Hi Primrose,

I too have this longing to hang on to cook books, sometimes I just get them out for a browse. And the family memories like the muffin cookbook that my sons used to enjoy so much! At one point I was turning out a dozen muffins a day.

Motherwoman

I've just been decorating in the kitchen and had all the cookery books off the shelves to paint them, shelves not books... and this morning I've been going through the books, giving them a dust and clean, before they go back. I'd forgotten I had half of them, some were my partner's mother and grandm...

A bay leaf or two in a white sauce never goes amiss. Sage is such a strong flavour it can be difficult to place sometimes other than pork. Like you bay leaves get popped in just about any casserole or soup. Thyme I like a lot but not the soft stuff. I grow mine 'hard' on a dry bit of the allotment a...

Secret to overwintering broad beans is to make sure they are not too high going into winter. I sow Superaquadulce direct into the ground at the end of the first week in November. If I get it right they are only about 2" high for most of the winter. I'm in the softie south but on a windy site. I...

If you're in a windy site even polycarbonate can break up on you because they are so light. A newbie on our plots lost his polycarb greenhouse within a week. If you decide to try it then make sure it is well anchored down. Glass may be more expensive but it's heavy and generally stays put.

I just leave mine be, seems to carry on regardless.

We have swallows passing through, and plenty of small birds rummaging in the garden. The bees were crowding out the crab apple so that was good. Having a pond helps for insects, we have long sloping margins with lots of foliage and the birds visit it a lot. We did hear a cuckoo, at 4am the pair of u...

Thank you all so much for your birthday wishes, sorry I'm late acknowledging.

I've had a lot on the plate lately and have not been on the forum so much and your good wishes are much appreciated.

Motherwoman

So to summarise:

Stones don't grow but soil shrinks
Use for paths is what all thinks
Then there's flints to be honed
To Primmy's plot to get stoned
Rock and roll with songs a plenty
Damn great boulders acting sentry

by Long John Bouldry......

My local butcher never uses cling film, polystyrene trays or any other 'wrapping' until he sells it to you. I once bought a chicken from another butcher, it was wrapped in clingfilm and when I removed it at home it stank to high heaven... it went back. At Christmas he hangs sides of beef in his shop...

Frost is a possible in a small pond, or a visit from a couple of ducks... they've certainly mucked mine up since they started visiting. Would account for the churned up appearance as they will spuddle about.

Back to the original question, I think the public buys a lot of water in meat products, and they don't have to tell you about it on the pack. Supermarkets age their meat in plastic bags (unlike proper meat aging where it's hung without plastic) to retain moisture in the meat which should be allowed ...

They don't seem to like too many citrus peel bits either. I've tried to not put those in my peely bin in the kitchen but the other half forgets. But a layer of paper and cardboard seems to get them back down.

Don't know that it would Mr Cecil, the beauty of the bales was that they would hold up over the whole of the summer without collapsing. They came out dark brown but still in compressed blocks, cardboard would probably collapse. Straw manure would be a good bet if you could get hold of it but whateve...

You, the applicant, have to pay an extra £13 (I think) at the time of application to make it a transferable one. You can then give the document number to any new employer, charity etc and their designated person can check. A transferable one is updated with any new information as it's not just a pap...