No T Words mentioned at all - a fresh start

scottishminnie

Snow - good grief FTM - it's not even snowing up here! It is much cooler though although we had sunshine all day, in fact I braved putting a washing out. I did have to finish it off in the dryer but felt happier that I'd managed to partially dry it the cheap way:)

I hope it doesn't get too cold - we are virtually out of kerosene, delivery due tomorrow or Tuesday so that will be another chunk gone from the bank account this week. I've had the heating on a lot though as I have a chest infection which the gp is worried is heading for my lungs so I'm trying to keep warm and cosy. I'm normally pretty fit and healthy so I'm not taking this too well, having never wheezed like this in my life I'm impatiently wondering when it will go and I can get back to normal. Everything seems to be a major effort which is so frustrating.

I did make some Hummingbird Bakery Apple Streusel cake today - very nice, another recipe tried and tested. I'll have to start trawling my recipe books for next weekends trial. I have a nice new "Barefoot Contessa" book - I should check it out.

I guess I'll be back to my winter scarf and gloves tomorrow then if the cold keeps up. just as well I didn't put them away for later in the year.

FTM - your picnic set sounds lovely. My mother has one and it's been well used over the years - sadly none of us seem to get the time to use it any more. Hubby and I can't manage days or weekends away as there always seems to be something cropping up - that's why we sacrifice things to get away for a couple of weeks twice a year - once we are across the Atlantic the "somethings that crop up" seem to resolve themsleves!

I noticed today I have 3 tiny dwarf narcissi in full bloom - I have hundreds of normal daffs but I was really cheered when I saw those little ones - spring is definitely on the way - yaaay:)

My mission for this week is a reduction in the odds and ends lurking in the freezers - they both need defrosted badly so I must use up the stuff. I know there are pots of double and whipping cream in them both which I bought reduced. I find it never tastes quite the same when it's been frozen- any suggestions what can I do with it? I have at least 2 big tubs of both.

I saw on the Food forum that Tesco have lurpak 250g for £1 so I will venture in there tomorrow evening and pick up a few as that is cheaper than any of the own brand butter - can you freeze butter ok? I could buy even more then and put it in the freezers which so badly need defrosted - then again maybe I should just be sensible!:o

FTM - you have prompted me to think of mother's day - I'm off to text my sister - I think we should just do a joint gift - posh afternoon tea somewhere, mum would like that and it's better than more "stuff" that she really doesn't need.

Enjoy what's left of the weekend all.

MaLarkin

Thanks for the info on butter scottishminnie that's a good price - I'll see if I am anywhere near a Tesco tomorrow to stock up. You can indeed freeze butter and if other bargain hunters haven't cleared the shelves I shall get some to do just that.
Nothing like a chest infection to drag you down is there? you just feel so all round grot bags with it. I rarely get them but take ages to feel ok when it does happen. you will just have to rest as much as possible and let your body recover in its own time. Take care.

scottishminnie

I should have said - according to the poster on the other forum the Lurpak apparently doesn't have a fancy coloured shelf edge label or anything to highlight that it's on offer, which is unusual if it's down to £1 which is probably why I didn't see it on Friday when I bought Tesco value butter. Hopefully that may mean not too may people have spotted it and there should be some left - happy shopping!

flowertotmum

Morning all.. its a lovely bright sunny but cold day here...

Scottishminnie..hope you feel better..chest infections are awful..just try to rest daft i know but it does help.

Well my dining room is currently rotivator central..got hubby and son putting it together..don't think they appreciate me taking pics of them doing it..lol its for posterity and the fact they are like Laurel and Hardy...Chuckle Brothers also spring to mind..

I have had a busy week so far..i did the beds yesterday and cleaned all the rooms plus bathroom..then the downstairs loo..sorted some of iris's clothes for my friends little girl..and a jacket for my GD..swept all the yard and paths..wiped the windowsills and door frames down with a mix of warm water and lavender oil..makes them shine and smell nice too...i do this every week and it's so nice to open the door or windows and get a whiff of lavender..
I have to do a internet shop soon..down to my last 6 tins of baked beans..not bad since i haven't done one since before christmas..will do it on the comparison site and see which is cheaper..
Hopefully i am going to town this week..poundland have some lovely bits in(inside info lol)..and i need a spring coat/jacket..will hit the charity shops..also i have seen a set of complete self sufficiency books from the book people..my son has offered to buy them as a gift for Mothers day...
Right got to go need a cuppa..
take care all..
ftm

Kaz2904

Hi all, I've not been around much as I have had a few days off and nice weather has coincided with it so we've been out and about. This morning I have planted up all of my spring bedding plants and now they are sitting peeking happily out of the ground. I have sorted out my strawberries and have a school Mum friend giving me some straw later on. That will be them sorted now. I have been ebaying madly trying to get some more stuff gone and some more pennies in. That all takes time doesn't it?! I even had my coffee outside earlier. Now I must get off this site, get changed and sort out my bits and pieces so that I can go and do my posting!

