>
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As this meeting between Barley, and our friends Bull Terrier pup Vera, went well, he decided to bring another one of his puppies around a few days later.<br />
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<b><i>Barley offering his favourite tug-toy to Eric</i></b></div>
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This time he brought a male pup, Eric.<br />
Eric was completely different to Vera, he was very confident, and wasted no time in playing with Barley.<br />
It was lovely to watch Barley and Eric playing.<br />
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Hopefully when the weather is less cold (it's freezing today - literally) our friend is going to bring some more of his puppies to play with Barley.<br />
It's good for all of them, and an excellent way to socialise his pups with an adult dog.<br />
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<b><i>Barley gently playing tug with Eric</i></b></div>
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<br />
Hope you liked the photos of Barley, Vera, and Eric.<br />
<b>Obviously I like Lurchers, and Rottweilers, but I also like the Bull Terrier breed, they're lovely dogs.</b><br />
<b>Do you like Bull Terriers?</b><br />
<b>What's your favourite dog breed?</b><br />
<br />Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-31283455752784368312015-11-26T14:48:00.001+00:002015-11-26T14:48:25.578+00:00Dreamweaver Shiraz 2014 - Wine ReviewWe first tried this Australian red wine about 4 months ago, and we've bought it again several times since.<br />
I guess that says a lot about what we think of this Shiraz. We like it!<br />
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<br />
On the nose there are intense aromas of earthy damson, and cocoa.<br />
On the palate lots of delicious red berries, blackberries, a touch of coffee, and chocolate.<br />
It's a fairly full-bodied wine with decent hard tannins.<br />
Dreamweaver Shiraz 2014 is a really nice wine, and definitely one we will be buying again.<br />
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<b><br /></b>
<b>From the label</b><br />
<i>''<b>To dream is to wish, to hope, to aspire, to live life with optimism, faith and expectation.''</b></i><br />
<i>Dreamweaver Shiraz 2014</i><br />
<i>A rich jammy Australian Shiraz with warming red berry notes. Hints of blueberries, mulberries and blackberries round out the palate giving it a lovely soft, supple mouthfeel. The lingering persistence makes it a great match with chargrilled meats and game. Drink now to five years. 13% vol.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Mr.R does all of our food and drink shopping, so I'm not sure how much we paid for this wine, or where he bought it. I think he bought it from Asda, and I'm guessing it's only about five quid a bottle.<br />
Wherever he purchased it, and however much it cost, it's very tasty, and I recommend you try it for yourself.<br />
<b>Have you tried Dreamweaver Shiraz 2014?</b><br />
<b>What did you think of it?</b>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-44213008265407192382015-11-25T12:34:00.002+00:002015-11-25T12:34:47.796+00:00Porridge with Raisins, Coconut, Banana, Maple Syrup, and Chocolate Covered Sunflower SeedsI love porridge, it's the food I eat for breakfast most often.<br />
And this morning was another tasty porridge oats day.<br />
<br />
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First thing this morning I took Barley, our rescue Lurcher, for a nice long walk, it was fairly cold out with temperatures hovering around 1 degrees centigrade. When I got back to the house Mr.R had Barleys breakfast all ready and waiting for him, and as I was also very hungry I made a lovely warming bowl of porridge, with a few extras.<br />
I added raisins, coconut, and maple syrup to my porridge as it simmered on the hob.<br />
Then when my porridge was cooked, I chucked a chopped-up banana in the bowl, over which I dished-up my porridge, and then I drizzled some more maple syrup over it, and finally I sprinkled a few dark chocolate covered sunflower seeds on top.<br />
It was seriously tasty - hot, sweet, chocolatey, and delicious.<br />
<b>Are you a porridge lover?</b><br />
<b>What's your favourite way to eat your porridge oats?</b>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-43247682782654501082015-11-25T12:22:00.001+00:002015-11-25T12:22:11.111+00:00The Co-operative Vina Gala Rioja - Wine ReviewThis Co-op Vina Gala is a very nice Rioja, and a bit of a bargain at under five quid a bottle.<br />
I think we paid £4.49, it was reduced from £5.49.<br />
<br />
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On the nose there were aromas of cooked cherries, cherry stalks, leather and tobacco.<br />
On the palate were flavours of sour cherry, blackberry, raspberry, sweet spices, pleasant tannins, and a velvety smooth finish.<br />
Moorish and absolutely delicious!<br />
<br />
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<b><br /></b>
<b>From the label -</b><br />
<div>
