'supporting each other through really tough times'

elizabunny

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

ELIZABUNNY something I've done with our excess tomatoes is to semi dry them in the oven and then put them into sterilized jars in the fridge covered with olive oil. They should keep for 4 - 6 weeks like that.

Cut cherry tomatoes in halves and put onto an oven tray. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper and the grated rind of an orange and a little dried thyme. Drizzle over a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and cook in a preheated oven 80degC/175degF/60deg Fan for about an hour and a half. It's best to do this in the evening then turn off the oven and leave the trays in overnight as the oven cools down. They are really nice and can be used in salads, with pasta, on pizzas etc. It's a very versatile ingredient. Hope that helps, Cheers Lyn xxx.

Oh thank you so much Mrs L that is so helpful:T:T I have a large empty Kiln*r jar which will be perfect for storing them in. I am so pleased thanks again!!

mcculloch29

Not a flake of snow here, hope that doesn't tempt fate!

5:2... Years ago I discovered that not eating for a few days a week really helped my arthritis.
I didn't feel hungry either if I immersed myself in activities - this was often when I wrote resources for work as this requires a lot of concentration and is really interesting to do. The hours fly by!
When the 5:2 diet came out, I wondered what had taken them so long.

I've got parcels coming, I really hope they arrive this afternoon so I'm not tied to the house.
DS has a few days off and is at home, (weird shift system, similar to that mentioned by Pops) but he is hopeless at answering the door .

It's much easier to not go out if something is due, rather than go out and arrive back to a dreaded red 'you were out' card and DS claiming he heard nothing.

I had my contents insurance renewal come through, the price had crept up so I looked at it carefully and realised I was paying £50+ for elements of the insurance that I didn't really need.
I have rung up and it's dropped by a fiver a month as from March, which is pleasing. I kept freezer cover and some specialisms that I'd rather not be without, but it's now logical cover, rather than insurance for a trike that leaves the house once or twice a week and business equipment that doesn't exist.

ginnyknit

Pooky you are a woman after my own heart. OH was a builder before he got ill so I had to learn to DIY as builders never do jobs at home. I have tackled things that made my friends go pale. He once came home from army camp to find I had redecorated 2 bedrooms and swopped the kids into our room and us into theirs but I was stuck at the top of the stairs with a wardrobe and couldnt get anywhere other than the loo. I learned to lay carpets by sitting in the middle of them from an early age whilst my dad fitted them round me. My Mum says my gravestone will read 'she did it all herself and look where it got her'

We have no snow! Its cold but a lovely day and I have just ventured to the Post Office on the bus - bracing is the word I think.

Am waiting patiently for several parcels and am mildly excited. I got Driving over lemons book from Ama*on and a huge order from AP, I spent £16 plus postage and did very well. Lots of jam and juice, pasta flour, cereal bars for DS and so much more, am a happy ginny.

elizabunny

mcculloch29 wrote: »

Not a flake of snow here, hope that doesn't tempt fate!

5:2... Years ago I discovered that not eating for a few days a week really helped my arthritis.
I didn't feel hungry either if I immersed myself in activities - this was often when I wrote resources for work as this requires a lot of concentration and is really interesting to do. The hours fly by!
When the 5:2 diet came out, I wondered what had taken them so long.

Thanks for this:T It really gives me encouragement. I have had really poor health for the past 6 weeks or so. I have psoriatic arthritis and also I had slipped a disc. It has really given me a scare so I decided to start the 5:2 two weeks ago. Now this might sound a bit OTT, but in two short weeks I have been able to stop taking the painkillers and also become much more mobile again:) It seems to work for me too:T I hope it's not coincidence.

Popperwell

I can't find much abut the 5/2 diet on line so maybe this once I'll buy the DM:eek:I'm just going by what I remember of the documentary.

