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

mardatha

Re husbands (and the lack of them lol) you can also grow into each other. I got married at 16, he was 19, neither of us had a clue about houses or money or food or anything. We sat down one night and had a serious discussion about growing up and buying things that all the neighbours were getting - washing machines & fridges... we decided sod it we've got the chippy and the laundrette so we bought a brand new Triumph Bonnie (motorbike) instead :rotfl:
never regretted it either.:D

mardatha

Lots of stuff in the American forums about food prices going through the roof, their butter has just doubled in price and they've had warnings of shortages and price rises. World is changing isnt it?
I sowed a load of turnip seeds, and have a thick row of tiny plants. I think turnip is hard to thin out or move ? How best to do this - or should I just pull out the spindly ones ? If I do, can I save them for putting in soup? or will I just give them to the piranhas ? (officially hens. But I have my doubts)
I really need to get help in the garden to dig a bigger veg bed. Don't want ask OH to do hard digging, he will do it but then get chest pains. The son who usually does stuff like this just had his foot op a month ago and is still in pain. Other son doesnt talk to us or visit so can't ask him.

claudiac_2

Mardatha - LOVE that you and hubby bought a motorbike instead of being sensible!!

modern_millie_2

Hi Saveabob, glad you're back, had to go offline last night after my post (always a queue here for the pooter in the evenings) . Please stay, we all have different views - your posts are usually so positive and cheer me up.

Work for me this morning, weather can't decide whether it is going to be a scorcher, like yesterday, or overcast. Hope the Scots contingent has some more sun, they have'nt had their ration yet!

Some good bargains in the 99p shop yesterday - good brand toothbrushes, dental floss, body lotion etc.

Might try our first potatoes this weekend - grew from ones from last year that we missed, don't know what they will be like.

Ceridwen, forgot to say, thanks for the link to mother cat and kitten - we have all watched it here - so cute!

modern_millie_2

Mardatha, I think sadly the era of cheap food is over, if not for good then for a long time. Just hope we - as a world I mean -can find other things to economise on, if that makes sense.

GreyQueen

claudiac wrote: »

Mardatha - LOVE that you and hubby bought a motorbike instead of being sensible!!

Me too! I grew up with/ around and on motorbikes, often BSA or Triumphs; there are piccies of me as a very small girl in the 1960s in my pinafore dress "helping" Dad clean the motorbike.

Just went into Boots and got charged £1 over the odds for something as it rang up higher than it said on the shelf; made them give me it back (very politely of course) but a quid's a quid, when all is said and done. Then I went into Mr T to see if they had any ready-meals on yellow stickers as I fancied an easy day so (ahem) I can devote all my energies to housework (and you can stop sniggering over there, hun, I can see right across the interweb y'know:rotfl:). Did a double-take because I thought I saw something reduced to more than it was originally but it was a Tikka reduced to £2.69 from £3.20 or have a Korma (they were all reduced to £2 in the non-whoopsie section). Decisions, decisions.......

I shall save my OS rep by serving it with h.g veg from my freezer.

Oh, and they have that Basics cream cleanser in at 32p which is very good but whose presence even in the big Mr T is erratic, so I got a few of them. Raving blueberry fans note that L!dl has them at 69p/125g which seems very good and I have some for later.

Worrying about how world food prices are going esp as we're talking staples, not fancy things which we can cut back on in times of trouble. As the traditional Chinese curse has it; "May you live in interesting times!" I'd opt for boring times, personally.

laineyc_2

It is another sunny day here in London. I am off to the London Green Fair this afternoon. I am going to a talk on the man that has the 'Vertical Veg' blog. I am also hoping to buy some plants.

I had a really busy day yesterday. Planted my strawberry plants which had finally arrived. I also got to grips with the weeding. I also went for a back and neck massage. It has helped my shoulder a bit. I have a doctor's appointment in a weeks time. It is worse in the evening and I have not been getting enough sleep.

I gave our shower room a good going over. I am pleased that the glass in the shower is gleaming. I wish I could ban the boys from using it now to keep it clean.