<i>This wine is made from 100% Tempranillo which gives it oodles of raspberry flavours and spice character. A beautifully balanced wine at exceptional value from Bodegas Muriel in Elciego. 13% vol </i><br />
<b>Have you tried The Co-operative Vina Gala Rioja?</b><br />
<b>What did you think of it?</b></div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-40697725815901140572015-11-25T12:05:00.001+00:002015-11-25T12:05:14.652+00:00Kallo, Belgian Dark Chocolate, Organic Rice Cake Thins - Review I like rice cakes, and I like dark chocolate, so when Mr.R recently received a big box of organic food stuffs that he'd won, I was pleased to see a packet of Kallo, Belgian Dark Chocolate, Organic Rice Cake Thins included amongst his haul.<br />
<br />
I hadn't tried this brand of rice cake before, but they sounded nice, so I wasted no time in ripping open the packet to taste them.<br />
Actually that's not true, but it sounded a bit more dramatic that what I actually did, which was nothing.<br />
Well, not for a while anyway.<br />
Mr.R unpacked the box of food items, and the Kallo chocolate rice cakes were put in the larder. And that's where they stayed for ages, until I saw them one day and fancied trying them.<br />
I still didn't hastily rip open the packet in my desire to scoff them though, no, I put them in the fridge.<br />
I thought the dark chocolate would taste really nice if it was cold.<br />
A few days after I'd put the packet of Kallo chocolate rice cakes in the fridge, which I'd obviously forgotten otherwise I would have eaten them much sooner, I finally remembered and opened the packet to try them.<br />
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I'd made a nice hot cup of green tea, and fancied something to eat with it, so I bit into one of the chocolate covered rice cakes, and it was as delicious as I was expecting.<br />
The rice cakes are as stated in the description, thin, and they are topped with a generous amount of tasty dark chocolate.<br />
I definitely think keeping them in the fridge was a good decision, the rice was nice and crispy, and the dark chocolate was perfectly firm.<br />
I really enjoyed my first Kallo dark chocolate rice cake, and I've eaten a few more since I finally opened the packet, but I've still got a few left. They are a decent size, adequately satisfying, so I only ate one at a time.<br />
<br />
I'm not sure what else to say really, as I already seem to have rambled on quite a lot about these tasty squares of rice cake and chocolate, so I think I'll leave it at that.<br />
<br />
<b>From the packet - </b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>There was a chocolate owl,
Who only came out at night.</i></b><br />
<b><i>He was the shyest bird in the forest, </i></b><br />
<b><i>He was never spotted in flight. </i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>“Why are you always in hiding?” </i></b><br />
<b><i>Said the woodpecker, tapping a beat. </i></b><br />
<b><i>“Because I’m made of delicious dark chocolate, </i></b><br />
<b><i>And I’m ever so splendid to eat.”</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i>
The Low Down -</b><br />
<ul>
<li><i>55 calories per rice cake thin </i></li>
<li><i>A source of fibre </i></li>
<li><i>Made with Belgian chocolate </i></li>
<li><i>No artificial colours, flavours or preservatives </i></li>
<li><i>Vegetarian and coeliac friendly </i></li>
<li><i>Gluten Free </i></li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Ingredients and allergy information</b> -<br />
Ingredients: Organic dark chocolate (59%) (organic cocoa mass, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter), organic wholegrain brown rice.<br />
Allergen Advice: Made in a factory that handles soya, sesame seeds and milk.<br />
<br />
<b>Nutritional Information -</b><br />
Typical values per 100g per rice cake<br />
Energy 2039KJ/488Kcal 229KJ/55Kcal <br />
Fat 24.1g 2.7g<br />
of which saturates 14.6g 1.6g<br />
Carbohydrates 57.2g 6.4g<br />
of which sugars 23.4g 2.6g<br />
Fibre 7.4g 0.8g <br />
Protein 6.8g 0.8g<br />
Salt trace trace<br />
<br />
So, Kallo Belgian Dark Chocolate Organic Rice Cakes, my verdict - they're absolutely delicious!<br />
<b>Have you tried Kallo, Belgian Dark Chocolate, Organic Rice Cake Thins?</b><br />
<b>What did you think of them?</b><br />
<br />Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-1357567953782880942015-11-25T11:31:00.004+00:002015-11-25T11:31:47.811+00:00McGuigan Classic Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 - Wine Review<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I can't find a photo of this Australian wine, I'm sure I shot one, but it seems to have vanished.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Oh well, it's not important, so I'll get on with my wine review.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We drank this bottle of McGuigan Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 quite a while ago, but I do remember what I thought of it, so here goes - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was a lovely smooth red, with aromas of blackcurrants, cassis, spicy black pepper, and a hint of floral fragrance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On the palate there were flavours of dark cherry, a touch of chocolate, a hint of liquorice, a slightly acidic aftertaste, and finally a velvety tannin finish. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">All-in-all an enjoyable tipple. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">From the label -</span></b><br />
