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May. 22nd, 2021 04:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
turpsYesterday was a fun day with a visit to the cat cafe, the cinema and Re.F.Use.
I'm sure I've said this before, but before it gave out surplus food over the lockdowns Re.f.Use was a cafe, using the surplus food to make all meals. It means there's never a static menu as they cook with what they get donated and you pay what you think the meal is worth. It's completely anonymous too, you can pick to put cash into an envelope which is dropped into a box or via card, but they don't look at how much you're paying. You do pay a fixed price for drinks, which I assume is because they have to pay for them themselves.
So, yesterday we turned up and it was vegetarian day. If James had known in advance I'm sure he wouldn't have been keen, but as it was he branched out with a veggie meatball and salad, which came with the most amazing tasting red cabbage. It was sort of sweet and caramelised and it tasted so good. So much so I wished I had that instead of veggie chilli.
After that, we drove into Durham as we had a slot booked at The Pawsome Cat Cafe. Like everywhere now we had to book in via track and trace, sanitise hands and wear masks unless sitting down at our table. As it was the first day they'd opened everyone got a free drink, so that was a plus. Sadly because it was the first day back and the cats had been living at their owner's home since August they weren't really interacting. I played with one who came out to mess with a feather on a stick and got a few good strokes of others, but mostly they were getting used to being cat cafe cats again.
I felt most sorry for Simon. He was a kitten last time we were there and then lockdown two happened and he went off to a private home. Months later and he'd been taken back to the cafe and was so frightened and confused, wedging himself behind the litter trays. The ladies in charge let us have a peek as they remembered us from before, but I suspect Simon's time as a cat cafe cat may be over.
Once we left there it was a short walk to the cinema and man, I didn't realise just how much I'd missed that place until we walked in. Everything is completely contactless now. You order your food via touch screens and everything comes pre-packaged, plus, masks worn, hands sanitised, same as everywhere.
We saw Nomadland and it was very apparent it was an award season film. Beautiful to look at, stylish, great acting, but very little actual plot and an open ending. For those playing along at home, James fell asleep for about 30 minutes but did see the end.
Odeon have actually dropped their limitless ticket prices right now, so, for £10 a month we can both so as many films as we want. And I suspect we'll be seeing many.
While out I got a message I was about to be rested from my mail survey duties. I knew it was coming as you do six months on and six months off, but do wish my months would be over the spring and summer and not winter and Christmas. Still, it'll be nice not to have to head to the postbox a few times a week and make up excuses when I have to post cardboard cubes that weigh next to nothing and have over £3 postage already on them. Still, I won't complain considering the amount of first-class stamps I've got as rewards. I won't have to buy any of them for a very long time.
Today we've done a tip run for my SiL, picked up some groceries and also had breakfast at Re.F.Use, a photo of which is on my Insta. We'd actually gone back as James wanted to buy a meat hamper. They sell them for £20 and it's pot luck what you get, though it'll always be worth more than what you pay. We got, two boneless lamb joints, a massive beef joint, a fillet steak, lamb steaks, lots of sausages and some rump steaks. I don't like or eat red meat so most will be frozen. I'll also need to find some good lamb recipes as it's something I've never cooked.
Now I need to think about making tea before a bath and then Eurovision. Bring on the insanity!
I'm sure I've said this before, but before it gave out surplus food over the lockdowns Re.f.Use was a cafe, using the surplus food to make all meals. It means there's never a static menu as they cook with what they get donated and you pay what you think the meal is worth. It's completely anonymous too, you can pick to put cash into an envelope which is dropped into a box or via card, but they don't look at how much you're paying. You do pay a fixed price for drinks, which I assume is because they have to pay for them themselves.
So, yesterday we turned up and it was vegetarian day. If James had known in advance I'm sure he wouldn't have been keen, but as it was he branched out with a veggie meatball and salad, which came with the most amazing tasting red cabbage. It was sort of sweet and caramelised and it tasted so good. So much so I wished I had that instead of veggie chilli.
After that, we drove into Durham as we had a slot booked at The Pawsome Cat Cafe. Like everywhere now we had to book in via track and trace, sanitise hands and wear masks unless sitting down at our table. As it was the first day they'd opened everyone got a free drink, so that was a plus. Sadly because it was the first day back and the cats had been living at their owner's home since August they weren't really interacting. I played with one who came out to mess with a feather on a stick and got a few good strokes of others, but mostly they were getting used to being cat cafe cats again.
