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

ChocClare

I was also pleased to hear the Archbish speaking out. I am not a member of the Church of England but I find mysef having more and more time for that man recently - or perhaps it's just that everyone else in the Establishment is talking such utter *o@@oC$s at the moment that a reasonable voice rings true!

In other news, I am now the proud owner of a dehydrator, bought from Ascott for just under £30. I would have plucked something from the garden to bung in it as an experiment, but DH had some Slovenian queens delivered today (sounds dodgy, doesn't it?) so he was down smoking hives which meant the garden was a bit of a no-go area - he has one very nasty hive who get very annoyed at the slightest thing and hate my brown comfy cardigan for some reason best known to themselves - I have been known to pull it off and run screaming into the house before now while they all attack it :eek:

DD has gone down with The Lurgy - she was off school yesterday and went in for her GCSE today - and the school nurse said could I pick her up straight after the exam and keep her at home tomorrow (next exam is Monday). She's all right in herself, just full of cold. DH has now started complaining of a sore throat and I feel shattered - which probably means I'll be next

Still, used the time indoors to make American pancakes - these are such a piece of cake (no pun intended), comparatively cheap and so nice to make the kids eat breakfast before school (my two NEVER eat anything so it's great to see them wolf them down). They bung 'em in the microwave just to warm them through in the morning, so it's quick and easy.

Anyway, for those who might wonder how to do it - put 450ml milk, 150g sugar, 1 tsp vanilla essence, 1 tsp oil and 2 eggs in large jug or blender and whisk; then add 250g of flour and 1 1/2 tablespoons of baking powder and mix in. Heat up a frying pan and lightly oil or butter it, then add large spoonfuls of this mix; wait for lots of bubbles to appear on the surface, flip over and do the other side. Serve warm. Yum.

Also (always yak on when I'm tired, sorry ), I read on here ages ago a link to making your own vanilla extract. Basically, you put vanilla pods, split, into a small jam jar and cover with vodka, then leave, shaking the jar every so often. I did this in March and the resultant stuff is now darkest brown and smells FANTASTIC - even better than the stuff you get in Lakeland for a fiver a bottle. I've left the vanilla pods in, and you're just supposed to top up with vodka every so often, but I haven't got any vodka (except expensive stuff that I'm not using for this!) so it'll just have to last me. Anyway, I can definitely recommend it!

scottishminnie

LannyLee wrote: »

The foil is fairly thick & is adhesive (Sp?) on the back side, the instructions say you can just stick it to the wall, but I wasn't too keen on this, so I got some old cardboard boxes & made panels & hung them behind using some old garden wire I had, so that I could remove them easily for cleaning/decorating etc. HTH.

perfect, thanks - you've made it sound almost idiot proof:T
Will have a look in Asda tomorrow and see if they have any - if not I'm guessing B&Q will stock that kind of thing.

grandma247

I have found it is better cold and sweetened ever so slightly. At least if it is cold you can drink it quick even if you hate it.

scottishminnie

freudianslip wrote: »

from April this year our council charge us to have our wheelie bin replaced, you're lucky getting yours for free. £25 it costs us if ours blows away or is swiped

Had major problems with my bread.

I put it in the BM for the dough and first rise. Knocked it back, put it in tin and then on windowsill for second rise with a damp t-towel ontop. The tea towel has stuck and now my dough has sunken and looks like crinky baggy skin going in oven now. fingers crossed

A few months back we lost ours when it got "stuck" as the thing at the back of the bin lorry lifted it. It didn't return to ground level and was last seen waving about in the air as the bin lorry drove off down the road. Just as well my mother saw it happen and rang me so I got on to the refuse dept straight away. What a drama to get another, They accused me of lying and having sold the bin instead. Needless to say it all got very heated.
What amazed me was the bin men claimed not to have noticed - surely it fell off at some point or was still there when they got to the next house??
They won't uplift from our houses where I live - we have to take them all to a central point near my parents farm which is about 1/4 mile away but it's not uncommon for them to be stolen so if they start introducing a charge in this patch I'll be starting a riot.

I seem to have become somewhat aggressive these days with people such as the council, banks, supermarkets - I think I'm developing a real attitude problem:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

smileyt_2

ChocClare wrote: »

In other news, I am now the proud owner of a dehydrator, bought from Ascott for just under £30. I would have plucked something from the garden to bung in it as an experiment, but DH had some Slovenian queens delivered today (sounds dodgy, doesn't it?) so he was down smoking hives which meant the garden was a bit of a no-go area - he has one very nasty hive who get very annoyed at the slightest thing and hate my brown comfy cardigan for some reason best known to themselves - I have been known to pull it off and run screaming into the house before now while they all attack it :eek:

Hi ChocClare, I know I shouldn't laugh at others' misfortune but this did make me giggle!
Could you post how you get on with your dehydrator, please? I'm considering getting one but would like to know if it dehydrates nicely or if everything comes out crispy :eek:

Feeling a bit low tonight. A friend is in trouble over lies someone has told about her and it will take a while for the truth to come out. Sometimes it seems like the people who do bad things to others always come out on top

