Mancunian

Probably in the hole out back.

Aloha my friend

This is another of Gary's masterpieces that you should not miss. When you read it you are not just reading a story, you will be drawn in, and you will be there with them, bearing witness to these young men rediscovering each other. I'm not saying any more, instead, I invite you to read and step into the barn, I promise you will not regret it.

This is my second reading of this story and I loved just as much on the second read as I did the first. But what I don't understand is why I didn't comment before, now I'm mentally berating myself for that failure. This is a great story of two friends coming back together after a misunderstanding that kept them apart for a year. Caleb believed he had done the wrong thing and upset his friend, and Dalton did not understand the meaning of the kiss and needed time to figure it out and act on it. Strangely they have Dalton's mom and Sheila for bringing them back together, and at the right time too. Dalton has grown and matured, or as he put it he has his big boy pants on, and is now thinking for himself and open to the love that Caleb has for him. I'm happy they have had the chance to sort out their feelings for each other and are together. I love this story, Gary, again you haven't just told a story, you took us there, into the barn with Caleb and had us standing by his side as everything unfolded. And because you took us into that barn I'm glad that you ended the story where you did, the boys don't need us watching as they 'catch up' on their year of missing out on each other.

I hope Brendan has visits with the child psychologist planned for Jill and her brothers, they will need them after giving evidence in court, it would be especially harrowing for Jill to give her evidence. I hope Steven has the recall and courage to back up what Jill has said about her rape. Blackstone is playing a nasty game by trying to implicate Brendan in the abuse, I doubt he will get away with it but if he can plant a tiny seed of doubt in one juror it could affect their decision. If Kaspar proves the forging of the letter it is yet another charge against the kid's parents, albeit a small one in comparison. Is Eve going to be charged too? After that testimony, it looks like she is complicit and who knows, she may turn states evidence and testify against the kid's parents for a lesser sentence. The discovery of human remains is bugging me, who's are they and are they an adult or child? This is an important discovery and the trial should be halted to allow for a full investigation and to determine the bearing on the case against the parents. There are a lot of variables in how this could affect the case, especially if the death was of a sinister nature as I suspect.

Well, one drama has been averted by them finally talking. Coming home to find his mother's boyfriend and homophobic son have moved in must have been a shock to Guy, no wonder he was in no mood to talk when he saw Tim with Jonathon he must have been in a bad mood. Okay, that may not be a good excuse but a bad mood often brings about poor reasoning and judgement. With a homophobic teenager under the roof at Guy's house, I smell trouble in the air, I hope he is not a mirror for his father's opinions, that will only make matters worse.

Tim has tried to do the right thing and be friends with Jonathon, it shows his caring side, but even though he hasn't done anything wrong it has backfired on him. Jealousy is a terrible thing, Guy should not have walked out and asked the question rather than jump to conclusions. It does make me wonder if something happened in his past to give him trust issues, if that's the case he needs to talk to Tim about it, only then can they deal with matters properly.

Well this is a chapter of revelations, isn't it? We have learnt more about Carter's background and the level of distaste that his Aunt has for him and why, but we all do things for love and sometimes they are the wisest thing to do. But shouldn't family be supportive? Not full of hate and animosity, but then I guess some people cannot forgive the past and will always carry a grudge. I don't think the car accident was intentional, it was an accident born of a stupid decision to drive when overcome with emotion and not being able to see clearly. And now we have another person carrying a grudge against Carter, both of them too engrossed in their own grief to see the full picture. It's going to be interesting to find out what Carter has done to upset Jeremy so much, or is it that Carter looks too much like Ethan, and that is what Jeremy's problem is? They do say it comes in threes and now Carter has got three of them that appear to be baying for his blood! I hope something changes for the better soon.

Hiya Freddy, welcome back.

Congrats @kbois and @lucretiaseeks, you both deserve your win.

Just as Carter was about to turn away, his gaze drifted across the room, and he froze. A woman stood a distance away, her eyes locked on him. She held a tray of food, but it was the look in her eyes that sent a jolt of fear and pain through Carter. The hurt in her expression was unmistakable, and it pierced through him like a knife. Carter’s breath caught in his throat as he stared at her, his mind racing to comprehend what he was seeing. The tray in her hands trembled slightly, but she made no move to approach him. She just stood there, her gaze intense and filled with a mixture of emotions that Carter couldn’t quite decipher. “Aunt…?” he whispered, barely able to believe his own eyes. To be continued… Those few ending paragraphs tell me that there is a familial link between Ethan and Carter, and soon we will find out more, but when does Jeremy discover it and what is Dexter going to do about it? I ask the last question because we know Dexter will come up with some cunning plan to use it to cause trouble, but I also know that @vanalas is not going to give us any answers, we will be made to wait and see how the story unfolds. I wonder if this is the cruel evil Aunt that turned her back on Carter, or is it a different Aunt? No doubt we will have to wait for that answer too. I'm hoping that Jeremy gets some good professional help before he lets those good memories turn him so bitter there is no turning back. But he also needs to see through Dexter and see him for the scheming scumbag he is. Then, and only then, will he have a chance at happiness again in his life, whether it be with Carter or someone else.

