Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) : Discussion and Group Therapy Thread

[tggzzz]

What's next in the run-up to Christmas for the Specmaster family, I wonder. Mother in Law in hospital with a stroke, oldest son and his girlfriend were coming to Christmas dinner, and because SWMBO would be visiting MIL, he was going to cook dinner (I can't cook), yeah I know I'm a heathen

Last night my middle son tested positive for Covid and is now confining himself to his bedroom for 14 days, so that means, SWMBO can no longer visit her Mum for fear of taking it into the ideal breeding ground, eldest can no longer come to dinner so I have to shoot off in a minute and try to find a smaller turkey and we'll definitely be having the proper family Christmas dinner sometime in 2023 I reckon.

Maybe we are taking the hit for the rest of the squad, so enjoy it, fellow freaks.

Not just you, unfortunately.

I'm told that a bird bigger than 11cm high is "unnecessary", which only leaves a baby chicken. I'm trying to find a way to have at least an ordinary Sunday lunch, but that involves paintstripping and metal bashing.

Not in a good mood.

[mnementh]

Except they are not being discouraged. As I said, they have enjoyed quite a resurgence of late in just this niche market. Whether we like the idea or not, they are all over the place out in the wild, and are not going away any time soon.

And I'd bet you a buck-converter that "special chip" is a purpose-built BMS for a small solar cell and a small NiMH battery.

mnem
moo. or don't.

They may exist in the USA for these applictions but in most of the world Ni-Cd cells have been banned for all but safety critical applications like emergency lighting. Cadmium is nasty stuff and there is no justification for it's use in this sort of frivilous application. Especially as the consumers are likey to just put them in the trash.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/234267649379


These are sold in Department and Dollar stores all over the world; I remember reading guys in the UK and Oz bitching on eevBlog aboot what a POS they are. The product is landfill the day it's made in most cases, as they only ever work in moderate climes with lots of sunny days, and then only as long as the cheap-ass battery survives the temperature and poor quality-of-charge.

They contain a small solar cell good for ~2V and ~40mA and a tiny PCB that barely charges a small 150-600mAH battery; usually a AAA or AA, but sometimes even a little coin cell soldered right to the board. Every single one of these I've taken apart has a NiCd battery in it, and I've dismantled hundreds over the last couple decades. I assume it's because they're A) cheap as chips in Asia and 2) they survive more than a few days with the very primitive charge charge circuit they all use.

The solar/battery part is literally a commodity item manufactured and sold by the containerload for production into whatever gimmick plastic housing you can dream up; I've seen the same exact PCB, solar cell and battery in dozens of different products. Sidewalk lights like these, solar-powered illuminated street number signs, illuminated outdoor clocks, and yes, even outdoor holiday lighting of all shapes & sizes. If it can be illuminated by a single low-power white LED, somebody has made a version with this circuit in it.

You can walk into the Garden Center at Wally Wurld or Canadian Tire and buy replacement NiCd batteries "made for solar lighting" to go into them. The Camelion and EBL batteries in the pic below I have seen IRL and had in my hands, both in the US and the GWN. Note that there are 17 pages of product in that search; I had to pare down the first page screenshot as it was 10K pixels tall.




https://www.walmart.com/search?q=solar+nicd

I never ONCE said they were a good idea... only that they are everywhere, and that NiCd is NOT dead; it's just lying low in craptastic products like these. If you guys in the UK really have gotten rid of them, it's only relatively recently, and "GOOD FOR YOU!". And I'll bet more than a few containerloads still sqweek by around the holidaze.

mnem
smeesh.

[mnementh]

What's next in the run-up to Christmas for the Specmaster family, I wonder. Mother in Law in hospital with a stroke, oldest son and his girlfriend were coming to Christmas dinner, and because SWMBO would be visiting MIL, he was going to cook dinner (I can't cook), yeah I know I'm a heathen

Last night my middle son tested positive for Covid and is now confining himself to his bedroom for 14 days, so that means, SWMBO can no longer visit her Mum for fear of taking it into the ideal breeding ground, eldest can no longer come to dinner so I have to shoot off in a minute and try to find a smaller turkey and we'll definitely be having the proper family Christmas dinner sometime in 2023 I reckon.

