Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

Bubblesmum · 22 February 2015 at 8:03PM

Prinzessilein wrote: »

Thanks vhalla!....I do try and stay upbeat...but I certainly have my moaning moments too!....I put a lot of my attitude down to my Mum - she was determined to see me through mainstream education despite the odds (I started school in the 60s....provision for inclusion was limited - but Mum can be quite determined!)

Mum also insisted that we all learned skills that have served us well as we grew older....cooking, sewing, basic repairs...in our last year of school she gave us a food allowance and encouraged us to cook for ourselves as preparation for University.

And it has been Mum who has supported me so much in later years...always encouraging me to do as much as possible on my own...disability is a part of me, but it will never be the boss of me
.

Hello...l I know this was from a while ago (it's the page I am up too! )

Just wanted to say OH and I were born with disabilities in the late 60's and our parents had the same attitude mainstream education, university.....

Agree completely to my disability being part of me etc.... Love reading your posts x

cheerfulness4 · 22 February 2015 at 8:32PM

Maggie, I didn't think about dehydration. Of course! I've only been sipping water over the last few days and am very dry but was reluctant to set my tummy off again. I'll try and drink more this evening.

GreyQueen · 22 February 2015 at 9:08PM

I think there's a lot of cotton-wooling now, the idea that you can and should protect the offspring from every possible negative, from bumps and bruises to newspaper-headline scale horrors. Which have always been with us, btw, but are very rare occurances.

My generation was expected to play out, and in summer, once you were about 8 years old, you were out for hours with a couple of jam sandwiches and a bottle of orange squash. The only thing I wanted to do and wasn't allowed to do was to have a paper round. There had been a child murdered elsewhere in the country doing a paper round about that time, and my parents just didn't like the idea of me up alone at that hour and going all over the housing estate.

I was astonished by one girl my own age, when we were about 15, who had never ridden her bicycle off the estate she lived on (small market town). I was often 15-20 miles from home on mine at the same age, and had made a round trip of 30 miles to visit her.

Even at that age, I tried to imagine what'd've happened if my folks had tried to contrain my wanderings to within a few hundred yards of the homestead - I'd've been across the county line at full speed on general principles as a protest.:rotfl:

Hard_Up_Hester · 22 February 2015 at 9:28PM

Another one here who was out of the house for hours from about 5 years old. I remember being tied up by some local boys, behind the bus station, mum was going frantic as I wasn't found until 2 hours after dark.
This weekend I've done crafting with one of the DGD's, sorted out fabric to do some sewing for the baby DGC's & made 8 jars of marmalade. We've also planted cucumber & pepper seeds, the tomato plants are already a few inches tall.
Hester

cheerfulness4 · 22 February 2015 at 11:22PM

I'm so behind with my sowing, Hester. I've had my tomato seeds lined up for days ready to sow and haven't been able.

I completely forgot about peppers and have two varieties in my box I want to grow this year.

I've been making a mental shopping list of the veg and salad I'll need for meals this summer and then I've got the task of working out how to fit them into this tiny garden of mine.
If others are working with a balcony to supply them with salads then my garden is more than enough for our purposes.

My 'thing' apart from tomatoes I love growing is cucumbers. I grew these ones in the pic the year before last and they are fab.
This is a library pic but mine were just as large and prolific.

I love growing something different every year I've never tried before. I'm making plan for growing up all the vertical structures and walls in my garden and hoping to improve the beds I have.
I saw these HM raised beds on the net being sold some time ago, possibly ebay, and loved the cloches that had been made for them. Wondering about adding some to my raised beds.

