Fabulously Frugal and Free at 50!

EssexHebridean

Yuck to more parental tests - hope she's OK.

Food sounds rather excellent though - and good plan to eat tasty chinesey stuff at home rather than eating out. 25p pitta breads also good - the Turkish supermarket just down from my work does them for 4 packs for £1 and they're lovely ones so I tend to default to those.

that's amazing news about TRG too - and yes I can just imagine his chuffed little face! Well done him!

Pippilongstocking

Thanks chicken! Biospy next week - then find out what to do. Bit of a worry tbh.

I do love a good pitta - well the plum fest today stripped us of plums! Wowser that was a lot of folks in for free plums, wind fall apples and rhubarb which is still producing madly here.

Lunch was noodles from the work box and some dahl - quite a good combo.

Planning all day today so garden steps are limited so far must make a big effort later.

Having checked the MOT and done some sums - I think its only fair to pay off the card.

SO I DID!

One card utterly wiped out!

Woop woop - bit of food processing to do at home later and need to progress my larder. Also need to do a wee tidy up as the cleaner comes tomorrow and I pay her to clean not tidy my messiness.

EssexHebridean

:T:T:T:T:T:T:T

Get that signature amended lovely! Well done!

Cheery_Daff

Ooh!! :j :T :j :T :j :T :j :T :j :T :j :T :j :T :j :T :j :T :j :T :j :T :j :T

Well done you, most impressed!

Fingers crossed for tests, most worrying time xxx

beanielou

Wow.
Go you :j :j :j :j :j

Pippilongstocking

Hey guys thanks on all counts - its my bad calendar keeping however that is to blame had I thought the MOT was due in Oct previously I'd have paid the card off asap at the start of the month.

But blessed be those who check online for their MOT status and due date. Love the DLVA.

Tonight has been a blessing of cooking - repurposing and preserving with a bit of grass cutting and beetroot harvesting thrown in for good measure.

We have

Dug some tatties and had mushy peas and chips for tea.
Lifted all the beetroot and its now drying off before cooking

I have mixed two random beefburgers and some sausage meat into meatballs and fried them off with HG veg in the garden to make a delish meatball dish for OH returning after biking. Be three portions in there if I get it done before he comes and decides it two.

Pickled some courgettes in a sweet vinegar - sweetened it with maple syrup, and cut the courgettes into slices like a dill pickled cucumber and poured sweet vinegar over them. {Tried this at work on Friday, as boss lady over run with courgettes, from my veg box, MY BAD, invented them or read about them somewhere} anyhows they were delish as a wee nibble so I'm trying some.

Pickled in sweet vinegar some whole small beets to see if I like them better.

Frozen 2kg of tomatoes yellow and red.

Potted up a wee treat box of toms for OH's lunch tomorrow.

Stuck half a reduced leg of lamb in oven with garlic and rosemary and onion - will cook off and freeze it will make a quick 'roast' dinner sometime we're pushed.

Lots more veg to process but I'm tired and have some tidying up to do.

Pasta is a cooking for him getting back so I best get a wriggle on and portion up those 'notquitemeatballs' which taste ace.

Reading some of 'The Green Kitchen' an article from the original set from the Times here. this one is all about paper towels.

Its an interesting book I have to say. Nice stumble at the charity shop.

Have a good un.

Cheery_Daff

Ooh, you've reminded me our MOT is due this month - it's the one car related thing that surprises me every year as it's at the opposite end of the year to tax, insurance etc. 21st I think. Hope nothing needs doing - still recovering from the shock of the £500 replacement injector jets or whatever they were :eek:

(And I must remember to sort the windscreen wipers first as I KNOW the blade on one of them is going as I had to swap them round before I got on the motorway last week so the better one was in front of me :eek: )

I had courgette for tea too

EssexHebridean

Oh your food always sounds so amazing - thoroughly looking forward to coming and sampling it again! :T Also LOVE courgettes so might see about trying that sweet pickle idea - that sounds awesome.

I've still got the rest of the bunch of Lil's Beetroot to use up so will have to come up with ideas for that as well - also got a bag of tatties that need feeding into the planner for next week....and some carrots that are starting to head towards soft. I can see some sort of layered veg bake on our horizon here in the very near future. Maybe layered up with chorizo or salami slices....Hmmmm....

My MOT is November - 29th but I'll book the car in at the start of the month as always. Hoping that there will be enough in our car savings account to cover it - fingers crossed there. Well reminded by cheery to check it all over ahead of going in too - don't want it failing on irritating little things that I could have sorted ahead. Did check all 4 tyres on Friday though so know those are all OK! :T

Pippilongstocking

Oh sounds lush me dear just lush.

Hello people - fantastic day at a conference about gardening with people who have complex additional needs - so enlightening and just a lovely wee project to visit and OH MY the food mainly from garden produce was amazing.

I even tried courgette and onion quiche which was ace so I'll likely try that as a fritatta as I'm cutting down on my floury goods intake. Squash, coconut and chilli soup - DELISH - have asked for the recipe and met some thoroughly fabulous people.

Did I mention I love my job. A bunch of lovely talented people happy to share and no poncy 'experts' anywhere.

Great chat from their clinical psychologist about supporting vulnerable folks of all ages with horticulture project - just thoroughly enlightening.

Car shared with two folks so must do a travel form when back in the garden tomorrow.

Cleaner has been so the place is super squeaky lovely and she looked after the mutts too who had to stay home.

Aside £30 petrol a NSD with a free lunch to boot - took loads of oatcakes with me in the car just in case lunch was rank but there you are it wasn't.

EH thanks for the lovely tea comments - looks more like slop at this end but its tasty slop.

Beetroot should be dry enough to get into the kitchen might sort that later.

Money wise budget so far is as expected makes a change. Its cos of you lovely lot.

Technology provided updates from both DD new flat is ace, and DS today who's just been skiing and seems to be fine.

off to catch up on board and chores!

Tea - hmm - lamb I guess with homegrown tatties and veg.

beanielou

Glad you had a good day