Five OS Pleasures in your day today

thriftlady_2

Olliebeak I use the elderflower cordial recipe from the River Cottage Cookbook. i don't bother with citric/tartaric acid for keeping it, I just freeze the extra in tubs.

20-30 heads of elderflower
Steep in just boiled water with zest of 2 lemons and zest of 1 orange. The water should just cover the flowers-about 2 litres. Leave overnight.

Next day strain and measure liquid and for every 500ml add 350g sugar and 50 ml lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally until sugar has dissolved. Strain again and bottle or freeze.

To serve dilute with water or fizzy water-can't remeber the proportions exactly but will see tomorrow when we try it.

I got about 4-5 pints of cordial from my elderflowers.

Patchwork_Quilt

Thanks for that recipe. Never made the cordial before but as soon as it stops raining I'll be out there with my scissors ..

That starts my pleasures off

1) Making elderflower champagne and the lovely smell in the kitchen as they are steeping
2) We also had our first batch of potatoes from the allotment today
3) Bought a plum tree (on Pixie stock) to put in the sunny bit near the patio. I know it's the wrong time to plant but I need to get this garden started
4) Meal on our own this evening as DS had a friend round for tea and DD was out.
5) Stair carpet fitted yesterday and it's exactly the right shade of beige, which is a really bad word in our house, but some things have to be beige

SunnyGirl

BlimusOreilly wrote: »

5) And finally - completely NOT OS and my most guiltiest and shameful of all pleasures - Big Brother starting tonight. *Quickly runs out of the thread before I get kicked out*

I share your guilty & shameful pleasure on this one Blimus!I've already been on the website [STRIKE]fifty million[/STRIKE] a couple of times today to see what's going on :rotfl:

Good evening everyone,

Ollie I love the way you refer to your DD as Calamity Jane it always makes me smile

Emmie Those potatoes look superb how lovely to know exactly where they came from :T

My five for today are:

1. Seeing DS3 so excited this morning, before he was even dressed, about the trip today. He's been counting the days until today finally arrived!

2. Laughing as he gave the dog more hugs goodbye than anyone else got.

3. Seeing my best friend unexpectedly this evening when she popped round with some of her son's outgrown tee shirts for DS3 :money:

4. Shameful & guilty watching of Big Brother (see above comment) :eek:

5. Looking forward to doing a can shake to collect money with The Lion's tomorrow - I'm going in DH's place as he has to work.

(((hugs))) to anyone who needs one & I hope you are all having a nice evening.

shopndrop

Olliebeak - yes there is still a TJ's in Birkenhead but the Liverpool store is soooo much bigger and more choice.
Newleywed - your bead work is gorgeous.
Thriftlady - your house must smell lovely with all those elderflowers.
BlimusOreilly - isn't is just lovely to go back and visit an old neighbourhood. We frequently do this when we go to the South West. We miss it and our friends so much but we did live out in the country where it was so quiet.
Jollymummy - that ankle still sounds dreadful.
Bellaquidsin - you need to leave those pea pods alone to grow!
Jollyme - hope MIL is recovering well.
Emmie 1234 - your pots look great. I haven't grown any pots this year as I wanted the space to try other things but have grown them for the past couple of years - it is so satisfying.
Caterina - welcome back. Sounds like you had a wonderful time meeting up with people you haven't seen for so long.
Patchwork Quilt - elderflower champagne sounds wonderful.

1. DS showing me how to use an online calendar.
2. Dropping a friend;s son at Mr S for work and getting 2 large bags of whoopsied potatoes for 39p - gave one to mum & dad.
3. Washed car instead of going to car wash.
4. Spare room now all ready for when DS & GF come to stay as soon as we get back from holiday.
5. Managing to spend less oney on food for the last 2 weeks and putting this money away for our hols. DH not even noticed any difference but I have been buying more basics items and mostly they are fine.

mineallmine

Morning all,

Haven't been here for a bit, good to read about everyone's OS pleasures, including holidays, elderflower cordial and seeing those potatoes!

