The Garden Fence - help and support in tough times

nursemaggie

Been sunny for at least a week but a bitter cold wind taking the temperature right down.

whiteguineapig

its lovely up here again this morning (we are so going to suffer for this, theres probably 2 months of wind and rain coming)

moneyistooshorttomention

Hester

Re the slow cooker you cant get rid of - one bit of lateral thinking later and its a "crock" for fermenting vegetables.

When I read that that was a way to re-purpose slow cookers I had a distinct "Duh!" moment (speaking as someone who has bought one of those expensive - from Germany - crocks specially for fermenting vegetables in).

You may be in luck - with current food fashions including fermented vegetables at present. So - maybe a donation to Oxfam (with a note on saying it can be used as a crock to make fermented vegetables?).

Yep - I may not know the music "Top 10" anymore - but I can reel off currently fashionable foods just as fast:rotfl::

- fermented vegetables
- sourdough bread
- micro greens
- craft beer
- fruit leathers
- kefir
- home-made sugar-free chocolate

Still a work in progress on doing some of these things myself at the moment - but I'm getting there. Garden is having major work at the moment again - and I'm nearly "good to go" at growing all these exotic vegetables I only heard of about 5 minutes ago:rotfl:

Cheapskate

Hello everyone, used to post here some time ago, but got caught up in too much RL bad stuff - hope it's ok to return? Nice to 'see' some familiar people here, feels like seeing old friends again.

The last 6-12 months have been pretty tough here one way or another, but need to be back on the money saving bandwagon, building work due to start very soon, and every penny matters! Have missed my favourite threads on MSE, so coming back into the fold. :rotfl:

A x

ivyleaf

I was woken at ten past six by a car going over a manhole cover up the road - for some reason it sounds like a sharp double knock on our front door, so I had to get up and check.

Then OH was tossing and turning and snoring and wheezing, so i woke him to tell him to use his inhaler. That only helped to a point, as he was bunged up with hay fever, so he came downstairs to use his hay fever spray and to let me get back to sleep....but I couldn't, of course, because I was worrying about him sitting downstairs getting cold (he hadn't even put his slippers on.). So I went down and told him to come back to bed.

By this time it was almost seven o'clock anyway and the builders arrived across the road and started clanking and crashing, then the bin men (or series of bin men) arrived, then the men came back to finish resurfacing the road and we have two separate crews of them making a noise, so I got up. Maybe I'll have a Nanna-nap later.

Going to see DD1 and DSIL later on :T Not seen them for a while as either we or they were busy. She is still waiting for a date to have her appendix out after having peritonitis a couple of months ago. She's had her pre-op check a couple of weeks ago, so hope it won't be long now.

Cheapskate Just seen your post! How lovely to have you back, and on the SHTF thread too. So sorry to hear things have been difficult. Sending you some big (((HUGS))).

Softstuff

Nice to have you back Cheapskate.

Ivyleaf, some nights sleep just isn't meant to be is it? A nanna nap does sound called for. Can't believe your DD still hasn't had her appendix out, seems like such a long time since then.

[Deleted User]

Morning all, we're just back from a few days away taking in a visit to DD1, a visit to DD2 and Zebra with DD1 and a couple of days in Somerset where we went to the Bath and West show yesterday and bloomin' great it was too! The weather was grey but not raining and just the right temperature to keep going round not have to sit in the shade and recover, we loved it. Back home now to the sad news that a dear friends sister (for whom she was the carer) had died while we were away though so that's not too good.

I found us a couple of really thick and warm sheepskin rugs at the show, soft grey and the kind of fleece where you part the wool and the bottom layer has that lovely crimping that means your feet will be warm, I think we'll be snug this coming winter (and today if it doesn't warm up soon) in the foot area as we'll be able to snuggle cold tootsies into warm real wool, lovely!

The washing is in the machine, I've got us some milk and veg and we're set for the next few days, it's nice to be home again and back in routine!

monnagran

Welcome back Cheapskate, so sorry that life has not been too good for you recently. Hope that things will soon look up for you.

Crumbs, Ivyleaf. It must be like living in the middle of Picadilly Circus where you are. Let's hope that you get a quieter night tonight.

Mrs LW. Glad you have had a few lovely family days. I know what you mean about giving a sigh of relief to be back in your own surroundings with your own routine. There's nothing to beat the comfort of loosening your corsets and settling back into your own chair and bed.

Well, it's all go here. The family are off for a week's holiday in Sicily at midnight tonight. How different are their preparations for a holiday to mine. By today I would have been packed using my list for various sorts of holiday, every last pair of knickers would have been washed, dried and put away, the house would have been spring cleaned and enough of the basic foods stowed away in freezer and cupboards to make the purchase of milk on the way home the only necessary thing to do.
To my horror the clothes that they are intending to take with them were bundled into the washing machine at about 2.00pm and at 3.00ish I found a suitcase for them. The house looks as though it has been ransacked by a gang of untidy looters and I am hiding in my room. I know my DS was hoping to have a couple of hours sleep before driving to the airport at midnight but I can't see that happening.
They are such wonderful people that I really don't mind clearing the decks when they have gone and there are various cleaning jobs to do that I am itching to get my hands on. We all enjoy ourselves in our own way.

And I get to spend a week on my own!

Breathe.

x

Hard_Up_Hester

Welcome back and hugs Cheapskate.
Well I survived my second trip into town in 2 days, DGS is now the proud owner of some light up finger ends (don't ask) and a paint ball gun.
Tomorrow is mainly child free, so some serious shifting and lifting will be done as I now have some more empty boxes.
Hester

ivyleaf

Be careful of your back with all the shifting and lifting, Hester!

Lyn Glad you've had a lovely time. Wondered where you'd got to The rugs sound gorgeous.

We escaped to DD1's before lunch, so what with talking/listening for some hours and getting up early, I'm a bit knacked. Didn't have time for a nap.

The good news is that although we had to park in a nearby road when we came home, a bit later the men came back and repainted all the parking bays, and we can park outside the house again :j :j :j

DD is ok, but will be so glad when she can have her op. She's nervous that it may flare up again in the meantime (the consultant having described her appendix as a "ticking time bomb":eek:) because if that happens she will have to spend hours in a & E all over again.