Preparing for Winter V

[Deleted User]

We can't use pansies in our front tubs because the deer eat them but we do and have done for years now put in red pink and white mini cyclamen which are tough little blighters and give a really colourful display and look 'christmassy' too. The deer leave these alone thank goodness!

babyblooz

Eenymeany does the Multi cooker take the place of a slow cooker?

Primrose

I use poly cotton sheets in summer but have some really thick Egyptian cotton sheets inherited from my mum, hardly used, which must be about 2 togs. My OH calls them The Shrouds (!) because they!re so heavy. About time to swap over and use them under our 4.5 summer duvet and they should keep us pretty snug all winter . My OH always como,ain't he gets too hot in bed, even in the depths of winter so a 10 tog duvet would really have him roasting!

BrassicWoman

I'm meant to be hanging thick chenille curtains tonight, but the company has send a giant steam generator iron instead - one of the ones with a huge tank. Grr!!! I hate ironing and never keep clothes which need ironed!!!

Eenymeeny

babyblooz wrote: »

Eenymeany does the Multi cooker take the place of a slow cooker?

Yes, it is included in the menu although I must admit that I tend to use my old pottery cooker when leaving it on all day. (The program guide shows a cooking time of 70 minutes for slow cooking but adjustable of 5-99mins with adjustable temperature of 40-170 degrees. it keeps warm automatically after that time for up to 24 hours I think. I'm sorry but the instruction book is obviously a translation so is a bit awkward to understand but I'm marking it with my own little notes, like temperature required and time as I make regular dishes.
You might find this promotion on youtube interesting. Seems that I'm not alone in finding the instruction book leaving a lot to be desired !https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPtuXz5DKxs
Sorry to go off topic everyone. Feel free to PM me Babyblooz if I can give you any more info on it

Pooky

babyblooz wrote: »

The downside of this weeks preparations for winter is ... my slow cooker has died! If anyone has any recommendations please feel free to let me know. I have seen a 6 litre one for £25 in Wilkinsons but don't know if I would use one that big really. My old one was a 3.5 litre and could just fit a small chicken in and could make rice pud using four pints of milk. Don't know what to do really, buy the big one or just replace like with like.

Not sure if you found something to replace your slow cooker but we have an amazing new one from Murphy Richards - it's not a conventional slow cooker but a square metal pot with snug fitting lid that sits on an induction base - it was £40 from amazon but worth every penny. The lid seals properly so it cooks evenly and it's a dream to wash up.

We'd been given a large slow cooker from a friend of my mums, ours had died and she didn't get on with hers (used it twice)....we tried it several times but the lid just wouldn't seal and 8hours after starting a beef casserole the veg was still hard.....I'llbe sticking to the newer style now, the lid fits!

Woke up chilly for the past two nights so will aim to have the 10 tog duvet on when I change the bed on Friday - the 4.5 tog and a crochet blanket just isn't cutting it. Doesn't help that DH uses a CPap machine at night and it blows out cold air, when that hits the back of your neck at 2am it's a bit of a cold shock!

Eenymeeny

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

We can't use pansies in our front tubs because the deer eat them but we do and have done for years now put in red pink and white mini cyclamen which are tough little blighters and give a really colourful display and look 'christmassy' too. The deer leave these alone thank goodness!

Just realised that I didn't thank you for your suggestion MrsLW. I have the hederifolium ones in a 'woody' bit of my garden and they're spreading nicely I'll look out for some of the more colourful ones. Great idea thanks.

babyblooz

Thanks Pooky and Eenymeany, for the advice re the slow cooker options. I think I might just go with my usual 3.5 litre size. My brain is frazzled enough at the moment without trying to get to grips with new equipment. I like to do rice pud, bolognese and cook chicken breasts wrapped in bacon and that kind of pop it in and leave it stuff and I sometimes do a whole chicken so I do know that I will use that size, I just wondered if it might be worth getting the bigger one.

I might just drop on a bigger one from a carboot or table top sale in which case I would deffo give it a go!

tori.k

Well looks like we are going to be in this drafty she'd for another winter, I lit the wood burner for the first time yesterday just kept it ticking over on low to start putting some heat into the walls, with such a wet summer they haven't really heated up very well this year, so the humidity is quite high in the house, hopefully will drop once the walls heat up. Having a dilemma over bedding I'm at that time in life, so sleeping better with the just the 4.5 duvet but it's leaving me stiffer than normal in the colder mornings, did add a wool blanket but have yet to wake up with it still on the bed, so undecided if to stick on the thicker duvet and disturbed sleep and DH moaning that it's like trying to sleep next to a lava flow, or just put up with the morning discomfort for now.

Primrose

Winter prepping the garden today hopefully. Putting the garden furniture away, closing off the garden tap and packing the hose reel away in the garage I dont t think we're going to be enjoying any more al fresco lunches on the patio under the sun umbrella!