make do and mend for tougher times

Pooky

GQ - take a sample with you, if you can't get an appointment at least they can get that checked.

Having just got over a kidney infection, I know just how dibilitating and yucky they can make you feel.

SDG31000

Evening all

I'm still here and have been reading along. Goodness me you are a talkative lot.

Hello Smoosh and welcome to the mad house. :wave:

GQ I hope you feel better soon. I agree with the others and think you should get it checked out if it isn't gone soon.

Mrs Chip I watched Extreme Preppers today and one of the woman on there coats eggs in mineral oil. Apparently it makes them air tight and they can last months if kept in a cool dry place. She was serving up 7 month old eggs.

(((((((((((hugs to those that need/want them))))))))))))))

DH caught me at a low moment yesterday and got me to buy new clothes from somewhere other than a charity shop. Sainsburys have good trousers for shorties like me and I now have three pairs of skinny jeans, including a very fetching pink/purple pair. I also got three new tops. I'm doing my best to not panic about spending money on myself.
We had everyone around for dinner last night as DH said he needed the distraction from thinking about Carl and his family. I didn't really feel up to it and told him as much, but he needed it. So muggins here ended up doing 90% of the work again. I went to bed at 9.20pm and left everyone to it.

I got up early this morning and made Earl Grey and Cognac tea bread and flapjacks for DPIL and brownies, two large fish pies and two small fish pies for Carl's family. DH and DS2 have gone down south to drop them off and to take DMIL and one of Carl's stepdaughters to Harry Potter world. I hope they enjoy themselves and that is works as a distraction. I'll see Carl's family when I go down for the funeral on Thursday.

I'm at home with DS1 and have just made toad in the hole for dinner. I'm resisting eating more sugar as it's all I seem to have done over the past three days.

I have to add that I'm another person who can't stand celeriac. Goodness knows I have tried, but I really don't like it at all.

Take care everyone xxx

smileyt_2

Hello everyone, I'm feeling a bit more chipper today, it's the first day for ages I haven't felt like I've been dragging my head behind me! I am waiting for my little lady dog to come home - she has been at a friend's all day as I am having to measure the amount of water Bruno is drinking. The vet thinks he may be starting with kidney problems . However he is still chasing squirrels and geese (:o) so whatever it is doesn't seem to be serious, I hope.

I had my first pizza for seven years earlier on. I saw it in the healthfood shop and treated myself as I've never seen vegan pizza before. I only went and bl**dy dropped it on the floor, didn't I? :mad: However, as luck would have it, I had cleaned the floor not long before so I'm afraid I was a total scuzzer and picked most of it up and ate it anyway. I know that sounds utterly gross but I wasn't going to waste the damn thing after waiting seven years!! And the floor was clean. And I have an immune system. I had already cut it into slices so they kind of piled on top of each other so not much was touching the floor. I left the bottom slice for Bruno to eat ... cue much wagging of the tail.

Am I disgusting?

I was very OS and shoved a couple of veggie burgers in to cook at the same time. I will wrap these up, put them in a tupperware box and have them later in the week. I would have liked to cook some vegan sausage rolls but Lodger Boy has eaten them all :mad:. He has taken to spending his food allowance on takeaways and then raiding the freezer. I can feel words coming on. Also, his bed has collapsed, sigh. Between him and his boyfriend it has had to cope with almost 30 stone of maleness and the legs have actually sheared off!!! I've never seen anything like it! Thankfully the charity that has placed him with me has agreed to pay for a new bed as I pointed out that your average young person is not 6ft 4 and weighing 17 stone of pure muscle so this doesn't come under 'normal wear and tear'!

Ooh I might have a veggie burger with baked beans that aren't from Sainsbury's for tea tomorrow night .....

I had an email from Approved Foods earlier on. Apparently if you have an account with them you have your own unique link which you can post on facebook or twitter. If anyone places an order using that link then you get some credit. Not sure how much. But it might be worthwhile doing for regular AF users who are also on facebook.

