HOUSEHOLD TIPS NOT FOUND IN WOMAN'S WEEKLY

[Marilyn]

Mate...we had fresh cooked fish tonight...still licking our lips...you cannot convince me that even slow cooked Mutton is better! Sorry...( but given your weather, your dinner may indeed fill your belly in a more satisfying way)

[Stanley]

I'm not trying to convince you Maz, just giving an opinion.
If there is snow and ice on the ground and you are a certain age think carefully before going out in those conditions. Is your journey really necessary?

[Stanley]

Don't complain about the price of heating when it is as cold as it is at the moment. That feeling of warmth as you come back into the house after being outside is worth a lot of money!

[Stanley]

It may not actually be any benefit in guarding against Covid infection but it certainly gives you a nice feeling when the laundry is done and hanging on the rack in the kitchen!

[Stanley]

It seems expensive but the cost of a service contract with BG for your CH boiler is very handy if and when something goes wrong. Above all, it's peace of mind, they are very good on call out.

[Stanley]

If you want to guarantee a service letting you down, praise it publicly! BG cancelled yesterday after I posted that. February 25th now.....

[Stanley]

BG.... It turned out the service staff were on strike for five days....
Today's tip: If it's snowing hard, go for a walk early!

[Tizer]

If you keep a big freezer in your garage full of food make sure you check it frequently to be sure it's working properly. The old chap across the road from us went to get something from his earlier this week and found it had stopped working and everything had defrosted and had to be thrown away.

[Stanley]

That would be a bit of a bummer Peter.
My tip on freezers is never freeze more than a month's supply of basic foods. If you're concerned with long term emergency storage go for tinned and dried foods. They don't rely on any outside input to keep them usable.

[Stanley]

If you're looking for a window in the weather for a particular purpose trust your own judgement rather than a weather forecast. They can often speak with fork tongue! I grabbed my chance yesterday and it's a good job I did. Today is not going to be the dry sunny day that has been forecast.

[Wendyf]

The BBC weather forecast has been promising a cloudy and milder day today for the last week, I've been watching it carefully hoping for a thaw, and a thaw we definitely have! Its 2 weeks since the first snow arrived and this is the first thaw.
I would have posted in the weather topic but didn't want to interfere with Maz's cold bath....

[Stanley]

Wendy. Today is going to be positively tropical! I hope you get rid of all the snow.

[Marilyn]

Doesn’t take much to get me to jump in a bath...I have one every morning.
Hot and sweaty here again today. I was considering another bath, but things are building for a massive thunderstorm and tomorrow will only be 19C. Could be an interesting night, full of thunder and lightning.

[Stanley]

<Look on the bright side, the days are slowly getting longer although yesterday was so cloudy it was almost dark at 15:30. Today should be a bit better!

[chinatyke]

If you get free ice packs with your frozen food deliveries you can pop them in the microwave for a couple of minutes. Great for keeping your hands warm on cold days! If you are outside and your pack goes cold just consign it to the nearest bin.

We get lots of them, you can empty them on your garden manure pile as most contain beneficial chemicals like ammonium nitrate, urea, and scmc. Not sure what propylene glycol will do but it doesn't seem to harm anything!

[Marilyn]

We do not get food deliveries. We go shopping, and choose our own food. Then freeze our fresh meat etc...
We have insulated bags to store fresh food in for the 5 min drive home.

[Stanley]

Always double check the time on your bedside clock if you haven't got your glasses on!

[Stanley]

Every now and then eat your way through the freezer contents and have a fresh start.

[Marilyn]

Yep...just about ready for a freezer contents review myself. Thought about it just the other day, but got distracted. Tomorrow might be a good day, so long as hubby has something constructive to occupy him elsewhere because he hates it if I throw the smallest thing away. I am not in the mood for arguments about frozen leftovers...

[Tripps]

Always double check the time on your bedside clock if you haven't got your glasses on!

Mine is such a challenge to change the time, and sometimes it does it of its own volition, that I don't bother any more. Just leave it to get on with itself.

At the moment it's an hour slow. but I've got used to that. Any time within an hour or so is accurate enough for my present lifestyle.

[Stanley]

If it's a modern one David like mine, just switch it to DABS service and even if it can't find the stations it will update the clock setting of its own violation. (As my old drill sergeant used to day....)

[Stanley]

If there is snow on the ground and temperatures worse than -6C expected, consider staying indoors!

[Stanley]

When it starts raining on top of packed snow and ice remember this is when it is slippiest and most dangerous. Give it time to completely wash away before venturing out if you can.

[Stanley]

Never discount the value of a good sausage in your cooking. They are excellent for breakfast, splendid in a sandwich and good as the meat base for a main meal. One of my favourites is pork with caramelised onion.

[Tizer]

How to you cook black pudding in Barlick? When I was a kid in Blackburn I liked it and I think it must have been either steamed of boiled, a lovely soft, crumbly texture. When I left home for Liverpool as an undergraduate I saw it on the menu in the canteen (sorry, refectory I think they liked to call it) and thought brilliant, I'll live on that! But when they handed me the plate it was just a black disk - fried...aaargh! To me it was awful, desecration!