Preparedness for when

VJsmum

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

I have just raided my stash of tins for a tin of ham to go with muffins for breakfast. The ham is lovely, it's quite expensive for a small tin, it's from M unt S and cost £2.19 I think, but it's proper ham and solid, not full of water. I shall aquire more of these to store, it is real meat and would cube up for stew/casserole and stay in the chunk, not fall apart and the small tin is just the right size for two people so no worries about storing leftovers if the power is out. They also do a tin of cured turkey and a tin of cured chicken in the same range, I have some of these and will try them in the week, if they are as good as the ham, they are worth the money, Cheers Lyn xxx.

Thanks for this - I have just thought I could get one of these for me and DS for Glasto next week, with a tin of spuds and some corn that would make a meal easily with the help of Kelly

alfsmum

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

I have just raided my stash of tins for a tin of ham to go with muffins for breakfast. The ham is lovely, it's quite expensive for a small tin, it's from M unt S and cost £2.19 I think, but it's proper ham and solid, not full of water. I shall aquire more of these to store, it is real meat and would cube up for stew/casserole and stay in the chunk, not fall apart and the small tin is just the right size for two people so no worries about storing leftovers if the power is out. They also do a tin of cured turkey and a tin of cured chicken in the same range, I have some of these and will try them in the week, if they are as good as the ham, they are worth the money, Cheers Lyn xxx.

Tks Lyn, glad to have a product recommended. I am veggie but Dh is carnivorous these days so I'll look out for a couple of tins for the store cupboard, especially if I can time it with one of those twenty percent off tinned goods offers they do occasionally.

Depressing news on the lottie front - the site was broken into again this week, several sheds broken open, crops damaged and one shed actually stolen!!!! We don't have a shed, just a polytunnel, and the only tools we keep there are a small spade and a wheelbarrow.

There seems to be a spate of allotment break-ins here and in the surrounding area every now and then. Usually it's tools that are taken so you're just inviting trouble if you leave anything of value about. I did read about some chickens being taken a year or two back so I was always very nervous about our girls being down there during the summer. They used to wake the neighbours up by bustling about on the light mornings so they would have to vacation at the lottie from May to September! Now we only have one left, she lives in splendour in the back garden and rarely makes a noise. Anyways, I digress..although it's been tools up to now, I wouldn't be at all surprised as our fruit trees are starting to mature and bear a half decent crop to go down one day and find that have been stripped before we can pick them. One of the risks of life on the lottie:(

[Deleted User]

ALFSMUM we suffer more here from vandalism than actual breakins, although there have been some thefts from sheds, targeted I think as they took rotorvators each time. Mostly it's youngsters throwing stones through windows and breaking greenhouse glass. We are lucky as the allotments have housing right round the perimiter and although it's at the bottoms of the gardens folks notice if anything happens. What we've been suffering from over the past few seasons is actual theft of crops, particularly high value ones like strawberries, asparagus and blackcurrants although the more everyday things get taken as well, but not the entire crop as with the higher value things. It usually happens very early in the morning just as it is getting light. I don't think any of us mind if it's someone trying to feed a family and not having enough income to do so, but stealing to sell is just so wrong. Last christmas someone overnight stripped every branch with berries on from the village holly tree, one day it was beautiful, covered in berries and the convention is only take a few and then we all get holly for decoration and next day gone!!! you could see where they had parked a lorry from the wheeltracks and took the lot, that kind of thing I really do find unacceptable, it hurts whole communities, not good, Cheers Lyn xxx.

BessieBooBoo

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

ALFSMUM we suffer more here from vandalism than actual breakins, although there have been some thefts from sheds, targeted I think as they took rotorvators each time. Mostly it's youngsters throwing stones through windows and breaking greenhouse glass. We are lucky as the allotments have housing right round the perimiter and although it's at the bottoms of the gardens folks notice if anything happens. What we've been suffering from over the past few seasons is actual theft of crops, particularly high value ones like strawberries, asparagus and blackcurrants although the more everyday things get taken as well, but not the entire crop as with the higher value things. It usually happens very early in the morning just as it is getting light. I don't think any of us mind if it's someone trying to feed a family and not having enough income to do so, but stealing to sell is just so wrong. Last christmas someone overnight stripped every branch with berries on from the village holly tree, one day it was beautiful, covered in berries and the convention is only take a few and then we all get holly for decoration and next day gone!!! you could see where they had parked a lorry from the wheeltracks and took the lot, that kind of thing I really do find unacceptable, it hurts whole communities, not good, Cheers Lyn xxx.

Hello MrsLW

That's so greedy and selfish. Some people definitely have no morals at all.

I hope karma gets them....

