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

GreyQueen

taurusgb wrote: »

GreyQueen loved reading your posts about your holday and newly learned skills.....I'll try not to blame you if the laughter you inspre causes my spleen to rupture :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Oh, hun, I'm glad I'm making you laugh but please don't rupture your spleen over it; I'd feel guilty til the end of my days.....

((Hugs)) to everyone who is soldiering on with health problems in themselves and their loved ones (inc loved chickens and pets). You all amaze me with your humour and resilience and I really missed the thread when I was living in the woods with the mad bushcrafters.

Gosh, but I hit the wall with the incessant rain and the mud last Wednesday and would've run away from the forest but we were several miles off-road on identical-looking tracks and I didn't know the way back to my hire car........seriously, it was tough,what with only pigeon pie and a warped sense of humour to keep me going.

I'm still whacked out from driving back on Sunday and slowly trying to get myself organised. Love the idea of the holiday troll; my luggage has been disembowelled by him and is spread all over the living room; there is a floor under there somewhere but if demmed if I can see it. Can't even imagine what the lottie is doing but will have to sharpen the machete to reach the shed, I suspect.

Oooff, must crack on, need to get a lot more sleep somehow.......hjave a good aft and eve, everyone.

shellysue

has anyone tried solar indoor lights like the Sunnan table lamp from Ikea?? :think:

I am not sure how well they would work in winter, but they might charge up from a light being on during the day.

Red_Doe

Used my HM mince pie and mash from the freezer today, it was pretty good so will be making more of it in the future to stock up for the coming cold months.
If anyone can point me in the direction of how to use haricot beans in recipes that'd be greatly appreciated (the dried kind)
Still knitting two needle socks, they're coming on nicely, just got the dreaded heel turning to do soon. They are both knitted at the same time.
And soon will make a curtain for the door-that-won't-stay-shut-and-is-wedged-shut-with-two-bits-of-wood. Will use a space blanket to line it and hope that keeps the chill out.

HariboJunkie

Taurus it's lovely to see you. I hope you get good news from the consultant. x

Frugalista I have never kept coriander successfully. It turns to slime in the freezer _pale_. I tend to just use it in dishes and freeze the finished article.

Red Doe I use haricot beans in any stews or soups you would normally put beans in. We're having sausage casserole tonight with haricots and kidney beans added. Just soak them as you would most dried beans.

Mardatha your hens are probably just on strike :cool:. Would you lay an egg in this weather? :eek::D I'm trying to remmeber how old they are but I think this is their first winter so they may go off the lay a little bit in December/January but Black Rocks do lay nearly all year round. We went from 4 eggs from 4 hens to 2/3 eggs from 4 hens in the depths of last winter. Ours didn't lay on Monday this week in protest at the wind and rain but there were four yesterday and today again.

Thanks for all the lovely pms. :A I am nearly finished all my jobs and promise to rest up this evening. ;):o

ceridwen

maryb wrote: »

To be fair, the Institute of Fiscal Studies is generally more in tune with Labour than the Tories, although they are not affiliated to any party. But they tend to be dominated by left/liberal leaning thinkers. In the past you could work out what Labour's tax policies were going to be by looking at the most recent IFS think tank report.

This is just a think tank report, NOT a government/civil service commisioned one, and they recognise themselves that there would be political difficulties in doing what they suggest - it's just that it would be more coherent. Along with moving to indirect taxation on expenditure they would simultaneously reduce taxes on income. Cynical moi thinks, yeah, right, but it is true that merging National Insurance and Income tax and hugely increasing personal allowances would make income tax more genuinely progressive. There are lots of 'steps' in the system at the moment when the extra tax and NI you pay if you get a bit more income and move to another band means you are paying a huge effective rate of tax on that extra slice - more even than those of the rich who do pay UK tax .

And while you may not be paying VAT on food at present, every time they raise employer's National Insurance costs, Mr T, Mr S et al immediately pass that cost on in higher prices - so you are effectively paying tax on the food you buy

Well - one of the things that concerned me is - yet another...:( - mention re the tax levied on owning a house (currently called Council Tax) and maybe revaluing it in accordance with present day value of house:
a. How would they propose to deal with the fact that our housing costs vary so widely according to what part of the country we are in (I could buy 3 houses like mine in some parts of the country - but only half of one like mine in the most expensive parts of all for instance).

b. Its absolutely wrong to base the "house tax" on the value of the house (or the number of people living in it - but thats another thing altogether). It needs to be based on income per adult pure and simple (£x for one "earner"/twice that for 2 "earners" etc). There must be many people who live in a mid price range house - but only have low-level income and most of them would have no intention whatsoever of moving downmarket because their income is too low to cope with covering a middle level "house tax" if they could see perfectly well that they were only living in a perfectly ordinary level house (ie not luxury by any reasonable persons standards by any means). That worries me - as I still hope to move at some point to a "middle level house" - and if I get there I simply won't be moving again ever no matter what and I'm sure there must be plenty of others who feel exactly the same and have made the same decision.