Lynplatinum · 22 February 2015 at 11:45PM

Evening all

Well, my friend (T) has gone home and today I helped another friend (A) out who has not got a car and took them to Sainsbugs (because it has been pouring down here all day!) - they are on one of these evil zero hours contracts - and had only one days work last week and the week before!!! this means they can hardly make their rent! Luckily they have a kind landlord, who knows that as soon as they have work, they will pay landlord back. But it is a cat and mouse situation! It was pouring with rain today and we usually go for a walk on Sundays but I invited them over to me and was able to give them cake and coffee (sent them home with extra cake and half pack of biscuits claiming that I needed them eaten up to help my diet!). Anyway result of helping out (and going shopping when I did not mean to) is that my spends are £2 on t-bags (out of my £7 until 28th)

Yes, folks I did have a good time with my other friend (T) but it really made me realise 2 things 1) that it is so easy to be led astray into buying what you do not need 2) I just could not shop like that every day - not just due to the money aspect of things - its the crowds; the noise; the plethora of colours; the endless walking and standing!! Phew!!!!!!!!!!!!!! for a once a year treat its fun but every weekend - no thank you!!! Much rather HM cake and a chat as with my other friend (A) today!
Well done Viv for surviving on so little this month!! I am going to try to emulate you and Cheerfulness from now to mid - April and, from 1st March go for £ 10 per week!:eek: Will change my sig then to reflect this decision and let you know how it goes!
Have a less soggy day tomorrow folks :-)

cheerfulness4 · 23 February 2015 at 12:03AM

Very pleased to have company with the challenge in March, Lyn. Mine will be a much tighter month as food stocks are very low now. I keep turning up more tins and packets hidden in silly areas, 4 tins of tuna surfaced that had been wedged behind a wicker basket in a cupboard, but the freezer is almost empty.
We seem to have a few pieces of wet fish and some fish in sauce that have been left, so that tells me something about what to buy and what not to in the future.

If I feel more normal tomorrow I might do an inventory ready for March.

Must add my congratulations to Viv. Very well done and glad you might make it an occasional challenge. That will keep me company this year.

vhalla1478 · 23 February 2015 at 9:40AM

Morning All,

I'm glad you're feeling a little better, Cheerfulness, it's so miserable to be ill. Thank you and Lynplatinum for your congratulations. I shall stock up next Monday and then hope to spend maximum of £10 a week in March. I'm quite amused and curious,Cheerfulness (only in a nice way) that you have food hidden around the house - is it because you haven't much space or because you've not been moved long? I agree with you that sometimes you look at items and wonder why on earth you bought them. I found a couple of tins of black-eyed beans in my cupboard this month and I can only conclude that they must have been on offer at some point. So I'm now adding 'use up' to the make do, mend and minimise mantra, although I suppose it comes under 'make do'. I ended up using them in the sausage and beans recipe. And, when my friend has gone back home today, I'm going to have a final scour through the freezer so that I don't miss anything and this week use up all the things that have been languishing there for too long. I'll report back later.

Do you ever make your own pesto sauce? This is a great recipe for it.

Pesto serves 4

Chopped clove garlic, 3 good handfuls basil, handful lightly roasted pine nuts, handful grated parmesan cheese, extra virgin olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper, small squeeze of lemon juice.

Put garlic in pestle and mortar or food processor, add basil, pound or pulse. Add the cooled pine nuts and pound or pulse again.Turn out into a bowl and add half the parmesan. Stir this in gently and add the olive oil, just enough to bind the sauce to get it to the right consistency semi-wet but firm.

Taste the mixture and add a little salt and pepper and the rest of the parmesan. Add some more oil and taste again. Finally add a squeeze of lemon juice.

Have a good day, All.

Viv xx

cheerfulness4 · 23 February 2015 at 10:12AM

The food got stored everywhere for both those reasons, Viv. We moved very quickly and to a smaller house with no garage for storage. We just stowed things in every available crevice just to make the place tidy and livable.
Its still interesting months on discovering all these hidden gems. If my mobility was better I'd of had things all ship shape by now but as things stand I have to slowly wade my way through all the sorting as I lkke to do it myself. DH threw so much away when we moved I'm only discovering as I go to look for things as the seasons change.

Today is bright and sunny here. Apart from this persistent headache and bit of cold lingering I'm feeling tons better so a trip to the shops with DH to get a few essentials and then seed sowing in earnest will take place, followed by a catch-up of Call The Midwife while eating Beef Stew. I found a lovely tray of stewing Beef in freezer stocks last night.

vhalla1478 · 23 February 2015 at 10:40AM

Cheerfulness, it wasn't meant as a criticism or to pry. It must be quite nice to make those discoveries.

viv xx

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Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

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