<div>
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We have carefully crafted this range of wines as a tribute to four generations of classic Australian winemaking by the McGuigan family. It takes inspiration from the central symbol of the family crest - the lion which represents the courage and commitment to continually create truly flavoursome Australian wine. </span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lovely flavours of rich, intense, cassis fruit combine perfectly in this full flavoured Cabernet Sauvignon. It is best served at room temperature and is a terrific accompaniment to herb crusted lamb cutlets or traditional roast beef.</span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Best enjoyed within 2 years of purchase, drink within 2 days of opening. </span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">13%vol. </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Have you tried McGuigan Classic Cabernet Sauvignon 2014?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>What did you think of it?</b></span></div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-37134305182211100462015-11-17T12:12:00.004+00:002015-11-17T12:12:39.741+00:00The World Needs More Love - Lots More Love, Love, LoveInstead of focusing on what you don't want, you'd be much better off if you focused on what you do want.<br />
Seriously! Concentrate on what you want, ignore everything you don't want.<br />
Positive thinking!<br />
<br />
The World needs our love.<br />
It's all upside down. We've got it all wrong.<br />
We shouldn't be marching for an end to war, we should be marching for peace.<br />
Peace!<br />
We shouldn't be marching against the cuts in student fees, we should be marching for free education.<br />
Free education!<br />
We shouldn't be marching with placards ''Save our NHS!'' we should be marching with banners exclaiming, ''We love our NHS!''<br />
<br />
I could go on, but I'm sure you get what I'm saying.<br />
Love really is the answer, whatever the question - love is the answer.<br />
<br />
The World needs more love, much much much more love.<br />
<br />
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<b>Heart stone from one of our local beaches</b></div>
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<i><b><br /></b></i>
<i><b>Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. </b></i><br />
<i><b>Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. </b></i><br />
<i><b> - </b>Martin Luther King, Jr</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>What do you think the World needs?</b><br />
<b>More love?</b><br />
<b>Or lots and lots and lots more love?</b><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-57097284492668384462015-11-12T14:52:00.002+00:002015-11-12T14:52:33.758+00:00Cano Toro Alta Expression 2011 - Wine Review<div>
This is another delicious wine from Lidl. I think it was about £7.<br />
<br />
Cano Toro Alta Expression 2011 is made using 100% Tempranillo grapes. 14% vol.<br />
It poured a deep deep red in the glass, with aromas of sour cherries, raspberries, toast, wood, cacao, a hint of spice, and vanilla.<br />
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On the palate, rich dark berries, chocolate, a touch of herbs, and a slight taste of wood.<br />
It had a pleasant long and smooth finish.<br />
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<b>From the Label - </b><br />
<div>
<i>This elegant wine is dark cherry in colour with purple highlights and is rich in complex aromas of berries with a warm spiciness. it has a well-structured palate with velvety tannins and is an ideal accompaniment to starters and roasts. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
We really like Spanish wine, and we enjoyed our bottle of Cano Toro Alta Expression 2011.<br />
It's a nice fruity wine, reasonably priced, and we would definitely buy it again.<br />
<b>Have you tried Cano Toro Alta Expression 2011?</b><br />
<b>What did you think of it?</b></div>
<div>
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Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-70438185298145676982015-11-09T12:09:00.001+00:002015-11-09T12:09:20.631+00:00Whole Earth Golden Organic Cornflakes I can't remember the last time I ate cornflakes.<br />
<br />
Well, I mean apart from the box of Whole Earth Golden Organic Cornflakes that I have just finished.<br />
They were very tasty.<br />
I'd completely forgotten how enjoyable it is to eat a bowl of cornflakes, with lots of lovely ice cold milk.<br />
I used almond milk on the cornflakes, but having read some more information about the ingredients of the almond milk, I won't be consuming that again.<br />
