make do and mend for tougher times

katieowl_2

fuddle wrote: »

Ah, kids after my own heart pooky My eldest (7) likes Primark "because you can get loads for your money in there mam can't ya!" It's a start :rotfl:

Thanks for the frozen jacket potato advice. I know what my lunches are going to be

We went a foraging this afternoon. We've cleared the well producing bushes out. The others are solid and pale pink. Hope they will ripen. I've made the beginnings of a blackberry wine. I also had a taster of the raisin and rice wine. Wow is that stuff strong :eek:

I've had a conversation with my mam tonight. We've been talking about my sister getting my grandma's jewellery collection when her second baby is born in a month or so. Mam asked me if there was anything of grandma's I would like and I said her wooden standard lamp. It's where I used to sit when at her house, she would knit under it and I thought with a new shade I could give it another 50 years or so. I'm happy with that I'm so looking forward to getting it. Been searching online for new lamp shades. Boy those things are expensive! I think i'll have to learn how to recover the shade that is there. :eek:

Off to library tomorrow to pick up Nella Last's book and a sock how to. Also really into a book I picked up from FIL's charity shopwhile visiting him. It's about townies (but country folk at heart) who go up to the Scottish hills and take over a croft. Only a little way through but good reading.

Pastry? As you get older can people not tolerate it? I made a mince and onion pie for our tea and DH has been feeling ill since. He's blaming my pie! Well at least the pastry. He said it's well known for people to struggle with pastry as they get older. :cool: He's 36 :rotfl:

Oh what's the book called?? I love those stories. I'm in Wales because of Hovel in the Hills

Kate

fuddle

katieowl wrote: »

Oh what's the book called?? I love those stories. I'm in Wales because of Hovel in the Hills

Kate

It's called A Croft In the hills by Katherine Stewart, my copy was printed in 1971

I will look out for hovel in the hills after Nella, thanks

mardatha

I've got it somewhere fuddle and loved it Really puts you in the O/S mood .

fuddle

mardatha wrote: »

I've got it somewhere fuddle and loved it Really puts you in the O/S mood .

I don't know why it makes me all philosophical about a simple life, and yearn for a little isolated place because there's nowt simple about living like that, blimmin' hard graft!

I've reserved Hovel in the Hills on library online and noticed there was a Hovel in he Hill cookbook by Elizabeth West too called Kitchen in the Hills, The Hovel Cookbook. Just thought I'd pass it on.

I'm increasingly enjoying reading all snug and relaxed in bed, 30 minutes before shut eye. I wonder if that's an age thing too?

Woke up by DD and now can't get to sleep. Wednesday is DD (7) school return and Thurs is DD(4) first day at school. I've waited so long for peace and quiet and now I don't want them to go!

I thought porridge for breakfast, jacket potato cheese and beans for lunch and sausages, onion gravy, yorkshires and broccoli for tea.

Also going to look into what to sow in September.

Cheapskate

Morning all

DD woke me at 5 cos she'd wee'd (just out of nappies at night), so got her sorted into dry sheets, etc., but I couldn't go back to sleep. Also got too much running around in my head to sleep. Thanks to all the kind folk who urged me to hie myself to the dr, will try to get in this week - getting a convenient appt is a nightmare at our surgery! Feel a bit silly, though, how do you approach that sort of thing with a dr?

DS back to school tomorrow, so will spend today finishing off sorting his stuff; everything's named, just got to pack PE bag and book bag, and shop for pack-up things.

Have started stocking up on a few things ready for the price hike (and also in case I do quit my job, at least I'll have a food buffer to start us off over the winter), just a few loo rolls, tinned toms, tea bags, etc., as my stocks had really dwindled. Sainsb basics TB have gone up here, too, along with their basics t/toms and a few other things.

Fuddle, I know what you mean about wanting some peace yet suddenly not wanting to let go. My youngest two are 5 and nearly 3, I remember feeling excited when the last one of the older trio went to school, but this time round I'm dreading it, I really don't want to let them go - and it's all adding to my sense of feeling sad/despairing/lost etc! (She doesn't even go to nursery for another year, for goodness' sake!)

