make do and mend for tougher times

Popperwell

kezlou wrote: »

We now have a camping kettle which is fab and in the cupboard as we speak.

Something else for my iist, I was thinking I'd just boil a pan of water and make tea/coffee or put it in a flask, Suppose a kettle would be better(all mine are electric)

bonnie_bumpkins

SpikyHedgehog wrote: »

I've already told DS1 he can only go to uni if he goes to the one in our town (thus restricting his choices) because though he should be able to get a grant based on my income, I'll not be able to give him accommodation help, and he'll need the grant to pay his fees. I also now need him to stay at home, so we're still using all 3 bedrooms.

Hi Spiky

The maintenance grant and maintenance loan are separate from the tuition fee loan. So DS will have his fees paid via the tuition fee loan, and will also have the maintenance grant (due to household income) which he will not have to pay back. He can also get the maintenance loan, which, along with the tuition fee loan, he will have to pay back, eventually, when he's earning £21k +

The maintenance loans and grants are approx £3500 each per year. So he should be able to pay for all his expenses (accommodation, food, books, leisure etc) from this.

My DS is going to uni this Sept; I've been unemployed since last summer and haven't a bean to give him. However he will be able to go due to the various loans and grants available. It's very expensive at £9k per year so there will be a large debt accrued but nothing has to be paid up front and it can be paid back in the future at a reasonable rate, in line with salary. Martin's student loan info is fantastic, if you want more detail.

Hope this helps! Just being nosey, what does he want to study??

mardatha

I AM healthy! I DO eat kale! :A ...in soups where I cant see it..

GreyQueen

mardatha wrote: »

I AM healthy! I DO eat kale! :A ...in soups where I cant see it..

:eek: OMG, another illusion shattered! Mar, how could you? Even I wouldn't touch that stuff.

Baby carrots are obviously an endangered species as thier price has leapt 50% in 3 days. Get your canned goods in now.

I really must get on with the OS-ing in the kitchen or someone from MSE will come and confiscate my safety pin and consign me to the outer darkness which is the RW. Someone give me a kick up the arris, please.

bonnie_bumpkins

From one late summer bird of class to another...



xx

GreyQueen

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

LMAO! Thanks, Bonnie.

Bread rolls are made, I'm just catching my breath before starting to process the beans for the freezer. Remind me why I do this gardening malarkey, again? I could be lying on the couch with a steampunk novel and a bar of choccy.......

rosieben

Mrs_Chip wrote: »

.... Five minute bread ...

I hope you don't mind but I'm adding a link to your post into the Grocery Challenge recipe index :T

Shropshirelass wrote: »

... Most of my flops and 'concrete' bread have been because the kitchen was chilly, or 'someone' opened a door and let in a draught at a crucial moment. ...

When I used to have a very cold and draughty kitchen I used to put my dough in a bowl and cover with a cheapy shower cap from ebay - a tip I read on here a few years ago

Been away for a while and trying to catch up, good grief you lot can talk!!! :rotfl:

Mrs_Chip

Honoured, Rosieben!

The bread is so good because you barely need to exert yourself mixing it (it really is just a stir) and no kneading or knocking back. Great for anyone who suffers from joint weakness, tiredness or just plain laziness like me! The longer it is kept the more it gets the flavour of sour-dough for those that like it (I don't personally). The killer bonus is that you can have fresh bread every day for minimal effort, as much or as little as you need. There are several versions on You Tube with detailed instructions.

Well the forgotten garden is looking a lot more ship-shape. It's not really been forgotten. When Mrs OG moved here she bought a lovely little cottage over the harbour, and it has a garden. She spent a lot of time making it into a tiny haven. It is south facing at the bottom of a valley, off the road so very secluded. Then as things do, not living there (brazen hussy shacked up with Mr OG:rotfl:) the garden got neglected. Recently she has been fretting about it and could not face going back to clear it, so as she is away this weekend I thought I would at least make it so she could get through the gate and along the paths. Amazingly, after a good deal of hacking and chopping, I have been able to get it to the point where she can get to the greenhouse and shed. Hopefully this will be the spur for her to spend a bit if time getting it back to how it was. There are peaches on the tree, damsons and there will be a bumper crop of blackberries (a lovely looking pink flowered one - not sure if it is a garden variety gone native or just a wild sport, but very pretty). The garden has been overrun by wild strawberries, which is a good thing, being shallow rooted they pull up easily and seem to have kept some of the more tenacious weeds out. Surprisingly very little bindweed - I wonder if it is self limiting when the ground is not disturbed?

Absolutely jiggered now and looking forward to a long cold Nohito !

fuddle

GreyQueen wrote: »

I really must get on with the OS-ing in the kitchen or someone from MSE will come and confiscate my safety pin and consign me to the outer darkness which is the RW. Someone give me a kick up the arris, please.

bonnie_bumpkins wrote: »

From one late summer bird of class to another...



xx

too funny :rotfl:

Mrs C I'm about to go put some in the fridge right now for either tomorrow or Tues. That's the real bonus for me, bread when I need it, when I might have the oven on. Even just having it sat there ready for if I run out unexpectedly quickly.

Looking forward to eating too.

thriftwizard

Erm, may I just ask why no-one else seems to like kale? Not that I like it much boiled or steamed (too tough and not particularly tasty) but try it lightly chopped & stir-fried with garlic & soy sauce - a vast improvement, especially if you end up with some crispy bits - they taste splendidly nutty, somehow.