Put away your purse & become debt-averse

ladyholly

We once had a mouse problem in a previous house. We didnt realise until DD got a shock off the metal banding on the freezer. The little perishers had chewed through the cable. She was only about 5 and still remembers 40 yars later.

foxgloves

Yes, agree that mice are very cute outside, but cause a lot of problems indoors. Have reminded Mr F again about that bag of mortar today - he's getting it at the weekend, as we've planned to spend Monday doing various garden jobs. 
F

foxgloves

Hello Wednesday Pence-Wranglers,
Another productive day, although I'm not proud of the fact that I've just lost my temper at an inanimate object & thrown tomatoes around the kitchen! Am fine now, just needed a cup of tea & a sit-down!
Today I've made dough for pizza & rolls, baked a pear cake (only one 🍐 down, but better than none) & poached a big pan of 🍐🍐 with cinnamon. I do them in a light syrup with a bit of lemon juice & they make a nice dessert with yoghurt or atop porridge. Some frozen, some in fridge for imminent consumption. Also picked blackberries & all the tomatoes (regardless of colour) from half of the outdoor plants, which I've chopped up for the garden wheelie collection tomorrow. Have arranged the tomatoes on my slatted greenhouse bench for ripening. Ditto squashes & rest of the red onions. Gathered the very last of the beans too & more courgettes.
Both varieties of rocket & coriander which I sowed recently in the greenhouse for autumn/winter salad have germinated & I've sown a trough with lettuce today to cut for baby leaves later in the year when all the outside lettuces have been used.
Have also done meal plans for next week, so I do feel I'm back to normal levels of productivity after a slacker time & more going out last week while Mr F was on leave. Oh, & had an idea for a gift for B-in-L's Christmas bag which can partially be shopped from home, so am still keeping the frugal faith.
Time for 2 or 3 chapters of my book now. 
F x

Cheery_Daff

Very impressed with ally your preserving efforts! I've not even made any jam yet, but channel you a bit and get on with it!

foxgloves

@Cheery_Daff - Yes, come on Missis, let's be seeing this jam.made! What sort are you planning to make? I've only made 2 sorts this year - rhubarb & ginger and blackberry & apple. I love making blackberry & apple jam. I can't think of any thing else I cook which smells so perfectly of Autumn.
Time to get wielding your wooden spoon!
F x

Cheery_Daff

I didbmake one pot of rhubarb a few weeks back actually - left it boiling so long it practically turned to toffee and won't spread on anything 😂😂

I've got gooseberries, and blackcurrants in the freezer, and will be going on a blackberry picking mission this weekend. Might just shove them in the freezer for the time being as well... 🙄😂

Sun_Addict

@foxgloves can I ask if you know what’s happened to my courgettes this year please? They’ve been very slow to grow and they’re going rotten before they’re big enough to pick.  Very disappointed with them this year ☹️

foxgloves

@Sun_Addict - If they are rotting off while they are still small, it sounds to me as though they haven't pollinated properly. I usually get a few like that early in the season, but then as the weather warms up, the problem seems to stop. The only other possibility I can think of is that they're too wet, but I think this is probably less likely, as all the squash family members like plenty of water. If it's inadequate pollination, you could mitigate this next year by sowing some poached egg plants nearby? I've had them along the side of our courgettes & beans this year. They're quite economical as they self-seed from year to year once you've got them. They attract pollinators, especially hoverflies. 
F x

Sayschezza

I had about 4' trimmed from a silver birch last month and it cost me £240.

foxgloves

@Cheery_Daff - Had to laugh at your rhubarb jam. It reminded me of a long-ago colleague who asked me for a detailed account of how to make jam because somebody had given her some gooseberries. We went over & over it during tea-breaks & I said 'You can't go wrong, just give it a go'. Next time I saw her, I said 'Did you make that jam? I bet it was lovely wasn't it?'. She just said "Bloody stuff turned out that hard, you could've cut it with a knife!"

@Sayschezza - That sounds like quite a lot, but I know from the chap who does our tree work & hedge cutting (we have 130' of hedge on both sides) that it's not so much the actual job that pushes the price up, as getting rid of all the skip bags afterwards. Unfortunately, the tree which needs removing is very large & as we have no access to our garden from the front, will have to be chainsawed & removed through the house. I just want a quote now so I can plan.
F