Just needed to be heard for a little while

lostinrates

Joanthebone wrote: »

I have lit my woodburning stove for the first time today! Its only been in a month, but I have been to scared to light it!


I have used an electric AGA lir, and loved it. It was great for doing roasts and had a big rectangular warming plate on the side (besides the two round ones with covers) that you could keep food warm on, or air off the laundry. Goodness knows how much it cost to run though!

Solarjunkie wrote: »

Our woodstove is nearly as much a part of the family as the dog. It's a bit like an Aga, having cooking facilities too, and keeps us busy and warm. I've just put some vegetables on top to simmer to make soup later. As you never get free gas but you sometimes get free wood, it's pretty MSE too. Even if I only had room for a small room heater, I'd never be without something you can light. I like to know I can be warm in a powercut too!

We have a woodstove in another room and I have had more than one range cooker. I'm not in the least romantic about them. I wanted an open fire where one of these wood burners is going ( we are having two put in ...one in the kitchen one in the study) but the open fire thing isn't possible now for various tedious reasons which is very annoying but pointless to dwell on.

The one fir likes today was an ESSE iron heart which is sort of half way house between a wood burner and a range. You can cook on it, but you can see the flames, It has better heat out put than a range stove but less efficiency. It might well be what we do. It means we'll have the only thing I thing AGAs etc are better at : toast. Still seems a very expensive toaster where I wanted an open fire with a cauldron. .

But it will be a step forward.

The cats will adore it. The dogs would like it. It will be use full in winter and when cooking for big gatherings. It seems a good solution to a problem where my ideal isn't possible. ( I really hate some compromises and this has been one of them )

Waves_and_Smiles

Good afternoon all!

That takes me back, melly. I used to have Complan shakes when I couldn't bring myself to eat, too. There is nothing wrong with your approach to counselling, I am exactly the same if not worse because I have had therapy training so already know the techniques that are being used. I have had the odd therapist tell me that they can't work with me because I know as much as they do and they had nothing new to offer but a lot have found it easier because they don't have to explain what we are doing. Keep CBT at the back of your mind, it is not a talk-based therapy, it deals with the here and now, very little looking into the past.

Good luck on the dog walking Joan!

I have been fighting cluster headaches for most of the day. Lots of standing up and walking around and inhaling sprays but so far it is keeping it manageable with no stabbing pain.

Solarjunkie

There is something wonderful about an open fire, unless it draws the cold air under the door & freezes your feet. My childhood home had a huge fire in a huge fireplace, complete with roasting chestnuts, gleaming copper & snoring dog, but the rest of the house was cold. So now I don't get the sight & smell of the open fire but I do have radiators all over the house, fed by the woodstove. I'd be very tempted by that Esse if I were currently buying something, for sure. Good luck in finding the best compromise.

lostinrates

Solarjunkie wrote: »

There is something wonderful about an open fire, unless it draws the cold air under the door & freezes your feet. My childhood home had a huge fire in a huge fireplace, complete with roasting chestnuts, gleaming copper & snoring dog, but the rest of the house was cold. So now I don't get the sight & smell of the open fire but I do have radiators all over the house, fed by the woodstove. I'd be very tempted by that Esse if I were currently buying something, for sure. Good luck in finding the best compromise.

Yep. Compromises, .

We have...five ( I think) fireplaces to sort out down stairs eventually. ( and a couple up stairs). Originally three were to be open fires, it looks like now only one will be.

Our heating is fed by air source, which is incredible, but electric heavy. We want to put pv in to feed this...but need to a: have Capitol to do this and b: re in force one of the barn rooves we want to use ( one is good to go). Having a wood system is a good second option. For when electricity is down ( though rarely happens here) as we took out the farm generator. We have considered putting in a back up generator here, but its just to rare a happening to be worthwhile here IMO.


Stress in my life is very limited. But a lot of it is what to do when and which bit of the property most needs propping up urgently:o. The ESSE looks like it might be the front runner talking to fir. His main point keeps coming back to that the cats will like it :rotfl:

Waves_and_Smiles

I am so jealous of you all with your lovely heating, I am sat here with a halogen heater as the only heating in the flat!

I would love an open fire or a woodburner, I admit I don't understand Aga's though! *goes off to google*

lostinrates

Waves_and_Smiles wrote: »

I am so jealous of you all with your lovely heating, I am sat here with a halogen heater as the only heating in the flat!

I would love an open fire or a woodburner, I admit I don't understand Aga's though! *goes off to google*

We had no heating at all for a couple of years . And in Italy ( long story cut short ) we had to take our land lord to court because it turned out our apartment had NO ROOF. Not ideal in a Milanese winter! we lost heating and electrics and everything one night when rain came , and started pouring through our ceiling and light fittings. We knew their was a tarp over unsealed windows in the apartment above ( which he said would be sealed by autumn and were not) but actually.....there was just no roof at all!

Pyxis

Why oh why o why did I do it!!!

3f_male19-male-crying-tears-smiley-emoticon-000061-large.gif

You guys have got to help me!

For the last few days I have had a hankering to make a coffee cake. I don't know why. I just fancied making one. I don't like chocolate cake, but I love a strongly-flavoured coffee cake.
I found a recipe that used espresso coffee, rather than instant or Camp.

So I started. Now, I haven't make a cake for about 10years, and before that it was probably another 10years.

So, it all started to go wrong. The butter was a bit hard to cream, but I kept at it. The caster sugar was old. What resulted was a rather granular mixture. I should have got my processor out, but by now I had dirtied three bowls and couldn't face a dirty processor as well, as I am going out soon to an early dinner party! (What a stupid time to make a cake!)

