No T Words mentioned at all - a fresh start

[Deleted User]

SCOTTISHMINNIE - I don't see why the Orange Flower Water shouldn't be delish in a rice pud it would give it a really fragrant flavour I ( I know that sounds daft but it does!). The BBC News this morning was carrying an item about Scottish Daffodils not being picked even though they are further forward than the West Country ones, the weather has been so upsie-downie lately its a problem all over. Hope you get a lovely big bunch for Mum! I think you are so right about prices in supermarkets, I find they put on so many 'Special Offers' that I loose track of the original prices and then the cost seems to spiral. I too love lemon sole but it's way too pricey for us now, in M & S yesterday four frozen fillets were £8.00p - totally out of my reach! I did see on the fresh fish counter at Mr.T they were offering Pollack and also Hake fillets at a very reasonable price so I guess thats what we will use in future. I found a pack of frozen uncooked king prawns from Indonesia for £4 so that will be our fishie fix for this weekend! It always seems odd that salmon, which used to be a luxury, should now be an affordable staple doesn't it? Have a good weekend and a good shop, Lyn.

DundeeDoll

Had the strangest dream last night.. Was eating out and didnt want the raw mince (told you it was strange) so surreptitiously scooped it into a sandwich bag i just happend to have in my pocket and put it in my bag to put in the freezer when i got home. So obvs now breathing AND sleeping OS!!!

flowertotmum

Dundee doll..that made me chuckle..thought it was just me that dreamt about saving money and stuff...
Scottishminnie..those crisp white sheets sounds so beautiful..nothing better than a lovely bed to get into...
MLW..that rice pudding sounds very moreish..hubby and son will eat it..have only just got tots to eat it..so will introduce that one later on...
Well its raining here..thats good as our hosepipe ban starts on the 5th of april..we bought a huge cold water storage tank yesterday for £10...we have hooked it up to our water barrel so the overflow goes into it..i have started to teach the tots on water saving..quick shower and no turning taps on whilst cleaning teeth and the old saying"if its yellow let it mellow,if its brown flush it down"..lol
right got jobs to do..we are having smoked bacon and belgium waffles with scrambled eggs and lincolnshire sausages for lunch today..doubt if i will be to move after that...i got some sewing to do later..motifs going on the t-shirts and jeans of the tots.
love to you all
ftm

[Deleted User]

Hi FTM - good on you for the water saving measures, we have several runs of interlinked barrel systems connected to all out outbuildings, they siphon into each other to keep levels up. You can't teach littlies too soon about being green and a green lifestyle - we also have hippos (NO not real ones!) in the loo cisterns, work on the yellow mellow, brown down principle - have even got most visiting friends to play too, we always both use same bathwater one after the other and only allow 5" in the bath, if we get a hosepipe ban here will also fathom a way to reclaim this water and use it in the garden. If water gets really scarce we will start having bowl baths again, its amazing how much of you can be cleaned with 2 pints of water - leastwise no one's complained of the smell yet!!!! - Oh heck what if they're just being polite? - No dont go there !!!!!! Have a good one, Lyn.

flowertotmum

Hi MLW..we have freddies in our loo's they are new cisterns and have that economic flush on them..i have been saving all my water from the de-humidifier and pouring it in a bucket then when thats full putting it in the big outside barrel..we have guttering on all out sheds and porch..the shed ones lead to barrels and the porch one leads to my fruit bushes..i bought hand sanitizers for the bathrooms and downstairs loo..3 bottles for a £1..got a few put away..tots love it..makes them feel a bit grown up when they do their hands after going...
Our only problem is the fishpond..its big and deep..it was here when we moved in and the folks before us just filled it with carp and left it...when our older girls got bigger we decided to dig it out and re-do it..its lovely..to sit and listen to the water and watch the fish and frogs and toads..and then the tadpoles..it attracts lots of birds..we have to top it up now and again..so this year we will leave it...we have already switched off the little water fountain on the patio area..well i say patio..its a small layer of gravel with a big table,chairs and a playhouse and sandpit...but its under a pergola with a willow tree next to it..just heavenly to sit and listen...
Yes it will be strip down washes for us all if it carries on...we always use each others bath water..tots first,son,me and then simon..more bubbles than water to be honest...i am seriously considering bowling the water out the bath to re-use in garden..also washing up water can be re-used too...
right got to go i am stuffed after my lunch..hubby has made a cuppa and treated me to an areo..my idea of bliss at this moment in time...
love
ftm

[Deleted User]

FTM - we have a pond too - not huge but quite deep and I agree so lovely to sit by and watch the fish and wildlife. I think if things do become restrictive on the water front I will top it up from the barrels and let some of the watering go by the board in the veg plot - at least we can use grey water on the veg if we have to - I'm not at all sure what the fish would make of Simple Bath Foam - and I don't think I could stand to have them swimming around all day singing ' I'm forever blowing bubbles' - if only I couldn't see it in my head, too much time spent letting the lurcher in to talk on the other thread! Cheers Lyn.

scottishminnie

Thanks MrsLW - I will definitely use the orange water in chocolate rice then. When I found it in the cupboard it looked so frightfully posh I though "what the hang was that for"!

