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

THIRZAH

I can remember the cold winter of 1962/3 and my father sitting at the kitchen window with his gun shooting the pigeons who were attacking the brussel sprouts-he'd probably be arrested if he tried that now!

crumblepie

I feel like I've woken up in autumn over the past week or so. I even had to grab a big jumper last night as I felt it was a bit cold.

I've been knitting socks on and off for months so my toes will be toasty. This year I couldn't find bargain sale wool so I had to buy on offer wool which is proper wool/nylon mix. The odd bits I have over are being made into a lap rug. It'll look a bit strange but warm with a multitude of different odd bits to it.

My slightly mad but very very sensible idea I had this week was to do a Tesco online shop. I don't drive and every year I try and do the whole add a couple of things every week to stock up, even more so as I think we'll have a few weeks of snow like last year. But I find it difficult to carry heavy and bulky things... I looked online and Tesco could deliver for less than it costs me to get a return bus ticket to town.... I went into thoughtful mode, grabbed my credit card and spent £80!:eek: (there's me and a fat cat). In my defense and in full OS ways I did buy an awful lot, lots of tins, cat food, more tins, loo rolls, more tins, washing powder.. I had to clear out my dresser in the living room to make space for everything. After telling my friend what I'd done they said it was a fab idea and next time we'd go halves on the delivery cost and get everything delivered to one house and split costs on the offers etc.

VJsmum

I haven't tried the lamps - i never seem to sit still long enough in one place for it to have an effect (perhaps that is part of the problem). It might be a solution because, thinking about it, i have been much worse since eco light bulbs were all we use, and they just aren't as bright!

My friend bought me one of those daylight alarm clocks but i am not sure that works either.

I also started running in the middle of last winter which gets me out and is exercise. I think that might have had an effect. I am going to monitor it more this year.

Still haven't been blackberrying - had to take DD to the pictures - not very MSE!

kate1974

HariboJunkie wrote: »

I'm in Scotlandshire.

Oh thanks!
A little bit far away from me!

kidcat

Still no blackberries here and the weather has definitely taken a turn for the worse it has rained for three days straight now and the washing is piling high - I am determined not to use the dryer in the middle of August and there is very limited indoor drying space - I am considering buying an old fashioned pulley thing (my nan had one in her kitchen) to go at the top of the stairs - but am concerned that it will be yet another danger point for DS so am still considering my options. Occ therapy were out yesterday and they are measuring his room to consider having adaptions made to make it fully safe - the theory being that it will allow me time to rest if I know there is one area of the house that is totally safe - apparently it will cost almost £20000:eek: but she thinks we can get soem help towards the cost:eek: so its definitely a project thats a long way off.
Although the idea of a full nights sleep is very appealing the money is simply unobtainable at this time - but if she can say what we need to contribute then we can set saving goals.


ETA - Pigeons - solution buy a cat. We used to live near an old church with a pigeon problem - within twelve months the population halved and within two years alot had simply moved on.
Other ways include getting a bird of prey to fly over on occassion - we paid a guy with birds to use the building I was working in as his flight path and that kept numbers right down too.

Cheapskate

Hello everyone, another serial lurker de-lurking!

It's taken me a week to get through the whole thread :eek: but I was determined to read the whole lot!

All the OS things I planned for this year didn't happen for one reason or another, but as our TC will reduce drastically in September I'm trying to get on top of things now, especially as I suspect this winter will be bad, and not just the weather. The only things edible we have are a shed-load of brambles, plus loads more across the village that hardly any one else seems to use, 2 dessert apples on my very new tree (only 3 years old!), possibly a few garlic bulbs, half a dozen strawberries and some weedy parsley! I have some potatoes to plant for Christmas, and will sow some more herbs to grow on the kitchen windowsill. Think I might make tons of jam and barter with friends who DID manage to grow veg. DSis MiL has loads of cooking apples, too, and I may be getting a fair few, so will swap her for a jar of jam. Also found a huge source of sloes, so will be out there in a few weeks. Sloe gin and bramble vodka for a few Christmas presents at least!