Anyway, I decided to persevere. In went eggs, and then the flour. It all still looked a bit lumpy, so I got my hand blender out, but that didn't help!
Then the coffee.
Then into the tins and into the oven. A couple of minutes later I realised I'd forgotten to mix in the chopped hazelnuts I'd intended to use instead of walnuts. Grr. Too late.

Then I knew I didn't have enough butter for a thick buttercream filling and topping, just enough for a thin filling. No matter. So more creaming, but it looked strange. I wanted it to have a stronger coffee flavour, so I put a teaspoon of instant coffee into it, but the granules stayed as granules. (Couldn't add them to hot water as the cream would then have been too thin.)

So I thought, no matter, I'll spread the cream with some of the chopped hazelnuts!

Anyway, out of the oven came the cakes, not very brown, though, more a dirty yellowish colour. Let them cool, then spread the weird buttercream and hazelnuts, albeit very thinly.

Then despite the fact that I'll be going out to dinner in and hour and a half, I decided to have some. I'm sorry, but cake has to be eaten slightly warm!

Now while I was making this 'ere cake, I was appalled at the ingredients. A whole block of butter, 8oz sugar, 4eggs, 8oz flour, etc.
I asked myself, why had I made this cake, when the main reason I don't make cakes is that I'd eat them ALL! And I've ballooned since being unwell/ill/Christmas/no Zumba/3 weeks bedrest/no fast diet in that time, etc.

So I thought that given how gruesome the cake looked while I was making it, it would probably taste horrid/be too sweet/have a weird texture etc., and I would then give it to my neighbour's boys (who eat anything), or relegate it to the food recycling bin.

But, . Waaaaah!!! It's lovely!!!waaaaah!

You guys have got to help me! I don't want to eat it all! Don't let me eat it all! Tell me to give it away, pleeeeeeeeeze!
Can't freeze it...........I'd only get it out of the freezer again!

Help! Help! Help!

lostinrates

Pyxis wrote: »

Why oh why o why did I do it!!!

3f_male19-male-crying-tears-smiley-emoticon-000061-large.gif

You guys have got to help me!

For the last few days I have had a hankering to make a coffee cake. I don't know why. I just fancied making one. I don't like chocolate cake, but I love a strongly-flavoured coffee cake.
I found a recipe that used espresso coffee, rather than instant or Camp.

So I started. Now, I haven't make a cake for about 10years, and before that it was probably another 10years.

So, it all started to go wrong. The butter was a bit hard to cream, but I kept at it. The caster sugar was old. What resulted was a rather granular mixture. I should have got my processor out, but by now I had dirtied three bowls and couldn't face a dirty processor as well, as I am going out soon to an early dinner party! (What a stupid time to make a cake!)

Anyway, I decided to persevere. In went eggs, and then the flour. It all still looked a bit lumpy, so I got my hand blender out, but that didn't help!
Then the coffee.
Then into the tins and into the oven. A couple of minutes later I realised I'd forgotten to mix in the chopped hazelnuts I'd intended to use instead of walnuts. Grr. Too late.

Then I knew I didn't have enough butter for a thick buttercream filling and topping, just enough for a thin filling. No matter. So more creaming, but it looked strange. I wanted it to have a stronger coffee flavour, so I put a teaspoon of instant coffee into it, but the granules stayed as granules. (Couldn't add them to hot water as the cream would then have been too thin.)

So I thought, no matter, I'll spread the cream with some of the chopped hazelnuts!

Anyway, out of the oven came the cakes, not very brown, though, more a dirty yellowish colour. Let them cool, then spread the weird buttercream and hazelnuts, albeit very thinly.

Then despite the fact that I'll be going out to dinner in and hour and a half, I decided to have some. I'm sorry, but cake has to be eaten slightly warm!

Now while I was making this 'ere cake, I was appalled at the ingredients. A whole block of butter, 8oz sugar, 4eggs, 8oz flour, etc.
I asked myself, why had I made this cake, when the main reason I don't make cakes is that I'd eat them ALL! And I've ballooned since being unwell/ill/Christmas/no Zumba/3 weeks bedrest/no fast diet in that time, etc.

So I thought that given how gruesome the cake looked while I was making it, it would probably taste horrid/be too sweet/have a weird texture etc., and I would then give it to my neighbour's boys (who eat anything), or relegate it to the food recycling bin.

But, . Waaaaah!!! It's lovely!!!waaaaah!

You guys have got to help me! I don't want to eat it all! Don't let me eat it all! Tell me to give it away, pleeeeeeeeeze!
Can't freeze it...........I'd only get it out of the freezer again!

Help! Help! Help!

Slice it and yes, FREEZE it. Individually wrap the slices when you get back. You may have one slice a day with a cup of tea or coffee. Or as a pudding. . Or take some round to a neighbour. Or to have with coffee tonight after dinner if your host/s might be amenable to that offering.

Sounds like a gorgeous cake, clever you!

Pyxis

Can't freeze it! No willpower! Daren't freeze it! If I hadn't ballooned, maybe, but I daren't! I keep thinking of that whole block of butter and 8oz sugar! Yuk!
Tonight's dinner is in a restaurant, so taking it is no good!

I think, while I am feeling fullish, I must take it to the boys. Maybe I'll save myself another slice?
Noooooooo! All that butter! And sugar!
I must take it all!
Tell me to give it all to them!

Waves_and_Smiles

Eeeeeep no roof, LIR? That sounds terrifying in winter! I feel better about my little heater now!

Errr, send it here, Pyxis? Failing that cut yourself a slice (or 2) and take it to the boys!