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

fuddle

All this talk of flashing. Yikes. I'm a big scardy cat and would have pooped my pants. lol at young man.

We've tried all day to palm my car off on someone. Not one garage we spoke to were in the position to buy a 54 reg car. DH even said 'we'd let it go for £500 mate" because we were desperate to gt shot before the road tax was due. Nope. We went to one of these companies who buy to auction and got £620 for it. Not brilliant but it's gone. Only DH's company car now, which I can't drive.... time to be chauffeured everywhere huh?!


What's the second hand car market like now? It was booming a while back wasn't it? Seems it's slowed down recently if today is anything to go by. I suppose cars and petrol are one big expense.

I do feel like I've let my independence go but, it's a complete and utter waste of money me having it standing there. While I'm a stay at home mum it's a good idea. I do feel like this is the first real statement towards being seriously frugal. Everyone thinks I'm mad and I can tell they're waiting for me to say I regret letting it go but though. Even when I do miss my car (because I know there will be days I would love to go out) they won't be knowing about it.

GreyQueen

:j I'm just in from the allotment. It's absolutely gorgeous out there, a crescent moon rising in a cloudless blue sky as the setting sun uplights the contrail from a plane........

I was on the lottie for just over 3 hours and although I started after 6 pm it was still almost too hot to dig. Just before I left, I gave the peas a good soaking with the watering can (give peas a chance, copyright Softstuff). The soil was so dry that when the water hit it, I got that wonderful perfume as if it was raining.

Indeed, the lotties were fairly buzzing with peeps at sundown and even The Silent Man, my nearest lottie neighbour, was disposed to chat and I have promised to pot him on some strawberry runners as a reward.........:rotfl:

The patch where I chucked a whole load of random date-expired flower seeds last weekend had a variety of seedlings coming up as thickly as cress. I don't recognise them as weedlings so have to assume that they are Flowers. Apart from native wildflowers, I'm a bit rubbish at non-vegetables, so have retained the seed packets and will attempt to put names to faces when they're older. It's what I do with colleagues, anyroad.:p

:jI have a real fruit juice ice lolly in my freezer and I'm not afraid to use it. Have a good night, everyone.

PS Byatt, get that sore kidney to a Dr asap.

manchestermargo

Hi Greyqueen my HA have just provided 3 raised beds and we have been told we can start to plant seeds. Think I have about 3 rows worth. Today I bought packet of carrots, lettuce leaves and purple sprouting brocolli. Haven't a clue but will follow instructions on the packets. My question is do I need to add fertiliser to said soil ( I have some bonemeal). Thanks in advance.

Meant to say earlier to SDG how sorry I was to hear of her break-in, do hope you are feeling OK, it must have been a terrible shock.

Have fab is this weather!!!

Margo

GreyQueen

manchestermargo wrote: »

Hi Greyqueen my HA have just provided 3 raised beds and we have been told we can start to plant seeds. Think I have about 3 rows worth. Today I bought packet of carrots, lettuce leaves and purple sprouting brocolli. Haven't a clue but will follow instructions on the packets. My question is do I need to add fertiliser to said soil ( I have some bonemeal). Thanks in advance.

Meant to say earlier to SDG how sorry I was to hear of her break-in, do hope you are feeling OK, it must have been a terrible shock.

Have fab is this weather!!!

Margo

Hi MM, I have never bonemealed in my life but I just grabbed this website for you http://www.the-organic-gardener.com/shrub-fertilizer.html as it's going on about bonemeal.

Errm, I wonder if you're aware how tall purple sprouting broccoli gets? Henceafter to be known as PSB. If you sow it now, you'll be eating it early next year but you will have to build a structure of some sort to hold a fine gauge netting over it or the two kinds of cabbage white butterflies will lay their eggs all over the plant and eat the leaves down to lace. For this reason I have vowed never again for PSB, delicious though it is.

