HOUSEHOLD TIPS NOT FOUND IN WOMAN'S WEEKLY

[Stanley]

When you get to the stage of having a hole in your old fire shovel there is only one thing to do..... £5 at Shambles on the Square. Well made and it will see me out!

[Stanley]

Do not go to the lavatory when expecting a UPS delivery. They will come as soon as you drop your keks!

[Stanley]

If you've never suffered data loss through a mistake or a computer crash you've been lucky. I have been there and it is ugly country! Almost all households have a computer these days and so it makes sense to back up the contents of your hard drive at least once a year. Don't rely on built in programmes, do it the old-fashioned way on to separate external memory. You will never regret it!

[Stanley]

When you read the accounts of the number of people, especially children, who go hungry each day all over the world food waste becomes not just regrettable, but a crime against the rest of humanity. Strong words I know but consider the plight of these people. So, spend as much as you like or can afford on your food this Xmas but make sure that none of it is wasted! Keep asking yourself the question, can we really eat all of this?

[LizG]

Well said!!

[Tizer]

Unfortunately the people who buy far too much and throw most of it away are totally disconnected from the real world and the suffering that goes on. If ever they think of it they simply put a few bob in a charity box and carry on as before.

[Wendyf]

We are lucky to be able to grow our own vegetables....I've got all I need for our Xmas day meal and a small turkey ordered from the farm next door. Presents exchanged with family are restricted to £10 and under.... (though we are more generous with the son and heir). Col and I have donated to local charities instead of getting presents for each other. I love Xmas, but it wont start in our house till this weekend when I get a tree and put the decorations up, it's so much more enjoyable when you keep it simple!

[Stanley]

Lovely thoughtful responses.
If you want free entertainment today, go to a supermarket and watch the shopaholics staggering round with loaded trolleys....
If you have a good regular butcher, ask them if you can have a wrap-up (That's what Brown's call it) What happens is that when they close at Thursday lunchtime Kath will fill a box with anything they still have that they'd rather not refrigerate over the holiday and deliver it to me. I like them because they are always a surprise, could be anything from a pheasant to a bunch of sausages. They don't over-charge either because you are doing them a good turn....
By the way, Stuart went in hospital yesterday for his hip operation.... There's a handy Xmas present!

[Cathy]

Ooo I think I could do with one of those (a new hip that is), I wonder if its too late to ask Santa??

[Stanley]

I hope you are only joking Cathy! I can think of all sorts of good Xmas presents but that isn't on my list thank you.....

[Stanley]

The Scots have a good old-fashioned custom at the turn of the year. They aim to go into the New year clear of all debt and any disputes resolved. As far as possible, apart from ongoing utility bills I try to do the same. An impossible dream for many these days I know but if it is within reach, go for it!

[chinatyke]

The Scots have a good old-fashioned custom at the turn of the year. They aim to go into the New year clear of all debt and any disputes resolved.

Not only the Scots, the Chinese try to do this also at their New Year.

[Stanley]

That's interesting China and just what I'd expect from them. I see Marks and Spencer have an advertisement on TV appealing for people to spend on their M&S credit card.... One of the things that struck me about the TV programme on the family spending £1400 on Xmas grub was the fact that they had no idea it was so much. I wonder how many people will get a nasty shock when the first credit card statement after Xmas comes in..... Self inflicted injury, and for what, a hangover and weight gain? It's a mad, mad world.....

[Stanley]

Today's tip is don't fall into the trap of worrying that you might not have enough of something for Xmas. The last minute top-up just to 'make sure' is always a mistake.....

[Cathy]

Well I did the last of the shopping for our Christmas Eve get together today (I braved the front-lines and I was in the thick of it...haha) and if I forgot or missed anything then its too bad cause ' we ain't avving it'.

[Tizer]

It's been difficult enough getting stocked up even well in advance when you find the shops don't keep enough of the products. We often find it difficult these days to get whole-fat milk in 2-litre bottles in the supermarkets. They have loads of skimmed and semi-skimmed, and 4-litre whole-fat but not what we want. In Tesco a week ago I could find only one bottle of `normal' tonic water but they had about 8 foot of shelf devoted to low-cal tonic water. I took the one normal tonic to the customer desk, said there were nor more on the shelves and asked them for three more. The lady looked on the computer and said they had lots of it, then went to get me some. Some time later she returned and admitted she couldn't find any. So much for the computer stock control.

[Stanley]

Don't get me going about computerised stock control systems!! Garbage in, garbage out! Look at the problems I had with the Co-op and stocks of Condor tobacco.... (I seem to have won, it's not run out since.) As for the tonic water, who the hell needs 'low cal tonic water', I can't imagine anyone getting fat off that! I could knock off an essay about the misuse of the term 'low' in advertising foods with no difficulty at all, and in most cases it means absolutely sod all!
So today's tip is whenever you see 'low', natural', 'fresh', or any of those words on a label, read the contents very closely.... They have even hijacked 'artisan' now! You are almost certainly being conned into spending more on something.

[Tizer]

It seems that some of the beer from the small trendy British `micro-breweries' is actually made by the big brewers like SAB Miller and often coming from overseas. So much for local brews! Sharp's brewery in Rock, Cornwall, is best known for it's Doom Bar ale, named after the sandbank off Padstow; but it's now brewed 267 miles away in Burton-on-Trent.

[Stanley]

I heard that interview on R4 as well Tiz. The respondent was remarkably sanguine about the big combine taking over the artisan brewery in question but I suppose that if someone is getting a good price for an asset normal rules apply!
Today's tip is that the current task is to enjoy Xmas. Defuse family arguments as soon as they arise and don't let anything spoil the day. I have in mind the fact that so many divorces seem to be sparked off at Xmas.....

[Stanley]

Now is the time for all you cooks to demonstrate your versatility and imagination in how you deal with left-overs. I heard a chef talking on this subject yesterday and he said don't be frightened to use deep frying, it sterilises the food and enhances flavour. You will not die from the ingestion of a little extra fat!

[Tizer]

As long as the fat isn't used too many times - otherwise it builds up polymerised breakdown products and your insides end up like the chip pan!

[Stanley]

I use my dripping until it starts to turn brown. Then I ditch it and start with a new charge.....

[Stanley]

When I was running the engine I soon found out that the key to keeping things clean and tidy was to always have a lump of cotton waste in your hand as you walked round and habitually rub things down. I do the same thing in the house. If I am passing a piece of furniture or a fixture with a cloth in my hand I always give it a wipe over. It's amazing how much dusting and cleaning you can do this way and it definitely makes a difference....

[Cathy]

I used to have an elderly friend who lived in a small 2 bedroom unit (you would call it a cottage in England) full of furniture and a lifetime of knickknacks etc with a lovely cottage garden - she would say the only to keep up with chores was to do 'a little bit often". Lovely lady.

[Stanley]

She was right Cath. If I'm waiting for the kettle to boil I grab the cloth and do a wipe down on the work surfaces and the appliances. Little and often makes a real difference. I admit to being verging on obsessive about the sink and the lavatory. When I was staying for long periods with Martha in Northfield she used to call me 'The Sink Fairy' because when I was up earlier than them I'd often clean the sink. I cringe when I see how some people neglect obvious things like this....