The Garden Fence - help and support in tough times

Floss

Hard_Up_Hester wrote: »

I can remember when I was pregnant I was advised to eat lots of liver and drink half a pint of Guinness a day!

I was advised to eat liver pate and when I was feeding the babies my mum brought me a six-pack of Mackeson's stout!

FairyPrincessk

Morning all,

I'm back to working from home today. It looks like it will be warm and humid today but without much sunshine. Today is also a gym day, but I may try to go earlier in the day as it will be so warm later. OH and I were both exhausted last night. I'm not sure which of the meals we'll have for tea tonight, it depends on who ends up cooking.

Hugs to all who need them.

moneyistooshorttomention

..and I'm just glad I read a lot decades ago about the way animals that we eat are treated (antibiotics, etc, etc) and gave up eating them.

Darn it though that I've decided I'd better give up eating fish again. I've sorta known for years it's not a good idea - considering what the **** type of people are doing to pollute our seas that the fish swim round in. But microbeads in cosmetics, etc, and then going into our oceans is the last straw. If the human race is still around in a couple of centuries time - then it might be safe to eat fish that have swum round in our oceans again by then (ie because we might have stopped polluting our oceans and then cleaned-up the existing pollution). That's a "maybe" - but, right now, being the 21st century and we've not even stopped polluting them on the one hand or started on the Big Clean-Up on the other hand = I'd better give fish up again and this time for my remaining 20 years or so I assume I'll have.

Not best pleased at being forced into that - but I'm a realist and it's clear the fish we eat are eating this pollution accidentally.:(. Add that it's incumbent upon a former activist to say when they are forced into something that it wasnt their choice - as nothing would ever change if we didnt say it wasnt our free choice.

So totally vegetarian it is again.:cool:

ivyleaf

Morning

Back to looking after the grandchildren after school today. DGS's school is only just along the road from his home, but I was meeting him outside school last year just because we both enjoyed it. This term he's opted to come home on his own as he's in year 6, so we'll have to have our Big Hug when he come in the door
DGD is at a different school and comes out a bit later, so her childminder will deliver her to the house.

I want to do my washing, but until OH gets up presently I can't see properly to get the stuff I want to wash out of the laundry bin. Sigh. still, although it's cloudy it's not actually raining.

ETA Two loads of washing done and on the line

FairyPrincessk

Morning all,

Just got a PM to tell me I've been on MSE for five years now. I know I started reading and lurking before that, but it does seem a long time!

I managed to tick everything off my list yesterday and made Spag Bol for tea. There is a portion for my lunch in the fridge and the rest of what was left was stashed in the freezer. Tonight is a sort of salmon noodle stir fry concoction with broccoli, whatever those frozen beans are in the freezer (they might be soya or broadbeans, can't remember!) and lots of ginger and garlic.

I have a full work list again and then after work I'll head out for my walk and have a nosey at the elderberries. I'd like to make syrup this year and freeze it into ice cubes so they can be pulled out when needed. I also have a new episode of a radio drama from 4extra I've been listening to which I might listen to while I eat my lunch. We don't have the money for a licence fee at the moment so have given up iplayer catchup until we have it. There isn't much on the other catch up sites that takes my fancy for lunch time viewing at the moment. I can also knit more easily while I listen. I'm 2/3 of the way through OH scarf. I keep telling him he'll have it around December and he insists that isn't soon enough so I'd better put it a few more knitting hours. :rotfl:

[Deleted User]

We're lucky enough to have a farm butchery very close by (well about 5 miles) and they breed the animals on the farm that they sell in the warehouse. It isn't organic but being able to actually see the stock in good condition on the hoof and seeing how well run the farm is makes me feel completely confident that what I buy from the butchery has had a good life, has been bred and grown in good conditions and hasn't had the trauma of being 'lorried' all over the place to get to the farm before it is 'lorried' off to the slaughter house. I think in this day and age it's as good an option as any and is better than most both for the livestock and the environment. The end result certainly is delicious meat not cheap but not extortionately priced either that we are happy to consume.

Softstuff

Feeling knackered and sore this evening. Went for an ultrasound, they did external and internal. Sorry for the tmi, but I was told it wouldn't be as bad as a pap smear.... well, it lasted 4 times as long as one and was really quite painful. Off to docs tomorrow for the results. Bit miserable about it.

As for meat, we're about half veggie here. When we do get meat, it's either cheap mince or vastly reduced something else. Was lamenting today how the grocery money seems to go a lot less far recently, so will be glad when I get the fruits and veggies going here at home.

fuddle

Boohoo to miserable softstuff. That's not nice.

Fpk such a good idea about freezing the elderberry syrup. I will be doing that too now, thank you as I had never thought of doing something so simple and obvious! Although one of my elderberry sources has be cut right back over the holidays. I am praying the other one is still there. If not I'll have to buy dried and I don't want to do that.

The meat I bought online is from Northumberland. It arrived this morning. The amount of information about the animal and the process to my door is very encouraging. It's not organic either but it's a step in the right direction.

This leads me to a question for you all. It arrived with frozen cubes and a polystyrene box. Now memory serves me that I can use that box as a slow cooker so if I'm recalling correctly, how?:D

FairyPrincessk

Fuddle, I think Mrs LW probably has more detailed knowledge but you should be able to use it as a 'hay box' by getting a pan of food piping hot and then putting it in the box (as well insulated as possible) and leaving it to cook for several hours.

Glad you like the freezing ideas for the elderberries. Do you have a favourite recipe for the syrup? I'm just asking Mr. Google at the moment.

[Deleted User]

You can turn it into a hay box petal, depending on how big it is line the box and the lid with several layers of newspapers then fill the rest of the box with either fresh hay or polystyrene nuggets (those packing beads that come round things delivered in big boxes) and use a heavy casserole or saucepan when you cook in it. You bring whatever you're cooking to the boil on the stove then simmer it for a minimum of 20 minutes before you then transfer it to the hay box, snuggle it down in amongst the packing beads/hay and pop the lid on and leave it for whatever is the cooking time recommended for the dish in a retained heat cooker/hay box/ thermo cooker. Lots of recipes and instructions online if you put in a search. It's a useful gadget and works just like the wonderbags we all made a couple of years ago. Good luck with the project. The pan/casserole works best if it's almost full of the stew etc. big air gaps between the top of the food and the lid mean less efficient cooking!