Get a grip woman!

Suffolk_lass

Roast was lovely and DH is so rewarding to cook for. He always appreciates it. I want him to write me one or two sheets of extraction dates and best before dated labels (I have separated these from our decorative and legal labels). I might have to fiddle with the designs to make them cheaper but not until this lot are used up. Having just thrown out some extracted in 2022 labels - so expensive and so wasteful

Did I mention I ordered more jars? they were close to £250 including £55 shipping and there isn't even a pallet load. Some for a beekeeping pal but most are for us. I have decided to start charging 50p extra for jars, or rather, 50p off if you bring it back.

I have also decided to sell one or two other wax products on my stall this year, so I have bought some coloured wax sheets for rolling candle kits, some tapers to divide up (and tie with string and festive ribbon), and some little glass dishes for tealights, along with wicks and wax for these (I will be using my silicone mini-muffin mould to make these myself - using bought beeswax blocks).

I am using bought for these because I don't know its origin so it is going nowhere near my bees, just to be careful. It says British, but maybe in the same way as British made goods where all the parts come in from abroad and they were assembled here, and were pre-stamped. I'm using the glass reusable dishes so I don't need to use aluminium or plastic cases. I was thinking three glass dishes and 5 tealights to a bag? Or would it be better to sell the dishes separately?

Baileys_Babe

Suffolk_lass said:

I'm using the glass reusable dishes so I don't need to use aluminium or plastic cases. I was thinking three glass dishes and 5 tealights to a bag? Or would it be better to sell the dishes separately?

Could you do a mixture? Some people will already have dishes they would like to reuse and others won't.

beanielou

I already have dishes I would reuse. 

A mixture. 

themadvix

Please could you clarify what you mean by this? 'I am using bought for these because I don't know its origin so it is going nowhere near my bees' Presume you're talking about the beeswax blocks, but I don't understand!

I'd agree about a mixture of what's available. Excellent idea to encourage people to bring back the empty jars with a discount! Can you advertise this anywhere beforehand? I am finding similar - I bought (on FBMP and therefore nice and cheap) some lovely jars last year, but I only have a handful left after gifting them - I do get some back but not as many as go out!

Watty1

A mixture.

Uniform jars will look lovely on the stall though!  

Suffolk_lass

themadvix said:

Please could you clarify what you mean by this? 'I am using bought for these because I don't know its origin so it is going nowhere near my bees' Presume you're talking about the beeswax blocks, but I don't understand!

I'd agree about a mixture of what's available. Excellent idea to encourage people to bring back the empty jars with a discount! Can you advertise this anywhere beforehand? I am finding similar - I bought (on FBMP and therefore nice and cheap) some lovely jars last year, but I only have a handful left after gifting them - I do get some back but not as many as go out!

Yes, I do mean the bought in wax from an unknown source. Melting wax and shaping it into blocks in the UK means it can be described as made in Britain. Wax and honey can harbour pathogens; bacterial issues like European Foulbrood can last up to four years in a hive. I am super careful about things like that and our bees. They are not harmful to humans but I just don't risk it. Even our old wax that we have cut out, I don't reuse it. Our "dirty" wax is going to firelighters, the bought stuff to tealights. I have ordered some candle kits in moderate bulk so I will split those down to pocket money size bags, and some tapers I will make small bundles of, with a bit of ribbon and a label, so they are easy low-priced gifts.

You all make a good point about already having the holders. What do you reckon for the ones with the glass dishes; 3 dishes with 6 tealights?? I can do little bags of five or six just tea-lights, and the same with 3 dishes? I am thinking they will be on a small table or a dining table and like plants, you cluster them in 3s. I was thinking people would buy them as gifts for others but maybe some will want them to replenish. They are perfect for homes and smell nicer than scented soy to me. I bought wedding event sized packs of dishes. 

In other news we remain in the dead zone before the occupational pensions arrive. Of course all the start of month DD go out, regardless of that. Hopefully DH's will be there tomorrow. 

I asked DH to turn on the aga last night. He cleared it off and then expressed surprise it was still cold this morning. "I turned it on at the fused switch!" - he was most indignant - but sadly omitted to open the door on the actual aga and turn it up from "Off!" Not important but I did turn the heating on (oil) so the house is warm as we are indoors for most of today. I am out tonightI also forbade him to touch it today. The solar panels are not active enough to heat it for free so we will turn it on at 01.00 to heat it during the overnight cheaper rate. 

I am off out tonight to a F2F bee meeting. It may involve a major bridge being shut in anticipation of gales. I do hope not.

Suffolk_lass

Yay, DH's pension is in - particularly helpful as I shopped yesterday. Hopefully most of what we need for the month, except for carrots and cauliflower, bowl fruit and some milk. 

My focus today and tomorrow is on food - so bread is proving, and I must get the soup ingredients out, ready to make my big pot of soup, to donate to the Church soup table at tomorrow night's celebrations (as an aside, I watched part of the Xand van Tulleken and Tracy Borman programme about the Gunpowder Plot. I was particularly taken with the legislation that compelled us to celebrate with a bonfire on 5th November - I might have to check if it is on the statute books today).

