Yesterday, All my troubles were so far away.

We enjoyed glorious sunshine yesterday, washing done and line dried, ironed, aired and put away. Lovely. A spot of gardening, some ambling around with Ben, it was far too nice to hurry, a few jobs done around the house and a cheap, tasty dinner.

This was taken early afternoon, the sky was even bluer than on the photo. Then within a couple of hours this happened.

We did not get rain but the temperature dropped alarmingly and by 6.00 it was dark and the heating was on for a couple of hours.

Dinner was less than £1.50 for two, I had a cheaty moment and bought some chicken kiev from Lidl, half price offer and did a tray of roasted veg to go with them. I chopped up a carrot, a parsnip, a large sweet potato, half a smallish squash and 2 red onions, I also added a head of garlic separated into cloves but not peeled. I tossed these around in a splash of oil, some balsamic vinegar and a good pinch or salt and pepper. The garlic head was huge and would have pushed up the cost but was free. I went out one day last week to a "do" (also free) and bought a raffle ticket, I won a food hamper, fresh and tinned which will all be used.

I did take photos and loaded them onto the lap top which promptly hid them from me. Take my word that it was colourful and delicious. The Kievs were very tender but not so garlicky as I would have liked, I did expect this though and that was why I put so much into the veg mix. It was very filling and some veg was left over, it will become the base for soup with some stock and a few of my cherry toms and a tin of cheapo baked beans with the sauce washed off.

My new to me front door curtain is in place and looks good, I will repeat some of the photos that are awol and post later, It cost me £4.50 and is good Sanderson fabric, fully lined and still had the hooks in place.

My new crafty idea is about to commence so again I will take some repeat photos.

The rain that was forecast is here, but I care not. I have lots of things to do and only need to go out to walk Ben and we both have raincoats. I just wish he had wellies as well.

I had a very good enjoyable and productive day topped of with a delicious meal that cost very little ans cooked itself. Today I am going to cook some Lamb Chump Chops in the slow cooker, just as Frugal Queen and Karen of Chelmarsh Chunterings do. I bought a pack of 11 for just over £4 from Lidl, 3 of them will become Scotch Broth at some point, I normally use scrag end or breast for this but the celebrity chefs have promoted those cuts and pushed the price up, just as they did with Oxtail and pigs trotters.

 I do like winter food, a dish of something steaming hot with little dumplings swimming in a lake of rich gravy, heaven.

 Soup made with all the odds and ends of veg from the fridge bottom served with toast or a handful of rice or pasta added during the cooking time.

Chicken noodle soup, a stew more than a soup, made with chicken bones saved from roast dinners and hoarded like gold in the freezer.

All of these make my heart sing and put little strain on my purse.

That,s it, I am now in dire need of breakfast, oats cooked the Scottish way with water and a pinch of salt is my favourite, but as I need the calcium I will use skimmed milk.

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





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Frugal Dinner with "Jack" Pudding

I have had a busy day doing lots of little jobs, Michael has been painting away and ( I am ashamed to say) keeping the tea flowing. I did manage to sit down for 5 minutes and get a pile of the flower granny blocks crocheted. Well it felt like 5 minutes but really was nearly an hour.

I follow Frugal Queen and although I do not get the email detailing her " feed a family for £40" I wholeheartedly applaud what she is doing. Her  post yesterday talked about the media insistence that we should buy local, organic artisan produce and the fact that most of us can not afford to do so. I have to say that if I could afford it I wouldn't. I can buy a cabbage grown in a field minutes walk away for 40p on the market, 90p in a supermarket or I can buy an organic cabbage that has traveled a minimum of 50 miles for £1.20. no brainer.
I do buy RTC items but have a good look at them first, sometimes with veg it is false economy if the quality has deteriorated. I would rather buy frozen veg from Farm Foods.
I do grow veg, the ones that I love and are "how much" to buy. Sprouting Broccoli is as dear as fillet steak in some shops, I can stuff myself with 3 plants worth of growth for weeks. Leeks are a terrible price, I grow more each year, I am buying them now when on promotion. Salad leaves are very pricey, I sow seeds every 2 weeks into deep seed trays and cut them when 4" - 6" high, they regrow 3/4 times.

