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

sammy_kaye18

*sneaks back in quietly and hopes no one notices*

Morning all.

Hope I'm finding you all well, and happy. We have had the last month of nothing but bugs/lurgies/infections etc with the latest bout Owen having this sickness bug and being bitten/stung by some elusive unknown buggedy which he has had quite a nasty reaction too - he looks like he has a ping pong ball under his skin. Apart from that things are going well at setting up home. Slowly but surely.

We finally have the stairs part carpeted. Owen had a brain wave to buy a piece of carpet cut it in half length ways and make a runner for the stairs as we have the grips on it and Ben kept catching his feet, but we decided it didnt look right so we've covered the bottom part fo the stairs - as you open the front door - so it looks presentable when the doors open. The carpet off cut cost us £20 and we fitted it ourselves but since we have wooden floor boards Im hoping that any heat downstairs will rise upstairs and heat the bedrooms better and the loft insulation will help keep us snuggly warm.

Have noticed this house is boiling.....our neighbour has told us though that its boiling in the summer and then freezing in the winter - aha! not if your a savvy OS planner like me it wont be! although she did follow it with 'her heating bill was £400+ winter just gone and we are the same supplier and tariff - also she has 2 kids and 2 dogs, so we'll see. I just had our first quarterly bill for electric and it was only £51 :D:D benefits of having a garden. Which reminds me I will grudgingly be buying a washing line today - the one that was here previous to us moving in, had obviously snapped and the pole has fallen down, so the previous tenant tied it to the fence, well the council reassured me they'd replace it, well its been nearly 3 weeks now - and apparently they are out of stock at the depot so I will be sending them the bill instead I think.

Should add this is my garden
The council said they would do a basic clean up of it for us when we moved in, cut the grass, cut hedges etc back but noones bothered to turn up yet.

On a side note I now have a greenhouse . Its on the left behind the big flat leafed bush thing and inside said green house I have blueberries, strawberries and rhubarb making themselves at home. Also I've brought a fair amount of reduced seeds in wilkinsons ready for next year. My idea was that if I get everything ready for next year I should be able to get a bumper crop and have a storage plan/system set out ready whereas this year we still have quite a few boxes, owen's shed isn't finished so I don't have a dining room just yet etc and my new freezer is in the process of being saved for. So fingers crossed by the time next year rolls around Ill be ready. Also the council here do compost bins fro £5 from their recycling depot so am enquiring about one of those and will see about a decent sized water butt and then I will have my own mini production line going basically. Also Benjamin is loving helping so hes getting educated too.

Plus a bonus is my neighbour A is a vegetarian and has decided that she is going to be growing her own potatoes next year and she has a bramble bush at the bottom of her garden so we can trade, and the other neighbour has offered to cook Owen a rhubarb crumble if I let her have some rhubarb too from the plant - I dont mind this though as a) shes lovely and b) I hate rhubarb with a passion! the smell turns my stomach so no way on this green earth am I trying it oh and c) I seem to have two rhubarb crowds in my pot . So Im getting there. Slowly.

Oh and does anyone know what to do with Mint? The last owner planted a plant and its now taking over the garden......and I have no idea what to do with it. Or if anyone needs any I will gladly send them some!

Bens room is done (although how clean it is is anyones guess! :eek:) Hollys room is done. Our room is.........well a room. My mattress is currently on the floor though because the side rail holding the slats in broke so rather than buy a new bed Owen is going to mend it.

So we are getting there. Right off to give minnie and monster breakfast.

Oh and just to REALLY age some of you who have known me since I first joined as the 'new to the world of adulthood at 19 with my little newborn baby boy'...... I turned 27 last week!!!!!! and just to really 'put the boot in' ..............my baby girl was 1 three days before that!

and just because I know it makes some of your days.....Here is her being her helpful self.

shelley_crow

Sammy, Holly looks like she's having a great time in the basket. My ds2 is almost 11 months old and he is really helpful in the laundry stakes, he loves unfolding everything he can get his hands on! The view from your back garden is stunning, you're so lucky.

Still looking into moving, I've found a lovely house in a stunning little village near Stratford Upon Avon. I've registered my interest and got everything crossed but I don't think it will come to everything, it's probably gone already. I've had enough of urban living. It's a nightmare moving with kids, DS1 would have to change schools but it's worth it in the long run.

I went to the cinema last night for the first time in ages to see Captain America, £6 a ticket plus free upgrade to the posh seats. I took in my own snack and drinks, so probably cost around £8 in all. The film was great but I am a comic book geek.

