No T Words mentioned at all - a fresh start

[Deleted User]

KITTIE - I have 'free range' Lemon Balm all over both the front and back flower beds, it's never a problem as it is the favourite food of Nells guinea pig along with the fresh thyme and a sprig of fresh bay leaves, he eats almost more than I can produce! It makes him smell wonderful. Your ice cream is making my mouth water, well found Cheers Lyn x.

[Deleted User]

re july weather

it`s out and truly awful, all through

I am going to be preserving as much as possible and buying tins in

I hope people have their flood plans sorted

VJsmum

kittie wrote: »

re july weather

it`s out and truly awful, all through

I am going to be preserving as much as possible and buying tins in

I hope people have their flood plans sorted

<<<groan>>>

Thank you. I wish it were wrong - but they haven't been so far, have they?

When, when, is it going to be dry?

I shouldn't moan too much as I am in Canada for a week with work, from a week Monday and then off to the states at the end of July / beginning of August and it should be nice there. One thing, it is nearly always nice here when I am elsewhere:D

I have a day of cleaning and tidying today - OH has taken MIL away for the weekend and the kids and I are here with not much else planned. DD is revising for her final GCSE tomorrow (Geography) and then she is done with this school for ever as her 6th form is elsewhere. There is a whoopsied turkey leg defrosting on the side for DS and I to have for tea and veggie DD is having cauliflower cheese with the trimmings from the roast.

After her exam (which finishes at 11.00) DD and I are off shopping for her America wardrobe and the bits and pieces she needs to finish off her prom outfit. THat reminds me, she needs to try on the prom dress as I think she has lost weight and it needs taking in. I do think this prom business is expensive - but one is rather pressured into going with it. She is arriving by Santa's sleigh, complete with Santa

Ah well, my coffee break is finished so I guess I'd better continue the great clean and tidy up.

Kaz2904

Just trying to sort out my menu plan for the week. Am getting a little (well a lot) fed up with all the sniping at meal times and think my family are going to find themselves going very hungry if they don't stop whingeing every single time I serve them a meal .
Made chicken pie for DH for his fathers day meal yesterday and all he did was whine. Miserable git! So it's back to menu planning with a definite force. I hate not having a menu plan but DH hates having one. Anyway, we have some bits in the fridge but not enough to feed us for the week so I really must go and get some food in. At least I will know what we're eating then!
DD's. Much better now, cast came off on Thursday. Arm still bendy and lumpy but will straighten in time and the lump should go after a year or two. She really needs to build up that arm so she's dived straight back into piano and knitting with a vengeance! Hopefully she won't need any physio, she's got another appointment in 4 weeks.

maryb

I'm another one who doesn't get on with wheat or too much fibre come to that. There's an interesting book out called Wheat Belly where his thesis is that plant breeding (not GM, just old fashioned selection of strains) has changed the genetic makeup of wheat so much that it bears very little resemblance to traditional pre-war strains of wheat and it is that that is leading to a huge rise in wheat sensitivity. He advocates basically primal/paleo eating but I can't get on with that. What I do find is that soaking the grains for a good long while before cooking and also making sourdough bread helps a LOT. I hardly ever get problems now. I think it's because the starter evolves into a balance of beneficial lactobacillus (the sort you get in yogurt) and a relatively gut friendly strain of yeast

Kittie I remember you posted quite a lot about making sourdough at one stage - do you still do that?

[Deleted User]

KAZ - really glad the arm is better, what a relief for her to have the cast off, that must be so much more comfortable. Hope all continues to heal well. Catering for different tastes at mealtimes is a pain isn't it? I found that if they were having a critical and whingy period I fell back on tried and tested recipes like bolognese, sausage and mash, quiche, Jacket Potato and waited for them to mention missing the things they were currently complaining about - it doesn't take long! Good Luck!!! cheers Lyn x.

scottishminnie

Evening all. Not much to report from my end. Life continues to be manic and I'm off south tomorrow on a business trip which means the day is a write off from a home point of view.

I'm off out into the garden tonight as I have a fair bit of catching up to do. We've had two nice days here now however tomorrow is the last one before 4 or 5 days of rain. Unfortunately I'm off to an outdoor buffet on Saturday which has been a washout for the last few years so I was really hoping we could at least have a dry day this time. It's a friend who is hosting so I've offered to make a few things. Currently my list stands at 1 pavlova, 1 cheesecake, 1 union jack victoria sponge, 1 pasta salad, 1 prawn marie rose and some home made coleslaw. I'm also chief decorator so I will be very busy late Friday night/early Saturday morning!

I'm lucky - there is just hubby and I to feed and he never complains about my meal choices. I'd be frustrated if I was catering for a few and they started getting lippy about it. A few days starvation may not do them any harm:)

[Deleted User]

Hi all, last of the nice weather here today, the wind is just starting to pick up and it feels cooler today but the sun is still with us so no complaints. The strawberries have been re-netted against the birds and finally deigned to start ripening, trouble is they are rotting as they ripen so no good to freeze. Had a big success today I made pesto with some of the fresh herbs and a huge handful of rocket from the polytunnel, a heel of old parmesan cheese and a handful of cashew nuts. Very yummy, one to remember. Poly is going well, we had the first root of new potatoes on Sunday and got over 1 lb from one root, the beetroot are almost ready to harvest, we have a succession of lettuces growing on and the courgette has flowers already. The rocket is growing really well and we have trusses of tomatoes set and developing. We are going to plant out some Hispi cabbages and see if they are a goer. Hope all is well with Heather FTM and that she's not too uncomfortable, you will let us know when baby arrives won't you? KAZ - How did you get on with your replacement cardigan? or has the blanket been keeping you too busy! Hope all is well with everyone and you are enjoying life Cheers Lyn x.

prepareathome

I am frightened to say it but this year the slugs seem to have moved elsewhere and for first time in about 3 years my plants are growing - previously no matter what I did slugs ate them be they vegetable or flowers, I wept last year when I filled two pots with pansies and the they looked lovely and by the next day every flower ( 50 of them) had gone.

If it wasn't the slugs the torrential rain we had all these past few summers caused what was left ( that is what slugs didn't touch like carrots ) to rot......I have actually got flowers on my potato plants, not got that far for so long - and found some of the potatoes I have put in this year have got pink flowers, never had any with any other colour than white before.

I have lots of lettuce which I have been eating past few weeks, found one pea pod ready to eat yesterday and promptly did so there and then, lovely and cut some rhubarb and made crumble with it last night. Have a few strawberries growing but still green and more seem to be forming, but not a sign of any tomatoes on any of the plants or bushes but have got the start of a cucumber and some pumpkins.

Here its either been wet but cold or dry and hot where as past 3 -4 years when its been wet its been hot as well and the slugs adore that weather, well ones here do anyway, so I am hoping weather continues as it has, ok less rain would be nice, but let it stay cold when it does rain - easier to cope with as you can wrap up without ending up being soaked in sweat.

So am hoping I might at last have something to harvest - hubby tried to talk me out of continuing to try growing anything after last summers disaster as all he could see was money going out and no return no just because of the money but because I was so down going out and seeing everything eaten or rotted.

Even he likes going into garden and seeing flowers instead of the empty pots left after the slugs ate everything in past........so keeping everything crossed that it continues..........

My plants so far

http://www.flickr.com/photos/80746682@N06/

bossymoo

I think they are at m house, we are usually not terrorised by them but all my petunias have holes this year...