Preparing for winter II

Rainy-Days

Lidls have their gammon joints on offer at the moment £3.99 (smoked and unsmoked) I got four and sunk those in the freezer this morning. They also have their pork shanks on for £1.99 a box as well, so got one of those and added to the freezer (not had them before so don't know what they are like).

I shall see if Lidl have the gammon still on offer again next week and I might get a couple more. We don't use allot of gammon but we do like it allot every now and again as a special treat and on the sizes I bought I would pay a bit more than that at the butchers. We still have to go to the butchers for a big massive stock up but we have put that back slightly now until the first/second week of October - another pay day will be in by then especially as we have just got back from holiday we are a bit skintish

Had a big sweep up this afternoon around the front and back doors of leaves as they are starting to come down now weather man said last night that things are becoming very unsettled for the week ahead as well.

Big Tip - if you need to get anything done outside do it now before the end of September because the days are now getting shorter and you will be less inclined to do things when it turns colder. Make a list and get it done, then cross off when you have completed the task- it's a great motivator - using lists. Inside the house tasks can be put slightly on the back burner as you can do those things in the evenings or later on.

beautifylife

Tootifrooti - thanks for spotting that KMiller4 was in the US - missed it myself.

Confuzzled

Rainy-Days wrote: »

Lidls have their gammon joints on offer at the moment £3.99 (smoked and unsmoked) I got four and sunk those in the freezer this morning. They also have their pork shanks on for £1.99 a box as well, so got one of those and added to the freezer (not had them before so don't know what they are like).

they also have, this weekend only 500 grams of lean mince for £1.34 and medium mature cheddar 400grams for £1.19. this morning i took my daughter with me and we each 6 six of each (there's no limit on the cheese like i thought there would be but there IS a limit on the mince of 6 per customer).

i've just finished using my food processor to grate all the cheese, that should see us for cheese for quite a few months now! and i cooked up 8 of the packets of mince with onions, carrots, mixed peppers and lentils and some tomatoes of course to make a spag bog mix, just waiting for that to cool so i can portion it out and fill up the chest freezer again! the other 4 packs will be made into burgers and they had spring onions for 29p a bunch on the weekend sale, grabbed two of those for the burgers we'll make

i of course grabbed another 10pk of loo roll whilst i was there :rotfl:

anyone wanting the mince and cheese would be better getting there first thing tomorrow vs going today, with their weekend only specials they sell out REALLY fast well on the meat, you sometimes have a chance going later in the day with the cheese. i got up early so we could be in about a half hour after they opened so we didn't have to wait for them to put the stock out

Rainy-Days

Confuzzled - I did get one pack of the cheese (we have three others already and I didn't know you could freeze cheese) but on our leaflets there was no offer on the mince onlt the pork joints so I am not sure, maybe they are only doing it in certain stores - I don't know!!!! At the moment our freezer is pretty full and I am going to have to get it down considerably before we do our main butchers stock up other wise the roasting joints are just not going to make it in there. I also will need to get four pints of semi skimmed milk to sink in the freezer at some point as well. Until pay day we are a bit on the brassic side of things for stock ups! We have enough to buy the main shop but anything such as big bargain hunting is a little limited at the moment until we get paid the end of this month - then we can start again.

Never tried Lidl's Florayls make loo roll - I take it it's good then!

valk_scot

Eenymeeny wrote: »

Picnic rugs are a great idea thanks. Like the idea that they can be washed easily! NEED some, can you tell me which shop it was please? We have a Poundworld but not a Poundland Maybe other stores will be selling them cheaply...)

I just meant generally in the pound shops. Most of them are discounting their remaining camping and picnic stock, so that's where to look.

Confuzzled

Rainy-Days wrote: »

Never tried Lidl's Florayls make loo roll - I take it it's good then!

yes i find it just find, it's reasonably thick (well if you don't use quilted stuff all the time) and it's not like sandpaper though if you're used to really thick soft stuff you may find it a bit rough.

it certainly does the job well enough i've been using it for years and the wee one never complains it's rough or anything. i even use it for my nose unless i have a bad cold then i use pocket tissues as if you're blowing your nose a lot you want a softer tissue since your nose will get raw but i find the florayls from lidl just fine... i've got 105 rolls of it, it can't be too bad :rotfl:

Rainy-Days

This is the latest report from James Madden at Exactaweather who had correctly predicted this summer (back in January this year) and accurately predicted the last four winters. Here is James's report for Autumn and Winter 2011 and it makes grim reading!

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Autumn 2011

The UK can expect a similar theme to continue as we head into autumn, with a notable increase in usual wind strengths for this time of year across many parts of the UK, that will result in frequent and potentially damaging gale force winds and strong stormy features throughout autumn and winter. Although some places further South may see some spells of settled weather at times, the general theme for autumn as a whole looks largely wet and very windy with dominant grey skies. It will be generally unsettled and turn progressively colder with an early start to winter, especially more so in the regions of Scotland, Northern England, and Northern Ireland.

[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Winter 2011-12 Update

[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]As we head towards winter, I expect to see the first signs of some moderate to heavy snowfalls as early as October or November in certain parts of the UK. In terms of the meteorological winter, I expect December, January, and February to experience below average temperatures, with the heaviest snowfalls occurring within the time frame of November to January across many parts of the UK.