Insurance...my Uncle(who worked in insurance for years)did not want to offend me but a few days ago he said as most of my stuff is old and I can get pretty good stuff at the local charity shop(furnture/beds etc...)even freecycle he suggested that I probably could survive without any contents insurance. He has it because he has a big house and lots of antiques. He pays approx £300 annually.

We had been paying approx £200 annually(now I realise that was silly money)TSB in December could not get it lower than £102...did that for years. Now through Age UK mine is down to £51 per year so that takes me to December then I shall decide whether to give up.

I have saved £4 per month on the broadband. If I could manage to use the phone between 7pm-8am and weekends 24/7 I could save another £4. If i get a water meter in I could probably save approx £20 per month or they will reduce my monthly charge being single. They said they think my bill may be even less.

If I pay the telephone rental in advance it is £9.50 per month instead of £13.

There's approx £25 saved so over the year that's £300. It all helps...that is a bit like getting let off with 12 weeks of the bedroom tax.

Thanks Silvasava for advice and link on stirfry...

Angel_Jenny

Charis wrote: »

Do you have a line manager you can have a discreet word with? If everyone has issues with her it's not good for the company. Maybe others would support you with your grievance.

That figure is ludicrous :eek:. It would make a nice deposit on a house. A full time degree would 'only' cost a max of £27,000 for fees and you'd qualify for a student loan.

Have you considered the Open University for a Social Care qualification? They start with an introductory certificate to give you a taster. Part time tuition fees loans are now a possibility, I believe.

I don't work for the OU but I did study with them. You can do their Social Care degree part time and fit it around your job if you wish.

Confidence is just something that most of us learn to pretend. It gets easier and once you get to 'a certain age' it comes naturally. Or at least you are an expert in pretending not to care.

All the supervisors are aware - one of those offices where some people can get away with a lot and others can't!

That is an OU course!!

I was so shocked - I thought OU was supposed to be an affordable option. £214 per month!

RAS

Angel_Jenny wrote: »

That is an OU course!!

I was so shocked - I thought OU was supposed to be an affordable option. £214 per month!

It was a lot cheaper until last year. You can get the student fee loan if you do 60 credits a year.

Uniscots97

Hello All, I had my interview today. Just had to write feedback on how I thought it went! Weird eh? I really would like this job, it sounds interesting and will be working within schools. Its only 3 months but the place seemed really nice and so did the people. I managed to get parked next to the place (a miracle in the city), but it cost me £4.80! At least it didn't snow/rain, so I didn't need to take an overcoat.

VJsmum

Evening all.

Tonight I was aiming for my MSE "cooks / bakers" badge. i made 25 Tornado coconut muffins a la the Softstuff recipe a week or so ago (they are brilliant Softstuff - even the kids have eaten one and came back for more), 7 jars of marmalade (Seville but from a tin - I can't be doing with cutting up all those "marms" - I expect I lose brownie points for this ), a batch of butternut squash soup, tomorrow night's pasta and aubergine and pepper bake for tea and fish fingers and chips cop-out tea for the kids tonight. I'm cream crackered now, I am sure it must be old age creeping in as I never used to feel so physically "dead on my feet" weary. I have been going for about 3 hours.

Do I pass?

the snow was something and nothing here - settled on the ground but melted by lunchtime. No disruption.

They are doing a food bank collection at work this week so I have put together a bag to take in. Pasta, a couple of tins of veggies, some LL milk, tin of fruit, baked beans, tin tomatoes, carton of juice. Hopefully they will get a good selection and really handy for it to be done at work - the Student Union are organising it.

Graduation tomorrow (not me - I'm staff), so I get to wear the silly hat and the gown and look important for the mums I love it - it is such a special moment when all those kids who turned up 4 years ago have suddenly blossomed into professionals. We did that, we did - I feel so proud, so goodness knows how their parents feel. I love that we have graduation ceremony 8 months or so after they finish, you can really see how the students have developed even in that time.

I'm waffling - it's cos I have marking to do.

night all

missrlr

Interesting Food &Drink on bbc2 now, that e920 mentioned again!