Died?

[mint]

Ha, ha!

[woolybananasbrother]

There you are, RH, made dewy eyed by the Old Master. Experience, you lovely young things, is all.

[woolybananasbrother]

Nothing like flirting to kill a thread dead. Now you know the answer to the original question

[mint]

Wooly, how's the new pad?  Obviously, you haven't died in it so it must be OK.  Well, is it?

[Sprogster]

I would imagine that worries about the economy has something to do with it, in that France is a lot less attainable for the time being and that plans to move are being put on hold until the UK housing market and the £ recovers.

[Kitty]

Must be Sprog.  Explains a lot.  It's called the GB Factor - the Gordon Brown Factor.

[Sprogster]

I wonder if we will look back at this time as the end of an era, in that for some years to come it is just not going to be affordable for most UK individuals to purchase a home abroad.

The great facilitator over the last ten years has been escalating UK house prices which have allowed people to release equity to help fund second home purchases, or sell up altogether, move abroad and retire.

However, with the depressed UK housing market, credit squeeze and weak £, the dream is becoming increasingly out of reach for most and if the financial analysts are to be believed things are going to get worse before it ges better and that could take many years.

[woolybananasbrother]

yes sweets, house is fine thanks. No more worries about crumbling ruins crumbling, or the picuturesque sight of inbred, half loopy locals walking the streets, hand in hand. And no unused space to heat or fill, blocking septic tanks or dingy rooms. No draughts to speak of. Oh bliss.[6]

[Gluestick]

[quote]or the picuturesque sight of inbred, half loopy locals walking the streets, hand in hand....................[/quote]

 

And there was me thinking this was a Pas de Calais feature!

 

[Kitty]

Another fascinating topic: What did everyone have for breakfast today?

Gluey - are you a cereal person or a croissant freak?

Me - muesli (from Aldi) and a banana (also from Aldi).

[Gluestick]

Me; organic rolled oats and Alpro soya milk substitute.

Interestingly, Cathy I do often eat muesli, but I make my own.

Organic oats, banana flakes, almond flakes, hazlenuts, almonds (I roast the nuts to give extra flavour: yummy!), chopped dried apricots and of course, sultanas; oats from Asda (Mornflake) the rest from either Aldi or Lydil. I don't like the added salt and sugar in most commercial muesli and the really good stuff is far too expensive.

Trouble is Mrs Gluey nicks it and takes it to work in the big bad City for lunch!

Having said all that, I could really murder some eggy bacon this morning!

The last time I had a really demon brekker was when staying at the Old Bell hotel in Malmesbury. Porridge that was like cream: full English (replete of course with Wiltshire bacon and breakfast bangers), loads of toast and decent marmalade, the papers and a bottomless coffee pot.

As Somerset Maugham said, "The only way to eat well in England is to eat breakfast three times a day!"

 

[Kitty]

Well Gluey.  The Old Bell was certainly the full monty.  "Mr Cathy" has been known to follow Somersat Maughan's maxim. "All day breakfast for me" is his favourite expression, after: "What time is supper?".  Mine is: "Get it yourself".

Do you like your eggs sunny side up?

 

[Russethouse]

Inspired by a feature on 'Breakfast': Which old sweets would you bring back ? ( Werners Original are not allowed) I'm bagging Spearmint Spangles [:)][:)]

[Chancer]

[quote user="Gluestick"]

[quote]or the picuturesque sight of inbred, half loopy locals walking the streets, hand in hand....................[/quote]

And there was me thinking this was a Pas de Calais feature!

[/quote]

You dont have a monopoly on it GS it is thriving here also, I have not seen it yet during my expiditions to Chti'Nord but judging by some of the more horrible news items I think it exists.

WBB where did you move from? And what other areas do you know of that share this particular feature, I ask for when I consider my next move!

[Gluestick]

[quote user="Cathy"]

Well Gluey.  The Old Bell was certainly the full monty.  "Mr Cathy" has been known to follow Somersat Maughan's maxim. "All day breakfast for me" is his favourite expression, after: "What time is supper?".  Mine is: "Get it yourself".

Do you like your eggs sunny side up?

 

[/quote]

Fat splashed over the white to set it and yolks running all over the place!

I love eggs anyway; scrambled, coddled, poached (properly of course in a shallow pan of boiling water), boiled, omelettes.

Love the fresh farm eggs we get in France. One of Mrs Gluey's current work colleagues has a small holding and is threatening to sell us her surplus eggs each week! Free range properly fed hens.

I am very careful with the amount I eat though' cos of the cholesterol.

Still as the old saw states; whatever you like in life, it's either illegal, immoral or it makes you fat!

 

[Gluestick]

[quote user="Russethouse"]Inspired by a feature on 'Breakfast': Which old sweets would you bring back ? ( Werners Original are not allowed) I'm bagging Spearmint Spangles [:)][:)][/quote]

Original Murray Mints. Rollos; Palm Toffees for me please Russet!

[:D]

[Gluestick]

[quote]You dont have a monopoly on it GS it is thriving here also, I have not seen it yet during my expiditions to Chti'Nord but judging by some of the more horrible news items I think it exists.

WBB where did you move from? And what other areas do you know of that share this particular feature, I ask for when I consider my next move!

[/quote]

Our nearest town, Fruges is real swede basher territory, JR. San Pol Sur Turnoise is equally bad.

It's very strange: only 25 mins away is Hesdin (which is a wonderful old French town with a cobbled sqaure and Spanish history).

The epicentre of local culture it seems.

