The OS Doorstep - a helpful and supportive thread in these tough times

elisamoose

Anyone going to watch the great British budget menu?

monnagran

elisamoose wrote: »

Anyone going to watch the great British budget menu?

Me.... I've put it on to record as the Rev has a difficult meeting tonight and she'll want to tell me all about it when she gets in.

I've thought it a bit quiet the last few days but put it down to everyone making the most of the sun while it's here.

Nutty: I think you have handled the situation very responsibly. Why do we feel a bit guilty when we're dobbing someone in? We're not in school now and when a situation becomes dangerous, as this could have been, we have a responsibilty to do somehing about it. You did absolutely the right thing and I hope your bosses are suitably grateful to you and handle things sensitively.:)

After such a rotten start the gardens seem to have come on in leaps and bounds. My runner beans are in flower for all that they are still squabbling amongst themselves over which pole they are going to use. Some have given up the struggle and are affectionately embracing each other while others are are still wandering around on the ground in ever decreasing circles. I've left them to it. I know when I'm beaten.:(

The courgettes look hale and hearty. I don't know why I bothered with them because I get given enough by grateful parishioners to supply half the town. The gooseberries are almost ready for picking and the tomatoes look good too. I am well pleased. After last year it all seems worth while again.

It's been a productive day today - lots of tidying up and chucking out. It's all a displacement activity though. The Room of Doom is weighing heavily on my conscience and I am dreading it. I know full well it is going to take weeks of work and I'm putting off starting.:o

x

Sigh........

Yorkshire_Celt

Hello everyone. I often lurk, but thought I would say Hi. Just wanted to share that my DD has decided that teaching part time with a 3yr old is not working, so she quit ! I am very proud of her and SIL. They waited so many years for this little one ( IVF etc ), and she said it had got to the stage where she was spending more time worrying about other peoples children than her own, so she knew it was time to take stock. She is trying to start a small business doing party and wedding cakes, and maybe kids parties. Even if it does not work out she is HAPPIER and so is DGD. The other day she said ' My Mummy is at home you know Grandma. She is making some special cake, and I get the spare bits at tea time.' Bursting with pride. Would rather help them out now if they are short. Life is for now and enjoying. Hope you don't mind the ramblings of the recently retired.

ArthriticOldThing

I'm still here. I haven't been posting much as have been full of busy but have been trying to keep uptodate with thread.:)
Nuttyp I think you are handing a very difficult situation very well. Its never going to be easy but you have acted responsibly and I agree with Monnagran that you have done the right thing.
And fuddle I so agree with your wise words about the whole working/drawing benefit situation.:T Looking at the time I seem to have missed the program. Will have to catch up later.:o
I am one who does NOT enjoy the heat. It makes me wilt and feel ill especially when I'm pinned at my desk by necessary paperwork.
I find it difficult to say no when asked if I will 'just' do this little job and end up taking far too much on.:mad:
This morning was grey and chilly here so I thought I would pop up to town and pick up a few things I needed while I had the chance. Of course the yellow ball came out didn't it and Newcastle seemed to just magically fill with people. I got out as fast as possible. I get panicky in crowds these days.
I hope everyone has a good night.

Mrs_Veg_Plot

Monnogram I agree that after what the weather did to the gardens last year it is great to see things doing so well this year.

In the last two days we have picked over 6lb of strawberries from the garden and lottie :j. We are having fresh strawberries every day which feels very decadent when we are trying to be frugal. I have frozen quite a few to make jam with when it is a bit cooler.

:question:For those of you who have made strawberry jam with frozen strawberries do you have to adjust the recipe in any way or do you just defrost and use as normal?

I also fancy making strawberry muffins. :question: Does anyone know if they freeze well? I am sure that when mum froze fresh strawberries when I was a child they were all mushy when they were defrosted and I don't want mushy muffins .

