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

ginnyknit

mix a blob of marg with some flour form into little balls and whisk

them in to the boiling liquid slowly - chefs used to call them stork balls !

SDG31000

lucielle wrote: »

Hi just a quickie, posting on here as I know lots of peeps read. I've had some stewing steak in the slow cooker all day and I've just come to thicken it up and found I've no gravy granules and only about a teaspoon of cornflour, anybody got any other ideas I could use?
L

Mix together equal amounts of butter and plain flour and whisk it into the simmering liquid bit by bit.

lizzyb1812

Gave the dog her vet-prescribed diazepam (valium) today and went off to get her examined and boosted. What a disaster:eek: TB was fine in the carpark and waiting room but when the door to the consullting room opened and the vet stepped out she went ballistic. Same room and vet as last year.

It's a long story but, in brief, vet has mentally written TB off as the meanest thing she's ever seen and has implied that the lack of a physical exam doesn't matter as TB is unlikely to be alive much longer :eek:

TB did badly scratch the vet's leg, which I feel awful about - it's the first time she has ever done anything remotely like that. She's a soft pudding at home and a nervous, frightened thing in the big bad world. She's been seen by a behaviourist who agreed TB is a very anxious dog but only seemed to want to train her to heel etc - she already does all that stuff for me.

Anyway, a couple at the surgery recommended a behaviourist who had helped with their dog so I'll be contacting them asap. Obviously I can't go back to that vet's - TB is completely traumatised by the place. Even if she wasn't traumatised I wouldn't go back - I used to be a softie but these days I think twice before accepting as gospel the advice given by professionals. I truly do regret what happened to the vet but she couldn't tell the difference between the defensive response of a scared dog and the behaviour of an aggressive dog looking for trouble. She was even amazed that TB was perfectly fine and gentle with me (she only reacted when the vet approached).

I am NOT giving up on my dog

Sorry for the rant - it's fight or flight time and these days I choose fight

Lizzyb

betony

I've had a look on the 'Keep Calm And Carry On'-O-Matic site. It's brilliant! Has anyone read the story about the original poster? It was created in case of an invasion during WW2 but never released. Only 2 copies were believed to have survived pulping after the war. A copy was found in a second-hand bookshop in Alnwick, Northumberland, called Barter Books.

For anyone who doesn't know it, this is the most amazing treasure trove of old books. It used to be the old railway station and is a massive hanger of a place just filled to the brim with books on every subject imaginable. It's especially good for old cookery and crafts books. It's well worth diverting less than a mile from the A1 for if you happen to be driving it and have time to spare. Alnwick itself is a beautiful old market town and is most famous for Alnwick Gardens and especially the castle, which provided some of the outside scenes of Hogwart's in the Harry Potter films!

Incidentally, I have no connection with Barter Books whatsoever, I'm just saying I love the place

ceridwen

betony wrote: »

I've had a look on the 'Keep Calm And Carry On'-O-Matic site. It's brilliant! Has anyone read the story about the original poster? It was created in case of an invasion during WW2 but never released. Only 2 copies were believed to have survived pulping after the war. A copy was found in a second-hand bookshop in Alnwick, Northumberland, called Barter Books.

For anyone who doesn't know it, this is the most amazing treasure trove of old books. It used to be the old railway station and is a massive hanger of a place just filled to the brim with books on every subject imaginable. It's especially good for old cookery and crafts books. It's well worth diverting less than a mile from the A1 for if you happen to be driving it and have time to spare. Alnwick itself is a beautiful old market town and is most famous for Alnwick Gardens and especially the castle, which provided some of the outside scenes of Hogwart's in the Harry Potter films!

Incidentally, I have no connection with Barter Books whatsoever, I'm just saying I love the place

Cor - I'd have to take a packed lunch before I ventured in there by the sound of it...shame its some ways away from me:(

*********************

....and, on a different topic, LARUMBELLE - I have just one thing to say to you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVE

...from which I think you will gather that amounts to "congratulations:D:j".

Never mind "I will survive" as a "theme tune" - at moments of sheer bl**dy triumph over great odds (in something that has an impact on others as well) the Hallelujah Chorus is one of the first ones that goes through my mind..:D:D

v8monkeyboy

lizzyb1812 wrote: »

Gave the dog her vet-prescribed diazepam (valium) today and went off to get her examined and boosted. What a disaster:eek: TB was fine in the carpark and waiting room but when the door to the consullting room opened and the vet stepped out she went ballistic. Same room and vet as last year.

It's a long story but, in brief, vet has mentally written TB off as the meanest thing she's ever seen and has implied that the lack of a physical exam doesn't matter as TB is unlikely to be alive much longer :eek:

TB did badly scratch the vet's leg, which I feel awful about - it's the first time she has ever done anything remotely like that. She's a soft pudding at home and a nervous, frightened thing in the big bad world. She's been seen by a behaviourist who agreed TB is a very anxious dog but only seemed to want to train her to heel etc - she already does all that stuff for me.