I also need to go over the ingredients for my meal to celebrate DH's birthday. I have a piece of venison to roast and I think I will bone it out, so I can make serving it more straightforward. I must remember to get the streaky bacon out to wrap it in as it is very lean. I bought 3 for £10 raw K-prawns and have a pack of smoked salmon to arrange on a platter with some spicy pimentos and a dipping sauce, and will make fresh rolls tomorrow to accompany it, as a sharing starter. I also bought salsa and corn chips yesterday and must put wine in the fridge. I'm making a lemon meringue pie for the dessert. I need to make sure I follow the recipe. I have left out an ingredient once or twice!

Oh yes, and I need to make a tea-loaf, so I've got something simple to offer. I still don't know if one pair are staying overnight but I do know the others are not, so just the one bed (instead of three) to make up and get set, in case. If both were staying we were going to sleep in the motorhome and give up our bedroom for the night.

DH did go out yesterday, with ground anchors and ratchet straps to all our hives except the five already sorted at the farm. All good!

I feel some tealight making is needed too today, before book club this evening. It is my choice of book, and I have read and enjoyed it. I was rather frustrated by elements, as always. I hope the others have enjoyed it.

Stay safe and warm everyone (our dog completely refused to go out for a wee this morning, but we are in a little lull at the moment, so just sorting him out. 

themadvix

Food sounds delicious (vegetarianness notwithstanding!) and it sounds like you'll have a lovely cosy weekend!

Suffolk_lass

Well the meal was really enjoyable but I felt slightly under pressure, in a sort of losing my ability to deliver without having a bit of a flap, kind of way. It was a lot of work, despite being really simple. I could have simplified it but I quite liked having it homemade. If the first pair of guests had come at the time we asked it would have been better, but they elected to come an hour earlier, and then arrived 15 minutes early - we were both in our "clean the house" clothes and still laying the table when they arrived. And that is how we stayed. With both couples dressed up and us a pair of scruffs!

I made the (white sourdough) bread that we had with the starter - which was more assembly than cooking. A good job I got the salad spinner out as one of the little gem lettuces had a caterpillar and associated excrement (it had clearly been there a while, so that went the way of food bin!), so I topped up with iceberg lettuce. I cooked a couple of packs of king prawns and ripped up some smoked salmon (bought last Christmas), sprinkled some pimento peppers and lemon wedges, topped with black pepper, and made a dressing of mayo, ketchup, tabasco and sweet chilli dipping sauce. The roast was a simple roast dinner, with just a bit of a rush at the end to make the sauce, with hm redcurrant jelly and the venison and bacon drippings and veg water, and some gravy thickening. 

I made this simple lemon posset and topped it with fresh raspberries and accompanied by a blackcurrant coulis and the Paul Hollywood buttery shortbread, rather than the one in the recipe. For me it was the star. I found carving the venison on the bone a bit stressful, and despite only cooking it for a short time, after resting, it was less pink than I wanted.

DS did not get here at all. He was asked to deliver 150 parcels, leaving the depot at 12.30, and then the main trunk road was at a standstill when he should have abandoned, so he carried on and only caught the tail end of the hold up. This was in the hope of having a light Saturday and Sunday, but apart from the traffic, it was pretty much the same again. Did you know big river have subcontracted Royal Mail to deliver some of their stuff? 

I spent part of Friday in our bathroom, shut in with the cat, radio and lights on, stopping her from panicking as the local display took place. DH had the dog, who ran round barking madly. Clearly aliens were approaching. All a bit distressing really. 

Enough of the weekend talk.

In money news DH has redeemed the fourth and final drawdown of his DC pension. The volatility of the stock market means this is a lot less than the other three. £9.6k after tax. Some of the tax will come back, as his occupational pension is still low enough not to hit the tax threshold. It would have been over £11k (net) if he had taken it when I asked him to, but he waited and it dropped, then he waited again in the hope it would recover, and it dropped again, and then the Middle East conflict meant it fell again. Good grief. All the potential interest from a cash based savings pot lost too! We needed him to draw it down this year as he will receive his state pension in a year's time and will become a tax payer based on income again then. 

When walking the dog he checked on all the bee hives and all are still intact, despite the wind and rain. My ankle feels a bit better after resting it so I will join him tomorrow, when we walk a neighbour's dog too. Fingers crossed.

I am waiting for more wicks to arrive, in order to make more tealights. Also a bit more honey to jar up and my firelighter bags to prepare, then I can relax a bit until I need to make honey shortbread and fudge, the day prior to the sale. I have ten candle-rolling kits, and several bundles of beeswax tapers, and bags of tealights, with and without glass holders.

I need to study now, as my exam is Saturday week and my revision notes still need to be prepared.

foxgloves

You sound so busy, @Suffolk_lass - I hope there will soon be a little gap when you can sit down with a coffee, biscuit & a couple of chapters of a good book.
F