Kleopatra

Red_Doe wrote: »

If anyone can point me in the direction of how to use haricot beans in recipes that'd be greatly appreciated (the dried kind)

I usually soak them, cook them and freeze them. They are then ready to add to soups, stews and salads etc as required.

If I make 'baked beans' I cook these in the slow cooker and freeze in portions.

Treat all beans that need soaking and lengthy cooking the same, chick peas etc so there are always some ready for hoummus, pate or to bulk out a meal.

shegar

mardatha wrote: »

Not had time to read all posts properly. Smiley our new stove will take 3-4 weeks, and oh boy will I be glad when it's in. I love coal fired central heating and miss it SO much. Now I know what some of you go through on here, wearing jumpers and socks and fleeces. Bleuch.
Am worried about my wee hens too Smiley - they have stopped laying. Just stopped dead, both of them. I hope its the daylight hours reducing and nothing sinister. The wee things have been sodden, soaked and battered around the pen by gales for weeks - is a wonder they're still clinging onto life out there !
Feeling smug today - found layers mash £2 cheaper in a different farm supply shop and also got my sack of tatties at only £5.10 !! ;);)

I bet my bottom dollar(where did that saying come from) that your hens are stressed due to the cold wet weather and thats the reason they go off lay...................if you can keep them dry then they will start laying again, I was told years ago when I first started out keeping hens "always keep their feet dry because they will not sit to lay with wet and muddy feet,my hens are in a covered pen 16x16 when its too wet and they lay everyday....................ive just collected 31 eggs out of 33 hens:D, so girl cover them over to get them back on lay..............

charlies-aunt

GreyQueen wrote: »

I grew up in a household of fixers, too, and it was an abiding childhood memory to come home and find Mum in the kitchen with either our single-tub washer or the spindryer horizontal over a couple of chairs having a new drive-belt or whatever.

Happy childhood memories for these HM fix-its too . . . . my dear old dad could fix just about anything, although in pin the past parts were metal and it was a lot easier to do either a good d-i-y replacement or a less cosmetically attractive "I've-bodged-it-myself"!

No-one ever brought a brush - you bought replacement shafts or infrequently a new head but buying a whole brush was unusual

Nowadays, living out in the sticks - we have problems getting tradesmen in to do little jobs as they don't want to travel out of town so we have taught ourselves to fix pretty much [STRIKE] fix [/STRIKE] bodge most things with 'No More Nails', glue gun, bailer binding, duct tape and old wire coat hangers. :rotfl: All our clothing is worn until it is completely beyond wearing - tops, skirts and trousers periodically revamped on my trusty sewing machine - if it can't be washed in the washer, I don't buy it as the nearest dry cleaner is miles away.

Visit to the MS consultant last Monday - he is undecided what the abnormalities on the scans are - maybe MS or maybe "something completely different". . . . have had further blood tests, waiting for electric nerve tests, further MRI scans and... deep joy....a lumbar puncture :eek:

Had to admit defeat on the courgette front this morning, DH took large basket of courgettes into work - just could not face eating, blanching or freezing any more this week. If only £5 notes grew as well as courgettes do :rotfl:

Outdoor cherry tomatoes beginning to ripen at long last and picked approx 1lb this morning. I am going to be very selfish and eat them all ourselves though - beautifully sweet

On the job front, I shall be hanging up my headset at the Call Centre on Friday as I start a new job on Monday as a Welfare Officer with the same company - looking forward to it a change of scene as much as anything

ceridwen

charlies-aunt wrote: »

On the job front, I shall be hanging up my headset at the Call Centre on Friday as I start a new job on Monday as a Welfare Officer with the same company - looking forward to it a change of scene as much as anything

:T:beer::T:beer:

CONGRATULATIONS!:D:D

Good - thats a little niggle resolved in my mind. I wasnt happy seeing you doing this type of job and had mentally "notched it up" as "Hope she gets a better one some time"....and now you have....:D:D:T:D:D

So - GOOD - and pleased about that.

Hope it goes well for you.

rachbc

Mardatha my hens are stuff laying - they are covered so could be something in it - we are not so wild and wooly as you though in suburban Yorkshire. They are definately going to bed earlier though so I am expecting egg production to ease off soon as they wind down for winter - my black rock is the most fragile of all my 3 though I suspect hat is her rather than the breed.

I do any beans that don;t need a fast boil in the sc overnight - no need to soak just cover in plenty of water , flick on a leave! Have a bag of haricot to make hm baked beans with when I remember to buy a ham hock - will do them in the sc too.

great news on the job Charlies Aunt

Oh and Haribo Junkie - me too ;-) insert am I bovvered smiley