It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

trying-very-trying

elizabunny wrote: »

Evening all. do they really think we are all completely mad or stupid, because we are not!! :mad:

I just can't wait untill we start to grow our own tomatoes again and I think I would rather remain tomatoless than pay those ridiculous prices. I think certain supermartkets think they have the upperhand at the moment, but times are changing rapidly and I always say 'the higher they fly, the harder they fall' and we won't forget how they ramped up the prices, just when we could have done with the 'every little helps'.

Not sure that DH suggestion to dig up the back lawn and grow veggies is such a good idea though -still if it comes to that, that's what we'll do.

Elizabunny, my dad tells me that he's already got my tomato plants popping their heads through. I struggle now to get to the greenhouse, but hubby or daughter do water the greenhouse plants so at least I know I'll have toms, and I do hope to get fresh grapes of my vine this year.
No chance of hubby doing anything so rash as digging, so I doubt if we'll have any amount of carrots to speak of, but I usually manage a few carrots and even some peas in tubs.

ceridwen

nannaC wrote: »

WAY TO GO GIRL :beer: Now that is what I call getting ahead with STYLE. NannaC takes her hat off to you

...and re Hard Up Hester's post - I guess one could say she belongs to the "Dont Get Mad - Get Even" School of Thought;)

[Deleted User]

we found a farmshop 6 miles away and cycled there yesterday. It was a lovely shop, the sort you go ooooh for when you walk in. All chunky wood and hessian. Gorgeous cheese etc but way way too pricey and pretty well based on the posh local deli and national trust. Oh well, it`ll still be nice to go there for some tranquility and a mug of coffee

Me and dh are in a prolonged stress situation with a new neighbour. We are keeping things sweet but his music plays all through the night and now he has an ipod on a shelf attached to our bedroom wall so you can hear every word on his radio when it switches on at 7 am as well as boom boom music all night. The bad thing is that he has gone on holiday for 9 days (with a blonde half his age) and he has left everything on. My dh is keeping a diary but of course will speak to him, quietly, on his return. I feel so like being vengeful but that would do harm rather than good

Some of our icesave money came through and I was so tempted to spend some on a holiday in spring but have spent a chunk instead on renting a big house for a week and having an open invitation to our children to stay. I think everyone will be in need of a bit of de-stressing after a torrid few months. A bit of R and R will be just the ticket

I think I have enough space in my tiny freezer for some fish. I order frozen fish from here
http://www.frozenfishdirect.co.uk/

I highly recommend this site and manage always to squeeze the post free amount into my freezer

2cats1kid

Thought this might amuse the anti Mr T among you.

Several years ago, so not even during the current supermarket backlash, DH and I were driving along behind a Mr T lorry and couldn't help thinking that it looked wrong somehow. Then we noticed that someone had carefully scraped off the first and last letters of the strap line. So the back end of the lorry proclaimed :

TESCO
very little help

I wonder how long before the powers that be spotted it and had it in for a refit?

Gigervamp

kittie wrote: »

we found a farmshop 6 miles away and cycled there yesterday. It was a lovely shop, the sort you go ooooh for when you walk in. All chunky wood and hessian. Gorgeous cheese etc but way way too pricey and pretty well based on the posh local deli and national trust. Oh well, it`ll still be nice to go there for some tranquility and a mug of coffee

That wouldn't be the Wild Fig would it? It's worth going there for the PYO strawberries.

ceridwen

Hi Kittie

Sorry to hear about your antisocial new neighbour - I can well understand why hes proving so stressful - just what one doesnt need at any time.

Hope this resolves quickly. The diary is a good idea. Hmmm....wonder why he's left his music on even though he isnt there? Two things I guess - either as a burglar deterrent or deliberately to annoy you. I have the nasty feeling on your behalf that its the latter - hopefully not.

Guess it looks like you will need to get the Council onto this - maybe tape recordings (with time and date on them) to help prove whats what?

I know what its like to feel "under siege" in your own home - THE place where you expect life to be as it ought to be.....

lillibet_dripping

elizabunny wrote: »

Evening all. Not posted for a couple of days as I have been away. Hugs to all of you facing worries and problems.

mumoftwo -I've seen those tomatoes in Mr T. I couldn't believe that if I had wanted to buy four cans at the price before they were 'half price' I would have had to pay nearly £4!!! Are they having a laugh or do they really think we are all completely mad or stupid, because we are not!! :mad:

I just can't wait untill we start to grow our own tomatoes again and I think I would rather remain tomatoless than pay those ridiculous prices. I think certain supermartkets think they have the upperhand at the moment, but times are changing rapidly and I always say 'the higher they fly, the harder they fall' and we won't forget how they ramped up the prices, just when we could have done with the 'every little helps'.

Not sure that DH suggestion to dig up the back lawn and grow veggies is such a good idea though -still if it comes to that, that's what we'll do.

I have now finished reading 'Nella Last's War' what an inspirational book and woman, but I did feel quite sad when I read the last part written by her son Cliff. Don't want to say anymore here in case any of you are still reading this book.

Elizabunny - I dug up my back lawn and it's the best thing I've ever done. I had an allotment but because I had to load the car up with tools,drive there load up onthe way back etc. etc. I found we didn't use it. I hated mowing the lawn and the dogs turned it into a mud bath in the winter anyway. A kindly neighbour dug out the entire lawn, made me 6 raised beds and I am now self-sufficient in potaotes, beans, tomatoes, herbs, salads, carrots, kale, chard, onions, garlic .... the list goes on. DIG UP YOUR LAWN!
After all, they didn't mind in the war!!
x

elizabunny

lillibet_dripping wrote: »

Elizabunny - I dug up my back lawn and it's the best thing I've ever done. I had an allotment but because I had to load the car up with tools,drive there load up onthe way back etc. etc. I found we didn't use it. I hated mowing the lawn and the dogs turned it into a mud bath in the winter anyway. A kindly neighbour dug out the entire lawn, made me 6 raised beds and I am now self-sufficient in potaotes, beans, tomatoes, herbs, salads, carrots, kale, chard, onions, garlic .... the list goes on. DIG UP YOUR LAWN!
After all, they didn't mind in the war!!
x

I think I'm being converted. The image you painted of the winter lawn is exactly what we have, a mud bath in winter where the dogs have slithered and slipped all over it. I usually have to re-seed a good part of it every spring -which really frustrates me. There is a decent piece of ground there where raised beds would look good and be far more productive than our battered lawn -which we never sit on anyway -and I hate mowing it. Also its in a nice sunny spot.

Yategirl

eliza.. make sure you have bench(es) or some foldable chairs that you can 'dot' here and there... places to sit down - makes the world of difference I find! We have a bench and then I got some cheapish but nice wooden folding outside chairs that we can move to where the sun is plus we can sit on the edges of our raised beds... it is nice to be able to take a cuppa out at anytime of day and find somewhere to perch

Primrose

Yategirl is flagging up a very real sign of the times - small shops are just closing down, either because customers are not supporting them and they can't make enough money to survive or they can't get loans from the banks to keep them going. So wherever possible please do let's all support them. Tesco, Asda & Sainsburys won't go down. They're too big, but the loss of our small grocery shops, butchers, greengrocers will be a tragic loss to our nation.