(Rosie) This is the query ? whilst the glottal stop is ʔ
Should you really desire to use it, then use the decimal & # 6 6 0 ; without the spaces between characters. Do not ignore the semicolon.

(Duj) Thanks for that - you hear it quite a lot in this country as you probably know. The thing is, will people merely regard it as a typo. In these august surroundings, probably not.

I need prayers and good vibes, etc. On Friday, I was terminated from my job and I need to be able to find a new one. I hated the job, but I need the money.

These are what scones are in the U.S. and I find that they are just hard and icky and being covered in sugar crystals just makes it worse. U.S. Scones

[KagomeShuko] Sorry to hear about the job, and the scones. I bet they don't pronounce "scone" correctly either.

Oh I know that one: it's 'jif', isn't it?

Basil?

[Kagome S] Sorry about the job. That's a bummer. Does it mean you're free to move wherever you need to be for the next job?
American scones sound a bit over-sweet and over-rich. British scones are just an 8:1 ratio of flour (+ raising agent) to butter, perhaps some sugar, and milk to bind the dough. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingers, add a dot of sugar, add milk to bind, pat out dough to 1.5cm thick (do not roll it), cut into rounds (I use a gin/hi-ball glass), bake at 200C for 12 minutes. I can have emergency scones on the table in less than half an hour, and I've been experimenting with baking them in the AirFryer too. Done. Hot, light, fluffy and not too sweet (so you can pile them with jam).

One can't really complain that American scones have too much sugar if one eats the alternative "piled" with what amounts to fruit polymerized with sugar. I have a sweet tooth but I cannot tolerate the sweetness of the average jam, marmalade or compote with or without a scone substrate. My teeth ache just looking at the jars.

So, did you festoon the sails of the mill with fairy lights for Xmas?

Here's hoping that other door opens as quickly as possible.

[pen] No. I own my house where I live and it needs to be repaired from Hurricane Laura as is . . . and with my disabilities, it's best to have an online job because that way employers can't complain about having to use my transport chair or my service dogs.

[KS] Sorry to hear about the job. Hopefully something comes your way soon.
[Stevie] I agree. My preference is a sharp jam like raspberry or rhubarb. We spent Christmas Day with friends who have a plum tree. As they don't eat them, I came away with about 8kg of fruit. First batch of plum jam is now in the jars.

If you are eating sharp jam it is a good sign that the jam owner dropped the jar and scraped the contents into a new one.

Happy New Year!

Well things are a bit odd this week innit.

Which is unusual for week 2.