Maybe we are taking the hit for the rest of the squad, so enjoy it, fellow freaks.

Not just you, unfortunately.

I'm told that a bird bigger than 11cm high is "unnecessary", which only leaves a baby chicken. I'm trying to find a way to have at least an ordinary Sunday lunch, but that involves paintstripping and metal bashing.

Not in a good mood.

Obviously whomever made that statement is a wee bit out of touch with the realities of cooking. Full stop.

My suggestion is to get and cook whatever bird you A) like the flavor of and 2) you can get your best deal on, then freeze the excess.

This is exactly what I did with my 20-lb turkey for Thanksgiving, which will make another appearance at Christmas dinner alongside the ham I'm making so that my family has a choice in what meat they eat.

mnem
You are what you eat; at least enjoy it.

[mnementh]

What's next in the run-up to Christmas for the Specmaster family, I wonder. Mother in Law in hospital with a stroke, oldest son and his girlfriend were coming to Christmas dinner, and because SWMBO would be visiting MIL, he was going to cook dinner (I can't cook), yeah I know I'm a heathen

Last night my middle son tested positive for Covid and is now confining himself to his bedroom for 14 days, so that means, SWMBO can no longer visit her Mum for fear of taking it into the ideal breeding ground, eldest can no longer come to dinner so I have to shoot off in a minute and try to find a smaller turkey and we'll definitely be having the proper family Christmas dinner sometime in 2023 I reckon.

Maybe we are taking the hit for the rest of the squad, so enjoy it, fellow freaks.

Naaaahhh... this is just a time for y'all to really do the family thing, which should always mean "there for each other through thick & thin" in whatever capacity you can manage.

Be glad you can still be there to watch out for the boy.

mnem
"It's just you and me against the world, kid. Personally, I think we're gonna get creamed." ~mum, sometime around the move to Pittsburgh

[nixiefreqq]

the rotten kid is driving up from NC tomorrow for the first time since 2019 before the covid started.

hope she does not hit too much holiday traffic.

she has planned a week's worth of running around stuffed into a weekend visit.

the women folk will attempt to suck me into their merriment.....but little do they know that my tinysa-ultra is scheduled for delivery today.

so my my plan is to spend the weekend in the fortress of solitude comparing a $130 SA to an hp 8569b (over $30k in the 1985 catalog).

HAPPY FESTIVUS YA' FREAKS!

[Zenith]

I'm told that a bird bigger than 11cm high is "unnecessary", which only leaves a baby chicken. I'm trying to find a way to have at least an ordinary Sunday lunch, but that involves paintstripping and metal bashing.

Not in a good mood.

This sounds completely arbitrary. Why 11 cm and not 10 or 12.5 cm? Is it going to be measured before it goes into the oven? Have you thought of pressing it flat before it's examined? What's "unnecessary" got to do with it? This is the season of feasting and general excess. It's not as if there's much that's excessive in a normal 3lb chicken anyway.

I suppose you could do something with a poussin, if you can find one at this time before Christmas. One poussin is normally considered a serving for one person.

As it seems to be a lunch on a working day, what with paint stripping and metal bashing - which are not usually considered festive activities - why not get one or two of those sous vide things and forget the chicken? They do pulled pork and shank of lamb and a few others. They only take a few minutes to microwave and with vegetables they are a good lazy meal. You could acknowledge the season by having Christmas pudding afterwards, and then back to paint stripping. I suspect sitting back afterwards with a Havana cigar and a glass of Cognac, would be out this year.

I can't really see the compulsion some feel to eat poultry at Christmas anyway. I shall be enjoying a joint of beef pot roasted with onions, shallots and red wine.

