EH - Essex > Hebrides...the next step of the adventure?

EssexHebridean

Good work with the map link there Misty! And no, probably NOT a good idea to be bashing holes in your landlord's walls - I have a feeling you would lose your deposit for that?! :rotfl:

Well could today BE any more grey, drizzly and generally icky? It was raining when I got up this morning (7.25am - to take the DAMNED car to the DAMNED garage!) and it hasn't stopped now. Add to that one or other neighbour having spent ALL DAY drilling stuff (their flat must resemble swiss cheese by now, I swear!) and I'm going stir-crazy here! :eek:

Going back to prefabs for a moment - I'm fairly sure IWM Duxford has a prefab on display - and as I think we've decided to go to the service of remembrance there tomorrow, I'll see if I can take a look and grab some photos of the inside if so. Reason for deciding to go there tomorrow is that I was intending to go back at some stage anyway, and they do free admission for remembrance sunday, so while it will be busy, I can at least get an idea of which areas I want to spend time in if I go back during the week at some point. Plan is to take sandwiches for lunch and that'll make it a good but really budget day out. :T

MrEH bought bread from the nice bakery this morning (and one of their croissant puddings - basically a bread and butter pudding but made with their leftover croissants and other pastries) but he paid so I'm on a NSD. :T

Bed has been changed so fresh bedding tonight - love that! I also gave the kitchen sink a good soak in bleach solution - it's a white plastic one so it stains revoltingly and bleach is the only option. The draining board has had a soak with a cloth soaked in white vinegar over it so that's all sparkly now, too. Still need to portion out the veg soup I made yesterday - I had a dollop of that at lunch with some of the merguez beans and some chunks of roasted squash stirred in - it was absolutely delicious, and SO healthy. Must have pretty much been my 5 a day in that one bowl, too, I reckon! :rotfl:

Car is now back and actually feeling like it's just been serviced! :T:rotfl:

EssexHebridean

Food planning:
I cooked that chicken yesterday, that needs dismembering and portioning up for freezing, what we won't use in the next few days.
Soup also needs portioning up and freezing.

Tonight - cheese and either nice bread or crackers
Tomorrow: Lunch- chicken sandwiches, crisps
Tea: Baked eggs, bread
Mon: Chicken & Veg stir fry with noodles
Tue: Omelette (MrEH) Buddha Bowl (Me)
Wed: Beef ragu/pasta
Thu: Soup?
Fri: scallops, mixed root mash, veg, whisky sauce.

Might be a bit of juggling to do there yet - if the veg for the stir fry still looks OK come Monday it may suit better to switch Monday and tuesday about. Thursday's soup will probably be "chunkified" with some roast sweet potato.

DawnW

Loving all the chat about prefabs - I lived in one when I was little My parents were allocated one by the Council when my Dad came out of the army. I must confess I don't remember a great deal about it - mainly that it had a nice lawn at the front which my brother and I used to play on with the next door children. It had 2 bedrooms, one for my parents and one that I shared with my brother (we were only very little), a living room and a kitchen with a baby belling cooker. Obviously I don't remember all this from when I was 4 or 5, but my Mum always used to speak fondly of it. No hot water though, and no bathroom or central heating, it was quite basic. We had a tin bath hanging up on a hook outside the shed and the loo was outside. Baths were once a week and took place in front of the fire No carpets, just squares of lino covering most of the room, with bare, stained floor boards round the outside and a rug in front of the living room open fire, which was the only heating source. I doremember it being pretty cold! Mum used to have some photos, but I don't know what happened to them after she died Furniture included an old pine table and chairs, at least one wing type armchair. It would all have been second hand, none of the modernist 1950s designer pieces that people rave about now :rotfl:I remember some of the furniture as obviously it came with us when we moved, and I remember it gradually being replaced as my parents saved a bit more money.

Shortly before I started school (at nearly 6) we were moved elsewhere in the village to a 'proper' house, as the prefabs were being demolished.

Very different times were the late 1950s.... I suppose we were quite poor, but I had good parents, there was always enough to eat and clean, warm clothes. We never felt deprived, as nobody around us had much either!

Happymac

Hi essex, De lurking to confess I keep an eye on your diary. Just wondered what a buddha bowl is? and also, where in the Hebrides you are hankering after?

EssexHebridean

Thanks Dawn - lovely to hear from someone with first-hand knowledge! I think they varied in layout inside - my Dad remembers a schoolfriend's family being moved into one and he recalls being very impressed/surprised at the "luxury" within, that included a bathroom with hot water on tap. The chap we got talking to last weekend had central heating installed in his himself, but he did say that some of those on the estate there still used their open fires for heat.

The furniture thing is an interesting one - we started out with pretty much all second hand stuff - in fact in the front room of our first rented flat back in 1998, we redecorated and furnished from scratch, including fitting a replacement carpet - and the only thing aside from electrics in the entire room that was brand new were the curtains! The second hand sofa we started with did us until we moved in to our first bought place (where we still are) 5 years later, and we still have a second hand dining table and chairs now. When we moved out of the rented place the landlord was selling so told us to take whatever we wanted - we're still using the gas cooker from there! :rotfl:

EssexHebridean

Happymac wrote: »

Hi essex, De lurking to confess I keep an eye on your diary. Just wondered what a buddha bowl is? and also, where in the Hebrides you are hankering after?

Hello Happymac! Buddha Bowls are a concept introduced to me by the lovely Greying over on her diary - essentially it's a meal made up from grain (so for example rice), veg, and protein (so perhaps beans, or egg). Topped off with a sauce of some kind. The possibilities are kind of endless - although Greying is rather more adventurous than I am, mostly! It's a great way of using up oddments too, and can be very quick to prepare.

As for the Hebrides, we're currently most likely to end up on the west coast of North Uist - although we've visited right through the chain from Lewis to Barra, generally speaking the southern bits are our favourite. We're heading over for a week at Christmas, staying on Benbecula this time, in a little cottage about 200yards from the beach!

Happymac

Buddha bowl sounds amazing - I am a rice girl. I must confess to being a native of Uist but a bit further south than where you are hoping to settle. Best place in the world and the unpredictable weather makes it better. Cold and crisp here tonight!

Huskyrunner

[/QUOTE]I love Scotland we rented a cottage a few years back up in Dallas just outside Forres and the place/drive up was beautiful.

We are going back in January and february hopefully.

DawnW

EssexHebridean wrote: »

The furniture thing is an interesting one - we started out with pretty much all second hand stuff - in fact in the front room of our first rented flat back in 1998, we redecorated and furnished from scratch, including fitting a replacement carpet - and the only thing aside from electrics in the entire room that was brand new were the curtains! The second hand sofa we started with did us until we moved in to our first bought place (where we still are) 5 years later, and we still have a second hand dining table and chairs now. When we moved out of the rented place the landlord was selling so told us to take whatever we wanted - we're still using the gas cooker from there! :rotfl:

Us too - all of ours is still 'second hand' to be honest, except for beds, sofa, white goods and fitted carpets. Having said that, it is a vast improvement on what we started off with. I like antiques and vintage items - we have some lovely pieces, mostly bought from auction, at Ikea type prices too, most of it My second hand dining table is Victorian mahogany and the chairs are William 1V, vastly cheaper than 'Oak Furnitureland' or whatever it is called (according to the adverts people need to buy it in time for Christmas:rotfl: ) I think the total cost was about £350

EssexHebridean

Happymac wrote: »

Buddha bowl sounds amazing - I am a rice girl. I must confess to being a native of Uist but a bit further south than where you are hoping to settle. Best place in the world and the unpredictable weather makes it better. Cold and crisp here tonight!

Ahhh..."Up South" We spent a fair bit of time down there when we're over, too. Lochboisdale PO is a favourite haunt for lunch, or just cake!

Huskyrunner wrote: »

I love Scotland we rented a cottage a few years back up in Dallas just outside Forres and the place/drive up was beautiful.

We are going back in January and february hopefully.

It is stunning - I was lucky some years ago to take part in a charity road-rally which took us right round the top of Scotland and down the west side - without question one of the best things I've ever done, SO much amazingness! Not visited a bit of Scotland we've not liked, to be honest.

DawnW wrote: »

Us too - all of ours is still 'second hand' to be honest, except for beds, sofa, white goods and fitted carpets. Having said that, it is a vast improvement on what we started off with. I like antiques and vintage items - we have some lovely pieces, mostly bought from auction, at Ikea type prices too, most of it My second hand dining table is Victorian mahogany and the chairs are William 1V, vastly cheaper than 'Oak Furnitureland' or whatever it is called (according to the adverts people need to buy it in time for Christmas:rotfl: ) I think the total cost was about £350

The "Buy now in time for Christmas" ads crack me up. I have, in my life, yearned for many different things for Christmas, a new sofa however is NOT one of them!:rotfl: