HOUSEHOLD TIPS NOT FOUND IN WOMAN'S WEEKLY

[Stanley]

We naturally shy away from considering home security but every now and then it's worth giving it a bit of thought. It's surprising how many opportunistic thefts there are even when people are in the house simply because people leave a door unlocked. So today's tip is to always lock the doors even when you are in the house. It goes against the grain I know but is a sensible precaution.
One of my constant concerns is that I could lose my door keys when I am out, it can happen to anyone. So you need a contingency plan to make sure you have access to a spare key, and I don't mean under a flower pot in the back yard! Use your imagination. You've all heard me mention John Wilfred Pickard. His solution was to have all his spare keys hung on a string round his neck. I haven't gone down that route but it would work.

[Stanley]

It struck me this morning that hanging a spare back door key on Jacks collar wouldn't be a bad idea!

[Stanley]

When you are young and in your prime don't think that you can get away with lifting more weight than normal people. It all comes back to bite you in the end!

[Stanley]

Never be frightened about changing the blade in your power hacksaw! (Won't apply to many people I know....)

[Stanley]

Al;ways read funeral notices carefully! If it hadn't been for Ian I'd have been at the wrong church tomorrow.....

[Stanley]

There are worse things in this world than going round smelling faintly of embrocation! Like being planted in the churchyard!

[Whyperion]

Al;ways read funeral notices carefully! If it hadn't been for Ian I'd have been at the wrong church tomorrow.....

I went to the wrong cemetary once for the spreading of ashes ( silly me for going to the one nearest where she used to live !)

[Stanley]

Never underestimate the cold at a March funeral. I had just about enough layers.....



Nice thing was that everything fitted like a glove after over 30 years!

[Wendyf]

Very smart!

[Cathy]

What sort of hat is that Stanley?
Looks either like a soldiers cap, or Russian, (sorry, I don't know anything about men's headwear).

[Stanley]

Thank you Wendy, I did try..... Amazing how dress for funerals has changed over the years..... Some were dressed for the disco.... Times change!
Cathy, it's a Thinsulate beanie. I decided that warmth was the target and it's not excessively casual.....

[Stanley]

Their is much to be said for a bean bag warmed in the microwave...... My world is dominated by my back at the moment. Single Malt whisky consumption has risen sharply!

[Stanley]

Don't lift heavy weights when you are young and strong... You could pay for it later on.

[Stanley]

I think we all know about not heating more water in the electric kettle than we need. Today's tip is don't refill the kettle immediately as the thermal shock of the cold water hitting the hot base in the kettle can shorten the life of the element. Let it cool a bit first....

[Cathy]

My second to last had instructions saying to wait 2 minutes between boils, that was fine and I followed those instructions for years, but it didn't stop the rest of the kettle from deteriorating, alas - they get you one way or another.

[Stanley]

You're right Cathy, but they are so handy..... One interesting thing I found out in the States. The standard voltage of the electricity supply is 110volts and this means that the elements of a kettle or water heater have to be made so much heavier that it makes electric kettles uneconomical. I was surprised to find that Martha's tumble dryer was gas fired for the heat.

[Whyperion]

Fill some old soda bottles from the tap, place around the kettle, it will take a touch longer to boil but the warmer water in the bottles gets you a 2nd boil quicker if you need it for washing, or extra tea time guests.

[chinatyke]

Fill some old soda bottles from the tap, place around the kettle, it will take a touch longer to boil but the warmer water in the bottles gets you a 2nd boil quicker if you need it for washing, or extra tea time guests.

That's got to be a very inefficient way of pre-heating water. My tip is: fill the kettle again if you need more water for extra teatime guests!

[Stanley]

I agree China, you'd get a similar result if you wrapped a tea towel round the kettle but include me out, the saving is so small I don't think it's worth bothering!

[Tizer]

I remember the man whose tea plantation is said to produce the best and most sought after Indian tea saying that you don't need the water to reach boiling point. He always switches off before the water boils. I agree with him. We're obsessed with boiling water. If we all switched off earlier the nation would, in total, save a large amount of energy and prevent a lot of carbon emissions.

[chinatyke]

On Friday we took delivery of a new electric kettle which my wife bought on-line. The body is made of glass and it can either be left on to keep the water at 70C, or when it boils it doesn't switch off immediately but keeps heating to take away the temporary hardness in the water, which then precipitates out. At the bottom under the glass part are many small blue LED lights which make the boiling water look like a witches cauldron, beautiful to watch. Not built for economy though. We're surrounded by limestone karsts so the water is hard. Personally I don't bother saving electricity except that I'm a convert to the new LED light bulbs which have halved my electricity consumption. Today's tip: Don't penny pinch and still use incandescent bulbs, you can run 10 LED bulbs for the same cost as one tungsten filament one and still have the same light output.

[Stanley]

Do different teas require different temperatures?

[Tizer]

As for fermented teas, not as far as I know, but green teas might be different.

[Stanley]

The Twining's Ceylon Orange Pekoe tea I got on David's recommendation needs boiling water and 3 minutes brew time to get the best out of it (Interesting that they still use the old name, Ceylon). I was once told that ground coffee brews best at 85C but still use boiling water.... See this LINK. I think I break the rules because I brew in a pint pot and leave the tea leaves in until I have emptied the pot. Your front teeth make an efficient strainer when you reach the bottom!

[Tizer]

Note that Twinings say `Tea loves oxygen'. Then `..only pour on freshly boiled water and do not over-boil it.' Boiling quickly removes dissolved oxygen from water. There won't be much left in freshly boiled water. The tea people contradict themselves. Have a look at the blue curve in the top graph on this page. As the writer states: "The graph... only goes till 50C, but we can extrapolate and say that the oxygen level will become a fifth or so by the time the water reaches its boiling point." LINK