robsmum_2

Hello All,
Been missing a bit due to real life getting in the way! All fine though.
Seedlings coming on well. Chilli,cherry tomatoes,sweet peas and red eye pheasants all pricked out and now in the greenhouse. Dwarf beans and carrotts coming on in greenhouse growbag. After the weekend winds need to get out and repair a few bit in garden, if weather holds may start that this afternoon.
Gone back to decluttering after having a change of plan. OH and I decided as all major work downstairs is being done by HA sometime in the next financial year, that we would refresh/revamp the entire house.:eek: Started again in our bedroom this week and have removed yet more clutter. 2 outstanding jobs only in there - restain the floor and stick down some small bits of lifting wall paper:jwill look at DIY stuff at weekend.
Also this week got to do a freezer inventory:eek:

[Deleted User]

Afternoon all, we've just sorted out our current strawberry bed, moved some new and 1year old plants to a new site and freecycled about 100 surplus plants to various folks who wanted them. Dont strawberries throw out a lot of runners? We have also planted out 3 Redcurrant bushes and 3 Thornless Gooseberries as well and finally put the Fig Tree in its permanent place in the front flower border. A good day all in all. Cheers Lyn.

Kaz2904

Argh, you've just reminded me that I have peas and 2 raspberry canes to go in. DH can do them . Our strawberries don't seem to do very much and I keep hoping that one day they will just go mad and throw tonnes at us. I've put lots of rotted down manure in the pots this year in the hope that they will give us massive fruit and loads of it! I keep trying to persuade DH that we need to get chickens to control our slug population. He's still not going for it. I wish we had a bigger garden, if we had Bil's garden there would be absolutely no reason not to have chickens.

scottishminnie

Evening all. The tablets must be working - I'm not wheezing all the time now - only when I talk Hubby thinks the answer is quite simple - silence! I did struggle today at work - had to keep pausing during a presentation which was really annoying me but afterwards someone commented on how effective some of my dramatic pauses were (it was a fairly contensious subject) - little did they know I was struggling for breath at those points! There is a silver lining though - I've drunk so much water recently as I try to keep the coughing at bay that it must be doing me some good - even if it is just burning extra calories with all the extra trips to the ladies:)

I can "talk" here without any effort and pain so I'll apologise now for the fact that I'm about to make up for not being able to chatter to anyone else much.

I made it to Mr T earlier and picked up 6 blocks of Lurpak unsalted for £6 - the offer is on until the 20th I think so I may go back for more. The use by dates are good - mid May so I will be able to use it for baking over the next 8 weeks or so.

Kaz - there was a conversation going on in work last week about slugs. I was only half listening as I haven't had that problem but one of the things being suggested was crushed egg shells around the base of whatever they were bothering. Chickens would be a much more productive solution though.

Mrs LW - I've never heard of thornless gooseberries before - I must investigate as I like the sound of that. Do I need multiple bushes or are they self pollenating? My father suggested last year that we could annex another piece of field next to the garden if I wanted some fruit bushes so I may persaude hubby to do that. Being surrounded by your parent's farmland does have it's benefits sometimes:)

I did mean to confess something too - a few weeks back I bought one of those whipped cream charger things which you see in coffee shops etc. Last weekend I finally decided to use it and decorate 2 banana splits which I'd carefully created. When I opened it up the instructions were missing but I figured "how difficult can it be?" so I filled it with whipping cream, discharged the gas cannister and turned it upside down facing the banana split - then I pulled the lever. I then spent the best part of an hour cleaning cream from the kitchen windows, tiles, floor and everywhere you could imagine. Who knew how far a little drop cream could go?! I was also wearing a black sweater so you can imagine the mess. I've since learned that you have to shake the charger for about a minute and then let stand for another minute or so before attempting to use - I guess that was where I went wrong:o It did provide hubby with some light relief which was much needed that night so it achieved something!

Well, I'm continuing my freezer emptying mission so I'm off to see what I will remove for tomorrow night's dinner. I wonder what unexpected delights lurk under the 2 inches of ice in there?????

Kaz2904

scottishminnie wrote: »

I'm not wheezing all the time now
Kaz - crushed egg shells... Chickens would be a much more productive solution though.
then I pulled the lever. I then spent the best part of an hour cleaning cream from the kitchen windows, tiles, floor and everywhere you could imagine. Who knew how far a little drop cream could go?!

*Snipped
Glad you're not wheezing all the time now. Hope it clears properly soon.
Aha, but if I had chickens, I would have an ample supply of eggs wouldn't I? . Trust me, we've tried everything against the slugs. They're evil :eek:. We live in an old stone house with a stone wall along the sides and end of the garden and they come out of the walls. They come up from underneath the soil tool on the inside of the rings of pellets :eek: :mad:. Never seen anything like it!
:rotfl: at your cream. That would be me!