ETA: MARDATHA - some of those sites Kittie posted sell DRIED KALE! I bet you have already placed an order, haven't you?

prepareathome

Mrs_Chip wrote: »

Was just a thought

PAH would fussy OH eat something like this??

And I had a meal once at a b&B that was chicken breasts with carrot batons and broccoli florettes in a similar white sauce, baked in the oven - sounds weird but was delicious. I think the chicken was cooked first, as was veg, put together and smothered then baked. Very comforting.

Thanks Mrs Chips, a bit like vegetable lasagne, I do manage to get that down him.

Right got two pages to catch up with

Hugs and Love to allxxxx

fuddle

So pleased you're feeling better smiley Good to have you back. Nah, you're not disgusting... and if you are then I am too. Did you enjoy the pizza?

Just opened my blackberry jam from a few weeks back. Bloomin' lovely

Compton's gravy salt. I saw some on Tesco. My grandma made her gravy with cabbage water, swish of leftover yorkshire pudding mix, meat juices and comptons gravy salt. Going to give it a go

kidcat

welcome smoosh

Fuddle - is it possible that your mum was trying to stick up for you earlier? Its just that mum has been known to say things like that in a back handed attempt to stop friends bragging. Obviously I wasnt there but I just wondered if she was trying to say to your sister shut up and stop bragging, your sister here would be happy with far less than that and wouldnt be rubbing everyones noses in it.

Its been a long day, both boys were very hard work and for the first time my dad lost his temper with DS14 who had just thumped DS8 and was attempting to go back for another attempt. DS14 has now decided he doesnt want to attend DD party, as he doesnt want to wear proper clothes ie not tracksuit trousers, doesnt want to socialise, hates music and would rather stay home. Obviously this isnt an option (we arent allowed to leave him unattended at the moment - but I wouldnt anyway as it will be very late) cue tears, tantrums, screaming and shouting.

Did have a marginally money saving moment today when my dad was discussing paying someone to come in and rip out the internal phone wiring and refit it as its all playing up. Looking at a big bill, I pointed out he could disconnect the faulty wire himself and then move his modem downstairs to the main socket, buy a wireless adapter for his desktop in his office upstairs, plug the telephone and modem into the main socket on a doubler and it would cost about £10. Saving a fortune and hours worth of work and huge disruption - he was really pleased with it.
I did remind him that for online banking he should use his laptop plugged into the modem as its far safer but as he rarely banks online it shouldnt be an issue to use laptop downstairs.

Watching Bake Off and thinking of all the wonderful things I used to cook but have no time to do any more, and to be honest the oven here is awful whereas I used to have a really good oven (not expensive just efficient), this one is obviously expensive but more decorative I think.

kidcat

Smiley - so glad you are feeling brighter, I do hope the charity are paying for an industrial strength replacement!!

Popperwell

fuddle wrote: »

So pleased you're feeling better smiley Good to have you back. Nah, you're not disgusting... and if you are then I am too. Did you enjoy the pizza?

Just opened my blackberry jam from a few weeks back. Bloomin' lovely

Compton's gravy salt. I saw some on Tesco. My grandma made her gravy with cabbage water, swish of leftover yorkshire pudding mix, meat juices and comptons gravy salt. Going to give it a go

That brings back memories Compton's Gravy Salt.

Good to see you Smiley!

Butterfly_Brain

GreyQueen wrote: »

Hey, check this out:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/sep/16/unemployed-call-centre-website

Deliberately holding people in phone queues to make them claim online. Appalling.

I read that GQ what a total bunch of they are just grinding people down more each day.
Oh well I am off to watch Downton.....Be warned there is an advert for St John's ambulance being shown of someone choking to death graphic images :eek: I am sick of these charities using emotional blackmail when all I want to do is zone out for an hour or so :mad:

fuddle

Kidcat you've blown my reasoning right out of the water. You know I don't actually know. I'm so used to digs that I took it as being another dig but I did think it was harsh even for her. It's quite possibly that she was, in her kak handed way. Thanks