A mop to die for ;o)

Hello. Eeee by 'eck, I do lead an exciting life. Who else would go, 'oooh, I must have that mop, it's lovely and soft.' Did I buy it because I needed a mop to clean my kitchen floor? No. I bought it because of the softness of the fibres, and because it had been reduced to 99p, and if I took it apart I could make something with it. Maybe incorporate it into some arts and crafts project, possibly. A bit bonkers eh!  

The blue bands were stitched on so a lot of careful unpicking. The fibres were attached to the plastic bit with cable ties so a sharp stanley knife sorted that out. And here we are, all untangled and wrapped round cardboard. It will come in useful for something.

Not a lot happening at Tightwad Towers. It was a dry day so I got a load of washing out on the line. No sun, no wind, so it didn't dry too well, but it had to be done, I was close to running out of clean pants. While I was in the housework mode I got the Dyson out and gave the downstairs carpets a good going over. It's not nice walking on cat litter in your socks. Some of that was my fault, not all the cats doing. I wasn't looking where I stepped the other day and my foot caught the edge of the litter tray and tipped it up. All clean now once again. I had shopping bags to unpack from three days ago, and the pets food cupboard to sort out. Then I did a Rocky bimble, and a Lady dog walk. I've made a big pan of veg stew so I don't have to cook for three days. Brussels sprouts, carrots, onions and a tin of mixed beans. Not sure that is a good combination ;o)

I got a bit wet while doing my walk tonight, it rained. Only did two miles on account of doing a one mile dog walk earlier. I am recording my progress on the Walking Forum. Several people on there are doing it as well. If you want to see how they are doing, take a look here. Some of them are experienced walkers though, they are striding ahead. As it's on a forum we can all update ourselves on there.

Howzabout another except from the 1989 diary. Following on from the overnight stop in Hereford. Thursday 12th January. Raining this morning, but warm. I left Hereford at 6.45, not sure of the best road to take. I decided on the most direct. I arrived on site at Llandrindod at 8.45am and was empty at 10.30am. On the way back I rang the office from Bromsgrove, no load. Then rang again from the cafe at junction 5 of the M5, still nothing. I went home and rang from there. The message was load at Balfour Beatty at Derby. I loaded two pieces of tower crane and set off. There was no rush so I pulled in at the BRS Truckstop near Chesterfield for the night. I rang Colin, he was at Poplars Truckstop at Lymm. It's strippers night at Chesterfield tonight, I had a couple of pints and had a laugh with the drivers. Bed at 11.30pm

Friday 13th Jan. No need to rush this morning, I don't have to be in Scarborough until after 10.00am. It's a good job I saw Stringbean pull off the site or I wouldn't have noticed it. I tipped my load at 1pm. I rang the office and Jim said there is a load of plyboard at Hull to pick up. I could have done without that really, but work is slack so they are trying to pull in some extra loads. I had to pick up the paperwork in the city centre before I loaded at the docks. It was 5.30pm when I set off back. I got in the yard at Ellistown at 8pm and rang Colin. It was 9pm when I left the yard and drove straight down to Southampton in my car. It was very late when I got to Rownham Services and Colin was there to meet me. So, on this day, the 13th of January in 1989 I was at my boyfriends house in Southampton.

When I look back at the miles I used to cover, not only driving the truck, but trying to keep up with my social life as well, which was all over the country. It was a crazy but exciting life.

That's all folks. It's 10pm and time to wind down with a mug of hot chocolate. Thanks for popping in.
Toodle pip.  

A one handed blog post.

Hello. I think it will have to be a short one tonight, I'm having to do this one handed. Why? My left arm is a cushion for an elderly moggy, Bugsy insists on lying across it. He is purring like a diesel engine. Not a lot of excitement today. I woke early at 4.30am and took a while to get back to sleep again. I really should have got up because I didn't wake again until 8am, half the day gone. The morning was spent painting blocks of wood and thinking about how it is going to fit together. I have a plan, it should work.

Me and Rocky had our usual bimble to the church and back, a walk that takes half an hour. He enjoys the sniffing. I see someone has removed the broken wire rubbish bin sited next to the seat. This has looked an eyesore for a long time so I am pleased to see it gone. The post is still there, firmly fixed to the ground, I hope they are going to take it away and not bring another bin to put there. There are bins at all three entrances, so anyone leaving the churchyard can deposit their rubbish in one of those.

