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

toottifrootti

hello

I found the thread while searching for something else and have read it from page 1 tonight:D
I am in awe and soooooooooooooo jealous of your allotments gardens and foraging. I am unfortunately unable to do anyof these things due to poor health but like everyone else still need to manage on as little as possible. I live on benefits.
I need to look at my spending and cooking - which I dont enjoy - thank goodness its only me!
someone takes me shopping once a week so we dont get the chance of many whoopsies so will be watching for your other ideas to see what I can improvise on.
I do like charity shop browsing and fortunately so does my carer but we dont always have time - I get out a little on my own in an electric wheelchair but its hard work in some of the places.
I hope you wont mid if I pop in and join you - there are 1 or 2 that I know already ( Hi Hex:D)

softstuff what about writing recipes that people can buy online - download - or submit them to online sites-like blog sites or magazine sites- i know someone who does that.

on the subject of storage jars - we have a new sweetie shop that sells everything loose - I needed a couple of jars for something else and the owner was pleased to give me them for free - they are plastic and have wide mouths so great for filling with lots of different stuff - i might go back and try and buy some from him this time.

smileyt could you tell where you got your alarm pad - that sounds like it might work for me

thanks for the info about strawberry runners

taurusgb hope you will soon be on the mend - chin up honey - I know how you feel a bit - I go into hospital every 6 weeks for a week and it is so frustrating when you know there are things you should be/ want to be doing:(

its ben the most relaxing sunday evening I have had in ages:D thank yo for all your posts:T

toots

CRANKY40

ChocClare wrote: »

Oh, and there's quite a few chives there too. Suggestions for those also gratefully received!

I've gone off our garden chives since I saw the cat chewing them. I bought a pot from asda for 50p instead - they last ages in the fridge.

stiltwalker

scottishminnie, I too use Delia's recipe but double it to get 10 scones, I like a good sized scone and think 8 out of 225g of flour makes diddy ones. I also add a good handful (and I have big hands) of sultanas and use just enough ordinary milk to bring the mix together rather than using a set amount of buttermilk, how much you will need will depend on the weather and on the flour. The key with scones is to handle as little as possible and don't twist the cutter. I used to run a Yorkshire Dales tearoom until I left work to have DD so I have made a lot of scones over the years!

Just done a huge pile of ironing and still got more to do, I've been putting it off for a few days and boy does it pile up with 2 littlies and an OH - I keep threatening them with making us all turn naturist! but TBH we aren't really having the summer for it!! LOL

This place can be dangerous to the finances, saw a link on another thread to www.bananas.co.uk which is where the book people sell off their end of stock stuff yesterday and managed to spend £25 but that does cover about 7 birthday and christmas pressies so I'm actually pretty pleased with myself also ordered a couple of new cookery books for myself to add to my already vast collection. It's my major weakness, but given a career in catering it's no suprise really and my family appreciate the results.

Will be trawling the collection for recipes in the next couple of days as got 2 family meals coming up, cooking for OH's parents next weekend for their 50th wedding anniversary and then the whole family the week after. Will get to splurge a bit on ingredients too as it's such a special occasion - yay nothing makes my chef's heart sing more!

ceridwen

Hi Tootifrooti

Welcome to the thread.

I doubt any of us can do everything we would like on the Old Style front - I know I cant - darn it...

We all have different circumstances and do what we can in OUR circumstances.

It may be that we have people following us who "work every hour God sends" AND have to live somewhere that hasnt got so much as a balcony to bless themselves with in the way of garden space. But - even then - they might be able to find a way to do a little bit of OS'ing (if nothing like as much as the ideal circumstances - of not having to do a job/having good health and a big garden and a good choice of shops nearby).

Probably most of us fall somewhere between the working loadsa hours/no garden scenario and the Ideal Circumstances scenario - and do what we can with what resources we have to hand.

3v3

I am very excited this morning and for the simpliest of reasons! :rotfl: I've just been out to feed the fish and noticed ... two nuts on my contorted hazel :j I bought it a year ago when it was greatly reduced in price; popped it into a decorative pot near the fish pond until I could decide where to dig it in. Clever little thing has rewarded me (either that, or it's hinting "Please, please give me a permanent home and I'll give you even more!" ). Such a lovely surprise because I really didn't expect any! Just need to make sure I get to them before the squirrels do

Ah, the simple pleasures in life

GreyQueen

Morning all, I was playing in the dirt again yesterday, decided to have a go at getting some of the spuds up.

