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

kersplatt

Morning all

Thank you for the welcome, I hope to be around frequently. I've applied for 2 permanent full time positions this morning already. hings are getting tight with budget cuts in the NHS and I suspect that soon it won't matter how much experience you have, there will be a shortage of posts available so I need to get in and find a post asap. I've been busy working out how much I should earn and how much it will cost me in childcare - sometimes it really isn't worth working fulltime when I end up paying £9 an hour in childcare I end up with about 50 pence an hour after tax etc

I'm planning a trip to the 99p shop later to get more eggs for baking. I'm about to throw a weetabix cake in the oven - the kids love it toasted for breakfast. They want to go to the park later so I'm hoping I can distract them with some hedgerow foraging whilst we're out if the weather stays nice. Other than that, the joy of hanging out and doing more laundry awaits me - I can hardly contain my excitement!!!

kersplatt

Oh and a book recommendation which I heard abiout some weeks back on the food programme on Radio 4 - Meat: a benign extravagance by Simon Fairlie. I've only just got through the first chapter and it is very interesting to say the least.

Linky
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Meat-benign-extravagance-Simon-Fairlie/dp/1856230554/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312791397&sr=1-1

ceridwen

Good news for those who have been waiting for it to be possible to buy pressure canners in Britain in the following:

www.cottagesmallholder.com/you-can-buy-a-pressure-canner-in-the-uk-7434

:T

and a Good News story for the day (that I see as linked):

www.americanprofile.com/articles/south-carolina-girl-gardens-to-help-hungry/

VJsmum

Mornin all - i am back from me hols with a whole shiny thread to catch up with (won't bother to catch up on others but this one is a must)

I have been to Sweden and Denmark. Beautifully warm weather - in fact the further north we went the nicer the weather (i have had much worse weather than that in the south of france this time of year).

We took our caravan so drove a long way - after the force 8 gale we crossed the north sea in :eek: Things aren't as expensive as you might think in those countries - about the same as here in most cases. Except alcohol :eek: You can't buy alcohol in supermarkets except for very weak beer - anything else, in Sweden, has to be bought from state run off licences which aren't open much. So in fact we didn't drink much. Having the caravan means that we don't have to eat out much and in fact there's nothing nicer than cooking something outdoors and eating it with a view of a beautiful blue lake surrounded by trees in the very light evenings. Bliss.....

Ah well back to reality. The garden seems to have survived tho it is a mess, i have runner beans, a couple of peppers (100% increase on previous ), a couple of courgettes and tomatoes. Stupidly bought potatoes on the way home yesterday forgetting I had zillions in bags on the patio.

Visited a viking living museum in Sweden - literally "living" as the people live like vikings even when visitors have gone. You can't get more OS than that! Was surprised there were no crops growing tho or no animals except for a few chickens. Lots of furs on the beds and chairs for warmth and all chores done with rudimentary tools such as a foot operated lathe (we will draw a veil over the plastic hose pipe and shiny padlock :rotfl:)

I don't fancy it though - specially in Sweden, bloody freezing in winter!

catznine

Morning!

So pleased I live outside of the London area! Thankfully we resisted the urge to go visit the kids this weekend as the route (in the car) takes us through Walthamstow and Tottenham:eek: Shocking behaviour and very worrying sign of the times! We drove through those areas last weekend though and all was well, no sign of what was to come! I really feel for the innocent folk caught up in it all and now without homes and/or livelihoods!

I finally managed to convice dh to come with me to our local car boot sale and as I had a list of things I was looking for, (so at least looked organised:rotfl:) I succeeded! Managed to get a small 2 drawer pine chest (£6 and very strong) for the small gap in our hallway so can now store all the gloves, scarves and hats where we can find them, also the yak trax type things I have stored away. Also got a coolbag full of orange melaware for picnics for only £3, all has cleaned up really well! Going to use this for our motorway journeys when we visit our family up north and in Wales! So fed up with the prices the motorway services charge for a coffee and snack!

