Friday 17 March 2023

Friday, 17-03-23

 Good morning, everyone.
The forecast isn't brilliant for today - light rain for most of the day.  We were lucky yesterday; the sun shone, it was really mild (up to around 15C) and the radiators were off all day.  I put on my coat when I went into town and by the time I was heading back to the car, I was boiling!

I did my online SET class, interrupted when the internet dropped.  Grrrr.  It's been doing that; I gather there's some local work going on but it's always been mid afternoon before.

Then it was over to Chris for your good old natter.  She's feeling 100% now and has been out and about all week doing birthday things.  We're going out for lunch together next week to the cafe at Longacres (was Wyvale) which does really nice lunchy things like jacket potatoes.  It's to celebrate both our birthdays (mine's in April).

After breakfast, seeing as the weather was so nice, I drove into town and went on a flour hunt.  The shops I tried!!  Nothing in the Grape Tree, nor in M&S, Holland and Barratt or even the very big Tesco.
There were other flours galore, 'ethnic' type flours, flours I'd never even heard of but no wholemeal SR flour.  So that was disappointing.  However, in Tesco, I got my bag of frozen pineapple chunks and in Lakeland I found two little trays that fit inside Nellie the Ninja perfectly, so it wasn't a wasted journey and it was nice having a wander round.

When I got home, I resorted to good old Amazon and found a supplier that wasn't asking an arm and a leg for the flour.  I had to buy more than I needed but I checked and flour keeps well long term in the freezer (did you know that?) so I have some winging its way to me today.  I could have ordered some direct from Dove but it was more expensive, there was postage and it just wasn't worth it.
Mind you, wandering around the Dove site was very tempting!!

When I got home, there was a little parcel on the doorstep - it was my new little clock that I thought was coming today.  No complaints:  I got it set up and it's working away nicely.  I didn't realise how often I glanced at the old clock until it wasn't there any more.

Today is Slimming World day, of course, and Gabriela emailed to ask could my cleaners come this morning, so the house is all nice and as ready as it ever is good and early today.  I might still be out when they come.

There's nothing else in the diary and I'm going to make no plans but just go with the flow, so to speak - see how I feel.  Realistically, that means crochet and YouTube for a while and maybe a walk as long as it's not raining.  We'll see.
Have a great day, everyone.  xx

14 comments:

  1. Yes I've kept flour in the freezer before when I've bought more than I can use quickly, it kills off any of those little weevils you occasionally find in flours bought from little independent shops. The flour doesn't freeze solid, it stays free-flowing, but you do need to take it out in sufficient time for it to come back to room temperature before you use it. How nice to have a lunch to look forward to next week, a lovely birthday treat for you both. xx

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    1. Thanks, Sooze. It's great to know that and now I have enough wholemeal SR to last me for ages! :-) xx

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  2. Whatever did we do before we had freezers? Almost indispensable.

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    1. I'd be thoroughly lost without mine. xx

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  3. Yes, flour keeps well in the freezer and it kills off any weevil eggs that might be lying dormant in it. It sounds like you are all nice and ready for the weekend. Hope you have a good one. xx

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    1. Thanks, Sue. Yes, everything is pottering along nicely right now. I'm making the most of it! xx

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  4. I keep SR and plain flour in the freezer and just take out what I need. It's not something I use that often. The flour for breadmaking stays in the cupboard as I use that every week.

    I hope your weigh in went went this morning and that you have a good natter with Chris. Enjoy the rest of your day xx

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    1. You have a good point - maybe I should think about doing that at some point. Not until I have got the amount in the freezer reduces a bit though. xx

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  5. SR whole meal flour is increasingly difficult to get, good old Amazon:)
    Alison in Wales x

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    1. Indeed. And what I got was great value too. The use by date isn't that long but they're in the freezer so that's in no way a problem. xx

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  6. I am glad you found your flour. I hope all went well at Slimming World.

    God bless.

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    1. Thanks, Jackie. I'm glad too. SW was really good, thank you. xx

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  7. I've never heard or seen wholemeal sr flour. Glad you managed to find it! I do keep some of my flour in the freezer. Not sure where I learned that from. Perhaps MIL as sometimes we have those little bugs that get in flour and if you keep it in the freezer you don't get them. Nowadays I don't use half as much flour as I used to and it gets kept in airtight containers in the cupboard.

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    1. It's a fairly recent discovery for me. I think I saw a bag in Lathcoats and got it on impulse. I use it in my pancakes, waffles, etc. The only company that makes it that I've seen is Dove - they do all sorts of artisan and 'ancient' grains and flour.
      It should be simple enough to turn plain wholemeal into SR, of course, and I'd have done that, had I been really stuck.
      I think using the freezer is brilliant - thanks to you and everyone else recommending it.
      xx

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