Anyway, today I cooked a very frugal dinner.

A small chicken breast sliced into strips and frozen, from a RTC chicken £2.00 cost 50p.

1/8th pack of frozen sliced peppers £1.00 cost 13p.

1/2 onion sliced cost 5p.

1 tbsp fajita spice, from large pack £1.00 cost minimal so I will call it 5p.

Pasta from AF rough cost 15p

Pasta sauce homemade estimated cost 10p.

I did not count oil for initial cooking as I used chicken fat saved from a roast and frozen in cubes.

Total cost 98p for 2 servings.

I had a very small cube of half price cheese that had dried out so grated that onto Michael,s dish.

Jack had a Rhubarb and Custard rice pudding recipe on her blog, I have Rhubarb in the garden, I have long grain rice 40p per Kilo, I have instant custard from AF, 50g of sugar I have no idea what the pudding cost, the milk was 50p RTC and there is enough for scones tomorrow, The custard came out of a tin 12p. I got enough for 4 generous servings so even ifthe cost was as high as £1 it is still 25p per serving.

I ought to have used a coloured dish, the rice was a very creamy  colour with a hint of pink from the rhubarb cooking liquid.

It was so good, I am serving the rest of the rice tomorrow with some mango from the freezer, from the 10p mangoes that I got from work last year.

Reasons to be grateful.

1. Another lovely warm day.

2. Lots of jobs knocked off the "to do" list.

3. Lots of painting done.

4. I cooked so Michael is washing up.

5. A stack of flower granny squares done.

Tomorrows dinner is a cheapy also, I have a pack of 4 100% beef burgers from the Co-op that were RTC 50p ages ago, I emptied the shelf and got them into the freezer. I am on a mission to eat the contents before I move so decided to have a meat fest. I will pan fry them and serve with fried onions, sauted mushrooms, out of the deep freeze from work last year and potatoes, either mashed or pan fried.

 I am off out tonight, just for a couple of hours, Neville has got his hands on some old western TV series on DVD and a few of us are congregating to watch a few. I will be the baby there by around 12 years, most of these were on the TV before I was born.
I have managed to ramble on and I am sure that I got side tracked and totally lost the thread, never mind, now you see what happens when I allow my mind to wander as it will.


     TTFN                                                           Pam

Saturday Sunshine and Monsoon

What a day of contrasts, we started off very cold with grey skies. That went, kicked into touch by bright sunshine and a brisk breeze. I took Ben out and he romped around the field. Meanwhile I got a load of washing on the line. I brought it in,ironing dry, and it is now done and tucked away. We have just had a thunder storm right overhead, with streaks of lightning and torrential rain. 
I have continued picking my way through the house and filled some bags and boxes for the CS. It seems as though the more I turf out the more there is to go through. Yesterday I opend a top cupboard, moved a box and found a bundle of fabric that I had obviously stuck up there and then forgotten.
I need to allocate a few days to just sew, I haven't done much in a few days but do have the urge to sew tonight.
Yesterday I managed to clear some things from the garden, broken pots, odds and ends of netting and fleece, empty compost bags and so on. I do grow potatoes in compost bags but these had been used 3 times and were disintegrating. This has all been put into rubble bags and is heading for the recycling center during the week. I must dive right into the shed and remove a dozen or so paint pots, these have also been planted up in the past but I have too many.
I have been watching a run of repeats of Doctor Who and enjoying vegging out and doing a little stitching. Nothing remarkable, just trying out some new stitches and getting used to doing some hand sewing other than patchwork.
I have been reading back through some of the blogs on my list and clicking on comments and exploring further afield. Some bloggers seem to have three times the hours in the day that I do. Perhaps they just move at top speed all day, every day. I like to be busy but I do have Ben to walk, cleaning, washing and ironing and so on. Having said that I start my day with a pot of tea and go through emails and then spend a half hour,at least, on blog reading. Naughty? maybe but now that I do not work my time is my own and I am enjoying it.
No photo,s today, I haven't taken any for a few days and my batteries are on charge, both sets! I can not think how that happened.
Fish and chips for dinner last night, it is ages since I cooked them it hardly seems worth it for 1 but I had company. Tonight I am having  Cottage Pie with cauliflower and cabbage and lashings of gravy.

