Trolley dolly goes to town

Hello. You've just got to laugh, haven't you. I got up to make a mug of coffee this morning and who should fill my space in the bed but Heidi. Luckily I wasn't intending to get back in, I usually sit in an arm chair with my feet under the covers, and read the newspaper. A nice easy and civilized way to start the day. When I remember the times I was up at four, out of the house in 45 minutes and at work for five. These days it's sheer bliss to do things at my own pace. So, I open the back door to let the kids out first, then coffee and paper, then see to the kids breakfast, then get my breakfast, and put the bed away. The last job had to wait a bit as I hadn't the heart to turf her out.  

The latest blood test results came through, and although the vet explained the numbers I was still a bit baffled. The good news is that the numbers were higher this time which means her body is not attacking the red blood cells as it was before. This sounds promising and the vet has suggested another blood test in six weeks time to see if her immune system is still improving. 

Remember that £1 packet of bulbs I planted in the storage boxes, they had some pink clover like flowers, and some tall pink flowers, and now I have these beautiful blooms. Aren't they fabulous. I'm going to get some more £1 packets of flower seeds and bulbs next year.

I fancied some pasta tonight, haven't had any for ages. It's wholemeal pasta, with fresh spinach leaves, two boiled eggs, one tomato, and some salad beans out of a tin. A squiggle of mayo and the perfect healthy dinner. It was fab.

I went to town yesterday to do my cherry picking from all the shops, picking up the best prices here and there. I took the shopping trolley as I knew I had a lot to buy, mostly pet food. I have ten receipts here from ten different shops. It was very busy, I think people are starting their Christmas shopping early. I shall avoid the town on a Saturday from now on, it's getting pretty chaotic. The free parking all day is bringing them out as well.

We have a big Home Bargains which has a chiller cabinet, so I had a look. I got a big bag of spinach for 99p which is a good price. I also got a pack of batteries for my head torch for 99p, big bottle of lemon wash up liquid for 50p, bleach for 39p, and Rocky's favourite chicken jerky fillets for 99p a bag, I always get five bags.

In Poundstretcher I got Ultima dry cat food £2.49, it's more expensive elsewhere apart from the £1 store, but they didn't have any. There would be hell if I went home without it, ha ha. They had an offer of a three pack of tuna fish for £1, 33p a tin is a very good price. I found an out of date packet of hot chocolate drink  mix reduced to 29p, worth a try I thought.

B & M had Nescafe 200grm for £2.59 so I got one. I have started drinking Carte Noire which is nice but more expensive, so I mix the two together to keep the cost down a bit.

A look in Wilko and I found heidi's favourite wet food, she likes the mini pouches of Sheba. Normal price is £1.99, but if you look around you can get it for £1.50. I stocked up. They were also having a sale in the gardening department and I was checking out the reductions. A woman picked up two packs of Roundup weed killer and said what a bargain it was at £2 a pack, normally about £7, and how good it is for killing the weeds. I have a lot of weeds on my driveway between the concrete, so I took her advice and picked up two packs myself. I get sick of getting down on my hands and knees to scrape them out.

Phew, it's a time consuming job to get the best buys, but it has to be done. Wouldn't it be nice to go into any shop and buy whatever you like. Ah well, it aint going to happen to me, so I just knuckle down and get on with it.

I had an hour in the garden this afternoon hedge trimming, the brown bin is now full of garden waste and ready for collection tomorrow. Rocky waiting to go out now, so I'll sign off. Thanks for popping in.
Toodle pip.

Spooky goings on

Hello. I've been out in search of ghosts tonight. Helen rang and asked if I wanted to come on the Ghost Walk event in her village. I thought, ok, why not, let's give it a go. I turned up at the pub car park at the start time, armed with a torch and wearing sturdy boots. It was a good turn out, lots of people had come to support it. The storyteller was a right character, we all listened to his tales of ghostly goings on. 

 We followed him up the High Street.

Gathered around the old water pump there was another spooky story, and the handle on the pump mysteriously moved all by itself. Obviously some jiggery pokery going on there. .

Crossing the road, we all trouped past the bus shelter, into the pitch black down a footpath through a field of corn on the cob. We were surrounded by plants which were six feet tall, very scary. 

Helen was playing her Stewards roll, bringing up the rear and watching the traffic. All donations gratefully received in the bucket please.

A bit of fun for a Saturday night. The storyteller was very entertaining. Anyone else been on a Ghost Walk? Do they have them in the USA, or anywhere else in the world?

Catch you soon, have a nice Sunday. Toodle pip

Walking to stay fit

Hello. Twas such a lovely day today so I packed a couple of sandwiches, filled a bottle with diluted fruit juice, and put a banana in my little day rucksack, and off I went. Rocky was looked after by Janet, the walk was going to be too long for his little old legs, and taking the pushchair was not going to work. I couldn't be bothered to drive anywhere, so I stayed local. It's ages since I last walked in my corner of North Lincolnshire, so it was about time I rediscovered my local area. 

It was very misty when I set off down the footpath high above the River Trent. The bushes were covered in hundreds of spider webs, all wet from the mist. 

There should be good views across to Yorkshire from here. Not this morning, can't see a chuffin thing. The pylons appear to be floating in mid air, it looked very eerie.

At last the sun broke through and cast shadows across the path ahead, strewn with Autumn leaves.

I reached the first village in just under an hour, and walked past this cottage on my way to the Tea Room. Bought a bar of chocolate because I wanted to use the toilet to change into my shorts. A friend of mine was in there, supping tea and scoffing cake. Had a quick chat and went on my way. 

Aha, at last the mist has lifted and there are some nice views. Now I can see Yorkshire.

I left the river and came inland down a long track. looks like the harvest is all in now.

Just the stubble left on this field. Thank goodness they don't burn it any more. Now it's just ploughed back into the ground. It was lovely and peaceful, surrounded by big open spaces, hardly any sound at all. Not a soul about. 

The whole end of this house was covered in red leaves. looks very pretty but it must play havoc with the bricks and mortar.

 I found a church, but it didn't have a bench to sit on for lunch. Not to worry, I sat down in the graveyard on a lump of concrete.

I have seen this bench before, ages ago. It's half way along the edge of a very big field. Looks as though someone is looking after it. The grass has been mowed, and the planters have little bushes in them. There's cut flowers as well. A nice memorial for a loved one.

Oooh, a field of sun flowers, how nice.

Six and a half hours after I set off, I arrived back. Passed through five villages, and 13 and a half miles walked in the glorious sunshine. Just what I needed to stop my legs from seizing up.

It's the weekend again. I hope you have a good one. Catch you soon.
Toodle pip

The bills I don't mind getting

Hello and good evening. Another nice day, aren't we lucky with the weather. My lunch today was spaghetti hoops and scrambled eggs on toast. As you can see from the picture I ate it at my work station. This is the dining table at the back of the room overlooking the back garden. I also have a work station at the front looking out onto the street, where I can be nosy and watch people coming and going. I made a small Christmas tree decoration today. 

Here are the pieces I cut out of green and red felt, with a white piece of stiffener to put in the middle. This is a trial to see how it works out. It was a bit fiddly to sew the tree onto the tubs, what I should have done was to give the tree a trunk to fit inside the tub. I will do that next time. The green felt is from a snooker table which was recovered. It's stronger and thicker than normal felt. 

And the end result is this. It's 3.5 inches tall, and has a loop on the top for hanging.

The white snakey bits are sparkly, they have crystals in them, don't know where I got it from. It's in a long length which can be cut into shorter pieces. I'm chuffed with this, I'll make some more.

My gas and electricity bills landed on the door mat today, I was expecting them. These are the bills I don't mind getting because I can choose how much I want to spend on them. I emailed the meter readings on the 25th and they said the bill would be coming early October. The period covered is from the 8th of July to the 25th of September. It's nice to get really low bills over the summer period. Electricity is for £38.41, which will go up over the winter when the lights go on a bit earlier. I just have to be more careful switching things off when not in use. Gas bill is for £5.84, no heating has been used since the spring, and won't be put on until it gets a lot colder. I pay a small amount for cooking with gas, and heating a tank of water when I have a bath. All other times I wash my body in cold water.

I have been writing a frugal diary for Down the Lane forum during September. Take a look if you are interested. It's like a shorter version of what I write here. Writing things down helps me to keep track of my money. I looked back at my bank statements from ten years ago. I was in dire straights in December 2005, but through my careful spending and penny pinching I am in a much better place. Being careful is second nature now, I don't even think about it. I automatically search out the best bargains, automatically separate the wants from the needs, and automatically walk past shops without giving them a second glance. It's a good place to be.

Thank you for popping in. Catch you soon. Toodle pip.

Smaller than my little finger

Hello. There wasn't room for these photo's yesterday, so I am including them now. This is not my work, one of our Crafty Club members, Linda, made these decorations. She used metal rings to crochet onto, and added beads. They look very pretty. Maybe a few ideas for others to try. 

She used a hot glue gun to stick the beads on.

This is a mini Christmas wreath made by wrapping green wool around a polystyrene ring, and adding embellishments.

These four little cuties are felt brooches, she has added a brooch fastening on the back of each one. Something nice and easy for those just starting out on felt work. Linda is busy making things for a Christmas fair.

My dinner yesterday was the usual plate of steamed veggies, and Quorn chicken style nuggets. 

This morning I got into the furniture removal business. My friend here in the village wanted to get rid of some office furniture and asked if I wanted it. I have no need for it, but I immediately thought of Helen who wants to replace some drawers which are falling to bits in her garage. Just the ticket. Me and Helen removed them and took them over to her place. In exchange, Helen is going to go back and paint a fence for the lady, a good swap I thought. Everybody is happy.