First time one Summer we sat in the square sipping a cold beer with friends, after the church clock had struck the hour most sonorously, Mrs Gluey pondered for a bit and said, "I can just imagine this back in the early 40s; with Nazis flags draped over the front of the Hotel De Ville: and she was right.

http://www.theotherside.co.uk/tm-heritage/towns/hesdin.htm

http://www.rent-a-house-france.com/hesdin_town_centre_-_the_globe.htm

http://www.a-taste-of-france.com/hesdin.html

[mint]

All I did was fait grasse matinee and you lot have been eating breakfast and discussing the local genealogy where you live without me!  Inconsiderate or what?

First message to Wooly; I am so, so pleased you are happy in your new home.  That's what makes all the kerfuffle of moving worthwhile, isn't it?  When does the course at Nantes faculty start?  Don't forget les jeunnes francaises, best get a move on, old chap.

Second message to Gluey.  I also have heard the Somerset Maugham slant on eating well in England and I totally agree with it.  As for the Old Bell at Malmesbury, I have never had breadfast there but dinner, ah dinner, holds very fond memories indeed.  I used to work in Malmesbuy AND Chippenham

Third message for RH.  My favourite old sweet has to be a humbug as I loved the colours but, on second thoughts, perhaps that should be peanut brittle.

[Gluestick]

Malmesbury was a lovely and typically Wiltshire town, Sweets. I also used to enjoy the wonderful pubs outside in the sticks.

I once drove from the outskirts of Bristol, cross-country to Malmesbury, through all the old stone villages and mini-towns. Sun shining, good wheels; a nice drive.

I have always preferred good country hotels to the upmarket caravansari in major cities: I've stayed at a few on business and invariably found them sterile, unfriendly and pretty naff food.

The old style country mansion converted into an hotel with creaking polished floorboards, a slowly ticking grandfather clock in the corner and the odd Fawlty Towers type stuffed animal's head hanging on the wall used to be heaven!

And particularly the English custom of afternoon tea, with genteel and very thin cucumber sandwiches, home made seedy cake and jams and a decent pot of Darjeeling, or Assam.

Great stuff!

Peanut Brittle! of course. Crunch, crunch.

And my Gran always used to make us trays of honeycomb and toffee apples: we had to whittle the sticks from firewood!

Happy, innocent days.

 

[mint]

Ever eaten at The Bell, Sutton Benger, Gluey?  Sort of twixt Chippenham and Swindon.  Lived there on the premises for a few months whilst househunting.  Nice!

[britgirl]

Wow! Your description of afternoon teas brought back many memories of cream teas on Dartmoor. Huge fresh baked scones, loads of clotted cream and homemade strawberry jam.  There were huge debates as to which you put on your scone first. I don't think it was ever resolved. Me? Definately cream first. Happy days.

[Gluestick]

[quote user="sweet 17"]Ever eaten at The Bell, Sutton Benger, Gluey?  Sort of twixt Chippenham and Swindon.  Lived there on the premises for a few months whilst househunting.  Nice![/quote]

Sounds vaguely familiar, Sweets. I stayed at a number of places around Malmesbury when I used to travel down to meet with business colleagues there.

 

[Kitty]

[quote user="Gluestick"][quote user="Cathy"] [/quote]

Still as the old law states; whatever you like in life, it's either illegal, immoral or it makes you fat! [/quote]

Better still - all three....

When I am in the UK (not very often), I am a hop, skip and jump away from Malmesbury.

[Gluestick]

[quote user="britgirl"]Wow! Your description of afternoon teas brought back many memories of cream teas on Dartmoor. Huge fresh baked scones, loads of clotted cream and homemade strawberry jam.  There were huge debates as to which you put on your scone first. I don't think it was ever resolved. Me? Definately cream first. Happy days.

[/quote]

When Mrs Gluey and I were on our one week's honeymoon in Dawlish Warren in Devon (how times change: no riding elephants in Bali in those days! One week in Devon and straight back to work), we found a Tea Shoppe in the village where the owner also had a farm and used his own clotted cream.

Now he told me that it was clotted naturally: just left in the dairy to set, whereas most was clotted using heat, which is why it turned yellow.

Now Mrs G loves cream: however, cream was conspicuous by its absence when we were both growing up. As were most foods...............

After demolishing a large helping of  home made scones, home made strawberry jam (Jam on first BTW, Britgirl! [:P] jam is thick and sticky; you can easily spread cream on jam but it's not so easy the other way around!), Mrs G eyed the plates of home made choux pastry clotted cream filled cakes and well, one thing led to another!

I did suggest she exercised caution: "I know what I'm doing!" was the firm reply. Ah well.

Eventually, she turned an interesting shade of green.................................[+o(]

There was a silver lining: that evening at dinner (Another lucky break: a wondrous hotel, new owners, she was Dutch and a great cook and they were trying out their menus for the Summer season. Cheap rates as it was early April),  so at dinner, I was able to eat both servings of the mixed grill, as one could when young, with no obvious side-effects.

Now these days, if Mrs G wants to argue about something which will do her no good, all I say is, "Remember the clotted cream!"

No wonder I've so many bruises all the time!

I'm working now having enjoyed a morning's leisure, so you all play nice!

[:D]

 

[Weedon]

Farmhouse teas for me please.  Fruit scones, lashings of proper clotted cream and strawberry jam.

Next day, down to Folkestone Harbour for fish and chips then for afternoon tea? a plate of whelks from La La's sea food stall.  Okay then if you insist I'll have a few pints of bitter in The Ship just for a bit of local colour, the main being the blue language. 

Perhaps the lady arm-wrestler types from The Ship could get together with the half-loopy arm danglers from the Pas de Calais for a bit of cultural understanding?

Childhood sweets for me included Dolly Mixtures dipped in lemonade powder....it's a wonder I have even the one tooth left.[:-))]