The most important factor within our weather forecasting calculations is solar activity and other major natural factors that it influences. Radiant energy from the sun is the primary influence on both the earth's ocean and atmosphere.

[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Low solar activity and ocean behaviour alter atmospheric circulation and block jet stream patterns that create enhanced moisture in terms of snowfall. The UK and Ireland is hit by prolonged periods of extreme cold and snow from the Arctic regions, as cold easterlies or north-easterlies develop. Huge swirly low pressure systems also offer the potential for widespread disruption from heavy snowfall across many parts of the UK including the South, as they clash with the predominant cold air over the UK.[/FONT][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Coupled with other in depth factors such as recent volcanic activity and changes to the Gulf Stream/North Atlantic drift that we consider, this does not bode well for the severity of the UK and Northern European winter of 2011-12. Frequent and prolonged cold spells with heavy dumps of snow from blizzard like conditions is likely across many parts of the UK. The areas we expect to be worse hit throughout include the vast majority of Scotland and the Scottish Highlands, Northern England, and Northern Ireland. We have particular concerns as to the huge implications that this may pose to the infrastructure of the UK and Ireland transportation systems/economy.[/FONT][/FONT]

never_too_old

Rainy-Days wrote: »

This is the latest report from James Madden at Exactaweather who had correctly predicted this summer (back in January this year) and accurately predicted the last four winters. Here is James's report for Autumn and Winter 2011 and it makes grim reading!

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Autumn 2011

The UK can expect a similar theme to continue as we head into autumn, with a notable increase in usual wind strengths for this time of year across many parts of the UK, that will result in frequent and potentially damaging gale force winds and strong stormy features throughout autumn and winter. Although some places further South may see some spells of settled weather at times, the general theme for autumn as a whole looks largely wet and very windy with dominant grey skies. It will be generally unsettled and turn progressively colder with an early start to winter, especially more so in the regions of Scotland, Northern England, and Northern Ireland.

[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Winter 2011-12 Update

[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]As we head towards winter, I expect to see the first signs of some moderate to heavy snowfalls as early as October or November in certain parts of the UK. In terms of the meteorological winter, I expect December, January, and February to experience below average temperatures, with the heaviest snowfalls occurring within the time frame of November to January across many parts of the UK.

The most important factor within our weather forecasting calculations is solar activity and other major natural factors that it influences. Radiant energy from the sun is the primary influence on both the earth's ocean and atmosphere.

[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Low solar activity and ocean behaviour alter atmospheric circulation and block jet stream patterns that create enhanced moisture in terms of snowfall. The UK and Ireland is hit by prolonged periods of extreme cold and snow from the Arctic regions, as cold easterlies or north-easterlies develop. Huge swirly low pressure systems also offer the potential for widespread disruption from heavy snowfall across many parts of the UK including the South, as they clash with the predominant cold air over the UK.[/FONT][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Coupled with other in depth factors such as recent volcanic activity and changes to the Gulf Stream/North Atlantic drift that we consider, this does not bode well for the severity of the UK and Northern European winter of 2011-12. Frequent and prolonged cold spells with heavy dumps of snow from blizzard like conditions is likely across many parts of the UK. The areas we expect to be worse hit throughout include the vast majority of Scotland and the Scottish Highlands, Northern England, and Northern Ireland. We have particular concerns as to the huge implications that this may pose to the infrastructure of the UK and Ireland transportation systems/economy.[/FONT][/FONT]

thats scary!:eek:

kmiller4

beautifylife wrote: »

Tootifrooti - thanks for spotting that KMiller4 was in the US - missed it myself.

Call me Kathy please;) I feel like I know you all now and kmiller4 sounds formal.

kmiller4

Rainy-Days wrote: »

Lidls have their gammon joints on offer at the moment £3.99 (smoked and unsmoked) I got four and sunk those in the freezer this morning. They also have their pork shanks on for £1.99 a box as well, so got one of those and added to the freezer (not had them before so don't know what they are like).

In the US they sell meat by the pound (16 oz. which is about 450 gms) When you say the gammon joints were 3.99 quid-- for what amount? 500 grams? one kilo? Just trying to gauge the cost where you are versus where I am to see how prices compare.

One of my local stores had shank portions of ham on sale (on offer) for $1.19 per pound (approx 75p for 450 grams converted). Of course, the shank has a big bone and is a less desireable cut of ham (lots of flavor though!) however they come in large hunks-- usually 5-10 pounds. So even at a low price per pound, they still cost a bit.

Also, you ladies often refer to a "joint" when you talk about cuts of meat. What is a joint? I know that we refer to our hips and elbows as joints-- is it a cut of meat with a bone in it? Or maybe a piece of meat from the hip, knee or elbow region? Is it different from a roast?

I'd love to meet up with some of you on my next trip to Ireland/UK. I'd love to have a cup of tea and have someone explain all these little things! Maybe we could take a trip to the grocers and you could enlighten me there as well! I have learned so much from all of you gals already-- but what I've really learned is that we are a lot more alike than we are different:)

Thanks in advance--
Kathy