Maybe I'll write a blog post about the dodgy ingredients of the almond milk in the future.<br />
Or I probably won't, because I am trying to be more positive....... Hahaha!<br />
<br />
Right, anyway, where was I?<br />
Oh yeah - I hadn't tasted these Whole Earth brand cornflakes before, but I'd definitely eat them again, they were lovely.<br />
Even better was the fact that they were free.<br />
Mr.R won a hamper of food goodies recently, and this box of cornflakes was just one of the many items he received.<br />
Even better still is that Mr.R doesn't eat breakfast, well, very rarely, and he isn't particularly keen on cereal, so I got to eat the whole box of cornflakes myself.<br />
Not in one sitting.<br />
I managed to summon up just enough willpower to stop myself from scoffing more than one bowl of cornflakes at a time for my breakfast.<br />
<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9200278@N04/22716544065/in/dateposted/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Mmm, cornflakes! Haven't had them for years, I'd forgotten how nice they are. And they were free, so even better. 😜😋😬"><img alt="Mmm, cornflakes! Haven't had them for years, I'd forgotten how nice they are. And they were free, so even better. 😜😋😬" height="500" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5776/22716544065_60b919907d.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Mmm, cornflakes!</i></b></div>
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<br />
There's not much else I can say, I mean, they are cornflakes, so they taste like cornflakes - crispy little flakes of corn.<br />
They stayed crispy more or less to the end of each bowlful, which considering the amount of milk and maple syrup I sloshed all over them, was pretty impressive.<br />
The fact that they are organic cornflakes is a good thing, probably. Or not. I guess it depends on what you think about the benefits of organic food versus non-organic food - but that's too big a topic for this post.<br />
I thoroughly enjoyed the Whole Earth Organic Cornflakes, and am very pleased we have another box to eat - the Whole Earth Maple Frosted Organic Cornflakes. I shall write a blog post about them too, once I've tried them.<br />
<b>Have you tried Whole Earth Organic Cornflakes?</b><br />
<b>How do you eat your cornflakes? </b><br />
<b>With cows milk? </b><br />
<b>Goats milk?</b><br />
<b>Coconut milk?</b><br />
<b>Hemp milk?</b><br />
<b>Almond milk?</b><br />
<br />Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-87111923122989377892015-11-06T14:28:00.003+00:002015-11-06T14:28:32.182+00:00Casa Luis Carinena Reserva 2009 - Wine ReviewWe've had this Spanish wine quite a few times, but I don't think I've written a review about it before.<br />
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<b>Casa Luis Carinena Reserva 2009 - A tasty Spanish bargain!</b></div>
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Casa Luis Carinene Reserva 2009 is a very drinkable decent value wine, £4.79 from Asda.<br />
It has pleasant aromas of rich dark fruit, with lots of black cherry, cassis, a touch of pepper, a hint of vanilla, and oak on the palate.<br />
It's a well-balanced wine with a smooth structure and nice finish.<br />
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As I said, we've had this wine quite a few times, and we'd definitely buy it again. A real bargain.<br />
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<b>We were too busy quaffing to photograph the actual wine ;)</b></div>
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<b>From the Label -</b><br />
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Black cherry and blackcurrant fruit flavours with vanilla and spice on the palate leading to a smooth, lingering finish. </div>
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Try with pork dishes or stir-fried vegetables. </div>
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13.5%.<br />
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<b>Have you tried Casa Luis Carinena Reserva 2009?</b><br />
<b>What did you think of it?</b></div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-11383959012963846812015-11-06T14:11:00.001+00:002015-11-06T14:11:18.062+00:00Bulmers Original Cider - Cider ReviewCider used to be my favourite drink whenever I went to a pub.<br />
I'm talking about many many years ago, before cider was as popular as it seems to be now.<br />
I mean, cider was popular, with serious cider drinkers, but it wasn't as mainstream as it is now, there weren't as many adverts on TV etc.<br />
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Now I'm not such a fan of cider, mainly because I live up North, where it's too cold. Haha!<br />
Seriously though, it is very enjoyable to sup a pint of deliciously cold cider on a lovely warm sunny day - of which we get few here. Hehe!<br />
Well, other people may consider the weather warm, possibly in the Summer, but as I am always cold, it never feels warm here to me.<br />
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Anyway, I'm rambling.......<br />
