Put away your purse & become debt-averse

carrielovesfanta

I've missed loads of thread but have loved catching up!

Have already printed off the DIY Baileys recipe for OH who loooooves Baileys.

I def like the sound of the Cranks book but are they vegetarian recipes? We like veggie food but have to be aware of the protein content...

Also, on the mention of preserves, I can really recommend the River Cottage preserves book. It's my go-to for all my jams, chutneys, cordials, the lot. I made the sloe gin out of it but I think I might use a little less sugar next time as it was very syrupy.

Re: shampoo bars.. why ACV? Would white vinegar do?

foxgloves

Hi CLF, Yes, the Cranks cookbooks are entirely veggie. The books came from the Cranks vegetarian restaurant chain which started in the late 60s or 1970s.

I second the River Cottage preserves book too. I have it in my collection & it's a good one. I use my Hood Housekeeping preserves book a lot, but can't remember the author & can't pop & check because we're away in our tent.
You wouldn't believe what happened to me on the way here. I got STUCK IN A BRA!!
Enjoying the sea air & being sensible with the pennies.
F x

HairyHandofDartmoor

I'm just laughing at you being stuck in a bra Foxgloves :rotfl:.

To go back to the mindulness discussion I agree very much that mindfulness is an easy thing to reach outdoors among nature. Really noticing plants, the shape of trees, cloud patterns in the sky, birds hopping around, etc, makes me feel very peaceful and calm . Simple pleasures.

Enjoy your time by the sea .

Dottles1

You wouldn't believe what happened to me on the way here. I got STUCK IN A BRA!!

Looking forward to THAT story when you get back
x

wishingthemortgaheaway

Dottles1 wrote: »

Looking forward to THAT story when you get back
x

Me too. Have a great holiday.

foxgloves

Hello Diary readers,
Back from our latest tenty fun. We haven't even been away for a whole week, but it feels like much longer! We've both really enjoyed it - a bit of a (massively annoying) mishap on our last day, but apart from that & some crazy weather on a couple of nights, it's been lovely relaxing quality time.
Couldn't believe how much everything has grown in the short time we've been away. Took one look this morning & decided we'd better divide our labours to maximise productivity. So we knocked together a meal plan over breakfast, basing it very much around what we already have in the freezer and food that's ready in our garden, then Mr F went off to town to get the shopping & order a sack of cat biscuits, then he lugged all the camping gear back upstairs & put it all away. I've done 3 loads of washing (why does camping create so much laundry despite not actually taking that many clothes....I don't know.....it's one of life's mysteries....) and I've given the veggie garden a good water. Have also picked another 2 kilos of ripe tomatoes, a third bag of chillies, several courgettes & more beans. Chillies & beans frozen. Tomatoes & courgettes will be going into various meals this week, plus various bits of batch cooking. The windy weather had fetched quite a few apples down from our tree, so as they were windfalls, I've turned them into apple chutney this afternoon.
I left my greenhouse door partially open in case the weather was hot and the young blackbirds who keep going in there have clearly had a whale of a time trashing the place! Plant labels pulled out & tossed aside, anything 'peckable' on my workbench thrown on the floor........soil flicked around where they've been looking for worms in my pots of chillies, etc.......was amazed to find my bunches of grapes still in tact as there has been so much naughty beak action!
Anyway, I'm planning to watch TV & knit tonight. I feel I've been really productive considering it's our first day back. No more jobs for me tonight, that's for sure.
I haven't caught up on here yet, so I do hope everyone is ok.
I love autumn, but am also aware of some sad anniversaries coming up, so I shall be busy but also thoughtful. I noticed today that the little stone sink garden Mum gave me a few years back has got very overgrown, so I shall tidy that up & it will remind me of when we planted it up together.
F x

crazy_cat_lady

Welcome back foxgloves - I missed you.

foxgloves

Aww, thanks CCL. Normal service should resume this week, although can't promise I won't be boring everyone to death with tales of tomatoes, calories, solicitors & worm composting.
And I must get my blackberry gin started soon. I've seen some fab sloes, so may pick some & make sloe gin, & use my blackberries for blackberry & pear vodka. And I need to crack on with knitting too as the Christmas present I'm making is a big project (an afghan throw). I've also broken off from that for a week to knit some socks, so must make sure all TV watching is accompanied by knitting activity.
Enjoy your weekend & make sure you get a nice balance of productivity & rest.
F x

foxgloves

Well, lovely to have cat back home after his 'holiday', though have barely seen him as he's so far spent all day checking out his territory in case anyone needs a bash. It made a nice change to have the cattery fees put aside ready. I'd also miscalculated so Mr F & I split the spare tenner between us. It felt like free money, lol.
Two kilos of the big ripe tomatoes I picked yesterday have been turned into chutney today. Had a little taste & it's a good batch. At least one of these will go in a home made Christmas hamper & as chutney keeps for ages, it will be finding its way into packed lunch sarnies over the next year & generally making itself useful.
While the cauldron was bubbling, I got on with a bit of tidying. I was an untidy child & teenager, but as an adult, I find I have less & less tolerance for stuff just sitting around. I know I've said this before, but one of my daily mantras is "Don't leave a job that would take you just 30 seconds or less to do". It sounds a bit strict, but it isn't at all. It just means that all those little tasks like putting an item away properly, putting something in the bin instead of 'ready to go in the bin', plucking out an annoying weed when passing..... Oh, & about a thousand other examples. These sort of jobs do just take 30 seconds or less. It's when they're left to tackle later that they start to build up & after a few days, a week, a fortnight, etc, turn into a much more major house sorting session. Well, I can't get too excited about those, so my 30 seconds or less rule on small tasks works very well for me.
I intend to sit down with Mr F tomorrow & get our diaries knocked into shape for autumn. Then I will start thinking about what I'd like to achieve next week. I think I'd like it to involve a lot of gardening, continued batch cooking to make best use of our home grown produce & a whole lot of shopping from home.
And I need to source a tent repairer..... as not only did I start our holiday by getting stuck in a bloody bra in Sain*burys of all places...... I managed to end it by falling through the tent!!
Ah well,
F x

Blackcats

Welcome back Foxgloves. Will you be elaborating on the "stuck in a bra" episode?