menthe

Seriously "healthy" bread then, Lehaut?😁 Hope you and Mrs L are also seriously healthy from eating some bread that is so wholesome. I have noted down your recipe and, when I have my new breadmaker, I shall be trying it out. Thanks.

I agree with DL about "treating others with respect". I for one would not go so far as respect, just common politeness would do. Personal attacks are out of order. Keep it general if you do have something controversial to say. I am sure that if we were sitting in a room facing each other, we would not make the comments or use some of the language on some threads Disagree by all means, disagree strongly if you feel strongly about something but it should not be beyond the wits of reasonable adults to do so without name-calling or belittling someone else. That is not only NOT clever, but shows a character lacking in balance and consideration of others.

Looks tasty, Lehaut. So tell us, what make of breadmaker do you use?

Martin, I have looked at the best time of day to take your blood pressure tabs after hearing on tv that it's best to take them in the evening and not the morning. If you wish, I will find an online video that explains the scientific backing for this.

Riggers, I so agree and therefore I am going to write down the THREE figures when I complete Martin Kingfisher's record sheet for the cardiologue. As you say, it's potentially dangerous to ignore the last number. What if the reading is 149 over 96? Do you round up the numbers or just drop off the last, and very significant, digit? Cajal, good luck with your op and it's as well you thought to mention it. It does come as a shock when you think all is tickety-boo and wham the medics find something that IS in fact not as you'd thought. I liked to think, I'd just KNOW if I had something wrong. Don't think that anymore because oh boy was I wrong when they discovered my "très aggresive" cancer. Even then, I didn't take it seriously at first because aren't ALL cancers "aggresive"?

DL, I don't really want to eat them anymore.

No, Lehaut, you eat it all. But they must be "soft shell crabs" on the menu. I am not sure whether they are a special type of crab or simply crabs in the process of shedding their shells and are therefore sort of soft and vulnerable. Now I don't feel so hungry thinking of eating helpless babies but anyway, as I don't do long flights these days, my chances of infant-eating are practically completely over.

Thought I'd update on breadmakers. After considerable thought and browsing, I decided on a bread maker with 2 paddles and makes big loaves. As I was about to press acheter, I looked again at the returns policy. I found out that it was sold by a third party on Amazon, and worrying about the possibility of having to return it, I desisted. So I am definitely going to get one, just need to find the right one, n'est ce pas? And no, I am NOT talking about finding a partner for life😄

I think these murmurs are fairly common, Lehaut. Something to do with the valves in the heart not quite closing. Talk about misunderstanding, I do know exactly what you mean😄 I remember the surgeon (unknown to me as my own was on holiday) digging around in my chest to find the, I presume superior vena cava (main vein in the upper body), and muttering about the "jugular". I didn't know then that there was a "jugular" vein as well as artery. Thinking about it though, there must indeed be a corresponding jugular vein if there is a jugular artery, right? I nearly leapt off the theatre table in fright. What the man is "going for my jugular"? Holy Moses, I would more likely or not die on the spot! Months later when I talked to my own surgeon about this misunderstanding, he laughed heartily after I explained to him what "going for the jugular" meant in English.

Forgot to mention this in my last post. Have you noticed that the medical people only use the first 2 numbers of both readings? For example, they will say 12 and 8 instead of 120 over 80?

Martin (Kingfisher!) many thanks for that. I have just printed out 12 copies because I thought I'd do it every week for a couple of months. I am due to see the cardiologue early next month so I will do one for a couple of weeks before I go. I have only seen this chap once, before they inserted the special line in my chest prior to chemo. This time, I am not sure what he will be checking. It's just something my doctor wants doing since that series of falls I had last month. AFAIK, I have never had problems with my heart or my circulation so it would be nice to know that particular system is OK. That is a great tool, Martin. I think I'd better send a copy for my friend's husband.

As I live some distance from the sea, I don't think I have seen any live crabs for sale. Years ago, when we were on holiday in Sri Lanka, we discovered soft-shell crabs. You could eat these shell and all and they were delicious cooked in a spicy sauce with large quantities of garlic. Being in the tropics meant it was almost inevitable I'd eat them with a glass of beer (mind you, it was rubbishy beer, maybe they dilute it like they used to do in Indian restos). Sorry, Indian resto owners, maybe you no longer do this! Nowadays, I rarely eat in restos. Beginning to be harder to do as restos get more expensive and the supermarkets and artisan shops sell such wonderful stuff, I itch to buy up everything and experiment with ingredients at home.