I popped to the retail park for an hour this afternoon. It's not far, only three miles.On the way I called into the Cash and Carry and stocked up on the 20p cartons of rice milk, and the 30p packets of linseeds. I bought a bag of Kelkin High Protein Granola, 380 grm, for £1. Not had it before, I will put it in the mini chopper with the fruit and nuts, for my breakfast.

I had another appointment at the docs at 5pm in the next village. The wart on my cheek is still there albeit slightly smaller. More ointment was dabbed on and he said I should come back in ten days for another treatment if it is still there. I don't know, what a lot of faffing. The doc says they are not allowed to cut it out because it is on my face, if it was anywhere else on my body they could take the knife to it. Sounds barmy to me.

I popped into the small Tesco after the docs, managed to get three packets of six wholemeal bread buns for 15p each. The rest of the yellow stickers were not worth having. Not much in the Co op either, just a punnet of grapes at half price.

I had to wait for the rain to stop tonight before I could do my three miles. That's why I'm a bit late doing this. I can feel myself getting fitter, my energy levels are rising. I saw a man I have seen before, he always walks fast by himself. Me being nosy I got talking to him because he was going the say way I was. His stride was longer than mine so he was a good pacemaker. A bit further on I saw a friend with his black labrador. The dog knows me and gets excited when he sees me. Unfortunately I had no treats in my pocket, I must remember to take a few with me because you can bet your bottom dollar that I will see a dog at some point on the walk.

I'll sign off now, I think Rocky may want to go out for a short walk up the street. I'll have to untangle myself from this cat. Thanks for popping in. Catch up soon.
Toodle pip.  

What's been going on today?

Hello. Busy Monday again. I should have washed my hair yesterday but didn't so I had to do it this morning before Crafty Club. I didn't have any work ready to take with me, so right at the last minute, moments before I stepped out of the door, I grabbed some balls of wool and a couple of crochet hooks. I need the practice if I am to have a go at making a piece of Scrumble art, like what Briony makes. Have you see her beautiful work, I have put her Scrumble blog on the sidebar. I can't see me making something as good as that. 

Our Crafty Christmas Tree was collected from the church this morning and was dismantled. We each took our own decorations home with us. Next Christmas we will be using the same tree but making new decorations for it. Having a theme was mentioned, maybe all bells, or all angels, or whatever ideas the members come up with. 

After Crafty Club I went round to Linda's house, she has missed a few weeks and we wondered if she was ok. She invited me in for a natter. She has been poorly but hopes to get to the club next week. 

This afternoon I went to the mobile library and swapped some books. Had a natter with Stan. It appears that the people at the Medical Centre which is where the van is parked, don't want it there any more because the patients are having difficulty getting in and out of the car park. A new place has to be found for it.  

Here is a sneak preview of my new project. I came up with several ideas for the blocks of wood which Bob gave me. One idea was a political statement, and another would have meant time consuming intricate painting. As you can see, they are getting painted different colours, I chose the third and easiest option. Those sample pots of paint I bought from Woolies for 4p each, before they closed down have come in useful for all kinds of jobs. Not telling you any more, you will have to wait and see what I do with them.  

A few Walking Group reports are coming through and I am adding updates to the members list on the Challenge page. You don't have to send in reports, but if you do it keeps up the momentum and hopefully everyone's motivation gets a boost. Don't worry if you are not able to make as much progress as you would have liked, by merely having a go and doing some walking means you are thinking about improving your fitness and general health. Remember each and every one of you are doing it for yourself, a few miles here, a few miles there, all adds up.

I had a change of footwear tonight. Normally I walk in my old boots, they are dead comfy, but tonight I put these trainers on. A free pair I got out of a skip, well I actually got them before they went into the skip, because the owner gave them to me. These have more of a spring in them, felt like I was walking on cushions and found them not as clumsy as boots. I even managed a bit of jogging tonight, not a good idea if you don't wear a bra, ha ha. I'll be wearing these from now on, unless it snows, then I'll be back to the boots. I am keeping to three miles a day, and it varies what time I do it. I am now in the habit of building the 45 minutes into my daily routine.

There always seems to be anniversaries for something or other, commemorating different events in history. If it isn't for the beginning or the end of a war, it's Googlie with their fancy logo's celebrating the birth or death of some ancient composer or engineer long gone 150 years ago. There must be something I should be celebrating in my own life, so I've been delving in the diaries again.

On this day, Wednesday January 11th 1989, I went into work at 8.am, and because there wasn't much to do, I worked on my lorry. I was employed by Leicester Heavy Haulage at the time. I painted the front bumper and grille, and it looked a lot better. After dinner, Jim sent me to Conder for a load of steel for Mid Wales, it was 50 feet long. I left Burton at 3.30pm. I parked up in Hereford on the Cattle Market, as that was the only place I know you can park. I expected the roads to get narrow from then on, so I would rather tackle them in the morning. I had a chat with another driver, he was from Van Leer, and chatted to local breakers on the CB radio. I rang Colin's cab phone but there was no answer. where is he? So, on this day 27 years ago I was sleeping in my cab on the Cattle market in Hereford. I vaguely remember it, ha ha.

All is well at Tightwad Towers tonight. Rocky is due a little Bimble any time now, that's if I can rouse him from his snooze. The kitties are all sleeping, but you can guarantee that when I move from this chair and go into the kitchen they will miraculously wake up and demand food, ha ha.

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

Free Life Coaching

Hello and Good Morning. Every morning when I log onto my Blogger Dashboard to check if any comments have come in overnight, I usually find the odd spammer has been able to sneak into the 'Awaiting Moderation', list. At first glance they appear to be my best friend, they are hoping that I will not notice their comment squeezed in between the genuine blog readers. The foreign spammers are easy to spot by their broken English, and always sign as Anonymous. Their comments are usually rambling gobbldygook. These mainly go into the Spammer Box anyway, so one zap gets rid of those. 

But there is a new breed, they have a Google profile which gives the impression that they are genuine fans of the blog, so they are able to hide behind that. If any of these come in and I don't recognize the name, I always click on it, which is often a link to their Google page or web site. I then make my judgement as to whether to allow it or not. If there is no sign of adverts and it appears to be a legitimate reader, I look for buzz words or phrases in the main text of the comment which look odd, and put them into Google search. Quite often it will come up with a web site which is promoting either goods or services for sale. Ha, gotcha, they are trying it on, advertising by the back door. You ain't coming in here matey. 

I get requests for link swaps, from people who want to promote their blog or web site. Any requests are denied. I will publish a link only if it is relevant to the post I am writing and will provide additional information to the subject matter. The blog links I have on my sidebar are my own personal choice. If any of them have a few adverts but the content is interesting I will allow it. Any blogs with excessive advertising are a turn off for me. 

Anyway, I digress. I zapped a spammy comment this morning, from a Life Coach. If you Google Life Coach you will find they are quite secretive about their fees, a course of sessions could set you back a few hundred pounds. 

I've had this leaflet for a few years now. All looks interesting to me, have a read. Would you sign up to this Life Coach? A ten week course perhaps to help you get the most from your life?  Would it be worth spending the money?  

Do you want to align your goals, master change and touch the sky?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, then just keep reading my blog. Yes, Dianne Richardson is me, and you have been getting your Life Coaching free for eight years. Anyone can produce a leaflet like this. All it takes is research on the internet, some design and layout skills, and you're done. I have no formal qualifications, all my writings are from my own life experiences and thoughts, I am a student of  the University of Life.

I don't know everything, I learnt as I went along, picked things up, watched, listened, and took it all in. I'm still learning. Which is exactly what you are doing now. Sometimes the path through life is not always straight forward, you have to look to the sides. Sometimes you go through a fog, sometimes a storm, you need to find your own way back into the sunshine.

You have the answers, not me, or any other life coach. If you need help read library books, read web sites, go to support groups, friendship groups, talk to your family, and talk to your best friends.

I'm off to take the dog out. Thanks for popping in on this cold but dry Sunday.
Toodle pip

PS, I never did Life Coaching. It was something I thought about and after much research I decided that it wasn't for me.

