Get a grip woman!

Suffolk_lass

I've got DH drawing one for the company that did the brushed stainless hob top to ask them to quote to fabricate one. Not sure if they are at work though as they have not called us back from a Wednesday message we left

Mrs_Money_Penny

Hi Suffolk-lass We had issues with a glass splash back from B&Q. You can’t see them in the shop so ordered what I thought was grey after waiting about 3 weeks it was green. Returned that via the store. Ordered a grey one after talking to the chap in store. They come from a company in Scotland I found out. Took forever but worth waiting for. x

Suffolk_lass

Mrs_Money_Penny said:

Hi Suffolk-lass We had issues with a glass splash back from B&Q. You can’t see them in the shop so ordered what I thought was grey after waiting about 3 weeks it was green. Returned that via the store. Ordered a grey one after talking to the chap in store. They come from a company in Scotland I found out. Took forever but worth waiting for. x

Thank you - that is reassuring! we saw a regular sized stainless one in-store - typically (for us) it is the 900mm wide one we are still waiting for (with a 700mm extractor) to go up and it will underlap the wall cupboards by 50mm each side - so we are keen not to put everything else up and then find we have to redo everything to pack it out away from the wall.

We might just have to wait though as DH has crashed the 3d design software on his laptop and was very frustrated. The back up copies are all on CD!! I retrieved the old Mac CD drive out of storage so he could use my Mac to transfer the files and he crashed that too! Eventually managed to make copies on his Google drive but at that point I suggested we go and do some clearing up of vegetation in the churchyard (our allocation, not all of it). Three hours later and a ton aggregate bag full of hedge and pine needles, a nice calm cup of tea had restored happy man!

The boiler man is due this morning if he does not have an emergency elsewhere - our heating isn't firing. It's OK as the big range is on (electric - it warms one end of the house and all the rooms upstairs if the doors are open) and we have a log burner and a couple of small electric heaters (bathroom, study) so I stressed we are not an urgent job, but, we have a load of oil (bought cheap in summer) and plan to replace the oil tank next spring with a smaller bunded tank so we need to use some up for heating or it won't all fit in the smaller tank!

Apparently we need to fire it every month to stop it seizing up! we don't use the heating very often...

Suffolk_lass

Up before the larks this morning I have cooked some dried peas with the intention of peeling and freezing them so I can add them to soups and stews without always thinking I must get round to using them and then opening a tin instead.

I'm also doing another batch of passata - 4 large zip bags of (chopped and cored) homegrown tomatoes are in the preserving pan after being out of the freezer overnight. A bit less straightforward than the cook-from-fresh method (sprinkle with salt and drain off the water) because of course lots of juice comes loose when you defrost them. I bunged each bag through a large nylon sieve to get rid of the water and they are on the hob, salted and coming to a simmer, very slowly so they don't catch or stick. I need to pop some jars in the oven to sterilise then get my rear in gear - we have the Act of Remembrance with a very small number at the war memorial this morning and I must check what clothes fit me to dress respectfully!

In other news we took the super off our hive and have left the frames with any pollen or honey left (not much) around the stand legs so they can clean the frames if they want, before we take them and put them in the freezer (to make sure there is no wax moth in them, it means they can be re-used). All the honey has already gone! We put a block of fondant on top and insulated round it before strapping the top on again. Just hoping we don't need to keep disturbing them!

Karmacat

Hope your bees are okay!  Is it unusual for them to have used all their own honey already, do you know?  Fascinating.

Suffolk_lass

It very much depends on the weather I am told. With a bit of a cold snap in Autumn they would only have done their housekeeping (removing bits of dead bees and so on) from the hive during that time and would have been feeding on their own stores. We were aware that the super was not full to begin with, with the main colony in the brood boxes, and there was lots of honey around the brood frames so not panicking. We just need to monitor the fondant consumption and make sure we replenish it regularly

Suffolk_lass

Such a warm day yesterday, DH was cutting down raspberry canes and digging out plum tree suckers in a t-shirt. I tackled a bed that my gardener tried to remove brambles from but I think he cut them off just under the surface so 3-4 new ones from each root. I'm going to have to get in there and dig really deep if I want them gone. I started and did get a root out that was about 18 inches (45cm) deep and about the diameter of a spectacle lens! I also got very swiped by nasty nettles (you know when they start to sprig from the old stalks? I seem to specialise in those. My gardener did two hours in the back of the bed we cleared earlier this year, digging out regrowth and hedge suckers.

Karmacat

My sympathies!  I know *exactly* what you're facing!

Suffolk_lass

Karmacat said:

My sympathies!  I know *exactly* what you're facing!

It was your post that made me do it - shamed me it did! I do feel better for a couple of hours effort and although we have to click and collect something today, I'm hoping we get out to do more for most of tomorrow

Karmacat

Shame is not the intention!  Hope you do get out today, the sun forecast here is amazing, and it seems to be true, so far.  Out for a walk today for me, so no garden work.