Anyways, on the prepping front we took a trip to several camping shops, and I couldn't resist 1 or 2 (okay lots) of purchases:

Mini metal LED key ring torch
Mini metal key ring magnifying glass (for camp fire making and cheaper than new glasses!)
Wayf*rer meals/puds in a pouch
Kendal chocolate mint cake
Collapsable water carrier
New gas cylinder
Tent repair kit - tent needed it!
Car glass window breaker and seat belt cutter

Our tent is currently airing on our front garden, seeing if the repairs work, as we have a bit of rain. So far, so good!

Our neighbour across the road, seeing us putting up the tent, came over an offered us a mini gas griddle barbeque thingy (that's what the extra gas is for). Bless her, she refused any payment, but, we are going to give her a bottle of wine for it.

We had been going through our equipment to reduce weight, but with the dogs stuff, and new grill, I don't think it will be much different. All good intentions!

Never mind, can't wait to go, 23 days & counting...

BBB

pineapple

BessieBooBoo wrote: »

Hello MrsLW

That's so greedy and selfish. Some people definitely have no morals at all.

I hope karma gets them....

I used to visit a gardening project for people learning difficulties where some barstewards would climb over the wall at the weekend and steal the produce the former had so carefully tended throughout the year. The Manager - a more forgiving person than me - said without a trace of irony 'I suppose at least we are giving something to the community'.
Elsewhere at another project they suffered repeated vandalism - but managed to put a stop to it by inviting the miscreants to use one of the sheds as a hang out. Brilliant move! The project was adopted by the local youth mafioso and there was never any more trouble - from anyone. :rotfl:

greenbee

I thought you lot might be interested in this...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b02v1q2n

pineapple

greenbee wrote: »

I thought you lot might be interested in this...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b02v1q2n

Blimey! Yes indeedy

BessieBooBoo

Hello all

First, thanks GQ for all your sound advice on the tater front. It's only our 2nd year of growing these, and I will be looking these over carefully.

Off topic, I subscribe to an organic gardening association, and in their members mag, a reader's letter refers to hosting a bee-hive.

A great idea, I thought, where a bee-keeper uses your plot, tends the hive, and you get everything pollinated plus some honey. I'd also seen the programme last night about the loss of bees and what that would mean to our crops, etc. in the future.

Unfortunately, the bee-keeper had forgotten to inform the bee-keepers association so a slightly bewildered secretary had to let me down gently with the fact that this was an individual's idea, not something that they had discussed with them... Never mind.

She kindly informed me what you would need to do hosting, if you could find a local bee-keeper willing to do that:

Reasonable size garden, where there is a quiet corner for them, fenced off to prevent disturbance.
Forage plants/trees/orchard.
Access for vehicle.
Access for carrying hive/hive equipment which can be heavy.
A local bee-keeper who could access hives 2-3 times daily in summer.
Room for 3-4 hives minimum, as any loss of queen could be solved by swopping from another hive.
A tolerance for swarms!
Water supply.

What bees don't like:
Dogs!
Sweaty people (e.g. on a allotment)
Horses
Vibration/noise (e.g. mowing)
Any other disturbance near the hive.

Given that I have a relatively small suburban garden, an inquisitive terrier, and a (sometimes) sweaty OH working in the garden, I reluctantly concluded that maybe ours wouldn't be the ideal site...!

I hope that helps anyone thinking about this. Note, this is all as passed on from one of the people in the bee-keepers association (BBKA) for their web-site. I suggest if you are interested have a good look at their site, and at the courses they offer.

I am just going to maintain an organic, bee-friendly garden, and keep a wary eye on the dog...

BBB

FrooGal_2

the_cake wrote: »

Attention Bee Afficionados! (That will be all of us?)
There's a programme on BBC4 at 9.00 tonight called 'Who Killed the Honey Bee?' about "the decline in the bee population and the impact the extinction of the insect would have on nature and the world's food supply". Sounds interesting ....

I watched this on the iPlayer today, very interesting. Thanks for the tip off

D&DD

I'm just too sore to type god my house was filthy :eek:
Got on really well this week though with 2 less bods about and have made more room for preps which is always a good thing!

GQ I have the Reapers are angels book if you want it I'll gladly post it to you,I have stamps so it won't cost me anything PM if you're interested XX

Will catch up when I have time at the weekend can't wait to see DS3 tomorrow neither can Rosie..shes been so sad all week with the both of them gone.
Think OH is home Saturday but not sure yet at least he can sleep in a bed I've had to resort to the couch all week while all the rooms were airing/tossed!!

Thing is everything reeks of smoke now I'm on the electronic ones so I'm washing everything,even the clean stuff :rotfl:

Off to stuff my face with copious amounts of very fattening cake XXX