No T Words mentioned at all - a fresh start

[Deleted User]

Morning all, going to be busy today finishing off the poly for the tunnel, then DD1 coming home for the Easter holidays which will be lovely, looking forward to it so much! Had a shock yesterday, DD2 wanted some wool instead of chocolate for easter as she's really into her knitting ......OMG - what a price it is, four balls cost £17.50p no wonder folks buy rather than make these days. DD1 wants the latest Moosewood Cookery Book but I am having problems tracking it down - she says she's happy to wait for it, so not really a problem. Its much cooler here today,DH has gone out with the lurcher wearing a thick fleece (Has been in shirtsleeves) beginning to think its good we haven't planted anything tender out yet. Have a good day everyone. Cheers Lyn.

flowertotmum

Hi all..
Kidcat..thank so much for that i will make enquiries.
MLW..i am excited for you getting up a polytunnel...my garden looks like a scene from WW1 at the moment..hubby has had 2 bonfires to get rid if it all..think 2 more and we are done..i cannot wait just to get it dug over and get stuff planted.
Have been redoing budget..again..and i think maybe we can do it..just not to go mad and go over budget with anything...and more importantly make sure that we have good and healthy meals with HG fruit and veg..and to make everything stretch as far as i can..
O and its bright but chilly here today..got washing dry though.
Right its bathtime for tots and then me o the luxury of a warm bath with a good book..brilliant..
love to you all
ftm

[Deleted User]

FTM - we have a polytunnel 24' x 12' all except the poly on the doors at each end - that will be done tomorrow, all thanks to an outstanding workparty of friends and my brother who all pitched in to get the cover on in one exercise, and jolly hard work it was too so we celebrated with some of our home made cider, we are so looking forward to extending our growing season and overwintering lots of crops. The rest of our garden looks like WW 1 too !!!!!!! - mainly due to the lurcher deciding to go mining in several of the beds while we were busy - oh well not so hard to put it back again ! You are amazing as a family you take adversity by the throat and make it back off, if there were more like you this country wouldn't be in the state it is in today, revamping your budget yet again and making the best you can of it --YOU ARE GOOD FOLKS! It does me good to know there are people like you in the world - enjoy your soak with a good book, you deserve it, love Lyn and the Lurcher!

scottishminnie

Evening all - just popping in for a "chat" while my banana loaf and apple loaves are baking (using up uneaten fruit).

FTM - I'm sure you will find a way through the current situation. You strike me as being ever resourceful when others have admitted defeat.

It's been a glorious week here which has meant I spent almost the whole weekend in the garden - well apart from just under 2 hours yesterday afternoon which was spend drinking fruit tea and gossiping with my mother and one of our friends. We did sit outside to have our natter which was such a pleasure. I will happily take a cup of tea outside, as long as it is dry I just wrap up warm.

I've been very productive - last year I picked up a kit in Costco which was reduced to around £5 from memory - it had 8 little propagator kits of vegetable seeds. The weekend before mothers day I planted the tomatoes and yesterday I had to transplant all 32 of them into little 3 inch pots:eek: I can't believe how many and how healthy they look. Actually I only had 20 little pots so the other 12 are sharing 3 big pots until I can get some more little ones. The kitchen windowsill looks like a nursery! Even hubby looks vaguely interested in progress!

I made a spiced fruit loaf earlier tonight in my breadmaker - it's cooling now but has not risen as much as I thought it might - it could well be a depth charge when I cut it. If that's the case we will be eating it smothered in custard!

I think the warmer weather is leaving us though as it is cooler tonight so glad I didn't put away my opaque tights - I may need them tomorrow.

I was horrified yesterday when I nipped into B&Q to see people buying trolley loads of bedding plants such as alyssum and lobelia. I wouldn't dream of looking at them before may at the earliest. When I looked out this morning and saw frost I wondered how many people would be dismayed to find their plants were dead.

We are having a surprise dinner tomorrow night. When I looked in the freezer there was a tupperware dish with no label. It looks like it may be chicken in a tomato type sauce but who knows. Ah well, variety is the spice of life:)

Kaz2904

Hi all, got back from cub camp, tired but happy. Lovely day today on the each and I can see from mine and DS's faces that we've caught the sun.
I wsn'table to stay overnight so I left at 10pm and went back at 9am. Silly CRB rules. I phoned DH to warn him I'd be home and late and he said !!!!!!, I thought the government were sorting all of this out? Crb checks are really expensive and you have to get them done for every single place you help out at. It seems ridiculous when you could be helping at school, cubs, guides, another school and actually have a crb for work too. That's 5!
A nice big money spinner for the agency I imagine. Nobody ever let's themselves be alone with the kids anyway.
Off shopping with DD tomorrow and we're having a nice lunch out too. Hopewe don't have to spend too much but I may havetowriteacheque from my savings account to the current account to cover some pennies, especially as I haveto pay her piano fees soon :eek:
Hope the weather is not too bad this week, I have my niece and nephew staying overnight on Tuesday and we usually get bad weather.

