Veg Oil

GrumpyGel said:

So you guys quoting prices of vege oil at Tescos, does this go in your tanks? What's the price of diesel at the pump? Here in NZ (been over 10 years so don't know prices there any more) diesel at the pump is about 78 pence a litre - so cheaper than Tescos vege oil. But we pay the tax separately as 'Road User Charges' - they're bought per 1,000 kilomoters at a rate dependant on the weight of the vehicle - eg my Freelander is the cheap band 1 at about 26 quid for 600 miles (the bands go up to "18 wheelers").

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Road User Charges, is that part of the recent reforms down there ?

GrumpyGel said:

BTW Easye1 - love your pic and "Pie and mash & liquer, food of the gods " Can't get it here, no Pie & Mash shops - its hell. So we make our own when we have friends over - got the liquer sorted good now - we tried all sorts of recipies - eels are plentiful round here

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good lad, keep traditions alive whever you are..
my first pie & eel house visit was when I was about 4? with my grandad..

I`m now a grandad of 66 (bloody hell)
but take my grandkids to local pie & eel houses

Giantswood said:

Road User Charges, is that part of the recent reforms down there ?

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Its been like it for the 10 years we've been here. There's an annual licence fee that all cars must pay. The MOT equivalent is a Warrant Of Fitness (WOF) but it must be done every 6 months not 12. Petrol is taxed like in the UK, at the pump, and currently costs about 1.05 (quid - no pound sign on NZ keyboard!). So that's all pretty much the same, its just the diesel that is taxed significantly more different - and makes it less attractive to use alternate fuels because you still need to pay these RUCs what ever goes in the tank.

Alternate fuels in petrol engines are cheaper because then you pay no road taxes - eg LPG.

easye1 said:

good lad, keep traditions alive whever you are..
my first pie & eel house visit was when I was about 4? with my grandad..

I`m now a grandad of 66 (bloody hell)
but take my grandkids to local pie & eel houses

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lol yeh, 'tis my most favourite of foods, people think I'm crazy if they ask what's my fave food. Its a real shame there's no Pie & Mash shops here. There are stalls up at the local market where we can get good pasties etc, but no P&M. I've liked the "I love Pie, Mash & Liquor!!!" Facebook page so I get to see a shop every now and then Maybe I'll set a stall up at the market!

You old fart you, I'm far younger than that. My kids only started school a couple of weeks ago, well it seems like it - my daughter's got 1 year left at uni and my son finished school end of last year, he's off to Air New Zealand to start a aircraft engineering apprentiship. So catching you up quick With uni fees etc its difficult to save, but hopefully we can scrape enough money together before they fly the nest for a family trip back to the UK to visit a proper Pie & Mash shop together.

Here's a pic for you. Its from May when we get together at a mate's house for Guy Faulks night - its too light & warm in the evening to do it in November (not pukka) so we do it in May We're all from different parts of the UK so we take foods from where we come from. Here's our offering cooking up...

round this way it was the cockle lady or cockle van in pub car park. Lava bread for a sunday full breakfast. A couple of pints cockles vinegar and plenty of white pepper. Went down to swansea market a few months back enjoyed my cockles but not the same stood in primani say yes thats lovely dear

thought it was mine! said:

round this way it was the cockle lady or cockle van in pub car park. Lava bread for a sunday full breakfast. A couple of pints cockles vinegar and plenty of white pepper. Went down to swansea market a few months back enjoyed my cockles but not the same stood in primani say yes thats lovely dear

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lol yeh. How about Roll Mop on the bar for the Sunday lunch session!

GrumpyGel said:

lol yeh. How about Roll Mop on the bar for the Sunday lunch session!

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roll mop used to have roasters wrapped in beef yorkshires with beef or pigs in blankets on pubs. Me and old man used to do the pubs with the food pint in each. Or he would have a pint bottle of pop for the youngster. Good time great banter and loads of pocket money because i had to spend day in pub with him (my father). The lad should be out enjoying himself lol, i was getting fed being given money and had full attention of the barmaids. Why would i want to kick a football against a wall with my mates

GrumpyGel said:

lol yeh, 'tis my most favourite of foods, people think I'm crazy if they ask what's my fave food. Its a real shame there's no Pie & Mash shops here. There are stalls up at the local market where we can get good pasties etc, but no P&M. I've liked the "I love Pie, Mash & Liquor!!!" Facebook page so I get to see a shop every now and then Maybe I'll set a stall up at the market!

You old fart you, I'm far younger than that. My kids only started school a couple of weeks ago, well it seems like it - my daughter's got 1 year left at uni and my son finished school end of last year, he's off to Air New Zealand to start a aircraft engineering apprentiship. So catching you up quick With uni fees etc its difficult to save, but hopefully we can scrape enough money together before they fly the nest for a family trip back to the UK to visit a proper Pie & Mash shop together.

Here's a pic for you. Its from May when we get together at a mate's house for Guy Faulks night - its too light & warm in the evening to do it in November (not pukka) so we do it in May We're all from different parts of the UK so we take foods from where we come from. Here's our offering cooking up...

