make do and mend for tougher times

fuddle

Just about go go have my first wash down as opposed to a bath but jumping on to report that basics instant potato with a dab of melted butter has worked absolutely brilliantly as a shepherds pie topping. I shall be doing that more often. The family didn't mention a thing but I did kind of wash over it with the gravy think I paid 9p for a sachet. I think.

I too will be hunting out the victorian website and sitting down with Alys Fowler's edible garden I got from the library last week. Oh yeah. I have sourced Elder but I can't reach as they're surrounded by nettles. Gutted. Except me being me, decided there and then to get revenge and next time take some welders gloves and nick a bit for a nettle tea

fuddle

Oh pah, envious you got the red one! Mine is basic white but matches every other basic thing in my kitchen :rotfl:

I'll hunt out your new blog later

I've seen on Andrew James' site the extension pack you're getting for £12 something and when DH is paid I will get it because to fit a main and yorkshires in there I'll need the halogen higher.

Off to get meself a wesh

Mrs_Chip

Fuddle - I always take a stick with me when blackberrying or collecting sloes - one with a good hooked handle - vital for slashing down nettles and hooking down the best berries, which are always out of reach. Also very handy for seeing off nosey coos !

Popperwell

Great news about the halogen ovens for all...

Catching up on sleep as weather outside has been very bad this afternoon and I was up all night until I managed to get through to Mum's brother in America(hadn't talked to him since the day before the funeral in April)

Went to CAB to ask them to read through my photocopy of the form about IS even though I mailed it in yesterday so they'd get it today, I wanted to see if the CAB were happy with my answers, had missed answering anything etc...

He only looked at two pages and said "As you've sent it in, come back if you have any problems and we'll help, wait and see what happens!" He said a lot of people have been getting them lately, that they are trying to get people off IS and onto ESA.

So a waste of time and taxi fare, not really any help. But he seemed to be only uninterested after he saw and heard about the black marker pen through that statement on the front page of the form, where it said return the form as soon as possible(but you could not see the rest)about having a month to return it.

And the page where the details of all you have moneywise had been highlighted with a highlighter pen.

And he asked if he could have a photocopy showing how they had used that marker pen.

So I hope that does not mean I have something to worry about...It's set me off again...

Evie74_2

Evening all and (((hugs))) to all in need, especially those worrying about the proposed CT changes.

I have had a look at our local council website and can't find anything at all about coming changes [insert puzzled face here]. I will keep looking though.

I have a finished kitchen :j - well, it's been installed and has a working cooker! DH will be starting on the painting tomorrow. It was so lovely to actually cook a meal (albeit just pasta) this evening.

I have also been thinking about the longer term. I have a pension through work, but have only been able to make very tiny monthly contributions to it. DH doesn't have one at all. I am thinking that once DH finds another job we will both have to address the pension issue properly, and also try to make some overpayments on our mortgage. We won't be paying nursery fees any more so it should be possible for us to put some extra money aside for that, as long as we continue to watch the pennies in other areas. I feel very strongly that I want to be as self-reliant as I possibly can; hence learning to grow veg, and new skills like knitting and sewing.

I take inspiration from my grandparents who were amazingly resiliant and virtually self-sufficient. I wish they were still around as although they taught me a lot there are so many things I would like to ask them now .

Off to catch up (and sneak another peek at the kitchen: I can't believe how lovely it is compared to the old one!)

Evie xx

recoverydust

Calm right back down again Pops.. They move in mysterious and stupid ways... You know that... So don't let it alarm you

Bright sunshine in Edinburgh today.
My bread worked a treat too, yummy and cheap
xxxx

kidcat

I am seriously tempted but concerned about storage space. May have a twiddle with cupboards and see if I could manage it.

Today has been hard, I planned on taking kids for day out as I wanted to wash carpets in hall and stairs before we left and give them chance to dry. However that required DS14 to hoover halls and stairs first. The job should have taken 30 minutes hoovering and 30 minutes carpet cleaning, it actually took four hours and that was just the hoovering - DS was in major meltdown mode.

It was too late after that for day trip so we took refuge at my parents, but DS mood fed DS8 and we ended up with meltdowns all over the place.

Thankfully since we returned home things appear to have settled.

Fuddle - we saved a chunk of our deposit by having child benefit paid into a savings account and then ignoring it. SOme months it wasnt possible as we had stuff that was urgent, usually car repairs but as the months went on I managed more and more without touching it until we almost forgot about it. I found that not having it ever in the main account meant it was easier to ignore and forget it was there. I still have it kept separate, my plan being that we could pay for urgent repairs, its thanks to that we were able to survive OH being off.

PAH - your sons car payment, to be honest, I would be selling it, he has two options, pay you or sell it, you should not be out of pocket each month while he swans around in a fancy car.

Mrs_Chip

Kidcat - I have the 12 ltr halogen and it is a big beast (I'm not sure if the smaller one would be big enough for you?). I have found, and others have said, it is far better to find a space for the oven to live 'out' rather than keeping it in a cupboard and heaving it back and forth. Mine is on a wee tile top trolley that sits in the corner.

kidcat

You see theres the bug bear Mrs C - my worktops are already struggling. If I could find somewhere to stash the bread maker it might be possible but I cannot for the life of me think where else to put it.

With the george grill, toaster, kettle and coffee maker, not to mention the large SC (Small SC has space in cupboard) its all very packed! Ideally I would prefer most of them stashed away out of sight but I would need huge numbers of cupboards.
If I can eventually persuade OH to let me change kitchen it will be better, as I plan on buying a large american style fridge freezer, then moving the cupboard the FF is now in along the wall, put shelves in said cupboard giving me a lovely larder size cupboard to play with. Ideally I would also buy a large AGA type cooker but the FF is the bigger priority. As it it just nowhere near big enough to hold more than a couple of days food at a time.

Popperwell

The accessories like the extension ring allows you more space for perhaps when needing to cook a larger chicken or extra items in one go.

My auntie has a HO and she said when ordered make certain you have the extension ring aboive everything else...she uses her's a lot. When I said I was getting an HO she said it was a good buy and atthetime I had no idea she had one...