Reasons to be grateful.

1. I am off to visit Jeannie next weekend

2. Washing done and dusted for a few days.

3. I am planning a trip to the big garden center just outside Spalding for next week.

4. 2 Duck Dynasty books to read.

5. My new Quilting book from Camille Roskelley arrived. 

I feel for those in flooded areas, more heavy rain is forecast and the ground is at saturation point now. I still need to contact the British Red Cross to donate my quilts, I intend to wait until they are all finished and ready to go. I need to get a wiggle on as my next projects are at the planning stage.
I managed to develop an infection which has had me running backwards and forwards to the loo. I am so glad that I no longer pay for prescriptions as I was given 6 little pills. I just have to drop another urine sample at the surgery on Wednesday. Don't you just love those dinky little containers,  obviously designed my a man with no imagination!

Right, I am off to make tea and cook dinner, well cook the potatoes as I made a batch of minced beef and veg in gravy earlier.
     TTFN                                             Pam.

When Less really is More.

When I was in Beckenham on Saturday I had a wander round Mr S's store, just checking it out you understand. I saw these and pounced.

The magazine is called "Live well for less" and there was a display of recipe cards with it, as you can see the key ingredients are mostly ready prepared or tins and jars. The most expensive was the Moroccan Lamb with chickpea spiced rice at a massive £3.36 per person. The lamb is meant to be 300g of leftover roast, I expect that they costed it with Leg, there was a long list of ingredients including courgettes, a tub of pomegranate seeds and prepacked flat leaf parsley 1.4 of a pack. Who buys those little packs uses a 1/4 and saves the rest, not me. if it wasn't in the garden I would buy a growing pot and keep it for as long as I could. Pomegranate seeds, I would buy 1 fruit and squeeze the seeds out.

The next was Beef, vegetable & ale pie at £2.97 per person, this calls for a 700g prepared casserole veg pack, a jar of cook in sauce and ready rolled pastry.

In my life it would have been breast of lamb, and herbs from the garden, chickpeas soaked overnight and 10 minutes in the pressure cooker and there may have been Pomegranate if I found one RTC.

The beef pie would have used a selection of veg from the fridge and home made pastry prepared by my own fair hands, I use a can of cheap bitter for beef in ale and freeze what I do not use. The 300g of left over roast beef would have been slow  cooked brisket and probably RTC.

With careful shopping and a meal plan you can live well for less but not from this magazine. What you need to do is go and see Frugal Queen, MFin3, and all the other thrifty blogs out there. Most have recipes on a regular basis, I am making new meals all the time from my blog list, tomorrow I am cooking Hoppin John and corn bread from Helen the frugal knit-wit. I have cooked recipes from Foster Mummy, Mum, Sue and The Iowa Housewife to name but a few. Now I am as tight as a duck,s bum, and they are water tight, and all these bloggers know how to make a pound do the work of 3 or more, and share their knowledge freely.

I think Mr S. should hang his head in shame, perhaps he needs to read a few blogs.

I missed this from my blog post yesterday, it is a stack of 5" charms and some fussy cut squares, oh Patty you are truly a star.

