Bargain food and free bags

Even though it's winter I still like to eat salad. Quick and easy and no cooking, save the gas. I had salad for lunch, and here is my dinner. A slice of cheese and onion quiche. Four portions for £1.19 from Aldi. Pasta salad, lettuce, radishes, mushrooms, cucumber, and spring onions, all yellow stickers. You can work out how cheap this meal was, at a guess, 50p ish.  

The teacher at college on Tuesday had two black bin bags full of fabric, donated by someone who makes costumes for the theatre. She said we could take some, so I chose blue medium to heavy fabric which is a bit like a stretchy denim. Today I whipped up four shopping bags and I will take these back next week and give them out to the ladies. I hope no one starts fighting over them, they will have to decide among themselves who is to have them.

The flowers are painted on.

They are lovely shopping bags. Thanks for visiting, come again tomorrow. Toodle pip

Playing with the new toy

Hello. It's been practice day with the Hudl. Oh my, how confusing it all is. Can't get the hang of swiping the screen, my technique is not consistent, what starts as a swipe ends up as a stab, and things pop up when I don't want them to. I wish I could add a mouse to it, it would make life much simpler. However, I must soldier on and keep trying. 

I went a bimble round the church to take some photo's with it. The bigger screen makes it a bit easier to compose a nice shot. Hold it out at arms length and walk around until you see the scene you want to capture. Zoom in and out by sliding finger and thumb in a pinching movement across the screen. In theory you should end up with the exact bit you want, which should eliminate a lot of cropping later.

I've been finding my way around the photo editing tools, a lot of them I don't understand, it's a case of try each one and see what happens. 

Right, photo's stored somewhere on the Hudle, next transfer some onto here. It's strange not having a mouse and a keyboard to jiggle things around with. I found the keyboard keeps popping up and covering the screen when I don't want it to, and it's not there when I need it. It keeps coming and going, very confusing. 

I managed to get some pictures loaded. I always put them on first then add the words after. By this time my brain was feeling a little bit pickled. The keyboard kept popping up when I didn't want it and an assortment of letters kept appearing in random places. I wanted to load the pictures in a different order than I took them but it wasn't having it. Now how do I move picture 4 to the picture 9 position without a mouse? Mega baffled now. Oh I give up, that's all the confusion the brain can manage for one day. I am now completing the task on the  Samsung Netbook. Here are the pictures taken with the Hudl. 

View of the front gate.

Playing with the enhancement tools. View towards the side gate.

A group of ramblers came strolling by. 

And disappeared out of the back gate.

More enhancement tools.

Black and white anyone?

 

View from the back gate.

Oh, and my little friend came too.

Phew I need a rest now. I am going to have to get to grips with this new gadget, it may take a while, ha ha.
Toodle pip.

Looking for bargains.

Hello, I'm a bit late tonight. I went to town today, needed some garlic powder so I went to the Asian shop just off the High Street. I got a big bag this time, should last me a while. Also bought ground cumin, ground coriander, cous cous, and ground Almonds. The man on the checkout was dead impressed with my home made shopping bags. 

We have a new Polish supermarket at the top end of the High Street, it used to be a fashion store. I took a look inside out of curiosity, and was completely baffled, I didn't know what most of the stuff was, had to make a guess by the picture on the packet, jar, or can. All very clean and tidy though but maybe I won't be shopping there. Some of the items that I did recognize were more expensive than the English version. 

I popped in Aldi for a few things. Soya milk is still 59p a carton, soft cheese with garlic 49p, French Brie 99p, 1kg bananas 68p, quiche £1.19. The cats like the gourmet supreme in a foil tray, and at 20p each it's a good price. Total spent £7.02. B & M for the remainder of the cat food.  

Last nights dinner, was the last of the egg noodles, that's a third of a packet. I could probably get four portions out of it but I thought I had better eat it quite quickly as it was going out of date when I bought it. I stirred in two spoons of houmous. Served with potatoes, parsnips, broccoli, and cauliflower.  

It was sewing class at the college tonight. This is the shirt made into a cushion cover. I rushed the job a bit so it's not as neat as it should be. This is the back of the shirt but the front of of the cover. The bits I cut off have been sewn back onto it as embellishments. The teacher showed us how to make ruffles. The colour is not very accurate on the photo due to poor lighting, it's actually a nice shade of powder blue.

