No T Words mentioned at all - a fresh start

[Deleted User]

It is the perfect age fuddle, she will also feel so grown up and trusted. I learnt on a sewing machine at seven but it was a treadle so electric might be a bit trickier ie a bit less controllable. I do remember getting a childs sewing machine before using the treadle so maybe there is something similar that you can get her for birthday or christmas. That and some cut out squares and rectangles and she will be well away. I could sew a skirt at 10 and the first project at school was a skirt, which I could have completed in two lessons, so was bored for the rest of the time. I also remember how I loved to do blanket stitch at about that age. Thick thread on felt to make a purse. Lovely

scottishminnie

Evening all. I'm just enjoying the last of the weekend before the week's onslaught begins again!

MrsLM - My trip south was fine. It was nice to see some sunshine as I left Scotland in torrential driving rain and came back to the same. Unfortunately it meant I had to wear a raincoat rather than a cardi which wasn't fun when ut was 70 degrees plus at my destination. My flight home was delayed so it ended up being a 4am start and a midnight finish with the expectation that I would be in the office for a 7am meeting the next day. Work is really not pleasant these days but I just keep thinking of the weekends.

Weather was lousy here until about 5pm today which meant very little gardening. The fruit bushes I purchased which are awaiting planting in the swamp (which will be a new kitchen garden sometime) now have fruit so I think I will have to net them soon or my several hundred starling friends will make short work of them. Much as I love to have birds in the garden I'm getting a little tired of the incessant starling chatter which begins around 4am and reaches a crescendo just before 6:mad:

No baking today, I simply didn't have time so that will have to take place tomorrow night as mother is expecting replenished supplies soon. Dad is continuing to do well,bored rigid of course however a family friend dropped by today and took him off to visit an old farming neighbour who moved away a while back so that was a bonus. Dad got a trip out and mum got a break - good news all round:)

I had a spot of doggysitting yesterday morning for my parents and I simply can't abide doing nothing so I had a session of cleaning the brass bits and pieces and lots of silver things too. Mum was delighted, that's one of her least favourite jobs. I'd forgotten how filthy my hands would be by the end though.

Anyway, off to put away the last of the washing - speak to you all soon.:)

Kaz2904

Well hello . It's filthy weather here so I have busied myself this morning by making 4 batches of Herman the German friendship cake. It's in the oven now. Some with beet root, some with cherries from AF, all has coconut and all has peanuts. I bought the cheap salted ones from mr s and was going to rinse the salt off but needed to add salt for the cakes so I decided to just bung them in as is and leave out the salt. Hope it works!
DS is absolutely shattered this morning and is off to wood school later. He's happy as they get to use knives soon.
I was reading with interest about the knives issue with kids. I started mine off fairly early with not so sharp ones and started teaching DD how to use sharp knives last year when she was 9. IMO, it's an important skill to learn. That and peeling. I also had success with getting them to help out menu planning.
I've not let either of them loose on the sewing machine yet more due to lack of inspiration and scraps rather than anything else. DD is a fair knitter though and is getting better with time.
Hope the weather doesn't wash you all away.
Ftm, any baby news yet?

[Deleted User]

Hello folks, what a soggy day down here in the deep south, have just come back from walking the lurcher down by the river, and I got the feeling there was as much water falling out of the clouds as there was flowing past in the river!!! A lovely day if you are a Mallard!!! If we get much more the pond is going to overflow, and I'll have free range goldfish on the lawn. What a far cry from the drought conditions a few weeks ago - the poor dog is laying disconsolately on a pile of towels in front of the woodburner, hoping we're going to light it for him, poor old boy!!!



All the outside crops are being very, very slow at the moment, I expect it's the same everywhere but, walking the footpaths I am relieved to see that there are lots of hazel nuts, sloes, wild plums and crab apples beginning to develop and even some damsons in peoples gardens, so perhaps it will be worth foraging in the autumn after all. The other bumper crop, if they ripen is hawthorn I haven't seen so many haws for a long time. There even looks to be a fair crop of elderberries coming on too, so I shall be able to make the usual cordial this year. We shall be planting out more beetroot in the polytunnel and some Hispi cabbages and some Raddiccio and more basil in a couple of days , all started off in the greenhouse and looking strong.

Hope you have all had a good day and stayed dry Cheers Lyn and the soggy doggy!!!.

Todays thought - "The rain it falleth on the just and also on the unjust fella, but, mainly on the just because the unjust steals the justs umberella". Don't know where the rhyme is from, but appropriate today!!!!!

