The revenge of the stripey socks - a DFW adventure

Karmacat

Fay, about burning wood indoors. When I was in Turkey, around 1990 (the first Gulf War!!!) I saw a lot of people using a thick metal plate, very big - maybe a yard across - and having a little woodburner on that, almost in the middle of the floor. While it may not be appropriate for the day, when people are rushing about (and not needed either) if you're hanging out, which is when you need it most, it could be just the thing, I've always remembered how convenient and how snug it was (winters are *very* cold in Turkey).

barshamhillbilly

fayjmck wrote: »

Will do that soon though I'd like a wee play at a small holding because I'd love to have one.

Play?? Play?? :eek::eek::eek: Wash your mouth out :rotfl:

Fay - just an idea, but Fertile eggs on ebay via the royal mail make a mint ! Separate pens for different breeds .... Easily done from where you are .....

Damn why didn't I think of that before...... :p:p:p:p Could have been my main income on one of the remote islands :rotfl:


BHB
xx

troglodyte

Hey Fay, congrats on the house!:j
I haven't posted on here for ages, sorry, too many hectic things going on, but had to pop in to congratulate you on the lovely new place!

About the crossover period, could you find some more lodgers to help out? If they just needed a room but DIY food it wouldn't matter if they were in the house without you.

The field sounds expensive though, I'm just about to start paying £55 a month for a field with shelter for an elderly horse (very long story) and I'm doon sooth - although obviously that would depend on if it was a really big field and how much pleasure it would bring you all. It does sound like a lot, but then about the same as 3 meals out a month maybe so put it in perspective compared to other things you enjoy.

Oh and the fake woodburner thing, I think you'd be disappointed. In Jan we and some friends had a weekend stay in a lovely log cabin, it was all gorgeous but they did have one of those pretend woodburners and it was just like a toy thing, looks quite nice but when you turn it on it really isn't anywhere near the same as the 'real thing', so after you've had a real fire I think you'd be seriously disappointed with it, we didn't bother to use it. If the house has heating anyway then it wouldn't be your only source of heat so if fuel was expensive compared to electricity or whatever then you would just use it less, and if you got lots of free wood you would use it more.

Personally I've never bought firewood, we've had a woodburner in our new house for about a year and a half and use it every evening in winter and all weekend, and once I used to live in a canal boat where the stove was the only heating source, and in 8 years there I never ever bought any fuel. Everything is scavenged and at the moment I have a mountain of wood outside which was all saved for me from several local building sites where it would otherwise go in a skip, I don't know if there's any opportunity for that sort of thing where you are, but always keep a look-out for what's happening around your neck of the woods!

All the best in the new place - looking forward to hearing about you next adventures!:)

Trog

Pippilongstocking

KC - you sound liek such an exotic mysterious person! Turkey - wow - we did live in Cyprus when I was wee - for 2 years............your stove in the middle thing sounds ace

Trog - CANAL boat - WOW I want your life - I'd love to live on one of them!! and ......hello - can't respond properly at the mo - problem of the new house is all the fireplaces are blocked up - I dunno whether to ask the solicitor when I sign about how flexible he'll be - or wait a few months - I'd rather know now though as I have a real woodburner in storage (my pal emailed me last night and said um doh your woodburner is here (they borrowed it 3 years ago when i wasn't using it) - wood is a real premium here - we often scavenge as well - and the farm has a trailer of stuff for me too - old bits I was wondering about putting either my woodburner or a cheap woodburner in and leaving it - that way he might be more likely to say yes. If we get 4 years out of it - it will pay for itself.

I like beachcombing and often have a boot full of wood - the kids still enjoy it - I'm just waiting for the time when it becomes embarrassing!

BHB - hmm dunno much about that - I sell lots of plants on ebay light and easy to post - never thought of chookies eggs...........wash my mouth out indeed!!! I miss farming very much.

Room being seen at 5pm - might just be week to week basis as this chaps needs a year somewhere and can't find anywhere at the moment - so it might suit us both to be flexi and its £75 a week for a room which currently has my laundry in it

Must tidy it up at lunchtime

Karmacat

fayjmck wrote: »

KC - you sound liek such an exotic mysterious person! Turkey - wow - we did live in Cyprus when I was wee - for 2 years............your stove in the middle thing sounds ace

:rotfl:not really, tho I wish I was. I was going from contract work to full self employment, and I wanted a couple of months off, so I decided to go round Greece and Turkey - backpacking and hostels. Then Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait I was in Istanbul just before the ground offensive, and the Turkish economy had just collapsed, because no one was going there on holiday - between us, some South Africans who got out of Israel while the missiles were falling, and an American businessman, we were the only Western tourists in the whole of Istanbul. I did meet one more further down the coast, but that was it. I'd planned to focus on Turkey and the Turkish people and by the time I got there, it was a case of needs must - there was no tourist life going on at all.

Cyprus sounds great - I travelled around Crete on the same trip, but not Cyprus, it was too militarised, even the Cretes were completely freaked out about being invaded.

Pippilongstocking

still sounds a bit exotic

Sorry to hear about the room thingmy at work KC - hope it all gets sorted.

Off to tidy bedsit - my finances need all the help they can get..........

Karmacat

Fine by me, I like being thought of as exotic

The room thingy is provisionally sorted - I've offered to move to another room at the same time, we'll see if that one's free.

Here's to tidy bedsits!

Pippilongstocking

And here's to him liking it and moving in asap as it gives me my half of the money *I need* for the new house

(life isnt that simple..............)

Free tractor trailer full of wood off cuts and old shed today at lunchtime - nice surprise - there's a job for the weekend.

Pippilongstocking

I know this is sad - and I have to update it tonight - but if I don't post this before I go home I'll forget

I've been using an online spreadsheet to update another challenge elsewhere

I'm really impressed with it as I often struggle between work/home PC spreadsheets and alike

www.editgrid.com - is free and you can update them online and access them anywhere - and you can lock it to be read only so other folks can view it etc (thanks MARRU!!)

I've even got my stripeysockshop list on it and can access it at t-break etc to see what we might have for tea or if I need shopping

If you're suitably impressed by the logic of it all my storecupboard list looks like this

Might be worth giving a go with your own spreadsheet as you can upload your own sheets online ( they are private unless you put a link up for them) - I've put my own household ones in my files there - its pretty helpful for lunchtime/t-break if you're at work and needing to update things - and it keeps them safe in the cloud -

Pippilongstocking

My room is let hurray

My freezers are uptodate hurray