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Thursday 2 July 2015

TV Comments and other snippets.

Yesterday was hot and steamy, and we had some rain. I did not have much to do outside so settled down to a sewing session.


kaitlyn's quilt is finished and ready to wrap, but of course I will not do that for a few months yet.



Here it is rolled up, I just love this binding fabric, I have enough to bind maybe 2 more quilts. I am not sure whether to look for some more or not.

I have been watching Kevin McCloud's new series about families who go off into the wilds to make a new life. It is reasonably enjoyable but the last one made my "Bulls**t" antenna twitch. The couple from Tenby have been living in Northern Sweden for 4 years, they have a log cabin with 1 log burner in the living room and a wood fired stove in the kitchen. These are the only means of heating, and they are only a few miles outside the Arctic region.
 They have no running water or electricity, even though there was what looked like a light switch on the wall. They also manage to charge batteries to enable the man to skype his son on a regular basis.

They claim to live on £200 a month and have over 50 Siberian Huskies to feed. They may be able to shoot or buy game, and indeed they bought a whole Reindeer carcass but said that it would feed them for a year, but huskies eat an amazing amount of meat and would cost a small fortune to feed.

After 4 years I will not believe that the woman has to carry 30 Kilograms of fresh water from the river daily, I would have a sledge to transport it at the very least.
I watch Mountain Men on TV sometimes, and there are families in Northern America and Canada with beautiful homes, running water and efficient heating. Yes they work very hard during the short summer and they eat what they shoot or catch. They all say that it is a hard but rewarding life and their warm and comfortable homes make it enjoyable as apposed to bearable.

Perhaps I am just a cynic, but I suppose it makes for good telly.

The Scrappy Trip Quilt was a little too small so I am putting a solid red border on it, I hope to get it done and layered tomorrow. That is going to be cross hatch quilted on the Janome QC, I think that it will end up going to James and Cerys.

Dinner tonight was homemade Felafels, salad and a minty yogurt dressing in wraps. Very tasty, very filling and cheap as can be, I took 4 over to my friends to try and they hoovered them up.

I had a look on the 'net at River Cottage Light and Easy, then spotted a new copy for sale via Amazon, with postage it was less than £6, and £2 less than their own price! strange.

Ben is snoring beside me and making me feel quite sleepy so i am off to bed, with my book.

               TTFN                                                           Pam.

Ooh, is anyone watching Love your Garden on the box, Alan Titchmarsh strikes again, this is Ground Force with Knobs on, £7,500 + for a shed !!! and a potting bench to die for, How Bl***y much for picket fences and arches, half a garden centers worth of shrubs and trees, not to mention the hard landscaping. I do like the idea but wonder who pays for it all.
Mind you I did buy 2 lavender plants this morning from Lidl with change from £6, last of the bid spenders





20 comments:

  1. You spend thrift you :-) I have been watching the same show on TV and did notice right at the start of that show when he arrived at the cabin there was a solar panel, but it was never mentioned, I did wonder what they do with all day sat in that in that cabin through winter apart from make some rabbit skin gloves :-)

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    1. I guess that he was running from something, I wanted to slap him and shake her.

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  2. Love your quilts so colourful. I have been watching the same programme, amazed
    these people survive ,but then we all could live with a lot less...Makes interesting t.v.
    Rosezeeta

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    1. You are right, but most of us want a bit more than survival. It may be interesting but it irritated me.

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  3. I saw that particular Kevin McCloud programme and thought similarly to you. I thought the Huskies looked half Collie and had no coats to speak of. They must have half frozen out there. I love the Mountain Men programmes and the ones from Alaska.

    Well done with those quilts.

    We are on the last bits of decorating though the garden has gone to pot (sigh) and today is clear the Junk Room day so I am hoping to be able to invite you and Dawn over soon whilst the roses are at their best.

