really old style living?

Wee_Jo

LittleGem wrote: »

I all, I am delurking, and finding the confidence to post more, this thread is hugely inspirational!
I currently don't have a garden, but have filled a couple of window boxes with some yummy strawberry plants with the hope that they might produce enough for me to try my hand at jam making! At the moment I am saving any jars I find in anticipation. Would love to have a veggie plot one day though, but for now I am happy to bake HM cakes, cookies and other treats rather than waste money at the supermarket!
Gem x

Hi Little Gem! :hello:

Like you, I don't have a garden either, but am wanting to get into some window box gardening! I have also been exploring the Land Share scheme, where people with land / gardens "share" it with people who don't so they can grow veggies, etc. Usually in exchange for a bit of the produce. Maybe there's one in your area?

Jo

Winged_one

My MIL has a small woodburning stove in her kitchen, and she keeps a kettle on it all day. Somedays you'll find a pot of marrowfat peas or something on it too, but I lust after something similar, and I'd probably have something properly cooking/warming all day, as well as the kettle.

Said MIL also has a "maid's helper" (?) in the kitchen, where she hangs the clothes from the ceiling to get the benefit from the high up heat. Very useful gadet (of the very old fashioned variety). I have it on my list for my long term self-sustaining smallholder dream.

We don't have a stove in our house, although that's one of the things we are considering (replacing the open fire with a wood-burning stove in the sitting room). But we had to replace the cooker a few years back and took the opportunity to get a rangemaster with 5 gas rings and 2 decent ovens (I do a LOT of cooking so this was important to me). It has been SOOOO worth its money - it keeps the heat very well, doesn't cost that much to run, and I usually open the door once I've finished cooking and let the residual heat out to warm the kitchen/diner/playroom (and usually open connecting door to heat sittingroom as well).

mardatha

We used to call them a pulley - now they sell them as maids or something like that I would say one thing though, if anybody's thinking of getting a stove then get a multi fuel one. If the whole country gets woodburners then sure as fate the price of logs - and availability of wood - will go up. They'll slap a tax on it as well LOL

Wee_Jo

Winged_one wrote: »

We don't have a stove in our house, although that's one of the things we are considering (replacing the open fire with a wood-burning stove in the sitting room). But we had to replace the cooker a few years back and took the opportunity to get a rangemaster with 5 gas rings and 2 decent ovens (I do a LOT of cooking so this was important to me). It has been SOOOO worth its money - it keeps the heat very well, doesn't cost that much to run, and I usually open the door once I've finished cooking and let the residual heat out to warm the kitchen/diner/playroom (and usually open connecting door to heat sittingroom as well).

My parents have one as well, Winged One, and I think it's fab! It's also on my list...though I reckon it'll be a long time before we could afford one! I can dream though! Also, our flat it would actually take up the entire kitchen :rotfl:

Gigervamp

I'd love one of those sheila maid thingies because I have very little room for a floor standing clothes horse and although I also have an airer that sits over the bath, it doesn't hold much. Unfortunately the ceilings in our house are too low.

zarazara

Winged_one wrote: »

My MIL has a small woodburning stove in her kitchen, and she keeps a kettle on it all day. Somedays you'll find a pot of marrowfat peas or something on it too, but I lust after something similar, and I'd probably have something properly cooking/warming all day, as well as the kettle.

Said MIL also has a "maid's helper" (?) in the kitchen, where she hangs the clothes from the ceiling to get the benefit from the high up heat. Very useful gadet (of the very old fashioned variety). I have it on my list for my long term self-sustaining smallholder dream.

You could be describing my kitchen:T
I also have plastic covered cup hooks scewed into the beans, handy for hanging drying herbs, or drying clothes on a coat hanger.

zarazara

Gigervamp wrote: »

I'd love one of those sheila maid thingies because I have very little room for a floor standing clothes horse and although I also have an airer that sits over the bath, it doesn't hold much. Unfortunately the ceilings in our house are too low.

I have low ceilings. My kitchen sheila-maid goes over the table, its fixed by 2 cup hooks. I cannot lower it, I just reach up and hang things over it. Hope this helps.

LittleGem

Jo_Rourke wrote: »

Hi Little Gem! :hello:

Like you, I don't have a garden either, but am wanting to get into some window box gardening! I have also been exploring the Land Share scheme, where people with land / gardens "share" it with people who don't so they can grow veggies, etc. Usually in exchange for a bit of the produce. Maybe there's one in your area?

Jo

Hi Jo, thanks for the welcome
I am so pleased some of the strawberry plants have started to ripen already! Land Share sounds really interesting, thank you, I will have a little look into it.
Gem x

Gigervamp

zarazara wrote: »

I have low ceilings. My kitchen sheila-maid goes over the table, its fixed by 2 cup hooks. I cannot lower it, I just reach up and hang things over it. Hope this helps.

Ah, that's where our light fitting is. We've got a chandelier there and even though it's over the table, people still manage to hit their heads on it! :rotfl:

zarazara

oops! ouch!