[tggzzz]

What's next in the run-up to Christmas for the Specmaster family, I wonder. Mother in Law in hospital with a stroke, oldest son and his girlfriend were coming to Christmas dinner, and because SWMBO would be visiting MIL, he was going to cook dinner (I can't cook), yeah I know I'm a heathen

Last night my middle son tested positive for Covid and is now confining himself to his bedroom for 14 days, so that means, SWMBO can no longer visit her Mum for fear of taking it into the ideal breeding ground, eldest can no longer come to dinner so I have to shoot off in a minute and try to find a smaller turkey and we'll definitely be having the proper family Christmas dinner sometime in 2023 I reckon.

Maybe we are taking the hit for the rest of the squad, so enjoy it, fellow freaks.

Not just you, unfortunately.

I'm told that a bird bigger than 11cm high is "unnecessary", which only leaves a baby chicken. I'm trying to find a way to have at least an ordinary Sunday lunch, but that involves paintstripping and metal bashing.

Not in a good mood.

Obviously whomever made that statement is a wee bit out of touch with the realities of cooking. Full stop.

My ex-wife went vegan, so yes.

My suggestion is to get and cook whatever bird you A) like the flavor of and 2) you can get your best deal on, then freeze the excess.

This is exactly what I did with my 20-lb turkey for Thanksgiving, which will make another appearance at Christmas dinner alongside the ham I'm making so that my family has a choice in what meat they eat.

mnem
You are what you eat; at least enjoy it.

Those are my objectives, but it isn't easy finding something interesting that will fit into the oven I'm allocated. I'm buggered if I'm going to eat a partial bird (e.g. turkey crown, ugh) that is aimed at people too incompetent to carve. I want sausage and chestnut stuffing that has been saturated by the bird's fat.

[Specmaster]

Not just you, unfortunately.

I'm told that a bird bigger than 11cm high is "unnecessary", which only leaves a baby chicken. I'm trying to find a way to have at least an ordinary Sunday lunch, but that involves paintstripping and metal bashing.

Not in a good mood.

Obviously whomever made that statement is a wee bit out of touch with the realities of cooking. Full stop.

My ex-wife went vegan, so yes.

My suggestion is to get and cook whatever bird you A) like the flavor of and 2) you can get your best deal on, then freeze the excess.

This is exactly what I did with my 20-lb turkey for Thanksgiving, which will make another appearance at Christmas dinner alongside the ham I'm making so that my family has a choice in what meat they eat.

mnem
You are what you eat; at least enjoy it.

Those are my objectives, but it isn't easy finding something interesting that will fit into the oven I'm allocated. I'm buggered if I'm going to eat a partial bird (e.g. turkey crown, ugh) that is aimed at people too incompetent to carve. I want sausage and chestnut stuffing that has been saturated by the bird's fat.

Hell. I've got a medium crown and thing is at least 20cm tall, the large crown I already had will stay in the freezer until sometime in 2023 and then will have its day.

We go for crowns as we don't like the meat that's been stewed in its fat, yuck, I hate fat, unless it's mine

[tggzzz]

I'm told that a bird bigger than 11cm high is "unnecessary", which only leaves a baby chicken. I'm trying to find a way to have at least an ordinary Sunday lunch, but that involves paintstripping and metal bashing.

Not in a good mood.

This sounds completely arbitrary. Why 11 cm and not 10 or 12.5 cm? Is it going to be measured before it goes into the oven? Have you thought of pressing it flat before it's examined?

As I didn't mention, I've been allocated a mini oven with 12cm between the pan and the upper elements. I'm not ungrateful, since my daughter bought it specially.

What's "unnecessary" got to do with it? This is the season of feasting and general excess. It's not as if there's much that's excessive in a normal 3lb chicken anyway.

Precisely.

Chicken is now an everyday snack, not a special feast. (Except for the unfortunate people who really can't afford any more).

I have considered taking a guinea fowl and, if necessary, asking for a hammer to make it flatter.

I suppose you could do something with a poussin, if you can find one at this time before Christmas. One poussin is normally considered a serving for one person.

Yup, baby chicken.

As it seems to be a lunch on a working day, what with paint stripping and metal bashing - which are not usually considered festive activities - why not get one or two of those sous vide things and forget the chicken? They do pulled pork and shank of lamb and a few others. They only take a few minutes to microwave and with vegetables they are a good lazy meal. You could acknowledge the season by having Christmas pudding afterwards, and then back to paint stripping. I suspect sitting back afterwards with a Havana cigar and a glass of Cognac, would be out this year.