 The front of the shirt is now the opening for inserting the cushion.

I pass Tesco on the way home after class, so it makes sense to pop in. A few bargains to be had.
Radishes 5p
Sprouts 10p
Pack of 3 exotic fruits 10p. Don't know what they are.
Two packs of button mushrooms 10p each.
Four tubs of prepared fruit 20p each.
Bag of rocket 10p.
Pasta salad  x 2, 22p each.
Spring onions 5p
Sprouting beans 13p
Bread 10p
Dry cat food £1.50
Total spent £4.07

That's my shopping done for the week.
Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.

It all happens in our village

Hey, how ya diddlin? Miss me yesterday? No thought not, it was my day off, empty head, day of rest. Quite the opposite of today, I've been running around like a blue arse fly, never stopped, feet didn't touch the ground, ha ha. Well they did get a bit of rest when I sat down at the craft club.

First thing this morning I had to do a dog walk, I didn't have to, I volunteered. My friend Joyce has had a cataract operation and she is not supposed to tilt her head forwards while bending down. Very difficult to pick up dog poo if you can't look down while scraping it up with your hand inside a plastic bag. So I am doing the morning walks for her because that's when Bailey the poodle does his ablutions. Three squats and he should be empty.

I really enjoyed that walk around the village, it was very busy for a Monday morning. The council men were filling a few holes in the road with tarmac, looks a right state now, a real bodge job. The bin wagon was out blocking the road while the men ran around pulling the bins to the back of the lorry. I had a little smile to myself, the operatives were all of slender stature apart from one who was a young portly chap. He must be new I thought, give it a couple of months and he will be as skinny as the rest of them. There was folks rushing to work, and other dog walkers to chat to. I love it when the doggies get to socialize as well. You sniff my bum and I'll sniff yours, ha ha.

On the way to the Chat and Craft at the village hall I passed a large rubbish bin on wheels, which was overflowing. The lid wouldn't shut and the contents looked quite interesting so I couldn't resist a nosey inside. There was a large storage box with a leatherette type covering and several strong shopping bags which had plenty of life left in them. I fished them out and took them with me. Two of the bags were snaffled by the ladies, and I stripped the cover off the storage box. That will do for a crafting project. I wish people wouldn't dump useful stuff.

While I am talking about village life, I'll tell you a funny story, well I thought it was funny. Open Reach, the company who are putting in all the cables for our new faster broadband, has spent the last two weeks installing a large green electrical junction box thingy. It's outside my friends house, on a main road, opposite a long straight side road. A couple of days ago a driver who was not paying much attention to what he was doing, overshot the junction and ploughed straight into it, totally wiping it out and demolishing a wall at the same time. No, that bit isn't funny, the driver is ok by the way. My two friends, him and her, don't live in the house any more, they have moved to another street. Someone told them about this new installation a few days before, so she went to have a look at it. Apparently they didn't put the box in the right place and it was partially over the entrance to their driveway. She got on the phone, and after pressing many buttons she got through to the reporting damaged boxes department. This is before it happened don't forget. She explained where the box was, and was asked if it was damaged. Her answer, 'no not yet, but it will be'. She said this because they will struggle to get their caravan out and it might get damaged in the process. Well blow me down, she was right, it did get damaged. My friend must be clairvoyant, I think I will ask her to read my palm if she can see into the future, ha ha.

After lunch, which was a banana sandwich with lemon curd, no time to cook something, I went to Helen's to help her with the newsletter deliveries. I was pleased to do this as I really need to do more walking. I've been thinking of my next long walk, which won't happen till the spring, I have a hankering for another long one. The bus pass holiday was different, and fun, because I had more time to stop and chat to people, but I did miss clocking up the miles. It felt like cheating, like I hadn't achieved anything. Oh yeah, I did one day of 20 miles, big deal. I climbed a couple of hills in the Lake District. It was nice and all that, but it wasn't a challenge. So roll on next spring when I can get out again for some long walking days.

