Catastrophe

At the weekend we paid a visit to our main Butcher at Old Hurst to stock up for meat for the month and some other bits and bobs. It was a lovely warm sunny day in fact too hot but gorgeous all the same and it was nice to be out even if only for a short while.  The Butcher where we go has incredible safeguards in place and each person has to wash their hands before entering the shop and a washing station is in place with all the necessary requisites.  They only have a few people in the shop at any one time as well and the 2 metre distance is not an issue at anytime.  Everything has been researched very thoroughly and over and above Government guidelines.

I came away with quite a bit of stuff.  Lovely stuff (food is a major weakness with  me).  It was a real treat as we have not been able to go out and shop like this for sometime so all the more enjoyable to have some lovely food and some treats.

We got home and I went to pack everything away in the fridge.  No fridge on at all.  Thought the socket had become disconnected - electric feed was okay - fridge still not on. That's me finished.  I don't do electric at all.  OH was called in - fuse changed  - still was not having it.  He tested it and came to the conclusion that it had died a death.  Out of guarantee so will be nothing for it but to buy new ones!  Now mass panic what to do with the food!

I was more bothered about all the meat we had bought and we had also bought a lot of seafood (see separate post) as OH had located a proper fish stall on the way to the Butchers.  Bright idea get the freezer on and then get the meat in particular into the freezer and frozen so that there is no waste and loss.  

Problem now is need to get into the shed to get to the freezers on and have to get through box mountain which relates to some of the stuff I took out of storage and which I have slowly been working my way through.  Get through box mountain and got the freezers put on.  Now to wade through some of the boxes which had been damaged by the major roof leak to the shed and were past storage purpose.  Took the contents out, (there were 12 boxes) and I am currently laundering some of the items that were in there - fortunately not damaged.  Phew relief.  Boxes broken down and disposed of in recycling bin.  Result.  That is what I like but what a way to go about it.

I then got two out of three freezers put on.  My chest freezer went pop - we think the water damage to the roof has wrecked it.  Freezer six years old and also out of guarantee.  Problem in that other freezers need to freeze for 24 hours before popping anything in.

Therefore faced a small problem with what to do with the meat and fish until then.  A little lateral thinking came into place.  OH had a cigarette lighter operated freezer box for the van for when he went fishing so in that came, was cleaned out - now how to keep the meat cold as he had lost the mains connector.  Tell you it is a comedy of errors here.  You just have to laugh otherwise you end up crying!

Off I go to the shop, get a bag of ice.  Food packed into food cooler ice on top. Left overnight and the food is extremely nice and cold.  Ice cubes have melted so off I went again and got another bag of ice - job sorted until I can get everything frozen.  Gradually getting somewhere.  Problem is that we now have a nice shopping bill for two new fridges and a new chest freezer.  Ouch.  Am going to be resourcing these very carefully before I buy!

These things are sent to try us, its all about how you get through them at the end of the day.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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