part 9 Retail therapy!!

Well I'm not sure how much therapy you get from doing 6 months of shopping in one go, but it has to be good for something! The credit card companies certainly love us!!
We usually do two big shops a year. One in the fall around Oct and another around April time. This consists of an 8 page grocery list which just covers the food items! On top of that there are all the 'sundry' items that have made it to the 'must get' list.
A few years ago I composed a list on the computer. Starting with baking goods it covers canned goods, dry goods, meat, veg and fruit, misc, bread, dairy and cleaning items. Overall it works quite well and can be added to if there is a new fad or fancy.

These mammoth shops don't take as long as one would imagine but they do take concentration! Once started it is best to see it to the end even if you are heartliy sick of pushing that trolley with the wonky wheel and trying to fit it all into the mini van rented for the occasion

All the 'groceries' can usually be done on an afternoon. There are always distractions along the way and impulse buys are a problem, but some strong will ( well not very strong really) and determination gets the job done.

My list writing starts as soon as we return from the last trip. There are usually items forgotten but those are becoming less and less over time. The thing about living where there are no shops is that if you don't have it you do with out! A great lesson for most and can take a bit of getting used to. We do have the option of having things sent to us, arriving by freight boat but of course that costs money, so a little forward thinking and you can live very well.
This trip was quite a mommoth affair. Canned goods come by the case and flour by the 10kg bag. Dog food is in 50lb bags and as we have a new, growing dog, must buy enough to see her through the summer. There are all those little items as well. Spices and herbs, sauces and spreads.
I make most things from scratch so my baking list is quite extensive.

This trip also saw the purchase of a large amount of wine!! We use a 'U Brew' shop in Campbell River who do it all for you. You just have to turn up with bottes! Three types, red, white and rose, makes up 8 cases and it is all now safely stored away.
The boat was VERY full not only with groceries and wine but also all the sundry items we need. A log splitter, a flat screen tv, a washing machine (second hand), a bale of shavings used as bedding for the guinea pigs, a sun lounger and various marine parts.

Some of you may be asking about the sell by/expiration dates on many items. It is now that I tell you most of what is printed is a ploy to get you to buy more and just a marketing tool. We freeze a huge amount of produce, meat and dairy such as milk. Cheese, yogurts and cream last for months in an ordinary fridge and veg last equally as long if kept in a cool dry climate. Canned goods have a life of years if the cans are not damaged in any way.
We estimate that we have enough food to last us, along with supplements of fresh fish, crabs and prawns, over 2 years!!   I always look on the shelves and sigh ' what can I make for dinner?". Look again and there is plenty to choose from.

How satifying to have full shelves! I'm sorry I can't show you all the storage space we have, but there are many nooks and cranies stocked to bursting now!

I have not mentioned my 'personal list' which is items such as birthdays, anniversaries etc. As most of my family are in the UK I have to try to think ahead. They may not get presents on the day but they arrive eventually. Also on this list are toiletries and other sundries. I do keep various cards on hand to send so am always stocking up all the time.
All this buying means that sometimes  we have a glut of something and have to remember not to buy more. A few years ago we were renovating a bathroom and I discovered that we have a large amount of soap! Everyday handwashing soap. Some I had purchsed but lots had been given for presents in little gift baskets etc. It was all put together and we did not buy soap for 2 years!!  Perhaps you could try this at home? Just a small lesson in waste-not-want-not!!

To add further to all this retail therapy there are things like clothes, personal wants, nuts and bolts, electronics, usually for the boats, outboard parts, house hold goods....need I go on?
Thank good ness for list.as long as you remember to fill them in!!

Happy Shopping

Part 8 Rope!

Being in a watery/boaty kind of environment we use alot of rope!
This comes in various sizes and mostly black in colour. There is a a reason we like black...it does not get as sunburnt as many other colours, therfore last longer. There is nothing more annoying and painful than a tiny sliver of rope embedded under the skin which you can neither see nor get out!

Rope is in everyday usage. Of course all the boats have various ropes for tie-up, there is a 400 foot long, 3 inch rope for towing the house, along with shorter 'dog lines' for towing logs. The house is tied to its mooring with ropes and that in turn is tied to the shore.
Rope is all made in the same way, just the scale varies and the material.
We purchase most of the rope we use but we do make our own from old gill net.   Gill net is made of a nylon fibre and when its usefull fishcatching life is over can be turned into many things including handy rope.

To start we lay out 3 strands of 200 feet each. These are attached at one end to swivels mounted on a triangular board.

The other ends are all attached to the same shackle.

Along the length of the strands there are two further triangles which help to keep the strands apart during the winding proccess.

Now for the manual part of the operation!!!
Start winding!
As you turn the strands twist. These get tighter the more you wind so lots of 'shaking' of the strands keeps the tension regular.

The winding end stays static but the single end needs to be moved a little closer as the strands get shorter the more you wind.
Hope your still winding!!!

Eventually the single end starts to wind the three strands into one. We can now wind that end slowly in the opposite direction to help with the twisting. The triangle closest to this end is moved down. As the rope starts to form we pull this triangle back and the rope 'makes its self'.

A very simple but effective proccess which takes about 30 mins in all.
Starting with 200 feet of strands we end up with about 170 feet of rope. It is soft and flexible and very strong. It also has quite a bit of 'give' so stretches well. This comes in handy if we need to tie things and allow movement.
They are not the prettiest of ropes but are very useful in those emergency situations!