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

Desperate_Housewife_2-2

blackandwhitebunny wrote: »

I'm desperately trying to empty the freezer, I had two offers of bulk meat from two different people, accepted on for a lamb and them it didn't seem as if it was going to happen so accepted another for half a pig and a lamb. On Friday the first lamb turned up and its old season lamb more of a hogget so tastes lovely but its bigger than expected. the second person then phoned to confirm that the other will be arriving the first week of May:eek: In the meantime they both seemed to be not happening and Sainsbugs had loads of good whoopsies - I'm sure you can fill in the rest.
I'm thinking that some might have to find a home in my neighbours freezer for a while. I do have a huge almost empty chest freezer in the storeroom at school that I could use at a pinch but I think that might be pushing it.
Anyway I hope everyone has a lovely day, yellow ball or not.

Have you looked on freecycle for a temporary freezer until your stocks deplete?

hornetgirl

Sounds like everyone's enjoying a lovely sunny Easter.

This morning we dug up a piece of horseradish root that DH planted a couple of years ago. Grated it and mixed it with creme fraiche and a little mustard powder, salt and pepper - it was absolutely delicious with MIL's roast beef. It was quite fiery, but just tasted so much fresher than anything shop-bought.
My lovely next-door neighbour who has very green fingers and always grows loads, gave me some cabbage and lettuce plants, so more lovely home-grown food in the offing. Tomorrow I think we'll plant out the dwarf beans, as they're touching the top of the cold frame. It does seem a bit early, but they've grown loads this week with the warm weather.

mardatha

Does anybody have a good source of cheap climbers ? Things like Clematis and Honeysuckle. I just looked on ebay and they're asking around £6-£8 inc postage :eek:
Last time I got one it was about 3" high and vanished the first week !

kidcat

I cant remember whether you have a Lidl nearby mardatha but I am almost sure our Lidl had clematis last week. I will look again when I go this week. Otherwise have you looked and the thompson morgan site - there always seem to be deals and offers on grabbit for them.

flowertotmum

ginnyknit wrote: »

Having that quiet day I promised myself. Been in and out of the garden since 10 am and got a lot done. Then i watched dear old Hugh FW and realised I may need a lot more plants to make a difference so planted a pea hedge round 3 edges of a bed with broad beans in the middle. oh just managed to make me a netted frame for my cucumbers, I am so hoping they work as I love them and think they are now a luxury food to buy :mad: Im just glad I trawled Wilkies and co at the end of last season and bought all my seeds for pennies otherwise the garden would be bare now

Had some bad news, my nice Sil has had a terrible time with breast cancer and the resulting treatment has done her great damage. Oh's brother (her Hubby) is looking after her and is being amazing, am very proud of him.So I just made her a posy of silk flowers with a little lavender bag in the middle - similair to a Tussie Mussie I believe- and am going to send her a little care package.

Anyway off to plant out my cucumbers as soon as it cools down and ponder on life while I dig. hugs to all

Ginnyknit..thats so nice of you..i'm sure your SIL will appreciate the little gift:A..by the way what is a Tussie Mussie?:D
I know what you mean about cucumbers..hubs has got a few on the go..i have decided to pickle them this yr well the little ones anyway.Is it just me that has noticed supermarkets over the top pricing on veg and fruit..i refuse to pay 89p for a bloody cucumber:mad:..i rather wait til mine are ready thank you very much..miffed tone or margo ledbetter as hubs calls it:D.
take care
ftm

lostinrates

ceridwen wrote: »

I guess that thought had crossed the mind of a few of us actually - as in "I hope this guy doesnt think any of Bertie's land is his.......".

To which - personally I would check out exactly where the boundary lines lie (and keep a copy of owt I found readily to hand) and establish that my land definitely WAS my land. Having worked that out in advance (because some neighbours can be would-be "land grabbers":() - then got on and plant up all my hedge at once (getting in friends to help ensure it was a quickly done job if need be). .

My house is ex LA. Its a farm. The council cut the farm into chunks, decades ago, and now sold off our bit. we had to put in a boundary 28 days after completing, but no one new where it really should be...there was a wonky line of trees, which gave privacy but wasn;t attractive, or safe or stock proof. My neighbour and I paced it all out and shook hands on it. we agreed a metre or so eitherway was less important than good neighbour relations. we have an odd boundary because of the way the farm was split, but a great relationship. My neighbours use my eggs, we don't want for anything they can provide. They are nice people, private like us, so we smile and wave and once every few weeks gossip at the front of the house, but at the back we pretend we haven't seen each other! Its why I want high hedges soon...that and the fact DH and I prefer, um, a ''natural state of undress'' at home that obviously, with just six foot fences and us often being higher than six foot, or the tractors going past higher than six foot high!

