Next steps; grip-relaxing bimbling, and avoiding the temptations

Suffolk_lass

Unfortunately no mushrooms in this house, due to my allergy to them (and all things fungal or mould derived). It's a pain. I used to eat them raw, sliced on salad but didn't enjoy cooked ones. My reaction is much greater now. Probably related to penicillin allergy.

So to a bit of an update. Our garden is now dog proof so our small dog can be let out with us without being on the lead. It wasn't that he visited the neighbours, under the hedge; it was more the chasing things into the field that is open to the main road! Some donated fencing has done the trick and our gardener and Mr Sl did it on Thursday afternoon. Seeing a young rabbit bolt down a hole has not helped, as dog now goes straight there to dig and bark. Having caught one and shaken it (broke its neck instantly) as they do, the challenge was retrieving it before he dismembered or eat it, but it may just have replaced chasing sock on our bed as his new favourite game!

Yesterday I went to M&S to collect my size smaller jeans before they run out of the style I bought in February - extra long - fantastic to have them long enough to cover my ankles when seated, and high enough in the waist to cover all possibilities when I bend over. The pair bought last month has either stretched in the waist, or I have shrunk a bit, as they are bagging down in the legs and require frequent hoicking up! Not great.

While in M&S I picked up the groceries we will need for the week. It was mostly F&V as the consumption has increased with Mr Sl's low fat diet. I also picked up an extra large high welfare F/R chicken (not sure how it is F/R as they are all under cover thanks to bird-flu!). It did look very large and fresh. For £11 it is comparable with the one on my list for my usual store. The fruit is very good quality and I don't regret the small premium cost. I also bought a substantial single fillet steak for £10.50 that I will stir-fry for a birthday meal - it is long dated and vacuum packed. A dozen eggs (£4!) were augmented by my lovely friend bringing me 7 of hers when she and her daughter came for coffee, later yesterday. And I treated myself to a bunch of yellow roses and a bunch of freesia (£10.50) which I am counting as a saving, as the same were £35 online. I know this because I was looking at online flowers before that and have sent my mum a (different, more modestly priced) bunch for my birthday as she did all the work!

With another box of their number 4 strength Italian coffee bags (£3.40 for ten) my shop came to £85.27 and my running total is now £108.91 in March, but the shopping might last until the last week of March.

Today Mr Sl is being taken to his bike club AGM with two others that are near us, and dog and I are meeting our bee pals for brunch at ten. Then three local people mentioned coming to buy some honey from me last night (lovely). Nobody gives a time. I feel a notice on the door coming on so I don't waste the day waiting for Godot!

Less pleasant; my next procedure is next Friday and the different preparation arrived in the post. Just as I was looking forward to the weekend! Tuesday is the day I need to start preparing. Deep joy. It must be done. Preparation is better than cure!

Finally, I plan to swap my now-sprouting sweet peas from the kitchen windowsill into the greenhouse, with a propagator of reluctant tomato seeds. The latter might spend the night in the airing cupboard to give them a kick up the whatsits as only 9 or ten have sprouted seed leaves so far. I shall try and get out in the garden for an hour with dog too, to clean up a bit outside the greenhouse, and get some flower seeds planted. 

themadvix

While the free range chickens will be being kept under cover currently, there’s more to it than that. This article gives a good short précis: https://wickedleeks.riverford.co.uk/features/wl-sustainable-food-series-choosing-your-chickens/. And for more detail (egg focused):
https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/food-drink/shopping-guide/eggs#toc-how-are-hens-kept-for-egg-production. 

Hope you had a lovely bee-y day. Don’t think about the preparations until Tuesday!

Suffolk_lass

Neither article addresses the containment of birds due to bird flu, which was my question. I do understand the production of eggs and it is why my eggs come from two local egg producers (plus the gift from my friend on Friday). I can see the chickens and how they are kept, the same as the lamb I buy is reared less than a mile from home. My question was how the bird could be described as free range when it has had to be kept indoors all winter, due to bird flu risk.

Actually, it's a good job I read the material as it says stop taking iron, even the minimal quantity in a multi-vitamin, seven days before the examination. So just my vitamin D and antihistamine for the next week

Suffolk_lass

So, Monday morning, with four days until my procedure and twelve until the exam I am meant to be taking. I know I have not done enough work. I think I will carry on with my exam preparation but I am 99% sure I am not going to sit it. The learning, in and of itself, is helpful, but I just have not had the headspace to learn all the names or the inter-relationships to the level of detail I need.