Today has been a hot one, almost too hot to be outside. Sue from Our New Life in the Country, reminded me that I need to dig up my spuds. So here they are. Sadly not many, but better than a slap in the face with a wet flannel.

What do you think of my carrots then? This is my entire crop, ha ha. Seeds sown into a big tub, I should have thinned them out methinks. Yes, I scrubbed each and every one. I think I would win first prize for the smallest carrots ever.

 And I bloomin well ate them. My dinner tonight. All scoffed, I'm stuffed.

Time to take the pooch out, and get the cats in. The vet rang today but I missed the call. She is ringing back tomorrow. Thanks for popping in.
Toodle pip

Eat up all your greens.

Hello. Thank you for your comments on yesterdays post. I'm chuffed that you like the poem, and thank you Joan for sending it to me. 

I've been to visit Helen this morning, we took her dog Henry choc lab for a walk, with Angus and Guinness, two other dogs she knows. Rocky came with me but he stayed in the house while we went out. He has been there many times before so he is fine with that. He has had three short walks today, it's best that we walk alone then he can go at his own pace, he can't keep up with other dogs.  

Here is a variation on the felt hearts, why not make felt miniature Christmas stockings as well, to hang on a tree. I have made five and they are so so cute. The tiny sequins were fiddly to pick up and the silver braid was awkward to sew around the top edge while holding the back and front together. I have put a bit of stuffing in to fill them out.  

Do you remember the cushion covers made from men's shirts? I made the one on the right a few months ago, and the two new shirts, charity shop £1, have now been made into cushions. So now there is a matching set of three, I deliberately chose stripes again. I am pleased with them, they will be sold on our cat stall at the Christmas Fair.   

Oh no, I have gone and done it again. I said I wasn't going to buy any more of the mayo in a plastic bottle because of the difficulty of getting it all out, unless you cut the bottle in two pieces. The trouble is that it was only 20p a bottle along with the sweetcorn relish, so how could I not buy them. I'll just have to put up with the inconvenience of shaking the bottle like crazy and bashing it on the work top, then slicing it in half with a knife, and finally washing the two pieces of plastic to go in the recycling bin. 

Dinner the other day. Quorn is or was on offer at £1 a bag, so I stocked up with sausages, fillets, and nuggets. Added to a plate of steamed greens and it's the ideal dinner for me.

Courgettes, pickled onions, one mushroom, and spinach cooked in a bit of oil, and add two eggs and scramble them. Serve with iceberg lettuce and cucumber. Very nice.

 I took Heidi to the vet yesterday late afternoon, for blood to be taken for another test. On the way back I popped in the Tesco Local. I was lucky enough to get a few items. Small bottles of fresh milk 5p each, I got three. Spinach 22p. Potato salad 7p, I got two, and pasta salad 68p. Total cost £1.19p. So this was my dinner last night, a no cook meal, half of the potato salad and half the pasta salad, eat it out of the tubs to save on washing up, ha ha. Have eaten the rest for lunch today.

It's been lovely out in the garden for the last few days. I am making use of the summer house and sitting out there busy sewing. I think I'm going to get rid of the raised beds over the winter and give up on veg growing. I fancy making a flower garden instead.

Thanks for popping in. Catch you soon. Toodle pip.

She's a poet, and she knows it.

Hello and good morning on this sunny start to the day. Something has dropped into my email box which is so fandabidozi brilliant it deserves a blog post all of it's own. We have a lot of talented readers out there, and creative talent takes many forms. Don't worry if you are not an expert on sewing, knitting, embroidery, quilting, dressmaking, soft furnishings, cookery, baking, painting, flower arranging, or whatever, try your hand at something else. How about creativity using words.

Joan from Wales has been doodling with words, and come up with a great poem. She regularly writes poems for her granddaughter, now she has written one for me. Have a butchers at this.

 Ilona is the Mean Queen

Of Life After Money blog fame.

She is a unique character,

Who puts us all to shame.

She has wide and varied interests,

Boredom she does not know.

Rarely planned, she tackles life,

Going with the flow.

Trekking all over the country,

In sunshine, wind and rain.

It doesn't matter if she misses a sight,

She'll be back to see it, again.

Modern art is a favourite hobby,

A talent which comes from within.

Creating a one-off masterpiece,

With bits and bobs from her bin.

Her meals are truly legendary,

With never two plates filled the same.

She'll add this, with a  pinch of that,

Treating it more like a game.

Her imagination knows no bounds,

On recycling things from her store.

Full of ideas, she'll let you know,

What you can do with a door.

Compassionate and caring,

Ilona has friends by the ton.

Not only humans in blogland,

But all animals under the sun.

Her cats think she's the bees knees,

When she caters for every whim.

And as for her pet dog, Rocky,

He's thankful she looks after him.

I would like to be more like Ilona,

With her spirit, energy and zest.

Then when I'm done, I'll know for sure,

That I've done my absolute best.

Aint she clever? Thanks Joan, I love it.
Off to Crafty Club now, catch up soon. Toodle pip