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Bulmers Original Cider is one of the most popular ciders in the UK.<br />
It's not an artisan cider, so when Mr.R bought some a while ago, we weren't expecting to be overly impressed with it.<br />
Having said that, apart from the colour, which is slightly scary because it looks so fake. Surely it's not that colour from apples? It looks quite horrible and full of nasty chemicals. Despite the intensity of the colour, it tastes alright.<br />
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We hadn't drank Bulmers cider for a long time, but we enjoyed it. It was a lot better than many of the common ciders available today.<br />
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Bulmers Original Cider isn't overly sweet like so many of them are, and it was very light, crisp, and refreshing.<br />
The label says Estd 1887, so presumably Bulmers do know a little bit about producing a drinkable cider, and this was exactly that - a pleasant drinkable cider.<br />
It smelt of apples, no surprises there, and as I said it is very light, a bit like apple flavoured water, I don't mean that in a bad way - it slipped down very nicely.<br />
I'm not sure if we'd rush to buy/drink Bulmers Original Cider again, but we enjoyed the bottles we bought.<br />
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<b>From the label -</b><br />
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<i><b>Bulmers No9 </b></i></div>
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<i><b>We use big apples, small apples, juicy apples and bittersweet apples to make the well-balanced and medium-sweet flavour of Bulmers Original cider that you know and love. </b></i></div>
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<i><b>Enjoy poured over ice for ultimate refreshment. </b></i><br />
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<b>Do you like cider?</b><br />
<b>Have you tried Bulmers Original Cider?</b><br />
<b>What did you think of this cider?</b></div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-24008153534578422062015-11-05T14:58:00.003+00:002015-11-05T15:01:21.776+00:00Fog, Beach, Dogs, Chillies, Homemade Chicken Pie, and LoveBright and early this morning, no, early this morning; it wasn't bright it was still quite dark and very foggy, we took the dogs to one of our local beaches.<br />
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The beach we chose to go to today is only about a ten minute drive from the house - even driving slower than usual due to the fog.</div>
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The weather was random, some of the journey there was thick fog, and other parts of the same road it was more or less clear.</div>
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Anyway, we arrived at the beach, parked the car, and got the dogs out. They were both keen to get moving, eager to get down on the sand and run.</div>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9200278@N04/22382227847/in/dateposted/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="See the sea? Nope! It was a bit foggy when we walked in the sand dunes down to the sea this morning. 😐 Lovely calm morning though. 😊"><img alt="See the sea? Nope! It was a bit foggy when we walked in the sand dunes down to the sea this morning. 😐 Lovely calm morning though. 😊" height="500" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/650/22382227847_d57176802d.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Foggy walk in the sand dunes</i></b></div>
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The walk down to the beach from where we park the car, leads through the sand dunes, which were not looking as lovely as they do when the sun is out.<br />
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<b><i>Rose hips, a splash of red in the sand dunes</i></b></div>
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As soon as we were on the beach we had a good look around to make sure it was safe to let the dogs off their leads.<br />
Well, we had as good a look as was possible considering we couldn't actually see particularly far into the distance.</div>
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Thankfully we had a decent stretch of sandy beach to ourselves.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9200278@N04/22409713839/in/photostream/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Fishing net and rope wrapped around a piece of plastic pipe. And the sea, which you can't see, cos - fog. 😉😐"><img alt="Fishing net and rope wrapped around a piece of plastic pipe. And the sea, which you can't see, cos - fog. 😉😐" height="500" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/678/22409713839_5192874485.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Beach debris - fishing net wrapped around a piece of plastic pipe</i></b></div>
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I had the dogs football in the rucksack so I ran ahead of Mr.R and the dogs, which is what I usually do, so that the dogs get at least one good long run before we have to put them back on their leads; if other dog walkers let their dogs come running at ours etc. </div>
