The Tougher Thread continues.....

Gingermillie

Well I'm back from shopping with a freezer full of meat and veg for the rest of the week for the princely sum of £23. That leaves £12 in the kitty for veg and fruit next week as we're fully stocked up on dried food/tins so it looks like this month we have kept to the food budget (hooray!).
I'm sat in the garden, listening to the birds sing, the dog chewing his bone and the hum of traffic from the main road! Washing is on the line, OH is hoovering for me and a plane just went over my head shattering the illusion of peace.
Ho-hum, that's what you get in town I suppose.
Hugs to all that need them, I'm off to tackle the fridge full of sausages and try not to think of chaps.:eek:

GreyQueen

Hello again, lovely people.

I have returned from Land of Lottie, which is like Land of Leather but with less furniture - only deckchairs alas. I can report that my winter squash are glowing virulently in the golden sun as they harden on the vine.

At least, I am assuming they are winter squash as Turks Tubans tend to look like an alien life form at the best of times. And patty pans look like 1950s UFOs or particularly clunky pie crusts. Mind you, not being a more than slightly-competant cook on my better daze, I shouldn't mock. I have been known to make pastry from scratch which could double as dwarfish fighting bread. (If you read Terry Pratchett that last sentence may make sense. If you don't do Discworld, don't worry about it ).

Well, I have been forking away at a 3 foot tall pile of couch grass tufts, shaking out the earth and putting them to dry on my greenhouse staging. I indulged my pyromanical side last Saturday and intend to do some more later on, but not on a glorious day of sunshine and clear blue sky when people in the neighbourhood will have their washing out on the line. Last week it was cold, cloudy and drizzling so I figured a bonfire wouldn't be a problem and the wind was away from the houses, anyway. The tufts are intended to get as dry as possible to burn quickly and with minimal smoke.

I have found some more Early Neolithic flint tools, but this is a daily occurance on the lottie which used to be an Early Neo farmstead, according to the museum guys. If you pick your time right, you can go "backstage" and talk to the very knowledgeable mostly-volunteer workers. One time, they invited me to hold, in my very hands, a huge and magnificent Samian-ware serving dish. It was gorgeous; some Roman matron's pride and joy and here it was, when she'd been dust for nearly 2 millennia, in my careful and respectful mitts. And d'you know what? It could've been put in any designer kitchen shop and would've sold like hot cakes, I'll bet.

Well, I have been very very thrifty and the month is half gone and I am about to shake the moths from the wallet and head towards a NEW THINGS SHOP to look at slow-cookers. Yes, gentle readers, after 9 months of procrastination, I have succumbed to the allure of coming in to a hot meal after work.

Now, I'm going to wander off onto the rest of the OS board to see if there is such a thing as Slowcooker makes and models I have tried and liked, or something similar. If anyone knows and could point me in the right direction, I would be most grateful.

Thanking you already, GQ x

ETA Get well soon Hobson's Choice. And you're so right about the pegging out. Mum has been trying to train Dad for nearly 50 years and he still doesn't get it. Even I have demonstrated Correct Form and explained the reasoning; if you do it like this, this bit is still very damp when the rest is dry. Straight over his head. When Mum was in hospital a few years ago for 3 weeks, her neighbour who has a brill sense of humour drew the washing line as a cartoon and accompanied it with one of her funny poems, to take to Mum. They roared. Good job Mum wasn't in stitches, or she'd've bust them over that.

floss2

Frugalista wrote: »

...I am finding this new thread to be very friendly, upbeat and positive - (and it's great to see so many newbies posting - Hello to all newbies :wave:) - far nicer than the gloomy "Chicken Licken" "The Sky is About to Fall In" warnings.

So, if anybody is feeling at all "off-put" (for whatever reason) - please say so. I'm sure I speak for the majority when I tell you we want you on here posting and joining in.

After all, if nobody knows then we can't do anything to put it right for you :grouphug: .

Me too - I have to admit that I didn't really bother much with the old thread but I love this one

HariboJunkie wrote: »

...So can I please reiterate that this is a lovely thread and I think we are all enjoying the influx of new posters with all their tales to tell? No one is unwelcome, regular or delurker and the thread belongs to each and every poster who enjoys it.

:T Well said HJ

Pink-winged wrote: »

I agree. I personally don't like that custom either. I have instructed Mr Pink that I want no flowers at my funeral....apart from one last bouquet of red roses from him and the children. People have better things to spend their money on than sending me flowers when I'm not even alive to enjoy them.

I want DH & my DS's to each have a tree planted in my memory....DH says it will go a little way towards making up for my carbon footprint!