What kind of soil is in these raised beds? Carrots like light and sandy and mustn't go into soil with fresh manure as the excess niotrogen makes them fork (think That's Life comedy vegetables). Lettuces are pretty forgiving but they don't like being in too much strong sunshine.

Honesty, I'm not a gardening expert, just a keen amateur who has been splodging around since toddlerdom, first with Grandad and Dad and now on my own. I operate under the general principle that things are genetically-programmed to grow and will do their level best, now matter how adverse the circumstances. I've even seen a sugar beet growing in a house gutter, and that's the triumph of hope over experience. Was a bu88er to hoe, as well.:rotfl:

So, plants wanna grow, and given half a chance, will do so. Slugs, bugs and other critters like to survive, too, so they'll be in on the game. Birds peck around and do perverse things like pull up onion sets (they think the dry tops are nesting materials, apparently) and peck the edges of your pea leaves (they're thirsty). You're sort of playing a game with constantly changing variables; light/ warmth/ moisture/bugs/next-door-neighbour-kid's football/whatever.

I should warn you, gardening is addictive. I've never lost the childish sense of wonder and I hope I never will.

Ooooooh, forgot to say, my broad beans have started to flower! I'm so happy I'm almost bouncing.........

ETA, you can do most gardening just by following the seed packet but if you'd like a basic primer, I always recomment "The Vegetable Expert" part of the Expert series by Dr Hessayon (sp). You know the guy, his Houseplant Expert book has been all over the place for the past 30 years.

Softstuff

Byatt, I'm just awake and hoping you've called a doc. Have you still got your appendix? I was being treated for kidney infections and getting terrible pain after the antibiotics were done, finally saw another GP who recognised that sometimes appendicitis presents like kidney pain, in the back. Not meaning to worry, just concerned for you :grouphug: T'is funny that having had my appendix out I haven't had a "kidney infection" since.

I will post more Japanese recipes shortly then. Thanks Lizzyb for telling us panko is available in tescos, that makes life easier. I'll take a look at tesco online and see what other ingredients they have and post a recipe from there. We had a very unusual tasting concoction last night, but it was not a walk in the park, so I'll see if the items are available in the UK first, then see how I can simplify it.

Love to all who need it. Could I borrow some sun from you guys just so I can get my laundry done before I fly over? Ta muchly.

meme30

Hi all officially back from our hols, and I have to admit it's been a good one. Lovely weather down south in Portsmouth for a week then a really lazy week in Weardale at our caravan.
I have spent most of the last week hiding under a brolly reading Stephen King's 'The Dark Tower' series. Great fan of his books but have never fancied these ones, I am totally converted :j and managed to read three in a week!
I have to hide under a brolly because, a) I heat up too easily, it's my age! and b) it sets off my Prickly Heat . I use anti- histamines but with little effect so I just hide. Anyone got their own remedies?
I have looked for the bag on the wall planters for my Tumbling Tomatoes but had no luck, so in the OS spirit I have resorted to T*sco wine bags! 50p each and compartments cut out, they hold a decent amount of soil/compost and hang on the wall quite well. The fact that they are PINK! and have a wine bottle on them will excite comment among the neighbours I'm sure, but it's nice to give the 'Nosy' something to talk about isn't it! :rotfl: I have filled my big blue Ik*a bag and will go looking for some salad leaves and beetroot plants. I was wondering about courgette plants, do they have to go in a Greenhouse? I want to grow the things we eat a lot of, within my limited abilities of course!;)

SDG:- What an awful experience for you, hope things get sorted out soon and easily.

Byatt:- I am seconding/thirding? the 'Go to the doctors cry!' You are already dealing with one major infection and are easily susceptible to another while your immune system is low.