I planted 3 nets (2.5 kg a net) and this adds up to one main spud patch and a wee side patch on another part of the lottie. I usually have family help to lift the tatties but this year that looks like it's not going to be able to come at the right time, so I'm going at it piecemeal. Really the only way I can handle physical labour is a wee bit at a time.

Took up two rows of spuds and allowed them to repose on the surface for a few hours whilst I did other things; gloved-up for the nettles and thistles and started to tackle the brambles which come over from the lottie back-to-back with mine. Nettles also from same source. I normally let them come over as they are a little extra anti-burglary devices around the back of the shed but will need to get around there at some point in the next few weeks to get at the shed for wood preservative purposes.

I have some humungous potatoes and nearly burst with pride when a lottie neighbour came by and admired them. Most are afflicted with common scab so look a little less lovely than they might but it doesn't affect the eating quality. As they didn't quite dry out completely (soil was wet from yesterday's heavy rain) I have left them on newspaper on shed floor, covered with more paper against the light, until after wrok. Will have to put the fork-spiked ones to one side for immediate consumption but the rest will be stored and should see me around to next season, with an eye kept that they don't sprout.

I was pretty surprised that they were so big as this part of England had burger-all rain from Feb to June and I gave them no water whatsoever, although the soil was well-prepped with organic material. Shows you that you shouldn't give up toooo early.

I then picked a carrier bag full of French beans. I'm growing a variety called Sungold which should really be called Pale Lemon Yellow. I don't think I'll grow them again; taste is fine but I find the colur vaguely upsetting, it just doesn't look healthy. Not just me who's a bit disturbed by them as I had questions from a couple of pals to whom I'd given seedlings as to what was the matter with them; I had said that they were a yellow-podded variety but people had forgotten and were expecting green ones.

I'd decided that if I put things into small freezer bags I could put more stuff into my counter-top freezer and proceeded to shoe-horn another 3.5 lb of French beans into there, finishing late at night. I have had my housework hat on this weekend, and have even mended stuff.

Plus I have converted 3 prs of unmentionables into cleaning cloths so I'm not mentioning them, OK?

Charis I had a quick thought about water meters which I wondered might be of some use to you and perhaps others? When you set up a water account at my provider (not the same as yours) they put you on a standard tariff which includes a standing charge for the privilege of being connected. They do have another, cheaper tariff suitable for low-users, which doesn't have this standing charge but they don't volunteer the information. For me, as a single householder, I'm paying 21p a day on this tariff. HTH.

Right, must go and put self into some of that water.

:j Hello, newly-delurked ones. Good to see you and I hope more of you come out to play, too.

Kittikins

Thanks for the link to the bananas website, very interesting

cat_smith

Hi toots. Welcome fellow flylady. This place is great - and a good excuse to procrastinate

Slinks off to check todays list.

weeze210

3v3 wrote: »

weeze - did it work ok for you? The right "thickness"? My family prefer a thicker "mop it up with bread" type gravy Well done!

Gravy was lovely, the tiny bit left in the pan was also demolished by hubby as soon as he saw there was left overs in the kitchen after tea!

Weeze x

scottishminnie

stiltwalker wrote: »

scottishminnie, I too use Delia's recipe but double it to get 10 scones, I like a good sized scone and think 8 out of 225g of flour makes diddy ones. I also add a good handful (and I have big hands) of sultanas and use just enough ordinary milk to bring the mix together rather than using a set amount of buttermilk, how much you will need will depend on the weather and on the flour. The key with scones is to handle as little as possible and don't twist the cutter. I used to run a Yorkshire Dales tearoom until I left work to have DD so I have made a lot of scones over the years!

Thanks for that Stiltwalker. I may try them without buttermilk first as I'd been thinking what I would do with the leftover. I also suspected the scones were a little smaller than I'm used to so was planning to double it and make bigger ones. I like cherry scones so will probably add some some, although I should probably just get the basics right first:D