I emptied my penny jar into the counting machine at Asda today, I walked away with a voucher for £8.20, not much maybe but it was all 1 and 2p coins. With this largess I purchased, 3 fillets of River Cobbler reduced to £1.40, a pack of 3 Salmon steaks reduced to £2.30, 2 pints of whole milk 79p, a head of broccoli 28p and a cauli 30p. That left me with £3.13 so I treated Ben to a box of Bonio on offer at £1 and spent the rest on tins of chopped tomatoes, puree and boxes of passata for the pantry.

Now that is how you live better for less, There are 3 fish pies in the freezer, 2 serving size. Ben has some salmon for the next 2 days, it is good for his skin, and 4 cauli and broccoli cheese dishes are waiting to be frozen. My tomato shelf is groaning and I am a happy bunny.

To put icing on the cake I popped into the Co op and picked up some mature cheddar half price, that is grated and frozen down as well. I do not miss the copper coins and regard my shopping as almost free. I had to go to the bank so even my petrol was used to save money.

Reasons to be grateful.

1. Almost free food, tucked away for future meals.

2. A foggy start to the day that cleared to bright sun.

3. Laundry and ironing done.

4. New recipes to try out.

5. An evening free to wallow in blog reading, and maybe a double choc chip cookie to enjoy.

There is no maybe about it, I made a batch on Friday from  Baking Made Easy by Lorraine Pascal. They are super indulgent and very chocolatey, I keep the cost down by chopping up 2 bars of chocolate from the supermarket, much cheaper than buying choc Chips and make no difference to the end result. I get 10 big cookies from the mix and manage to only have 2, the rest I share.

I will have to cost the recipe out, I have been told by everyone who tries them that they are the best cookies in the world.

I haven't managed to sew a stitch so far this week, but the cottage looks quite tidy and I have donated a pile of stuff to the CS giving me lots of space. I do have a stack of blocks next to the machine ready to sew together in the morning. I need to earn my sewing time and can not enjoy it if there are jobs that need doing in the house.

Fran turfed out a stack of books, all in very good condition so I took them to the Library, some will stay there, some will go to other branches and some may be sold. I take books out regularly and like to support my local branch. Many of my friends do the same and we have an excellent range of books to choose from. I am sure that it all helps to keep it going.

Time for a brew I think.

TTFN                                           Pam.

Splashing back to Tydd

I want to begin by welcoming Kim, Bridget and Brenda to the "gang" I hope you find something of interest.
 Have any of you popped over to see Sue Baxter Wells yet? She has been leaving interesting comments on lots of blogs recently,  she  blogs at Brown Calico Curtains and hails from the top most Eastern Corner of the US. I have a question for you Sue. There have been a few comments floating around about "circles" what they are and how they work. Would you like to enlighten us?

What a wet few days/weeks, there have been a few dry bits but nowhere near enough. I feel that I have been paddling forever, even on the dry sunny days I squelch with every step.

The funeral went as well as these things do, it was a simple service as planned ages ago. A few unwelcome people turned up but were ignored and left to stew in their own juice.
Jeannie was supported well by her sons, David and Carl, Peter's Grandchildren Francesca and James and their dad, Michael. There was one moment when I had to hold Fran close but she held up well. She adored her Grandfather and was adored right back.
Jeannie wrote a couple of pages for the eulogy but asked Michael to read it out.

Fran stayed here until Saturday and we did lots of chatting and remembering, we also sorted out a car load of her possessions to go back to Beckenham. We were up early and on our way by 8.00am. The journey, thanks to Tom Tom, was straightforward and 2 1/2 hours long.
Ben snuggled next to, on and around Fran the whole way. We had a quick brew and then walked the High Street, I could not resist popping in one shop and they kindly allowed me to take these.

I was very good, thinking of my waistline, and only bought some chocolate covered coffee beans as a gift for someone. There were many of my childhood memories in the shop but the prices!

After all that walking our tummies were thinking that our throats had been cut so we popped into the local bakery and bought some bread and, shame on me, pasties. Not too huge and absolutely delicious, washed down with another brew they gave us energy to walk in the park.

