The plan is 12 miles

Good morning. The eggs are boiled, the cheese and lettuce sandwich assembled, the juice diluted and bottled, the boots waxed, the map is in the bag, and Rocky is with his pal Scruff at Barry's up the road.  I'm off for a ramble with my walking buddies. Lincolnshire Wolds is where we're heading, a nice Range Rover to transport us to the start. About 12 miles is what we're aiming for. I'll be back later with some piccies.
Catch ya soon. Toodle pip

Bag a cheap meal

Hello. If I was working in a sweatshop on the other side of the world I might have been paid 3p each for making these, and I would have probably been expected to churn out at least 100 in my 15 hour shift. My house is not hot, no heating on yet, and I made only eight shopping bags today. I upcycled, silly word, I cut up a very large curtain that I got from the Scrapstore for £1 and turned it into eight bags. These will be sold hopefully on the stall at the Christmas Fair. 

I also did three dog walks and trimmed my Leylandi hedge on the neighbours side, so I have been quite busy today. 

Yesterdays dinner was half a bag of  fresh egg noodles, reduced sticker 30p, cooked with a veggie burger which has broken up in the pan, served with broccoli 39p from Aldi. Total cost, 15p + 13p + 25p = 53p. 

Today's dinner was similar. Tagliatelle, which was 60p on a reduced sticker for a double pack, three portions in each bag, with broccoli, peas and sweetcorn. Cost 10p + 13p + 25p = 48p, and a splodge of Mayo from a 20p bottle = 2p. Total cost 50p.

I felt a bit sorry for Bugsy, always alone upstairs, so I have been fetching him down and having him on my knee while I watch a bit of catch up TV. He generally goes back upstairs at some point during the night when we are all in bed. I didn't have to fetch him last night, he came down of his own accord. I left him on the office chair that I usually sit on, when we went to bed, he was still there this morning. I think he must have got a bit confused when he woke up and wanted a pee, the litter boxes are upstairs. There was a puddle on the desk which had run off the edge and onto the floor. Oh dear. Never mind, I remember waking up in the night when I was a little girl and peeing in the wardrobe. It's easily done when you are half asleep. I have brought a litter box down and shown him where it is. Let's hope there are no more accidents.

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip

Searching for Mr Right, maybe not

Mid sixties skinny bird, not much on top but great legs and a cranky SOH, WLTM younger guy with loads of dosh and big house. Must have a fit body, hair and teeth, and not stink of fag smoke or sweaty armpits. Call me now on a premium rate number, which will take you through an extensive menu and cost you loadsa money before you actually get to speak to me. 

Just made that up, do you think it will bring any enquiries ha ha  ;o) I've been trawling through the dating pages in a posh newspaper, maybe there is someone out there who just fits my criteria. Let's have a look. You've got to read between the lines with these adverts, it's a sort of cryptic language.

This one might be promising. Male 54 seeks curvy feminine female, 65 - 75  for romantic times. I think that means, I fancy a romp with a pair of large bazookas. Oooops, that's me out then. What about a 74 year old gent who likes caravanning, looking for large build lady for fun. Nope, a bit too old for me, and I'm not willing to put on a couple of stone for anyone.

Hey, here's a cheeky chappie, M 75 looking for F 35 - 55, for loving relationship. I bet you are matey, looking for a bit of eye candy more like, someone you can show off to your mates down the pub. On yer bike, I am not travelling 150 miles for a bit of fun, unless of course you are a multi millionaire.

Here's a good one, I might apply to this. M 38 likes pubs and clubs, WLTM F, no specifications, wonder if he would warm to a cheeky bint who could bop the night away, and maybe take a walk in the moonlight along a sandy beach and watch the sun come up. Ha ha.

Solvent, now that's a word which makes me read more. He is retired, 68, 5'4", and likes golf. Hmmmm, maybe not, I don't want to peer at the top of his head, and golf looks sooo boring. Oh well, let's take another look.

Oooh, here's one, this sounds like a possible. M young 60, artist, zany SOH, WLTM lady 50 creative and positive. Wow, that sounds like me. Wonder if he would settle for a young 66 year old going on 16. Oh dear, maybe not, he lives in Scotland, maybe a non starter, it's a long way to go, would cost a lot of money in petrol.

What about this one, Attractive M 72, tactile and romantic, seeks attractive warm hearted woman. Oh yes, I've read about you types before. Tactile means touching doesn't it. Well sunshine, I've got news for you, you aren't getting your mitts within half a mile of me.

