How much will you miss outdoor gardening in the next few months?

I've never attempted puff pastry, so I doff my hat to you @LawnAndOrder. I don't enjoy cooking, it's a necessary evil, so I try to find other things to occupy me during the winter.

Right now there's a small amount of some necessary plastering needs to be done above a kitchen wall unit I had fitted a couple of months ago. The irritation is I can't get to it without standing on the worktop and leaning over another unit and I don't like ladders or heights. Trying to hire someone to do the job is impossible, it's too small.

 

That’s a lovely photo of you and OH @shiney and had to stifle a laugh at that poor camel

 

So glad to see that our president is so well cared for by Madame la Présidente! Clearly a happy couple, and so much better groomed than those camels!

 

Well now, plastering is far more impressive than pastry-making. Having said that, I consistently failed at ‘Puff’ for years (but “it’s an ill wind” because it has consistently amused Mrs Lao, and that makes for a happy marriage) until I discovered the secret (of pastry ... and marriage):

Work the butter and the ‘détrempe’ and leave to rest for an hour on marble in a COLD room
Forget all about this business of putting the dough in the fridge between every turn — that only stiffens it, only to change temperature when you work it again. Leave it to rest between turns, wrapped, on your marble slab, NOT in the fridge.

And now look at it, it’s been so happy in its EVEN environment, it actually made itself!
Mrs Lao is no longer laughing, but she smiles as she eats them ... "What's not to like!"


Home-baked - 7 turns Puff

 

I'm not so sure about the plastering but your pastry certainly looks good and no doubt all the better for pleasing Mrs Lao with your efforts.

 

You write this on the 14th of January; chance would be a fine thing; my, my, my, you are an optimist!

I have always thought of you as one of those few people who combine keen intelligence with sharp wit … and you are certainly a shining example of that, but now we can add camel rider and, quite candidly, optimist … is there no end?!

 

Brilliant!

 

How did you get hold of Mr Starmer's specs @shiney?

 

@Fat Controller

I am told from the highest authority that you are "the man" for this:

Is it at all possible, when posting an image (JPEG) in a post, to control its size; they always seem to fill the whole screen.

Many thanks for responding to this trivial but heartfelt question!

Ever yours,

LawnAndOrder

 

Thank you very much for poking ... but please not too deep, or too long, as this is an unimportant matter.

I have passed on your 'by return' lelpfullness (to the relevant authority) for which again I thank you!

All best,

Lao