[Deleted User]

july now and the month will be horrendous re rain. There appears to be only one short dry interlude where I live, otherwise it is rain, floods, torrents most of the time

I go onto garden forums and potatoes are in imminent danger of blight and it has started in some areas. If you have families to fill then I would suggest that you stock up on alternatives for winter, unless you can afford foreign potatoes, which I think will go sky high. Personally I have big stocks of rice and pasta and other staples. Potatoes are a disaster this year

The talk is of a very cold winter starting early, from another site not my normal one. Another excellent forecaster so I am taking it seriously and have already told one dd and have my stove fuel in

We took the children home yesterday, it was a lovely time, so many `why` questions. Tiring though and I have every empathy with older mothers. I had my three in my early 20s and it was a breeze compared to being over 60

splodger_seedswapper

kittie wrote: »

july now and the month will be horrendous re rain. There appears to be only one short dry interlude where I live, otherwise it is rain, floods, torrents most of the time

I go onto garden forums and potatoes are in imminent danger of blight and it has started in some areas. If you have families to fill then I would suggest that you stock up on alternatives for winter, unless you can afford foreign potatoes, which I think will go sky high. Personally I have big stocks of rice and pasta and other staples. Potatoes are a disaster this year

blight has already struck in my area :mad:

it won't be just spuds (or toms) that might fail this year - i doubt the wheat / other cereal crops will be very good either - so the price of bread, flour, cereals etc are sure to go up in price (so stock up now)

even onions and garlic are likely to be poor too - and if it does turn cold then it might affect beans, squshes etc

not a good food growing year at all :mad:

flowertotmum

Hello all...well what a week..had an absolute terrible storm with golf ball size hail stones that smashed our greenhouse to bits..the veg patch got flooded and the chickens had to literally paddle to get to their house...been clearing up the damage and trying to sort it out..
Had a nice wkend though..i made lots of veggie curries and have been batch baking and filling up freezer..checked my frozen veg from last yr and it all seems fine..think my crops may fail this yr..so going to start stocking up on cereals and porridge and cooking potatos in batches and freezing them..should think the prices are going to rocket..
Splodgerseedswapper..thanks for the heads up on blight i will go check my veggies now...
Kittie thanks for the weather warnings hun...
SM..so glad to hear your dads ok and getting about..and you can come clean my silver candelabra anytime..its gorgeous but very intricate details on it..takes flaming forever to clean..
MLW..you have finally convinced me to get a polytunnel..my PTE..is driving hubby up the wall..so he has graciuosly given in and is going to buy one when we have harvested what crop we can...hope you and pooch are ok...free range fish lol..my pond is about 1" from bursting..i am watching it very carefully...
Kittie..heya..hows your girlies arm now..all ok..and as for baby news well...she had a show today and has got some weird pains but no news yet ..she will let me know when she goes to hospital..and i will let you all know...
Right got to go and get my bin in..make lunch and finish my dishcloths...
love to you all
ftm

kezlou

thanks for the granola recipe Kittie it looks great

oh mar don't talk about the weather i'm sick of being cold, all its done here is rain. Saying that i heard off the bbc its supposed to be really north again. My arthritis is playing me up something chronic.

FTM hows the family? what a nightmare with the greenhouse.
scottish minnie i'm glad yours recovering x
mrs lurcher - great news on the pollytunnel
kaz hows the blanket? i'm started knoiotting my nieces blankets again. igave up for christmas but decided that will be done for this year.

Both of mine use sharp knives for chopping and they 12 and 8 years, but they asked to do it and seem interested in cooking so i'm just encouraging it. My plan is soon to teach them how to put buttons on. They watch me do it so i thought make as well let them have a go.

My gardens only just dried up, everything got delmolished by slugs but i found some small green raspberries out the front so i'm happy Think i saw some gooseberries too, my OH will be chuffed.

Were all plodding along here, the three cats are finally getting along. The two girls still hiss and fight sometimes but you can tell they just tormenting each other . While our big fat tom cat just sits, rolls on his belly and pats at them both. So funny.

Hope your all well x

Kittie your ice cream sounds lush x

[Deleted User]

seedsplodger, omg so its going to be full on soon. I do feel for the new allotment holders, so bright and bushy tailed last year and so much work put in, then wham. My tomatoes are swelling fast so I am taking off a couple of leaves at a time and am having a real re-think about what to plant next year, already

anyone know of a good os recipe for slug pie?

[Deleted User]

Hi FTM so sad about your greenhouse, I had hoped we had all escaped unscathed by that dreadful weather last week, obviously not, I just hope you were able to salvage enough of any crops in there. I don't think you'll regret the polytunnel it really is the most amazing thing we've ever had. You won't believe just how quickly things grow in there and the yield is massive. Try some beetroot I have never been able to grow the like of it before. Think it is a very sensible move to start a stockpile, I have a feeling that most things will spiral in price this winter, so getting some in now should save some pennies. How is Heather - surely not still waiting?

KITTIE - the only good thing to do with slugs is to feed them to your chickens!!!!! Hope we do get a potato harvest this year, the ones in the tunnel are huge but I have serious reservations about what we will harvest from the allotment. All the other outdoor crops are just sitting doing nothing - climbing beans and peas planted out a couple of weeks ago just the same size and looking poorly. However, the strawberries have finally started to ripen and are so sweet and tasty,lucky me DH does not like them at all!!!!!!!

KAZ - when we had a HERMAN cake the best thing we liked was half a jar of mincemeat in it, very yummy. Hope DD's arm is now fully back to normal and also that you are near the end of the blanket.