Garden And Gossip Forums

IN came a bag of Compost accelerator, water retaining crystals for pots, a strawberry planter (aka big plastic bag with holes in), some jiffy pots.
OUT goes some foreign currency notes from holidays long past - for a young lad who wants to frame them.

IN came some plants, offered by a friend of a friend, neither of whom know much about plant names - so a couple of plants I expected turned out to be something different. It looks like 2 different sorts of perennial geranium, some kaffir lilies (I hope its not montbretia) and a lovely auricula with a big seed head. I'll plant this one in a pot until the seeds mature. There may be some other odd plants in the bag - its a bit of a lucky dip.
OUT went 5 carrier bags of books to the man with a mancave full of them.

IN came a halogen cooker (used once only as its advertised as an air fryer and apparently doesn't do that). https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cooking-Brownin...B07L78JNNW £105 on Amazing and £40 at B&M. Free to me.
Also Food ( 3 bags of diced veggies/soup mix, 4 punnets of strawberries, a bag of watercress and some Birds Eye chillies.) and 3 bunches of flowers - chrysanths, yellow rosebuds and yellow carnations.
I've turned this lot into some mashed mixed veg for the freezer and the cooking liquid and a few veg will become soup.
The strawberries are soaking in castor sugar (an old bag from the back of the cupboard). Hopefully these will turn into jam tomorrow.
The watercress will be rooted and grown on in a tub; the chillies will feed Mr Greedy and the flowers are in vases with a couple of carnation pipings in a jar of water.
OUT went...............nothing.

IN today came 8 pre-used and slightly damaged pieces of log edging (the rigid ones, not the rolls). I have a place in mind for them.
Also IN came an assortment of ingredients from a monthly cookery box for children. (That's for children to cook with, not for cooking children with).
Small packets of odd flours like Teff, Tapioca, Millet, Oat, Coconut and Almond and packets of Milled flax seeds, Baking powder and Xantham gum, Cinnamon, bicarb & baking powder, desiccated coconut, and dried basil and thyme - plus two packets of dates. All are "Organic".
Now I have to find the recipes that use these ingredients! Not sure where to start.

An amazing IN day - filled with kindness. Can't stop thinking about it!
A local church has been giving away food on the first Saturday of the month for a while - don't know when they started but I've known about it for a few months. Its the sort of thing that I wouldn't go to as I've assumed it was a sort of food bank for those in need as I'm not in need by any means.
A friend I've made from the freebie site went there this morning for the first time and messaged me with the details - telling me I must go. So I did!
Feeling incredibly embarrassed I went it to the hall and was given a number - 35 (almost my age ) and told to take a seat in the next room where there was tea, coffee, croissants and bacon butties! I turned it down apart from a coffee, had a long chat with the two other people there - who were both part of the church and not waiting for their turn in the food hall. I was told that there was no limit on what I could take, that it was all supermarket stock that would otherwise be food waste. 
People are sent in to choose their food in batches, so that there's plenty of time to choose what you want. I was almost in a batch of my own - a couple of people joined me but that was all. WE were the last ones they expected so everything there was "ours". It was strange, tables of food that I could just help myself too.
One table had frozen food - mostly meat and fish. As soon as a few things were taken, it was topped up with more from the freezer. Another table had chilled stuff like coleslaw, yogurt, and prepared fruit and veg. There were tables of veg, salads, cereals, pasta, bread, tins of all sorts, toiletries and pet food.
Having done 3 laps of the tables, with 2 full bags, I was asked it I wanted to see what was left in the freezer! Lots of meat, including whole chickens. There were 2 packs of Venison liver, that a couple of people refused. I said my dogs would eat it but I wouldn't - so they gave me the liver!!
Most of the food was from Waitrose which made a nice change from Morries and Lidl.
Everyone was so nice and helpful - they even offered to carry my bags to the car.
I'd expected a bit of religion but, apart from an invite to their weekly coffee morning, that was about it. 
I'll be more confident about going there again - although there's not one in August because of the holidays.  May even try the Food giveaway in another local church.

Another  IN  - an amazing Begonia Rex "Escargot" that I've waffled on about on a flower thread.

More food IN today - lots of sourdough bread, most of which I gave to my brother for his children - I kept 2 fruit loaves. Also some white sliced bread, rolls and sliced ham.
OUT went 2 rocks, painted with cats, from a cat rescue in Cyprus, that I've given to the sourdough bread lady who works with a cat rescue here - and, she also had some of my delicious, delectable and highly desirable courgettes.

Just did my first freecycle.
Got rid of about fifty large black plastic flower pots to a grateful receiver.
Given the price of compost these days, I don’t want to grow anything in big pots.
It’s prick out into 9cm squares - then they have to take their chance in the garden. No more coddling and potting on!

IN yesterday came a box of toiletries, mostly bars of soap, handwash and handcream. I should be able to get through 2022 without buying any of these.
IN today was a bag of leftover items from an OLIO collection last night - a bag of carrots, several baguettes, cheese rolls, a sliced loaf and some cheese twist pastries. (they're OK but I wouldn't buy them). OUT went some of these to my brother who, handily, lives 2 streets away from the bread collector..

In today a pork hock, Cumberland sausages, 3 packs of steak, a sliver side joint, a brisket joint.
I do like it when Bob has to go and repair stuff at the slaughterhouse.

IN came 3 supermarket type vegetable crates - I've been using some to grow carrots and beetroot this year, not very successfully as I haven't kept on top of watering, but I think they'll make great seedling beds for leeks and brassicas and permanent homes for strawberries and lettuce that can be moved into the GH over winter.
Also IN, 3 Vegetarian cookery books and 3 boxes of unusual pasta made from beans and other odd items. They're sold in Aldi apparently, though I've never seen them.