Stacks of sewing and some savvy shopping.

Another gloriously sunny day here in Wales, I managed to get some more HST,s sewn, cut and pressed. I think that I have enough now I am only making a small quilt.

All the squares are in sets of 4 and ready for me to lay out and start chain piecing. It takes an age to get them pressed and paired but it makes the next stage go so fast that it is worth it.

I had to do a shop today so I slipped off to Ponty and went to Lidl and Home Bargains.

From Lidl £7.96p comes from the food budget.

From Home Bargains £3.36p, giving me a spend of £11.32p, I still have milk to buy which will be another £1. Those Egg Noodles are bought for the store cupboard, 59p a pack, they are over £1.60 in Tesco and almost £2 in the village shop. I have some from a previous shop otherwise i would have bought 4 packs. The cheesy biscuits were also a bargain and have also gone into the stores. 

The greenhouse is almost there, I am waiting for 2 bits to be delivered, hopefully today, then it is an hours work at most.

The polystyrene box has young beetroot plants in it, that I hope will give me some late roots.

There is just some filling in to be done on the right side of my slate steps and I can plant up on the left. I have some ground cover plants, some cyclamen and primroses along with a load of bulbs to put there. We have rain forecast for overnight, if that happens I will get planting tomorrow.

The area behind the greenhouse will be cleared and I hope to have some first early potatoes in there next year, followed by brassicas of some kind.

 I am falling far behind in my self imposed challenge to make 100 items by the end of September, it will not happen. My aim is to use as much fabric from stash as possible and by making the Building Block quilt I will be clearing quite a lot, once that is done I have 3 tops to layer and quilt. This will also use a deal of fabric, I will be starting on Seasonal stuff in October, I do have quite  a bit of That Sort of fabric as well, some of which has been mentally earmarked for some padded trees. I also have the blocks ready made for Fran's Quilt.

Reasons to be grateful.

1.  A real gentleman stepped up to the mark in Ponty and stopped a bully from browbeating the checkout girl.

2.  The sun is shining gloriously.

3.  I have had lots of no spend days and today was a Low spend.

4.  My new sourdough starter is so vigorous that I will have to split it again today, I will make a sponge tonight and bread tomorrow.

5.  The smell in my kitchen is earthy, rich and sweet with just a hint of yeast.

I am really full of anticipation about this sourdough, It is only the third starter that I have made and is, so far, the most promising. I will feed it tonight with some organic rye flour which I hope will make it richer and deeper still.

It does take almost 2 days to make a good loaf but it also keeps well so there should be no problem.

I am off now to potter in the garden, more sewing later and a quick flick through my library books, Wednesday is library day, to decide what order I will read them in.

       TTFN                                                            Pam

A sociable sort of day

I have had a very sociable day today and a productive one. I walked Ben this morning and joined up with another woman walking 2 little dogs, Ben was so happy playing with them. On the way back I met Jill who lives a few houses from me, she invited me back for tea this afternoon and gave me a bag of runner beans. I also picked up a good bag of Hazelnuts, I am going to try roasting and skinning some, then I will grind them and see if I can use them in place of ground almonds.

My frugal dinner was delicious last night and very colourful.

The Bulgar wheat was creamy and the hint of balsamic in the roast veg gave it a taste boost, I did have a little more on my salad, I use balsamic in lots of things. I am told that it is wonderful with strawberries, I may try it one day but I am certain that it will not beat clotted cream.

I did some shopping today, Lidl for all the main things, their bread flour is 75p against 96p in Tesco.

I did go into Tesco as well and added 2 jars of crunchy peanut butter, milk, some RTC cheese (safely grated and frozen), a bag of frozen chips to use in my air fryer and some salad that was cheaper than Lidl. My total spend was £19.92 and I am happy, all I will need at the weekend is more fresh veg and milk.

The 3 bags of sugar are for Rose Hip Jelly and some more fridge jam.