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Mr.R had let Porter off lead a few seconds before he released Barely, as he wanted to give Porter a bit of a head start. It worked, well, briefly, as Porter came running full pelt towards me, just before Barley zoomed along and caught up with him. As they were almost next to me I booted the football even further along the beach, as the dogs sped past to catch it.</div>
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Porter managed to get to the ball first, and then he ran around with it for a while, before letting Barley grab it.</div>
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Then Barley ran with the football, zooming all over the beach in huge circles before he relinquished the ball for Porter to run with.<br />
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<b><i>Porter, full of energy - Barley lagging behind</i></b></div>
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The dogs continued to run, chase the ball, and enjoy themselves for a while, before it all got too much for Barley. </div>
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He was unusually tired, and didn't have the energy to run at top speed like he usually does, and so we made a slow stroll back towards the car.</div>
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Porter was also tired from running, but that's normal for him because he's always trying to keep up with Barley.<br />
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<b><i>Same but different - Porter with the ball, Barley with his tongue hanging out</i></b></div>
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The drive home was slightly less foggy, and we were all pleased to be back in the house - shutting the dull weather outside. </div>
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After I'd fed Barley and Porter their breakfast, and eaten some breakfast myself; Mr.R didn't want anything to eat, he very rarely eats breakfast, I got to thinking about lunch. </div>
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Yes, I'd only just finished my breakfast and I was already thinking about my next meal. </div>
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It's not that I'm greedy, although I am constantly thinking about what I'm going to eat next, it was that I'd offered to make lunch. </div>
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It must have been a brief moment of madness, I don't usually do the cooking, Mr.R does it all. But I had mentioned a while ago that I fancied making a pie.<br />
Mr.R went food shopping yesterday, and one of the things he bought was some chicken - for me - to make a pie. I took the hint.</div>
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First things first, the pastry.</div>
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Before I did anything for the pie filling, I quickly made some shortcrust pastry. And I do mean quickly.<br />
Until recently I had always thought I a person who did things fairly quickly, but lately I have realised that the exact opposite is true. I am slow. I am slow at doing pretty much everything I do, whether it be cooking (albeit a rare occurrence), vacuuming, washing-up, or even showering. I take ages to do everything.</div>
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But, I was quite tired, and my shoulder is very painful (damaged rotator cuff, thanks to Barley - but that's another story), so I wanted to knock up some pastry and sit down for a while before doing anything else.</div>
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I know shop bought pastry is pretty decent, but making pastry is so easy I'd rather make my own - plus it tastes much nicer. </div>
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So, flour in a bowl, I chucked in some chunks of butter, rubbed it all together with my fingertips, (no machinery was used) and that was it. Pastry. Proper homemade pastry. </div>
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I wrapped the pastry and bunged it in the fridge.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9200278@N04/22384933398/in/photostream/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Chicken pie. 😋"><img alt="Chicken pie. 😋" height="500" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/592/22384933398_b877bbf588.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b><i>It ain't pretty, but it was made with love</i></b></div>
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After a little rest I started to make the pie filling.</div>
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Now, this pie is not a typical, or traditional, chicken pie.</div>
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Initially I thought I'd make a chicken and leek pie. </div>
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Then I thought I'd make a chicken, leek, and mushroom pie. </div>