Also, the enjoying reading in bed thing? Not age-related, hun, even when DH and I used to go out a lot in our younger days, I've loved snuggling down with a book or magazine (bit hard when you're tipsy or tired, though! ). Hate it when I've nothing new to read in bed!

A xo

fuddle

Cheapskate I was a bundle of nerves when I went to the doctors about it. I started off by saying "I have been down and worried for so many years. I've tried to cope with it myself but now I really need some help." The doc knew straight away what I was talking about and started the whole asking questions process. It will all flow out naturally when the time comes. I left that room with a smile can you believe. I think it was just relief.

That's on my list too today, PE bags, school bags, name writing in uniforms, coop/bake for DD's packed lunch, envelopes and make sure I have money in the house for DD's dinner money.

It's nearly here. The kids are more than ready to go back but it is sad. It's a whole new change for me. I am a stay at home mam. 'Tis what I do and now between the hours of 9-3 I am a housewife. No difference really except I like being a mam.

GreyQueen

jpscloud wrote: »

Oh fay I feel for you - I have a retired neighbour who grinds and sands and grinds a bit more and a bit more and... goodness knows what's left to grind over there. That's bad enough, but he also whistles marching tunes. I swear he only starts that up when I go into my garden. It drives me totally nuts!

This reminds of one of my Dad's workmates who was driven ballistic by a pensioner neighbour who spent all weeked grinding, thumping and banging from early to late as he went about his DIY.

Finally he blew his top and went around to next-door. This was what he said: Look, mate, me and the missus work hard all week and we want a bit of bleedin' quiet on the weekend. You've got all your bleedin' time to yourself so why the **** do you have to do this at the ******* weekends?!

Pensioner was genuinely shocked and hadn't thought of it that way and ceased and desisted on weekends from then on.

Mebbe worth having a word? Mind you, some folks are plain selfish and unreasonable and you can't do anything with them.

I'm slowly bringing my brain up to operational temperature with tea and hot cross buns.

Smiling at the admissions of pastry-intolerance. I'm nearer 50 than 40 and have just noticed the start of this in the last couple of years. A fish and chip meal tends to sit heavily and uncomortably for several hours so I think I'm reacting to the fat and I also start to get heartburn now if I'm not careful.

Who is it who manufacturers Gaviscon? With an aging population, the smart money would be buying shares..........

Have a good day, everyone. I would like to find a sunbeam and lie in it.

[Deleted User]

Morning campers, FUDDLE - I've had the 'Kitchen in the Hills' by Elizabeth West for the last 30 years and it's smashing. Very,very OS and full of recipes to make things stretch to feed 4. There is also another book by her called 'Garden in the Hills' which I've had from the library but not been able to aquire. I have 'Hovel in the Hills' too.

Good luck with the new job, we'll be thinking of you as you start school along with your littlest!!!!!!!!! Cheers Lyn xxx.

lisakay_2

My next door neighbours were a nightmare when they first moved in, banging, drilling and hammering until 11pm or later. they both worked full time and wanted to move in quickly but my girls were trying to sleep. I talked to them nicely and he was ok, but she was just horrible after that. I was so glad when they moved out a few months ago. Our new neighbours are lovely but we dont see much of them.

Back to work today and the girls are back in school tomorrow
I don't want to. Best go and get ready though .
catch you all later. have a happy day, all xx

edit: oh yeah, I struggle with pastry too, or fatty food. The bellyache I get after any kind of takeaway is not nice. I still get one every few months or so just to see if it's changed!! lol

Possession

First day of school, arrrgh! Amazingly the children were ready very early and asking to go to school, so DH is playing bakugan with them to take their minds off it.
Does anyone have a recipe for a cake using shreddies? I bought a job lot of them when the children ate them endlessly, and obviously as soon as I bought a lot they went off them completely. Some kind of malt loaf maybe.