We keep them in the loop about things like the tree that might go, and they have been generous to the extreme. when we had our first ''function'' here a couple of weeks ago and needed seating they delivered big bales, and lined them up just so to be benches. And when I was going to get a contractor in for easy work, they told me not to be stupid and loaned me a tractor to use...and told me not to be shy about asking in the future.

The difference is, we have some land to play with between us, a metre to us is less than in a normal domestic situation, but any problems we've had have been spoken through with good humour and mutual want for a quiet and private life with neighbours that can be relied upon. we are so lucky to have them, the one thing you can't suss out when you buy a home, let alone a home where you also work from.

kidcat

There is a thompson and morgan voucher and price glitch on grabbit at the moment - I have just ordered a patio pea planter seed kit £19.99 for free.

ceridwen

LostinRates - that sounds like a good set-up you have with your neighbours. Helps to make up for the state of your house and all the huge amount of work you say needs doing on it...

Good point re the metre of ground - it DOES help if there is plenty of land to play with. With many peeps' gardens not even counting as small - more like matchbox size (mine included - hence why I sympathise...) then literally a foot of space either way is precious because one has so darn little of it..:(. You should see just how many times I've planned and re-planned and planned again as to how to cram as much as possible into the "matchbox" and how long a list of absolute Basics have been consigned to the "One day.....maybe..." list...I can just about move around between things in my "matchbox"....(anyone bigger than me just has to look at it from the back door - because they couldnt move round it without breaking plants in the process....).

On another Board on MSE there is a debate going on about house size - and I could certainly relate to the comment about "If the house is too small - then a lot of the things in it have to be stored in loft/garage/etc"....In my case that translates into I'm forever up and down the loft ladder to the loft because of the amount of garden and kitchen stuff I've had to put up there....Obviously could be a lot worse (ie could have an even smaller kitchen, no "matchbox" and no loft)...

de1amo

We went to friends for the weekend-it got me in my usual tizzy about whether i like the flat we live in! the friends had a balcony that was enclosed by glass with a pannoramic view of the seafront and out across the bay to some far off mountains in greece--it got me discontent with looking out at a pine tree in one direction or 80 foot away another block of flats in the other! Their flat is about an hour from the city and a bit close to an oil refinery for my wife's liking(their flat is of a comparative value and quality of finish) --nice seafront and feel about the place though!-people just dont live in houses in turkey,the only places with houses are villages and they are most unpopular because of the isolation and boredom factor!-only expats like dead winter communities!

lostinrates

ceridwen wrote: »

Good point re the metre of ground - it DOES help if there is plenty of land to play with. With many peeps' gardens not even counting as small - more like matchbox size (mine included - hence why I sympathise...) then literally a foot of space either way is precious because one has so darn little of it..:(. You should see just how many times I've planned and re-planned and planned again as to how to cram as much as possible into the "matchbox" and how long a list of absolute Basics have been consigned to the "One day.....maybe..." list...I can just about move around between things in my "matchbox"....(anyone bigger than me just has to look at it from the back door - because they couldnt move round it without breaking plants in the process....).

On another Board on MSE there is a debate going on about house size - and I could certainly relate to the comment about "If the house is too small - then a lot of the things in it have to be stored in loft/garage/etc"....In my case that translates into I'm forever up and down the loft ladder to the loft because of the amount of garden and kitchen stuff I've had to put up there....Obviously could be a lot worse (ie could have an even smaller kitchen, no "matchbox" and no loft)...

I sympathise with the space thing...years of living out of what wasn't in storage...and what could fit in my little car around the cats and us when we were living in Italy. Growing tomatos and strawberries and lettuces as windowsill crops (and getting in trouble with downstairs neighbours when watering balcony plants to liberally!). then a couple of years of living in my parent home while we looked for something to buy in UK. Having space no is an ultimate luxury, appreciated every single day.

For me this island is too small often...and I miss days of never seeing or hearing another soul alive....solitude is important to me for personal development:o and sanity:o:o. But the smallness means we have to be more ready both to defend our missing four feet, but also to be flexible where we can. Its a tremendously difficult balance.

And yes....my neighbours are fab. And despite the house conditions it was a choice made in full knowledge of what it meant (just dont remind me of that next Jan if there is no heating in by then :rotfl::D)