The time coming up to Christmas is the time of the year I least enjoy. I try and be outside as much as I can, weather permitting. From now on there's going to be chaos at the shops. Shelves of essentials are cleared to make way for the ever expanding array of Christmas paraphernalia. Roads in and out of car parks will be blocked and there will be jostling in the aisles as shoppers barge their way towards the checkouts. Let madness commence. Glad I have opted out of it. I just sit back and let them all get on with it.

Had a nice surprise when I checked the blog tonight, Jason has sent a comment. Thank you  :o)) I'm chuffed.

Some good news, we re homed a black and white cat called Lucky last week. He came to us because his elderly owner was moving into sheltered accommodation and couldn't take him with her. A lovely couple have adopted him, they live in a village location, with plenty of open spaces around his new home.
Toodle pip.

Brilliant day at Hull Scrapstore

Hiya all, I've had a brilliant day at the Scrapstore in Hull. It was very busy, there was lots going on, refreshments with scrumptious cake, childrens crafting activities, and lots of interesting stalls to peruse manned by lots of lovely people. The Scrapstore is in an old school building in an area where the housing has been extensively regenerated so there are lots of people within walking distance. We were busy for the whole of the five hours we were open. 

My stall was about ideas for art and craft projects. I wasn't charged a fee for the table, but I was able to sell a few things and donate the money to the Scrapstore. A lot of what I had on display wasn't for sale, it was there to show what could be done with rubbish that might be thrown away. Mind you I did sell some things I hadn't intended to sell. so I will have to make some replacements, ha ha. People wanted to buy the cat food pouches bags, but I held on to those, they are my props and I don't want to make any more. I hope people go away and try to make them for themselves after I explained how to do it. six of the seven fabric bowls sold, the only one which didn't was the biggest one I made yesterday. It was Pensive Pensioner who suggested they would look nice on a table with bread rolls in them, so if you are reading this PP, please email me your postal address and I will send you this one so you can use it as a guide to making your own. None of the bags sold, strange that, as everyone uses bags. I put a price of 75p on them, but no one wanted to pay it. I will put them out again on our cat stall at the end of the month, at the Christmas market. You will recognize some of the items on my stall. 

Some photo's of the other stalls. Lovely knitted items for sale.

This lady has written and published her own childrens books.

This lady makes beautiful doggy coats and accessories.

The Scrapstore Raffle was popular, only £1 and every ticket wins a prize.

Here is one of the visitors, I just had to speak to him. I love the way he is dressed entirely in vintage second hand clothes, his style is wonderful, very dapper. Love his long hair and eye makeup. Love his smile, in fact he made me smile. I love people who have their own style and are proud of their individuality. I had a lovely conversation with him and his parents, although I probably did most of the talking, so what's new, ha ha, and do you know what, he was just as nice inside as he was outside.  Pleased to meet you today, Jason, and if you are reading, take a look at Vintage Vixen's blog from Kinky Melon, the link is on the sidebar.

The best part of today was meeting people. I didn't need to push sales, I wasn't bothered about selling anything, I just wanted to inspire people to think about the rubbish they throw away, and the rubbish the good people of Scrapstore collect from businesses, and then get them to think about another use for it. It was definitely worth going.

When I got back I didn't feel like cooking, the weather is murky and I wanted hot food quickly. This mishmash took ten minutes, hardly any preparation and cooked in one pan. Two big mushrooms chopped and cooked in a little oil. Add lemon juice and some spices. Chuck in the rest of the pasta I cooked the other day, and some of the yellow sticker egg noodles. Then add the last bit of the curly kale soup. Sounds awful, looks horrible, but it was deeeeelishus and very filling.

Time for me to relax and put my feet up now. A glass of wine I think, and a look around the catch up channels for an hour's entertainment. Have a nice Sunday. Toodle pip.

Spring cleaning the sewing machine

I knew I shouldn't have opened a bottle of wine tonight, I'm struggling to stay awake. It has that effect on me, I'm no party animal, more like crawl under the table and fall asleep. Don't know what has happened to the old me, swigging a few pints and clubbing all night long. Now I can only manage a third of a bottle of wine, or one can of cider before I collapse in a heap. I'm a cheap date now for sure. 

