Preparedness for when

[Deleted User]

Morning SUNSHINE 4, Hi Denise hope you are feeling a little better today, such a sensible thing to do, getting a little extra each week to build up the store cupboard for the winter. I'm buying tins of stewed steak when I have cash left at the end of the houskeeping week and Mr.Mash potato as that will make a good 4 portion meal for the two of us when it's cold. I'm also using the Polish Foods section of Mr.T and buying tinned pate and a lovely cooked meat in a jar called Kielbasa which is spicy suasage and lovely as an ingredient. I only buy it when it's on offer though as it is normally £2.49p but again it makes 4 good portions so useful to have in. Hope you've a cooler day in prospect, it's mercifully cooler here today but supposed to warm up again this afternoon, roll on Autumn, yes? Cheers Lyn xxx.

pineapple

Our power must have gone off during the night as the satellite signal had to reset itself when I switched on the TV. Lightning and tremendous crashes of thunder at breakfast time. I have had a healthy respect for thunderstorms ever since we were doing up an old cottage and a storm struck. It may have been the scaffolding outside but a power drill plugged into a socket flashed :eek:. Fortunately we weren't using it at the time. Anyhow I had the the 'puter disconnected just in case.
I've got it into my head that my dog's bronchitis might be caused by one of the lungworms not covered by the monthy advocate (there are 4 types apparently). To test you need 3 faeces samples from consecutive days. Rather than trail to the vets and pay a ginormous amount for a couple of consultations and tests, I've ordered an online jobby (sorry). They test for a tenner then you take the results to a vets if positive. In fact I already have the meds that vets use - available OTC at registered places - so they can't sting me that way either. I would treat myself but it should be done under supervision as too quick a die off can actually kill your dog.
I look forward to poking around in dog poo over the coming days - it's bad enough when it's your own! Let no one say pineapple doesn't have a glamorous life.
On the subject of bees, the cotoneaster up the garden is fair buzzing with them. And so are the nasturtiums by the back door. I don't bother them and they don't bother me.
But take heed. I once got a sharp jab in the thigh on getting into bed.
There was a big bumblebee under the duvet! :eek: So these days I always check for visitors before climbing in

[Deleted User]

PINEAPPLE my neighbour has bumble bees in a nest in her garden shed, she loves them and I love to see them on the buddelia outside the lounge window, it's covered and we have many butterflies on it too, beautiful to watch. Hope your poor old goggie feels better soon, the glamour of pet ownership eh, cheers Lyn xxx.

Sunshine4

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Morning SUNSHINE 4, Hi Denise hope you are feeling a little better today, such a sensible thing to do, getting a little extra each week to build up the store cupboard for the winter. I'm buying tins of stewed steak when I have cash left at the end of the houskeeping week and Mr.Mash potato as that will make a good 4 portion meal for the two of us when it's cold. I'm also using the Polish Foods section of Mr.T and buying tinned pate and a lovely cooked meat in a jar called Kielbasa which is spicy suasage and lovely as an ingredient. I only buy it when it's on offer though as it is normally £2.49p but again it makes 4 good portions so useful to have in. Hope you've a cooler day in prospect, it's mercifully cooler here today but supposed to warm up again this afternoon, roll on Autumn, yes? Cheers Lyn xxx.

Thank you for that I forgot about Mr Mash. I also noticed basic items are going up all the time, its getting harder to stretch the pennys.
I will look out for that meat at Mr Ts as the OH looks spicy sausage,and that good value having 4 good serving from it.

