Frump to Fab 2018 - Fabulous Dahhhhlings

maman

humptydumptybits wrote: »

maman when we had the snow earlier this year I couldn't get bread or milk for a week. My little co-op didn't have any and after a few days I walked in deep snow to Sainsburys, about a mile away but it was difficult as I live on a hill and had to get down the hill and then back up and after that I didn't get any bread as they had sold out by the time I got there.


The truly infuriating thing is I can look out of my bedroom window and see cows but the farmer doesn't sell it by the pint, I don't know if they can sell it directly or if it is to do with their contracts.


I am planning on getting a couple of loaves of bread, some long life milk and some rice, pasta and tinned stuff. Just comforting to think we can manage easily for a week or two. I've generally got meat and veg in the freezer so we didn't starve and it wasn't the end of the world but it did make me think. The town I live in has one main road in and it is up a steep hill, lorries regularly get stuck on it during winter and it can then be impossible for delivery lorries to get through and this winter that was a real problem. The supermarkets were stripped bare by the time the road thawed.


Thinking about your holiday to India, have you thought about looking at some Asian shops? In the city I used to live in there were shops that sold shalwar kameez and they are obviously ideal and generally quite cheap. When my DD spent a few weeks in India she bought cotton shalwar kameez while she was there and she said they were the most comfortable things to wear.

Just caught your post before off for lunch.:)


That's a brilliant idea. We live in a big city with a great Asian population so very easy to find if a bit 'coals to Newcastle'.:D

savingfortomorrow

The farmer might refuse to sell unpasteurized milk as the risk of tb and other nasties. It used to be common with unpasteurized milk where it went to the bones not the lungs. Depending on the time of the year the farmer, may have a dry herd and only produce milk according to demand, for factories and what not.Only some farmers produce milk constantly.

Powdered milk and uht are useful. Once the supermarket ran out of milk, I just brought cream for the coffee.

The storms made people realize the fragility of some supply chains. I always keep a "survival kit" of tinned goods, dry produce and tea in case a car breaks down or loosing a bank card. I try to rotate stuff but at least i can weather most storms. i use electric and would hate to have gas. so i might look into some sort of mini heater in case of electrical outages as it can take ages to reconnect.

pollypenny

It is unbelievably cold here today. I just want to cwtch up on the sofa ( the battered old chesterfield) and read.

I've braved the washing line, out twice, in once, so will have to go out again for the jeans and dark undies. A slothful day.

When OH is at rugby I usually have a good clean through, but not today.

humptydumptybits

savingfortomorrow wrote: »

The farmer might refuse to sell unpasteurized milk as the risk of tb and other nasties. It used to be common with unpasteurized milk where it went to the bones not the lungs. Depending on the time of the year the farmer, may have a dry herd and only produce milk according to demand, for factories and what not.Only some farmers produce milk constantly.

Powdered milk and uht are useful. Once the supermarket ran out of milk, I just brought cream for the coffee.

The storms made people realize the fragility of some supply chains. I always keep a "survival kit" of tinned goods, dry produce and tea in case a car breaks down or loosing a bank card. I try to rotate stuff but at least i can weather most storms. i use electric and would hate to have gas. so i might look into some sort of mini heater in case of electrical outages as it can take ages to reconnect.

I thought there would be a reason with the milk. So annoying to be surrounded by dairy farms and no milk. I think geography is a big factor, I used to live in a big city so were never really cut off by the weather but here we are, we get the storms off the sea, sometimes the town in flooded so we are lucky to be on a hill on the edge of town but with only one decent road in if that gets blocked by cars, vans, lorries and coaches it can take 24 hrs to clear. When you get some selfish people buying loads, one man had his trolley full of milk according to a friend and wouldn't even let a young mum have one bottle, it doesn't take long for things to run out. By the end of the week the shelves were stripped bare and cream was as scarce as milk. We had plenty to eat but I missed milk in my tea and my husband does like his bread. I aim to have a couples of loaves, some long life milk and just a bit extra of other things.



