h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Is this the brother in Austin?

Yes it is, Hypatia, except he is in Lebanon for the week. It is our father's 79th today and my brother was not able to visit in the summer... so he has done a flying visit. I sent him a link to my 'visiting' entry, we had been talking about something related and I mentioned that I had written about it. I have no idea how far into hootoo he'll go though Busy man, he is.

W

Who knows. Maybe he'll like us.

Hope your dad has a great birthday.

Happy birthday to your Dad, W.
Our brother wouldn't know how to take hootoo, would he Hyp?
He has *no* sense of humor at all, unless it's at someone else's expense...........

My dad had a great birthday, thanks. Three of his sons went out of their way to be there for him this week. The fourth arrives Wed. I let him down but he gets us all for three weeks at Christmas so that will have to do.

Lilbro is a workaholic. I know exactly what he'll do. Read the entry, print it out for my mum to frame, bookmark us and promptly forget all about us

His loss. I know he'd love all of you here

And, when he's done that, you can send him a link to this conversation.

TRiG.

Are you kidding? You have *no* idea how many threads I have unsubbed from (temporarily, just in case) 'till the storm of curiosity blows over

I let my sister use my account for a day, shortly before her physics exam. She was strictly charged not to leave the science explained forum.

Are you keeping a list of threads on your home computer, so you can resubscribe later?

TRiG.

mebbe

Harrump 5. Update.

Retaliation 1.

About to open car door, turned back, put on Oh!-I-just-remembered mode.

Me: Hey! Just remembered, you said you made me a marrow cake ...!

Put on all-expectant-and-hopeful face.

Mother: open mouth, brief flash of dismay and guilt. Confusion. Realisation. Splutter...

Didn't hear any more, I was off down the drive waving.

Retaliation 2.

The next person to open the biscuit tin in their house will find the sole contents to be one overgrown courgette (marrow wouldn't fit in).


In view of above, and having scored a jar of apple chutney earlier in the evening, Harrump 5 is now considered satisfactorily resolved.

Ooops. Bother #@!~~!?xx!

Karma for winding up mothers.

Moving swiftly on - Mother never taught us any cooking. We could have learnt, she just left it to us to take an interest or not. Not in my case, or my sister's. But my brother did, latterly anyway.

What I remember of her baking was when I was in the teens she had a very cheap second-hand cooker with no thermostat. Going through her old cookbooks and stuff recently all these handwritten pages fell out. One was Sponge cake: xxxF (can't remember the temperatures) 20 mins on, 10 mins off, 15 mins on, 20 mins off ... etc.

She worked out by trial and error a whole series on switching on and offs to cook scones, cakes, roasts.

We had that cooker for five and a half years.

Wow. That cooker must have been a real challenge. It's the same with the wood fired cook stoves. People used ot turn out wonderful baked goods with them, but without any thermostats at all, I don't know how they managed it. We really are spoiled by all of our modern appliances.

Zucchini in the biscuit tin.....I love it!

Happy belated birthday to your Dad, Wilma. You not being there now should mean you get extra spoilt at Christmas, I hope.

My brother signed up briefly to comment on something here once but didn't stick. I think he'd take to it if he got into it but but his present lifestyle doesn't have the space for it.

I love the way you think, Waz!

... and I agree, that cooker sounds

... and I'm hoping that is exactly what happens... Swans off to dream of all the treats and delicacies awaiting her in December

Ditto!

Zucchini in the biscuit tin = earplugs for phone answering for a while... or she may wait to cook something up.

Hyp, do you use zucchini for all sizes of courgette/marrow? Ie up to two foot long, nine inches thick?

Wilma, extra spoiling is always nice.

Waz, we call courgettes zucchini regardless of the size or variety. And we don't grow marrows at all, as far as I know. Or if we do, I don't know what we call them. A picture of one would help.

We don't grow broad beans, either. I don't know if it is a question of climate or if they just never caught on over here.

I'm with Lady C on the brothjer question. I don't think our brother would enjoy h2g2.

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Gallery/GalleryImg/DSCF0680.JPG that's marrow growing taken to ridiculous lengths.

A more sensible marrow http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Marrow.htm

Says it's related to zucchini. Broad beans never caught on with me either.

Do you have gem squashes? Or cricket ball squashes. Was talking to someone last night about those. They were beautiful boiled, halved and eaten with butter salt and pepper, but don't appear to grow properly here.

The first picture looked unlike anything I've ever seen around here. The second one looks very like a stripped zucchini we grow. Hang on. Let me go to a seed site and see if I can find a picture of the ones I grow.