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

mardatha

Been down to 0c here a couple of days and today its hellish, howling gale and lashing rain. Summer is a memory already

[Deleted User]

Morning Toughies, FUDDLE I didn't lose the tomatoes petal, just the plants and a couple of the fruit to blight which is a disease that affects potatoes too, usually when it's damp and humid. I picked all the fruits both ripe and green and today will be making a big batch of chutney and the ripe ones will get used up in general cooking so I'm really glad your chutney turned out well, you enjoy it and stop feeling guilty for taking them. The ones in the greenhouse where those came from are absolutely fine and I still have more tomatoes than I can cope with!!!

Glad I've set the taste buds tingling by making you all want cinnamon buns or actually making them, that sounds like a very sophisticated Guinea Piggy N the V, strange tastes for a piggy though???

MAR it's absolutely persisting down here too at the moment and we've a stiff breeze blowing too. What is noticeable is how it's cooler, I've now got the cold nose I wanted!!!

If you like cinnamon as a flavour, a very delicious but very old fashioned thing to make is cinnamon toast. This is made from buttered toast and cinnamon sugar, which you make from 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to 2 oz of granulated sugar shaken together in a jar. It keeps forever mixed like this. You just sprinkle a goodly heaped teaspoon of the sugar on top of the buttered toast. You can eat it just as it is or flash it under the grill to slightly melt the sugar. Both are Mmmmmmm and it's an old afternoon tea favourite. I use it to sprinkle over either conventional porridge with a nut of butter,or, over swedish rice porridge also with a nut of butter which makes an amazing start to the day.

fuddle

Hey Caterina ditto I made cinnamon porridge this morning and added a swirl of apple sauce. It was lovely!

Call myself a prepper? I walked the girls to school in the pouring rain wearing my uniform. Now I have a good raincoat and good shoes but my trousers :eek: They are in the tumbler as I type. I have 6 minutes before I have to leave. I think I need a 'it's raining' go to set of clothes that I can chuck on and chuck off and narked at myself for not thinking about it before I stepped out the door.

Yes Mar it's rough here although about 8 degrees not 0 :eek: but I am looking forward to cosiness tonight. Just got to get there first and I'm a wee bit grumbly

savingqueen

Afternoon everyone

Not long back from another school visit with DS10. All I have done this morning is get the kids off to school, do the visit, drop DS to school and come home and have lunch. The house felt chilly when I got in so I have drawn all the curtains, put on an extra layer and my extra big dressing gown and just heated soup and had a coffee. Certainly not cold anymore!

Only have a couple of hours til school journey again and I am heading off to the gym (where I haven't set foot in for some considerable time) I want to pop into the shops after so no time to exercise so I am just going for a hot shower. It seems daft not to when we have no hot water on tap. I will back at the gym properly (unless I am waiting in for the plumber) by the end of this week though.

DS10 really needs a hair wash, his hair gets greasy quickly nowdays so will have to get the kettle and flasks out after school. He will not be impressed but tough luck! I am glad we are having boiler trouble now and not in the depths of winter.

I love the sound of cinnamon toast, will make some when I remember. I can smell it already.

fuddle

Harrumph! Still in a grump. I guess I don't like being soggy.

At least it's stopped for the afternoon school run and I am finished work for the day so time to smile and look forward to an evening of cosiness.

I'm doing spag bol for tea but instead of mince I am going to chop up sausages to use as meatballs.

Found a fleece blanket I forgot I had in the boot so will be washing that and begin assembling my winter car kit.

My ladies have been grumbling about reports of milk pricings not going up and are worried the attention in the media will see the prices go up so about to go read up on that.

shanks77

Afternoon it's freezing here and lashing as well so it calls for a day under the fleece blankie here. Cinnamon buns nom nom but not going to make as I would eat them all and really don't need to add inches onto any part of my body:o
Pork and beans for dinner tonite favourite birthday meal that mum used to make. Not quite the same when I make it but still yummy and as using belly pork quite cheap as well.
Stay warm everyone xx

Pooky

Happy Birthday Shanks! I'll come for tea - sounds lovely.

It's wet and windy here too - I love it (cos I don't have to go out in it). Looking forward to lighting the first fire of the season tonight (didn't need it last night).

