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

Possession

Hmm mixed views on the dye then. It says it's denim blue. I might try it and see, I don't have a use for the dye anyway, can't remember why I ever bought it. Just need some salt.

nursemaggie

If one of the recipes is mine Mar it is for a small loaf tin. You will not get a Christmas cake as such but you will get a sugar free fat free fruit cake. It will not rise a lot. It should be a treat for the RV if he has not had a cake since he got the diabetes. It won't make you fat and it is healthy. Don't forget to count the fruit and a small slice of bread as part of his diet. Diabetic diets have changed a bit since I did my training. It will not keep a long time. You can cut it in half and put half in the freezer.

Well I got a repair man to my washing machine it was the programmer so I have to get a new washing machine, it's coming tomorrow. It was only 4 years old.

monnagran

Possession: I think you well get blue curtains with purple fairies. Are purple fairies beyond the pale too?

Sorry about the job but if the mortgage comes through and you are about to move perhaps you will be grateful for a bit more time at home for a while. I really should have been called Pollyanna.

Nursemaggie: 4 years doesn't seem long. Have you still got the original paperwork? Often the manufacturer's guarantee is for 5 years. It's worth a try.

I am really chuffed.
The Rev came back this morning and announced that she had a surprise for me. Now that got me worried. Some of the Rev's surprises could more appropriately be called 'shocks' or 'things you've always dreaded'. However, she has done me proud this time and presented me with a Karcher Windowthingy. I rushed straight upstairs and spring cleaned the wet-room. My word, you should just see it! It's all glass, chrome and tiles and it absolutely sparkles now. Who knows, I might even try it on the windows next.

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fuddle

Possession it also matters what fabric the curtains are. Natural fibres would be best. Man made fibres won't take at all well, if at all.

Now the weather is cooler, so is my kitchen. That has an effect on the butter in my butter dish (hard) and ultimately results in holes my sandwiches. I don't want to go back to spreadable margs etc but I wondered if there was a butter that is near as damn butter but a little bit more spreadable? My kitchen isn't baltic.

After days of discussions over dogs we have decided that now is not the right time. The house is too small and houses are few and far between here. If we had to move we would lessen our chances. So we're not even going to ask the landlord for permission and we're not going to give a bow wow a home. We need to wait until we're more stable really. It's the sensible thing to do but at least all this has allowed me to address the issues I had leaving Alfie behind.

An update on my mam would be an incredibly difficult thing to do. So much is happening, so much of it personal and embarrassing. My sister has called social services. SS can't help my sister. As part of keeping her job (she has so far and is on the sick till January) she had to go get help from the GP. She has spun a yarn about depression and is on anti d's. The GP was aware of her drinking before hand but didn't know the extent until today. My sister has stamped her feet and got a home visit booked tomorrow to show the GP just how bad the drinking is (sis has fully explained what she will be facing and sis will be there) the doctor has explained that if mam doesn't open the door she will have to call the police for entry because she will be fearing for my mam's wellbeing. The GP needs to see how bad the situation is but to be honest I don't know what can be done because mam still isn't ready to accept or change.

All this is going on in a different world to me it feels. I have already told my mam that I don't want a relationship with a lying, deceiving alcoholic but I will be waiting and looking forward to rebuilding our relationship when she can be a mam again. I needed to do that. I have some sort of closure.

I feel for my sister but I know that had I been up there it would be me doing all what she's doing with her in the background, ducking and diving responsibility and support.

How this is going to pan out I don't know.

Well tonight I am making steak and onion sandwiches. It's a Jamie Oliver recipe. Nothing too fancy, just brown sugar and red wine vinegar.

I will be finishing off the reindeer hat tonight.Then i will be using some self striping sock yarn to begin socks on the circular loom. I need a project to keep my mind off things and can't really afford to order the wool I need for my cardi this month, as I have exceeded my yarn budget.

Oh and fingers crossed... as it stands I have Christmas Day off work this year. It may change but so far so good.

nursemaggie

Hi Monna I may have the paperwork but I rang round a lot of repair men and they all seemed to think it was about right. You only get 1 year or sometimes two years guarantee unless you buy the extra. I do not buy them.

What a lovely present especially when the Rev's surprises are usually shocks. Do you think some of that Pollyanna would rub off on me. I could do with feeling like her.

I will be OK when I get my nickers out of that washing machine tomorrow. They will smell yuck after 4 days. I think my favourite sweater will be ruined. Going to have a nap did not sleep last night then we will have a little roast chicken for tea.

Enjoy your Karcher window thingy Monna.

Possession

I don't know about purple fairies monnagran, possibly not even for her room anyway as she has black zebra print ones now (as you do). They are 100% cotton curtains and I've just noticed they are a bit glittery around the fairies so that could look interesting LOL.

chickens11

Kezlou.....My son is 39 this christmas and he runs a group for people who like him like warhammer, some of the men take it all very seriously , they have a game in a local hall and it can and it does last all day......
Monnagran...I bought a Karcher jet washing years ago for the garden paths and our very large driveway years ago , but it wasnt man enough to do the large area , so 3 months ago I bought a bigger model , that is brilliant cleaning machine....
Kidcat...Dont forget if you have RAC or AA car cover to take your details when you go pick up your new bus , beings its quite away from you, I always keep my breakdown cover details in the glove compartment and also in my purse......Always best to travel prepared.....

We still havent had any frosts this winter yet here , although it gets a bit chilly late afternoons , but we will soon be into December , it certaintly helps with the fuel bills......Ive got my fire a light and the dawg is flat out in front of it......Sheila

SpikyHedgehog

fuddle wrote: »

....Now the weather is cooler, so is my kitchen. That has an effect on the butter in my butter dish (hard) and ultimately results in holes my sandwiches. I don't want to go back to spreadable margs etc but I wondered if there was a butter that is near as damn butter but a little bit more spreadable? My kitchen isn't baltic....

In the summer, I picked up in the W0rks a book called Eating for Victory, a collection of WW2 food leaflets, and it has a recipe for a 'butter extender' that I suspect would make a more spreadable butter. You cream 6oz of butter, melt a further 2 oz of butter (so a 1/2 pound altogether or 500g ) & work in 1 tbsp flour ( not specified but I think plain white flour would be best) & 1/2 tsp salt, then add 1/2 pint of milk and make a white sauce of it. You let the white sauce cool, then add to the creamed butter in the bowl - mix well till smooth and allow to cool before using. A second recipe tells you to melt margarine (or butter, of course) and beat into an equal amount of mashed potato.

One of my friends buys the 'I can't believe' stuff and that spreads from the fridge. I won't buy it because of their advertising, since buttermilk is what's left after churning butter, so it seems to me like suggesting we use eggshells instead of egg for a 'fresh egglike taste'... :rotfl: She likes it though.

Possession

Fuddle I think spreadable butter is what you're looking for, mostly butter but with some oil added usually. I use Norpack which is Aldi's version of Lurpak. (Original, huh?)

monnagran

Ooooh! SpikyHedgehog. Just after the war I remember my Mum making that, with margarine of course, I don't think we had that much butter and in any case it was too precious to waste even a smear of it. The margarine, milk, cornflour concoction was called Extender and there are no words to describe how horrible it was. We had to endure it for several years, years which made me vow that when butter was available again I would eat nothing else. A vow that I have largely managed to keep.

Don't be tempted Fuddle, you'll regret it if you are.

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