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

Emm-in-a-pickle

Good morning all!
JPS - hope you feel better very soon, I agree summer colds are the pits as you get the sense of injustice as well as all the other symptoms! Bear up kiddo, not long till summer hols now!

FPK, I love the sound of lavender lemonade, have written your recipe in my `experiments` notebook (things I want to try making) and yours is beside one of Rick Steins. I have lavender in the garden but this is the first season it`s actually doing well, so was going to wait, dry some, infuse sugar... then I read Jem`s post and realised I could get some lavender from herbalist shop too, so thanks Jem, & hope the sports day goes well.
AOT - it`s worth trying to see if you can get the tax arrears written off as it was their mistake, dunno how you`d go about this but maybe someone on here does ???
I hope all who have outings and things to do have a great day -
I don`t plan on going beyond my garden gate today as I don`t have to (hurray!) so I might (or not) get something useful done around the house.

[Deleted User]

Morning Toughies, well I'll bet you'll never guess what we're doing this morning that confirms to the entire neighbourhood that we are completely bonkers? The temperature outside is 26 in the shade at 10.45 am and we've just had a whole lorry load of logs delivered, I've shifted 12 barrowloads and He Who Knows has stacked them in the woodpile and we've almost that many more to go again so we're taking a breather, hot work, but come the colder weather I KNOW we'll be warm and it's all paid for, a really good feeling. What will confirm the fact that we are bonkers is we have another load, even bigger coming next week, Woohoo, bring it on!!!!! Cheers Lyn xxx.

18 piled high wheelbarrowfulls, hot work but worth it!!!

fuddle

Thank you ginny

Go there Lyn, drink, drink and more drink. I can see you both hand on hip and sweeping your brow. Phew but job well done. Take it easy mind and get something cool, refreshing and rewarding in the fridge to sup when your done.

I know what you mean about prices of public transport. Before the Daisy and my Jalopy before it, I didn't have a car and survived walking the villages because I refused to pay bus fare. Where I live now I need a car for school trips but even running that is cheaper than paying bus costs (if there was a bus!) and we're only talking a handful of miles a day.

I did drive the back route to homebargains to suss out the walkway away from the dual carriageway and I'm motivated to try it out with my Boudicca trolley when it's Household/toiletry refreshing day. I use £10 per week in petrol doing the school runs and errands/shopping. I want to get that down so really must try walking into town.

Butchers - on the whole are they more expensive than supermarkets?

[Deleted User]

Hey FUDDLE we're tough old birds, and the sun isn't on the front of the house at the moment so we're not too hot. I love shifting wood, it is the smell I think, and seeing it all stacked up ready to go for the stove in winter. Most of it is nicely seasoned too so we will be able to use it this year.

Butchers vary, I know of some very reasonable ones where you can get bargains and some very expensive ones where the meat is very good standard and I suspect there are many between the two. I prefer butchers meat as it has usually been stored and hung for longer than supermarket meat and has a better flavour. The best places I know of are farm shops that also sell meat. One has a whole range of sauasages made specially for them and a game hunter who provides them with rabbit, pheasant and duck in the winter and occasionally venison all of which are sold at a price I can afford, pheasants this year ready for the oven were £2.75p and that gave us 4 good portions so was affordable. I think as with all things, it pays to shop around, places like I*eland are currently selling 2 x very large gammon steaks for £2, couldn't get them elsewhere for that price, keep your eyes open wherever you go and you may just grab something bargainous!! Cheers Lyn xxx.

Emm-in-a-pickle

FPK - I am very torn now. I googled the simple syrup recipe, and I love the idea of NOW, and with home grown lavender...but I did plant that stuff for bees, and they`re loving it, so I feel a bit shifty about cutting it. Unless someone can persuade me that cutting it will encourage more flowering??
MrsLW, how lovely it is to have a nice log stash!! We have an open fire and use coal to start then put logs on when it gets going. Our log shelter is still 2 thirds full, but I have been thinking about buying some more coal while it`s at summer price.

[Deleted User]

Thats the time to stock up EM, the man who delivered our logs this morning had just taken delivery of 400 tons of wood, and was really pleased to get an order so I think it was a generous load. Order in October and I'm certain it would be less for the money. That has to apply to coal too, it's the same with the chimney sweep who comes to us in a couple of weeks, he's glad of the job now, rather that in a panic at the beginning of November when he is uber busy. We usually get a lower price for being at the head of the queue, not rocket science is it? just a little being organised, Cheers Lyn xxx.

PRINCESSX87

FairyPrincessk wrote: »

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.

Buses around here is £4 a time, Which does last all day and you can use it on different buses. Really expensive i think, Must get my licence asap!!

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Morning Toughies, well I'll bet you'll never guess what we're doing this morning that confirms to the entire neighbourhood that we are completely bonkers? The temperature outside is 26 in the shade at 10.45 am and we've just had a whole lorry load of logs delivered, I've shifted 12 barrowloads and He Who Knows has stacked them in the woodpile and we've almost that many more to go again so we're taking a breather, hot work, but come the colder weather I KNOW we'll be warm and it's all paid for, a really good feeling. What will confirm the fact that we are bonkers is we have another load, even bigger coming next week, Woohoo, bring it on!!!!! Cheers Lyn xxx.

18 piled high wheelbarrowfulls, hot work but worth it!!!

Winter prep!! I prefer the winter, I did indeed start myself yesterday when i decided to buy 50 brand new candles for £4. We find being in a small property its such a money saver with the candles.

fuddle wrote: »

Thank you ginny

Butchers - on the whole are they more expensive than supermarkets?

We have a meatman that is at a market about 6 miles away. We "try" and buy in bulk with him because we worked out that every item is roughly 45% cheaper than superstores.

He was selling 2 half a leg of lamb the other day for £18. Supermarket price would have been over £50. Therefore i would state their cheaper. Also, They offer cut off's for pets at a £1 a carrier which is great for baking in pet cakes ect. x

FairyPrincessk

Emm, as far as I know cutting lavender right now won't encourage more flowering, but like I said I haven't been that successful with it thus far! I suppose it depends on how big your plants are as to if you can sacrifice it. If it were me, I'd probably cut successively--say a small batch today for the simple syrup and then in a couple of weeks a bit more for drying. I do know that the stems and leaves still smell quite pungent, so perhaps it is possible to use those for the flavour so you use less flowers? No idea!

FairyPrincessk

Emm, this seems to suggest it might flower again, depending on where it is in its flowering cycle. My guess is that it is probably a bit late in the season to expect three cycles, but who knows! http://www.wikihow.com/Prune-and-Harvest-Lavender

[Deleted User]

Well done PX87, 50 candles for £4 is a really good find. I love candles, I've a couple of lanterns that take tealights too and it's so lovely to sit in the evening with some music on and candlelight and a well read old friend of a book on my lap, so much nicer than watching constant repeats on the telly, I like winter evenings when it is made cosy with candles, Lyn xxx.