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

GreyQueen

the_cat wrote: »

GreyQueen

Good luck at the dentists! I think you mentioned crown was gold? You prob know this already but just in case make sure you take it away with you. Them cashgold type places take old crowns I think so you might just be able to offset some of the cost

Thanks for the tip but I'm not sure how much gold there is in a modern "gold" crown. I asked at the time it was fitted and it was an alloy which included gold and a base metal and a few other metallic-y thingies. It wasn't a full sized crown anyway, just covered the top of the tooth and a bit of one side. I left it down there on Friday. D'you thing I should ask for it back and try my luck at a gold-buying place?

the_cat

I've never tried it so don't really know!

I did see in one of those leaflets they push through the door that one company (can't remember which, sorry) specifically mentioned gold crowns. It couldn't hurt to ask

GreyQueen

Primrose wrote: »

At a local garden centre recently, they were selling strips of various vegetable seedlings for £2.99 for ten plants (and many strips only had half that amount because several seedlings hadn't germinated). For a packet of seeds for less than that price, you can sometimes get up to 400 seeds, depending on the type of vegetable, so sowing your own can be a huge saving, especially if you use your own home made compost. And if you want to grow chillies, peppers or tomatoes, you can simply save & dry the seeds from shop bought products (unless you want to grow a specific variety), in which case you seeds are effectively free.[/QUOTE]:) That's a good tip, Primrose, and I sucessfully saved seeds from a huge bag of whoopsied cherry tomatoes years ago (couldn't eat them all before some rotted, the whole lot cost 30p) and shared them with friends. People raved about the flavour and kept asking me what variety they were, to which I could only respond "Morrison's". However, it won't work for most peppers as they are likely to be F1 hybrid seeds and although you get something, it won't be a replica of the parent plant. If you have time and space to be adventuous, I'd go for it as experimentation is how our foremothers invented agriculture in the first place. Good luck!

laineyc_2

Morning all.

Good luck at the dentist, GQ.

I had planned to do some work in the garden today but I have a bit of an upset stomach so the digging can wait until tomorrow.

My social evening with growing group of the transition group was not very enjoyable. My cake wasn't suitable for vegans and I met the the other leader of the tree nursery project. She was quite scary actually and too extreme in her views for me. I don't think it is the project for me. However, I know some people in the neighbouring transition town group and I am going to a meeting next week.

My master garden is coming to see the garden on Friday and to give me some tips. I turned my compost at the weekend and sowed more seeds. I have developed a terrible seed habit. I must restrain myself from purchasing anymore seeds.

Not looking forward to the budget tomorrow. But I realise we are in a fortunate position so can't complain.

Off to tidy up.

mrswive

Spring definitely seems to have sprung here on the south coast (fingers crossed as I speak!) which means that OH is clocking where all the lovely blossom is so he can update the scrumping map he reserves a large portion of his brain for. Our personal favourite is the Mirabelle plum and there a quite a few close to us.

On the subject of transport, it seems as if the general consensus has been, "Public transport must be made more affordable and convenient", for almost as long as I can remember. Successive governments have banged on about getting it sorted, but nothing ever improves. OH works about 17 miles away, on bus and train routes, but it costs an arm and a leg on the rare occasions he needs to use it (he usually cycles).
In this country we seem to have an odd attitude to public transport: we 'subsidise' it, not 'invest' in it; fare prices are farcical - off peak, peak time, book in avance, day tickets, weekly tickets, season tickets, special price if you're wearing pink knickers! To travel by train in Italy, you buy a ticket for the distance you are travelling, and that's it. Is it too difficult to to that here?
Sorry, just realised that was a bit of a rant!

GQ - good luck with the dentist.

Desperate_Housewife_2-2

I agree with the sorry state of public transport, luckily I live on a main road so buses are frequent and I can walk everywhere. I too got rid of mu car a couple of years ago and bought a pushbike with panniers and a basket for shopping and it has comke in very handy. OH has his car though so we tend to shop together at the weekend.

Bulgar wheat is great! Here is a recipe for Greek pork...

Fry onion, finely chopped carrot and celery until soft, ad 1 cupful water and a squirt of tomato puree, s&p and herbs, cook for 20 mins until cooked. Add 1 cup of bulgar wheat (rinse first) and another cup of water, cook until all water absorbed (about 10 mins) serve with Greek pork (see below) salad and yoghurt

Greek pork (afelia) Soak chops in red wine and crushed coriander seeds overnight. Next day put some oil in a pan and put the chops in and cook with lid off until all wine absorbed.

We have this on a Sunday sometimes as it is a nice dinner and I usually do 8 chops and warm up the leftovers for Monday. The bulgar wheat serves 4.

mardatha

Not started sowing any seeds yet, will wait until next month. Think the govt is going to act big & cancel the one penny fuel tax rise. Wowee wont that help, when fuel is rising almost daily without it. Wondering how the staff at jobcentres are coping with the loads of unemployes, and the new thousands who will lose council jobs and post office jobs in the months to come.
Buy more seeds and digdigdig!! LOL

GreyQueen

I've come to think of this thread as the source of all wisdom so I'm sending out a flare about the chili peppers.

I bought these as a bagful as part of a 3 bags for £1 deal in the whoopsie section of my greengrocer last Friday. Used 4-5 of them in my chili last weekend but now have 12 left. I don't want to make another batch of chili as have no freezer space and equally don't want to waste them. It's hating the thought of the waste more than the money and I've tried giving them away but no friends in reach have a chili pepper deficit at the moment.

All ideas gratefully recieved....


Calling Hardup Hester if you're reading this thread.

I was gutted on Sunday to find that the frugal-in-cornwall blogspot which I'd been reading daily for about 6 months (although I was never an official follower) had disappeared overnight. Feel strangely bereft that this lovely, lively blogger has dropped out of sight. Your own blog today mentions that it was a result of a spiteful attack on her personally so I'm guessing you have some communication? Could you please send her good wishes from me and beg her to come back into the blogosphere? The world is a slightly worse place without her sharing her life with the rest of us.:(

greent

GreyQueen wrote: »

I've come to think of this thread as the source of all wisdom so I'm sending out a flare about the chili peppers.

I bought these as a bagful as part of a 3 bags for £1 deal in the whoopsie section of my greengrocer last Friday. Used 4-5 of them in my chili last weekend but now have 12 left. I don't want to make another batch of chili as have no freezer space and equally don't want to waste them. It's hating the thought of the waste more than the money and I've tried giving them away but no friends in reach have a chili pepper deficit at the moment.

All ideas gratefully recieved....

Chop and freeze for future use :D

HariboJunkie

GreyQueen, I grow a glut of chillies every year and sccessfully prserve them either by making Chilli Jam, dried chillies or chilli oil. I have also made chilli sherry which is delicious added to soups and stews. HTH.