Preparing for Winter V

Primrose

maryb said:

If you buy a pumpkin for Halloween intending to use it for soup afterwards, be careful not to buy one described as a carving pumpkin.  They use a lot more chemicals on those since they're not meant for eating

I never knew that but it possibly makes sense as the bigger carving pumpkins are often  sold by weight. However it still grieves me to see potential food just being used for fun and then thrown out for rubbish or compost.

The solitary butternut squash yielded by the four plants on our vegetable patch this year is being nurtured like a baby !! 

Wednesday2000

Primrose said:

Wednesday2000 said:

I was watching a Youtuber yesterday and he was talking about Halloween already! Bit early! I think if I get a pumpkin this year I am going to use the flesh to make soup so it isn't wasted. I really like those little cute mini pumpkins you can buy.

I read that pumpkins are going to be much smaller this year and probably in short supply for Halloween due to the drought so anybody planning to buy them should get them early.  All winter squashes store well for several months in a cool frost-free garage or shed.

newlywed said:

@Wednesday2000 a good waterproof coat with a hood makes a huge difference for all weather walks. I bought my salty sea coats on the usual online auction site and just use nikwax to make sure they are topped up with waterproofness.   

That and a flask of hot coffee to sip… and some contact lenses…. So now I’m happy to walk in all weathers!

Even walking in the cloud and rain made a difference to my winter blues as it’s still more proper daylight than being indoors.


a sunrise alarm clock helps me in the mornings too, mine was a cheapy middle aisle supermarket special and especially when the mornings are dark, I cant do without it now.

I will keep a look out for pumpkins now then. I might look for some autumn decor in charity shops as well as I would like to decorate my home for the season, maybe look for some orange or red throws and cushions too.

I will look out for a coat with a hood. I was actually thinking that last year as I don't have any coats or jackets with hoods and if it is raining and windy it gets hard to hold an umbrella on walks!

A lot of people in my family suffer with SAD and depression in the winter. I did have one of those SAD lamps but I didn't notice much difference. I think I need real daylight. I have been having my morning tea or coffee outside in the garden in the morning now I have bought seating out there so I'm going to try and keep that up even when it gets cold. I normally have my hot drink out there and play fetch with my dog.:)

Laura_Elsewhere

@newlywed - fleece throws might be easier to wash to keep mildew at bay but then that's using up money you were trying to save by having the fleecy things hanging up in the first place... 

I think I would probably look at the ventilation if mildew is an issue - curtains shouldn't get mildew if you're airing the place thoroughly - and that doesn't mean freezing: if you open all the doors and windows at once, and get a good through draught, then in only a few minutes you'll have  "changed the air" as the Victorians called it, and then when you close everything it's actually not very long at all - *without* extra heating - until the room temps are where they had been. Even in our unheated flat, the temps revert within 20 minutes or so. 

fionaandphil

@Uniscots97 I'm the same, I've been looking for a replacement for my slow cooker which is falling apart bit by bit. I'm looking at the 9 in 1 N1nja but it's about 180 which is a lot given how cheap slow cookers are. I'm especially interested in the extra fryer and dehydrator. I've got another glut of tomatoes and thought I'd try drying some this year. 

Uniscots97

fionaandphil said:

@Uniscots97 I'm the same, I've been looking for a replacement for my slow cooker which is falling apart bit by bit. I'm looking at the 9 in 1 N1nja but it's about 180 which is a lot given how cheap slow cookers are. I'm especially interested in the extra fryer and dehydrator. I've got another glut of tomatoes and thought I'd try drying some this year. 

It's the 11 in 1 available on the jungle named shopping website (not sure if I'm allowed to mention the name) 

grace68

i have an instant pot, had it for a while rarely used, but now use 3 or 3 times a week, alongside my ninja grill, so rarely need oven. I would advise watching youtube and getting instructions how best to use because all the different programmes can be rather daunting!

Si_Clist

Uniscots97 said:

... It's the 11 in 1 available on the jungle named shopping website (not sure if I'm allowed to mention the name) 

Why on earth might you not be allowed to mention Amazon?

Wednesday2000

I keep feeling like there is a slight chill in the air, but then when I go out on my walk each day it still feels hot. It might be wishful thinking on my part. I washed all my slippers, the dog leads and harnesses and my dog's little winter jumpers last night. I'm going to put then out on the line to dry in a minute.

I did order some autumn decorations as I thought I could reuse them every year. I was reading about pumpkins and some reviews said the supermarket ones can only be carved a couple of days before Halloween and they still went mouldy in that time. I got very put off by that so don't think I will be buying a pumpkin this year!

I was reading about the £400 government money, but I don't know if we are eligible. I hope so.

YoungBlueEyes

Si_Clist said:

Uniscots97 said:

... It's the 11 in 1 available on the jungle named shopping website (not sure if I'm allowed to mention the name) 

Why on earth might you not be allowed to mention Amazon?

I don’t know why but many posters obscure the name of supermarkets/websites when mentioning them on here - asd*, l1dl, MrT’s etc

This isn’t the BBC, you’re allowed to name names…

Uniscots97

Si_Clist said:

Uniscots97 said:

... It's the 11 in 1 available on the jungle named shopping website (not sure if I'm allowed to mention the name) 

Why on earth might you not be allowed to mention Amazon?

I've been hanging out on gossip forums for too long I think... you can't refer to any named sites over there. 😂