Its tough, it will get better and guess what its freezing brrrrr!

parsonswife8

Watched the news on BBC this morning Mardatha and there are protests/strikes, going on in France at the moment.:eek::eek::eek:

The police are out in force there. Big problems with fuel supplies being delivered.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11557240

rosieben

mardatha wrote: »

Just to add that Costco have white vinegar much cheaper, its 5L for £3 something. Also try the soap makers sites for bicarb and citric - try Justasoap or the Soap Kitchen. Summernaturals looks quite dear.

yes they probably are more expensive, but no sign of a Costco anywhere in my area and I've no car so a bit limited as to where I can shop

HariboJunkie

elf06 wrote: »

Well I think its chilly but not freezing (but then I'm still thinking about the winter we had last year where my legs actually went purple - we're hardy up here in Scotland :rotfl:) but DS would run round in the snow naked if given half the chance - he has NO concept of cold at all

Really must invest in a thermometre..............

Yep. I'm in Scotland too and well remember cooking lots of roast dinners to heat the kitchen last year while it was minus 12 outside. Hence the new fire gong into the kitchen.....

mardatha

Dont want to go OT and be flung into the dungeon that is DT. But a lot more than half of me wants to cheer the french on! We wont do this. We will sit at home and chew our fingers off and worry ourselves sick and then carry on and do our best.
I'm wondering about barley meal and oatmeal instead ofor as well as bread. Scotland never had wheat bread in the old days, I have a book called "the good Scots diet" and she says that because wheat didn't/doesn't grow well here, that we used oatcakes instead of bread. Maybe we should look into flatbreads of all kinds ? Could serve up open-sandwich types of things on them surely?

parsonswife8

I think I could live without bread actually, if I ate rice cakes, oatcakes and such like.

flowertotmum

mardatha wrote: »

Dont want to go OT and be flung into the dungeon that is DT. But a lot more than half of me wants to cheer the french on! We wont do this. We will sit at home and chew our fingers off and worry ourselves sick and then carry on and do our best.
I'm wondering about barley meal and oatmeal instead ofor as well as bread. Scotland never had wheat bread in the old days, I have a book called "the good Scots diet" and she says that because wheat didn't/doesn't grow well here, that we used oatcakes instead of bread. Maybe we should look into flatbreads of all kinds ? Could serve up open-sandwich types of things on them surely?

Have to agree with you on the french front..the french seem to get things done and have more gumption about letting the government know they are not happy with their decisions...as you say we will moan and groan but not protest..maybe we should and shock them into action...i could live without bread,not sure hubby could though..he might have too...flatbreads are a great idea...oatakes sound good..will look up recipes..thanks for that...
p.s. whats DT???

flowertotmum

OH you won't believe this ...i'm fuming...hubby has been to allotment to find police and most of plotholders there..someone has been in and pinching the veg...thankfully he was caught redhanded by a plotholder...they pinned him in a shed..until police got there..think they wanted to lynch him by the sounds of it...bloody cheek..i know times are tough but to steal and do it blatantly in daylight..he must be desperate..not sure whats going to happen to him...thing is if he had asked we would have given..but to steal is the lowest...hubby is fuming..our cabbages and calabrese are gone..so thats our main crop gone god knows where....they are talking about having people volunteer to do a nightwatch...don't know what to think at the moment to be honest...bit shocked and very angry..all our hard work to feed our family has been taken away...off topic i know but i'm shocked by this...do you think it will become the norm to have things stolen because folks are desperate..goin to have a cuppa and calm down a bit...

jamanda

flowertotmum - I'm so sorry, you must be devastated. I think this will become the norm. People who want and just take.

ceridwen

Primrose wrote: »

charlies' aunt - I think the message must be getting across to small employers now that "ladies of a certain age" are a good and reliable long term employment prospect because they're unlikely to disappear off on maternity leave. I know of the owner of a small business (a woman I might add) who has said she would not employ a younger woman these days because the financial disruption and extra costs caused somebody going off on maternity leave would probably bankrupt her business.

...and one can understand where she's coming from. I long ago made a mental note to myself that if I decide to go off on a self-employed kick ever that I would stay "solo" - rather than ever employ anyone (bar fit "golden oldies" and anyone who could produce medical proof they'd never go off on maternity leave). I am not at all sure that maternity leave provisions HAVE helped women actually - unless they work in the public sector (where that has been allowed for in the calculations....). I do wonder how small private employers deal with this thorny issue in a way thats fair to the employee AND also fair to their business..... I really wouldnt want to go there in trying to ask an employee whether they really meant it when they said they would be coming back from maternity leave or no......agh!!!!

Pink.

Hi everyone,

Just thought I'd tell you about my freebies this week. :j I got some road kill....well sort of. I'm too squeamish to actually scrape animals off the road, let alone eat them. _pale_

It's harvest time here and my calls have been in a countryside area and the local tractors seem to have boy racers at the wheel who are taking the corners far too quickly judging by the amount of turnips parsnips and carrots scattered on the roads near bends. So I decided to rescue them...I have four turnips, 8 giant parsnips and 11 supersized carrots, all for free! :j I could have had more carrots but decided not to risk it, as it was a blind bend and I might have ended up as road kill myself. :eek:

Mr Pink and the small Pinks were not impressed by my haul, they think I've finally lost the plot, but I thought you lot would appreciate my efforts.

So if you live in the countryside, keep your eyes peeled for vegetables that need rescued before they get squashed.

There is now lots of spiced parsnip soup and some carrot and corriander soup being made today for packed lunches next week. The turnips (or swedes, depending on which part of the counrty you live in) keep well in the fridge for ages and they do add a lovely extra dimension to stews and casseroles.

Pink