THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

[Deleted User]

We had 3 years living in the Rhineland as an assignment from the firm He Who Knows worked for and I know how ashamed the Germans are of WW2, it's not talked about to anyone young enough not to have been involved in it. He Who Knows had a lovely lab assistant whose Grandfather had been ostracised by the entire village they lived in since the last day of the war because of his SS involvement, she didn't know details but the shame was on the family. I can only speak as I find, DD1 and I went to Berlin initially to see if it would be suitable for a school trip for students doing GCSE History and studying WW2 and were absolutely captivated by the place and the modern German people who are friendly, polite, so helpful and generally very nice.

[Deleted User]

Back to PREPPING! the gorse is in full bloom down here and I know you can make a tea from the flowers, I have an old book on country drinks and cordials so this year I'm actually going to pick some of those lovely bright yellow flowers which smell ever so vaguely of coconut and make the tea to see if I like it. I'm going to try lots of 'foraged' items this year as things come up after the winter and see if any of them are edible or quaffable because I'd like to see what would be nice or not should I ever have to forage because we were in turmoil or really hard times I'd hate to have to find out the hard way what was inedible or just plain nasty. I think having a little practice before having to do things for real might be a sensible move?

moneyistooshorttomention

Perplexed_Pineapple wrote: »

I have lived in Germany and spoken German fluently (pretty rusty now though). Generally lovely people. My time speaking and thinking in German (habitual thinking in a second language is an interesting experience) makes me think that the language itself and associated culture creates a rather rigid way of thought that made them vulnerable to demagoguery (if that's how it's spelt!) I'm not sure whether I can explain it properly, but I'm in no doubt from my own experiences that the influence of language extends beyond speech into thoughts and actions.

I wouldn't care to speculate on effects (or otherwise) of using a different language to one's own.

But there is research out there - I recall reading it (just not quite sure where it was) that suggested someone might be a slightly different "person"/with slightly different views if they started habitually living in a different language to their own.

I'm still struggling to get my head round that idea personally - because I think of someone as being the exact same person wherever they live in the country/or even the world as a whole and even if they're now "living in a different language".

But the research and your own experiences may well be right...

mardatha

Let me know how that goes MrsL, got tons of the stuff on the hillsides up here but won't be out for months yet.

[Deleted User]

Heather Tea Mar, supposed to be as good as the stuff made from the tea bush. Pick the softer end sprigs and infuse them in boiled (just off the boil) water for about 5 minutes and then strain the heather out. Use honey to sweeten it if needed, supposed to be lovely. One I'm going to try as I can get heather in the New Forest.

[Deleted User]

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

and I know how ashamed the Germans are of WW2

You can't blame the current generation, for what previous generations did.

thriftwizard

I have lived in Germany and spoken German fluently (pretty rusty now though). Generally lovely people. My time speaking and thinking in German (habitual thinking in a second language is an interesting experience) makes me think that the language itself and associated culture creates a rather rigid way of thought that made them vulnerable to demagoguery (if that's how it's spelt!) I'm not sure whether I can explain it properly, but I'm in no doubt from my own experiences that the influence of language extends beyond speech into thoughts and actions.

From my admittedly limited experience, that's spot on. Our young German guests have nearly all been absolutely lovely, but from the point of view of a British parent of a greater-than-average number of kids, they've been unnaturally obedient and unquestioning. Make no mistake, our own kids were far from difficult (except DD2 when in meltdown, but that was never her fault or within her control) and have turned out pretty well, but all but one of our guests have been very bright & polite but also very - malleable.

I suspect that language shapes what and how we can think, and the breadth & depth of one's vocabulary & accuracy of use defines the breadth & depth of one's potential thoughts. Our language is so irregular that a certain amount of creative chaos/thinking outside of boxes is inevitable!

But I despair of our current exam system, which insists that candidates use exact words and phrases to answer questions, or they get zero points. I know that it's done to ensure uniformity amongst the markers, but how can you be sure they've understood a concept properly, if you only require them to repeat a given phrase?

ivyleaf

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

I wouldn't care to speculate on effects (or otherwise) of using a different language to one's own.

But there is research out there - I recall reading it (just not quite sure where it was) that suggested someone might be a slightly different "person"/with slightly different views if they started habitually living in a different language to their own.

I'm still struggling to get my head round that idea personally - because I think of someone as being the exact same person wherever they live in the country/or even the world as a whole and even if they're now "living in a different language".

But the research and your own experiences may well be right...

My sister-in-law is 64. She is American but has lived and worked in Germany since she was 20.
She admits she is now much more German than American in many ways.*

*ETA Such as feeling she must pay a bill the day it comes in, even if the "payment due" date isn't for a few weeks. She also sometimes uses a German word or phrase in the middle of an English sentence because she can't think of the English version.

[Deleted User]

I don't BB, I'm aware of how modern German citizens feel having lived there. I love Germany, it's a second home and the German people are lovely. I hope my post doesn't read as anti? we were made so welcome and given so much help and friendship all round, much more so than when we moved here on yet another job move. It took literally years to be accepted here in the village.

Karmacat

Gorse
These are the notes I took from the PFAF website. I've also got a gorse cordial recipe, with a useful discussion about how much sugar to use, and for what reason.

Edible Uses
The flower buds are pickled in vinegar and then used like capers in salads. A tea is
made from the shoot tips.
Medicinal Uses
Gorse has never played much of a role in herbal medicine, though its flowers have
been used in the treatment of jaundice and as a treatment for scarlet fever in children.
The seed is said to be astringent and has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea and
stones. The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it
are 'Hopelessness' and 'Despair'.
Other Uses
A beautiful yellow dye is obtained from the flowers. It is orange according to another
report. Gorse is very tolerant of maritime exposure, it can be used as a windbreak
hedge in the most exposed positions, making an impenetrable barrier with its vicious
thorns. Planted for soil stabilization on sandy substrates, it is very good for
stabilizing roadside banks on poor soils. Gorse is an excellent pioneer species for
poor soils and areas with maritime exposure. It is fast-growing, feeds the soil with
nitrogen and provides good conditions for woodland trees to become established.
These trees will eventually out-compete the gorse, which is unable to reproduce well
in the shady conditions and will thus gradually die out. The plant has an old
reputation as a pesticide, the soaked seed being used against fleas. The wood burns
very well, it was much used in the past for kindling, heating bakers ovens etc. The
ashes from the burnt wood are rich in potassium and can be used in making soap.
This soap can be made by mixing the ashes with a vegetable oil, or mixing them with
clay and forming them into balls. The ashes are also an excellent fertilizer.