The 6 place mats are done, simple and colourful without being too bold, my old ones were stained here and there with tomato sauce and beetroot, and had been washed till they were thin, so will become cleaning cloths

No garden work today it has been very hot but the greenhouse has been bought and should be delivered tomorrow. I am off to see Maggie first thing, she wants me to alter some curtains for her. I will measure and pin then bring them home to sew.

My Sew magazine came today and I have not had a minute to open it, that is next on my list.

Time for tea, a last walk for Ben and bed I think.

              TTFN                                                Pam

Dots Before My Eyes

I started my day in my favourite manner, tea lots of tea and blog reading. One of the ones that I started with was Lazy Daisy Jones, she wrote about a crochet cover for a wooden coat hanger. I saw that pattern and fell in love, it is so cute, then I read the pattern and realised that all those tiny shapes, all that counting and my big hands did not go together.

Time passed, Ben was walked, tea was made, sewing machine cleaning took place, Ben was walked again. I had a trip into Swansea, my mission failed and I groaned about wasted time. Then I spotted Matalan and sale signs, I am in dire need of some mid weight cardigans or sweaters. Success, 3 cardies and a sweater later ( for the very nice sum of £15) I went home smirking.

Food was prepped and eaten, washing up happened, Ben was walked, tea was made and Tiramisu was eaten, slowly, very slowly with much pleasure. The garden was sat in and sunshine was enjoyed. 

Then while my brain was on idle I had a thought, I have boring wooden coat hangers, I have a small mountain of fabric, there is no way on this Earth that I will ever crochet a cover for a coat hanger.

I nipped upstairs and found a hanger then dipped into my box of  Fuglies. These are bits of fabric that came free with something or were in the remnant bin for next to nothing, one or two were the result of Fat Quarter swaps where my partner has totally ignored the swap rules and bought the cheapest and tackiest bit of tat there was. I waste nothing, these become tiny gap fillers in my crazy patchwork or foundation squares or lining for things. 
I fished one out and found a small bit of lining , from a CS curtain and whipped this up in about 15 minutes.

It is not perfect, I did not stop to draw a pattern, just layered the fabric and lining and cut round a coat hanger. But with a bit of refinement and some batting and quilting with good fabric and some embellishment they will make good presents. It is Cerys,s birthday on the 12th I think that a set of these will be just the job.

Here it is with one of my super cheap cardies, I love Polka Dots and this is lovely and bright. It looks baggy and it is a few sizes bigger than I wear but it will go over a sweater and will be almost a jacket for Autumn.

I am going to draw up a pattern and try one with some basic quilting, once I am happy with it I will make some for Cerys, Francesca and myself, and they will be a nice Seasonal gift for my new friend Maggie.

I am claiming this as number 20 for my challenge.

 I do have 4 more of the small aprons from yesterdays post cut out, slightly longer with 2 layers of pockets, one of those is for Maggie.

Reasons to be Grateful.

1 . Lots of sunshine again.

2.  My pretty bargains from Swansea.

3.  The blackberries are finally starting to ripen.

4.  I have a dressmakers dummy on it,s way.

5.  One of my courgette plants has decided to bear fruit.

I have 2 courgette plants and usually that is enough, this year the only flowers that they produced were male. The yellow plant is not looking happy, if it does nothing this week it is gone, the other has 3 fruits and several more female flowers on it. My 3 French bean plants have flowers and I have 2 more sowings that look promising. The herbs from cuttings look good and my radishes are  continuing to grow , some I have let flower as the seed pods are brilliant in salads and stir fries.

I have been humming and hahing as to whether I really need a dressmakers dummy for ages, today I found one on E bay and got it for a very good price, it should be here mid week.

In Lincolnshire the blackberries will be nearly over, they are further forward nearer the coast here and tomorrow, weather permitting, I am off to find some ripe ones now. I want to make some jelly ready for Francesca to take back to London with her after her next visit., and I quite like it on scones.