Like others, I've been smelling autumn for the last week or so (genes from several generations of seafaring men!:rotfl:) but DH thinks I'm daft.
He won't be laughing when the house is warmer, we have tons of lovely things frozen, turned into jam or whatever and we're paying a bit less for gas/leccy!

I'm way behind you lot with all sorts of preparation, BD has a nasty habit of snapping at my heels just as I start planning or doing major things, but I'm trying hard to keep up with you all on this thread and a couple of others - kick me up the b*m if I start to moan! :rotfl:

A xo

greent

I have loved this thread in its many guises over the past few months. What drives me to leave it occasionally is the strong opinions of some posters - they appear to feel their opinion is "the" opinion (:p;)) and can post criticisms, yet are the first to attack others for posting criticisms of their views. They can also wander frrely off topic yet criticise others for doing so.

The 'ignore' button has been my saving grace to get past this - I would suggest others may wish to make use of this facility so that they can continue to read this thread without getting frustrated/ angry etc.. :D

Keeping back to OS/ and 'it's tough' issues, I see Eon are also increasing their prices wef September

On a stockpiling note, TEsco have Kohinoor basmati rice (Gold range, I think) at £7/ 5kg - or 2 bags for £10, so £1 per kg. Good quality rice in reasonable sized bags (I find 10 and 20kg bags too large to have open). They also have 5kg bags of red lentils at around £5.29 per bag - just over £1/ Kg. I now have 40kg of basmati rice in my garage...

We went blackberrying yesterday - you could see that people had already been tehre on some of the bushes. That's the first time I've noticed it in teh 4 years I've been picking there. However, there were still plenty left, so we have a large bag of them now frozen and will revisit the walk again when we're back from Devon in 10 days time. Sloes were also around, and masses of rosehips - not that I'm interested in either of those, though..

Need to go through my fridge tomorrow to ensure anything fresh which will not be used before we go away gets frozen so that nothing is wasted... I used to give my fridge contents away when we went away - no longer, I freeze it instead

Lavandula

Frugal_Dreamer wrote: »

kittie wrote: »

I find your response very patronizing. I have understood fully what everyone has said on the topic and I am not sticking up for the thief in anyway. My only point is that 'poisoning' a thief to get back at them is the wrong path to take. My view is different to yours but there is no reason to belittle my view or get personal.

I shall not respond further and shall unsubscribe from the thread.

I very rarely post but please stay...you are entitled to your opinion..so let's get back to OS stuff!

redlady_1

Well, cassettes are in my garage (remember T'pau anyone??!) and obviously I have FK who stares at them through the window acting like hannibal, "Ciante anyone?" ( there are loads of cats in the area). But these pigeons are dead cocky! They will quite happily sit on the fence and stare at you, only flying to the next fence post...waiting....

I am liking the bird of prey option though. Al the cabbages have been stripped through the netting and the brussels are going the same way

Red_Doe

VJsmum wrote: »

I haven't tried the lamps - i never seem to sit still long enough in one place for it to have an effect (perhaps that is part of the problem). It might be a solution because, thinking about it, i have been much worse since eco light bulbs were all we use, and they just aren't as bright!

My friend bought me one of those daylight alarm clocks but i am not sure that works either.

I also started running in the middle of last winter which gets me out and is exercise. I think that might have had an effect. I am going to monitor it more this year.

Still haven't been blackberrying - had to take DD to the pictures - not very MSE!

'They' do say that we generally lack vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin ) but they don't take into account that getting outdoors in winter sunshine can be almost impossible when the days are grey after grey after grey....
But I do think that getting outdoors does boost something, I always feel a bit better if I get out for a walk or garden work so long as it doesn't mean I go back indoors perishingly cold and with my nose dripping
Redlady, we may have the same cassettes
Could you keep the netting a little bit more away from the veg? Maybe using sticks to hold them off? Re birds of prey, I seem to remember you can buy plastic models of them to attach to a fencepost, that might work.