Meanwhile the incompatibility between what Mr Sl can eat, and what I need to eat this week, probably means I shall fast on two days, immediately before the procedure, and the chicken leftovers will have to be frozen. By the time the calls on our time were done yesterday, it was too late to cook, so we had beans on toast. I can't have them after tomorrow because of the fibre!

Money continues to trickle away as payments are being taken, and I do need to get fuel for my car. In contrast to the weekend, there is cloud cover this morning, so I am waiting before getting my washing on. I like the solar panels to do their thing. The latest energy bill is under my expectations and so the remaining surplus will certainly cover us for this month and a bit of next month's usage.

I have planted more tomato seeds to encourage a few more plants to sprout. Very low germination rate so far.

themadvix

Suffolk_lass said:

Neither article addresses the containment of birds due to bird flu, which was my question. I do understand the production of eggs and it is why my eggs come from two local egg producers (plus the gift from my friend on Friday). I can see the chickens and how they are kept, the same as the lamb I buy is reared less than a mile from home. My question was how the bird could be described as free range when it has had to be kept indoors all winter, due to bird flu risk.

Actually, it's a good job I read the material as it says stop taking iron, even the minimal quantity in a multi-vitamin, seven days before the examination. So just my vitamin D and antihistamine for the next week

I'm sure your meat and eggs are from higher than the minimum free range levels - it's lovely when you know where they come from. Stocking levels, enrichment availability and space requirements differ from barn raised too - which I think the articles addressed. It's difficult though when everything has to be inside. But there was an article the other day about a farmer who had lost all his birds due to bird flu - absolutely heartbreaking. And not allowed to keep birds for another 12 months and seemingly no government support during this time.

Suffolk_lass

Yes, it is horrible. What with the fox taking many and just killing them in a frenzy, some old birds and the change in regs that means netting them isn't sufficient (because wild birds carp as they fly) this year; my friend has pared back to a handful that are living in his greenhouse, for the timebeing. 

Poor Mr Sl is really struggling and took himself off to bed for a two-hour nap yesterday around 4pm. He was so quiet I went up to check he was still breathing. I don't think this is helping either of us.

Suffolk_lass

Right, staying near the facilities from now until Friday, I do have an osteopath appointment late this morning. I shall fast I think, ahead of that! Hopefully, this might be my last such appointment as my shoulder has pretty much improved now to the point where it is manageable.

In the never-ending cycle of stuff deteriorating, I contacted the GP surgery to ask for a referral to the local NHS Hearing centre, yesterday and they will phone me at some point before 6pm (I bet I am in with the osteopath when they do!).

Our penultimate study group was last night. I have been fretting about the exam but I think I knew as much as the others, so I might just do it without fretting. One of the group had contacted the exam board and only 28 of us are entered across the UK for this part! If I don't do it, I will be two behind everyone else (I know it's not a contest, but I want to stay with the study group people I know).

On to today. I need to check my seedlings and plant some more, along with laundering bee suits to a level of cleanliness I am happy with! I might make up some more frames, to use up the pack of wood in my kitchen, and DH kindly painted the new poly nuc I bought so the ready to go frames can go in that.

In money matters, I might need milk, and I certainly need fuel for my car, but nothing else. Having baked bread we have enough until at least the weekend. I am craving F&V already.

rtandon27

Hang in there SL, the medical stuff will soon be over and you will be back to fruit and veg and all things that are your norm soon!  Hope Mr SL is feeling better today!

trix-a-belle

As I tell the GCSE students I invigilate; do you best, they're not trying to trip you up, don't doubt what you know, make good use of your time & keep calm

You can always say you didn't hear the phone when the hearing centre call back lol
I hope the rest of this week goes as well as it can with medical stuff & Mr SL gradually feels a little bit more himself.

foxgloves

You probably know more than you think for your exam. It's surprising how much goes in. It's just that we don't really know how much until we are asked questions about it.
Hope Mr SL is feeling better today & am also sending positive wishes for your medical procedures. I learned far more than I wanted to know a couple of years ago when I seemed to be alternating nasty radioactive drinks with hideous bowel cleaning potions so as to have all the scans I was referred for. I hear you on staying near the facilities. I remember drinking the first bottle (I had to go through it twice as the scanner broke down at the 11th hour!) & thinking, "Well, it can't work THAT quickly" then realising I had underestimated its capabilities! The light residue-free diet was also very dull. By the time I emerged from the scanner, I could have eaten the entire back leg of a goat! 
Hope it all goes well, anyway -these things are never pleasant.
F