On that thought I feel that tea is in order, I hope that you have all enjoyed your weekend.

                            TTFN                                          Pam

  

Not a Frugal Day.

A warm welcome to Nannastitch, I hope you enjoy the trip.

I do try not to waste a penny, I like to stretch a pound till it squeals, and then give it one more pull for luck. What I buy is not about what I CAN afford, but what I WILL afford. I bought 3 fillet steaks for £5 , they were reduced from £11 so were a good buy but.....I could have bought a whole chicken or a pork shoulder joint and the veg for that price. However I do like a Stroganoff and Beef Wellington and will get 4 meals from these 3 steaks. The biggest will stretch to Stroganoff for 2 and then I will make 2 individual Wellingtons. I will find RTC mushrooms and get them sliced and frozen ready to go with both dishes and will make the puff pastry. The rice is from AF and I will use a slug of the supermarket brandy that is for my puddings and mincemeat for " that time of year" ( I will not use the C word in July) I will use double cream, I buy it at RTC price, whip it very slightly and freeze in ice cube trays. Result 2 special dinners at as least cost as possible.

I went to Swansea to look at overlockers, I have never used one but had so much faff  zig zag sewing the seams when making my Duvet Cover Skirts that I vowed to buy one. I know that they range from £120 or so up to "How Bluddy Much" so I kept an open mind and a firmly shut purse. I went to Cliffords in Western Street and the owner was very helpful, he steered me away from the all singing all dancing £800 upwards models and equally from the less suitable but relatively cheap ones. This is what I bought.

It came ready threaded, most important, complete with book and DVD, not too helpful. I bought 4 large reels of thread, and he rounded them down by 75p each. I spent more than I liked to but I have a good, reliable machine and a back up support service.

 I am also considering buying an embroidery machine, he recommends the Brother as being much more versatile than the make I had in mind and sent me away with a pile of brochures to read and details of a website or three to look up. He would not sell me one today as he said I need to do a bit of research and decide exactly how much I feel that I would use it.

I went into a cut price fabric store and was completely overwhelmed by the mountains of rolls and bolts stacked everywhere, it was like being in the chocolate biscuit aisle in a giant shop, so much to choose from that I could not choose at all. I did buy 2 metres of a muted pale green dot to use for binding, when I use it I will share.

The middle of Swansea was a nightmare to drive in and I got home feeling decidedly cream crackered, I had a snack of a homemade oatbread roll with garlic sausage and salad and a snooze while my tea went cold, I drunk it as soon as I woke up.

 I gave Ben his bath and took him for an amble while he dried off in the sunshine. Then I came back, pepped dinner and read through Chickpea,s blog, I have book marked a couple of recipes and will be sorting the stuff out to make a rag rug. 

Dinner was a beef casserole with loads of root veg and I steamed some baby potatoes, cauli and calabrese, lovely grub.

Reasons to be grateful.

1.  Once again it has been sunny.

2.  I managed to drive into the middle of Swansea and back without pulling my hair out.

3.  I have a new toy to play with and get to know.

4.  I will have a big roll of binding all made and ready to roll soon.

5.  I have peppers on my plants.

You may have noticed  the plants in the background of my overlocker photo.

This one is a red pepper which is used to make paprika, I use masses of that spice and will save seeds for more plants next year.

This is a red chili of an unknown variety, it is loaded with fruit, I will save seeds from this as well and I will try to overwinter the plant.

If you look through the window you can see the stump that my new neighbour left when he cut the holly down. The growth that he cut is still piled in his garden along with the branches that he cut off the big tree further back. The leaning fence marks the boundary, there is a walk way behind the houses but nobody uses it so far. The little bit of building jutting out is the utility area off my kitchen, very handy for storing all the laundry gubbins. When I get round to it I will take some photo's of the house.

I am off now, Ben wants a walk and I need tea.

