Preparedness for when

RAS

Karmacat wrote: »

That sounds great! I've just been researching an unknown in my garden, and its hairy bittercress - leaves very edible, and no known hazards on pfaf, so I'm well chuffed

One of my favourites at this time of year.

Have been amazed at how much lusher the plants are in the garden compared with the allotment (where I introduced it); although they are basking in the residues of last year's tomato buckets. Leaves the size of flat leaf parsley. Also getting wild garlic from the woods nearby.

[Deleted User]

Hairy Bittercress is delicious in a sandwich with cheese or instead of mustard and cress in an egg mayo sandwich too. They can seed in my garden as much as they want to, they're yummy!

GreyQueen

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Hairy Bittercress is delicious in a sandwich with cheese or instead of mustard and cress in an egg mayo sandwich too. They can seed in my garden as much as they want to, they're yummy!

Lyn, would you like a gastro-vacation on my allotment this summer? I can sort you out with some lubberly horsetails, too. And fat hen and shepherd's purse, I have a smorgsabord of vegetative loveliness just awaiting to tempt you..............

jk0

GreyQueen wrote: »

Lyn, would you like a gastro-vacation on my allotment this summer? I can sort you out with some lubberly horsetails, too. And fat hen and shepherd's purse, I have a smorgsabord of vegetative loveliness just awaiting to tempt you..............

Is there room for the lurcher in the shed, or will he have to sleep outside?

Karmacat

I love this :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: I bet that crops like hairy bittercress were eventually deselected for use as big business type farming got going

Still haven't bought my basil seeds, but I *have* rejuvenated my lemon balm, and its looking really good.

GreyQueen

jk0 wrote: »

Is there room for the lurcher in the shed, or will he have to sleep outside?

If da lurcha isn't a claustrophobe, he can kip in the cold frame.

Yes, I can see it now, I have been joking for years that I holiday on Costa del Allotmentia, all I need now is to branch out commercially and get the rest of you nutters to join me. We can stock up on comestibles at a nearby supermarche, I have deck-chairs and a kelly kettle, it's all good.

[Deleted User]

Da Lurcha will sleep tucked up to someone warm, he won't mind where he is as long as he has a warm being to act as hot water bottle!! Actually I've tried fat hen, just like spinach when it's cooked, shepherds purse is a cress like flavour and the heart shaped pods are hot and peppery, chickweed is gentle and green bit like lettuce but only eat the leaves, the stems are fibrous and don't break down well. Dandelions are best eaten very young and respond well to being gently cooked in a little oil, the flower petals are lovely just scattered over a salad. Young hawthorn buds (just breaking leaf) really are nice as a salad and young beech leaves taste like cabbage when cooked. Young lime (linden) leaves are really tasty in a sandwich......... Horsetail though, I've never found a use for other than as pan scourers, they have silica crystans in them and were used as pot cleaners many ages ago but eat them? don't think you can! Best for me IS hairy bittercress which grows into a lovely large florette in my garden and is harvested regularly, we both love it!

jk0

I bought some new bath taps for a flat in October 2012. Can you believe that since then I have had to have the innards (gland) replaced twice?

I'm so cheesed off with new stuff breaking, that I've decided to try buying 1970's stuff off Ebay from now on. I just bought these for a flat I'm working on:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111633133610

Anyone else feel the same?

Softstuff

jk0 wrote: »

I bought some new bath taps for a flat in October 2012. Can you believe that since then I have had to have the innards (gland) replaced twice?

I'm so cheesed off with new stuff breaking, that I've decided to try buying 1970's stuff off Ebay from now on. I just bought these for a flat I'm working on:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111633133610

Anyone else feel the same?

I'm not inclined to go for the 70's option myself, but with taps much like every other product you can buy, they seem to make some options more complicated than they need to be and more likely to need repair or replacement. My way of dealing with this is to have a good chat with tradespeople (not salespeople) about what I buy. When you have a sensible discussion about items like that you soon find out which are durable and which just look good for a bit before failing.

My toilet for example, not the cheapest on the market, not the dearest either, but the one my tradie friend has in his own house, since it doesn't break and is easy to clean.

I'm certainly not averse to modern improvements in technology as long as they're sensible and durable.

GreyQueen

jk0, the parental units have noticed that there's no 'last' in taps these days, even taps which aren't cheap. They're following the advice of their independant plumber now, and buying a medium-priced product as the expensive ones are no better lasting than el cheapos. The outside looks good but the gubbins are carp.

There is a real phenomenon of loss of quality across the board in the past couple or three decades and the consumer has been so conditioned to the rip-out-and-discard mentality that they think this is normal.

At work, I have occasional convos with people who rent from us, often people in their twenties, who think they should have a new bathroom fitted because their existing one is old (as in as much as twenty years old). When I ask what's wrong with it, all I get back is that it's OLD, not some recognisable defect such as cracking, crazing, leaky taps/ pipes, worn out WC mechanism etc etc.

How the hell did we end in in a world when vitreous enamel saniware is regarded as a fashion item?!