 Just 3 minutes gentle stroll from the house is a lovely park. Lots of walks, some were marked as NO DOGS but the majority is dog friendly. Although there were loads of dogs running free I did not let Ben off his lead.  There was a lot of open water and many of the paths had run off water flowing across them ( lots of mud). We had to make a detour as one path was under about 6" water for a 20 yard stretch and the surrounding ground was completely water logged. There were several little weirs and I got close to this one.

A few steps and there was a plethora of bird life to watch, there are swans in the background who stayed well away from the hoi polloi. Too far for a worthwhile photo with my little camera.
After well over an hour we left the park and went back to the high street to visit the Sausage Shop, they make an amazing array of sausages from Plum and Ginger to Toulouse Garlic with 5 varieties of Lamb, in Lamb casings, and 9 Chicken types. There are also gluten free, beef, kangeroo and vegetarian. I bought 2 each of 4 varieties and will tell you about them later.

We had yet more tea and I left at 4.00, it was a good decision as the traffic was very light. I was home, indoors drinking tea before 7.00.
Leftovers for a quick dinner, a wedge of chicken and Leek pie with half a tin of baked beans that were left from Fran's lunch on Friday.

I had a knock on the door this morning, the Postie left this with a neighbour yesterday.

It was absolutely stuffed to the gills, and I will share it tomorrow, at the moment I want to lust over it in private. mmmmmmmmmmmm.

Reasons to be grateful.

1. An easy and rewarding trip to London.

2. A drool worthy parcel from the US.

3. Ben tired and cuddly after his busy day yesterday.

4. Seeing Michael dry and looking better for it.

5. James asking me to make a cake for his wedding to Cerys.

The date has not been set for the wedding yet, hopefully later this year. I have offered to share the cost and the work of the catering with Cerys,s Mum. It is as good a reason for a long trip to Wales as I could want.

That will be another quilt then, do I feel up to making a Double Wedding Ring?

Now I have a thank you to write and send off for my lovely parcel.

Stay dry and well.          TTFN                             Pam

A Bright Light to end the Day

Well, what a turn around the day became, from driving rain and gloom and doom clouds a glimmer of light appeared on the horizon. My Granny would have said " It's bright over Will,s mothers" a meaningless observation maybe but she meant that it would clear later and she was invariably right.
And boy oh boy did it clear, by mid day the sky was mostly blue and the sunshine was golden, it was still windy but pleasant enough to walk in. By 2 when I took Ben out for his run with Greg it was even better, no hat required.
I was pottering about a bit later and just had to take a few photo,s

As the sun started to set the colours were almost iridescent, my little point and click camera does not do them justice. 

Dinner was very good and very cheap, I found some braising steak in the freezer, RTC £1.58 from £4.58 and pulled an AF Madras Curry kit from the pantry, with a little oil, a small onion and half a red pepper I produced 3 meals like this. I am almost certain that the meal kit cost 20p each (snapped up 20) so 3 dinners for £2.00 or thereabouts. 

I finished off with some fresh pineapple, also RTC and it was sweet and juicy, I had 1/3 of a 50p fruit so my dinner was a bargain.

The other 2 are in the freezer ready for Tuesday, Francesca is coming home by train and will stay until Saturday.

As the sun set I had a quick trip with my camera, 

I have managed to load these in reverse, the bottom one was taken just moments before the top one and you can see how fast the sky was darkening.

I could buy in a better camera but do not have the time to invest in learning photography nor, if I am honest, the interest. Maybe later when I have scratched the quilting itch thoroughly.

Reasons to be grateful.

1. The day is dawning bright and clear.

2. My quilt top is finished and will be layered today.

3. I have a stack of "bonus blocks" that were sewn as leaders and enders.

4. I have had 4 days on my new exercise regime, from Miss Whiplash, and can feel the results already.

5. I have been given a ticket for a Country & Western night next Friday. 

The bonus blocks are a good start on the next quilt, I never leave my machine without fabric under the needle and I hate to waste thread, at over £5 for a reel, so as I sew I chain piece and only have 2 stitches between the fabric pieces.