      TTFN                                       Pam

      

All is Ticketty Boo

It is good to see Blogger back on track, makes keeping up with post reading so much easier.
I am on the sofa, feet up, tea to hand an no intention of moving for at least 30 minutes. I walked Ben for 1 1/2 hours this morning, then went off to Ammanford and walked round for 2 hours. Came home had 2 cups of tea, all this walking is thirsty work, and took Ben out for a quick 30 minutes. I put a load of washing on before we went and hung that out when we got back. Then I was scurrying round doing lots of little jobs before having dinner. Once dinner was eaten Ben demanded another walk, I made him wait while I made and drunk tea. Off we went, sun still shining and were gone for over an hour, we met up with another dog and owner and walked together.

My feet ache, my hip is throbbing and the washing up and ironing still have to be dealt with.

I did get some photos and found a new footpath to explore, tomorrow if my feet are up to it.

There are drifts of Ox Eye Daisy everywhere.

And clumps of garden plants where waste material has rooted or off shoots have been planted perhaps.

The air is scented by Dog Roses, lots of rose hips for jelly.

Some of the biggest Columbine flowers that I have seen, about 4 inches across.

I took a new road this evening  and found this little stream trickling gently through the undergrowth.

Nearby I spotted this gate leading to an as yet undiscovered footpath, I just had to go through it, and Ben was equally  as keen to explore.

It curled around and I got another glimpse of the stream.

This little path curves away from the main one, I will be walking here soon, very soon. 

The day has been very fruitful,

Besides the potential supply of Rose Hips I managed to discover a long run of mature Hazel hedge, dripping with immature nuts, fingers crossed that I manage to gather some before the squirrels get them all.

Reasons to be grateful.

1.  Nature in all her glory all around me.

2.  The almost constant background noise of water splashing its way down to the valley bottom.

3.  A supply of fruits free for the picking later in the year.

4. Exciting new paths to discover, seemingly around every corner.

5.  New people to chat to and new dogs for Ben to  play with almost daily.

It is now 9:15 and I must get my chores done before I can so much as touch a needle.

Before I go, I have just read Stephen Kings latest book, the first one for several years. It was good, well plotted and had good strong characters but, there had to be a but, I found it very predictable. I picked up a Simon Kernick in Ammanford today, I hope that is better, I have not read him for about 4 years either.

           TTFN                                                    Pam

A Funny Old Day

It has been a strange day, I woke to pouring rain and leaden grey skies. This cleared to blazing sun and blue skies.
I took Ben to Ponty for his check up and all is well, came back and we went for a walk.

 I put the washing through the machine and got it out on the whirly gig. Then went off to Ammanford to do a bit of CS shopping and find a pair of gardening boots.
Ben enjoyed his walk round the town and was ready for a stretch out in the sun once we got back.

Later I took him out over the top field and he had a romp with two border collies, one black and white one red and white.
I am not sure quite how it happened but I got involved with the Welsh version of an Irish wake. The family of the Black and White Collie had lost their Matriarch last week and the funeral is tomorrow. Now I have only met the husband and one of the sons while walking Ben but was gathered up into the fold and I am going to the funeral tomorrow. As it happens all the people that I have met in the village are going. I can not take it all in, but it seems that I have been accepted already.

The friendliness has been a bit overwhelming but I am glad of it. I am sure that I am a source of speculation but I can live with that.
On to other things.
Yesterday I went off to Cardigan to visit James and Cerys and had a lovely afternoon. On the journey back I went via Cernarth and stopped at the famous Falls.

The long shot.

The close up.

A little information for the tourists.

And last but not least the bridge.

I have driven by the falls so many times and the light has been totally wrong for photos, or the car park has been heaving. Sunday evening everything was right and I was so pleased to get my photos.

They do not do it justice, it is delightful and the village has grown around the site. There are more places to eat than you can shake a stick at and it costs £2.50 to park, but still well worth a visit, I hasten to add that I did not pay to park, the kiosk was closed.