Well the butcher and fish shop visits were as pricey as expected - smoked haddock was £12.10 for 4 fillets, albeit large ones. I suppose the farm cats will get the scraps though so there won't be any waste. I bought a joint of silverside and a pork loin joint at the butchers and then popped into the greengrocers to see what they had. I was thrilled to see macintosh red apples - they are my all time favourites so I bought 6 - I already have a huge amount in the fruit bowl but I find apples never go to waste as I can always turn them into something else.

I didn't get many daffodils from my neighbours garden - I think another week will see lots of them coming out. I did have a wander round my own garden today and was surprised to find a Mahonia (sp?) bush had a nice scent. have never noticed that before.

I did go for a long walk this afternoon - the benefit of being in the country is being able to wander freely when you like and as it was a nice sunny, but coolish day I thought it would be good to blow the cobwebs away. I did feel slightly guilty that I spent 2 hours strolling when I could have been more productive but who knows it could be raining tomorrow.

I'd love to have a pond, or even a water feature, as we have plenty garden but every time I mention it hubby says that he will need to track one of his JCB's all across the grass to dig the hole - he knows full well I get apoplectic at the prospect of anything heavier than a lawnmover on my grass so that's the end of the discussion!

On reflection though maybe a pond would prove just to easy for the farm cats to dine from - they often are to be found prowling around any of the neighbouring houses. It's quite amazing how far they travel to hunt on a nightly basis sometimes.

Timer is bleeping so dinner is ready - have a relaxing evening all.:)

[Deleted User]

SCOTTISHMINNIE - i would have thought that a minimum of two hours strolling was a necessity for someone with as busy a life as you have - even compulsory and a real aid to recharging your batteries so NO GUILT NEEDED - just enjoyment!!!!! Have you considered a ready made pond in fibreglass from a garden centre, you dont have to dig a big hole you could fit one into a raised bed and then have ready made seating round it really nice to have lunch beside whenever the weather is good enough. We have a raised pond but DH dug a good sized hole and lined it with heavyweight liner, then we got some untreated green oak railway sleepers and they are the outside of the raised bed, just get better to look at every year as they age. Ours is covered with a mesh panel as we have hot and cold running herons down her and they'rer not having my fish! Cheers Lyn.

[Deleted User]

Hope everyone had a lovely Mothers Day today with lots of pampering and time off for a whole years worth of good behaviour - Cheers Lyn xx.

scottishminnie

Well I surprised hubby tonight (thanks to Mrs LW) when I raised the pond/water feature issue for the millionth time - he responded predictably be saying he would have to bring the biggest of his machines in to dig it out. I then said that we could just incorporate a water feature into the new area where we are going to have the fruit trees and bushes (and a new washing line woohoo!) and as that is just a field just now I don't mind how big the machine is. He was lost for words and skulked off to the den about an hour ago and I haven't heard a peep since! No doubt he will come up with another dozen reasons why I can't have one. Actually what I would really like is a little stream at the bottom of the garden however that's just not so easy to organise:)

Dinner went well,it's nice to have my parents for dinner as it is so often the other way around. It forces both of them to relax for a while and not shoot off from the table to do more jobs around the farm. I make a point of having it in the dining room so it feels more special and mum loves it. The silverside was lovely, as was the fish and pasta dish I made and the pork was the surprise success. I don't normally cook pork and when I sliced it there were 2 distinct shades which worried me a lot.I needen't have worried though it was delicious and mum went off with enough to do them for lunch tomorrow and Tuesday. It was a joint from Asda which was coated in salt and black pepper and cost £5 - I don't normally buy meat from the supermarkets but I would buy that again.

I had a mid morning disaster with the lemon tart - as I pushed the oven shelf in with tha baking tray and lemon tart on top the filling spilled out. I should have whipped it out at that point but I was in a hurry and didn't see that it had gone right to the base of the oven. 30 minutes later one oven in need of a serious clean and a lemon tart which was so stuck to the base of the baking tray it had to be thrown out.
So we ended up with key lime pie after I quickly whizzed up ginger nuts in the food processor, packed them into a flan dish with melted butter, popped in the fridge while I whipped up the key lime part. Mum was thrilled as I'd made "her favourite" I did confess to the disaster which amused her no end as she says my kitchen is the calmest place in the world - it's so not, it's just that thankfully when I have dramas I'm pretty much always alone!

I hope all you hard working mums had a nice day and put your feet up for a change. I'm now starting to plan my Easter weekend menu as we are having family for dinner then too.