I will take a photo of the finished quilt, hopefully before the weekend is out, I still have to find a home for it and I may have a word with the Red Cross.

There is a slight drawback to my C&W ticket, the driver has had to drop out so I will be picking up 3 peeps and taking them there and back, they are all friends though so I am assured of a good night out. 

My washing machine is burbling away and will be done by the time Ben has had his first walk of the day, then I will be off to the market to find a cabbage and in to the Co op for my milk, Last of The Big Spenders!

I have read several blogs where the writer has published a list of goals for the year ahead and set targets of so many blog posts, quilts, new recipes,books to read and so on. I sat with paper and pen and could only come up with what I have already said. I want to have as much fun for as little cost as possible and I aim to sew my way through my stash, making at least 4 quilts to donate.

I do not want to feel that I have to sit and finish a project when the sun is shining and I want to be in the garden.I do not want to feel pressured to write a blog post when I have nothing to say because I have had a heavy day hoeing, pruning, weeding or whatever.

I do not want to be regimented and, heaven forbid, boring. Hmm perhaps no probably there are many who have a quick read and think, My goodness what a boring woman, does she do nothing but sew, cook and eat! well not in the winter apart from reading and a bit of TV and lots of dog walking. I don't go Pubbing, Clubbing or Raving, perish the thought. I haven't been to a live music event for ages, I saw all the big names in the 60's and 70's before it cost a second mortgage for a ticket. I saw The Stones in The Park for free, I met the original line up of AC/DC when they were in my then village recording an album. I saw Meat Loaf when he still had a voice. 

Now I would rather listen to music at home, while I sew, cook and eat. Boom Boom.

That's all for now.                   TTFN                              Pam

A Dreary Dismal Sort of Day, but only outside.

I woke up to the sound of rain and an hour later it is still persisting down. hey ho it had to happen and we have had some very sunny days. I am stuck in all day waiting for phone calls so I don't mind too much. I will buckle down and get my quilt top made and decide whether or not it needs a border. 
I made bread yesterday using FM.s recipe, but of course i had to tweak it. First of all I doubled it and used 900g white bread flour and 100g organic wholemeal flour, some of the Polish flour from last year. My tins are longer and shallower than a standard tin so I get smaller slices, this suits me as I cut down on fillings and calories. However I gift some of my bread so I will have a look round for some standard tins. I have a recipe from The Iowa Housewife blog for English Muffin Bread, I have everything to make it so that will be my next batch. I really ought to think about making a new Sourdough starter, I miss the smell and taste and  the lovely chewy texture. I may wait until the weather warms up a bit, there should be more wild yeast in the air then.
I may or may not get a call from work today, following my last physio session I had a meeting with the Occupational Health Nurse. This had to be done as it is Standard Procedure, and has to be followed. The limitations on my return to work were put in place by Occ Health as per procedure ( the company loves that saying)
and HR spoke to me and said that a discussion would now take place to see if there is a job that will fit these restrictions and that I would/should get a call today. I have worked throughout the business and know that there is not, but I am happy to go through the paces. 
I found a recipe for a Chorizo and veg Stromboli and am going to make that tonight, instead of 1 large I will make 4 smaller and 3 will go in the freezer, they will be perfect for a picnic when I am out over lunch time, much better than buying  something out.
Frugal Queen posted a recipe for a Tagine last night and I see that in my future soon, very soon. She served it with Quinoa which I love for its nutty taste and chewy texture.
I will do my weekly shop tomorrow, milk £1 and a cabbage probably 50p, there is nothing else on my list. I will pop into the CS and check out the bed linen, I will have a rootle through for 100% cotton and vintage sheets, they are perfect for quilt backs as long as they are not faded.
I also check out the curtains, they often have brand new sets still in the original packaging for less than £5 a pair. Often I will use the lining for backing cushion covers, I quilt the tops, and aprons. The curtains become throws and pet beds, I wash them first in case they shrink.
My cold seems to be getting better but my ears are still blocked, if the drops do not clear them it will be a visit to my GP for a syringing session, deep and everlasting joy.