Reasons to be grateful.

1.  I begin to feel a part of the community.

2. Ben is looking good and will have his stitches out next Monday.

3. The sun has shone in all it,s glory most of the day.

4. Francesca is coming for the weekend.

5. I have unpacked the new machine.

I watched the DVD that came with the machine and did intend to try it out this afternoon. That has now been postponed until Wednesday.

Ben is absolutely shattered from all his play, Collies have much longer legs than him, and is snoozing beside me.

I am going to watch a TV program later about life on benefits in Wales. I have seen a few trailers and it looks interesting. If it turns out to be rubbish I will just take myself off to bed.

On that note I better straighten up the kitchen and get into my PJ,s ready to indulge in a bit of hooky. I must remember to post a pic of my cushion tomorrow, and the new machine.

                   TTFN                                             Pam

Sunday Morning in a Welsh Valley

I am such a klutz I managed to load all my photos onto the laptop only to delete the lot, tomorrow (weather permitting) I will start anew.
It has been all systems go here, curtains have been altered and hung, ornaments and pictures unpacked and scattered willy nilly throughout the house, a lost rolling pin that showed itself once I went and bought a replacement and a teapot lid that hid itself in my sock drawer. hmmmmmmmm I am not going to think how that came about.
Francesca is here until Wednesday when she will go to Cardigan to stay with James and Cerys. We had breakfast once she landed yesterday morning and then went to Carmarthen to indulge in some retail therapy. Joy of joys the Hotter shop had a 3 for 2 event running and much of the stock was on a good sale reduction, of course I bought 3 pairs it would have been feckless not to. There shoes are so comfy and wear extremely well, I have some that are over 5 years old and still going strong.
I will try to remember to take a photo to share with you.
Then we got down to the serious business of Birthday presents for Junior, once more deep joy. We went into Tesco and there was a small mountain of Hot Wheels sets all on sale price so we clubbed together and collated a selection along with some really cool cars.
I see some construction work in Jame,s future he he. We then went to the clothes section and lo and behold there was a 25% reduction on all childrens clothes, 4 summer outfits for both of them, we just went half each on the lot so simple.

A word of warning, we went to the cafe for a cup of tea, it was dire, it was hot and wet and tasted of nothing but the metal from the pot.

I did pop into M&S for a pack of tights and a couple of Tee Shirts, there basics are good but the clothes buyers need to get a grip on reality, I have not seen anything that I would wear in there for a few years.

My nearest shopping places are Ammanford in one direction and Pontardawe then Neath in the opposite, I have had a quick visit to them all they have their pros and cons just like most places. Swansea is very close and I plan a day there soon. There is a Hobbycraft on one of the retail parks that is high on my list for a visit.

Ben is registered with a Vet, they have surgeries at Pontardawe and Neath. I am very impressed, he has been for a check up and when I explained about his skin problems they had him in for a morning of tests. the results will be in next Tuesday and in the meantime I have some washing liquid and skin cream that has already had a calming effect.

Reasons to be grateful.

1. I am in Wales.

2. The weather for the first 4 days was glorious, hot and sunny.

3. We have had rain, but not torrential.

4. I love my "new" home.

5. The people that I have met are friendly and in the main have time to stop and chat.

My first viewings were not for me, not enough usable garden, a mountain goat would have struggled to access them.

I have 5 more lined up but not this week, I will be busy with Fran and the family.
Next door is on the market but the interior has been modernised and looks like a new build and is not for me, plus there is a large fish pond taking up 1/3rd of the garden. Ben would not keep out of it and filling it in would cost a fortune.

I feel that breakfast needs to happen soon, I have the Rumblies in the Tumblies as Pooh would say.

             TTFN                                                  Pam





.

Tuesday, Oh My.