This mornings sewing session got off to a bad start. I chose the fabric for another bowl, and changed my mind several times. Someone mentioned that they would make a nice bowl for bread rolls, and indeed they would, so I decided to make one a bit bigger. 11.5 inches square to be precise. I settled on the orangey yellowy fabric with green stripes, and a plain green back on the other side. I cut the pieces and pinned it together then set about sewing the zigzags along the green stripes to hold it together. Only it didn't go according to plan. The stitches kept missing bits, and it looked a mess. 

I had a look in the instruction manual, I never read instructions by the way, ha ha. It said that the needle could be bent, or I'm using the wrong cotton for the fabric. I removed the needle and put it lengthways on a pencil. Yep, it was definitely bent. Hardly surprising with all the hammer I give it, forcing it through ten layers of thick fabric. The needle has been on the machine ever since I bought it, about fifteen years ago, about time I changed it I suppose. I ended up removing all the moving bits and giving it a good clean, as per the instructions. You should have seen the muck in there. Anyway, with a new needle and freshly cleaned and oiled it now purrs like a contented pussy cat. 

So I got to finish the new bread bowl.   

It looks lovely, I am pleased with it.

Now I have seven bowls to sell tomorrow at the Scrapstore Christmas Fair.

Tonights dinner was the rest of the pasta I cooked yesterday. I don't call it left overs because I deliberately made enough for two days. I went out this afternoon and called in at a couple of shops to look for reductions. I got a cucumber for 20p, a lettuce for 20p, and a bag of egg noodles for 29p. Here we have mushrooms, still haven't finished the family pack I got on a yellow sticker, cooked in oil, lemon juice, a splash of wine, and a shake of packet sauce mix. I added some of the egg noodles and the pasta in the same pan, saves washing up. A sprinkle of grated cheese. I must say it was bloomin delicious.  

Anyway, I must get my things ready for tomorrow, I need to be away by 9am in the morning. The Fair is open from 10am to 3pm, so if you are around Hull, it's in Dairycoates Avenue. Hope to see you there. Toodle pip.

Sewing and eating today

Hello. I was lucky with the two avocados I bought last week on a yellow sticker for 18p. I love them but I don't pay full price for them, only buying when they are reduced. You don't get any indication as to what they will be like inside till you open them up. If they are a bit squishy they might have gone a bit past it and it's a big disappointment when they are discoloured. But as you can see this is perfect, even though it is seven days out of date. 

I thought I would tackle the curly kale today, also seven days out of date. I don't usually buy this, but at 15p I decided to give it a go. In the past I have not been impressed, it's too hard and needs lots of cooking, and I can't be bothered to wait for it. I thought I could make some soup and mush it up with the stick blender, thus making it easier to eat. I can't be doing with chewing mouthfuls of green stuff for hours. For a start I cut off the hard stalks, they are as tough as old boots, and look pretty manky as well.

So, the whole packet in the pan with a chopped onion, a stock cube and some packet sauce mix. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Quick taste test, yuk, bland, add pepper and tomato sauce and yogurt. Try again, ok but not great. I ate it anyway with a slice of seeded bread, because it's good for me and I don't throw food away.

This very nice piece of fabric is a window blind, I got it from the Hull Scrapstore when I was there a couple of months ago. I thought I could get two of bags out of it, so I unpicked the folds and the side seams and ironed out the creases, this gave me an extra few inches. It is not quite enough for two full size shopping bags, so I used every part of it and managed to squeeze two slightly smaller bags out of it. It is also fully lined so the bags are double thickness. 

There is just enough to make the handles.

Each bag measures 13 inches by 19 inches. Big enough to hold a few items of shopping. I will sell these at the Scrapstore Christmas Fair on Saturday.

Someone asked what a Scrapstore is. Take a look at this post I wrote in January 2010. I was a volunteer at the Scunthorpe branch which has now closed. This is the Facebook site for the Hull Scrapstore. This is the web site for Hull Scrapstore. And this site gives a list of  Scrapstores in the UK.  

Tonights dinner was pasta on a bed of salad leaves, topped with mushrooms cooked in oil and lemon juice with garlic powder, grated cheese, and yogurt. It was so so tasty. I think I've had my quota of greens today, ha ha. 

Thanks for looking in, Toodle pip.