A new 'tougher' thread... and so it continues

SDG31000

Morning All

The weather is Leicester could be worse, but it is still rather grey. My friend is cycling from Leicester to Skegness toay to raise money for East Midlands Air Ambulance Service, so fingers crossed it stays dry.

I've decided to adopt a Pollyanna approach, or failing that, an Ostrich one and try to ignore all the cr*p. As long as I can still have a rant at the price rises in the supermarket then I should be ok.
I really don't know how you all do it, my shopping bill for a week is what some of you spent in a month. Having three gannets in the house who have to have meat with every meal is what sends my bills up. Add on feeding friends every two weeks and I've given up hope of ever reducing the bills. I did get lots of veg for between 7p and 15p in Mr T's yesterday so that helps a bit.

I brought tons of food thinking I was going to be feeding the masses again tonight, but it's down to 3 guests instead of the 9 I was expecting. So if anyone wants to come to dinner tonight just let me know. I'm making spicy pulled pork, ( 6 hours in the oven :eek: ), to go into wraps with homemade coleslaw, spicy rice and roasted peppers and mushrooms. Then mini pavlovas with roasted rhubarb and rhubarb syrup and Nigella's choc mousse made with marshmallows instead of eggs. I've never made it before so I hope it works. There is also 4 sorts of ice cream if anyone is still peckish.

If anyone wants a garden to plant stuff in then mine is going spare. It's not that big, but I promise not to even look at any plants so as not to curse them.

Right I suppose I had better get on and sort out all the laundry that is taking over downstairs.........Oh what a glamourous life I lead :rotfl:

Take care everyone xxxx

lucielle

Wow that sounds a fab menu. I saw a recipe for pulled pork in womans weekly, but was more tempted by the lamb cobbler thing. Hope your meal goes well.
L

bonnie_bumpkins

A question for you wise people please

I have asparagus in my veg box this week (not a euphemism) :cool: I've washed it and snapped off the ends where it naturally snaps to leave the woody ends - is there anything useful that can be done with these ends??

Mardatha I'm sorry to hear about your hens Also shocked, as a southern softie, to hear that nothing is growing in your beds, not even weeds :eek: and your comment about famine and starvation has really made me think. My plants, weeds and self-seeding trees have all been growing like crazy. What a difference in 500 odd miles.

As well as a reasonable food stock, I have been [STRIKE]hoarding in a paranoid manner[/STRIKE] building up a supply of bottled water(18p each for a 2 litre bottle Mr T or Mr S value range) as it's a lack of water that's concerning me here in the SE. I've got 50 bottles. Is anyone else doing this? I feel weird now

lizzyb1812

You can make asparagus soup with the stalks apparently - just google "asparagus stalk soup".

prepareathome

Hi everyone, not posted here for a bit as I felt I was only coming onto moan and grown and knew you must be getting fed up, so just been reading and did post on the 'No T word mentioned' about my attempts at growing. Most of my seedlings are in the ground now and although they did grow in the pots they have not done so since being put in their permanent beds - but then I had a double layer of fleece over the pots where as on the beds its just one fleece tunnel, so thinking maybe of actually putting putting two tunnels together to double it. Apart from my flowering bulbs and a couple of shrubs in pots in the front everything is under fleece, garden looks more white than anything else. Oh sorry fruit bushes are not under fleece and most are very slowly growing - they are all new put in during winter except gooseberry plants, both of these still look like multi-spiked wood, not a glimmer of life on them at all.

I bought a grow house last week ( glad I did this before son told me his woes and also laptop hardrive was full of audio books so had also bought all the blank DVDs ( Wilkos are doing 10 maxell ones for £1.75 and I just buy the paper covers - 50 for £1.99 to store them in) I needed to put them onto, so gone from 15GBs of space to 362GB space out of 450GB hardrive and laptop working much, much better, phew) and have put all my tomato, cucumber, different bean plants and courgettes in it in their pots under of course fleece, if they grow then I will have to buy another one or two to hold them. I have put a pallet down to sit them on so they are all lifted above the grown as its so, so wet out there they would end up sitting in pools of water as in back garden which is on a steep slope and at bottom so water runs down.

Life has thrown its usual curves but surviving them. Had to lend son quite a lot of money on Wednesday as he got himself into a bit of a pickle and ended up with an unauthorised overdraft for which he was being charged £5 a day plus interest, so now he owes us the money instead and we of course are broke lol, but can manage, just as well hubby got paid on Tuesday not just his normal months wages but all the over time they owed him from March - April or so would have been in a worse pickle.