I felt most sorry for Simon. He was a kitten last time we were there and then lockdown two happened and he went off to a private home. Months later and he'd been taken back to the cafe and was so frightened and confused, wedging himself behind the litter trays. The ladies in charge let us have a peek as they remembered us from before, but I suspect Simon's time as a cat cafe cat may be over.
Once we left there it was a short walk to the cinema and man, I didn't realise just how much I'd missed that place until we walked in. Everything is completely contactless now. You order your food via touch screens and everything comes pre-packaged, plus, masks worn, hands sanitised, same as everywhere.
We saw Nomadland and it was very apparent it was an award season film. Beautiful to look at, stylish, great acting, but very little actual plot and an open ending. For those playing along at home, James fell asleep for about 30 minutes but did see the end.
Odeon have actually dropped their limitless ticket prices right now, so, for £10 a month we can both so as many films as we want. And I suspect we'll be seeing many.
While out I got a message I was about to be rested from my mail survey duties. I knew it was coming as you do six months on and six months off, but do wish my months would be over the spring and summer and not winter and Christmas. Still, it'll be nice not to have to head to the postbox a few times a week and make up excuses when I have to post cardboard cubes that weigh next to nothing and have over £3 postage already on them. Still, I won't complain considering the amount of first-class stamps I've got as rewards. I won't have to buy any of them for a very long time.
Today we've done a tip run for my SiL, picked up some groceries and also had breakfast at Re.F.Use, a photo of which is on my Insta. We'd actually gone back as James wanted to buy a meat hamper. They sell them for £20 and it's pot luck what you get, though it'll always be worth more than what you pay. We got, two boneless lamb joints, a massive beef joint, a fillet steak, lamb steaks, lots of sausages and some rump steaks. I don't like or eat red meat so most will be frozen. I'll also need to find some good lamb recipes as it's something I've never cooked.
Now I need to think about making tea before a bath and then Eurovision. Bring on the insanity!
no subject
Date: 2021-05-22 05:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-05-23 02:59 pm (UTC)I enjoyed Eurovision a lot. There weren't as many out and out crazy acts, but I imagine that's because they had to take covid precautions so couldn't do anything too elaborate. But it was still a bit barmy in all the right ways.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-22 06:15 pm (UTC)Awww poor Simon
Yay for seeing a film! My local cinema still seems to be closed which is a shame.
Yay for Eurovision tonight!
no subject
Date: 2021-05-23 08:01 am (UTC)I felt for Simon, he looked so scared so we only looked at him for a moment so they could show us how much he'd grown.
Odeon only reopened Monday gone, so hopefully, all the others will follow soon.
Eurovision was a lot of fun.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-22 11:46 pm (UTC)And that makes sense that the cats are no longer used to be so social. Here's hoping that they will get reacclimated now and future visits will involve more cat snuggles.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-23 07:20 am (UTC)Yeah, it is understandable the cats need to ease back into things, though I suspect Simon will be retired as a cafe cat as he's lost prime socialisation time in the public environment.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-23 07:08 pm (UTC)Poor Simon! He must have been so scared and confused.
*giggles* I'm glad to hear James hasn't lost his nack for falling asleep at the movies. I hope they'll show lots of good films for you to watch!
Hooray for lots of stamps!
Your meat hamper sounds like it's going to give you lots of interesting meals. I'm not too keen on beef myself but I love lamb. Sadly lamb isn't popular in Sweden so you seldom find it in the shops and I almost never get a chance to cook it. I hope you find several interesting recipes to try!
no subject
Date: 2021-05-25 07:45 am (UTC)I felt so bad for Simon. I know Mog on the Tyne have retired many of their cats when they became tired of the public cafe life. So, as much as I loved seeing Simon when he was a kitten, I hope the same happens for him and he can go home and be a solo cat.
I knew James would fall asleep, though was surprised he woke before the end.
Ephemera has just linked me to an interesting lamb recipe that I may try. Yesterday I cooked the beef for a really long time and James said it tasted great. So he'll be getting more of that tonight while the rest has been wrapped and frozen.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-24 09:42 pm (UTC)Hurray for being back to the cat cafe and the cinema!
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Date: 2021-05-25 07:40 am (UTC)I like a recipe where you can mess with ingredients a bit depending on what you have in the house. Plus, stew will freeze very nicely I think.
It felt good to be out and about again. Especially so as everywhere was taking safety very seriously.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-25 04:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-05-25 07:36 am (UTC)Now we need to go to Mog on the Tyne as that's still my favourite. Especially so as they've just got a new ginger cat *____*
no subject
Date: 2021-05-26 04:17 am (UTC)