The dilemma of food or fuel (diesel that is)

First off, I forgot to mention I was very glad to see that Blogger has finally pulled it's finger out and sorted the blog postings so we are back to as it should be.

The heading reflects what was truly the choice this week, as with the price of diesel up to £2 a litre, and all my journeys long ones - two to Tam in this past week, at around £20 a time, Llandeilo tomorrow for the fair, that's 38 miles each way; the Unit last week 70 miles each way, which is why I tacked on the extra bit to go on to St Dogmaels rather than have a separate day out in the opposite direction. I haven't been to do a proper grocery shop, just picked up a couple of things I needed at Co-op - and I try not to shop at Co-op if I can.  Yesterday I had to buy a pint of milk (remains of last pint were a week out of date) and I bought bananas to go with my granola.  I had wanted raspberries to make the plain yoghurt I also bought, but at £2.50 for about 4 oz, I wasn't doing that. Today I need a couple of bread rolls for lunch at the Fair tomorrow.  I shall use chicken as the filling, and some salad.  I have two bananas a bit too ripe for me to enjoy so they will go into Chocolate Banana Muffins.

Food prices are getting ridiculous.  I was happy to pay £4 for 6 large cod fish fingers at Tesco's but those have now shot up to £4.75.  I have Kedgeree regularly, but smoked cod has now gone up from around £4.50 to £6.50 - that is a BIG hit.  Simple cans of soup - I can remember paying just 60p for Batchelors condensed chicken soup for pies - probably 8 yrs ago say.  It is now £1.50 a tin.  Ordinary soup, the good Heinz sort, is £1.59 a tin, or 5 for £5, which shows you the profit margin.  I invested in five tins last time I went shopping as I don't always want to make a vat of soup at home and eat it every day for a week!  I can still afford 2 raw chicken breast portions at £2.67 and make them go a long way.  I don't often buy salmon portions, but when did a smallish (212g) tin of salmon become £3.80?  Corned beef used to be something I bought regularly for Keith, who liked corned beef hash (pass, not for me).  It was a cheap meal but now at £3.50 a tin - and I saw a small tin at £4.10 in Tesco recently - it's becoming haute cuisine!  Even the loathed Spam from childhood is £3.50 a tin.

The humble potato, reinvented in crisp form, has to show the best profit margins out there, retailing at £2.50 a bag for what is probably not much more than one large potato.  Very few packets are cheaper unless on an offer.  I buy peanuts at 59p a bag.  More protein.

So, for the past couple of weeks I have been living largely out of the freezer and storecupboard, and the chicken I roasted on Monday has done 3 meals so far, a whole breast left, and carcase for soup, and 3 portions of curry with veg in the fridge.  2 will be frozen.  

This is why I try and buy most of my groceries in Aldi, and only things like Twinings Earl Grey teabags, cat food, etc in Tesco's.  Basically anything I need that Aldi don't stock.  Easy to be led astray though.

I have apples from my trees now, and have been given a goodly supply of cooking apples to store.  In the freezer, I have blackberries and elderberries which were free.  Soft fruit off the menu now unless I buy a bag of frozen, which go a long way. I had several small cucumbers from the polytunnel this week and a bag of the yellow cherry tomatoes which have been frozen (toms not cucumbers :)

Eggs, I use mainly for baking, and they are £1.85 or so for 6 medium free range eggs.  I prefer the ones from the butchers (Clun eggs).  

I am fortunate to have a full freezer and well stocked storecupboard to fall back when leaner times hit.  Once I am out of the Unit, there is only one more Fair this year, and I won't be going much further than Llandod.  Time to blow the dust off my bus pass if I fancy going out somewhere - though the destinations not terrifically exciting.  Will have to see if I can get to Cardiff in reasonable time to meet up with Gabby/go to the Museum and Art Gallery.  They changed the T bus time table which could get you to Cardiff, and then there was a lengthy break at Merthyr which made people travelling for work pretty put out.  I will perhaps have an outing on the Heart of Wales line train as that is free with my bus pass, over the winter months.

Sorry, woffling now.  Got lots done yesterday but my back complaining after I loaded several boxes of china into the car . . . I will have to be careful today.