I go out with a friend once a year for a meal then we go and see a medium called Shaun Dennis when he comes to local social club, we have been doing it for years now, we never seem to meet rest of year, and I wasn't sure about spending what little money we had left on going, but hubby said go and I thought why not, usually I would give up my pleasures for house, which hubby never does ( he did drop hint when I said I would need about £30 that his favourite singer is doing and extra concert in a couple of weeks and tickets are £29.50 so that made up my mind for me, as he has done that so much in past I give up where I am going to let him go to his thing, he acts like child and even though he will say you go to yours he drops hints, gets huffy etc.,

So told friend yes definitely going and yesterday afternoon was tidying in craft cupboard and found an old purse at back that had £15 in it, now how did I ever put a purse away with that much in it, I just don't believe it, but that was then half of what I needed to going out then when hubby dropped friend and I off at village she said she needed cigs - she stopped for months and has started again, so we popped into Mr S to get some, big queue as everyone getting Euromillions tickets so I thought well got the extra £15 so why not buy one, not bought any lottery tickets for a long time, just checked it I got 3 numbers and 1 star so won around £11, and as friend paid for meal as she reminded me I had paid last year and tickets for medium were £12 plus about £4 for drinks I bought us, I not only had my night out but am left with more in my pocket than I started with, so very, very happy. Didn't get a message but friend did and got say to Shaun has improved so much since saw him last year he now really is so precise, and his wife when we arrived told me that a message I gave him about 5 years ago ( I know I don't do the mediumship as such, as just not happy standing up there doing that, would rather do my healing, but do still get messages for people and so pass them on if I can) was coming true, cannot say what yet, she said they are not supposed to tell anyone but as I said this would happen all those years ago she felt only right to let me know, which is great for him, but also great for me, as proves to me I did give truth. Its not we know them well just got to know us through us going each year and I never even signed my name on the note I gave her to give him with the message all those years ago as didn't want her thinking I was trying to muscle in on her husbands work as he was only really beginning to go round clubs etc then. He told me at the end he could feel terrific energy from me as friend and I ended up right in front and I sensed he needed healing, that is something I usually can pick up on so was sending healing energy to him. Last night listening to him was seeing a real master of his craft if you want to put it that way, at work, have watched him improve each year, am so very happy for him as he always has seemed such a nice ordinary guy. Those of you on here who are mediums will know what I mean as its not always easy getting the info to people especially when they are demanding who is it, more proofs etc, and handing 4 different threads at once but he quieted even the most sceptical of them last night. I never go for readings or to see other mediums never feel the urge to do so really and never expect a message even from him although in past have had a couple but my family rarely want to talk to me boo hoo.

One of the people he went to has an interesting family - two of her nephews are in jail - he told her this and she agreed then went on to tell her how they got there, started by stealing cars then selling them, then drugs, GBH, stabbed a guy ( who came through saying how he had died before his time) set fire to couple of houses killing a couple of people in one of them, have killed and beaten up others in jail - it was her mum who came through to say how ashamed she was her grandsons had done this and how they will not be getting out of jail any time soon ( I picked up that they would die in there, didn't mean to link in to him but sometimes energy is so strong, it wasn't I was told this just saw prison gates in front of me shut tight and I just knew it meant they were not coming out alive and as I have not done any mediumship in ages really its nice to know I still can). Woman he gave this to agreed with it all but kept assuring us she had nothing to do with them and her sister had basically disowned her sons. Everyone was totally quiet during this, real life drama and dirty washing all coming out. The rest of the messages were right on the button but ordinary, although plenty of tears when he proved loved ones were really there.

Oh yes and am pleased to say I was not tempted one bit to ask friend for even a puff of her cigarette. In fact my coat stinks of the smoke could really smell it when I got home so am airing it but might have to wash it. First time I have been with anyone who smokes since I gave up in January.

Right its gone midday and I have not got out of bed yet - spent yesterday afternoon in bed as was so tired to ensure I got out, and energy there really woke me up so didn't fall asleep till 1am and only woke up at 10.30am today and still tired and very stiff and achy but want to try and move. Put a seasoned turkey breast in slow cooker yesterday - a whoopsie, never buy meat, fish, chicken or lamb these days unless its reduced, so just put that in with a bit of water so want to add some bits to it to make a sauce and cook some rice to go with it. Also need to check plants in grow house to see if they need watered, at least no need to do so for those in ground or pots in open, just lucky my side garden is higher than house so water drains down to front garden from it.

