Preparedness for when

moneyistooshorttomention

I wouldn't call an average of 3 bottles of wine a week heavy drinking personally - though some might disagree:rotfl: - but I was aware it was probably over Government guidelines and not doing my figure or health any good. So - as well to knock it on the head. Cant stop patting my "bulges" at intervals - to check on what size they are and noticing they are smaller than they were...

Its not that easy actually to think of alternative stress relievers sometimes. Going for a reasonable length walk works pretty well - but that wasn't possible on workdays. Since moving here - it still doesn't feel possible many days courtesy of the weather.

But - fingers crossed the "baptism of fire" it felt like I went through one way and another after moving is over #fingers crossed. That was two years I wouldn't want to go through again. All the renovating/adapting to new area/etc and, as for what a couple of my neighbours put me through = I literally cant believe it myself - but I look back through my household diaries and read all the entries I made of what they were doing!!!

Re office jobs being 9 to 5 (or pretty much) = that's what they were when I started work in the 1970s. They have changed their nature a lot in recent years and I could see newer staff being taken on latterly in my workplace that had had to agree to working hours outside those parameters in order to get taken on in the first place. Us existing staff (with our more "standard" workhours) did sympathise with them and kept our fingers crossed our employer wouldn't manage to find a way to impose those hours on us too. I gather quite a lot of office jobs are no longer only in "office hours" these days and it was getting steadily harder and harder one way or another to see adverts for replacement jobs I'd actually apply for (should I ever need one). I was well aware that I was only managing to hang onto "old style" working conditions for JUST long enough to scrape through to retirement and by dint of sometimes having to make it very clear I would fight hard to keep those conditions if need be - whew!

fuddle

What averages to be half a bottle of wine a night is heavy drinking. Whether it's spread over 6 or 7 nights or a bottle drunk every other day it is heavy drinking. My own mother started on one glass a night and now has cirrhosis, nearly dying in the summer, because her consumption, her need, increased and increased.

Once drinking becomes a habit at least or a crux at worst it's a very difficult scenario to get out of. Addicted to wine o'clock is a dangerous situation to be in. The alcohol already has a hold psychologically even if not physically. You did well to break it.

moneyistooshorttomention

I guess booze is the liquid equivalent of "If its in the house - then the intention may be to stop at one but....".

The same as with chocolate. I'm partial to a nice bar of dark chocolate - but, if its in the house, then it will be eaten over the course of only 2 days. Those people who can manage to just have one or two squares of it a day must have stronger willpower than most of us:rotfl:. Other people have to eat the whole packet of biscuits if they have it in - after only meaning to have one or two with their coffee/tea. So I never have biscuits in.

I know Haagen-Daz icecream has a lot of sugar in - but it took me just a couple of tubs of that bought in to realise I'd also dig into that regularly if I had any.

But I know a friend of mine died from heavy boozing a couple of years back and I duly attended his funeral. He was always always down the pub - there was never any problem in wondering how to contact him. I attended the funeral with a mutual friend of ours who is clearly going the same way and is always always down the pub too.

fuddle

I'm terrible with chocolate too. Diabetes is the one to watch for me. :cool:

My mam held down her job trouble free until 6 months before near death. She wasn't a pub drinker just a sat in front of the telly drinker. She went from years of wine to vodka and then solitary benders at home.

I see on my facebook page people rejoicing wine o clock and I dispair. If only they knew that wine o clock can get so bad. It's not trendy, it's dangerous :cool: sorry. I'm going off on one. Mam has been off alcohol since near death and it's bizarre to have a kind lady that I just never knew, in my life.

Sorry mitstm... you might see me every time you pick up a glass at wine o clock now :eek::rotfl::D;)

ivyleaf

jk0 wrote: »

Enjoy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nd01DwuHwE

Thanks jk0

VJsmum

mardatha wrote: »

Oh that kefir stuff sound absolutely digusting!! BLEUGH!

Nice with kale i hear!! :rotfl:

Fuddle - I am not good with grain either, but am ok with homemade sourdough. The process of making it kind of does a lot of digesting for you, mine takes 24 hours pretty much (all bar about 10 mins of which is waiting),

Don't like the idea of the Kombucha scoby thing though :eek:

[Deleted User]

all this talk of fermentation got me going, I am glad to say. I had a small slice of sd after my soup and I put some raspberry jam on it. Oh my, it was better than any cake. So sleeping starter out of fridge last night, fed it some flour and water in a bowl, saved some of this back into a lock n lock and into the fridge. Covered bowl with a shower cap and left on the worktop all night.

Put together 1 lb flour, white with some wholemeal, added a couple of tbs bubbling starter and 11 oz water. 5 minute mix in food mixer. Shower cap on bowl and will stay out this time around 8 hours. Then I will add more water, flour plus salt, knead in mixer, then rests and stretches on the worktop, covering with 2 large bowls. This will make 2 large loaves. Last stretch will be stretching the top into a shape to fit whatever I want to use. Fancy banneton (if I want to impress) but this time will be two covered rectangular bakers. I used to use a cast iron dutch oven. This is the trickiest part I think, containing the dough so it doesn`t spread too wide. I used to slide it into a red hot container with a red hot lid but that is too risky nowadays, so now I use the covered bakers for proving all night in the fridge, then room temperature for about 3 hours, then into a cold oven, container and dough together. Works fine. There are lots of ways to make sd bread. Mine will be ready tomorrow afternoon. This time about 44 hours

It a very satisfying bread, I find that one slice will satisfy my appetite, it is chewy so doesn`t disappear in two mouthfuls

We have an orange weather warning today, was going to travel to wales but dd rang and said to look at the weather forecast. It is grim. The big water butts will fill to the top this week, I closed the taps. I always drain them for winter in case of freezing. I ran out of water early last year as it was so dry here march/april

moneyistooshorttomention

That thought hadn't even occurred to me - ie of draining my waterbutts in winter. Now wondering if I should do so - in view of the fact that where I am is considered to be one of the more favourable microclimates for Wales. I never used to drain my waterbutt in my last house and didn't have any problems - but that was a better microclimate than I have here (rarely any wind to speak of and the temperature averaged around 2 degrees Celsius warmer).

EDIT; Just checked and home area is 11C and windspeed 30mph and this area is 10C and actually a lower windspeed today (!!!) of 28 mph.

jk0

I never drain water butts here in Berkshire, but mine are both under alcoves, so slightly protected. I don't think the lids fit tight enough to stop the water expanding. I think you might break the tap though if you operate it when it's frozen.

fuddle

I'm going to give sourdough a try so just sat down from assembling a starter. I found various recipes that suggested active yeast but shunned even though I have ample. I like the idea of wild yeast.

I have sourced the grains for kefir water but will wait for a few weeks because I still have probiotics in tablet form.

I do have to thank you all for the discussions of late. I awoke with a real vigor for healthy OS eating and I'm hoping that it will help with the reduction of plastic waste too.

I found palm oil in the peanut butter and was horrified. Not in my house. I have to try harder to make our snacks from scratch.