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

jpscloud

Thanks MrsLW! Honey and lemon was our family cure-all and I have very fond memories of it - will give it a go! I don't have any whisky but a snifter of brandy may find its way in there

I prescribed myself plenty of medicinal chocolate tonight and do feel a wee bit better. Off to bed with me now as I get up at silly o'clock to commute before the traffic builds.

Have a lovely evening all... only three days to go till summer hols for me!

FairyPrincessk

Jem--it isn't as fancy as it sounds. I just squeeze a lemon into a jug, add two heaped tablespoons of lavender sugar (store dried lavender flowers in a kilner jar with sugar for a few months) chuck in the flowers too--it makes it pretty! Then top up with about a litre of cold soda water. I usually leave the sliced and squeezed lemon floating around along with the flowers. We tend to drink it through a straw as the flowers are pretty but a bit strange to drink. It is a lower in sugar variety of soda, I guess. I don't do artificial sweeteners but often find normal soda too sweet. I also don't drink squash so on hot days I like a little variety in my fluid intake! Today I was out of lemons so used lime--also lovely.

Forgot to say--give the sugar and lemons a bit of a stir before you add the soda, the sugar makes it fizz quite a bit. We don't usually have enough to leave it in the fridge, but it might need a stir after standing as the sugar doesn't all dissolve.

cornishchick

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Sprout lovers of the world I salute you!!!!! thank you all for coming OUT too!!! Cheers Lyn xxx

FUDDLE when you make the granola leave the dried fruit out for the baking bit, add it in when the cerealy bit is cooked or it goes brittle and hard and tastes burnt!! Lyn xxx.

Just had to support the other sprout lovers of the world.
< - think he looks like a smiling sprout? lol

savingqueen

Another proud sprouts lover! And DS9 too, DH will eat them under protest, DS6 won't eat them under any circumstances!

Hope you feel better soon jps poor love. Chocolate is a tonic in itself eh?

Glad you are feeling better jem and sorry about your tax problems AOT, disappointing to find out about the overpayment but good you are able to pay it back more affordably, you can relax a little now hopefully. Our tax credits are overpaid but not by too much but still waiting for the paperwork to come through.

I am getting excited, 4 days til our holidays :jJust booked a super cheap train ticket to Edinburgh (using free MSE railcard and free" rougedottedhankerchief website" vouchers) so that's one big day trip in the bag already. Boys are so excited to be going to Scotland!

I have treated myself to 2 new sundresses as a bit short on summer gear, they are cotton ones that you twist when wet to get a crinkly effect so can rinse them through whilst we are away. I bought with 20% voucher off sale price so about £6 each... so nice to have some new clothes for once, though I love my charity shop wardrobe. Also bought a pair of flat canvas shoes and a pair of comfy sandals from Sainsbubs as again nothing comfy and summery to wear suitable for long days out with kids, they will have me and DH playing all sorts of games with them no doubt.

Having such a happy if not very busy week with holiday prep and all sorts of bits at school, saw DS9 in a play yesterday and DS6 in a show singing his heart out today, nothing better for lifting the spirits.

better hit the sack folks, take care in the sun everyone
sq:)

jem132

Morning sq hope you have a happy holiday x
It is ds6 sports day today i hope ds9 can cope so we can watch him, I always miss things with him due to ds9 and feel really bad.
Well I am going to buy ds9 one to one some flowers today i don't think I could of coped these last few weeks without her help and support. She has picked up ds6 everyday and taken him to school then picked me up at 2.30. To collect ds9 from his special education school then dropped me at ds6 school to collect him. She would not take any petrol money. She is brilliant and I don't know what else I can buy her as she is pregnant.

Dh has got up and taken himself back to bed must be nice.

Have a happy day all.

