How to Get Through The Tough Times The Old Style Way.

7_week_wonder

Good evening everyone. I've been working at home today and it's been great. Not only did I actually get some work done, but the sun shone so I sneaked out at lunch-time to sow some broad beans and mange tout, which are now on the spare bedroom window. Plus I got my second delivery from the Food co-op: guaranteed to bring a smile to my face.

Anyway, I just wanted to post that if any of you are British Gas (or Scottish Gas) customers and haven't got good loft insulation or cavity wall insulation they are offering to do one or the other for free. I can't see any catch and I've just signed up for them to come and at least survey us for the cavity wall insulation. Of course, being good OSers you are probably all already well insulated etc, but it's one of those things that we've never quite got round to!

elisamoose

grandma247 wrote: »

Suzid I thought my lad had big feet at size 12.

"It isn't eating anything." I haven't heard that expression for long while!
I am planning to start buying stuff like towels, sheets etc soon for when dh retires as i doubt we will have enough spare money for such things.

Ceredwin I remember some of the three day week. I was in my first job in a mill office and because i was "staff" I had to go in even though the mill workers did not as it was too cold for them when the electric was off. We had a little sump heater in our office and I wore my coat most of the time. Dh (we were not married then) was an apprentice joiner and had to go with his boss to get a body ready for a funeral and when he got back to his bed sit the electric was off there so he ended up at ours that night. He was white as a sheet and refused to do the funeral side again.

My Gran used to stock up on household stuff like sheets and also underwear for their retirement.
When she died we found boxes and boxes of unopened sheets and towels and loads of brand new unworn enormous knickers!

elisamoose

Charis wrote: »

You have another sister here. I remember all the above and I was a young wife during the era of the three day week.

The thing I remember vividly is that the sugar shortage and various other 'shortages' were started off by rumours of world shortages. Someone whispered that the Siberian salt mines (??!) had run out of salt and within days that had also disappeared. From those days to now I have always had extra salt, sugar, bread flour and toilet rolls, not because I fear a world shortage but because panic buying can clear the shelves in hours. And that was in the days when the stores had stuff out the back and not many of us had a car to lug the shopping home.

My OH is convinced his Mum was responsible for every shortage in the seventies.
He says she had a double garage full of sugar , loo rolls , flour and tinned food.

fedupfreda

I would second what brandeberryj said about the cider - traditional scrumpy is made with 100% cider apples which are naturally high in tannin - if you have to make do with eating apples then you need some cooking apples for acid and some tannin - which can be supplied by a pint or two of strong cold black tea or some crab apples if you can get them. Kentish or eastern counties cider is usually made with a mix of 80% eaters and 20% cookers - 100% cider apples tends to be the favoured recipe in the west country.

I would also recommend making a drier cider then sweetening to taste at the time of serving - fermentation naturally stops when all the sugar is used up, which is a safe point to bottle. If you want a bit of fizz in your cider, add a little sugar syrup to each bottle at the time of bottling - you only need about half a teaspoon depending on the size of the bottle (we use standard shop bought pint cider bottles). Leave in a warmish place for a couple of days after bottling - the remaining yeast in the cider will start up again with the addition of sugar - and therefore produce bubbles. Then place somewhere cold to store and mature. You need a stable temperature - anywhere with temperature fluctuations will either cause fermentation to start up again, or the bottles will freeze - leading to broken bottles and wasted cider. Not good.

SD-253

rachbc wrote: »

I'm sorry boiling a kettle for hot water for washing when you have 2 (soon to be 3 kids) as Gailey does is archane! How do you wash yours/ kids hands after the loo/ changing nappies/ wiping up sick. Frugal is one thing, making life difficult with 3 small kids is another!

Sorry was not aware that everyone in the UK had 3 kids. I will go and look under the bed for mine!

rachbc wrote: »

Also why is economy 7 more environmental than a standard tariff - the electricty coems from the same source?