That's bog-standard everyday food for me, not a once-per-year feast. My freezer has quite a few home made slow cooked stews. The most recent is based around octopus

I've considered getting a sous-vide cooker in addition to my slow cooker, pressure cooker, chafing dish, but (a) I haven't got room to store it and (b) safety becomes more non-trivial below 72C

I can't really see the compulsion some feel to eat poultry at Christmas anyway. I shall be enjoying a joint of beef pot roasted with onions, shallots and red wine.

It is a matter of preference. I enjoy other types of cooking at other times.

For Christmas I like chestnut and chipolata stuffing saturated in the bird's fat, with some home made rowan and crabapple jelly as a condiment. That wouldn't fit with your choice!

I've been looking for interesting birds in game butchers, Waitrose and similar, but without luck. Rather to my surprise I've just found a brace of pheasants. Where did I find them? In Aldi of all places! I hope they have been properly hung, so they aren't merely "brown chicken". That makes me realise I ought to take them out the fridge and leave them in my cellar.

[Waitrose => high end supermarket, Aldi => cheap supermarket]

But let's not detract from specmaster's circumstances, which are dire and which make mine look like a mere pin prick. I wish I had something cheery and hopeful to say to him.

[tggzzz]

Hell. I've got a medium crown and thing is at least 20cm tall, the large crown I already had will stay in the freezer until sometime in 2023 and then will have its day.

We go for crowns as we don't like the meat that's been stewed in its fat, yuck, I hate fat, unless it's mine

Ah, I elevate the meat, and have potatoes and parsnips roasting in the fat that drips down. So we agree about stewing in fat!

If you like turkey crowns then in one sense you are lucky, since the more things you like the more opportunities there are to be happy. But 20" is big!

[nixiefreqq]

"I suppose you could do something with a poussin, if you can find one at this time before Christmas. One poussin is normally considered a serving for one person."



i think you spelled "possum" wrong. around these parts they grow pretty big. a large one could easily feed three or four kinfolks.

[Robert]

Except they are not being discouraged. As I said, they have enjoyed quite a resurgence of late in just this niche market. Whether we like the idea or not, they are all over the place out in the wild, and are not going away any time soon.

And I'd bet you a buck-converter that "special chip" is a purpose-built BMS for a small solar cell and a small NiMH battery.

mnem
moo. or don't.

They may exist in the USA for these applictions but in most of the world Ni-Cd cells have been banned for all but safety critical applications like emergency lighting. Cadmium is nasty stuff and there is no justification for it's use in this sort of frivilous application. Especially as the consumers are likey to just put them in the trash.

<SNIP>

These are sold in Department and Dollar stores all over the world; I remember reading guys in the UK and Oz bitching on eevBlog aboot what a POS they are. The product is landfill the day it's made in most cases, as they only ever work in moderate climes with lots of sunny days, and then only as long as the cheap-ass battery survives the temperature and poor quality-of-charge.

They contain a small solar cell good for ~2V and ~40mA and a tiny PCB that barely charges a small 150-600mAH battery; usually a AAA or AA, but sometimes even a little coin cell soldered right to the board. Every single one of these I've taken apart has a NiCd battery in it, and I've dismantled hundreds over the last couple decades. I assume it's because they're A) cheap as chips in Asia and 2) they survive more than a few days with the very primitive charge charge circuit they all use.

The solar/battery part is literally a commodity item manufactured and sold by the containerload for production into whatever gimmick plastic housing you can dream up; I've seen the same exact PCB, solar cell and battery in dozens of different products. Sidewalk lights like these, solar-powered illuminated street number signs, illuminated outdoor clocks, and yes, even outdoor holiday lighting of all shapes & sizes. If it can be illuminated by a single low-power white LED, somebody has made a version with this circuit in it.

