For the first time ever, two pairs of gloves have seen me through the whole season, and are still going strong. They are the sort that are rubberized on one side. They were dirt cheap (no pun intended) from Wilkinsons. Another plus was that they fitted perfectly whereas usually even 'small' ones ten...

Hi Primrose. We went ahead anyway and used the big tin. Yes, the meringue was still soft, apart from the surface, but I think it was meant to be as it was only meant to be baked for about 13 mins. It has now been frozen and will be served on Christmas day. It looked great (and tasted it too, if the ...

Alan: I came on the forum just now specifically to see if you were still safe and sound in these gales. I hope they pass over without causing any more damage either for you or anyone else. Oldherbaceous: Your story has made me sad. Thank goodness your friend at least has you to talk to sometimes. Th...

Hi.
Does anyone know if a meringue roulade would be successful if baked in a 5cm-deep roasting tray instead of a 1.5cm-deep swiss roll tin?

Mr Mouse can't be bothered to sharpen knives. Usually, if he wants a sharp knife he uses one of the steak knives, which I bought specifically so that there would always be something sharp for eating tough old meat, sorry, I mean steak, with. I get my own back by using ordinary dinner knives for open...

I sharpened my favourite little vegetable / all-purpose knife at the weekend. Now I've just cut myself with it again - at least the fifth time this year! The trouble is that I leave it too long between sharpenings. I agree that usually, a blunt knife is more dangerous, but I think I must adapt and u...

Borlotti beans (frozen a month ago), potatoes, onions and half of a jalapeno pepper, as part of a stew. Can't wait for it to be ready!

Not had much here.
Just enough to water the garden for me, which is good because it was beginning to dry out after a couple of dry weeks.

I remember having the same problem two years ago - after foraging for walnuts nearby, my hands looked like they had been soaked in dark brown/black shoe polish. I tried all sorts of things to get it off: oil and sugar, toothpaste etc., but no amount of scrubbing would completely shift it, although t...

My mum and dad had problems with their detector (though it might have been the smoke one rather than the carbon monoxide detector - I can't remember now). It went off unexpectedly after they had gone to bed. My dad went through to the lounge, and because it stopped, he went back to bed. Later in the...

I have a theory - the soil might not be from Mr Mole trying to be clever, but from him deciding to dig under/around the trap because he has felt an obstruction. If your tunnel trap is anything like mine, it will have a sort of metallic hoop at each end, designed to guide the mole in to where the kil...

Very interesting - I will test that out on the family this weekend.

Same problem with my climbing Borlotti beans. A few weeks ago, I put it down to the very high daytime temperatures, but they still aren't setting well despite cooler temperatures. We've had some hot sticky nights, but not continuously so I hadn't thought about the possibility of that affecting them!...

I wish! My own were out of nappies by 18 months, but most modern parents, including my son and his wife, won't even consider potty training until 2 - 3 years old. Fortunately, all the fruit and veg don't seem to have to big an effect on him - not until he's gone home again, anyway! Actually, with a ...

I know that lots of children are reluctant to eat fruit and vegetables, but my two-year-old grandson certainly isn't showing signs of it yet. Once he realised that the fresh strawberry I had offered him came straight off a plant in my garden, he kept heading for the strawberry patch on a regular bas...