As stated I do not save money by using Economy 7 but try to use electricity after 12.30 and before 7.30 am IE the washing machine which is cold water fill only anyway as is the dishwasher although I rarely use it. Despite this I never manage to use more that 20% at night. So assuming the average use is about 15% between those hours (probably to high an estimate)then HUGE AMOUNTS OF ELECTRICITY ARE ACTUALY WASTED. Lets start with nuclear power, an extreme example I know. A nuclear power station produces exactly the same amount of electricity at all time of the day. The only way to reduce output is to lift some of the rods (with the nuclear fuel on) out of the reactor BUT this will not reduce the rate at which the fuel runs down it will ware out at the same rate in or out of the reactor. Now with coal and gas you can reduce output but nowhere near to the 15% mark and either way the power station is running ineffciently. In fact so much is wasted at night that they have built "electric batteries" on Welsh mountains. At the bottom of the mountains they create a lake at the top they create another Lake. They dig out the inside the mountain and put in turbines. Using offpeak electricity they pump the water to the lake at the top of the mountain and store it there till peak time (at the end of coronation street when everyone puts the kettle on!!!!!). Now ignoring the cost of building it and the loss of power in transmission this can hardly be called effcient but obviously it is better than wasting it. I would have thought that in the main all of the latter is self evident after all rachbc why does Economy 7 exist ?????

PS Still cannot find those 3 children everyone should have. I will go look in the attic?

maryb

Ahem, I think some of the tone is getting lost in translation here - things don't always come over the way they are meant on the internet. Something to bear in mind?

Actually I always wonder why people don't just wash their hands in cold water anyway - most people can't be !!!!!d to wait for the hot water to comethrough the tap so end up using cold water anyway

polka_purpura

ceridwen wrote: »

Good post:T

Quick check - yep the book "Small is beautiful" is another one Schumacher wrote and do recall reading/thoroughly agreeing with the basic message there many years ago now. Didnt realise he also did one called "Good Work". Will have a look for that....

Guess thats along the lines of only doing socially conscious work? having work one enjoys? (ohmegawd - that concept feels like such a "luxury" in an era where people are being told "Lucky to have a job - and just suck it up that we've cut your pay/conditions:(:mad::(").

Hi ceridwen,

thanks and blushes. I'm a bit busy applying for jobs at the moment so a delay in responding.

From the prologue E. F. Schumacher, I think, mentions that millions of people are committed to mindless, boring and repetitive work that rots brains and destroys initiative raises no interest is enlightening in that were it the body or even animal minds there would be uproar but not to human brains and wellbeing it seems.

He then goes on to mention a semiofficial report "Natural Resources: Sinews for Survival" submitted by the British government to a Stockholm conference that focuses on minerals, energy and water, (essential to a degree but maybe overemphasised) at the expense of the most important "initiative, imagination and brainpower".

He then goes on to explain how the role of the worker is ignored and derives three key purposes for work:

"First, to provide necessary and useful goods and services

Second, to enable every one of us to use and thereby perfect our gifts like good stewards

Third, to do so in service to, and in cooperation with others, so as to liberate ourselves from our inborn egocentricity."

Cited from "Good Work" by E. F. Schumacher (1979).

I think in light of what little I know about his previous work he seems to be emphasising the personal, social and wider environment and resources.

I've not read the first book "Small is Beautiful" yet but am aware of his idea of intermediate technology.

I can see his views being appealing but also worrying to others so I'll need to read a little more.

polka purpura

SD-253

fedupfreda wrote: »

Kentish or eastern counties cider is usually made with a mix of 80% eaters and 20% cookers - 100% cider apples tends to be the favoured recipe in the west country.

Not quite true that about Herefordshire you would be surprised how many vintage apple orchards there are in Herefordshire. Probably the best example is Gwatkins which can be bought over the internet they do about 6 single vintage variety ciders. Winning best in Britian for one of them. Now this is the killer if you buy from them in the bottle you will pay £2.20 a pint delivered 12 bottles minimum OR £1.20 a pint if you buy 20 litre bag in the box delivered to your door. AND the taps can be removed and they are a perfect fit for a demijohn, not a reason on its own for buying the box just a little extra.
PS £47 for 20 liters delivered I think thats £1.20 a pint

ceridwen

kittie wrote: »

I am so genuinely happy to see the thread back on track, I just needed time out while it all settled. I have only briefly skim read but want to give katolicos hugs, your dad will be very proud of you, he brought you up well

Seconded here:D

Every so often I fear the thread will change into the Daily Thread Mark II (ie "here come my daily doings - what I'm having for dinner tonight is...and my ordinary day otherwise was....") and I leap up and down and mentally say "This is NOT the Daily Thread - agh...I'm outa here is if there is any more Daily Thread type posts".

Thankfully - we are back on track to it being the "Its Tough" thread:D:T

shegar

ceridwen wrote: »

Mardatha has called them Hinge and Bracket - so, at a quick count, there means there will be two of them:rotfl:

A long while back when I had just 2 hens I called them sage & onion..!!:D