Managed to give away all the turf I have picked up to people on freecycle so pleased about that and gave some old garden tools and some pots to someone asking for things for an allotment they have just got for their organisation - they help brain damaged children and adults, damage caused by illness and accident and they told me my side garden is about 3 times bigger than their allotment and any others they have ever seen, I knew it was big but didn't realise it was that big, I always think of allotments as very big although got to admit the few I have seen have been small, but was told by owners they had been cut down to give more people them, its only about 100ft by 100ft nothing fantastic.

Right bored you all to tears again, you should know me by now its feast or famine.

Hugs and love to each and every one of you and healing for all who need it

Debbiexxxxxxxxxxx

RAS

mardatha wrote: »

Ginny nothings growing up here, not even weeds. In the fabulous week in March that was our entire spring LOL we dug over two beds out the back. Those beds are still just brown earth - not one single weed has grown in them, its been too cold. trees are barely in leaf and the leaves are very pale yellowish green. In the old days as somebody else said, that would be famine and starvation. So it shows that you cant depend on growing your own either really.

Mar

I am much further south. Planted germinated peas and broad beans. Got 4 pea plants! The early potatoes went in in March and have barely rasied their heads (well one came through and got frosted).

The grass is growing, the buds on the vines have barely opened at all in the last 5 weeks.

Where I have weeds, it is the left overs from last autumn. Never had such an awful spring.

And I was also thinking about the old days when a year like this spelled starvation for many

RAS

mardatha wrote: »

I was in bed with the flu GQ, could hardly make it to the loo nevermind the back garden. The RV built the henrun and made the door only 4ft high (dont ask cos I dont know lol) and he was too big to fit in, had to wriggle and struggle on hands and knees in the mud to get in, and it all got too fraught. I put out a shout locally and a nice family came and took them and the coop. They email me pics of them wandering around the new home. But I miss them very much, they were my wee pals .. Just me and the cat together forever against the world and the RV now

Oh Mar................

gardenia101

bogwobbit wrote: »

I have some exciting news :j I actually booked my tickets to Australia & New Zealand. I go out on the 8th September and will be there for 40 days (sounds almost biblical). I am excited and terrified in equal measure. As soon as I get the chance I'm going to sit down and read through this thread for all the advice on travelling alone.

Wow - that is exciting news! What a treat to look forward to. Catbells - I'm glad you had such a fabulous time travelling too, & I'm a little in awe of both of you. Makes my outing to Worthing seem very tame :rotfl:

mardatha wrote: »

Fuddle - that's normal. That's what we all do - try too hard to do it all at once and finds it all goes to hell. Then you pick yerself up and swear a lot and then start all over again..

Too blinking true! And sady, Mardy, I shall join the reat of the no-takers for your RV, sorry. Done the partner thing a few times now, & each relationship has been more of a disaster than the last, so I shall steer well clear. As GQ (I think) said - some of us just like our own ways too much.

Fuddle & Softstuff - lovely to see you back. Softstuff I hope your health is improving as it sounds like you've had a tough time.

I quite often fall off the OS wagon Fuddle - so I give myself a tough talking to (or some chocolate & tea if I'm feeling really rubbish ) & soldier on. Don't be too hard on yourself.

Byatt - hope you are improving too & taking it easy.

Just doing the usual here - laundry & [STRIKE]bellowing at[/STRIKE] encouraging children to do their homework. HM Goan curry for lunch was a disaster for them as it was "too spicey" so they had oats! I have somehow bred a pair of wimps when it comes to spicey food - I'd already played it down so much I could hardly taste it. I can now recommend this coconut milk powder as a much cheaper alternative to tinned coconut milk - much cheaper & you can experiment with the thickness you want.

Hugs to all.

katieowl_2

ginnyknit wrote: »

.

Am pretending I am Alys Fowler and mixing little plots of veg amongst everything else. Amazingly all my flowers are lush this year - and you cant eat bloody carnations :mad:

Actually Ginny you CAN eat carnations,
http://www.countryfarm-lifestyles.com/edible-flowers.html
I planted some specifically for eating last year which were supposed to have a particularly strong scent/taste of cloves.

Kate

mardatha

Here you go - nekkid garden Dug early March, untouched since. RV just took this now

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mard_soap/7227594582/in/photostream