Our concerns are genuine following the actions of our tormentor, do you like the nickname I just gave you?

I'm, happy for Jill that Andrew appears to be a decent lad and is willing to be patient, I hope he is as good as he appears. I'm also happy that Brendan is taking it slow with Skylar, now Skylar needs to speak to his supervisor and recuse himself from the case so that things do not get messy. Other than that it looks good that all three kids are in good health for now, but there are the extra examinations that need to be carried out, I've got my fingers crossed that they do not find anything to be worried about, although I think Jill may have 'healed' injuries with long term consequences. Everything looks good on the home front thanks to Rich's help and support, he is a good brother and Uncle. And let's not forget the previous owners of Brendan's house, they too have a hand in how things are progressing, could they end up being surrogate grandparents?

What about the wichetty grub? 🤢

Have you never tried haggis?

I agree, I was brought up to believe that you cannot say you do not like any food until you have tried it. But to be fair, there are some regional 'delicacies' in the world that I don't think I could try.

I think you will enjoy it. A lot of people do until they know what it is made of.

I know that when you look at the ingredients it sounds disgusting, but it really is very tasty and popular in many parts of the UK. The recipe varies slightly depending on the region you are in and the manufacturer if you buy it ready-made (almost all people buy it ready-made). It is the same with white pudding.

Just for @Albert1434 and @Page Scrawler, the recipe for white pudding;- Ingredients 395gm Pork Shoulder (with plenty of fat) 265gm Medium Oatmeal 250gm Water 30gm Onion 23gm Potato Flour 15gm Salt 18gm Seasoning Mix – see below Seasoning Mix 5gm White pepper 5gm Ground coriander 5gm Ground ginger 5gm Powdered sage 3gm Mace 3gm Nutmeg 2gm Allspice Only 18gm of this mix is used in the sausage above. Method Soak the oatmeal in the water for 1 hour or so. Grind the meat and onion through the fine plate of a mincer, I used a 5mm plate. Then add all the other ingredients and mix well. The sausage meat will be on the stiff side. Stuff into large pigs’ casings and poach them at 75°C – 80°C for 1 minute per mm of the width of the sausage. The final internal temperature of the sausage should be 72°C. Hold at this temperature for 2 minutes then cool in ice-cold water. To eat, slice crossways into 5 – 10mm slices and fry until brown.

I'll check what the ingredients are, then @Page Scrawler can let us know.

At one time a full English included kidney too. And in Ireland, they substitute black pudding with white pudding.

I haven't caught up on my notifications yet but I will. Oh, and can I have the full English please, lol.

To be more accurate, the main ingredient is pigs blood, if you fancy trying to make it here's the recipe;- Recipe information Yield Makes about 3 pounds Ingredients 4 cups fresh pig's blood 2 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 1/2 cups steel-cut (pinhead) oatmeal 2 cups finely diced pork fat (or beef suet), finely chopped 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped 1 cup milk 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon ground allspice Preparation Step 1 1 Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease 2 glass loaf pans. (If you don't have glass loaf pans, line metal loaf pans with parchment to keep the blood sausage from reacting with the metal and creating an off-flavor.) Stir 1 teaspoon of salt into the blood. Step 2 2 Bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil and stir in the oats. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, until just tender, not mushy. Step 3 3 Pour the blood through a fine sieve into a large bowl to remove any lumps. Stir in the fat, onion, milk, pepper, allspice and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Add the oatmeal and mix to combine. Divide the mixture between the loaf pans, cover with foil, and bake for 1 hour, until firm. Cool completely. Seal in plastic wrap and wither freeze for extended use or store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Step 4 4 To serve, either cut a slice about 1/2-inch thick off the loaf. Fry in butter or oil until the edges are slightly crisped and browned. Or if you prefer, cut a slice and eat it straight from the fridge, there is no need to cook it.

That saying is still in use today, @Gary L, and is still as true as when your Nan used it.

This is a fairly low-key chapter compared to previous chapters, it reflects the sad feelings of Ben and Tim with Samantha and Guy not being around. I'm guessing it's harder for Ben as Samantha only calls occasionally, but has he not realised he could phone her? Guy and Tim appear to have it figured out better, Guy calls most days and Tim returns those calls on others, although occasionally they do miss a day due to Tim's work or Guy's dad. What is Jonathon thinking? Just because he saw Guy and Tim holding hands doesn't mean he can hit on Tim when Guy isn't around. It could be a dangerous game he is playing. If it came out the King Stud was hitting on guys it would ruin his reputation not to mention his street cred, or isn't he bothered, or is he planning on blaming Tim if it does come out? Tim is right to fear what Jonathon's intentions are, I hope Tim uses caution around him.