Selfsufficientish.com

Hi all
Not exactly new am I? But I looked at when I was last on the group and it turns out that was about a year ago! So I'm back. Still in South Lincs (hello to anyone in the Fens) and still trying to be self-sufficientish.
Looking forward to re-connecting.
Lynne

My mum used to use washing up water on her house plants all the time as the soap kept the aphids down. Of course, in the garden you have so many other happy creatures doing it for you (anyone else noticed a massive increase in Ladybirds this year?). Still, I figure if it's safe enough to wash the th...

Just to add to this, my sister got swine flu. As a teacher in a class where 7 kids got it as well as 6 of the other teachers, it was inevitable. She has severe brittle asthma and her lungs have collapsed more than once (the last time only a few months ago). She also has diabetes and is showing signs...

Don't know if this applies to you but when ours does this, it generally means the soakaway's full because it's rained a lot so the dishwasher isn't draining properly and is re-using the dirty water instead of rinsing. I've only found two cures. Either don't use it for a week (or until it's not raine...

I hope this is ok. Mods please move it or delete it if it's not. I've set up a survey about birth choices, specifically home birth availability. If anyone's interested in completing it (which will take 5 minutes tops), please go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=x_2fSnZ4qVBcyRuSmkiJcnOg_3d_3d...

You know, it occurs to me that a friend of ours kept a Vietnamese pot bellied pig (named Caesar) in the garden of their council house for years and no-one batted and eyelid!

Great news that they get to keep their hens. Such a shame so much time and money had to be wasted by all concerned.

Lynne

I built a beautiful new coop for my hens (suitable for 20 and I only have 7 - OH thinks I'm trying to pull a fast one :wink: ) and fenced them in to my 360 sq ft orchard. Since when they've nested in the trees and not set foot in the coop except to lay (and that's only 3 of them!) Consequently the p...

As for rejecting it because it was written by a man? i dislike sexism, and it strikes me as a silly reason... Actually, it strikes me as sexism. Which often happens when someone says that one gender was oppressed in some way and so they'll automatically rebel against the other. Sexism, just the oth...

The whole Baddman report (which has no effect in Scotland BTW) relies on 2 facts 1. That all parent who choose to home educate are likely to cause mental, emotional and physical damage to their child unnoticed by the health authorities. 2. That children in main stream education are protected as the...

Eat when you're hungry Eat consciously (don't pick at stuff in front of the telly) Eat what you want When you've had enough, stop. If you put your knife and fork down every mouthful and chew properly, you'll find you eat less and the food tastes different. You might even find you like things you did...

Hello Norwich! Welcome aboard.
Lynne

My OH picked up a couple of second hand hives from a local beekeeper. Cost us 45 quid each. A few hours cleaning them out and the purchase of some wax sheets was all it took. Unfortunately he's too late to really do anything with them this year but that gives him time to get everything set up ready ...

I've found sugar mixed with borax to be pretty effective. They carry it back to the nest and it poisons the lot of them. That's if you can get hold of borax nowadays! I've stockpiled.
Lynne

Oh my giddy aunt! If that's a reduction in stems, I'm going to be farming the stuff! Maybe I should have left it after all. I took about 10lbs off it before it flowered and the same again after, but before I cut the flower spike off. Still, with that amount I guess the last thing I need is rhubarb s...

The world seems divided into two camps so I thought I'd ask you lot.

My rhubarb (which I only got as a crown from my dad's plant last year) has flowered. So the debate is this. Cut it off or leave it.

Discuss

Lynne

ps. I cut it off, but only because my daddy made me do it