Get a grip woman!

Watty1

All perfect dogs have just "something" that tarnishes perfection

Suffolk_lass

Ha! you are so right @Watty1 - so nice to "see" you btw - I am trying to catch up on a few diaries but I might have to skip what I have missed - I do hope your situation has improved - you deserve to be clear of your previous situation. Last night dog got so excited with DH playing that DH misinterpreted his barking (I want a wee!) and thought he was over excited. He wee'd twice on my beautiful, much loved double sized sheepskin rug. I was (am) not happy!

This morning I have made a modigfied recipe of butternut fingers (a 1960s recipe my Mum used to make) and once I have had my haircut, met my friend re the lunch we are planning and been to collect the missing prescription item (and sold a jar of honey to the lady in the Health Food Shop - long story), I will be making the BBC Good Food courgette, carrot and orange spiced cakes (2 x 1lb loaf tins) and the Nigella courgette and lime cake (the original recipe on her website seems to have disappeared from on-line, but it is here), having defrosted 300g of shredded courgettes. I may have to add a little grated carrot to Nigella's recipe as I know I am a little short of the total I need.

I collected most of my prescription yesterday (not sure what happened but they have had it since 19th but had not fulfilled it or ordered what they needed) and my regular powder inhaler for asthma was missing, so I need to go back for it today. I tried the Health Food Shop for Pectin - they are ordering me a small case of 6 Certo (Apple Pectin) but in the ensuing conversation about jams, jellies and knowing what is in them (making my own!) we strayed onto cane versus beet sugar, and honeybees, and she is keen to try some of our honey - so I am taking a jar in. I did make it clear that I am not a registered food business for my honey or bee products (maybe "yet) and only normally sell to one or two neighbours but she is mad keen so I said OK. It is for her personally and not for the shop.

Then there was the Butcher (oxtail and minced beef) and Morries (fruit-bowl plus Greek yoghurt, and some wheatgerm bread to freeze, and a spare packet of biscuits). It seems they have stopped stocking (possibly even making) their own cream crackers (they went up from 40p to 65p before Christmas - now not able to choose them online) - I may have to resort to Al's or Sainsbugs. Upshot was over £38 spent. I am spending nothing now, until Sunday meal with Cousin and his partner for her birthday!

Time to go, haircut in 30 minutes and I'm sat here in my nightie!

badmemory

I'm getting a bit concerned about chemists at the moment.  Mine & my sons presciptions get sent by our GP to the same chemist every month & last month I went to collect even though we hadn't had a text to say it was ready.  It is usually within 2 days & it had been 4.  When I asked they had one of his items but hadn't got the other & asked me if I still wanted it.  Just spoken to DS & he still hasn't heard his is ready but mine has been for 2 days - here we go again!

They used to be really good & this has never happened before but how are they going to be able to do all the new things they are supposed to be doing to help out if they too can no longer keep up with the basics.  Its worrying.

Suffolk_lass

I didn't manage to get back to the Pharmacy yesterday as our lunch planning took almost an hour and a half (so I would have missed the Health Food Shop lady, who only does the morning), but I did make all the cakes I planned to and we have the butternut fingers to have with tea or coffee and the others are bagged and in the closest outdoor freezer. Of course the grated courgette I defrosted lost loads of water in the defrosting so I ended up substituting grated carrot for some of the courgette in the Nigella recipe. I froze it rather than starting it so we will have to decide then if it worked. It is in a 2lb loaf-tin shape (cooked in a paper case)

This morning I have prepared and started an oxtail casserole that will be left to its own devices for several hours in the simmer oven. I have also made courgette soup, splitting half of a large homegrown butternut between them and bagging and freezing the rest, prepared and ready to pour onto a roasting tray. Oh, and I have started some cassis, getting a kilo bag of homegrown blackcurrants out of the freezer and combining with a litre of vodka and 500g of sugar, and finally I have stewed some homegrown rhubarb. Hence now relaxing with a coffee on here.

In money saving things I have reduced our milkman order so now we only have five pints from him, twice a week, instead of 7 pints on three days. We will almost certainly have to go to the next village for milk, but there is a lovely, but pricey artisan baker there... knowing my lack of resistance to temptation, it may not be the best plan...

Karmacat

You've been working very hard already!

themadvix

What Karma said - I've barely started to function today and you've achieved a lot!

Blackcurrant cassis sounds good - will have to give that a go, but I need to decide what I'm doing with my currant bushes and actually do it. Only had a tiny amount of blackcurrants this year as they were crowded out by the pink currants. I have some in the freezer - maybe I'll make a miniature of cassis!

foxgloves

Re your honey, @Suffolk_lass, it's a similar situation for me with my marmalade. A local cafe owner once asked me if she could stock it, but I had to say no because I don't have the required documentation. I'm sure I'd pass the hygiene certification as it's common sense, but I am not at all sure our kitchen would pass muster, especially as we don't have a double sink for keeping dish washing & hand washing separate. So in those years where I sell my surplus marmalade, it's only on a very casual basis to a handful of people I know. 
I haven't cooked oxtail for ages. I think I'll look out for some at the butcher's.
F

trix-a-belle

badmemory said:

I'm getting a bit concerned about chemists at the moment.  Mine & my sons presciptions get sent by our GP to the same chemist every month & last month I went to collect even though we hadn't had a text to say it was ready.  It is usually within 2 days & it had been 4.  When I asked they had one of his items but hadn't got the other & asked me if I still wanted it.  Just spoken to DS & he still hasn't heard his is ready but mine has been for 2 days - here we go again!