Well what a day of contrasts, I walked Ben in brilliant sunshine, came home and put a load of towels to line dry and went off to Spalding. The nearer I got the darker it became and then woosh, I drove into a monsoon, a cold one. The rain hammered down and all traffic just stopped, I could barely see the wipers moving it was so heavy. 5 minutes and we started moving, albeit slowly, I was nearer to Spalding than home so gritted my teeth and carried on.
 The market was awash and stall were packing up, I went to the fruit stall as they were desperately trying to salvage as much as possible.

This little lot cost me a whole £1, the satsumas skin is a bit tatty but the fruit is juicy and sweet.

Before I went I got dinner on the go.

The ingredients, the drumsticks and wings of a chicken and 1 bacon chop from Mr S. A dish of vegetables, 2 carrots, 2 sticks of celery, 1 leek and half of a red and a green pepper. 2 tsp Chinese 5 Spice and a packet of Hoisin and Garlic sauce. All in the slow cooker, add enough chicken stock to barely cover, salt and pepper, lid on and low for around 6 hours.

Break up the bacon chop, skin and break the meat off 1 wing and 1 drumstick, add to the veg. Cook 3 nests of noodles and hey presto 3 meals.

The high point of my day was this, it came via the Postie.

My win from Sarah at A Little Family of 3, I look forward to trying it.

I just love raspberries and threw this crumble together so fast that I forgot to sweeten the fruit, I just sprinkled some on the top, it was delicious.

I spent over an hour on the phone texting Fran this afternoon, fine tuning the arrangements for her New York Bar. The course work is done here and has to be paid for soon, the exam is in 2 parts in New York and can not be paid for until April, the exam parts will be in different areas and she will not find out where until May!! That could mean 2 hotels which we can not book till then. Getting these details from her was akin to getting blood out of a stone. It had to be text as she was working in a "silent" area of the office. I tell you that I do not know how someone so clever can be so dense. In the end I had to "shout" at her to read each question and answer them, with no extra unnecessary details, NOW. I think we are on track and I will be transferring the course fees tomorrow.

Reasons to be grateful.

I am going to roll it out in a sentence, a loooong sentence.

I am grateful that I have all of you to vent this at, to release the pressure, I am grateful that you did not see my face, red and blotchy with the effort it took to keep calm, I am so grateful that the monsoon cleared and the sun blazed down so that I could go and stomp round the field to calm down, I am grateful that Fran is in London and not here tonight as I could not face a rehash. More than any of that I am so so grateful that I have her in my life to drive me round the bend.

All you Mums will know exactly what I mean.

I really love her , but there are times..........

I can write no more.

TTFN                                                      PAM

What a Wonderful Day

This morning the postie brought me a very special packet, well it may not be everyone,s cup of tea but it is certainly right up my street. I found it on Anglesey Allsorts on Saturday and it had my name all over it.

I may have totally ignored the stack of fabric ready to be cut for my next quilt.

I may have spend time pulling a wonderful piece of lightweight home dec fabric that I think would be perfect for the skirt and blouse.

I bought this 100% cotton print in Dunelm ages ago, I just knew that the perfect use would come along.

I also have some bright red polka dot that would be ideal for a lighter version, I will line it though as I can not be doing with petticoats. I have also added pockets to the side seams, on the polka dot skirt I may add patch pockets.

Dinner tonight was Spicy sausages and oven cooked chips, I used some red unnamed potatoes and was not impressed. They came from a bag that was a gift and I will try as many ways of cooking them as I have to until I find a way that they like. If all else fails they will become game chips and Bubble and Squeak.

I was talking to a friend earlier about our shopping habits, she was shocked at the fact that I actively hunt out bargains and stock pile on items when they are on promotion. I am certain that she thought that I was on my beam end.

Now I do not feel the need to justify my actions but I took the time to explain.

