Nancy Reading

Thank you Devaka, Paul and all the other people who have worked hard to get us the new server. Thanks also to everyone who chipped in to buy it for the community!
I for one am noticing things are very much faster this morning woo hooo!




As Devaka said above, please report if you notice anything odd, out of the ordinary, or plain wrong!

Ac Baker wrote:"Analysis revealed that the breadcrumbs were likely from flatbreads made with wild barley, einkorn wheat (Triticum boeoticum), oats, and tubers from Bolboschoenus glaucus, a type of rush plant."

Interesting stuff! - so maybe we can include oats in the menu (although they probably weren't introduced here until much later....
I found a nice article on foraging for Bolboschoenus here in the Pacific North West of North America which says that chufa are in the same family. I'd describe them as a sedge rather than a bulrush (which Americans call cattails) I'll have to do a bit more research on whether any might grow nicely for me, since plants that grow well in the wet and are edible could be useful!

You might like this one too that Alec Newland built in his Anglo-Saxon reenactment hut - A cob stove with rockety burn and an oven. It is based on Romano-british kilns and is moderately clean burning and pretty compact. Exhausts through a side wall. I really think you'd be unwise to vent inside unless you have no other option.

My Grandad used to buy my mum and her brother a jigsaw at christmas every year. These were lovely post war hand cut plywood jigsaws. When we visited my Gran we used to gather round and do a puzzle together. One of the interesting things about these puzzles is that they didn't include a guide picture, so you just had a title to work from. To this day I still quite like doing puzzles without using the picture, which somehow seems like cheating! Another feature was that the cutter would include several 'whimsy' pieces that were non jigsaw shapes, like a boat or a squirrel.
These puzzles sometimes come up in vintage toy shops, but I'm lucky enough to be custodian of the family ones now.
Here's one on ebay:

source

Jay Angler wrote:The one thing I would do a little different, is the piece that goes across the top could have flaps that stick out to cover over the two side panels to stop dust from sneaking in there.

Similarly, if the strings on the front panel were sewn further in from the edge, it would curve around the side panels just enough to keep dust out there also.

Like this? Great suggestions - thank you!

Oh my this is my new thing for the day! 1) I didn't know joined up writing was called cursive, and 2) it never occurred to me that children wouldn't be taught it today. I do wonder about screens and computers and handwriting...
I was taught a version very similar to Abraham's without the extra curls and loops of Rachel's example. Not taking your pen off the page makes writing so much quicker....We used to write out 4 lines of our choice every week as a competition at school and I used to be top of the class for neatness when I was ten....my writing now though is sometimes illegible to the point that even I can't read it if I don't remember what I wrote!

Nina Surya wrote:In Finland we have karjalanpiirakka, which translates into Karelian pie. It's savory and soooooo goooood...

Thank you for that link - they are sort of open raised pasties with rye pastry. I suspect they have been developed as inexpensive but filling food-lots of possibilities to adapt it too....I think the porridge rice may be what we call pudding rice here?

I'm probably not the best person to contribute to this thread as gardening is my hobby and I admit to spending quite a bit on that. I also live in a temperate rain forest, so can't help with the irrigation comment either - it would be interesting to get hints from a frugal gardener in an arid climate...I'm thinking wicking beds perhaps, I'm pretty sure Paul would promote hugelkulture!
I collected my tools over a number of years, some bought myself, some as presents. I think you can do a lot with a good fork, a trowel, and maybe a spade to start off with. Old tools are often better than any you can buy new, unless you do spend a bit. I'm not sure if we have a thread on a beginner tool set and how to obtain it....
I'm in the process of building up my landraces, but hope to spend less on seed this year. Other than that I don't think I spend anything on my annual veg patch....(but far too much on my experimental plantings and my polytunnel this year )

L Anderson wrote:I would go the extra mile and make it in three pieces:  using a long rectangle (to go over the the sides and top of the object) and 2 rectangles to fill in the  sides. (Or just 5 rectangles.) That, combined with a sturdy fabric, would mean that it would rest neatly on  the counter (and therefore keep out dust) without  me having to fiddle with a drawstring or have extra fabric puddling on the counter. (zip)
(Sorry about the pattern discussion..)

No need to be sorry - that suggestion reveals what I liked less about the sewing machine cover. I've sketched out your suggestion for the side covers as I read it. Pockets could be added to suit. Thank you!


edit - try jpeg rather than bmp

Bentley Howard wrote:my concern is with the slope catching more rain and all that moisture running inside the stack, wouldn't that lead to more rot or decay?

Welcome to permies Bentley. Thanks for 'bumping' Mike's awesome wood stores. I would have the same concern as you in my climate. Maybe it depends on your rainfall? They do look pretty cool though. I'm never that consistent with my wood cutting, so rely on a wall at each end to stabilise my stacks, and a 'tin' roof to keep the rain off.