Diary summary week ending 16th April

[Viktoria]

Thanks L.M.
My mum did them rather similar ,I still sometimes do but do another sort also.
A Swiss roll ( raspberry jam) sliced  and  placed in a nice flat based glass
dish ,soaked in Amaretti almond liqueur, fresh raspberries but they can be omitted.
A rich rather stiff custard with cream stirred in when cool.
Last , whipped cream ,a few fresh raspberries and flaked almonds sprinkled on top.
No jelly in that one but it is really nice ,however I love a jelly trifle .
Viktoria



 

[Gibel]

Indoor picnics brought back childhood memories, on occasion we with friends all piled into our Standard 10 (4 adults and 3 children) to go out for a picnic it’d rain so back home we’d go blanket on the floor and we’d sit round for the picnic.

Then there were the bag teas. We the children would be playing in the garden and our tea (sandwiches and a piece of cake) was put in a paper bag and put on the door steps with mugs full of water , we collected it and sat in the garden eating it. The grownups sat indoors!

[louisa maud]

I was married for 2 weeks when I invited my parents in law and my husbands siblings to dinner,  the girls being  14 and 16, I produced my trifle,  the girls said it wasn't trifle, I had never known any other trifle  living  in London,  my mother in laws trifle was a custard  trifle, so after that I called my trifle made with jelly London trifle and my  mother in laws, mum's trifle,  no more arguments about trifles.
To be honest I think you can do whatever you want with a trifle

LM.

[Viktoria]

I remember once the money had almost run out before the week had!
Friday and literally waiting for my husband’s wages, but there was always a meal ready for when he came home but that week there had been an extra expense.
Emptied my purse, raided the little boys’money boxes( I paid them back) and I had 3/6 ,so off to baker’s and got a dozen currant tea cakes,spread a cloth on the hearth rug
and got the fire nice and red .
In came Daddy and after being assaulted by two little boys climbing up his legs, ,he asked what the indoor picnic was for ,I just said “more week than money “.
We all sat on the floor ,I toasted the tea cakes at the fire, and took them to the table and buttered them .
It was good fun and we often did it at lunchtime .
The boys had no idea about money being only five and three and we never worried them of course .
I often think of that , but it was a disgrace really to only have tea cakes for a meal at the time when we had the biggest meal usually ,a proper cooked dinner.
The boys loved it though.
Viktoria .

[Jebber]

I always managed to make the housekeeping money last the week, JUST.
 In those days it was  roast on Sunday, cold cuts on Monday, Cottage pie Tuesday, Rissoles  on Wednesday saw  the end of the Sunday joint. Thursday was Sausage and mash, Toad in the hole, Faggots or something inexpensive. Friday was fish and pot luck on Saturday. When we lived in Devon Saturday was delicious pasties from a local shop.

Meals could always be stretched with plenty of vegetables. A little meat in a stew can go along way with plenty of vegetables, it’s healthy and you still get all the flavour. I think some families  who are struggling with the cost of food today, would find it easier if the children had been brought up with the whole family eating together the same meal,  instead of everyone having just what they fancy.

[brigidmac]

ha ha my mum shared a memory about an in law aunty who put sherry in the trifle ..the JONES family had never heard of anything so luxiourious
i passed on that snippet of information to a great nephew of that aunt and he said it was definitely a DAVIES family tradition .

Just had pizza with a neighbour only managed half ..we has same philosophy about not wasting food
thats tomorrows lunch sorted .

[Viktoria]

In Morrison’s yesterday, passing the hot cooked meat counter to get bread, a woman was buying a smallish cooked chicken, it was £6-50, I had passed the fresh meat counter and small/ medium chickens were £3-75 .
I was shaking my head to myself!

Yes, cheaper to get a larger piece for weekend and s t r e t c h  it in various ways and cheese dishes helped too ,a cheese, potato and onion bake  was lovely and bacon and egg and tomatoes was never breakfast ,that was cereal,toast and for  the children a Chucky egg( they are nicer than ordinary eggs you know,) or egg chopped up in a cup.


We had pretty much the same most weeks but no food was wasted as I shopped each day well no fridge ,and the shops were within two minutes walk .
I throw so much food away these days since my son has been here!
I think I will go back to having the same menu each week , he is pretty easy to please .I am sure he won’t even think about it.

Well gas fire check this morning after a long saga with the usual service man who  said no parts available ! Contacted the makers and still in production so the fitter who installed it ,from the retail outlet us coming to do a safety check, it seems slow to ignite. Honestly what a web of lies the engineer has woven, bet he never thought I would contact the makers!
It is insured so no cost to me and I could have a new one but it is a hole in the wall one to an outside balanced fluid ,easier to get the same which  I like
very much, this has gone on since November!

What a night!
I was sure I could hear doors banging next door, in the high winds .
The lady’s daughter is gradually clearing it, the stair lift is out in the garden !
It is really sad, I am wary of asking about her, it must be very upsetting for her daughter .

Well must crack on ,thanks for your news and yes L.M.saw a programme about Paul O’ Grady and there we’re clips from programmes  we never watched and whilst he was funny in Blankety Blank I too prefer him as himself ,he did such good work too.
Well off I troll to do some work.
Cheerio folks look after yourselves.
Viktoria.

[brigidmac]

Don't knock cooked chickens ..it saves on elec bill personally I have no cooking facilities in my flat apart from microwave+ kettle .it's same for a lot of poorer people so they end up having to go for more expensive options .

Even if I had an oven I could never do it as nicely as some of the shop ones and would feel it extravagant to heat an oven for 1 person .
It same with cheap buy I get 1 free offers or family size offers .I haven't got a fridge or freezer either just a small cooler thing

So tho it might seem that others are being extravagant it might be the best they can do .

Shoes are another gripe ...if you can afford good quality ones they last for years ..I think it's worth spending money on good shoes .but have friends who can only buy cheap ones that they then need to replace which ends up being more expensive especially if they have children too .

[Jebber]

I agree that using an oven to cook for one is expensive, I haven’t used my oven since 2021, even when my husband was still alive I rarely used it. I invested in a microwave that was also a convection oven and grill, it’s cheap to run and  takes only a few minutes to heat up. I use it for everything including cakes etc.

My mother-in-law found herself a single mother when my husband was four, money was always very short, she only had what she could earn, no benefits to help. Everything she bought was the cheapest, I never managed to convince her that buying the best shoes and clothes  you can afford was cheaper in the long run, because better quality lasted much longer.