It is not a case of what I CAN afford but what I WILL afford. When I find things, that I usually buy, at a reduced  to clear price or on a very good special offer, I snap them up in as large a quantity that I can store. I am a winner in the game. If I have to pay full price I have lost. To me it is a game, it is also a safety net for the future. I am healthy and hope to have many more years of good health. If this does not happen I will have substantial savings to enable me to remain independent with support. Plus I enjoy it, I went to the Co op in Sutton this morning and large chickens were RTC to £3.50 from £5.00, all the same price but with a weight variation of 200g, that is over 6oz. I took the time to sift through and pick out 4 of the heaviest. To me that was a win win double. I could easily pay the full price, they are very good quality and a fair price but I like to play the game.

There have been times when shopping this way was the only option for me, certainly it was how I was raised. Now it is second nature to me.

Reasons to be grateful.

1. Today I made a convert to careful shopping.

2. Today I stocked up on lean protein at a bargain price.

3. Today I walked in sunshine, three times.

4. Today I had exciting post.

5. Today I started making a skirt, for the spring that is on it's way.

I have had a good day today, I hope that you all have also had good days.

Do I feel guilty for not sewing quilt blocks? Not in the slightest, it will happen and once completed I will be having a layer and baste day or so, followed closely by a quilting fest. I have not made clothes for a while and it felt good to do some "for me" sewing today.

I am going to look around for a dress form, I had one years ago and goodness knows what happened to it, lost in a house move probably. 

That is it for today, oh oh, I nearly forgot, I told you about the bread tins that I found in London for £ too much. Well I had a ride out with Nev this morning to a large rambling sell anything kind of place, he wanted photo paper for his printer and I found sturdy bread tins for £3.99 and snapped up 2. When I use them I will show and tell.

               TTFN                                                        Pam

Weather you like it or Weather you don't the year has turned.

And that is a weather too far, this morning started off bright and clear but by the time I had showered, dressed and made a brew it was 50 shades of grey, each one more depressing than the last. The wind picked up and down came the rain. Ben and I had a brisk 20 minute walk just before the rain started, I spoke to my neighbour Nev who needed some things from Asda and I offered to nip out and get them as he was feeling under the weather. Oops more weather.
I whizzed round scooping up the items on his list and then skidded to a halt. It was not a pretty sight I am sure, my mouth was hanging open, my eyes were wide and my nose is a fetching shade of pink (I have a bit of a snuffly cold)
Right in front of me was a stand full of............ HOT CROSS BUNS.
and to make it worse I could see a sign in the bakery asking for 2 racks daily. I pinched myself just in case I was dreaming, after all when I left the house it was New Years Day and suddenly I found myself on the cusp of Easter.
Had I traveled through time and space, was I hallucinating, had I been abducted by Aliens ? No, I went and checked the newspapers and it was still N.Y.D. 
I decided to ignore it, I LURVE HOT CROSS BUNS and as I still weigh the 11 Stone that I did when I took up the challenge from Frugal in Bucks

 I beat a hasty retreat, grabbed the rest of the shopping and came home. 2 cups of tea and I felt better.
To digress Nev has been running me about to walk Ben with Greg, his car is bigger and a Collie takes up a deal of space. He has a "back issue" and has been looking for a decent wing back, high seated armchair for a while, however the prices are prohibitive for him. I check on Lobay regularly and on Monday put in a bid at the reserve price on a really nice one and I got it. I went and picked it up yesterday to find that it was in As New condition and was quite ashamed to only have to hand over £7, I have seen worse on Ebay for 10 times as much. Nev is as happy as Larry, I feel that I have gone a little way towards repaying his kindness and the elderly vendor was pleased to get her price.
She asked me if I would like a rowing machine, that's right a rowing machine I was speechless but took it away as she needed the space. It is destined for the Charity Shop tomorrow, I haven't the space either, or the inclination, but I hardly ever refuse a Freebie. if they get £10 for it that's a fair bit of cat food.
Reasons to be Grateful.

