really old style living?

mardatha

Meanwhile I'm married to the only person in the country who has decided he wants a V6 2.6L. :eek: One good thing, the dealer will probably end up paying us to take it off them :rotfl:

annie123

Hubby has a small van for work which is diesel and runs very nicely in the summer months with waste veg oil, but does smell like a chippy
He used to buy veg oil from MrS for it a few years ago when it was 40p a ltr and at the pump it was 65p now veg oil is dearer than diesel:eek:

He was given and old BMW by his aunt 8 years ago which has sailed through all the MOT's but last one said lots needs doing before the next including welding so its going to the scrap heap in the sky then.
We would have to pay someone to take it off us it 3.5 ltr automatic and does 25 mpg:eek: Its only used for local trips so won't miss it.

I was given a patio cherry tree at the weekend, no idea how much fruit I will get off it but every bit of free food helps.
Will be using the small strip of front garden I have too this year, its north facing but very bright as the houses over the road from me are big and painted white so reflects back lots of sunlight, should be good for salad leaves and spinach in the summer months.
This year I will be trying to grow all our salad stuff for the summer months, with no markets near me I'm at the mercy of the supermarkets:mad:

mardatha

I'm doing the same this summer annie. We will do it :j:j

Winged_one

We had a miniature fruiting cherry in our first house which had lovely cherries. We only had them for 2 years before we moved though, and DH wouldn't dig it up for me (I was even able to reach over it to net it myself against the birds!). If I had room, I'd have one again!

I am working out my amounts for the plot, so that I can get my fresh veg seeds. I know I need a few fresh ones this year - parsnips and corn that ought to be fresh every year, and lots of others that have either run out (peas, mangetout, broad beans) or are there a long time (cabbage -5 years, brocolli- 4 years, lettuce - 6 yrs, tomatoes - 5 yrs etc). But I should get a lot more from each pack than it costs me.

I am going to grow a lot more tomatoes and chillis, mange tout and french beans in the garden too, so that I can pick and eat easier.

I have taken up my knitting needles too, again. I had the wool and a pattern for a sleeveless jumper for DD, that she could wear for school (non-uniform), and I finally cast it on over the weekend. But I a=only managed 3 rows of ribbing so far, and am wondering whether I should make the size aged 6-7 rather than 4-5, as she is on another growth spurt and turned 5 over Christmas. At least I have enough wool to do that, and it wouldn't kill me to rip back that much.

I must open a new pot of jam tonight as well - I finished the last of the shop-bought marmalade yesterday and am looking forward to a jar of HM blackcurrant or gooseberry!!

Has anyone heard about the probability of the UK and Ireland having a long cold, wet spring followed by a very wet summer? Should I put off my initial plantings for a week or 2 (I don't have a greenhouse, so all is outdoors once initially sprouted on a single wondowledge indoors).

ginnyknit

Finally found the plastic cover for my mini greenhouse, packed away with the rest of my life when the builders were here. I am going to start off some seeds now its February. I have a feeling my leeks are more successful than my onions last year so think I will do more of them this year. Have cleared the window ledges ready for seed trays and got some potting compost - I am already excited :j:j:j Dont know what to do re tomatoes after last years blight took my 30 plants, that really upset me as I had lovingly nurtured them. I don't think I will bother with parsnips as my 2 wrinkly looking specimens didnt add greatly to our stocks. But peas and broad beans will be high on the list and sunflowers. Does any one know the best way to dry sunflower seeds? I did hung them in the shed in paper bags last year but it was too damp, Im thinking my sheila maid dryer in the kitchen will have to be commandeered.

Mr T now has white bags of sugar called Mr Sugar for 68p, though I had to nip to the aisle with a scanner in it to check the price as there was nothing on the shelf edge. Going to get a bag when ever I am passing now - if nothing else we can have pancakes or fruit pies etc. Mum got me lots of tea bags yesterday from Bolton as there are no cheap ones round here.

ChocClare

ginnyknit wrote: »

Does any one know the best way to dry sunflower seeds? I did hung them in the shed in paper bags last year but it was too damp, Im thinking my sheila maid dryer in the kitchen will have to be commandeered..

The American Indian lady in the recommended book a few pages back dried sunflower heads by putting them next to the chimney on her house, so a Sheila Maid may well be a good plan!

If you have any sunshine near you at all, a brown paper bag on your dashboard is a pretty good place to dry anything. Think how sweltering it gets in your car and you'll know what I mean (though tbh, my car has been freezing for so long I can hardly remember this :rotfl:).

ginnyknit

Think Oh will decide Im finally exploiting every option if I dry seeds in his car :rotfl:poor old thing puts up with all my mad schemes. ' hmm will he notice all the tomato plants on his window ledge in his bedroom in a few months???':D

mardatha

Today started the planting for 2011. Even though its a hurricane outside and the rain is unbelievable. Plonked some salad green and some tomato seeds into milk cartons on the windowsill. Phase 1 whoohoo!
Wondering if keeping chickens are a good idea after all, the weather up here is really bad and maybe they wouldn't cope.

HariboJunkie

mardatha wrote: »

Wondering if keeping chickens are a good idea after all, the weather up here is really bad and maybe they wouldn't cope.

I'm a fair bit further north than you Mardartha and my hens cope just fine with our wild weather. Maybe you should consider a hardy hybrid breed though like Black Rocks.

Seakay

kittie wrote: »

I have still got a bee in my bonnet about preserving without the freezing. Doh I haven`t got a tall enough pan and I am sill thinking about pressure. I have changed my mind about ordinary pressure cookers v canners and maybe canners are just very big pressure cookers. Either way I am going to have to get another pan. I want to get this sorted before the big glut in summer

If you use the kilner type jars with the metal lids and screw on bands then you can process them in the oven. My Mum always did pureed tomatoes and apples (not together!) this way and I find it much easier than faffing about with boiling water.
http://www.kilnerpreservingjars.co.uk/bottling.asp
I have also find that jam jars with pop top lids make a fanatstic vacuum seal without the need for any further processing at all - just warmed jars and hot contents and lid screwed on at once. I started using these a couple of years ago and found that apple puree lasted for a year (could have been longer but that is when the last jar got eaten). Also used them for other bottles fruit, all of which lasted absolutely fine and with no deterioration of the contents.