1. Composting my veg peelings. Just getting back into this habit.
2. Reducing our gas bill and receiving a refund, thanks to lots of curtain linings being added over the winter and the odd blanket to keep warm.
3. Phoning a poorly friend to check on how their doing.
4. Trying a George Foreman grill for the first time (doesn't seem to like fat burgers but will try bacon this morning)
5. Speaking to the cats. They want food but I can pretend they want to chat.

Olliebeak

Hi folks - well what a difference a week can make to the weather! This time last week, we were languishing in scorching sunshine and here we are back to clouds and drizzle once more.

- you're so right, jollyme, the love of your family and close friends is the most important thing in the world. Good to hear your m-i-l is doing well after her op and hope you're still looking after that ankle!
- :j on your first crop of spuds, emmie! I bet they taste as good as they look - AND your first attempt too :beer:!
- you deserved your ice cream for rescuing the laundry from the rain , Maya!.
- welcome home again :hello:, Caterina - sounds like a great trip. Mothers, eh! - can't live with 'em and can't live without 'em :rotfl:. Mine is a combination of Hyacinth Bucket and Blanche (from Corrie) - everything HAS to be 'just so', with an acid tongue but very lovable with it :rolleyes:.

- thriftlady and Blimus - thank you so much for your recipes. There's so many elderflowers around, I'll have a go at both of them. We get through quite a lot of cordial here, so should have enough plastic bottles for this. The flowers are actually on trees that form the plantation of the local Nursing Home, so there won't be any problem with me taking them as they're nowhere near the actual building PLUS they overhang our road .

- well done on your first crop of pots as well, Patchwork . I did plan to put some in old-fashioned bins this year, but never got around to buying the plastic bins to put them it - they can go on the shopping list for next year .

- hi SunnyGirl - DD always makes me smile as well :rolleyes:. She's a single mother of 3 (kicked her OH out a few months ago) and just lurches from one disaster to another. The latest one was turning on the kitchen tap to make me a coffee last sunday evening, and the toilet (in downstairs bathroom) immediately started to flood from the cistern! Had I not been there as a witness, I wouldn't have believed it in a million years!! The place was utter chaos - eldest dgd (10) was running around trying to find towels, DD lying on kitchen floor trying to turn off the water supply that wouldn't budge, dgs (8-asd/adhd-'Mr Goofy' of the damaged teeth) was told to stay in the bathroom and keep flushing the toilet while I hung onto dgd (20mths) who was slipping and scooting around in the puddles of water. All this is happening in her 'own home' (being repossessed as her ex-OH has refused to pay the Mortgage/Household Insurance - so we couldn't phone the landlord/insurance company. Luckily her dbf(dearest best friend) arrived, phoned HER mother's boyfriend (rental-property owner) who arranged for his handyman to come around to sort it out at HIS expense - DD to pay him back as and when she can! There just has to be a book in all this somewhere!! What Bridget Jones can do for single women, my daughter's experiences can do for single mums everywhere :rolleyes:! Still there's always BB to look forward to .

- sounds as though the Birkenhead TJ's is similar to the St.Helens one , shopndrop. Those on-line calendars are great - we use them in work all the time and 'share' them among our team members - even our Line Manager shares hers with all of us.

- hello again mineallmine :wave: - great to see you . Well done on the gas bill reduction/refund - really good to see our efforts pay us back for once . I don't compost (to my shame) as I've got a terrible phobia about worms but 10/10 to you for doing it. I've just signed up to our new 'food waste recycling scheme' (via local council) - so here's hoping that this really takes off bigstyle https://www.knowsley.gov.uk/residents/environment,-recycling,-waste/recycling/food-waste-recycling.aspx

My blessings for yesterday and this morning:
1. A colleague's retirement party in the afternoon - so a freebie lunch :drool:
2. Very heavy downpour of rain in the afternoon, did the plants a world of good and saved me having to water them all .
3. Baked Beans and poached egg on toast for evening meal - simple and cheap .
4. Brought a kitchen table from OH's flat to my house (one of the legs went on mine and he never uses his) - so we can now 'eat civilised' again .
5. Defrosting some diced turkey for Spicey Turkey and Bean Chilli with Pasta for evening meal - need to remember to get a few mushrooms to go in it.
6. Now I've got a kitchen table, I've no excuse for not getting on with some sewing that's well overdue - so lots to keep me busy this afternoon.