 Update: All loaded.  I have decided to part with my lovely Arts and Crafts mirror as there is nowhere to hang it here.  I hope someone falls in love with it as we did.  I have really lost the enjoyment for Fairs right now.  The thought of getting up at 5.30 tomorrow doesn't thrill me either.

When EVERYTHING goes wrong

 You couldn't make it up, the week poor Tam has just had to endure.  I will start at the beginning.  Last week Jon was ill with a really high temperature and in bed asleep all day on Thursday.  Temperature better the next day, when I was over.  I stayed half the day and looked after Rosie and he came down mid-afternoon and sat with her.  Tam's car had shown brake problems first thing so she had to use Jon's car, and hers was towed away to the garage, but wouldn't be seen until the following Wednesday as they were so busy.  J still unwell Saturday, when Tam could feel herself coming down with it, and Rosie had something too, but neither had the high temp.  Sunday Jon had to go into work as they were short-staffed, but was talking all day and his throat was awful.  

Last week they had builders in where Tam works, but they seem to have been remarkably cack-handed and water started coming through the ceilings into the archive rooms.  Only Tam and a.n.other in so they had to remove boxes of documents, and this happened on Monday and Tuesday too - she was feeling really rough but spent two days moving boxes and then bundles of documents.  The boxes were not light.  With her long-standing health problem and broken nights, you will realize she was running on empty.  On Monday, Jon's car broke down when she reached the child-minders, where it still is as they didn't have the documents for it as it's still in Jon's mum's name (it was her car) and she's in Spain. Tam had to rely on friends and work colleagues to provide transport.

Tuesday night Jon was very ill, hadn't been able to swallow much and then nothing at all, could barely speak and throat very swollen.  I was concerned and told her to phone 111 and asked if she had a straw in the house.

So, poor Tam stuck there with no transport. At 10.30 p.m. OOH Doc said for J to go in, pronto, and they had to spend £34 they could ill afford on a taxi to get him to Aber hospital.  He has Laryngitis very badly, and was given antibiotics, steroids and a throat spray.  Then, the neighbour who said he would go and pick him up, fell asleep and couldn't be contacted, and Jon watched it start to pour with rain as he waited for his prescription to be filled.  Tam phoned taxi company after taxi company until she finally got one who would drop Jon off at his mum's as he was going home for the night.  It was around 2 a.m. at this point.

Tam was meant to phone the OOH GP if there was any change for the worse, but of course didn't know what the state of play was as Jon wasn't there but in Aber and she spent what remained of the night worrying if Jon was still alive every time that Rosie woke her - which was often as SHE had very bad localised infection they thought was fungal, but cream didn't work after two days. (Think localised nappy rash).  Oh and she's cutting her last molars too.

So, Jen to the rescue yesterday as no way could Tam get Rosie to the GP in town (only 3 buses a day and she had to wait until the Receptionist phoned back and told her if she had an appt. in the afternoon).  No way to get Jon home as friend working. Tam was absolutely wiped out.  I took her a patisserie fruit pie (she asked for one but I was going to take her one anyway), and I knew she hadn't been able to afford wine that week so took her a bottle, and a couple of my little cucumbers.  She was SO glad to see me.  Just to have someone to share the worry with - and the washing up!  It took me over an hour of solidly washing up, drying and stacking as she hadn't been able to tackle it for days.  I peeled and chopped the spuds for the Cottage Pie she was planning for tea.  I have my uses!  Then I took them in to the GP's, we liaised with Jon, went to pick up her car which had been fixed two days earlier but they had the wrong phone number for her!  

I finally got home just after 7 and the cats were very pleased to see me.  I too had wine last night - reckoned I had earned it!  I watched the Great Pottery Showdown and in the car, podcasts were the 100 years war again, which I really enjoyed as there is such a camaraderie between Tom and Dom and plenty of laughter - the thought of the Welsh longbowmen shedding their trousers because they had been standing around so long and needed to poo where they stood!!!  Then going into battle thus unclad!

So, a week from hell that you couldn't make up.  Everything that could go wrong, went wrong, but hopefully that is behind them now and that Jon's car can be recovered soon and the bill not too much. 

Today I have a walk planned, some gardening and packing some of the boxes for Saturday's Fair, and then some patchwork after lunch.