Reasons to be grateful.

1. A very low spend week in front of me.

2. The freezer level has scarcely dropped in 2 weeks.

3. I have 2 packs of cranberries, a gift, to make into jelly.

4. Ben is booked in for a trim with a local dog groomer, a 5 minute walk away so more saving.

5. I found a book in the library that I have been searching for.

All in all despite the rain it is really a sunshiney day for me, if I can keep my spending under £10 for long enough I can get several of the things done around the cottage this summer. All I need to do is draw up a list and prioritize , fixing my leaky front door is number 1 and I will be dealing with that issue today, hopefully it will mean a repair and not a replacement. I have a new garden gate on the way, my neighbour Nev has a "Handy Andy" sort of brother who noticed that it was getting a bit "iffy" and is making me one with wood left over from another project, as a swap for a cake and some preserves. You gotta love the barter system.

I think I better drag my BTM off the sofa and make another brew before I start this day up.
          TTFN                                                      Pam

Add caption

Now that's what I call Sunshiney.

A Rush about sort of day

A warm welcome to a new follower, Nanny Boo I hope you enjoy being aboard.
I had my last session with Miss Whiplash yesterday and it left me in no condition to think never mind write a post. I own up to the fact that, with every thing that has happened, I have not been as diligent in my exercises as I should have but whew, I suffered for my sins.
At long last we have a date for the Cremation, next Wednesday, so appropriate plans can be put in place.
My sewing is progressing I have 12 blocks assembled for the first quilt and will get them sewn together tomorrow.
I will have to be in all day as I am expecting a phone call or three.
I have been haring all over the place today, first off I took Ben out early and then went to look at Log Burners and booked a visit for a survey and quote, deep intake of breath. Then it was on to Tesco to pick up something for a neighbour, none on the shelf! Off to Dunelm to look at mats, I need to put one under the machine table my non slip one has vanished without trace, nothing small enough bar a hairy coconut fibre thing, yeuk.
A quick side trip into Asda for the neighbour and once again, not on the shelves. I did get ear drops for me and Ben, we both have Icky ears, must be something in the air. OOOHHH sorry. So the morning wasn't quite wasted. 
Back home, cup of tea and a speedy sandwich and then off with the dogs for a blow round the field and a bit of road walking. It has been another sunny day and quite warm really even when the wind started blowing.
I can not be bothered to cook tonight so will have a rummage in the fridge and freezer and if nothing appeals it will be beans on toast.
My front door has decided to start leaking like a sieve so part of tomorrow will be spent phoning round for someone to come out and look at it, Oh Emergency Fund how I love thee.
My spare bedroom will be cream and lilac when finished, I have a cream lampshade and rummaged through my ribbons and lace box to find some lilac and purple ribbons, these will trim it up nicely, a "designer" shade for nothing, well maybe a burnt fingertip from the glue gun.

Reasons to be grateful.

1. Sunshiney day, yet again washing dried outside.

2. A sewing afternoon with no interruptions.

3. Ben had 2 runs and didn't go into a single mud patch.

4. My decorating is coming on well.

5. My garden has paths again instead of streams.

spell check is telling me that Sunshiney is not a word, well in my world it is.
Oh I nearly forgot, I jumped on the scales today and I have lost 3 lb
it would have been more but I had drunk 2 mugs of tea before I remembered, oops.
I am off to see if I can find something for dinner, I will be glad when this cold goes and I can taste what I am eating, it does help.

             TTFN                                                       Pam

Four Down, One to Go.