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    1. I await your summons with bated breath. My favourite Mountain Man is Eustace, I have a book about him, the writing style is a bit off but he is a fascinating person.

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  4. I saw that Kevin McCloud programme too and thought the same as you about feeding themselves and the dogs (didn't notice the light switch) Mean spirited of me I know, but her constant smiling got on my nerves!
    Gill

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    1. Mmm I know what you mean, I did wonder of she was smoking dried lichen or something. My Ben costs enough to feed, I used to know a couple who ran a team of huskies in Norfolk, they both had good jobs and 1 salary went totally on the dogs.

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  5. The quilt is beautiful. On Sunday I cut up all of the red/white/blue fabric you sent, and with some other fabric I have, there's enough for a lap quilt, so that will be started soon - thankyou again for your kindness.
    We've been watching the Kevin McCloud programme too, and have found ourselves questioning lots of unexplained and vague things. It did make a change not to have people who have given up high flying jobs in London this week though!
    I don't watch the Alan Titchmarsh programme because of the vast amounts of money spent.

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    1. Enjoy your sewing, I think I would go crazy without mine. I watched this episode by chance but will not bother again, they spent more on that garden than I spend in a year. I do miss you blog.

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  6. All they do is clear the plot and add stuff no real gardening going on, having said that I did like the design. I could not live anywhere so cold, I did wonder what he was running away from.

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    1. I expected a lot more round the tree as he waffled on about it, at least another round of planting with gravel between the 2 beds. I could cope with 2 to 3 months of snow, by then I would have sewn myself stupid and started to go stir crazy.

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  7. I have watched all four of the Kevin McCloud's 'escape' programs and I can't see anyone voluntarily wanting to live in such a harsh landscape. It looked nice with the snow, but having to put all the outer clothing on before you go outside would certainly put me off. My favourite was the first one on the island, it looked so idyllic, but my thoughts always turn to if there was a medical emergency and they are so far away from help. I'm too practical I'm afraid. Still, each to their own.
    Do you still read David Baldacci? I've read a few of his and I have a couple more waiting to be read. The only one I didn't like was Saving Faith, it was a bit too political for me.

    Joan (Wales)

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    1. I am with you on the remoteness. Yes I read Baldacci, I have a new one waiting for me, it will not be touched yet though, I have not read that one and I don't care for political reads either.

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  8. They can keep the fancy shed and picket fencing.......I'll have Mr Titchmarsh please! xxx

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    1. Geoff Hamilton was my "garden crush". I met him several times at his garden. Lovely man and his son is a chip of the block, but not as dishy.

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  9. Yes, Pam, we watch 'Love Your Garden' and made the same comments regarding the cost and who pays. It ends up as thousands of pounds and, although it makes good TV, it's not achievable for ordinary people. We sit there saying "how much!??" A splendid buy with your lavender, now that's more like it!

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    1. My lavender is very pretty, I filled 2 pots today, pics to follow another day.

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  10. I would most definitely aquire more of the binding fabric it looks great with the quilt. One way to store it until you give it to Kaitlin is inside a pillowcase, rolling it as you have done rather than folding. We watched the first programme in the series and were not impressed, yes it was a beautiful island but my concerns were for the children. If you decide to live your 'dream' do it when the children are old enough to make the decision to join you or old enough to live their own lives and dreams. I found it sad the eldest one actually wanted to go away to boarding school. Well done on the lavender plants one of my favourite, we have bought a lot of our plants for the garden at the van from Lydl and never been disappointed. I intend gathering the flowers to dry them I love the perfume. Being fair skinned I'm not a sun lover I can't sit or work out in it, Mr B can he's very brown as are most of the neighbours at the van lol. Whereas I look like someone from the village of the damned film lol. My excuse is I have to walk the ops when it's oiler in this weather :) x

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    1. I do splurge out on the occasional plant, but it needs to be special. I swap seeds and cuttings as well as young plants. It all helps to keep the cost reasonable.

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