Fairyprincess I am going to go and buy some lavender from the herbal shop today to make you lovely lavender lemonade x

kidcat

AOT - am racing through and skim reading as its manic here but I am sure you said they had applied the wrong tax code and you had therefore paid the wrong tax? If so its worth trying to have it written off, its not your fault that they gave wrong code and you cannot reasonably be expected to suffer hardship as a result of their miscalculations

[Deleted User]

Morning chums I like my sprouts 'al dente' with a bit of a crunch .my late ma-in-law used to cook them so much they were almost poured onto your plate in a green puddle Disgusting way to kill any idea of enjoyment.

My eldest DD and I would always argue on Christmas Day as she loathes them, and I would insist that she had at least two with her Christmas dinner.(my late OH used to pinch them when he thought I wasn't looking) and DD would say 'look Mum they have all gone ' I would always play along with them as the girls thought their Dad was hilarious.
I always knew that he's swiped them though, bless him My ma-in-law also used to make huge steak and kidney puddings which I must admit I'm not keen on, and neither were our two children but rather than upset her we would struggle to eat mounds of suet pastry and gravy.Ma-in-law thought that the men should have the meat and the women/girls should have what was left .So OH and his brother would have piles of meat with their dinner and the girls and I would have suet and gravy and veg.When she wasn't looking we would pile it onto OHs plate and he would manfully plough his way through it.when his Ma came into the dining room she would often say look at how well your Dad eats up his food children, and often offer to give him second helpings he would be glassy eyed by then and say 'No Mum its fine I'm full up thanks ':):):)
He was such a softie when it came to the kids and myself bless him :)
Well time I got a wriggle on and had some breakfast i have a 40 mile trip today to Lakeside in Essex with my DD as I want to have a look at the shops and buy a new table with a drop down leaf to it from Ikeas.
Have a good one what ever you are doing
Cheers chums JackieO xxx

fuddle

Good morning

I'm 40 minutes north of where I reside looking after my niece and nephew today. It's a welcome change

My niece wants to bake but my sister doesn't have a lot of stuff in. I was thinking carrot cookies from We'll Eat Again. Problem is my book is at home. If anyone is able and willing to look up the quantities for me I'd be very grateful. I remember how to make it just not how much of what.

Also, I'm buying supermarket value plain yoghurt 500g for 45p. I'm really happy with it but was wondering if it would be cheaper making my own. HFW 'radiator' yoghurt not machine made. I suspect that with the milk needed and powdered milk I should just carry on buying. What do you think?

Oh and major news I managed to find diced turkey, mince and liver reduced last night. Dog food it will become.

FairyPrincessk

Morning all!

I find myself having to leave the house today to do errands. I know it must sound a bit odd, but I really enjoy the peaceful rhythm of working from home and I'm sort of dreading it. Even simple things like--should I get a day pass on the bus and stop off at the ethnic supermarket for black beans, or leave that bit off and get the train, which is cheaper? I've decided not to buy a student bus pass for the summer, and I've gone 17 days not needing it, and will be gone for a week soon so I think it was a good decision, but it does mean I have to *think* about the economies of transport for every little journey instead of just knowing that my bus pass is pre-paid.

Jem--if you want to make your lemonade in greater quantities, you could try making a lavender infused simple syrup like they do for cocktails. It might also give you a greater lavender flavour since your lavender won't have been sitting in sugar. Small confession--my lavender sugar was purchased around 2006 (when I was in full time work and had more disposable income) and for the first year or two I would sift the flowers out and refill the jar with plain sugar when it got low at the end of summer. The best before is 2009. I've decided that it is probably time to get some new flowers which is why I've started using them. I've priced them online, but if anyone knows of somewhere with a good price I'd be grateful. I've tried growing them, but no luck yet.

Right, well I'd better get back to work since I'm loosing the afternoon to errands. Hugs to any who need them.

Fuddle, good luck with the baking!

ginnyknit

Fuddle, carrot cookies

1 tablespoon marg
2 tbls sugar plus a little for sprinkling
few drops of vanilla essence
4 tbls grated raw carrot
6 tbls sr flour

cream fat and flour. Beat in vanilla and carrot. Fold in flour. drop spoonfuls into greased patty tins, sprinkle with sugar and bake in a brisk oven for 20 mins.

xxx have fun