Mareblu

The coverage here is free to air, which explains the local interest. We don’t watch much f2a these days; more Foxtel and Netflix.

Here in Canberra too, Les. I hardly slept last night with the rolling thunder on and off. I thought of switching on the tv to watch Birmingham live, but then remembered we'd disconnected the set because of the storms. Very heavy rain falling as I write.

Usually, for us, the Commonwealth Games are a mild attraction, nowhere near that of the Olympics. This time, however, the coverage and commentary are great (Ian Thorpe particularly) and we're really following it. The only negative, and it's a biggie, is that the time difference means most of the finals are held during our sleeping hours.

I should’ve thought of that. Much easier🤣 Birmingham’s a really lovely city; amazing how it’s been transformed from an industrial powerhouse to an elegant centre of culture. The canals are serene. My maternal grandfather was born in the Jewellery Quarter, into a family of many generations of jewellers. He came to Australia as a child in the late 1800s. Their shop with their home above is still a jewellery shop, and we were lucky to visit in 2018.

Really enjoying watching the Commonwealth Games from Birmingham. Are you watching Canada’s prowess, Lyle?

Always do. It was a tasty chowder; missed some crispy pastry. Should have done a pastry crumb

Good suggestion, Les. Seafood powder, or seafood chie

Seafood chowder ready for dinner tonight. Now, if I could get that flavour in a pie......

Gosh, I really regret mentioning Flo’s pumpkin scones now, just as I regret mentioning frogs legs on the “Now for Something Completely Different” thread, although that only caused terrible dad jokes. Actually, Joh’s mixed metaphors were always worth a chuckle.

She did, I remember she lived to quite an age.

Looking forward to meeting you on the cruise. No, I’m unsure of any of the few ports we visit with that directive, but when I looked them all up on Cunard’s guide to covid protocols for specific ports, all I could find was that none required testing to disembark, so that’s encouraging. Nowhere can I find a list of ports requiring disembarkation and land isolation for covid positive passengers. I do note that Cunard has just changed the number of days for registering a positive result prior to embarkation from 14 to 10 for the purposes of Cunard granting FCCs for the full amount of the cruise.

Remember Flo BP's pumpkin scones?

I still like going to the pictures to see a film🥰

You need to write a book, definitely!

Please re-read my post #112. I wrote that it depends on the itinerary, …. all vessels would be required to abide by the laws governing the ports where they dock. Oceania, and Cunard, for that matter, accommodate covid patients in isolation aboard, unless required to disembark them. There are only a very few ports we will be visiting on both upcoming cruises requiring that measure. Greece, on our repositioning cruise with many days at sea, was one, but has apparently recently dropped that requirement. We share Mike’s philosophy. We’re sailing.

It depends on the itinerary. Cunard’s policy is to offer future ccs for the entire cost of the cruise to passengers suffering covid within 14 days prior to embarkation, and (without checking) I’m fairly certain will do the same for the number of days spent in designated isolation accommodation aboard. Thus, however, is a changing landscape, so we check ea h day for alterations. All cruise lines would be required to be abide by laws governing the ports where their vessels dock, it would stand to reason. Oceania allows covid patients to remain confined in their booked suites or staterooms till returning a negative test result.

See? They was taught proper

Chuck and shin beef are great for the long slow cook (stews, etc.) for that very reason: allowing the sinews and fats to break down and aid in tenderising and moistening. In Italian cuisine, shin (gravy) beef is used with older or tougher cuts of poultry and added with onions, carrots and celery to water and simmered over many hours to create the perfect stock for risottos, soups, sauces, etc. This was invariably done on a Sunday morning, then tortellini or ravioli would be added to the strained broth as a luncheon or dinner starter course. The next day, my mother-in-law used to produce the most delicious salad with shredded shin beef, parsley, onion and sometimes a little garlic.

Brilliant! Thank you for this gem🙏🏻

Maybe something to do with “the demon drink”? Left in Italian is “sinistra”, from the Latin for “evil”, similar to our “sinister”. Just surmising…

We say biscuits, Lyle, although cookies are creeping into the language. Sneaky, creepy cookies😒

Wow, what a woman!👏💜

Chuck steak is the very best for a long, slow cook. It’s popular again here now for two main reasons, I think: the astronomical rise in the price of finer cuts of meat, and the popularity of tv shows such as Masterchef, where its status has been elevated and celebrated.

The tawny port I use would be equivalent to the old “cooking sherry” used back in the day to differentiate between something for the stove and something to be swigged🤣

1.5-2kgs to serve about 10 people. Fewer people lets you enjoy it cold in a salad, or as Julie suggests above would be delicious. I used to sear it first in a pan over flame on my gas cooktop, but I tried it once without that messy step, and found it even better. I do start the oven usually at 180, then drop it down to 70 immediately I put the beef in, although the recipe doesn’t direct that at all. BTW, the marinade is simple, but needs to be rubbed into the beef at least 6hrs or even better, overnight, before roasting. Marinade: 1/3 cup olive oil 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar a couple of long sprigs of fresh rosemary 3-4 fresh bay leaves 2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced (optional) sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Rub all over the fillet (rosemary and bay are placed under as a bed) Cover with cling wrap and place in fridge After a couple of hours, turn fillet to flavour underside with rosemary and bay Remove from fridge an hour before roasting to bring to room temperature. Use paper towels to lightly wipe away marinade. Roast in normal baking dish lined with baking paper. I actually place the fillet on a rack which fits into the baking dish. This allows heat to circulate around the fillet well, but is really not necessary. Buon appetito!