I am hoping to plant my Marketmore cucumber plant out next week. If I plant it in the ground, does it need a support?

I am still a vegetarian. The only difficulty I forsee is that we are meeting friends for dinner in a couple of weeks. They have booked a French restaurant and the menu on their website has no vegetarian main listed. No doubt I will find something suitable on the day. I made the boys pizza for dinner last night and I made a mini pizza for myself with leftover roast veg and goat's cheese. It was very tasty.

Well, off to get the newspapers and some stuff from the deli. Enjoy the weekend.

taurusgb

mardatha wrote: »

so we bought a brand new Triumph Bonnie (motorbike) instead :rotfl:
never regretted it either.:D

Have you still got it Mardatha? My DH bought one when he was 18 (or 20, I forget which) and he still has it (he's 51 now) It's part of the family! So much so that when we have our little talks about what we could sell if times get even harder, Bonnie is bottom of the list - I really think he might drop to one meal every other day before Bonnie was sold on!

budgetboo

I'm starting to look at my hobby community veg plot more seriously for this winter/next year. This year I've concentrated on luxury items like berries/salads and herbs but with food prices going the way they are I'm wondering how to make a VERY small space more productive on staples. For instance when planning my planting this year I ignored the humble tattie as they are SO cheap in the shops but have 10 pepper plants dotted around my flat's windowsills. Tatties though have have me grumbling in the shops they have gone up so much I've found myself rationing portions for the 1st time ever!

I need to do some research to see how to companion plant to get the maximum proper nutrition out of a very small space me thinks instead of seeing it mostly as a way to add a it of variety/luxury to our diet.

Re being single - sometimes it is HARD. Not been able to work this year due to my son's special needs and have often let my thoughts drift onto how much easier life would be if I had a partner so I could even get an evening bar job or summat if there was another adult in the house at night. Also felt the pressure of being the only one for all these "professionals" to focus on in meetings at times.

This winter is predicted to be another bad one so am determined to try and make sure we are as well prepped as possible. Looking out for cheap fleece for extra blankets and winter togs for my growing lad. Want to make a few bits like fleece welly warmers too. Oh and get another clothes airer now there is a bit of space to put it in thanks to the declutter mission I've recently embarked on.

The summer glut of produce in the market will seized upon to make cheap preserves for Chrimbo pressies for friends and family. Thing is even at the market food inflation is showing (hence the tattie rationing). I'm also looking at things like saurkruat for our own use. Preserved veggies in winter used to be more standard.

Daily I feel more and more as if I'm reverting to my Gran's lifestyle, without the benefit of a garden, country foraging opportunities and neighbours that knew the old style ways. Or a hubby who could help with DIY. I do give thanks for my cooking/household skills - goodness knows how some Mums are managing!

stiltwalker

CRANKY40 wrote: »

I gave up feeling guilty for Lent last year, and I haven't taken it up again. As a widowed mum to a 6 year old I am doing the best that I can for both of us. My house isn't spotless (kitchen is always clean though), and my child sometimes eats junk, but so what. Life is here to be enjoyed as well as worried about, and it's important to have the fun and the worrying in the right proportions and not let one or the other take over.

Cranky I love this, what a lovely balanced view.

I don't do guilty either, sometimes we have chips and we always have cake in the house but nary a set of scales! We're all healthy and fit and my OH despite being a big bloke is fitter than most of his younger and thinner colleagues at work. Think he quite annoyed the doc when he was given a complete blood work up and all the bells and whistles when he was diagnosed with underactive thyroid 2 years ago and everything bar the thyroid was low or normal. He's always been big though so reckons he is just designed to be that way. Irony is that he eats no more than me (and sometimes less) and I'm a skinny minny (sorry ).

Got some bargain paint at focus so can redecorate the longe in few weeks when life has settled down a bit. Caught up with all my weeding and planting out in the garden yesterday and finished my units for this block of OU course so just got to write the esay now and all caught up. Hope DS will sleep in between feeds for long enough to let me get started, DD happily having a building blocks day so she's sorted, then she can pester her dad when he gets home from work!

Have a lovely weekend all.