Got my new cooker in but haven't used it yet - it needs burning off. The old one is also still in the kitchen so I'm having to do a sideways shuffle round it; I suppose that's good for keeping the old hips supple! Scrapman comes on Saturday to collect it. Is it weird to feel a bit sad about saying goodbye to an old cooker? It's done about 16 years hard labour and I've taught several young lodgers to cook on it, plus my godson has learned to bake cakes and flapjacks here. I feel like I'm abandoning an old friend!
*Slaps self round head - get a grip girl!*:rotfl:

Ginnyknit, I hope your arm is better soon.

ginnyknit

Just had a google about nettle tea, I will have a go in the morning. I seem to have bouts of arthiritis when it attacks a joint then disappears again. Will have to do some more research as I do not like painkillers and ibuprofen so diet change would be preferable. Thank you all for your thoughts.

Had a good laugh today on our local market, the loo's are situated off a corridor near the offices and I was amazed to see a toilet roll holder on the wall in the corridor. Apparently you have to pull off your toilet roll before you go into the loo as someone was stealing them :eek::eek: too much information there me thinks! :rotfl:

Off to read grow your own drugs and have an early peaceful night...Aaaah

catznine

I have the lurgy but now have antibiotics for a chest infection so hopefully will get better before dd's wedding! Been feeling so ill that logging in and reading was all I could manage and at the beginning couldn't even manage that! Anyway today is much better and on reading the thread to catch up someone reminded me about car insurance,realised we had to cancel one so dh made the call (I have no voice atm) and we saved £300 a year! We finally got around to taking dd off the new insurance (she no longer lives here) and saved £120:j
So glad I logged in!

I too saw that prog on the poorer children! They were amazing and told their stories so well but it haunted me afterwards. Thankful that Archbishop Rowan Williams said his bit, time for a bit of common sense and caring!

Now I can read again I have reached for my Hovel in the hills books and very interesting to read what Elizabeth West stockpiled, grew and preserved. Definately going to try more lentil recipes in the future. Another good recipe book is the Lillian Beckwith Hebbredian cookbook, lots of economical recipes.

Once the wedding is over and the rollercoaster of spending has stopped:eek: we shall be pulling in belts so tightly, So scared and trying to now but being ill has not helped.

Anyway thanks for all the ideas, they have kept me going!:A

freudianslip

oldtractor wrote: »

freudianslip, the dough rises to double its size at first rising, how long this takes depends on the room temperature and how much yeast you have used. average for a dough made with a kilo of flour is 45 mins. then knockback and place in tin and leave for 20 to 30 mins to rise a second time.

Thank you so much for this. I read it as soon as you posted but thought I would wait till I had something to say before I took up another post on the busy thread.

The bread is actually really tasty, the best one yet. It's gone in for DH's sandwiches and I made gralic bread slices with some too. Toast for the kiddiwinkles tomorrow and a bread and butter pudding.

laineyc wrote: »

I am really pleased with the surprise result of me dropping meat from my diet. The boys are asking to taste all my veggy meals and their vegetable intake has increased. I think I am going to try meatless Mondays from next week for the whole family.

We have gone a week now without any meat in our meals and I certainly feel healthier, losing weight too I have noticed. Tomorrow is a meat night. I'm doing a meat dish once a week and so far we're ok. DH did comment what is for tea tomorrow, rice and split peas :rotfl: I do need to be a bit more adventurous and get with seasoning and spices. It doesn't help when you're a bit of a culinary disaster in the first place!

scottishminnie wrote: »

I seem to have become somewhat aggressive these days with people such as the council, banks, supermarkets - I think I'm developing a real attitude problem:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

It's not you! It's people in public services, people there to assist, advise and help. It's getting worse right now, I've noticed people are a lot more snappy. I put it down to a nation of stressed people. Normal people out there are just trying to survive. I had to bite my tongue in the Post Office today. She didn't deserve me walking away let me tell you, very rude towards me :mad:

Laundry gloop, well what can I say? Very impressed, washed on a 30 too. I can't ever see me going back to the expensive powders even if I ever do become 'flush' with cash.

Can't sleep, I have wind......... dammed beans! :rotfl:

modern_millie_2

morning all, looks like another cool damp day here today.
Choclare, thanks for the pancake recipe - sounds just the thing my DD would like, she is a picky breakfast eater too.

Feel guilty today as we had someone come yesterday to repair and paint windows for us, job we really could have done ourselves, but I am really fed up with doing it year after year - we have a ridiculously large no. of windows - and I'm no good up a ladder! However, once he has finished this session - about an hour to finish off I think - I will have a word with OH about us doing the rest. Time was we would do al this sort of thing as a matter of course. Hoping to move next year, but if we can't sell I think we will have to think about replacement windows, at least on the front of the house - think some of them must be more filler than wood!

Another vote here for Rowan Williams - someone has to say something.

ceridwen

<nips in with quick PS thought on nettle stings - bethought myself "Mustnt forget - its plantain leaves - not dock leaves - that one uses to soothe nettle stings". So - for nettle stings (or insect bites either) - crush some plantain leaves and apply to those stings. I've not had occasion to try that personally since being told it - but apparently it "works very well">

...nips back out again...