You can walk into the Garden Center at Wally Wurld or Canadian Tire and buy replacement NiCd batteries "made for solar lighting" to go into them. The Camelion and EBL batteries in the pic below I have seen IRL and had in my hands, both in the US and the GWN. Note that there are 17 pages of product in that search; I had to pare down the first page screenshot as it was 10K pixels tall.

<SNIP>

I never ONCE said they were a good idea... only that they are everywhere, and that NiCd is NOT dead; it's just lying low in craptastic products like these. If you guys in the UK really have gotten rid of them, it's only relatively recently, and "GOOD FOR YOU!". And I'll bet more than a few containerloads still sqweek by around the holidaze.

mnem
smeesh.

How many have you taken apart in Europe? Nicad cells and batteries have be restricted in the EU since September 2006.
Yes, there are exceptions but not for toys. I've only ever taken one of these apart and it had a AAA size Ni-Mh cell in it.
Just because the north americans put profit before toxic waste does not mean the rest of the world do. The americans are causing issues in aerospace becase the exemptions for Cadmium and some Chromium compounds used on aircraft in Europe are expiring but the OEMS like Lockheed and Boeing are not interested in approving alternatives. I can sort of see why because there can be unforseen results. Pratt & Whitney had turbofan engine shaft failures due to using an anti-sieze compund that had had the lead (a minor consituent) removed from it. The shafts where cracking due to stress corrosion before they even got into service. One in a Boeing failed on the aircrafts first test flight. Nevertheless we need to get rid of these heavy metals.

Robert.

[Cerebus]

I'm told that a bird bigger than 11cm high is "unnecessary", which only leaves a baby chicken.

Goose is pretty flat once it's ready for the oven.

What lunatic has (A) decided that necessity has anything to do with a midwinter feast, (B) chosen to determine the size of a bird by height rather than the rather more customary weight?

[Specmaster]

Well, credit where credit is due, I said yesterday that my doctor's nurse had referred me to the NHS Tissue Viability unit with reference to my ankle, well, the unit phoned today to make me an appointment. Sadly I was out, and they chose to call the house phone, not my mobile, but not to worry, they will call me tomorrow, but seeing, as I have loads of errands to run tomorrow, and also another nurse appointment for another dressing change, I'll be calling first thing, along with my Doctor requesting an Asthma inhaler for my son. So the NHS can really get their finger out sometimes, whereas the press are always complaining about the long delays in getting appointments, so this has me wondering, are the reports true, or is my case that serious I guess tomorrow I might get some answers on that

[tggzzz]

I'm told that a bird bigger than 11cm high is "unnecessary", which only leaves a baby chicken.

Goose is pretty flat once it's ready for the oven.

What lunatic has (A) decided that necessity has anything to do with a midwinter feast, (B) chosen to determine the size of a bird by height rather than the rather more customary weight?

Lunatic? A vegan I divorced partly because she had become a militant irrational vegan; since relapsed somewhat but still an extreme vegetarian. (Before we married she chose to eat calves brain with me!)

Unfortunately the other dimensions of the minioven tray are 28*19cm, which aren't a problem for many birsa, especially stuffed.

While I really like a goose at Christmas, I don't enjoy decanting the fat that drips down. OTOH I do freeze it and use it for roast potatoes later in the year

[tggzzz]

Well, credit where credit is due, I said yesterday that my doctor's nurse had referred me to the NHS Tissue Viability unit with reference to my ankle, well, the unit phoned today to make me an appointment. Sadly I was out, and they chose to call the house phone, not my mobile, but not to worry, they will call me tomorrow, but seeing, as I have loads of errands to run tomorrow, and also another nurse appointment for another dressing change, I'll be calling first thing, along with my Doctor requesting an Asthma inhaler for my son. So the NHS can really get their finger out sometimes, whereas the press are always complaining about the long delays in getting appointments, so this has me wondering, are the reports true, or is my case that serious I guess tomorrow I might get some answers on that

Both true simultaneously, I expect.

There is a lot of money in healthcare, and politicians and newspapers can be bought.

Anyway, that is a bit of good news for you. My limited understanding is that proper skin/tissue care can help a lot. Appropriate debridement, high-tech dressings and dressings containing silver were used on my mother, to useful effect. Not a "fire and forget" solution, though.