1. A gift of a bottle of Welsh Single Malt whisky that will last me a good while.

2. A gift left at my LQS to be enjoyed as fabric or trimmings.

3. A pile of seed catalogues waiting to tempt me.

4. The small bedroom stripped and ready to prep for decorating.

5. Some Trout fillets for dinner tonight.

The trout will be sandwiched round a filling of soft cheese, pesto and spinach, wrapped in pastry and baked. They will be lovely with some dill sauce and steamed Green veg.

I am doing a bit of hand sewing, on my hexie quilt in spare moments I dare not sit at the sewing machine as I will get carried away and do nothing but sew.

Ben has been snoring beside me but has woken up and is staring at me, if the rain has eased I will take him out for 20 minutes, if it has not he will get a fast gallop up the lane and back. First i will swallow some paracetamol with a squeeze or two of lemon in hot water with a trickle of honey, Yuck yuck, yuckety yuck, I hate it but it helps.

              TTFN                                       Pam

A Misty Mellow Day.

Welcome aboard Sandra Sews, I hope you enjoy the chatter.
The day dawned, well nearly, it may have been dawn but it was so foggy that it may as well have been midnight. 
Ben wanted a long walk, I wanted a long scarf. 
Ben thought it was wonderful to dilly,dally and dawdle along just smelling the smells and scent marking every 3 steps, I thought longingly of the sofa and hot strong tea.
Ben won hands down. 
We had a little breakfast, when I say we I mean Ben, I settled for tea. A little light housework and a little food prep for later then we went out. Their is a farm shop/ garden center/restaurant/gift shop/foodie hall just through Wisbech and I have been thinking of paying a visit for a while. A neighbour was going so I hitched a lift, first impression, was Ooh this will be costly and I wasn't wrong. Having said that I picked up some cinnamon sticks at a very good price and a bottle of Maple Balsamic Vinegar at a giveaway price. Total spend £4.97 happy happy.

I came back in time for a quick cuppa before taking Ben out with Greg. Once home it was action stations, 2 spiced apple cakes into the oven and a batch of Lentil soup on the go. I had every intention of following MFin3's recipe but lurking in the fridge was a bit of squash, 1/2 red onion, a few sticks of celery and a big slice of red pepper. i took 1 stick of celery along with the rest and chopped them up quite fine and sweated in a tsp olive oil with 2 tsp ground cumin, while that happened I took half of 2 different dried peppers Chipotle and Poblano (bought in a Deli in Tenby) chopped them up popped in a bowl and poured on a splash of boiling water to rehydrate. Once the veg were soft I tipped in 1/2 cup of red lentils and around 1litre of veg stock drained the peppers and added them. I brought this up to simmer plopped the lid on and left it while i washed up and tidied round. By that time the lentils and veg were cooked so I seasoned and added a little finely grated lemon zest. it was very tasty and for pennies made 3 good servings. I had 1 for lunch with a slice of granary bread.

The cakes turned out well and I used the residual heat to dry out some bread for crumbs.

These will go into tins and will be gifted to my neighbours tomorrow, they are quite moist and will keep in the fridge for up to 10 days, I should say that they could keep 10 days, they may last 4, if they are lucky.

Cooking and lunch done I got the ironing out of the way before Ben and Greg went out for their second and final play for the day. Since we have been doing this Ben seems much happier and Greg is losing his um fat.

Reasons to be grateful.

1. Bargains for the pantry.

2. Lovely smells wafting around.

3. A happy pair of dogs, all wagging tails and bouncing around.

4. A successful repair to my wall.

5. Playing some of the CD's that I "found" again in my decluttering. 

Tomorrow I am off to work to see the Occupational Health Nurse. It will be interesting to hear what she has to say. I still have to take all my discarded stuff to the charity shop, I ran out of time today because I went gallivanting this morning.

I will be glad when the cottage is straight again, I can see the space that I have gained but can't enjoy it.

                               TTFN                                     Pam