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good luck for your kids futures, only wished we had moved away to somewhere like NZ years ago, cant do it now, we`d never get in with our health probs.
but my kids are, 44/ 34/ 30..the younger 2 are my girlies who have children.
just wished they would look to a better future for there children, coz me & mrs wont live forever
and until then, skype works well wherever you are eh..lol

oh, PROPPA stuff on the go in the sucepan lad

thought it was mine! said:

roll mop used to have roasters wrapped in beef yorkshires with beef or pigs in blankets on pubs. Me and old man used to do the pubs with the food pint in each. Or he would have a pint bottle of pop for the youngster. Good time great banter and loads of pocket money because i had to spend day in pub with him (my father). The lad should be out enjoying himself lol, i was getting fed being given money and had full attention of the barmaids. Why would i want to kick a football against a wall with my mates

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Roll Mop is pickled Herring, bit of a Marmite, you either love it or hate it.

Sounds like you had a bit of an idylic time

m8 you would not believe the life i have led, all down to taxi's pubs and three great men my father his father (grancha t ern) and jk the respectable grancha my mothers father a wolf in sheeps clothing. A true legend in keeping my nan happy respecting my mother yet taught me the true way of the world

easye1 said:

good luck for your kids futures, only wished we had moved away to somewhere like NZ years ago, cant do it now, we`d never get in with our health probs.
but my kids are, 44/ 34/ 30..the younger 2 are my girlies who have children.
just wished they would look to a better future for there children, coz me & mrs wont live forever
and until then, skype works well wherever you are eh..lol

oh, PROPPA stuff on the go in the sucepan lad

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Don't go thinking you missed opportunities, life down here isn't all a bed of roses. You still have the personal tribulations of making ends meet etc and your family is miles away (we miss ours tremendously and it just gets worse as years go by). NZ has its fair share of social problems as well, although they aren't so in your face as in the UK. Its not perfect here by any stretch of the imagination - lots of expats don't make it stick, they end up going back "home". If it works its great, if it doesn't, its a lonely place. I'm sure the same is true for all places people think about emmigrating to, such as Aus.

GrumpyGel said:

Don't go thinking you missed opportunities, life down here isn't all a bed of roses. You still have the personal tribulations of making ends meet etc and your family is miles away (we miss ours tremendously and it just gets worse as years go by). NZ has its fair share of social problems as well, although they aren't so in your face as in the UK. Its not perfect here by any stretch of the imagination - lots of expats don't make it stick, they end up going back "home". If it works its great, if it doesn't, its a lonely place. I'm sure the same is true for all places people think about emmigrating to, such as Aus.

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it comes down to life is what you make of it, sit back take the **** or get out and enjoy what you have. Even if that is not a lot where ever you make home you need to take that place on as a home and not miss this and that. You need to grab hold of life and live it to you best ability. Too many peeps move aboard for a better life but don't get involved. Too many people try to run away from things and find out it's not where you live it is what they are!

thought it was mine! said:

m8 you would not believe the life i have led, all down to taxi's pubs and three great men my father his father (grancha t ern) and jk the respectable grancha my mothers father a wolf in sheeps clothing. A true legend in keeping my nan happy respecting my mother yet taught me the true way of the world

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I want to see the film! Write an autobiography and get Universal Studios in

thought it was mine! said:

it comes down to life is what you make of it, sit back take the **** or get out and enjoy what you have. Even if that is not a lot where ever you make home you need to take that place on as a home and not miss this and that. You need to grab hold of life and live it to you best ability. Too many peeps move aboard for a better life but don't get involved. Too many people try to run away from things and find out it's not where you live it is what they are!

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True that mate. My brother is Australian (born there in 66, my parents were part of the £10 poms brigade) and he's just moved back there 5 years ago for good. He only lived there as a baby and didn't know what it was like but him and his wife have taken the whole thing on, culture and all and is loving the life there. I couldn't hack it I don't think as I like our seasons and mental weather here. Christmas dinner on the beach is not for me I don't think and football is meant to be watched in the afternoon with a cold one in your hand, not at 3 or 4am with a coffee to wake you up!

Makro has KTC veg oil for £15.99 for 20L at the min if anyone is interested

KTC Vegetable Oil Bottle In Box 20LTR

free delivery on orders over £60 too.

GrumpyGel said:

Don't go thinking you missed opportunities, life down here isn't all a bed of roses. You still have the personal tribulations of making ends meet etc and your family is miles away (we miss ours tremendously and it just gets worse as years go by). NZ has its fair share of social problems as well, although they aren't so in your face as in the UK. Its not perfect here by any stretch of the imagination - lots of expats don't make it stick, they end up going back "home". If it works its great, if it doesn't, its a lonely place. I'm sure the same is true for all places people think about emmigrating to, such as Aus.

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thanks Gel.
both me and the mrs worked dam hard for years before we took the plunge and retired 10 years early.
I was working silly stupid hard hours on nights in engineering production.
12/14 hours a night, 5 or 7 or the two weeks without a weekend off
mrs was doing crazy 12 hour plus shifts in nursing, working her days off as bank working - it was almost compulsary...
we earned lots, but spent lots too.
done the holidays abroad, had a holiday home here in the UK very near to where we live now.
my firm folded,
I took the plunge to retire, the wife followed 6 months later.
in the last 11 years, we have to thank our national health service for there expertise in keeping us old pair going.
think honestly, if we never took the plunge, neither would be here let alone would I be writing this..

We WERE silly with our quest for ££££ money,
but have of so good memories of holidays in florida, jamaica, lots of spain including each of its islands, gibralter..the list goes on..
but at a cost..

agree, be happy with what you have around you, earn enough to live plus a bit more, keep healthy, keep happy, and keep alive mate..

In the last 11 years, I`ve done things I never thought possable in my "previous life", and enjoyed every minuet of it...