The Garden Fence - help and support in tough times

ivyleaf

Hope you feel less achy now Mar, and that you enjoyed yesterday. Sounds as if it was a lovely change for you

Possession ((HUGS)) I hope you feel a bit better this morning x

softstuff - Your poor FIL *bristles with indignation* I hope the fracture clinic is prepared to get him sorted!

monnagran -As always your view of life is wise (I can hear you snorting with laughter here, monna!) There were a lot of people in my son's school playground who didn't really talk to me - they weren't actually rude as such, but I felt very isolated. After my son had left that school I bumped into another "playground Mum" and we were discussing how things had been; she commented on how "cliquey" a lot of the mothers had been, and I was so relieved, I'd thought they didn't like me but in fact they just had their own little groups and weren't interested in making friends with anyone else.

I agree about people not keeping in touch after moving away too, it can make one feel very sad. I had a nice neighbour who moved away years ago; we've been exchanging Christmas cards every year, but although I've always told her our family news in my cards, she just writes "Love from....." and never says how they are or anything , so really, what on earth is the point? I didn't send her one this year, and I think she'll be relieved to have one less card to think about

Sounds as if a lot of fencers have been very busy in the garden! And more good weather due today by the sound of it.

FairyPrincessk

Morning all,

Toomuchdebt--big hugs. I hope the housing benefit situation is able to be resolved today and that you haven't had too much worry in the mean time. As for friends, well, I can only add to what others have said. It might be worth thinking about people on the edges of this group that you don't know very well. They might feel similarly isolated and reaching out to them might help to form some stronger bonds.

Mar it sounds like a brilliant day. Too bad the hotel is so expensive.

Not sure what I'm planning for today, apart from hoovering. I cleaned the vac filters yesterday so they should be dry today and it is always satisfying when they're all empty and ready to go again. Sad, I know! Supposed to be a lovely day, so will try to spend some time in the garden. I think tea will be bacon and leek risotto.

nursemaggie

I have a little garden envy in this lovely weather. Will go into town later today an excuse to get out in the sun.

£100+ a night hotels are not for the likes of us Mar, we can but dream. I can think of better things to do with £100 and I am sure you can too.

It is nice to know I am not alone in having very few friends. I guess we all find it hard these days of moving around. In the days of people never going far outside their own area I guess people kept friends for life. One wonders were they such good friends when one had so few to choose from.

ginnyknit

Have been trying to go out and celebrate our 36th wedding anniversary all week but Hubs is as weak as a kitten - oh well it doesnt matter when we do it However he is quite excited about us going to meet Ed Milliband on Monday (along with lots of other people) so that should be interesting.

Ive been spending lots of time in the garden this week too and have seed trays everywhere. I have even managed to grow chives this year, tiny ones at the mo but you never know. I got a kit from Lidl last week for £1.49 with 4 plastic bag pots and 4 pcks of seeds. Thought I would give them a go, nothing happened for a week but I like to think they were busy growing strong roots, then on Bank holiday Monday they all popped up. The runner beans are the strongest seedlings I have ever grown and actually grew over an inch in a day!

Hugs to all who are struggling this week xx

Mrs_Veg_Plot

Good morning all. Envious of everyone who is getting out to gardens and allotments planting seeds. OH won't get together the things I need to start my seeds off as he is worried that I will come a cropper in the garden. To be honest the garden is still fairly waterlogged so my crutches would probably sink into the ground. He is off work tomorrow for 3 days so I'm hoping to persuade him to set me up a planting station on the patio with everything I need so that I can get started.

toomuchindebt have patience you will find your true friends eventually. When I was suffering from depression I felt very isolated and had no end of support from the posters on this thread.

I have a cookery question. DD2 appears to be lactose intolerant so is cutting dairy out of her diet and has asked if we can make some lemon curd. Have any of you made it with a non dairy spread? Does it thicken the same and does it taste the same? I don't want to try it without checking first as I don't want to waste the ingredients.

nuatha

Mrs_Veg_Plot wrote: »

I have a cookery question. DD2 appears to be lactose intolerant so is cutting dairy out of her diet and has asked if we can make some lemon curd. Have any of you made it with a non dairy spread? Does it thicken the same and does it taste the same? I don't want to try it without checking first as I don't want to waste the ingredients.

I've made vegan lemon curds that thicken well and I've used vegan marg in conventional lemon curd recipes (Vitalite or Pure Sunflower)
I tend to make it on the tangy side, thickness isn't an issue, but I suspect shelf life is reduced (not that it lasts long enough to find out)

HTH

Mrs_Veg_Plot

Thanks nuatha. Will give it a go this weekend. Shelf life won't be an issue in this house either.

mardatha

Can any of the cooky ladies give me a recipe for a low-carb veg soup, with only veg in it? ie no lentils or barley or potatoes?

[Deleted User]

I'll go through my veggie books MAR and pm you a couple of recipes. Do you want a clear broth type soup with bits of veg in it or a pureed veg soup that comes up thicker or both?

moneyistooshorttomention

nursemaggie wrote: »

It is nice to know I am not alone in having very few friends. I guess we all find it hard these days of moving around. In the days of people never going far outside their own area I guess people kept friends for life. One wonders were they such good friends when one had so few to choose from.

That brought back a memory of a chat with a young girl subsequent to moving here. She was engaged and I was talking to her about her hubby-to-be and congratulating her, etc, and was very surprised that she came out with a comment about "Not much choice here (ie small pool of candidates for husband vacancy)" and this was someone who was very attractive/seemed like a pleasant person/etc and I would have expected someone like her to have her pick of men. It was just the matter-of-fact (not at all sorry for herself or anything) way she had analysed and accepted this fact that I found surprising.

Mind you...since then...and there are problems in a voluntary group I am in (of a type I've never even heard of before - still less encountered) and I'm in a situation where Back Home (ie a much bigger location) I would have known exactly what to do and done it instantly (ie voted with my feet and left the group). Chances are a lot of others would have also voted with feet and, some months later, the thing would probably "explode and die". But, in this smaller location, with its fewer facilities and fewer places to do any volunteering I've struggled on through a couple of episodes I wouldn't normally put up with and am trying to resolve the way the group is and "turn it normal" (ie democratic). If that doesn't work, then I will have to "vote with feet" regardless...

So you do have to live in a different way in a smaller place I feel...