The sun has deserted us here in Worcestershire, I hope it's found some of you.

silvermaid

Well the big yellow ball has been playing ball here since 5:30. Put the washing out on the line by 6:30

ceridwen

Hiya Sammy

Reet - nice view there in the background.

The garden looks like it could be made to look pretty good. I assume that single storey building on the right-hand side is nothing to do with you? In that case - I guess you can deal with the amount of "view" thats been lost to it being built by putting up some attractive (and edible) plants to hide the bottom part at least of that building from view. I cant see clearly from the photo - but am guessing that maybe you could do some espaliered fruit trees along that wall or a fence in front of that wall or something? Maybe another fence along the bottom of your garden to hide that parked car - and put more attractive/edible stuff on that fence as well??

Glad you're settling in.

sammy_kaye18

shelley_crow wrote: »

The view from your back garden is stunning, you're so lucky.

I went to the cinema last night for the first time in ages to see Captain America, £6 a ticket plus free upgrade to the posh seats. I took in my own snack and drinks, so probably cost around £8 in all. The film was great but I am a comic book geek.

I know I went to the cinema last weekend to see Harry Potter and the deathly hallows part 2 - awesome by the way - would recommend - but Im a harry potter geek so I was landed and it was as a birthday treat fro me and a well done treat fro my nephew who despite having ADHD/Autism and Aspergers just got the best report in his class and passed all his SAT exams with a B grade or higher.


CERIDWEN

The garden looks like it could be made to look pretty good. I assume that single storey building on the right-hand side is nothing to do with you? In that case - I guess you can deal with the amount of "view" thats been lost to it being built by putting up some attractive (and edible) plants to hide the bottom part at least of that building from view.

Owen was going to build his shed along the bottom of the garden - its more a workshop/shed so fairly large - you can see foundations being laid in the photo - but once he met the neighbour who lives in the house (single story on the right) he gets along with him well and decided to befriend him and have coffee chats over the wall with him so think the wall will be getting a lick of paint and a few potted plants on the top. Although Owen has decided once his workshop is built he might put decking at that part of the garden with a BBQ so leaving that end very much to him.

I cant see clearly from the photo - but am guessing that maybe you could do some espaliered fruit trees along that wall or a fence in front of that wall or something?

as for the small wall to the right of the picture - I have the greenhouse blocking part of the way behind the bush thing and this is the view from the flat leaved plant/bin (see first picture) and facing back up towards the house.
Benjamins school is teaching him about recycling and since he has decided to become his own mini eco warrior, and eventually a zoo keeper he has taken it on as his chore to put rubbish out into the recycling so we currently in the kitchen have 3 boxes and one bag for various things - paper, plastics, food waste and the green box that plants are on is for tins/glass. Eventually Im hoping to line the boxes up here neatly for him to have his own mini recycling zone.

Strangley enough though we have decided to get an apple tree though.

Mrs_Veg_Plot

Great view sammykaye and Holly is beautiful.

Party for DD's 18th went really well last night. Just a bit of clearing up to do today. I did do most of it last night. Will not need to make anything for dinner or tea for at least the next two days as there are plenty of leftovers (non of which will go to waste).

Although we really could not afford it we did get her a laptop for her 18th ready for uni next year. Anyway during the party OH got a text from work telling him they have paid him some wages this into our account (for those of you who don't know he is on commission only and business is not good) and it covers about 3/4 of the cost of the lap top :j.

Off to see the new Harry Potter as a family treat as it is months since we did anything together outside of the home.

The sun is shining and it's a beautiful day here will try to get to the allotment for a couple of hours later today.

Hope you all have a good day.

Mrs VP

Gigervamp

Another grey day here.

Sammy Kaye it's been ages since I've seen you! Happy belated birthday to you and Holly. Your new home sounds great, nice neighbours, a decent sized garden and a nice view!
You know, we really ought to get together some time!

Mrs_Chip

Hi Sammi - lovely view! Mint is one of my favorite herbs, it is so versatile.

You can make a really nice tea with mint - pick a good bunch and give it a quick wash, bung it in a teapot a top up with boiling water. Leave it for five mins and drink as it comes - very refreshing and smells wonderful!

Or fresh mint sauce - lovely stirred into yoghurt to top kebabs or with rice or vegetables. Just chop the mint finely with a teaspoon of sugar, mix with vinegar - adjust the sugar/vinegar until it tastes sweet/sour. Keep it quite dry for adding to yoghurt, thinner for a sauce for lamb.

Use it whenever you make a green/tomato/onion salad - a few leaves chopped through really lifts the flavour.

claudiac_2

Mrs Chip - Thanks for the ideas for using mint. I have a bag of it my daughter brought for making Pimms, so if we don't use it all up making MORE Pimms I have some good uses for it!

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