Hope you all have a great OS money-saving weekend. I'm just off out to go 'a-whoopsie hunting' - so if anybody is in the vicinity of MrA's in Huyton, and you see a determined woman, head down, using her shopping trolley like a battering ram around the 'whoopsie cabinet', you'll know it's me .

(((((((HUGS))))))) to everybody - love Ollie xxx

little_miss_moneysaver_3

Morning all,

Hugs to all those that need them. Ollie, you're story did make me laugh (sorry) one of those things that I don't think you could believe!
Well today I have a few things to do...
- Make a Summer pudding for lunch with MIL tomorrow.
- Sort out my kitchen cupboard, a big walk in cupboard/larder. Get everything organised and hopefully stop me buying more kitcheny stuff at car boots
- Need to do some washing, OH's work shirts. Going to try reduced amount of washing powder as advised on Weezl's thread.

OK only 3 things, but I did the craft cupboard in the week and that was a marathon task! Am allowing time for the kitchen!

Have a good weekend all!
LMMS

BlimusOreilly

Sunnygirl - :rotfl::rotfl: Watching BB is like eating a kebab!:o Had forgotten that there is a website - might have to take a leisurely stroll over to it, just for research purposes of course!

Olliebeak - Your DD sounds like she copes very admirably with a LOT on her hands!

My five pleasures:

1) The house is pretty much clean from top to bottom.
2) Looking forward to seeing my mum.
3) If it has to rain then at least I s'pose it'll water the plants.
4) Got all the packing done
and
5) Off to Barcelona! Yippee!

Wishing everyone a fab week full of blessings and pleasures xx

BigMummaF

Been a tad lapse for this particular thread, so apologies for not trying harder In my defense, I am new to this
Over the past few days I have had cause to be thankful for:-

• Good neighbours who have taken the time to stop & chat...for no other reason than we were in the same place at the same time. Some folk go for days without having the opportunity to converse....
• The invention that is Sat Nav! No2 had an appt yesterday at a hospital we've never been to. Now I just need a mute button that works on passengers who think they are driving instructors!
• The invention that is MRI scan...without it, No2 could have been going into surgery that may not be the right decision & aggravate the condition as opposed to relieving it
  
• Take-aways :whistle:....we got home too late & too tired to do anything else than lift the phone. I hadn't realised how hungry I was till we came out of the appt.
• TEA! Need I say more:D

Reverbe

Wednesday

1. Grazia for £1 with token and a free huge £9 Sanctuary salt scrub from Boots with token inside - dont normally read those type of mags but it's ok for £1 and with the free stuff I bought it for.

2. Magical Shopping Arcade vol 3 and The Escapist on dvd from Lovefilm

3. Smoked Mackerel and rocket for lunch

4. Getting a huge pile of ironing done while watching dvds

5. dyed my hair for first time in ages

6. Library books - Nigella Summer, the latest Alexandra Potter and The Cherry Cheesecake Murder.

Freebie Thursday:T

1. Free Venti Dark Berry Mocha Frappuchino with whipped cream and berry sauce with token from Starbucks and sitting on the sofa quietly reading for an hour and a half with it.

2. Free packet Berry Snack A Jacks from Sainsburys with token in their mag

3. free novel worth £7.99 and free mascara worth £10 with magazine and 2 free samples of Jergens Body moisturizer.

4. free Be Natural crunch bar and Nelsons facial wash sample in the post

5. Tesco Antiseptic wipes and kitchen towel trials.

6. Free Chanel Mascara and Estee Lauder foundation sample and makeover which saved my makeup for going out later and free squirt L Occitane Lemon Verbena perfume

7. The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman from library - new release

8. free curry and pint in Wetherspoons with friends.