They used to be really good & this has never happened before but how are they going to be able to do all the new things they are supposed to be doing to help out if they too can no longer keep up with the basics.  Its worrying.

I know your pain with chemists BM, I used to use the one in the same village as my surgery but they never met the 2 days preparation it was more often 4 days then they were requesting a week & even then there was often things still not ready or even in stock, I would collect mine & my parents prescriptions all at the same time to save trips.
They gave me what should have been a pack of 28 tablets which only contained 4, supposedly had been checked  They even randomly delivered half of my mums prescription one month mid way through the 1st lockdown despite having no request to do so and it being collected for the previous 2 months of lockdown. People were complaining at the shoddy service and left in their droves for the various online services (I now collect direct from the surgery dispensary because I meet their distance criteria).

badmemory

I actually saw the writing on the wall at the beginning of lockdown & moved the date of our prescription requests forward a day or so every month.  We now have a clear month meds in advance.  I don't like doing that as I feel I could be stopping someone from getting theirs on time.  But I am also not prepared for us to be without the meds we need.  This was made even clearer when a friend who takes blood pressure meds & is not good without them, left his pharmacy with one tablet & come back in 2 days.  Not good!

Suffolk_lass

To be fair to the pharmacies and their staff, there was the massive c**k-up over HRT - pottering along nicely when some high profile public women decided to publicise how marvellous they felt, continuing to take it beyond the menopause, then this government decided you could receive a year's prescription in one go (at one prescription cost) - without first priming the manufacturers and pharmacies to give them time to build up stocks; cue nationwide shortage and high stress levels for all. The pharmacists and their staff had a very high incidence of covid infection and reinfection, causing many staff to have to give up due to long covid or potential to infect vulnerable loved ones. Add world-wide shortages and supply chain delays. Stick a load of new people in the pharmacy with nobody to train them, no supplies and nothing to indicate the routine stock reordering and suddenly they are reacting to what comes in and getting later and later. Just watch the customer satisfaction levels plummet. Now this Government wants to give them more to do so the trained pharmacist will be spending less time overseeing the trainees and general staff whose work is normally checked. How to trash the Health Service over 14 years of this political regime.

Err, can you tell I'm not keen!?

@foxgloves I also swapped a jar of my very dark marmalade with my friend this week (mine is altogether darker and tangier but hers is lovely). I made 8 jars so it should comfortably last a year. I also now need to remove the oxtail bones from the casserole, which we will have for supper tonight.

We succumbed to a quick pub visit mid afternoon after the compost (see below) and shared a basket meal (salt and pepper squid and chips) over a pint and only had bread and gravy for supper as no longer hungry. Proper old-school!

In moneysaving
Yesterday we collected my 16 bags of compost from the agricultural supplier - did I mention? £7 for 75l of really good (Humax) multi-purpose compost from Ernest (female deer) while it is £12.99 for 50l of the same from the local garden centre - just over a third of the price. The Parts Manager even got his fork lift out and lifted the pallet so we could slide the bags onto the trailer, then he suggested we move that so he could bring it to the back of the car and we could minimise our lifting. Very happy. He said "you've done well there girl, [that's what my grandad used to call me, fifty years ago, lol], there's going to be a shortage. We're getting another pallet load next week!" - All now stashed at the side of the house, ready to spread on the veg garden. I want to weed a bit first though.

I might need to mention this bargain to my neighbour with whom I shared a pallet of BAQ grow-bags last year - she sorted all of that, I would be happy to reciprocate if she wants it. Good to be a bit more organised while we can't do much outside yet. Also received my T&M seeds this week. I should get the Kings order soon. Second early seed potatoes are chitting on the kitchen windowsill.

I have my friend coming with his chainsaw to help take down the enormous double-trunk cherry tree this morning at 11.00 - much cheaper than a tree surgeon and with his agility in the tree (plus my ladder and instructions) we should get it down by 3pm. He's great. A Farm manager who can turn his hand to anything, and we made sure he had plenty of work when he lost his job so he looks after us (it is his sideline eggs and lamb that we buy too). The removal means our forthcoming solar installation will be more effective as the tree provides much shade as well as undermining the foundations of the extension (where a number of cracks are evident.

Oops, I can hear the washing machine has finished (the white load, washed at 90 degrees to "clean" the machine of soapscum) - all towels, dish-cloths and tea towels, I do this once a month and then do a limescale removal cycle with white vinegar added. Touch wood, the washing machine has been excellent for many years (12-15, if my memory serves me). I need to get that washing out and onto hangers in front of the aga to dry as much as possible before DH gets up. Then the animals need feeding and I have more pottering to do.

Have a good day everyone