Yes, Lori, I have heard that phrase because a friend's husband has it in spades, really really bad. Apart from your tips about not crossing arms etc, you should also empty your bladder beforehand! Other point is you are supposed to take it on both arms to begin with. I found that my right arm was always higher than my left and so now I just do the right. Always hoping the doc would lower the med dose....but this hasn't happened yet😳

Thanks Lehaut for the tip with the bread maker. By natural yeast, I suppose you mean the fresh stuff you get in a cube? We have no boulangerie at the moment; lost count of how many boulangers we have had in the last 14 years or so. I did buy a cube once from the supermarket and it was no damn good. As for the tensiometre, I have read that the wrist ones are not accurate and upper arm ones are best. I do have a problem with the cuff as they usually start at 22cm and I got OH to measure my upper arm and it was only 20 cm. Still an inch or so could be discounted, I think. Other thing I read is that you should take 3 readings in total. Apparently you discard the first reading and you average out the second and third readings. Any thoughts on that? Is it worth doing for the accuracy or a waste of time and batteries?

Correction to post. Meant to say my blood pressure machine refused to puff up. Didn't finish my sentence before I'd pressed the button. I changed all the batteries and still it wouldn't work. Actually I am not very good at monitoring as my doctor has suggested. I get fed up with all the high readings. Recently I started some exercises that are supposed to lower blood pressure and so I have started monitoring again to see if the exercises have an effect. Well, one lives in hope?

If I were really motivated about making bread, I suppose I should keep the machine for kneading only and then bake the loaf in the oven. But, since I read in several places that wheat (and other grains) are bad for people with high blood pressure, I only have one measly slice (half the size of a ready-sliced British loaf) for breakfast and even then not everyday. By the evening however I often have a yen for bread and I'd make perhaps one single slice of toast! I do think that bread is pretty addictive😳 Better get a new machine after all. Talk about small appliances, my tensiometre (doesn't that sound much nicer than "blood pressure machine" and easier to say than "sphgmomanometer", which is the correct medical term). Serves me right for buying a cheapo one instead of an Omron which is apparently the ONLY one worth buying. Learned my lesson and ordered an Omron this morning. So now two things have gone west and I was wondering what third thing was going to pack up. THEN I remembered: I wrote off the car in June (long boring story) so that's THREE things already. Perhaps I should now feel safe to go ahead and buy that smartphone straightaway.....I would if I could make up my mind which one to get😁 Thanks everyone for the responses

I mean with normal use, say couple of times a month. My Panasonic, which has worked perfectly, is now producing bread that is hard and not properly risen. It is regularly cleaned and the pan is in excellent condition. Have tried different flours and yeast brands and still the bread is inedible in my opinion, though OH still makes toast with it. I have concluded that it's perhaps best to take it to the déchetterie. Before I do that, I thought I'd ask for your opinions, ye of all knowledge that is worth having😁 It's the thought of throwing out yet more "rubbish" that makes me hesitate.

Hope you stick around now, Teapot. I mean now that you have worked out how to log on! Can't let that feat go to waste, can you? Thanks for asking how I am. My health has been so so for a number of weeks, or mi figue raisin as the French say. I agree totally with your comments about the forum site, it IS pretty dire.

The driver was...er..."blown away"?

I know you won't mind the cold, Lehaut, so why not get your kit off and have the ride anyway?😄 Don't worry, we don't expect you to show us a photo!

Hi there, Teapot. I have missed you. How're you doin'?

Lehaut, that explains why you never complained about the cold in the Norman winters!😄 You must be totally hardened to it. I love Normandie and I have visited at different times of the year. I wanted to live there, in that beautiful scenery and the towns full of wonderful architecture. Until that is, when we visited one year in early May and I couldn't leave the hotel without discomfort because it was sooooo cold! Me, I'm from the effete south in England and I didn't even like the winters in Wales. Welsh winters, for heaven's sake...in the south and by the Bristol Channel. Didn't know what cold was! However, I now love la neige. Sounds muffled, incredible light, air sharp and giving you that delightful little shiver when you open your shutters in the morning...just makes me feel alive and well.

Yes, I agree, banana. When we sold our previous house, there was a problem but not one about the energy report. The notaire said we had to declare it to the buyers but that we were not responsible for whatever solution there might or might not be thereafter. Seems as though, if you went ahead and bought, then you inherit the problem😜

DL I had a similar problem recently. First time with the 2 step verification and what I finally thought was, the site would not accept my phone number. Did have to talk to a human and it took a few calls eventually. Like you, still didn't get to do what I intended. Some time later, I did get a couple of letters from them saying they were looking into my "complaint". I don't remember complaining, just showed some frustration I guess. Anyway the second letter says that "as a gesture of goodwill", they'd added 50 quid to my account. Have not looked at the site again. Life too complicated with other more urgent stuff to sort out so can't say if the new password they helped me set up over the phone would work.

Great story, Harnser!😄 Goes to show that nowadays, you could never be too careful! Gone are the days when you could ask to "speak to the butcher and not the block". Apparently, these days, you fill in a form on line and your request is answered by a chatbot or a humanoid who is about as sensitive and responsive as a chatbot! Eg no bank manager to speak to, no hotel manager on site, no one to whom the buck can be passed. We don't need AI, we need REAL intelligence but, where is it to be found?