I skimmed too fast, and mis-read that as malevolent bastards.

Thanks for that ❤️

Sorry about your mum, I don't know whether it's easier to process if you are close (physically/emotionally) or not. I hope you and V are caring for yourselves.

Currently our dad is slowly deteriorating, I feel too young to be considering a parent dying, and I've got a few years on you I think.

Look, I know this really isn't the point, but it drives me bananas the outfits were so wrong when they have enough dosh to get it right. Men's trous were baggy but tailored, not zoot suit gangster. Women's outfits were high necklines, mid-calf hems and loose, no cleve.

TBH, Canada would be a Lotto dream, but we'd like to stop in Vancouver if we go to the UK/Europe again.

Aus is the cliché option for Kiwi's, and I have dual citizenship ....

Likewise, if the antipodes ever calls let me know.

Also, I hope your health improves, or is able to be better managed for you.

Yep, in a wine growing area, so what is called a Mediterranean climate.

Vancouver seems amazing, we are currently considering options in larger places as we want our kid to have a broader view of the world than small town NZ, and Canada would be great.

Warm at present! I'm a bit leery of Guy Fawke's coming up as it seems quite dry and windy.

I assume you are in the US if you write for Wonkette, so I guess our government is marginally better, but if you are in the UK then you have the better one.

And yes, I remember agreeing with your commentary.

Oh, probably you then, I don't think I've seen you for a while. I am a very infrequent commenter as the comments usually close overnight for me in NZ. I used to make a bit of an effort with Rhik Sammadar gadgets articles and that was a while ago.

Memorable handle you have there ☺️

I would rather poke out my eyes than watch sport, but I enjoy that others seem to be having fun.

Unrelated, but are you the Crip Dyke who comments/used to comment on The Guardian?

Also, big ups on healthy boobs.

Fuckin A.

Smarmies, or peables

Trying to think of creamy, and yeah, not really ay? Sometimes jook is analogous I guess, or corn based soup, but its a really different vibe.

Re flatbread, the wrappers for peking duck pass I reckon. And northern/central chinese food has lots of wheat based pancake deliciousness. Cantonese has steamed bread/mantau,which can be flatish. I accept that last one is a bit dubious though.

Happy birthday, hope you enjoyed the cake I saw in another post! I might be making it in a couple of months time for my one of the cover-kids birthday - either that or strawberry shortcake 🍰

Looking forward to book 3 in due course.

Furnaces aren't really a thing here in this part of the antipodes, but we are investing entering the late 20th century with an air conditioner as it's already been hitting 27/28°C in October.

The recent past beckons!

We also use analogue beds, but have some super high tech for when a window just won't do. It's called a ceiling fan.

I told the other mum about your savoury bread and butter pudding. Making one Monday as we left the playdate with 2 doz free-range eggs!

And another mum has a loan of your cookbook at the mo to help with ideas for her and her kid, so it's still doing the rounds and being appreciated.

From memory its a bit less acid and richer, I quite like it occasionally but haven't had any for a while. If I try I'll let you know 😉

Haha, put this in the wrong reply. I was hanging with a dairy free fam this arvo and we were discussing substitutions for baking etc. I thought this loo,ed like a fun one to make with the kids if it would work.

Do you think coconut yoghurt would work as a substitute?

I have no idea how or why, but we had RHPS on VCR when I was a pre-teen/early teen. My sister and I watched it all the time, knew all the words, would dress up and act out along with the movie.

I have no idea if my parents had watched it through before letting us loose with it.

Personally, I want to be a Granny Weatherwax, but think I'm more realistically a Magrat.

I just realised now from reading the thread. I assumed it was some unknown-to-me US nano-celeb. AI slop is not helping my already poor facial recognition.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I saw this when I was 13 and loved it. Now I'm putting it on the mental list of things to watch with my boy when he's old enough.

An unglamorous, but spacious raised vege bed. A few forlorn looking seedlings appear on the edge around bare earth covered with wire netting. In the background is a deck with a comfy-looking outdoor couch, which, alas, is usually annexed by the cats. There is assorted gardening accoutrements cluttering the general area.

Vege planter prepped for summer: 10 pea seedlings, 4 heritage tomato seedlings, corn and beetroot sown in front. Space for up to 6 pumpkins to trail over the front when germinated, and melons are sown directly into compost around to the side out of shot 🌱 #gardening #gardensky

I hope it's not too bad, and you recover quickly.

But, yeah, the view from the higher wards is pretty good.

I've planted seeds, so cross fingers they're still viable. If we have excess I know a home for them 😜

A row of heritage variety pumpkins: musquee de provence, a grey warty ironbark variety, and Galeux D'Eysines. They sit on a retired pew from the local Anglican Cathedral, with a row of shoes more or less tidily lined up under it. Behind the pumpkins is an oil painting of a warty green pumpkin, touched with yellow at the crown. It sits on a wooden table with a vegetable cleaver beside it. The pumpkin in the painting bears a stricking resemblance to the mystery ironbarks in front of it. Assorted hats, bags and scarves drape over the top of the pew.

I found a photo of some the crop from 2015! They are musquee, mystery ironbark variety I don't remember what, musqee x2, ironbark x2, musquee, and Galeux D'Eysines. The pumpkin painting was done by a friend of my parents in 1977.

I have found seeds and now know what this arvo entails.

Years ago we grew musquee de provence pumpkins. We had about 12, they were huge, biggest was over 13kg from memory. They were watery, but so delicious. I made ALOT of pies. And soup. I had a great pie recipe from NZ Gardener.

Must do that again. Growing them and the pies ...