Lyn Thank you for all the tips you give they help alot, as my garden will be no good until next year I have started a herb garden in tubs so Iwill at least have them.:T

Denise

Emm-in-a-pickle

I read this thread from time to time - just `de-lurking` to thank the bee-friendly posters. I`m seeing lots at the moment, and I think it really is down to what plants are around.
The most successful in my garden now are Nasturtiums that I`ve encouraged to run riot, Lavender and Catmint (in raised beds) and a Cottoneaster tree that `should` have been pruned but I`m deliberately letting it take over most of front garden! Also, if you want to encourage bees and have any privet hedging, let some of it flower! The scent is GORGEOUS, similar to Jasmine, and bees love it. You can trim it back after the blossom dies off. Ivy in the hedge? Don`t cut it yet, the ivy blossom is a great late summer/autumn food source for later bees.

[Deleted User]

EMM the buddelia is covered with bees today, and loads of different types of butterflys and we get the hover flys on there too, if you've got room for a buddelia it really helps them. I wait until the main flower produced on each stem dies off and cut it back which lets the smaller flowers that form mature and gives the insects a second lot of flowers to use. We have lots of flowering ivy on the footpaths too so they have much food for later on in the year and the birds get the benefit of the ivy berries too. It looks to be a bumper year here for hawthorn, masses of berries set on them and ripening well. I'm going to set up a bug hotel and wildlife corner in the garden this year, I reckon every little helps with nature the way the weather is these days, Cheers Lyn xxx

Butterfly_Brain

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

BB I envy you the Red Kite, I first saw one in the south about 10 or 11 years ago on Binfield Common near Reading, very soon after the first release of captive bred birds. I couldn't believe the wingspan as it came along the hedgeline towards us. They are so beautiful and you can't mistake the 'Fishtail' can you. I love to see them spreading further out and it's the big joy to watch out for them when we're driving to see the girls and using the motorway as they both live in the South West. Always makes me sooooo excited to see them manouvering in the sky, lovely!!! Cheers Lyn.

MAR it's OK I have the solution to the antennae

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A pair of scissors!!!! Clever aren't I, Lyn xxx.

I saw it in Eddlesborough, what a treat, luckily we have a great deal of conservation areas close to us. On the subject of bees I have seen more this year than last year, and fewer wasps

daz378

was on a 7....3 today , thunderstorms started as i left my flat, luckily short walk to bus stop....stocked up on way home tins spaghetti and tins of coke .... takeaway with dad tonight , tenants association meeting tomorrow morning.... then a 2.30 ...9.30pm might use my may 2013 fray bentos pies ... should be still ok

GreyQueen

OOofff, all this talk of thunderstorms is making me wilt. We haven't had a drop of rain nor any thunder, although it has been raining at my hometown 30 miles away.

It's stifling. Was talking to an ex-pat NYC-er this afternoon who said it was this kind of humidity he'd moved to the UK to escape. My office went above 30 degrees, urghh.

Haven't had any time to do preptastic matters today, unless you count going to the dentist first thing. Being up-to-date on your dentistry and eye tests is prepping, is it not? Imagine how ghastly it would be to have a rotten tooth and no properly-equipped dentist. Ick.

I am now MOT'd for 6 months on the teef and 12 on the old eyeballs, unless something untoward happens.

Sunshine, steady and slow gets you there faster and better than running amok and buying all sorts of stuff. I'm running down the UHT milk with a view to doing 2 restocks, at 5 litres a time. Will get some this week and some in another couple of weeks. I like to know where my resources are. I normally use regular milk but have about 10 litres of UHT by me for unforeseen events, and use it when it gets towards the BB and then restock.

Right, getting some tea down my neck and waiting for the washer to finish..........I lead an exciting life, too.

maryb

I tend to run my stocks down once spring arrives and then restock late summer. I find my thoughts turn towards squirelling once the daylight hours start to shorten and they don't have to shorten much before I start to feel the approach of autumn.

It's almost certainly a sign that I am on the wrong side of middle age but does anyone else find the days seem to shorten in lurches - ie you suddenly notice that it's not light quite so late anymore? I always assumed it was because the weather had turned cloudy but this year it has been clear skies for weeks on end. Always a slightly poignant moment.

And why do the days shorten so much faster than they lengthen in spring, I'd like to know!!