Moving on, someone wants a female to accompany him to football matches. I went to a football match once, not really my bag. Next, Graduate, retired school teacher, 73, looking for F 40 - 70. Another one who would gleefully date someone who is 33 years younger than himself. No wont bother, 73 is too old for me.

What is it with these blokes, they are looking for younger, elegant, attractive, successful, friendly, stylish, and professional women. Maybe I ought to try the adverts in the red top papers, ha ha.

I give up, I'm staying as I am. Can't be bothered to start all that dating Mullarkey at my age. Not going to be washing anyone else's underpants, cleaning stray whiskers out of the sink, not cleaning someone else's tide mark from around the bath, not going to football matches, not playing golf, not going to get a tele, and not going pubbing and clubbing. I am happy with my male friends, they go back to their own homes every night. Me very happy with that arrangement, no need to change things.

Thanks for popping in. Catch up soon. Toodle pip

Add a few beads

Hello. The weather has been a bit dull today, overcast but dry. I have ventured out into the garden, done some hedge trimming and filled the garden waste bin ready for collection tomorrow. I've got housework that needs to be done, but as usual can't find any enthusiasm for it. I just do enough to keep on top of it. I'd rather be sewing.

Here are my makes. Remember the car boot earrings I bought last week, 25p a pair. I have turned one into a tree decoration. Put it on a turquoise backing and added red beads and red and silver sequins. I got the backing from the Scrapstore, it's like a woven stiff fabric, a bit like what they make window blinds from. I got lots of small sample pieces in different colours. 

I used iron on bondaweb to stick the back and front together after I put the embellishments on. 

Next, I fancied making a fairy, or is it an angel, they both have wings. The white felt I used is virtually covered by beads and trimmings. The wings are covered with sparkly florists ribbon. 

I stitched the two pieces together with white thread, and added a little stuffing.

It would look nice hanging on a tree. 

I bought a huge curtain from the Scrapstore for £1, it's been washed, and dried outside, now it's ready for cutting up into bag size pieces. A job for tonight when I come back from a Rocky walk. He is crashed out beside me, having stuffed his face with a tasty dinner. I'll give him ten minutes or so to sleep it off, ha ha.
Toodle pip

It's a bum job, but it has to be done

Hello. How do you fancy a poo picking stick from Amazon. Superduper deluxe version for only £46. Saves bending down, saves your back, keep the footpaths clean and poo free. No more accidentally squelching through it and scraping it off your boots. Handy gadget eh! Maybe the council could buy a load and give them away free, nope, probably can't afford it. 

One of these would have been absolutely no good to me this morning. I sat drinking my coffee looking out over the back garden. Rocky seemed to be struggling to do his business, at last the offending lump dropped onto the ground. Success. Then he squatted again, not quite finished, there's more, I thought. Oh dear, nothing happening, obviously he was a bit uncomfortable so I went out to check what was going on at his back end.

Oh my, a great wadge of the stuff was clinging to his hairy arse and wouldn't let go. I got a piece of toilet roll to remove it, no luck, it's clinging on for dear life. I'll see to it in a minute, I thought, when I've finished my coffee. He didn't like me closing the door and leaving him out there. No Rocky, you aint coming in here.

Now, what equipment is needed to poo pick from a dog's bum, not the stick above that's for sure. Boil a kettle of water, and find some old rags for washing it off. Empty an old washing up bowl used for catching rainwater, and mix hot and cold water together to get it to the right temperature. Could do with a doggy bidet actually. But there's such a lot of it, it's going to need cutting out, which scissors, large or small, best take two pairs out. Don't fancy getting it on my hands, good job I've got some heavy duty rubberized gardening gloves.

I don't think he is going to stand still while I do all this, so I'd better put his collar on so I can stop him wriggling free if he gets upset. Now, if anyone else find's they have to do this, follow my instructions. Put dog close to your legs, between them if you have to. Lift tail with your left hand, they don't like this, and carefully snip around the offending lump, a few hairs at a time, and being careful not to get too close to the skin. Keep snipping until there are very few hairs left supporting it. Eventually it will drop to the ground.

Check that you have cut out as much as you can, and while you are at it, trim the hairs all around the area in case it happens again, so that the poo has nothing to cling on to. This will hopefully ensure a clean evacuation next time.

To finish off soak a cloth in warm water and wash the dog's rear end. He won't like it and will sit down. Talk to him nicely, tell him what a good boy he is, or girl if you have a lady dog. Don't pull his tail to get him to stand up, lift gently under his belly. A few sloshes with warm water should clean off any residue. Have a dry cloth nearby to wipe away any excess water.

And there you are, happy dog, and no skid marks on the carpet. Hope this has been a helpful post ;o)
Have a nice Saturday. Toodle pip.

A few dipsticks about tonight

Hello. Haven't we got a lot of Autumn colours around us at the moment. This is the Lime tree near my house, the one that smells gorgeous when the flowers are out in the summer. It's a bit of a funny shape, lop sided, the electricity board had to chop some branches off because they were growing very close to the overhead cable. As you can see there are a lot more leaves to come down. It's not very often that someone sweeps them up, they are just left to blow around. 

This is the time of year when you have to watch very closely where your dog does it's poop. Take your eyes of it for a moment and you have to search for the deposit in the fallen leaves, ha ha.

This afternoon I made a three day big pan of veggie stew. That's the last of the potatoes out of the garden. The carrots are yellow sticker, 6p. Frozen broad beans, the last few in the bag. Two Quorn fillets cut up into pieces, they were on special offer, six for £1. I had a tub of not very nice soup in the freezer, made from yellow sticker chopped veg, that went in as well. I use porridge oats to thicken it. Chuck some spices in, and it's wonderful, warms the cockles of your heart.

I am making cotton shopping bags at the moment, the ones you can fold up and put in your handbag. Finding some nice colours to use up.

This afternoon I went to town, first popped in at the cash and Carry on the way. They had some jars of tartar sauce and only one day out of date, 20p each. I had some of those. Whiskas pouches were £2 a box so I had some of those, a good saving.

A few essentials from Aldi. I found a bag of bananas with nine fruits in it, the price is 68p whether there are seven, eight, or nine in it. Cheese is a good price, £1.55 for 350grms, and the veg specials were 39p so I got broccoli, potatoes, and a big swede. No wine or cider bought, I'll give it another week before I treat myself to a tipple. I also managed to completely ignore the cakes, biscuits, sweets, and chocolate. I have to confess I bought some chocolate brownies last week, but only because they were on a yellow sticker. It's hard to say no when they were only 15p.

I watched the first episode of The Apprentice last night, only because I was curious about what Claude Litner was going to be like as Lord Sugar's right hand man. He has been in previous episodes where he grills the candidates about their CV's and he has been pretty cruel to them. The lad that got chucked off was a bit of a dipstick, a likable chappie but more of a joker than a serious contender. I think I may continue to watch it, I can do a bit of sewing at the same time.

The High Street in the village is closed tonight, they are digging the road up to lay new gas pipes. There is a ruddy great sign on the approach to the blockage warning that it is closed and an arrow for the diversion. I've just been out with Rocky, what do people do, totally ignore the sign and go steaming past it. I'm sure some people must be blind, or daft. What dipsticks they are, ha ha. They have to do a three point turn and go back the way they came.

I'm going to get Bugsy cat down from upstairs and sit him on my knee while I watch the second episode of The Apprentice. Thanks for popping in. Catch up soon. Toodle pip

A mixed bag

Hello. Back for a second post today, you can't say I short change you, ha ha. A bit of  this and that, a mixed bag if you like. In my porch are some books, given to me to sell on our fundraising stall. I am going to sort through them and any we can't sell, or those that are a bit specialist, will go to the charity shops. An elderly lady donated them, it helps her if I do the job, rather than her having to lug them to town. 

Who's this guy then? Why, it's Mickey from two doors down who has spotted me returning home and decided to sit looking at me through the glass as I sit in the porch and take my shoes off. He says, 'ya got any nosh then', or, 'please give me some of your lovely food'. Mostly I don't feed him, he gets enough at home, but occasionally I give in and give him half a pouch of whatever food my fussy cats don't like. He will eat anything.

I thought it was about time I had a mooch around the Scrapstore again, so me and Linda, another crafty lady friend from up the road went off to Hull. I filled my basket with fabric for £5. Including some felt, not shown here.

And bought a few extras. Colourful shoe laces, silver and red sparkly trimmings, pink lace, and small coloured buttons. I spent £10, and Linda kindly paid for the bridge toll for taking her.

Janet sent me some photo's of the kittens in our rescue. They are getting quite playful now. Grey cats are quite unusual, aren't they just adorable. 

I've been on the phone this afternoon, got a call from a chappie doing some research for a possible TV programme. We spent an hour chatting, more like me doing all the talking and him throwing a few questions in and listening, ha ha. It's early days, something may happen, or something may not. It might not even get off the ground. It usually depends on whether they can get the funding or not, and if it does go ahead I may not get picked, it's happened before.

That's it, a mixed bag tonight. Thanks for popping in. Catch ya soon. Toodle pip