Old vests and pants have their uses

Hiya gang. I knew I would have a use for this holey flannelette bed sheet one day, and today was the day. I was looking at tea towels yesterday in town, and found some in B & M at a reasonable price, £3.99 for a pack of five. I almost put them in my basket, and then changed my mind. Surely I could make some of those, they are only squares of fabric with hemmed edges. So I had a look in my airing cupboard and found this sheet. Yep, that will do the job. 

My tea towels are in a state, they need relegating to mucky cleaning jobs like washing the floor or wiping the paintwork down or even wiping out the litter boxes after they have been washed. Before I chuck them into the outhouse I'll use this one as a guide to cut up the sheet. I started in the corner and moved it around the outside where the sheet wasn't so worn.

This is all that's left, the hole in the middle. Anyone know what to do with a spare hole?

All I had to do then was to hem around the cut edges with the machine, and bingo, I have six tea towels, plus seven cleaning cloths which will go under the sink and be used as dishcloths and window cleaning cloths.

I really don't know why people buy cloths to use for cleaning jobs around the house. What did people do years ago when microfibre cloths hadn't been invented? They cut up any old textiles that they happen to have in their cupboards and drawers which were no longer fit for purpose. I can't remember my mum ever buying dusters, we used old vests and pants, for buffing up the sideboard, and our shoes.

Hope your walking is going well, I am on track at 3 miles per day. Thanks for popping in. Catch up soon.
Toodle pip.

Robert Koenig, wood carver, at our art gallery.

Hello. I mentioned that I had been to our 20 21 Arts Centre a few weeks ago but forgot to take my camera. I went back today for another viewing, and took the camera. The exhibition by Robert Koenig is amazing. He has been sculpting wood for over 35 years. Born in Britain of Polish parents, he studied art at Brighton. Take a look at his work on his web site. You will marvel at his distinctive style.  

Our Arts Centre has recently undergone a refurbishment programme, and is a much improved exhibition space. Into the front entrance and turn left along the link gallery, are some of Roberts huge shields. His carvings are all done by his own hands using traditional tools. I love the colours he chooses and the way he has distressed the paint.  

Look closely, they are trees.

Amazing that the birds are all flying in perfect formation. It reminds me of Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

Inside the church which is the main exhibition hall, Robert has constructed a new Memorial Structure. You walk into a massive wooden box like a packing crate, which has alcoves to each side. In this first photo I used a flash, hence the slightly different tint to the rest of them.  

This exhibition is on in Scunthorpe until the 20th of February. Well worth seeing if you are coming this way. Maybe it will be near you in the future. I've found a video of him constructing the Memorial Structure in the church. Take a look, it's interesting.



It's the weekend again, the weather has been a bit better today, not much rain but the temperature has dropped a bit. Enjoy your weekend whatever you are doing, and don't forget walkers, try and get a couple of miles in, it all adds up. I'm going out now at 8.30pm.

Thanks for popping in. Catch up soon. Toodle pip

I'm having a souper day

Hello. More chuffin rain coming down on us today. It went very foggy for about half an hour, how can there be rain and fog at the same time? A mystery to me. I thought someone had lit a bonfire, it came down all of a sudden, now it's gone. This global warming palaver is playing games. 

I have three packets of Brussels Sprouts, 10p on a yellow sticker, to use up. So, what to do with them. Make soup. Chop them into quarters. Add four chopped baby turnips. Bring to the boil and then simmer in a stainless steel pan. 

Add a handful of spinach.

And the last few leaves from a salad bowl (10p sticker).

Spices needed. I added a teaspoon of vegetable granules. And a small chunk of grated cheese. 

Looking good, smells good. The meter reading man arrived at this time, so I showed him the meter.

It only takes a few minutes to cook, then zap with the stick blender. Excuse my manners but I ate it straight from the pan, less washing up. It was bloomin lovely. I was going to save a portion for later, but once I started I couldn't stop. I scoffed the lot. Cost? About 18p. If you are cold, fed up, and hungry, make soup. it's a great body warmer.

I hope the rain stops soon, enough to do a walk. I am up to 18 miles this month, having made up the 3 miles I missed on the 1st. It's a bit darker now that everyone has taken down their Christmas lights. Keep at it everyone, only 358 days left to do  ;o)

Thanks for popping in. Catch up soon. Toodle pip