It was getting tough in 2006 and the workhouse still threatens us in 2011

Uniscots97

Hope you find something soon T. Get yourself signed uo with all the job sites and agencies. Will keep my fingers crossed for you. x

squeaky

v8monkeyboy wrote: »

Hi all :wave:

I'm after a little bit of advice, if possible. I didn't really know where to put this, so sorry if it's in the wring place.

You might find some useful help here:- Employment, Jobseeking & Training

HariboJunkie

We had a lovely break and the children had lots of fun but they go back to school today and I must admit to looking forward to getting our routine back. It's been a good summer butall good things must come to an end.
They are organised for school with minimal expense this year thanks to being able to let down hems on pinafores and mending the linings of schoolbags.
Haven't caught up with the thread properly but did see the post about cookers. I have a small, modern gas range which I love.:happyhear

GreyQueen

Good morning campers, glad the recipe for beetroot relish has been enjoyed and you are indeed correct sale = salt and I am a numpty and must hie me off into the Word doc in my computer's Recipe Folder, from whence I cut-and-pasted that, to edit.

Mind you, the recipe originally circulated via email a few years ago among our gang with several other and different typos, so it's all good.

HariboJunkie glad your family hols went well.

Flowertotmum, I have a Parkinson Cowan gas stove too, except mine is the Renown Deluxe not the Fiesta. I got mine second-hand about 12 years ago from a Corgi fitter who had a little shop selling reconditioned appliances. It was absolutely immaculate, not a hint of grease or a single blemish, as if fresh from a showroom. It had a 3 month warranty bar the battery-powered ignition. Nothing has ever gone wrong with it and even the battery in the ignition lasted nearly 10 years and keeps on going with a fresh one. It has its annual checkup when my council landlord sends gas fitters in to check everything and sails thru. When it eventually meets its maker I shall be a very unhappy bunny.

My pal makes sloe gin with the cheapest hooch from Lidl and kindly gives me a wee bottle and it is divine. She's not too well this year so I think I may have to do the makings and gift in reverse. As charlies-aunt says, the easiest way to eyeball a blackthorn aka sloe is early in spring; they'll be the leafless ones covered in white blossom like confetti. Around my way, there's a few along they cycle paths and in some scrubby bits of waste ground but out in the countryside, I'd look in hedgerows. They're scrubby little trees, not disimilar to hawthorns, but with much more vicious thorns.

Last year pal and me were out in her car in the countryside and spotted what we thought was a blackthorn laden with sloes in a hedgerow and had a happy picking session. Then we realised that what we had was wild damsons and made damson gin as well. Tasted superb.

I visited the Magic Greengrocer yesterday after work and came away with a carrier bag full of fruit for my £1; 7 oranges, punnet of greengages, head of celery, 2 apples, large pear and a couple of satsuma-type thingies. I shall have the outer stalks of the celery, sliced diagonally, steamed. I'm a bit of an oddball in that I prefer celery as a hot veg rather than a salading. Steamed celery is very nice with steamed carrot and is an excellent ingredient in soup, as well as in things like chilli. I have even sneaked finely chopped celery onto pizza when money has been too tight to mention and that has been what I had to use up.

I have been a bit whacked out this week and haven't been to the lottie since after work on Monday but must get up there tonight and harvest more French beans and prep for the freezer. I am really working that little countertop model; it has 50 litres capacity and is one of the most useful things I own, really helps out with the meal-planning and taking advantage of the whoopsies. I am thawing out whoopsied fish which I bought a few weeks ago of supper tonight and that will free up a bit of space which I can stuff with beans.

I got this little freezer at the start of 2007 and it's arrival co-incided with one of the many utility price-hikes, so I watched the next electricity bill like a hawk but could barely see any difference for having it. It is "A" rated. I had a choice of 3 makes and models (countertop freezers being a bit rarer than full-size models) and this one was an "A" and cost 50% more than the other two which were "B" rated. It's really hard to pony-up an extra 50% at point of sale but I anyalysed my choices and reckoned that electricity was only going to get dearer and that I'd work out cheaper in the long run. I think I've made the right choice......;)

Enough waffle! I need more tea!

Hope everyone has a great day.

HariboJunkie

Ps. Good luck for today Redlady. x

mardatha

Is Blackthorn a southern shrub ? I've never seen it or heard of it.
Very strange how all the schools go back on different days - ours went back Tues here.
Kittie am very interested in what you said - "The more I read about fermented food benefits then the more I want to know, CFS etc." Can you tell me more or is it easy to google it?
I'm off out today to the DD cos if I spend one more day in here with the RV then one of us will die.

GreyQueen

mardatha wrote: »

Is Blackthorn a southern shrub ? I've never seen it or heard of it.
Very strange how all the schools go back on different days - ours went back Tues here.
Kittie am very interested in what you said - "The more I read about fermented food benefits then the more I want to know, CFS etc." Can you tell me more or is it easy to google it?
I'm off out today to the DD cos if I spend one more day in here with the RV then one of us will die.

Hi Mardatha, this is a blackthorn aka sloe:





It's latin name is prunus spinosa but it has a Gaelic name draighean so i guess it can be found also in Ireland and Scotland. HTH.

ginnyknit

Mardatha, I found sloes as far as Newcastle last year in those wooded laybys on country lanes so they get that far, sorry wouldn't know if they brave the weather over the border. Never seen them in Lancashire though - or maybe I wasn't looking

Igamogam

ceridwen wrote: »

I tried the hint on here recently about how to clean the inside of my cooker - as in leaving a container (large casserole dish it was) full of water in the oven whilst it was on for 30 minutes or so and spreading a "paste" of bicarbonate of soda and water on all internal surfaces. Tries to recall the order I did that in now:cool: - but guess it musta been paste first and heating up water to "loosen dirt" second???

Result was = it worked:D

That was a relatively trouble-free way of doing that and no nasty chemicals - so got the details noted in my records for future reference.:T

My MIL was an avid exponent of bicarb to clean EVERYTHING - ovens pans thermos flask etc etc. By and large it works. My cooker is cast iron so anyhitng spilt or splashed just carbonises and falls to bottom and every now and then I vacuum it out :rotfl:

Mrs_Chip

Mardatha - if you do find one, there are more things you can do with them than just gin:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shillelagh_(club) !!! :rotfl: