Hello. A few more pics of my visit to Hull on Thursday. The main attraction was the amazing light show in Queen Victoria Square. I saved this experience for last. Glad I did, because a lot of people were heading out to The Deep when I was coming back into the centre of the city.
The three main buildings were the screens for this epic show. They all had the same images and sound playing simultaneously, so no matter which way you were facing you didn't miss any of it. The story of the last 70 years of Hull's history was played out in fabulous sight and sound panoramic views. I stood facing the Maritime Museum. As well as spectacular it was also very emotional to watch.
A shame that part of HULL was missing in the doorway of the building.
By the time I had watched this I was shivering with cold and thought it best to make tracks for the bus station. I would have liked to see it on one of the other buildings but I was cold, and there was an hour in between bus times. I caught the 6.25pm bus. It was busy with passengers from the South Bank all making their way home.
If you want to watch the whole show, it's here on yoootooob, thanks to Adam Reeve's excellent video. Thanks to Lesley for sending me the link. Put it on full screen, it's very emotional.
I must get on. Dog to walk. Thank you for popping in. Have a nice weekend. We'll catch up soon. Toodle pip
Hello and good morning. I enjoyed my visit to the Hull City of Culture light show yesterday. Even with a huge hoody parka jacket on it was bloomin cold. I drove to the next village where I caught the bus, easiest way to get there, no looking for car parks and no Humber Bridge toll to pay. There seemed to be more passengers than normal, so the journey took a bit longer with all the stopping and starting. Everyone had the same idea, lots of people from the South Bank, using their bus passes to have a free couple of hours entertainment.
At the bus station there were volunteers in their distinctive blue uniforms to hand out leaflets with maps, showing where all the attractions were. I set off crossing the busy Ferensway and went down Jameson Street to Queen Victoria Square. This is where the big light shows take place. I was too early as it was still light, so I carried on down Whitefriargate. There were a few shop windows to look at which had been filled with relics from the past, a trip down memory lane.
Along the route I came across some people left over from the Sea of Hull a blue art instillation which was photographed last year. You may remember I wrote about hundreds of volunteers who had stripped off and were painted blue.
Along the way I walked across the new Footbridge. I quite liked this cloud formation which reflected a red sun going down.
Arriving at The Deep I was lucky enough to get a shot of this amazing sky just as the sun was dropping down below the horizon.
Opposite The Deep was a building loaded up with a bank of high powered projectors waiting for the sky to darken enough to allow the show to begin. All around were Lots of speakers which would tell the story of how people from all over the world made the journey to Hull.
This is The Deep, my picture from a previous visit. It's one of Britain's biggest aquariums. As you can see a perfect canvas for a light show. At the top of the pointy bit were spotlights reaching up into the dark sky.
I took lots of snaps, but discarded a lot of them. Here are a few of the best.
The story starts in 1800 and goes through to the present day, depicting who came to Hull, how they arrived here, and where they came from. It was fascinating. It was on a loop, I watched it twice. It's a shame that the tide was out and there wasn't very much water in the channel below. The reflections would have been a whole lot better.
I looked to the side and got this pic of the tidal barrier. Love the light reflections in the deep mud.
Now to cheat. Adam Reeve has done a very good video, it's on yooooyooob. It's 13 minutes long, with sound, well worth a look, and the tide is in.
There are too many photo's for one post, so I'll put more on tomorrow. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon. Toodle pip.
Hello. I'm going out later so I'm whizzing this quickie off a bit sharpish. I have a new picture project on the go, fancied doing a bit of painting, abstract style. Here is a little piece of it, it's not very big, 11.5 inches by 10 inches. I'm not much good at painting pictures but this is the cheats way of doing it, ha ha.
Have been meaning to get this snap for a week or more, just at the crucial moment Mayze leaps out of bed and spoils it. She sleeps on the bed with me every night. At around 4 or 5 or 6am I feel her little face burrowing down under the bedclothes next to my shoulder. I spread my arm out and she snuggles next to me, purring away with contentment as I stroke her. Then it's back to sleep for both of us for another hour.
Ooops, I disturbed her, she jumped out. What a cutie.
Must dash, got two parcels to post before the Post Office closes at 11.30. Then it's lunch, then off to Hull on the bus. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.
Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon. Toodle pip
Hello. While we are on the subject of money and budgeting, I'll continue along these lines. A question from one of our readers on yesterdays post....... Sorry if this question is being nosey but I will be going into retirement with just the basic state pension and I was wondering how you have managed to build up savings to replace large items such as your car. I would like to have some savings as back up in case anything major needs replacing. Hi, not nosey at all, it's a question everyone will be asking at some point in their lives. What happens when the wages stop and the pension starts? How will I manage? What I can't do is to advise on pensions. I happen to have a small private pension because the company I worked for at the time, around the mid 1980's, advised us all to pay into the company pension. I did so along with everyone else. I worked there for five years, and promptly forgot about it after I left, until about twenty odd years later. Luckily It was a large national transport company which was still in business, albeit under a different name. I must say, it was a nice surprise to find that out. It's inevitable that a persons income will be reduced on retirement, except for the very rich of course, but I am talking about ordinary working folk here. I don't know how far off your retirement is, but something you can do is to find out exactly how much pension you are likely to receive, and use that figure as a base line, and start living on that amount before you retire. Anything left over can be put away into a separate account to start your emergency fund. This will give you a head start and be a good challenge to prepare yourself for any changes you need to make. It would be a good idea to go through all your wants and needs, and to weed out anything that is in the wrong category. As I said before, wants and needs are subjective and exclusive to you. It stands to reason that you might have to modify your needs and shift some of them over to wants, because you will not be getting as much money coming into your bank account. Some of the things you have been used to buying might have to be dropped. Your lifestyle expectations, may have to be modified, you might have to lower your sights. Getting into a routine where you unconsciously open your purse, or click on an item that you want to buy from a web site, will be a hard habit to break. What you can do is delay buying something that you want, for 24 hours, then think again, and ask yourself do I really need it. I have collected a lot of stuff throughout my life, and I now find I don't need any more. What I already have will hopefully last me. There may be an instant where something packs up and will need replacing, but if it only looks a bit dated and it aint broke, I don't need a new one.
Anyone who is coming up to retirement age needs to take stock of their lives. There will have to be some tightening of the belt, some deliberation on what they can do without. It's a bit like de cluttering, sorting out a cupboard or drawer. My goodness it sounds like a lot of doom and gloom, doesn't it. Can't afford this, can't afford that, have to stop going to dancing or gym, have to give up the weekly meal out, no more shopping trips to town. If you are in the mindset that you get pleasure out of spending money, you will struggle. You will be miserable, you will sit at home and feel sorry for yourself, skint, no money to spend. When you retire you will have less money, but you will be gaining a lot more time. Time is more precious, more valuable than money. Time lost will never be replaced. Look at this new chapter in your life as the time you start living, and a good life is not about how much money you have. You will have to modify your lifestyle choices, but you will have more time to enjoy life. Ooops, going away from the question here. How have I managed to build up savings to replace large items like a car? I keep a car for about 3 - 4 years. I will need to have around £6,000 saved to buy the car I want. Over 3 - 4 years, that's doable. My thrifty and frugal living ensures that money builds up in the bank, because I don't spend it. Simple as that, I DON'T SPEND IT. I work out what I absolutely must pay for, then I work out if I can afford some treats, and what is left only gets spent when something needs replacing. I don't call it savings, it's an emergency fund. I don't have any long term savings. A year ago I needed a fridge freezer, I had the cash to pay for it. Coming up I have my car road tax and insurance to pay, the money is there waiting. Someone asked a question once on MSE, what do you do with any spare money? The answer is, no money is spare, it is all earmarked for something. I am disciplined enough to NOT SPEND any money left over. Another way of doing it would be to put aside money for emergencies as soon as it has been paid into your account. Squirrel it away somewhere, it is not for spending, save it for emergencies.
I hope that has given you food for thought. Thanks for asking. Don't worry, you will manage. Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up soon. Toodle pip
Hello. Something someone said about not knowing all of my story which got me thinking. There must be newer readers who haven't read from the beginning, so will not know the background to my frugal journey. I've had a look through my bank statements and found some scribbled notes which will shed a bit of light about how skint I actually was. I can't put actual dates to some of the reasons why my income dropped very low, but it was round about my early to mid fifties when I started reducing my driving hours which reduced my paid income. I was not enjoying the job so I chose to work less hours.
Before that I was also running a small businesses, I bought in stock and sold at shows and events. It was a lot of work, making a little bit of money, but it didn't last very long. The recession kicked in and people stopped buying non essential items. I had to close it after three years, because I was starting to lose money.
After that, I started another business, an Introduction Agency/Singles Club. That was also a lot of work while still driving part time. Over three years it just about covered the expenses so I closed it, having made nothing.
A while later I took a short break from driving and bought a new catering trailer, got a pitch for it and started work on an industrial estate. I didn't last long. It was the wrong time to start, middle of winter, business was slow, and I hated the smell of the cooking. I sold the trailer and lost £1000 on it. My bank balance took a hit and was very low, so I had to go back to driving to earn some money.
When I was 59 I had an operation and took 12 weeks off to recover. I wanted to go back to work, but they announced they were closing the depot so I didn't have a job to go back to. I was a job seeker for the last seven months until I could fully retire at 60.
I have always meticulously checked my bank statements, keeping a beady eye on that bottom line. Sometimes it plunged perilously low so I had to do some calculations to make sure there was going to be enough to cover the standing orders, and pay the mortgage. If it dropped too low, there was only one thing to do, earn more money.
Here are some of my scribbles. Note to myself DON'T SPEND.
Only £547 left in the bank on this statement. I think that was two mortgage payments. There was a lot of juggling going on.
Here the balance didn't look too bad, but when I calculated everything that was going to come out during the month, it dropped dramatically.
This is low but not too bad. Got to get that money in money out balance a bit better though.
Going down again. all my business transactions were going through my current account. I cancelled the business bank account when they started making charges. My accountant advised it was ok to do this as long as the paperwork was all in order.
Oh my gawd, I think that was the lowest.
I was sailing a bit close to the wind at times, but strangely enough I wasn't too bothered. I never dropped below the bottom line, even though it was a challenge to stay afloat. My first state pension payment of £136 was paid on May 18th, I had a balance of £1,400. I felt safe then knowing that this amount would be arriving every week and would never stop. I was also receiving a small amount from a private pension which was £33 every four weeks. Both of these have increased over the years, and are my only income.
So there you are then. I've been down in the basement, now I'm on the way back up again. My mortgage is paid off and I have an emergency fund, so life is good on a pension.
Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up soon. Toodle pip
Well hello, how are you, welcome, come on in. We have a little celebration going on, the 2nd of January is the anniversary of the very first blog post, eight years ago, so Happy Birthday blog.
After an operation when I was 59 I had 12 weeks off to recover, and when I was ready to go back to work, they announced they were closing the depot. I didn't have a job to go back to. And so I became unemployed. I didn't have much money because I had been reducing my hours at work, which reduced my pay. I had also been living on a pittance, my JSA had been reduced because I was receiving a little bit of insurance money. Those were hard times, but some of it was of my making because I scaled back the driving. It was just unfortunate that I had to take sick leave for a while.
So this blog was started in the January, and I survived on little money until my 60th birthday in May. It was a big sigh of relief when my pension kicked in. Things are much improved now, my thriftyness and penny pinching has helped me to pay off my mortgage, change my car twice, and have holidays and days out. Now I am ticking over nicely living within my means, and happy with my lot.
I think I have had all the mileage updates for the 2016 walking challenge. Counting up, 21 people have passed the 1000 mile mark. I think that's bloomin great, you should all be proud of yourselves. Some of you have come very close to it, also a great achievement, and a lot of you have done so well by sticking with it. As I always say, having a go and doing what you can, is better than sitting on your bum and doing nothing. So well done everyone.
The challenge was not a competition, not a race, but I've picked out two names at random for a prize. So step forward Helen D and Vicki. Big cheer. Send me your addresses and I'll send you a little surprise in the post.
Up to now there are 50 names on the list for 2017. Wouldn't it be good if we could get half of them to the 1000 mile mark. It would be chuffin great. 25 people fitter than when they started at the beginning. I know December is a long way off, but as you can see, it is achievable Good luck everyone.
Right, what's next. My lunch yesterday. Not much food left in the fridge. A spud in the microwave, grated cheese, a tomato, and sliced beetroot. A nice simple cheap meal.
