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

HairyHandofDartmoor

I hope you manage to find some flour EH. I read an article this morning saying that everyone is using their free time to bake and the flour mills are struggling to pack enough small bags that get sold in supermarkets, as most of the flour they produce goes in bigger bags to bakeries, etc.

I hope you get your balcony fixed and some of your jigsaw done .

rtandon27

EssexHebridean said:

...However we don't (as in REALLY don't!) have anywhere to store such an amount of flour at one time - which is a shame as that would be a decent solution. MrEH has just reported back that L's still have none, and the last few times we have been into a T's they have had no flour at all! ...

With you on the lack of flour EH - we are really limited to the type of flour that we can use as OH is unable to have fortified flour for health reasons - he has to limit his iron intake.  Anything we normally use for baking is usually imported & unfortified or fresh milled at the source. Neither are available atm!  I was tempted to buy a 25kg bag, but the airtight container cost more than the flour! 😱 OH also pointed out that we would have absolutely nowhere to store said container!
I was so impressed when he said he'd happily do without bread and cake for the time being!

savingholmes

Hope you manage to get flour soon!

EssexHebridean

Still none at the moment SH - we'll be baking some more rolls at the weekend but will be OK for another few batches of those as yet - and I do always have the fall-back of ordering some from the posh bakery if I need to. 

We had a nicely productive weekend getting odd jobs done - the sort of thing that, as another MSE pal of mine just said "it wouldn't usually be worth sacrificing a weekend for" and so they just get put off forever. The wooden fence on one side of our balcony has been collapsing for a while - the cross battens had rotted - so we dismantled that, and got rid of the worst of the rotten bits. While the metal fence underneath was all visible we realised how badly rusted that was, so wire brushed that all down - AND the bits we could reach of the one the other side also - and those have been re painted with Hammerite. All the wooden bits - plus the two folding tables we use out there - are also now re-painted in a lovely bright cheerful shade of blue - so the remaining "big job" still to do is replacing the slats on that right hand side, and a quick job re-fixing some on the left that are loose also. It's now making me smile just looking out there and it's back to being one of my favourite places to spend time (although not to day as it's turned a bit chilly again!) 

Other than that - Mum & Dad's shopping done on Friday - another long queue but it was sunny and I took a book so not too bad! Might try a totally different timing for that this week though, later in the day perhaps, to see how that compares. We'll see. We got some odds and ends of shopping for ourselves on Saturday and I'm now on a mission to see how long I can make what we have stretch for - I'd like to not shop for us again until Thursday evening and I think that is probably doable - the main thing we could need in the meantime would be fruit but we should have enough until then. I've got a meal plan in place for the next two dinners anyway, and a rough idea of what I might want to do on Thursday evening as well. 

The Credit card month is now done so I'll be able to do the money shuffle any time now. It's been complicated a little by several refunds coming through for various things but I think the money for those has all now been returned where it needs to be, hopefully anyway! I did have a list running of things that needed an eye kept on them like that so will check that. Once the CC money is done, and tomorrow has been and gone (the 15th is when the council tax, garage rent and service charge go out) I'll be able to sort out this month's surplus and feed off to whichever savings pots we feel it will be best going to - I've started getting letters from Nationwide telling us about drops in interest rates on savings though so probably we won;t put anything more to the ISA (EF) now - and in fact we've started discussing whether to strip some of the cash out of there and feed it elsewhere at the moment. Not heard anything from the provider for our main long term savings at the moment although I imagine it will be only a matter of time - and that will have a significant impact if that happens. 

Hmmm - what other MSE stuff has occurred here then - probably not much really. I think my personal mission for this week needs to be to get back to regular stretching sessions, and drink plenty of water. I feel horribly stiff and achey this morning and I know it's one of those silly things that is easily fixed, so I need to target that for a few days. As I currently have enforced work breaks while I let the paper shredder cool down, I can factor in short stretching sessions through the day quite easily, it';s just about remembering to do so. 

savingholmes

I am glad that you have managed to make your balcony a more beautiful and restful place to be. I am sure it will pay dividends in the months to come. 

starnac

Just browsing back here and thought I'd pop in to say hi. Everything has changed and I am struggling to find my subscribed threads. Have they disappeared?? 
Hope you are all okay.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Happy Christmas 🎅⛄🎁🎄

EssexHebridean

** peeps in round the doorframe, tiptoes across to the kettle, and hits the "on" switch...** 

peb

Ooh. Waves.  Seen you "about" but wasn't sure if you planned on carrying on your diary.  Looking forward to more camera based activities

enthusiasticsaver

Hi EH.  Hope all good in your world.