[Specmaster]

Anyway, that is a bit of good news for you. My limited understanding is that proper skin/tissue care can help a lot. Appropriate debridement, high-tech dressings and dressings containing silver were used on my mother, to useful effect. Not a "fire and forget" solution, though.

I certainly hope so, I have had silver dressings applied, whereas last time they cured a wound, and it healed nicely, this time around the silver does not seem to be working, currently trying honey, problem is, the lower edge of the wound conflicts with the side of my shoe and just walking slowly pulls the dressing away from the wound, honey then slowly drains away, through my sock, making the inside of my shoe a sticky mess and is ruining them and marks the bedsheets which pisses SWMBO off

[Specmaster]

Just been over to EEVblog to offer some help to a poster about industrial meters and they are once again suffering problems, I'm unable to quote a post, now I'm unable to get on the forum, getting reports that the server etc is having issues, history repeating itself I wonder?

[tggzzz]

Anyway, that is a bit of good news for you. My limited understanding is that proper skin/tissue care can help a lot. Appropriate debridement, high-tech dressings and dressings containing silver were used on my mother, to useful effect. Not a "fire and forget" solution, though.

I certainly hope so, I have had silver dressings applied, whereas last time they cured a wound, and it healed nicely, this time around the silver does not seem to be working, currently trying honey, problem is, the lower edge of the wound conflicts with the side of my shoe and just walking slowly pulls the dressing away from the wound, honey then slowly drains away, through my sock, making the inside of my shoe a sticky mess and is ruining them and marks the bedsheets which pisses SWMBO off

Yuck.

Sounds like it is time to significantly modify or change the shoes. Perhaps hacking with diagonal cutters or fretsaw, or extra large things allowing space for padding to remove pressure.

I rather like the 5mm thick felt padding placed around a wound. The dressing could be in a central "hole" or underneath or above that felt, as appropriate.

https://www.cosyfeet.com/ make some strange shoes for people with problem feet.

My mother was a "customer" of
https://www.sirona-cic.org.uk/nhsservic ... y-service/
but there's also
https://www.sirona-cic.org.uk/nhsservic ... /leg-club/
https://www.sirona-cic.org.uk/nhsservic ... ound-care/

They are outsourced[1] NHS services; I would hope there is something equivalent in your area.

[1] or cherry-picked, take your choice!

[Specmaster]

Yes, we do, or maybe that should be, we had, I really don't know, something like that here in the city, my mother had to use them for her feet, perhaps I have inherited her problems, although I don't recall her having these wounds, but she did certainly suffer from circulation issues, which I do as well. You have to be referred to that service, so there is a chance that I maybe in due course.

As to hacking my current shoes, I don't know how you would do that, they are already soft as hell being made from fabric and also being sized 14 and are the biggest I have ever seen in a commercially made shoe, extra wide, so that's a 14UK EE, and they don't come around very often, Most makes stop at size 11 or 12, these I have are made by Skechers and only seem to be made about twice a year, so I have to grab them when they are available. One pair I'm wearing (old), another pair brought by sons as a Birthday/Christmas present, one of the problems of having a Birthday on Dec 20th, the present always gets rolled into one. I have just also ordered the last remaining 14 EE in navy (cheaper for some reason).

These Skechers are really like a pair of soft slippers, easily the most comfortable shoes I've ever had.


https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07FKYHNBZ?psc=1

91sYckaoc-L._AC_SX575._SX._UX._SY._UY_.jpg

[Zenith]

I'm told that a bird bigger than 11cm high is "unnecessary", which only leaves a baby chicken. I'm trying to find a way to have at least an ordinary Sunday lunch, but that involves paintstripping and metal bashing.

Not in a good mood.

This sounds completely arbitrary. Why 11 cm and not 10 or 12.5 cm? Is it going to be measured before it goes into the oven? Have you thought of pressing it flat before it's examined?

As I didn't mention, I've been allocated a mini oven with 12cm between the pan and the upper elements. I'm not ungrateful, since my daughter bought it specially.

I see. I thought you'd be spending Christmas Day with your daughter, but I hadn't figured for a vegan ex-wife being part of the scene. It all makes sense now.

I've been looking for interesting birds in game butchers, Waitrose and similar, but without luck. Rather to my surprise I've just found a brace of pheasants. Where did I find them? In Aldi of all places! I hope they have been properly hung, so they aren't merely "brown chicken". That makes me realise I ought to take them out the fridge and leave them in my cellar.

[Waitrose => high end supermarket, Aldi => cheap supermarket]

I've never bought a pheasant from a supermarket. In my view they are not up to much unless they've been hung about three weeks

I find Aldi and Lidl do a lot of high quality stuff, and some things you wouldn't expect, at reasonable prices.

But let's not detract from specmaster's circumstances, which are dire and which make mine look like a mere pin prick. I wish I had something cheery and hopeful to say to him.

Indeed. He seems to be facing a perfect storm.

[Zenith]

"I suppose you could do something with a poussin, if you can find one at this time before Christmas. One poussin is normally considered a serving for one person."



i think you spelled "possum" wrong. around these parts they grow pretty big. a large one could easily feed three or four kinfolks.

I thought that was a Kentucky speciality.

[nixiefreqq]

"I suppose you could do something with a poussin, if you can find one at this time before Christmas. One poussin is normally considered a serving for one person."



i think you spelled "possum" wrong. around these parts they grow pretty big. a large one could easily feed three or four kinfolks.

I thought that was a Kentucky speciality.

just met a friend for dinner at the local pancake house.

without any prompting he told a joke:

question ... why did the chicken cross the road?

answer ... to show the possum how it's done.

how did he know i had been thinking about possums? is clairvoyance a real thing?

[vk6zgo]

Its like Tumbleweed City here lately, I just hope you all are having fun and its not another reason that is keeping you away

They're all over on Discord.
I tried keeping up, but if you miss a day, you have 500 posts to catch up with.

I'm pretty much over the Internet, in general.
Arguing with nut jobs on Facebook & MSN's "News Feed" (dunno what they call it these days) gets incredibly repetitive.
EEVblog has become pretty much blatantly political in some threads, & everything else there has pretty much "bogged down", since the Angels brandished their fiery swords & cast the "O.T" sinners into the outer darkness!

[tggzzz]

This sounds completely arbitrary. Why 11 cm and not 10 or 12.5 cm? Is it going to be measured before it goes into the oven? Have you thought of pressing it flat before it's examined?

As I didn't mention, I've been allocated a mini oven with 12cm between the pan and the upper elements. I'm not ungrateful, since my daughter bought it specially.

I see. I thought you'd be spending Christmas Day with your daughter, but I hadn't figured for a vegan ex-wife being part of the scene. It all makes sense now.

Life is... complicated.

I've been looking for interesting birds in game butchers, Waitrose and similar, but without luck. Rather to my surprise I've just found a brace of pheasants. Where did I find them? In Aldi of all places! I hope they have been properly hung, so they aren't merely "brown chicken". That makes me realise I ought to take them out the fridge and leave them in my cellar.

[Waitrose => high end supermarket, Aldi => cheap supermarket]

I've never bought a pheasant from a supermarket. In my view they are not up to much unless they've been hung about three weeks

Just so; hang 'em by the neck until the body hits the floor.

But game butchers are few and far between nowadays. One of the local ones, which looked like a family business, had a notably clueless droid behind the counter. And then there's the difficulty of even finding an undressed bird with dew claws and feathers, necessary for seeing its age and gender.

Having said that, I've had nice pheasant thighs from Waitrose. Haven't seen those for years, though, let alone at Christmas Eve "stupid reduction" prices.

I find Aldi and Lidl do a lot of high quality stuff, and some things you wouldn't expect, at reasonable prices.

You have to be very selective, and their supplies are unpredictable. The pheasants weren't there yesterday and I don't know about tomorrow.

But that's better than Tesco and Aldi, where much of their own brand "value added" stuff falls into "do I want to finish this" territory.