Just popped on to say I've been very good & cleaned the spare room out, Dysoned & mopped the floor in there and the bathroom, cleaned & polished the bathroom (including shower screen - a job I detest) and am now going to sneak some HM nectarine & raspberry ice-cream from the freezer before DH gets back from Anfield ;):D...I'm kidding myself that it is at least 1 portion of fruit, but that benefit maybe wiped out by the amount of YS double cream that went into it last night

Roast chuck for tea with leeks, tatties, parsnips & peas, followed by baked figs (:drool:) then chicken butties for lunch on our walk tomorrow.

Did a quick CS run earlier - spent more than I'd expected to but got a Boden spotted purple velvet dress, a Fat Face woollen jumper dress, a Fat Face tunic top, 3 poloneck sweaters (one long enough to go over leggings), a new fluffy dressing gown for the spare room, a new Per Una short tweed skirt and a couple of chick-lit books. Better go & put it all away before DH gets home! :rotfl:

charlies-aunt

Woo-hoo!! - Bought "like new" silver grey v necked long line jumper by Wallis in Brigg RSPCA CS - £2! What a spanking (fnarr-fnarr) bargain!!

floss2

GreyQueen wrote: »

...Well, I have been very very thrifty and the month is half gone and I am about to shake the moths from the wallet and head towards a NEW THINGS SHOP to look at slow-cookers. Yes, gentle readers, after 9 months of procrastination, I have succumbed to the allure of coming in to a hot meal after work.

Now, I'm going to wander off onto the rest of the OS board to see if there is such a thing as Slowcooker makes and models I have tried and liked, or something similar. If anyone knows and could point me in the right direction, I would be most grateful.

Thanking you already, GQ x

GQ, Asda had some in for £9 when I was buying stuff for DS2 to set up home with....they probably have them online too.

HariboJunkie

Grey Queen there are a few threads which may be of interest;

Buying a slow cooker (which? & why?)

slow cooker quick questions thread

Slow Cooker - The Recipe Collection

In my slow cooker today.... part 2

I have had an expensive SC whch broke (through overuse probably) and now have a smaller cheapie one so I really don't think there's much in it. There are some people who hate SC but I love coming in when I have a busy day to smell something yummy and ready to eat, though my new cooker has a SC function so am using that too.

Thank you to all who made lovely comments about the thread. :A You've cheered me up no end. I have made a lemon drizzle cake, blueberry and lemon cake and 18 oatmeal cookies to welcome the family home. They will be very late now as there has been another accident and the road is closed. Bloody horrible road.

GreyQueen

HariboJunkie wrote: »

Grey Queen there are a few threads which may be of interest;

Buying a slow cooker (which? & why?)

slow cooker quick questions thread

Slow Cooker - The Recipe Collection

In my slow cooker today.... part 2

I have had an expensive SC whch broke (through overuse probably) and now have a smaller cheapie one so I really don't think there's much in it. There are some people who hate SC but I love coming in when I have a busy day to smell something yummy and ready to eat, though my new cooker has a SC function so am using that too.

Thank you to all who made lovely comments about the thread. :A You've cheered me up no end. I have made a lemon drizzle cake, blueberry and lemon cake and 18 oatmeal cookies to welcome the family home. They will be very late now as there has been another accident and the road is closed. Bloody horrible road.

Thanks HJ, I found the Which&Why one and have been having a read. Think for my needs a 3.5 litre will be the right size, oval so I can stuff a chook or a brisket in there.

T'internet connection will go down shortly so I will peruse the Argos catalogue in paper form and possibly go into a department store to have a look at them in the "flesh". Cookworks ones seem to have plenty of fans, inc Pink, so I will deffo consider one of those.

Thanks for taking the time and I wish I was in your kitchen right now...nomnomnom.......

rosieben

HariboJunkie wrote: »

... I have made a lemon drizzle cake, blueberry and lemon cake and 18 oatmeal cookies ...

Just pass my slice of lemon drizzle over please, I'll eat it now

mrsmuggy

Thanks for the recipe for the pear jam softstuff and for your input too katieolwl on pear and ginger chutney,both sound great and i'm going to investigate.
On the topic of being offended about things,life is too short and like it has been said,skim read and if you don't like the topic don't read it.Things shouldn't be taken to heart as things always come across differently by text or email.
Think i'll go and look for some cake recipes with pears see what that brings up as well

greenbee

GQ - I have an oval 3.5l SC for precisely the same reason - I can boil a chicken in it and end up with lots of tender chicken meat and 3 pints of stock at the same time. Enjoy your shopping!