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Good evening, Pigale!
I have had a nice quiet weekend, thank you!
I hope you have had the same.
Still taking it easy?
I call them my cemetery scissors, because I take them with me on my cemetery visits.
I use them for cutting flowers and trimming back bushes and heathers there.
They were the first ones I came across today when I decided to cut my hair!

Hi, Rusty!
I am still smiling at the picture of your wielding your "cemetery scissors" to cut your hair!
But I do know what you mean!
I, too, take a pair of scissors to the Crematorium to trim around the marble stone and generally clear up the area.
But I don't use them on my hair!
Although I do always cut my fringe myself.......but I have a special pair of scissors used only for that!
Tell me, how does one sharpen scissors?
I did not know that one could do that?
I usually buy a new pair when they are getting blunt.....
I have quite a number of pairs of scissors that would benefit greatly from a sharpening!



Hello, Pigale!
Yes, thank you.
A quiet weekend, but a very pleasant one!
We "pottered" ... do you know that word?
It was good to relax.
I hope you are steadily improving, and not doing too much too soon?

Hello, Elle!
My hair turned out not too bad, I think!
I'll get a verdict at ASDA in the morning!
I seem to have accumulated a few pairs of scissors over the years.
Scissors sharpening is very simple, Elle, and takes only a few seconds per pair.
There are several methods, but I think the one I use suits me best.
First get a screwdriver, or a 6 inch nail.
Go as if you were going to cut the nail in half, starting at the tip end of the scissors.
Now run the full length of the scissors blades over the nail, with firm pressure, and the nail sharpens the scissors as the blades rub over the nail.
Repeat several times and the scissors are sharpened.
Now with cemetery scissors, I always wash them when I get home.
The blades get sticky from cutting flower stalks and twigs etc.
Run them under a hot tap and scrub the gummy deposits off the blades, and dry with a soft cloth.
All ready for the next cemetery visit!

Hello Elle and Rusty!

Yes Rusty, I am still taking it easy!

Pottering around is about all the activity I can do at present -
Back a lot better, but I cannot stand up for very long in one go,
so cooking nice dishes standing a long time by the cooker is out
of the question so far!
A lot of soup - though not home made, but they are delicious, and
plenty cheese and bread - I love my cheese and always have
several types in the house!

Hi, Rusty!
Well, no prizes given for guessing what I have spent the last ten minutes doing.......
Yes, I have been sharpening all the scissors that I could find throughout the house.
I got quite excited!
Seriously, though, yes, your method works a treat....
I used a screwdriver, always having one of those to hand.
Thank you for the tip.
No cousin to talk to tonight!
That branch of the family have all gone out to celebrate an Anniversary.



Hello, Pigale!
It is good to hear that you are being "sensible", even though you do find that boring!!
Yes, I love cheese, too!
Cheddar is a strong favourite of mine.

Hello, Elle!
Of course my method works!
Very simple and quick.
You can use the narrow neck of a glass bottle, too, if need be.
I keep my 6 inch nail beside the teaspoons!
But I have several screwdrivers, too.
Tell all your friends!
You will miss chatting to your cousin this night!
My favourite cheese is Red Leicester.

Hello again,

I usually keep a variety of 5 or 6 cheeses in the house - all French,
sorry! I can find cheddar in Super U, but it is not as good as the
real one my friends bring me.

At present, I have Reblochon (Alpes area cow cheese)
St Agur (milder cousin to Rocquefort), Epoisse (quite strong cow cheese) camembert (of course!) Lou Perac (a mild but tasty ewe cheese, and a goat cheese. I usually eat small to medium portions of two or three (or four!) of these every evening!

I must be careful because too much cheese is supposed to give
you cholesterol, but, I can't resist them!

My mother used to say that 'a day without cheese is a day without
sun!' and I agree - so I keep on eating the cheese in the hope
the sun will come out! (well that's my excuse!)

Dear pigale
Repeat after me - "You need cholesterol to live". For making-
Cell membranes
Vitamin D
Most sex hormones
Bile
Brain synapses
From a BMJ article, 2017-
"In those over 60 years, a recent systematic review concluded that LDL cholesterol is not associated with cardiovascular disease and is inversely associated with all-cause mortality." The reference for this statement in the article is - BMJ Open 2016;6:e010401.doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-01040.

It seems as if the higher your LDL cholesterol (aged over 60), the longer you live. "Angels and ministers of grace defend us". In fact, you cannot eat all the cholesterol you need, you liver makes it.

"In 2017 the global cholesterol-lowering industry is worth $19.2 Billion and is forecast to grow 4.9% each year during the next five years. Which means that the industry will be worth $24.4 Billion in 2022." (I'm sorry I didn't note chapter and verse for this)

Go figure. And eat all the cheese you care to. From the same BMJ article-

"It is time to shift the public health message in the prevention and treatment of coronary artery disease away from measuring serum lipids and reducing dietary saturated fat. Coronary artery disease is a chronic inflammatory disease and it can be reduced effectively by walking 22 min a day and eating real food. There is no business model or market to help spread this simple yet powerful intervention."
(In this case, real food includes nuts, extra virgin olive oil, vegetables and oily fish.)

The last sentence is vitally important. Walking and real food do not make money for Big Pharma. We should change the saw from "Timeo Danaos" to "Timeo societates pharmacum".
Rant over!

Good morning, Elle!
Lovely morning here and not very cold.
My new haircut got pass marks at ASDA!
So, a good start to the day.
Been to Screwfix and Tesco, too.
Now for a read of my paper to see what's going on in the world!

Hi pigale
I expect that you know this, but the reblochon producers invented a new dish - tartiflette - to increase demand. Have you ever had it? We were given it for dinner at a hotel in the Vercors and it was delicious, but we didn't enjoy it as much when I had a go at making it - too rich!