Egg, chips (I love my actifry) and beans for tea with a big mug of tea. We know how to live it up!

Need to crack on with a baby blanket typically I've sold all but one pink one and I need a blue one....will be crocheting small granny squares in mixed blues and white. Haven't done any crochet for a few months so it will be nice to make a start on something small....the last blanket I did was 7ft square in a ripple pattern, my goodness that was heavy.

Got DH to fill in a claim form for the sofa today - something has bleached out a strip of colour on one of the seats, around 2 inches long. We took out the extra protection on them when we brought them which is something we rarely do (mainly as we don't buy new) but thought it worth it - it does say if they can't remove the mark then they replace the sofa. I shall be interested to see what happens.

shanks77

Pooky more than welcome there is always too much though yours sounds lovely too. I am working up the motivation to take dog out again but failing miserably keep hoping the rain will ease off but never does. Oh well it's only water eh?

Rosanna79

It's been absolutely ages since I posted and just started lurking again! Last year I worked from January to November on a massive amount of craft projects for friends and family for Christmas, including those in Western Ireland.


Wouldn't you know that shortly before Christmas the Royal mail was privatised and particularly including the parcels we sent over to Galway the postage bill (including cards was somewhere in the region of £100!!!


Fortunately my craft teacher at the time put us on to Collect plus which has proved a much more economic way of sending parcels in the UK.


Very strangely I started feeling decidedly less energetic than usual around my 65th birthday last March! Can't work out if this is psychological or what. I have no choice but to maintain a reasonable amount of daily exercise foe weight control. I watch my intake and maintain a permanent food / exercise diary which has helped me to keep off the vast bulk of my original 4.25 stone weight loss of 4 1/2 years ago.


Arthritis being the variable condition that it is and successfully managing my original whiplash condition with regular Alexander Technique lessons has proved a real Godsend. I'm very fortunate in having a wonderful teacher , who although over 30 miles drive away, charges me only slightly over half the national average for a lesson and steadfastly refuses to increase her charges!


She and her husband are always very enthusiastic about any spare garden produce I've got going so I take that over whenever I can. So in a way it's a bit like bartering I guess. lovely people!


Today after getting our boiler serviced and paying the final joint gas / electricity bill of the year OH showed me the charts he keeps and we are actually £100 down on last year's total which is great.


Fuel / Utility bills are a real worry for most on a fixed income I guess so having a named fuel account with a monthly transfer over has done a great deal to allay that awful sinking feeling I used to get when fuel bills were due.


However since staring to feel less energetic I wouldn't be able to contemplate a whole week of planning menus!! I tend to do this on a more daily basis, seeing what is left in the fridge and cupboards. Depending on what's available, what is at or near it's Best before date and what OH fancies out of the choices I offer him the menu is decided by early afternoon at the latest.


A recent change in my blood pressure medication has left me more likely to feel dizzy and also seems to predispose me to sudden drops in blood sugar during the second half of the afternoon. It's really weird. So I ensure the basic meal is prepared and ready to cook before about 2 30 pm so I have a few hours to do other things before having to cook the evening meal without feeling ghastly whilst chopping veg etc. Yes I've discussed it with my GP but the meds are doing the right job so he sees no reason to change it. It was due to a monthly supply problem at the pharmacist and scrabbling around town to find my meds every month which led to the change in the first place.


Has anyone else found a major change in their energy levels after 65 and needed to rejig how they do things, such as going out for the evening and needing an afternoon lie down to be able to hack it?!! I feel ridiculous but it seems to be the best way to be able to stay awake for the evening activity!


Anyway it's great to read everyone's posts and I'll return to lurkdom for the foreseeable. Hugs to all those struggling currently.


Rosanna

savingqueen

Shanks, I wasn't sure reading your post if it is your birthday today?? Happy Birthday if it is! Enjoy your meal.


Today feels like the definite beginning of autumn. Half of me likes it, half of me doesn't! I will be happier when the boiler is fixed, couple of other house repairs done, the freezer defrosted and full and all other stocks topped up again including our savings pot. Feeling a little vulnerable at the moment.


off to sort dinner, stripey cat just ambled across the keyboard and typed a load of cat mumbo jumbo. Why is it that the more naughty a pet, the more adorable?