Anyway, a couple at the surgery recommended a behaviourist who had helped with their dog so I'll be contacting them asap. Obviously I can't go back to that vet's - TB is completely traumatised by the place. Even if she wasn't traumatised I wouldn't go back - I used to be a softie but these days I think twice before accepting as gospel the advice given by professionals. I truly do regret what happened to the vet but she couldn't tell the difference between the defensive response of a scared dog and the behaviour of an aggressive dog looking for trouble. She was even amazed that TB was perfectly fine and gentle with me (she only reacted when the vet approached).

I am NOT giving up on my dog

Sorry for the rant - it's fight or flight time and these days I choose fight

Lizzyb

I'm so sorry you've had this trouble; there's nothing worse than being told your best friend isn't good enough and is viscous when you know the truth. Quite frankly, it sounds like the vet's not very clever, and I too would go somewhere else.

Have you thought of a homeopathic vet? There are no injections, just tiny pills which are given over a period of time and they seem to work. We don't have our dogs vaccinated btw - there is now evidence to suggest that after the initial injection the anitbodies remain for life, something which can be discovered through a blood test. Also, after the puppy phase, parvo etc doesn't kill adult dogs, it make them very ill, but they recover (this is not something I have experience of, but something my vet told us).

Chin up, it'll all be ok.

T xx

mardatha

Report on the sausage/leek casserole + CC's dauphinoise potatoes ...

Lovingly cooked small black lumps of charcoal similar to stuff found in a Bronze Age kist on Time Team .... sauteeed in bits of dark greeny-black pond weed......and served with gooey soggy semi-liquidy dollops of unknown tasteless white stuff .
Wonderful! must have that one again soon.
:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

maryb

NomNomNomNom:rotfl:

smileyt_2

LizzyB, would you consider posting your problem on http://dogstodaythinktank.blogspot.com/ ?

Dogs Today is a fab magazine and the people who answer in this blog are dog lovers through and through, they may be able to give you some advice. Whatever behavourist you choose, make sure they use only kind, non-confrontational methods. You could also try giving your dog rescue remedy (the Bach flower remedy). Have two bowls of water, her normal one, and one with water with a few drops of rescue remedy. Then she can help herself. It will do her no harm and might help calm her down. Ignore the vet - you are the person who best knows your own dog.

Glad so many of you have had fun with the calm-down-o-matic site :rotfl:

I've had awful tummy cramps and frequent visits to the loo today I was supposed to be visiting an elderly lady but had to cancel - she's 91, very frail, and has been in and out of hospital for the last few months, so the last thing she needs is a tummy bug from me! I was very sorry to disappoint her but better safe than sorry. I'm now feeling a bit better and feel like I could eat something. The problem with being vegan, though, is that everything in my cupboards is of the robust, wholefood variety! I think I may try a couple of vegan pancakes as they should be quite light. But first I will take my dogs out!

Mardatha, I am surprised at your avatar. I really thought you'd have one saying 'Keep Calm and Eat Kale'. (:rotfl:)

scottishminnie

Well after yesterday's dramas today was much better. Nothing on the bargains front but something which amused me no end -

nipped into House of Fraser at lunchtime (couldn't be bothered walking any further to Remnant Kings or Crockets as planned) to buy tights. They are Aristoc hourglass- £12 a pair:eek::eek::eek: but worth it - they hold you in like mad and I figure if I can get 12 wears thats a £1 a time and I don't wear them often.

Anyway there were a few other customers in the hosiery dept, 2 old ladies first in the queue and one other woman in front of me, probably late 30's early 40's. The sales assistant was a nightmare, she was so effusive it was utterly nauseating. She'd obviously spent some considerable time with the old dears finding what they wanted and was cooing to them about having an absolutely fabulous holiday and coming back soooo refreshed (real give me a bucket stuff). She finally gets to the lady in front of me who strikes me as being a little p***ed off at the ridiculous wait.

Seemingly oblivious to the woman's thoughts the SA prattles on and then is interrupted by the woman who asks for a specific brand and design of tights. Can't remember the exact details but along the lines of my "hold it all in" numbers. Silly SA at this points says "oh yes, they are heaven sent tights. They are complete miracle workers - do wonders for you. You will look soooo streamlined when you get them on, no little tummies or anything". To which the woman replied, without a hint of a smile "I would very much doubt it, my liitle tummy is actually 4 months of baby and not something I was aware a pair of tights could cure".

I honestly thought I was going to have to leave very quickly as I could barely control myself. I faked (very badly) a sneezing fit and snorted into a grubby tissue. The SA was hilarious - she'd obviously been taught to keep calm and carry on so she regained her composure and then wittered on about how supportive the tights were and how she hoped the woman continued to bloom through her pregnancy.

Thankfully when she got to me there was no conversation - simple please and thank you's were all. I bet she's having a stiff drink tonight. Brightened my day no end:rotfl: