The Garden Fence - help and support in tough times

nursemaggie

Well I did post how pleased for you I was now you are near the end greenbee but it seems to have got lost.

I hope after you get everything finished off and cleaned up you can have a good rest from it before you do downstairs.

Softstuff

nursemaggie wrote: »

Now I understand why you retrieved the felt Christmas tree from your mum's, softstuff
.

The Christmas tree was here Nursemaggie. It was supposed to go to mums. A couple of years ago I gave her a Christmas stocking. Very much the same style, it had taken a couple of months. I found it this trip rolled up on the floor beneath some other stuff, so I didn't want the Christmas tree to meet the same fate.

nursemaggie

Perhaps you are better not to give her things but maybe send her some flowers (lots of sites based in the UK). My daughter has done that for me lots of times because it is very difficult to send stuff from some of the countries she has worked in. The joy of a plant or some flowers is they are lovely to receive but eventually they die and you have to throw them away.

Being the same age as your mum I know you can end up with a wardrobe full of toiletries, boxes of biscuits and boxes of chocolates, the latter two only making you fat.

When it comes to the biscuits all you can do is get them out for visitors but then the visitors think you like them and buy you some more!

Taking your mum out for a meal when you visit is probably better than a birthday present too. I would recommend somewhere like Toby Carvery and going at lunch time is probably better than evening.

[Deleted User]

A question? can anyone pinpoint when food became a fashion and status icon and not the fuel we need to keep us alive? I'm aware of increasing interference/advice from all manner of sources about what is and isn't good for humans to eat, I'm aware of food fads where the latest 'must have' ingredient is imported from exotic and far away lands at extortionate prices and then in short supply in the shops because everyone MUST have some of it, I'm aware of fat/carbohydrates/sugar being the villain one day and the only way you'll survive the next. Whatever happened to good old fashioned 'grown and produced here in the UK' by our own farmers in season foods? I hate what we've got currently, all the takeaways, ready meals, imports etc. is it possible to change things and become BRITISH again?

Softstuff

Great minds think alike Nursemaggie, there's a Toby carvery voucher gift wrapped and waiting for my mother as a Christmas present in the wardrobe there. Birthday this year was a Pandora charm, tiny.

Previous gifts I've tried to make practical replacements, but it's been hit and miss whether that has worked. I tend not to go with flowers because this year for example she got 3 lots for her birthday from friends, it seemed to be the go to gift.

We picked tiles today for the bathroom, bedroom, laundry and loo. Not ordered yet, we'll measure up and get that sorted soon.

MrsLw, short answer, not a clue. I like food that's tasty and cheap, if it's in season and homemade it tends to be both. Some weeks apples are cheap, we eat a lot of apples, another week avocados. Going for cheap in season food gives us interesting variety too.

nuatha

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

A question? can anyone pinpoint when food became a fashion and status icon and not the fuel we need to keep us alive?

It always has been - if you've got the money (or can borrow it).
Look at the elaborate court feasts of the middle ages, or the 1000 larks tongues recipes of Ancient Rome.
Being seen at the "right" places and eating the "right" food has long been the aim of those with aspirations of grandeur or improving "their lot."
Like many things its far more widespread than its ever been due to modern media and higher disposable wealth (and credit).

nursemaggie

It's just commercialism Lyn. They just have to do something to food to sell it to us for twice the price. We are bombarded with adverts all our waking hours.

It has nothing to do with Britishness and everything to do with business. Food processors go to extraordinary lengths to get us to buy their food. Governments do everything to encourage growth and what is growth? Just getting people to buy more.

Let other people be conned into buying inferior food at expensive prices. We all know we just have to buy ingredients and end up with more variety, better tasting, healthier and so much cheaper food, why worry about what others are doing? The secret to healthy food is no ultra processed food, lots of variety and everything in moderation.

Last week when I went to the hospital I thought about having a sandwich before setting off to come home. I am sure you will agree egg sandwiches are the cheapest. I always judge sandwich prices by how much they are asking for egg sandwiches. They were £3.79 with just egg in them not even a little cress. They were the same price in the shops, coffee shops restaurant and even the Hospital league of friends that does not have any tables and chairs.

I paid £1.29 for a prawn sandwich and 29p for a carton of orange juice at Ald! in the centre of Manchester. Eggs are pennies :eek:

Have a laugh at these Lyn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0O_VYcsIk8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oht9AEq1798

Apologies to AOT and any one else who is gluten intolerant. I hope you have a good laugh at the second one.

ivyleaf

£3.79 for a plain egg sandwich is shocking Our local hospital coffee shop does sausage rolls which look delicious but taste of absolutely nothing - I can't remember how much they are, as I've never bought one after the first time, but they're certainly not cheap.

moneyistooshorttomention

I don't see food as a "fashion and status icon" personally. It's an interest and hobby and, when I can afford a little treat, then some "treat food" is my go-to item more often than not.

I've got to eat anyway and it's a consumable product and even a specialist/luxury type item costs a few £ (rather than loads for some "consumer item").

So - yep...I guess one of today's meals of avocado and labneh cheese with sourdough toast counts as "fashionable" - but it's healthy and interesting and there are times here where I'm feeling rather short of anything "modern/contemporary/interesting" and it helps "fill a gap" in that sense too.

Just bought an ingredient to help with making my own "raw food" chocolate too - and looking forward to having a little experiment trying it. I figured I must be able to make it cheaper than a tiny little bar for £3:eek:

So - we all need one or two "pleasures of life" - and, once you get to middle age - then thoughts often turn to food being one of them:).

Though I'd agree that I thought it a bit much to pay £3.79 for an egg sandwich - unless it was made with "nice" ingredients (sourdough bread, organic butter, free-range egg, etc). For a bog-standard one - probably made of sliced packet bread, bread spread and battery egg I'd probably regard £1/£1.50 as a fair price. However, I'd probably go hungry first and wait till I got home to have something to eat. Days out these days often mean I do have to miss lunch - by the time I've seen the choice (not) available...and I'm getting used to often having 2 meals a day now. Must "train" myself into taking a packed lunch with me...

nursemaggie

No I would not have a sandwich on a normal day but even I find it a bit difficult to go 12 hours between meals. I thought my sandwich from Ald! was very reasonable.

I thought £3.79 for just egg was bordering on the price range where I would expect some freshly made crisps and a side salad with it. Especially on the Hospital League of Friends stall where the staff are volunteers.

No I think fashionable food has always been around for the very rich but there is also the stuff that gets labelled as "superfood". There is no such thing.

How do you think they could possible test to see if anything is a superfood without being totally unethical?