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And then I thought I'd make a chicken, leek, mushroom, and <i>various other ingredients we like</i> pie.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9200278@N04/22615322400/in/photostream/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Chicken pie. 😋"><img alt="Chicken pie. 😋" height="500" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/697/22615322400_1fca194340.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b><i>As I said, it's no looker, but its taste - seriously gorgeous</i></b></div>
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So, I started by sauteeing a leek, once it was lovely and soft I added loads of garlic, some turmeric, loads of black pepper, and a couple of chillies.</div>
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Yep, chillies! We are obsessed with chillies, we put them in almost everything we eat. </div>
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Once everything was cooked I added carrots, peas, and mushrooms. I cooked everything for a while longer and then I added some chicken stock.</div>
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Cook, cook, cook, simmer, simmer, simmer, and that was it - apart from the chicken.</div>
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I chopped up some fresh chicken, and sauteed it in a pan.</div>
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Then I added the chicken to the other ingredients, rolled out the pastry and topped the pie dish.</div>
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I sploshed the pastry top with some olive oil. We haven't got a pastry brush; keep forgetting to buy one, and we don't have milk in the house, and I don't believe in using an egg - it's a waste of an egg. ;)</div>
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Pie assembled, Mr.R put it in the oven. </div>
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I'd also put some potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower on the hob to slowly steam. </div>
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And that was it, my kitchen activity was over for the day. </div>
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I retired to the living room. Mr.R took over the kitchen duties.</div>
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I am not good at taking things out of the oven, so I asked Mr.R to finish off lunch, which he did.<br />
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<b><i>Chicken, leek, mushroom, and '</i></b><i><b>various other ingredients we like' pie</b></i></div>
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How did our chicken, leek, mushroom, and <i>various other ingredients we like</i> pie taste?</div>
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It was absolutely delicious, nice big chunks of succulent chicken, lovely sweetness from the leeks, carrots, and peas, and a tasty hit of heat from the chillies. Perfect!</div>
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I love homemade pies, and this was very enjoyable.</div>
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<b>Do you like homemade pies?</b></div>
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<b>What's your favourite savoury pie filling?</b></div>
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Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602775356894451412.post-50288327408005187352015-10-30T12:49:00.004+00:002015-10-30T12:49:32.236+00:00Beautiful Homegrown Flowers - Lovely Surprise from a NeighbourA few days ago as we returned to the house after walking the dogs, we saw a neighbour; from a nearby street, walking towards us.<br />
He also has two dogs, and they're as lively as our two, so we don't usually get too close to each. Hahaha!<br />
As he was a little way up the road from us, we just waved and said 'Hi!'.<br />
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We came in our back gate and were busy taking the dogs leads and collars off, when our neighbour suddenly appeared at our gate holding a bunch of flowers, which he promptly handed to us.<br />
We had a little chat about the homegrown vegetables he's been growing on his allotment, grow your own food, and the flowers etc. and then as quick as he'd arrived, he left to finish his dog walk. <br />
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I can't remember what he said the flowers were, and I'm not a flowery person, but they were a mixed bunch of brightly coloured blooms, which he'd grown on his allotment.<br />
Beautiful flowers, and completely unexpected. Absolutely lovely!<br />
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An empty jar, a bit of water, and our kitchen was instantly brightened.<br />
Beer (our own) is just sat waiting for room in the fridge - we have limited storage.<br />
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It's not everyday someone gives us flowers, and it was a very pleasant surprise.<br />
<b>When was the last time someone gave you flowers?</b><br />
<b>Was it a special occasion, or a random - just because?</b><br />
<br />Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02712119424161413683noreply@blogger.com0