As The Workhouse Approaches....How To Do Everything To Avoid It, the Old Style Way

Seakay

This is my favourite dolmades recipe.
http://www.cuisine.com.au/recipe/Stuffed-vine-leaves
You can freeze the prepared dolmades, (and you can freeze the blanched vineleaves, or they can be bottles in brine) I pack them into take away plastic tubs with a little of the cooking juices. They can be eaten hot or cold.

Charis

ceridwen wrote: »

scottishminnie wrote: »

Actually - even in Britain...there is always the risk of something like flooding or fire and it would be one big "headache" rushing round the house thinking "Am I sure I have remembered everything vital if it came to it?". This way - no problem - grab bag (and handbag) and go...

Just make sure you hide them well. A thief would bless you for giving your identity away in a handy holdall

mardatha

"PS - AND WHERE'S OUR RAIN?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:mad:"



Just thumbing through my wee book of spells and digging out my toe of newt. Rain for jfdi coming up !

redlady_1

I have just been to Focus -and am now very broke!!! As they have their closing down sale I decided now wouldbe a good time to get my paint. Pretty much the whole house,apart from the kitchen and stairs, needs doing so I have some period paint as they call it (just an excuse to whack extra on) x 3 , gloss, undercoat, masonry paint x 3(for outside and cellar), loads of fittings as you can never have enough raw plugs or screws, filler, etc.

As a result if I dont have the relevant food in the house, I will be going without until I get paid!!!!

Uniscots97

cat_smith wrote: »

Joy. Bank holiday weather. What has Scotland done to deserve this? Everywhere else is crying out for rain and we're desperate to give it away. Not going to be planting out my veggies today.

my dear great uncle has had brain wave over the past few weeks (he's in glasgow too, my home town) and decided to make his own green house. He got lengths of poly pipe from the local hardware shop and enough of the push fit joints to make corners and pushed the lengths into the ground for stability and then scrounged clear plastic sheeting from the decorators and has stapled this onto the frame, the door pushes closed and is tied to the fence to keep it shut. Voila, he now has somewhere to keep his tomato plants, potatoes and herbs. Oh and he's apparently installed an chair in there to with a radio so he has his own little space at the back of the house and can enjoy the garden without the rain!

sammy_kaye18

Well
I have been down and scrubbed the flat - now have holly may fighting her nap beautifully and she wont go - when she is just nodding off Ben makes noise and wakes her back up again - think its pretty safe to say that Ow has ball*ed her routine up again by not putting her to bed until 9.30pm last night when she usually goes at 8pm which now means I cant get !!!!!! all done with her at my feet!

Right, just off to try and clean the terrapin tank - no idea how to disinfect it as its been outside but cant really use chemicals - thinking boiling water into it - its thick glass, and leave it to cool before transferring them into it - that should kill any lurking nasties in there.

Have been down flat, cleaned rest of kitchen, bagged up other junk, and mopped all rooms over once and got rid of little bits of crap. Just need Ow to pick up the last few bits and pieces from down there and then I can hand the keys in tomorrow and it will be goodbye to my little flat for good.

I have re-evaluated my garden too - Ow has started digging foundations for his shed and I was thinking of making a pot garden for my veggies but I'm thinking I could have a nice little patch for my veggies but not convinced either Bruno wouldn't wreck them, or the big weimarner dog next door wouldn't jump the fence and squash them all. He jumps the fence regularly at the minute and went for Ow last week so the wall needs a new fence on it asap!

Ok jsut finishing typign and the monitor has gone very quiet. think I may have a sleeping princess finally! Only an hour and a half late mind.

Right off to sort the terrapins and do the dishes.

Oh also I will be braving my attic for the first time tomorrow. Dreading what might be up there............................:eek::eek::eek::eek:

Kimitatsu

redlady_1 wrote: »

Oh yes...having just restored my cottage I can tell you lots about these people! Dont think that by feeding them and giving them cups of tea they will do a better job - they wont! You do get what you pay for so dont scrimp. It will cost more in the long run. Make sure you get references from people who they have done work for before (as you are having major structural works). Go and look at the work. Also, they work on a different time zone. If they start getting funny because you want to see their work, then step away. Tradesmen have big egos and are quite happy to show off their work if genuine. Make sure they are someone with a good reputation. It sounds obvious but my worst mistake was in getting so desperate for a carpenter (after 9 had come to quote!) that I took the one who wanted the job...I knew nothing about him. A very big and very costly mistake. Keep your eye on what they are doing but make sure its subtle. If you leave them alone you may find they will try and fit other jobs in around yours. Make sure you have a definitive time scale and also get a written estimate, not quote. Ask whether they have factored in for any problems that may arise. Make sure you have some extra money put by just in case. Get a local guy so if anything does go wrong you can get him back (yep, learnt that one!) and also I would go for a company. Just my preference and dont forget that alot of quotes exclude VAT so double check. Make sure that you agree to pay them in stages upon completion of the building work. Finally, nip to Tescos and buy something called "patience". I hear it can be invaluable in this situation!!! :rotfl:

Good luck. I seriously do not envy you!!!

Have to agree with all of the above! For me as well I use specific tradesmen for specific jobs, so even now I have a lad come and do general labouring in the garden, weeding, digging up elder (which is a never ending job) putting down mulch etc, but I use a friend of mine who is a landscape gardener for all the really heavy duty stuff. Ask everyone you see who they would recommend, sooner or later one or two names will start to come up again and again, and those are the ones to go for.

Redlady - I too went to Focus this morning, but the paint aisles were still very very full, so am going to wait a little longer to see if any of it comes down further! I still managed to spend a small fortune however on bits that I still needed!! I am hoping that I may even sneak a new shed out of them if it goes down enough!

redlady_1

That is what I am missing, a general DIY bod. I want a fence putting up but suspect the digging out of the plants/hedge/trees that are there will be more than putting the fence up.

Christ, our Focus had been ram raided!!!! Still it is the only DIY shop in the town. I will keep my eyes peeled for fence panels coming down as most people had gone for power tools and compost, together with the paint. I didnt realise how expensive paint actually is these days. I painted everywhere with just cheap magnolia when I moved in and so am now getting round to painting properly now the big jobs are done. Not to mention the masonry paint!!! That was frightening but at the back of the house it is pink flakey stuff and the dreaded cellar of doom will need doing at some point. Perhaps I should have bought some floor tiles for the dungeon (as it is known down the pub!) while I was at it but I have just spent a fortune so thought better of it.

Oh something else Hippee, keep it professional. Dont become all friendly with them (beyond normal polite stuff) and remember they are not doing you any favours no matter what they say.

hex2

HoneyBee - I refuse to take money for eggs too. Things I appreciate are people who save boxes for me, and give the boxes back - where do people think I get boxes from when I don't buy eggs? Buying a bag of feed - layers pellets or mixed corn - is about £7 and is practical and appreciated.

ginnyknit

I couldn't even fit Oh's ice cream in the freezer now never mind a sack of flour - I just saw 3kg of bread flour in Mr M for 2 quid and thought that was cheap but a full sack for a tenner wow. Getting organised for a big baking day tomorrow, Dgs is snoozing in the living room with his grandad so no chance today. Child minders don't work Bank holidays but she is such a nice girl who looks after him I don't mind.

Weather here is foul again, my weed collection is coming on nicely but veggies look a bit poor. Don't seem to have lost any yet but we will see. I think, like us, they need a bit of sunshine to perk them up