The Lockdown Diaries

[Nefertiti2]

its foxy tail to wrap around its body and keep it warm, its lion roar can be heard from 6km away, and it learns to walk on its giraffe legs within an hour of being born.

s the Liaffox related to the LiamFox?
Found a picture of him with his tail wrapped around his neck to provide warmth.


I guess it’s pronounced liarFox

[Balderdasha]

s the Liaffox related to the LiamFox?
Found a picture of him with his tail wrapped around his neck to provide warmth.


I guess it’s pronounced liarFox

Very good.

[Balderdasha]

Day 79. Saturday 6th May.

Watched "The Lovebirds" on Netflix last night. Relatively amusing if predictable. Though I can't remember the last time I saw a film where the two romantic leads were black and Asian.

Mostly a lazy day. Played lots of Animal Crossing. Had a chat with a friend on the phone.

Went to our local shop / post office to return a defective item and buy milk, croissants and coke zero. Gave me a chance to try out the masks we've bought. We got two that are washable and have replaceable filters (which we have 50 of). They're stretchy fabric and can be worn as a neck warmer when not in use and then stretched over your face when you go inside. I think they're pretty good but will be too hot in warm weather so we'll get some more cotton, over-the-ear ones too.

Did a tally of all our bank accounts and we haven't lost money during lockdown which is good. Reduced income has pretty much been balanced out by reduced outgoings.

Husband made "Hulk" rice for lunch (egg fried rice with spinach blitzed into it so it looks green, and with peas). I played the kids some episodes of Popeye to further indoctrinate them in the strength-giving properties of spinach.

In the afternoon we watched Beethoven and Beetlejuice with the kids. They liked both films.

I'm experimenting with making lots of different green sauces / condiments at the moment. I made a dressing with fresh coriander, capers, lime juice and zest, garlic and half a teaspoon of olive oil. Really tasty for dinner served with grilled halloumi and lime juice, fruity almond cous cous and crudit?s.

[S. aureus]

Took my dog to the vet today as he has a bit of an inflamed eye, plus he was pretty much due for a check up anyway. The vet thinks the eye is probably allergies, as she couldn't find anything wrong. While I was waiting I wandered around the neighbourhood (part of El Camino and one of San Mateo's auto repair shop clusters), and found that many businesses have boarded up their windows and doors, and not because they were closed.

[Sam]

Starting on Monday night, we're going to be allowed out to exercise between 8pm and 8am!

[Balderdasha]

Day 80. Sunday 7th May.

Another lazyish day. Lots of laundry. Built a Duplo house with the kids. They spent most of the afternoon playing a game they invented called "Vampires and Pumpkins" (no idea). I made a big lunch, toad in the hole, roast potatoes, carrots and swede mash (my uncle used to make it and I got a craving), green beans, carrots and gravy.

[Patrick Thistle]

Er, carrots and swede mash (like together?) and then more carrots with it?

[Fussbudget]

This has sent me on a journey through the internet to find out what a swede is, as I never have a clue when I see it mentioned. It would appear to be what I'd call a turnip.

[Nocturnal Submission]

I think they're different vegetables, in the UK anyway, but equally disgusting.

[S. aureus]

Do you have a different name for turnips?

[S. aureus]

Or, to clarify my understanding, turnips = white, swedes = yellow. NS is right in their palatability, though.

[Fussbudget]

I think I'd call both of them turnips to be honest. I've never heard a Northerner use the term swede.

[San Bernardhinault]

Swedes are what Americans call rutabagas, if that helps.

I never understood why anyone ate them who wasn't in a famine or living in a country where literally nothing else grows. The same is true of turnips, although they aren't the same thing.

[Fussbudget]

I don't know about that, haggis tatties and neeps (which if I'm following are swedes?) is delicious.

Thanks all for the explanation, by the way.

[Gangster Octopus]

Haggis, neeps 'n' tatties can be sublime.

[Sporting]

The common way to say swede in Spanish is nabo sueco: Swedish turnip.

I like all of those root veg. They really bulk up a stew and they're dirt cheap.

[Sporting]

Rutabaga has many national and regional names. Rutabaga is the common North American term for the plant. This comes from the Swedish dialectal word rotabagge,^[1] from rot (root) + bagge (lump, bunch).^[2] In the U.S., the plant is also known as Swedish turnip or yellow turnip.^[3][4]

The term swede (from "Swedish turnip") is used in many Commonwealth Nations, including much of England, Australia, and New Zealand. The name turnip is also used in parts of Northern and Midland England, the West Country (particularly Cornwall), Ireland, the Isle of Man, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada. In Wales, according to region, it is variously known as maip, rwden, erfin, swedsen, or swejen in Welsh,^[5] and as swede or turnip in English.

In Scotland it is known as turnip, tumshie (also used as a pejorative term for foolish or stupid people) or neep (from Old English n?p, Latin napus).^[6] Some areas of south-east Scotland, such as Berwickshire and Roxburghshire, still use the term baigie, possibly a derivative of the Swedish dialectal word rotabagge.^[7] The term turnip is also used for the white turnip (Brassica rapa ssp rapa).^[6][8]

Some will also refer to both swede and (white) turnip as just turnip (this word is also derived from n?p).^[8] In north-east England, turnips and swedes are colloquially called snadgers, snaggers (archaic) or narkies.^[9] Rutabaga is also known as moot in the Isle of Man and the Manx language word for turnip is napin.^[10]

Its common name in Sweden is k?lrot (literally "cabbage/kale root"). Similarly, in Denmark it is known as k?lroe and k?lrabi, while in Norway it is known as k?lrabi or k?lrot and in Estonia as kaalikas. In Dutch it is called similary koolraap. In Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands, it is sometimes confused with kohlrabi. The Finnish term is lanttu. The Romanian term is nap. Rutabaga is known by many different regional names in German, of which Kohlr?be and Steckr?be are the most widespread and most commonly used in lists of ingredients; the former is typically used in Austria to mean kohlrabi.

[pebblethefish]

I think I'd call both of them turnips to be honest. I've never heard a Northerner use the term swede.

Do they not even say "You're doing my swede!" when someone's annoying them?

[ad hoc]

The Romanian term is nap.

That's interesting to know. I have never ever seen a swede (or a turnip for that matter) on sale here. Maybe now I know that there is a word I'll find one.

(I love swede, and miss it)

[Patrick Thistle]

So all swedes are turnips, but not all turnips are swedes?

I'm still confused by Balderdasha's dinner.

[Sporting]

That's interesting to know. I have never ever seen a swede (or a turnip for that matter) on sale here. Maybe now I know that there is a word I'll find one.

(I love swede, and miss it)

Reminds me of the fact that the Spanish word for rhubarb (according to wordreference.com etc. is ruibarbo. But it doesn't grow here and no Spaniard I've ever met has ever heard the word.

[Sporting]

I'm still confused by Balderdasha's dinner.

In what way?

[Patrick Thistle]

She said she had carrots and swede mash and carrots.

Rhubarb in Welsh is Rhwbob.

[Sporting]

She had double carrots.

[Balderdasha]

Wow, I didn't realise my dinner had triggered such an in-depth discussion.

I had carrot and swede mash, which is carrots and swede boiled and mashed together with salt and pepper (and if you were my uncle you'd put loads of butter in too, but that doesn't work with attempting weight loss). My uncle is from Greater Manchester / Lancashire and always referred to them as swedes instead of turnips. They are indeed the yellow variety, not the white / pinky red turnips.

I wasn't sure if the kids would eat swede and carrot mash, so I reserved half of the boiled carrots to be served separately, as they eat those without complaint.

I hope this clears up the confusion.