I'm really starting to feel that by "sweating the small stuff" and working out ways of solving these problems I am feeling more in control and less likely to panic! Next thing to work on is out electricity and gas usage. Things are tight here at the moment but only as a result of huge expenses so far this year, hopefully all has calmed down and we can regain a bit of ground again.

I have some extra hours (holiday cover) coming up and will try to pop that back into the almost empty savings pot. Some of my hkeeping money has gone on a couple of approved foods orders, one for me and one for my big sis, it should help keep her going by putting something on her pantry shelves, she lives in a tiny village in south wales, no local shop and buses every 4 hours only!

Mrs_Veg_Plot

Morning all

This is the first day of my holiday leave and is has got off to a good start. Managed to sleep in until 7.30 which is usually unheard of. Had a mini pamper session in the shower and now have lovely soft feet. Have filled in several surveys whilst having breakfast and a brew.

Have decided to autumn clean down stairs today. Will start with the living room followed by the hall dining room and kitchen. The plan is to declutter all cupboards as I go. I am also going to wash the paintwork down. Dreading what I might find behind the TV it is a while since I ventured behind it to clean. Have got lots of odds and ends of cleaning products under the kitchen sink that I will use up.

I suppose I really ought to start soon or nothing will get done as I am feeling remarkably chilled at the moment.

Rosanna79

Kersplatt
So sorry to hear of your dilemma. Just had to post in support. Although retired from a long nursing career I do feel for you in the current situation. It is such a demanding job and with a young family as well to face such a financial mess through what appears to have been a series of 'progressive revelations' must feel overwhelming. It's tough enough when there are 2 of you to pull together in hard times so I just wanted to wish you every possible bit of good luck in your job hunt. With the folk on this forum you won't be alone. They're a great support.

Container Gardening
We 'grow our own' in a what is really a suburban garden attached to a 1930s semi. Due to my mobility problems and history of bad falls - now thankfully vastly improved, OH built a series of raised beds, fruit cage etc etc with concrete paths that enable me to garden safely. He is always trying to improve things and create better use of space.

So this year we agreed that growing potatoes in collapsable 'tubs'- the sort of containers one can use for garden rubbish- along the side return of the house as it is too narrow for cars to get into the garage. We have a large locked gate so the space is completely secure and so far has proved very productive if a bit windy at times for the haulm. OH being the problem solving whizz he is has secured the pots etc so this has stopped being a problem.

However the one concern we cannot seem to solve despite extensive asking gardening friends or the internet is- Is it possible to recycle /rejuvenate spent compost? Considerable quantities have been used and it becomes too expensive to keep buying vast quantities of compost each year. We do have 2 compost bins as well which seem to take ages to break down despite following what seems to be best practice.

I do remember watching a wartime kitchen garden series when the old soil / compost was sterilised somwhow and with the addition of well rotted manure etc seemed to be reused?

I'd really like to hear other posters ' ideas. We do rejuvenate other tubs / containers especially a cast iron bath which yields hundreds of spring onions each year. Trouble with the potaoes is we have to tip out the whole tub to get at the taties. We always throw out the haulm into the brown wheelie.

Living in Lincolnshire it's probably cheaper just to buy and yet we both love harvesting our own. It's the nearest thing to a sense of self sufficiency one gets living in the suburbs! What are others doing?

Gigervamp

I remember that Rosanna. It was heated somehow I believe, but don't remember how exactly.

ChocClare

scottishminnie, you can make your own buttermilk by putting a tablespoon of vinegar into a cup measure (250ml) and filling up to the top with ordinary milk. Let it stand for 5 minutes and then use it in your recipe.

ChocClare

ceridwen wrote: »

Good news for those who have been waiting for it to be possible to buy pressure canners in Britain in the following:

www.cottagesmallholder.com/you-can-buy-a-pressure-canner-in-the-uk-7434

Snap, ceridwen, I just saw that on cottage smallholder too!

Still HUGELY expensive though