Get a grip woman!

beanielou

I have gor a TGTG m & s bag!
Going to pick it up shortly!

EssexHebridean

It did rather look like one of the storms the other night had headed your way after it departed from us - at one stahe we quite clearly had three of them on the go around us - one went your way, one went in the Southend on Sea direction (confirmed by my Mum after she spoke to her cousin  who lives at Westcliff) yesterday and the other one seemed to get bored just north of here and fizzled into nothing as far as we could see. 

I'm still keeping my eye on TGTG but not seen anything that's tempted me for a few weeks - the Gr3ggs near work has now changed it's hours so it closes at 5.30pm which means they put a deadline of 5pm on the bags I think and I can't quite get there in time. 

Suffolk_lass

Not doing well with local TGTG. I nabbed one for the poshest local coop - over the river and down the main road that keeps being shut, so whizzed over there for it at 7.30pm - only to be told they didn't have any. They were quite unapologetic and "oh well, you'll get your refund in a few days" as though I should be happy I had spent 10 miles worth of diesel just because someone there is inept. I did manage to nab a bag of four (99p for 1.5 k) and a naughty tub of ice cream but I have been happier.

We had penne and cheat's pesto (@foxgloves I think) delicious! Added a sprinkle of grated strong cheddar and we both really enjoyed it. Simple, quick, cheap and delicious - all good for me. 

I did masses of weeding, with DH and I both tackling half of the front drive so we were in the shade briefly. More today, plus some bee inspections and a dog walk. All zero spend activities

Suffolk_lass

Not quite zero spend. I found a pair of wooden trestle legs only about ten miles from us on FB Marketplace and they were a fiver (plus fuel). Really sturdy and DH observed that the wood would have cost more than that to make some. Needed because the 30+ year old plastic ones currently in use are brittle and cracking, as we found when we moved them (they have a door on top as a make-do outdoor workbench. I especially like the cat-flap hole in the old door that lets me put the brooms and mops through so they dry bristles up without falling over! (wet from rain, not use I confess!!)

I was intending making salmon fishcakes for supper but apart from getting some cheap salmon out of the freezer, I didn't. So more pasta to use up the cheats pesto because DH had an online committee meeting from 7pm. 

I also order our winter bee feed from the bee association and paid for it.

A quick inspection of the nucleus that had been on holiday at our friends' house needed more space so we moved them into a full sized box. This means we now have 8 hives and two nuc's and I don't want any more!

I trimmed my online Morries order back so it is under £90 in total this morning but that includes 3 bottles of DOCG Prosecco on offer (25% off 3 bottles) that will be in "Treats and Entertainment". I need to put this order through soon to take advantage of my offer (£15 off £60 online). 

foxgloves

Oh my days, I so want a trestle table now! Goodness knows where I'd put it, but how useful it would be for outdoor tasks like tying cut herbs into bunches, potting on, making Christmas wreaths, etc. Wish we hadn't given away our old doors to idiots now!
Just about to do grocery shopping list myself....meal plan done & hoping for a titchy list.
F

Suffolk_lass

@foxgloves, I managed to acquire an oak door of FB a year or more ago that we want some cast iron trestles for (I messaged someone yesterday but no reply) to be able to make up additional garden tables for when we do open gardens. There are always wooden doors for free or about £10 as people get double glazing and replace them. Our old one is currently being used for bee stuff and Mr SL makes up a few frames when he wants to be outside but in the shade.

Just saying...

Suffolk_lass

Well, I made the salmon fishcakes. (BBC Good Food recipe) What a faff! they were also really wet to handle, I suspect because I used ready made mash from a TGTG bag and it had salted butter and cream added so when it defrosted, it was rather wet. The messiest bit was flour, egg and breadcrumbs application (most of which seemed to stick to my fingers. I'm sure I saw a hack for this on TV but could not for the life of me remember what it was.

I also added a little gently fried onion to the mix for a bit of something. The fresh herbs had also come in a bag and the salmon was out of a multi-bag from Morries of frozen ones. Modest sized fillets and I used 2 instead of 3. Supposedly this quantity makes four fish cakes but for me it made 6 generous ones. They were a good size and we cooked them all, but I portioned as 2 each, with DH having a third. There is one left for his lunch if he wants it.

Other than that we did some bee wrangling. 7 out of 8 hives are happy, contented and calm. The eighth needs a new Queen to replace the one with grumpy genes as they are vile. Poor DH managed to put a super on both the hives at that location and they were lovely and calm, so he came back and said he was going in to inspect as the vile hive haven't let us in for a month. So the hive next door to VH, happy, calm, contented, going about their business. Vile Hive let him get to frame 5 of the brood chamber before they boiled out en masse and attacked him. 6 stings through two pairs of nitrile gloves while he was closing them up and a long stroll about in the sheep field for 5-10 minutes before he could come back to me and the pup by the car. At least he could see plenty of brood in all stages, if not the Queen. We are going to have to put our big girl pants on to see this one right.

Zero money spent and I have submitted the invoices to the local committee treasurer to get reimbursed for some items I bought.

Just watering undertaken yesterday but I want to get in the garden ahead of predicted thunderstorms today - lots of weeding, potting on of perennials and a few bits to plant out.

No spend anticipated!

themadvix

I often find the faff of egg, flour and breadcrumbs to put me off of such things. But I do like a fishcake and that sounds like a good recipe to stretch salmon.

Eek to the vile hive - but interesting how they can be so angry... it definitely makes you think it must be the genes. Nature versus nurture at it's best there.

I need to spend more time at the allotment, but work is not permitting it at the moment. Maybe at the weekend - I need to get beans in the ground and prune my plum tree (which requires Mr MV and a ladder and possibly a saw too). Enjoy your gardening and I hope you get done before the rain... at least it'll save on watering tonight!

MissRikkiC

It’s apparently 1 hand for wet and one for dry ingredients with breadcrumbs. 

So one hand places fish into flour, same dry hand drops it into the egg, then the eggy item is dropped and patted into the crumbs using the same hand. I can’t get it to work for me as I feel I need to use both hands all the time but hub makes it look easy!

Karmacat

Yikes to angry bees, your poor DH!  And yikes to messy hands during cooking - it's why I bought one of those semi circle things that let you rub in without touching it, I can't bear all the faff of getting it out from under my fingernails