Holding On and Letting Go 🎈

Fortune_Smiles

Suffolk_lass said:

LadyWithAPlan said:

There is a fabulous Polish recipe with the Twarog cheese. Chop tomatoes, cucumbers, red pepper and a bit of red onion into small pieces. Then mix in the twarog as it will melt. Add fresh dill, salt and pepper and serve as a salad or spread on bruschetta etc - truly fabulous and refreshening

Ooh, that sounds lovely. I make similar with leftover olives (who knew there was such a thing!) instead of red peppers and don't add salt, and use chopped mint instead of dill. I have been known to use Feta instead of Twarog, but that is then less similar

@Fortune_Smiles the oil price has not quite reached what we paid which was a smidge over £1.00/l for the last 500 litres. It has gone up 10ppl this week though.

Oh, and I have just used my John Lewis vouchers to order a new hot water bottle, having read your post. To get free delivery, I also added a throw and a bit of economy bedding as we have bought a different duvet for the camper and it is a two part system. I never imagine us needing 14 tog, but 4.5 vs 9 is something I will get wrong, and the prospect of arsing about between two duvets in one cover at night holds little appeal so each will have its own bag now. I paid £1.50 for that lot

I missed out on the oil price drop SH - when it started dropping, I assumed it would continue. Doh!  Paid 93p per litre which is less than last time when we paid over £1.00 as you did.  Still very ouchy though.  Hopefully it will see us through the winter.

Love a hot water bottle.  Even though we have electric blankets I thought we'd need something less utility company dependent and more portable this year.

Well done on your clever money saving moves.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Bomb Dropped 💣

I've just sent the thanks but no thanks email to Fencing Man 😲  Will be on tenterhooks waiting for a response now as I don't expect it will be pleasant.  However, I'm not intending to engage in any further correspondence with him apart from sending him a billl or a court action warning letter if it comes to that.  The list of ridiculous reasons he's given for bodging the work is impressive written down.

Other frogs eaten this morning:

• confirmed the date for the chimney sweep to come round
• contacted two local fencing companies to asks for quotes
• contacted a second Solar company for a quote

I've also managed to track down another writing group that meets locally and will go along to their next meeting in October.

The grocery shop is being delivered later and I've just been sent the receipt.  No frozen fish fillets again.  I haven't been able to get any for weeks.  Is it Brexit? Covid? The war in Ukraine?  We were under budget again this week but I've used the surplus to buy items for the food bank and store cupboard and kept a bit back for some treat ready meals from Mark$ to keep me happy whilst Mr F is away next week.

Supper last night was Soupe Au Pistou which used up some sulky veg in the fridge and courgettes from the veg patch.  There's plenty leftover for today's lunch and some for the freezer. I'm planning One-pan Thai Green Salmon with jasmine rice for supper tonight.

Better get on...

Fortune x

South_coast

Fortune_Smiles said:

No frozen fish fillets again.  I haven't been able to get any for weeks.  Is it Brexit? Covid? The war in Ukraine?

Lidl haven't had frozen brocoli for about 3 months, and I can't fathom that one either (although they have put the price up by 10p/bag while they've been sold out 🤣) I don't think there are shortages, as Sainsbury's and Asda still have plenty, but at £1.00/800g and £1.10/1kg respectively, I can see why I'm not the only one trying Lidl at 69p/1kg first!

LadyWithAPlan

Fortune_Smiles said:

LadyWithAPlan said:

There is a fabulous Polish recipe with the Twarog cheese. Chop tomatoes, cucumbers, red pepper and a bit of red onion into small pieces. Then mix in the twarog as it will melt. Add fresh dill, salt and pepper and serve as a salad or spread on bruschetta etc - truly fabulous and refreshening

That sounds fabulous La Plan (not sure how to shorthand your user name so trying this one out - do you like it?).  I'll definitely give this recipe a go.

Fortune x

Loving the shorthand I may have to start posting French recipes instead and practising my dubious french accent!
I have studied lots of cuisines and they all have some great easy dishes. It is just when autumn arrives I always look to Eastern Europe for cheap, nutritious, warming food. 

Do have a go.. go easy on the salt til you taste it

I am going to try meal planning for a month for the first time ever this month. I never meal plan - only batch cook - but I think now is the time to see if I can indeed get the grocery bills down.

savingholmes

Hope the fencing email brings the right result

Alchemilla

Hello  you might also consider threatening fence man with trading standards if he doesn't come good.

It sounds like your guests WERE better behaved than ours. Ours weren't terrible (the child was pretty great) but the Mum was quite hard work.

Fortune_Smiles

Out of Sorts

I've been all out of sorts for the last few days.  The very sad news about our Queen has contributed of course and Mr F has been away from home a lot.  The weather is turning too and the approach of autumn and winter always makes me feel a little sad. And this year it's compounded by the cost of living/energy crisis.

I came across this piece by Brigit Anna McNeill a couple of years ago and it helps me to reframe the colder months and be more accepting of them.  Time for me to retire, rest and reflect.

I'm trying to focus on all the things I have to be grateful for:

• we'll be warm and dry and full this winter
• we have our health
• family and friends are well and happy
• there are moments of joy to be found.

Sometimes I see things that make me smile or even laugh out loud so I think I'll make a point of recording them in my diary going forward.  That way I'll be able to look back and smile.  On that note...

When I was last in town I walked past the pet shop in the square.  A man was walking across the paving towards the shop.  He had a little Jack Russell Terrier dog on an extending lead.  The little dog was walking quickly towards the pet shop with a big smile on his face.  He knew exactly where he was going and his little legs were moving as quickly as he could manage in that direction.  The lead was stretching longer and longer and the little dog was through the pet shop door a long time before the lead and his owner caught up with him 😁

Also, I've been trying to teach FDawg to hide his face with his paws to the command 'Peek a Boo'.  This week he finally did it 😁

I think the secret to my thriving, rather than just surviving, this winter is going to be small joys and simple pleasures.

I hope everyone out there is ok.

Fortune x

beanielou

Out of sorts too for a variety of reasons 

savingholmes

beanielou said:

Out of sorts too for a variety of reasons 

Sorry to read that.

FS - love the dog story - both the pet shop and the peek a boo. I think simple joys are the way forward. 

greent

Look the peek a boo trick you've taught FDawg! 😄