Kittikins

I agree re: CRB certificates - I have 4 certificates, 2 for volunteering at local schools - given they're both the same local authority, you'd think one could be deemed to cover all schools?! But no.....

flowertotmum

Morning all...
:kisses3:MLW..thank you..that brought a tear to my eye...thank you.
Lol at the lurcher digging..our poor dog can't even run any more let alone dig a hole.I think thats its lovely your friends came along to help and cider to boot..
Scottishminnie..thanks..i will not give up..i feel like Churchill..apron at the ready and god help anyone that upsets my little apple cart:D..every cloud has a silver lining even storm clouds..
I laugh to myself every year when i see folks with all the bedding in the garden this time of year..we don't even consider it..a late frost is very damaging..
Well the garden is coming along nicely..:D..tonight will be the last of the fires..then its rotivating it all in..and then we can get cracking..i have some spuds growing nicely in potato bags and me and the tots get excited every morning when we go to feed the chickens..we always look to see if they have grown.
Going to make some muffins later..must remember not to make to many no room to store them.We made the final decision last night that we will be doing all our shopping at L*dl from now on..A*sda is getting ridiculously more expensive every time we go..so i did a little test shop in L*dl and was so shocked at the price differences..what would have cost me £60 in A*da was only £25 in L*dl..i do shop in l*dl's but only for bits ..but its going to be permanent from now on..
Right got to go and do lunch..then off into garden to help tidy up a bit more..
love to you all
ftm

sammy_kaye18

Well hello my busy little bee's.........room for a small one?

Life got a bit too hectic and by the time Id found the tough enough thread I had lost it just as quickly.

Things are good here. Holly is 21 months old now, Ben will be 8 this may and I have been putting the garden to good use.

Once the nicer weather came in last week I set about filling up these grow bags with various goodies. So far I have planted

4 bags of spuds
lettuce
broccoli
onions
spring onions beetroot
2 bags of peas
carrots
a blueberry bush
a raspberry bush
a blackberry bush
rhubarb

then in the greenhouse I have
leeks
pumpkins
beef tomatos
cherry tomatoes
cucumbers

and then two hanging baskets at the front door also have cherry tomatoes in.
I still have more carrots to plant though but they are getting there - no sprouts as yet though

Owen has commented that I may have gone slightly veg growing crazy but I have told him it will save us in vegetables this year although he did ask me what would happen if they all grow..........and my reply well its a good job I have a big chest freezer then isnt it. forward thinking at its best!

Although we have 3 types of tomatoes growing - and no one in the house eats them! :eek::eek: so I see plenty of pasta sauces etc in our future!

[Deleted User]

ooh lovely to see you SK. You sound very settled and comfy in your new home.

[Deleted User]

Hello Toughies - the last of the nice weather is still with us down here in the south and I've washed and dried all the bedding today before the wet stuff arrives. DD1 arrived at lunchtime and we took the lurcher for a nice long walk to blow the cobwebs away. The wildflowers are still looking good, we have celandines, primroses and violets still in flower, but coming to the end. The blackthorn blossom is so prolific it looks like it has snowed in some areas and even some just opened hawthorn on the sunniest sheltered corners it smells lovely. FTM - I could lend you the lurcher for a few days if you want some holes dug, he's not very obedient but a complete clown, his idea of funny is sneaking up behind you and applying a very cold nose to any part of you exposed at the time!!! The EEEEEEEEEEKKKKs can be heard for quite some distance - luckily the neighbours are used to it and adore him. I have people coming up to us and saying hello Doc and I have no idea who they are - he has more aquaintances in this village than I do! KAZ - so glad you had a lovely time camping - DD1 has just come back from a week in Normandy with 52 year 8s on a cultural visit and is shatterpated so dozing upstairs at the moment. SCOTTISHMINNIE - can I come and live with you? the baking sounds so delicious my mouth is watering just thinking of it!SAMMY - nice to have you with us, if you don't eat tomatoes raw homemade tomato ketchup is so easy to make and much nicer that the shop bought stuff, I've got a recipe if you want to give it a go - Have a good day everyone Cheers Lyn and the hairy one!