We are also eating courgette every other day as the one plant at home is producing them rapidly. We are having to go to the lottie every night to water the squash and courgettes plants there as they are suffering a bit. They have rallied around nicely now though. Everything else seems to be coping with just the occasional watering. Unfortunately our water butts are empty as well. I am recycling as much water as I can from the kitchen as we are using a bowl in the shower to catch the cold water that comes out first and use that to either flush to loo or water the garden.

DD2 is back from her first activity week of the holidays tomorrow. I know the food has not been up to much so will be making her some HM minted lamb burgers for tea with salad and new potatoes and have sourced a fab looking strawberry tart recipe and I already have all of the ingredients in so will be making that for desert.

Have spent a lovely evening pottering about in the garden and I'm off to bed now for a bit of a read.

Hope you all have good evening.

Mrs VP

nan2many

so tired, coming to the end of the school year, we are busy, busy, busy. I am another who does not function well in the heat, I think I should have been an Edwardian lady, I could have had swoons and got away with it. Still onwards and upwards, its so nice to hear that lots of us benefit from the sun, especially Mar, you deserve it. I will be reading but may not post very often. Keep it coming all.

ginnyknit

Yorkshire celt ramble away, we are listening. Your Dd made a good decision by the sound of it -for all involved. Its hard being a working Mum, it suits some but not all.

I think I made a boo-boo my cucumber I have been lovingly tending maybe a pumpkin :eek: I have been longing to taste a homegrown cucumber but realised when it wended its way halfway round the greenhouse overnight and also the fact that the 'cucumbers' are still little round balls Thing is I have 5 more plants all in various stages of development - triffid time I think. Oh well DGS will have the pick of pumpkins this halloween.

Popperwell

elisamoose wrote: »

Anyone going to watch the great British budget menu?

I meant to but forgot...will catch up later.

Isn't funny how even when you are on mild AD's and have lovely sunny weather you can still have an off day where you feel there's something not quite right. Just a blip(I think/I hope)

Will try and put that right...seeing an inexpensive concert with a favourite live performer of mine in a neighbouring town tomorrow night in a church that is approx 800+ years old and booking a show for November in tribute for a popular comedian who passed away a few weeks ago(I just found out)and they say lots of well known acts are going to appear on the bill. So it should be special.

I have since found out this benefit night clashes with another show by my favourite performer but as I have seen her a few times lately I will go to this one off special show.

Was missing due to my trip to Saltburn yesterday...I would have come home sooner and done less but when you are with someone else you cannot always behave as you'd like. Glad I had little to do today, needed to rest.

Anyhow...the downside...my cool bag worked but something inside leaked(and managed to find a way of getting between the insulated inside and the outer canvas fabric and caused a damp patch/stain(it was beetroot:mad:)but I think it has dried not too bad now and with some work I may be able to get it out altogether.

I dropped my new digital camera but it seems ok, no scratches, dents and its still working.

What I did like seeing were the infamous woollen figures that have been heard of nationally and attached to the railings of the pier...here are some examples...Hope they make you smile...

That's why I have been missing today...will try and catch up...







ETA Sometimes(as I know you can have a down day when in reality there is no reason that you should be or you really are in a fortunate situation and are better off than most)I do think quite often it is a chemical imbalance and not always caused by circumstances. A good night's sleep and chances are tomorrow will be fine.

mcculloch29

I did watch the food budget programme, I really warmed to Angela Hartnett and Richard Corrigan; I already liked James Martin - and I loved the people they stayed with.

I imagine that it must be the mortgage of the working couple that is crippling their budget, along with the expense of four children. Rent and council tax is probably accounting for a chunk of the budget for the lady who worked and is a single parent.
The lovely Irish pensioner really struggled, I hope he enjoyed the boost to his stocks that James gave him.

Popperwell

There's 50 recipes from the series on the food section of the BBC website...I see that the Horizon programme(also on BBC2)from the Dr who investigated and followed the 5/7 diet now has turned his attention to some theory/research that suggests we can all be happy whatever our situation...may have to look at that too...