Hugs for everyone else who are suffering/feeling low. Here's hoping the good weather continues and picks everyone out of their 'slough of despondency'...you can see the literary week is having an effect!:p

mardatha

Byatt mind a hot water bottle or hot bath will take the edge of that pain until the docs open. The RV used to get a lot of that but now he drinks tea non stop like me and it hasn't come back for a while. Last episode was when we were on holiday in Bruges - (when they had the big superfast ferry from Rosyth and I miss it so much now its gone) - He was scrunched up on the hotel bed and I was sitting laying hands on his back and screaming mentally for his mum and granny to come and fix him lol. Which they did. Or somebody did. I didnt want to face a foreign hospital, my Flemish isnt all that great
Ebay shop PMed to you Byatt and thanks. I worked out that a basic shop + fees will cost me around £20 a month, which is a fiver a week, and that's ok for a hobby that you love, isnt it? Swatting my conscience on the head with a shovel as we speak.:D ( I've also put it in my profile.)
I decided yesterday to -once more - cut down on food costs. If I could do that for a while then we might be able to get a weekend in Oban and a shot on the ferry over to Mull. I have a thing about islands & ferries
Looks like another great day and no wind, yesterday got very windy. I am off out to sit on the step and watch the RV washing the car. :rotfl:

manchestermargo

Thanks Greyqueen for your tips, must admit I hadn't given it much thought how tall psb would grow!

Off later to start planting, only problem will be lugging water to the beds but I am thinking of buying a plastic bin and having it as a water butt.

So pleased your broad beans are flowering!!

Mardatha got to ask its been bugging me for ages whats a RV??

Hope everyone has a lovely day.

MM

VJsmum

Morning all

Am very grumpy as I am awake when i would sooner still be asleep - been up for nearly 2 hours. Not right on a Sunday.

Spent 5 hours on a train yesterday on a dad visit. But did my marking for pretty much all of it, so that at least is time I can have back next week. Dad looks really well, if he wasn't in hospital you wouldn't think there was much wrong with him. He's lost loads of weight (he was over 20 stone!) which will help his mobility. Last night was spent at DS football presentation - but you can't have everything - especially when we'd had a better offer.

HOping to spend the day gardening - I have a raised bed to finish and my front strip of garden to weed, put down a "weed mat" thing and stone chippings. I am very much a learner gardner and am absorbing all the hints and tips on here (and on the Mr Bad Example thread on the gardening forum) like a sponge. I have some runner beans in, and some borlotti, baby corn, lettuce, only 2 tomatoes (as I still have jars of last years chutney left - I only grow them for green tomato chutney, no pressure then on them to ripen ) peppers, squash and one lonely patio aubergine - oh and carrots, onions and spring onions.

We are away in the caravan next weekend so I'm looking forward to that. only going to Ashbourne, which is a mere hour away, but puts us near to Dovedale so some lovely walking ahead - the kids are going to Alton Towers on a 2 for 1.

Oooh OH has just got up and is making me coffee - have a lovely warm and sunny day, all.

Possession

Hi Softstuff, Tesco don't have a bad selection of Japanese ingredients, but it mostly fits sushi or temaki-zushi making, eg miso soup sachets but no miso itself. I lived in Japan for 3 years many years ago so I have a soft spot for Japanese food.

Softstuff wrote: »

Byatt, I'm just awake and hoping you've called a doc. Have you still got your appendix? I was being treated for kidney infections and getting terrible pain after the antibiotics were done, finally saw another GP who recognised that sometimes appendicitis presents like kidney pain, in the back. Not meaning to worry, just concerned for you :grouphug: T'is funny that having had my appendix out I haven't had a "kidney infection" since.

I will post more Japanese recipes shortly then. Thanks Lizzyb for telling us panko is available in tescos, that makes life easier. I'll take a look at tesco online and see what other ingredients they have and post a recipe from there. We had a very unusual tasting concoction last night, but it was not a walk in the park, so I'll see if the items are available in the UK first, then see how I can simplify it.

Love to all who need it. Could I borrow some sun from you guys just so I can get my laundry done before I fly over? Ta muchly.