I also have to be realistic, last winter I was 64 and happened to be healthy when we had the heavy snow, this year I'm a year older and who knows I could have a bad cold, flu or something else when the snow strikes. I suppose I am also aware of being responsible for my husband as due to his disability he couldn't possibly get out to get supplies for himself.

humptydumptybits

maman glad you like the idea and I hope you find something suitable. My DD had a beautiful set in blue cotton and another one in green, she said some weren't to her taste but were cheap so she just left them behind. She loved India and wants to go back.

humptydumptybits

pollypenny I've done some housework and had lunch not to mention my flu jab and I'm going to spend the afternoon binge watching The Bodyguard. I'm shameless.

moneyistooshorttomention

lessonlearned wrote: »

Well I have just practised what I preach......I have seized the day.



However, I have found an amazing cruise bargain.......Great Itinerary 14 nights round The Canaries, Lisbon, Madeira, Morocco. Tbh the price comes in at probably no more than a few nights in a decent hotel in the UK. Crazy. So I've just booked it. . Sailing 24th November so a bit of winter sun.

.

:rotfl::rotfl:That's you lined-up to meet John 3 then is it?:rotfl::rotfl::)

Toni'sfriend

However, I have found an amazing cruise bargain.......Great Itinerary 14 nights round The Canaries, Lisbon, Madeira, Morocco. Tbh the price comes in at probably no more than a few nights in a decent hotel in the UK. Crazy. So I've just booked it. . Sailing 24th November so a bit of winter sun.

Good for you. Now that is fabbing!! Enjoy.

lessonlearned

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

:rotfl::rotfl:That's you lined-up to meet John 3 then is it?:rotfl::rotfl::)

Wouldn't that be funny.

It was an entirely spur of the moment thing. I was looking at U.K. city breaks and for a 4 night stay, plus rail, plus meals it was really mounting up. My plumber then said ideally I should be looking at 5 nights away.

DIL immediately piped up for me to stay with them which I seriously considered but then, when I saw the cruise advertised at a last minute knock down price, I thought why not. Then when I rang to book they gave me a loyalty bonus as well. :rotfl: I'll probably end up spending less for a 14 night cruise in the sun than I would 5 nights in the UK. Crazy.

Apart from Morroco i have visited all the places before so I probably won't even bother paying extra for shore excursions, I'll just wander ashore and potter about. It will be fun.

Anyway had a very productive day....altering yet more curtains, still it saves me having to buy any new ones for now. Need to keep costs down and already the central heating and the trees and fencing are going to be over budget, so need to claw back wherever I can.

Had a look at the diy glazing kit. Think that's a bit beyond my skill set, mainly because the windows are so big. I'll get the handyman to sort that for me.

Nice quiet evening. My old neighbour has given me a stack of books plus I have loads of films recorded. Dinner is in the slow cooker. I'm sorted.

Re stocking up for bad weather/Brexit. Definitely. But then I'm like my mum, I think I have inherited her siege mentality. I grew up with bulging cupboards because like so many who lived under the German Occupation her family knew real hardship and hunger and, like Scarlet O'Hara, my mum vowed never to be hungry again.

I get angsty if I have less than 2 weeks supplies in. :rotfl:

monnagran

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

I've seen a slight snag with that book then:rotfl: - can they knock the word "long" out of the title of it?

But then I always struggle with all the info on "how to have a long and healthy life" and am mentally amending to cut out the word "long". I want "healthy" most definitely, but personally I do not want "long". A long life would be one of my worst nightmares personally - though I do know someone in my agegroup that is determined to make it to 100:eek:

That is a very sensible point of view. I have known many people who have lived productive, healthy and happy lives in their sixties, seventies and eighties, but once in their nineties life starts throwing up difficulties and their last few years have not been very happy.
My own father was busy and active until he hit 95 when he could no longer grow all his own vegetables and had to spend more and more time indoors. He could no longer finish the Telegraph crossword and most of his peers had pre-deceased him. My brother and I did our best but we werent there all the time.

He confessed to me that every night he went to bed and prayed that he wouldnt wake up again. In the event he died miserably in hospital at the age of 97.

Being with him in those last couple of years, and seeing this cheerful, resourceful, healthy man who had nursed his wife through dementia for 7 years and worked tirelessly for his family, church and community reduced to a pale shadow who prayed that his life would end cured me for ever of hoping for a long life.

I will be happy to reach 90, which gives me another 10 years, but from what I've seen that will be quite enough. It seems to be all downhill from there.

money, I will join you in hoping for a healthy and happy life, but long? I don't think so.