Followers

Saturday 19 December 2015

Yesterday was a bit of a blur, it was my son's birthday and is always a bad day that needs pushing through. However I did the run into Pontardawe and spend my hours wait in the usual manner, trawling round Tesco sniffing out the bargains.

I found a few that brought a splash of colour into the end of the day.


This trio came in at £1.80, the Poinsettia has gone to a new home and the other two will be off tomorrow. 



This glorious arrangement was £1 and is staying with me.


I just have to dig out a suitable container, I will probably take some off the stems as it is a bit top heavy.

I found Raspberries and Blueberries for 10p a pot so there are some in the freezer, my trifle will have real fruit jelly in it and there will be Blueberry and Apple crumb cake at some point.

I watched Christmas on the poverty line on Thursday night and have mixed feelings and reactions.
The family from Cornwall really got up my nose, borrowing that amount of money to have a flash wedding and that pile of Christmas gifts was so stupid. The couple were both aware of the cost but went ahead willy nilly. 

The large family were living in quite bad conditions and with the older girls there the house could have been in better order. BUT they incurred no debt although the cigarettes that were in just  about every shot must have eaten up a sizeable chunk of their income.

The single mother who was off work with a lung condition confused me. If her condition was a direct result of hospital treatment she should have been adequately compensated. Once again there were adult children involved who appeared to be drifting around waiting for mum to do everything.

Employment may be at lower levels than for a time but there are still areas that are well behind the average. 

The most memorable moment for me was when the large family were snuggled on the bed with their hot chocolate while Mum read The Night Before Christmas to them. It was a scene worthy of H E Bates Larkins family.

I dare say that they were all very carefully selected to give the most impact. It is a shame that a family who have got themselves on a budget and live quite normally was not included.

I spent a little while today making cookies, chocolate chip and ginger, tomorrow it will be Gingerbread and Peanut Butter cookies. Fran has requested "a few" to take back with her and they keep well so I thought it would be best to get them done. 
I will put 6 of each into a tine for Maggie, she has a sweet tooth.
I am hoping that she will join us on Boxing Day, she is out on Christmas Day and will wait and see how tired she is.
The move has really taken it out of her and she has been in considerable pain with her arthritis. 

I have decided that for January I will be making soup for dinner every day and hope to empty the freezer out. If the weather is half way to being decent I will get some good walks in and get my fitness level back up. If not I may be looking for a Cross Trainer.

My crochet has now been put away and my crafting for the holiday will be a little cross stitch, I found a small kit in Hobby Craft to play with.

That,s it for today I need to get dinner on the go and try to persuade Ben that he really has to get a walk in soon.The last time that I asked him his response was to snuggle down further ans close his eyes.

                                TTFN                                       Pam 


28 comments:

  1. Green with envy at your bargain arrangement. I saw that in our Tesco on Thursday night and nearly fainted at the £10 price tag. I would definitely have snaffled it up for £1.
    We eat lots of soups in the winter. All vegetable based as I am not a fan of meat in soups. Nothing better than a home made soup to warm your cockles.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The arrangement is stunning, I have found a sturdy green vase for it. I di sometimes put chicken or bacon in soup but prefer just veg.

      Delete
  2. Think of you Pam.I don't comment much but I wonder at your amazing resilience.You're a very generous lady,

    Have a peaceful Christmas,

    Ann

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like to share a little joy, some of my friends are more or less housebound and do not have the chance to bag a bargain.

      Delete
  3. I have packed away my sewing room too, ready for visitors. I miss it already. Sorry to hear today has bad memories for you Pam. Hopefully Fran's presence will cheer you. I'm planning some Mary Berry classics this year keeping it simple and making things ahead of time. We are 7 plus 4 littles so it should be fun.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No littles here, bar Ben of course, I use Marry's gingerbread recipe every year. The rest is just a roast and pudding. Nothing new just familiar comfort food.

      Delete
  4. Sorry yesterday was hard for you. You got some good bargains with the flowers etc, red and green are such Christmassy colours aren't they? I've put photos on my blog of the lovely things you made for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Most of my Christmas decs are red, gold and green. One year I went mad and had turquoise and silver, it all came down on the 27th and straight to the charity shop as soon as it opened.

      Delete
  5. Hope you enjoy your cross stitch, I can't sit and do nothing, enjoy the season

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope that this will be the start of bigger and better things to come. I am determined to give it my best shot.

      Delete
  6. Rejoice in the memories of your son, there the one thing no-one can take away from you, you have found some lovely bargains and are so generous sharing them with others :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do my best Dawn, my friends may be fairly recent but they are all part of my life now.

      Delete
  7. That is such a beautiful arrangement! Pam, when you speak of Fran and Maggie...are they friends or is Fran your daughter? I probably should know from reading your posts but I don't. :) I need to make more soups.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. maggie is a new friend, made when I moved here. Fran is the daughter I would have loved to have, she lost her Mother 12 years ago.

      Delete
    2. Oh that's sweet. Thank you Pam.

      Delete
  8. Sorry didn't realise you had suffered a loss, sending hugs xx

    ReplyDelete
  9. Judge not, lest you be judged.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I comment, some make the best of what they have, some do not know how to, some know and do not care.

      Delete
  10. Hi Pam, such a sad day and a hard one to get through. Losing a child is tragedy. Xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are many thousands who have lost a child, and every one of them have to go through this. possibly it is why I treasure my friends so much.

      Delete
    2. You are not alone my lovely xx it's ok to sat it stinks but know there are us that empathise and hold you especially closer in our hearts because of it xx ( Lordy, I teared up then writing this xx )

      Delete
  11. Lovely plants and I'm amazed at the price. I do wonder about people who put themselves in debt in order to make a big splash at a wedding or Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We all have our priorities and there are many who do not truly comprehend what they are getting themselves into. What baffles me is when those who know exactly what this costs still go ahead.

      Delete
  12. Warmest wishes to you Pam and sorry to hear of your sad loss. As you say, millions suffer in the someway, but it mesons more to us wherein our friends are affected. xxx I don't watch tv programmes such as the one you mention simply because I know in advance that the whole thing will be skewed in whichever direction the production team want it to look, and so it makes any conclusion pretty null and void. There will always be feckless and ignorant and inconsiderate people, and always be poor and vulnerable and easily exploited . I do wish they would balance the books a bit and make one programs about fecklessness, greed and mismanagement among the rich and powerful - after all THEY are misusing and wasting our hard-earned money too!
    On a brighter note, I hope you have a very HAppy Christmas and New Year, and I'll catch up with you in 5 weeks or so. Lxx

    ReplyDelete
  13. Our memories are how we keep those we loved and lost alive, the birth was a joy I am sure. So sorry it is hard. Lovely arrangements. Maybe I can cheer you up you won the SMS giveaway at In The Boon Docks! I think you could use a little pressy.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Your bargain flowers are lovely, I just knew you would share them. I didn't watch the programme either because I knew it would be weighted in some way and it annoys me. 'Normal' families struggling to make ends meet yet coping admirably do not make the kind of impact the producers want :/
    Have a wonderful Christmas, Pam. Comforting hugs are being sent your way x

    ReplyDelete
  15. Pam, hold onto the precious memories. May those cherished memories always be in your heart and bring your comfort.
    I enjoyed the pictures of the arrangements that you shared. There is something about flowers and plants that bring a warm touch to a home.

    ReplyDelete

I love to read comments so take the plunge and join the conversation.