The other day I made this, enough for two days of lunch and dinner. Two smallish onions chopped, handful of Quorn pieces, carrots, Brussels Sprouts, frozen broad beans, sweetcorn, and frozen cranberries. Start it off with a slug of oil, add water and splash of fruit juice. Curry powder, turmeric, vegetable granules, coriander, Danish blue cheese, and cream cheese. Simmer till veg is soft, add water if needed.
I cooked plenty of wholemeal pasta, enough for three meals, and the fourth portion was a topping on a microwaved spud. I didn't bother freezing it, kept it in the fridge, and microwaved it before eating. My goodness it was ever so tasty. I will need to go shopping at some point this week, seems like ages since I last went to the shops. Not much left in the fridge.
Find the cat. Heidi has a new hidey hole, ha ha. Isn't it funny, just when you think they have found the ideal place, they move on to somewhere else.
That's it, all blogged out, nowt else left to say. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon. Toodle pip
Hello. Are you ready for the big one? The WALK 1000 MILES CHALLENGE.. It's the 1st of January and this is where we all start. Choose your boots or your trainers depending on the terrain. I use trainers for walking on tarmac around my village, and boots when on tracks and rough footpaths. Make sure you have the right footwear. Note - my home made shoe rack made out of pallets.
So, let's go through the rules. You can walk wherever you like, whenever you like, the aim is to complete the 1000 miles by December 31st 2017. You can break it down to 2.73 miles a day, I have two measured routes of two and three miles, from my front door. This takes me 35 minutes for two miles, and 50 minutes for three miles. I like to do a fairly brisk walk, a saunter or stroll will not do, I aim to work up a bit of a sweat. Sometimes it's cold when I set out but after ten minutes the heart starts pumping a bit harder and I warm up. When I get back I am ready to peel off some clothes.
The monthly total to aim for is 84 miles. If you are somewhere near that figure that will be fine. Some months you will do more, and some less. If over several months you find you are dropping back, you will have to put more effort in to catch up.
You can ignore the daily and monthly totals, and take on some long walks if you like. When on a walking holiday you could walk ten miles a day for eight days and have the rest of the month off.
Of course all this walking will depend on how fit you are, how much you have done in the past, and how much time you can give to it. If you are working full time can you incorporate walking too and from your workplace into your schedule. If not, can you walk during your lunch break.
There will be some people who will not be physically able to 1000 miles. That's ok, it isn't a competition or a race. Set yourself a lower target, even if it is one mile a day. The aim of this is to at least get you doing some exercise. Anyone who has sever mobility problems should consult their doctor first for advice. They may be able to embark on a different exercise routine, eg, swimming, aerobics, or yoga.
You will be checking your own mileage, it's up to you how you do this. Some people use a pedometer, or a fitbit. I use a web site, Bikehike.co.uk Toggle map sizes so the larger OS map is on the right hand side and use your mouse to plot out your route either before or after you have walked.
You can count any miles that you walk in the course of a normal day. I don't know how steps convert to distance, you will have to work that out for yourself. I prefer to count only the miles I set out to walk for the challenge. I don't count in shopping or dog walking, unless it's a big dog that's going to pull me along pretty fast.
On the first of every month you can check in with your miles walked over the previous month. Put this in a comment, then it is all on one blog post. It doesn't matter if you don't get it in on time, it can be updated any day in the month, just go back to the post on the 1st and put it in. This is the only record, there won't be a separate page. So, to start you can comment on this post to say you are in, and for the first day of every month after is where you check in. I want to see those numbers rising.
You will be full of enthusiasm when you start, that's how New Year Resolutions work. A few weeks or months into it you will wonder what you let yourself in for. You will then look for excuses not to do it, and start missing days. Haven't got time, got to go shopping, got to pick the kids up, need to get your hair done, etc etc. If you are opting to walk daily, it is better to build that time into your daily routine and find a slot for it. I am thinking now I had better get off my bum and do it now. If you are struggling, tell the rest of the group. Don't just stop and say stuff it, I can't be bothered. You will feel the benefits if you stick at it. Sore feet, try different footwear. Aching leg muscles, hot bath and massage.
Here's a little bit of inspiration to get you started.
Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon. Toodle pip
PS. I think there are still some mileage totals for December to come in. When I have them I will have a complete list for 2016.
