Monday/Tuesday Catch Up

Monday

It was very quiet again yesterday and this cold is getting me really down.  I had to nip out to Waitrose yesterday to pick up a few bits and was astounded at how bare the shelves were with people having been panic buying.  The chemist section was badly depleted.

I had anticipated having a coffee and something to eat in the café but in the end this did not happen as the café did not for some reason have any hot water and had closed. Cest la vie!

For tea last night I had a ham and cheese pasta and OH polished off the rest of Sunday night's dinner.  It was followed by cherry pie and custard which was very yummy.

However later on in the evening I felt really poorly and ended up dosing on paracetamol and an early night to try and get things under control a bit.  Lets hope it works as I really did feel yucky and it took me all my time to keep my eyes open.

Tuesday

I am still of this  blooming cold, my voice had nearly gone this morning. I have OH with me he is now on holiday for the week.  I think he is grateful for the peace and quiet.  I am trying to keep warm and am regularly dosing with the paracetamol.  In reality though it is just a matter of letting the infection work through your system and your body do that.  I have been told in my particular case because my temperature flares without warning and the impact this can have on my other medical conditions to dose on this as a basic.  I am not one however to take medication and will only take this if I have to.  I would much rather rely on food solutions to dose my system, with things like onions and garlic, curry, oranges and lemons, a tot of whisky here and there, not drinking milk during this period and making sure that my eating is simple and good and does not overload my system.  Everything in moderation.

I was quite astounded at just how the shelves were cleared through panic buying on certain items.  Even if this latest epidemic gets worse there are still lots of things you can do with the things that you have around to keep your family healthy and safe many made from natural products.  More on that later on.

Another one of the reasons I started researching how to make stuff myself was that knowledge may at some point become very useful again and at the end of the day it is about getting by and working through situations even if you have to set too and make things yourself to achieve that.  

I was talking to OH last night about chickens, bees and quail.  He is not against this for the main part which is a step in the right direction which quite surprised me so maybe there is some hope down the line. However, he does agree with me that no way can we do that here because of the neighbour.  I was talking specifically of fellow bloggers, who have ventured down this path and how well they were doing in their efforts to become more self sufficient.  Our Smallholding Adventure and An English Homestead

OH knows my background i.e. that my grandparents had their own smallholding and we as a family never went without because of them and our own family's independent efforts to do things for ourselves.  He knew my Nan and got on really well with her, but this was in the latter years not when "home" had been in its hey day with the Chickens, Geese, Bees and Pigs oh and lots and lots of apple trees with plenty of fruit.  He like the rest of us though did become partial to her home made country wines and her Christmas cake made with whisky and her Fruit Loaf.

I can also feel the sap rising, I need to start planting a few seeds here and there to do a little bit and am hoping to get into the garden later on in the week (cold permitting) whilst OH is home so that I can make a start on getting some essential jobs dealt with in order to move forwards a little more i.e. the garden and also sorting out the shed and the freezers in readiness for a bulk shop at the end of the month.

Tea tonight was some more of the gammon (it was quite a bit joint and I am not wasting any of it), home made chips, fried eggs and some home made chutney with bread and butter, topped off with some tinned fruit and cream for pudding.

Keep well and safe everyone.

Take care.

Pattypan

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