Firstly a big welcome to a new follower, Hazel, I hope you enjoy your visits.
Secondly I have made a start on my challenge, a pattern has been drawn up this morning for aprons, this is for someone I know who is not very tall but quite round, she describes herself as a Little Norfolk Dumpling. She is not hugely fat but when you are only 5ft any size bigger than Posh Spice looks big. most aprons are too long for her so she folds them at the waist which means she loses the pocket and the top flops around. She wants 5 in the new year, not before as she doesn't plan on washing up over Christmas, clever girl.

I found a new blog to read from a comment on yesterdays post and will be going back later armed with a mug of coffee and maybe something " naughty but nice". I will set my timer so I don't outstay my welcome.

I took photos of my CS buys but the colour is not too good, it has been a grey day.

The colours are too dark, the background is much lighter, if it is brighter tomorrow I will try again.

This is better, I see lots of use in this double duvet cover, it is poly cotton but will back some of my vintage fabrics.

I have had my 4th visit to Miss Whiplash, 1 left to do in 2 weeks time, she is very good and is working out a muscle strengthening exercise routine for me. My movement range is much improved although I still have stiffness and the aches and pins that go with it.

Tomorrow I will be washing paintwork down ready for painting Friday. I have emptied my linen cupboard, now I just need to weed all the unwanted things out. How did I end up with so much, I'll tell you how. I have a friend who changes her colour scheme when the wind changes and passes her cast offs to me. She buys towel sets and only uses half of them, I get the rest. I have told her that she has more money than sense, her reply is that she can afford it and is keeping people in employment.

Reasons to be grateful.

1. A good friend with a generous streak.

2. A warm glow from my new stretching routine.

3. Ben is still clean and sweet smelling.

4. A pattern won on a giveaway I had forgotten about.

5. A surprise phone call from an old work mate.

I have a simple dinner planned, jacket potato, and salad, I will put a little blue brie in the potato, I got some less than half price Cambozola and it is portioned up and in the freezer. Sometime in the next few days my Co op dividend will be added, I will have no problem spending it and the money equivalent will go to my challenge.

I feel the need for tea so it is                       TTFN            Pam                    

2014 A Challenge To Myself.

I follow Sara @ A Frugal Wife, she has set herself a challenge to earn/save the sum of £2014 in 2014. I think that is a good idea and am going to be a copy cat. BUT as I am a bit of a control freak crossed with an overachiever I am setting my target at £1500 and we will see what happens. I will open another savings account and report my savings as and when they happen, this will be my Sealed Pot aim for the year I am not sure have no idea what I will use it for, perhaps inspiration will strike me.ed

I read a wide variety of blogs, some I follow some I keep bookmarked to find them fast. I like to read about what people do all over the world, I sometimes shake my head in disbelief but hey ho, if we were all the same it would be Boring. 

I started this blog as a record of what I do to save money, time and how I fill that time, usually sewing or cooking. I am not houseproud bit I can not stand clutter so I blitz through regularly, I take the opportunity to dispose of anything that I have not used or worn for at least a year. 
I try to keep my books under control, my cook books are the worst offenders, I have 6 out at a time and when I have made 4 dishes from one I change it for another. If one stays unused on my shelf for 3 months and is not used then it is out.
I have a large collection of music and DVD's, they are next on my "hit list" I intend to be ruthless, if I don't see myself playing or watching again then out it goes.
Over the next few months, I know it will be months as I can not remember what is in the loft, ( Bad me.) I will go through every cupboard, glory hole, storage box and the loft. I will do a car boot with what I discard and what doesn't sell will be donated. 
I have clothes that although I love them, I know that I will not wear them again. My linen cupboard needs an instant diet, I am sure the door is bulging. The only areas that will remain intact are my sewing and cooking supplies.
I aim to use my stash of fabric to make money towards my challenge and will eat my way through my food stocks. Depending on how much time Francesca spend here my food stocks will feed me very well for a few months, all I will need is eggs, dairy and fresh veg. I have plenty of fruit in store, either fresh, frozen or in jars. The garden will be rejuvenated and more growing space will be found. 
I have made a firm decision not to return to work and I still intend to succeed with this challenge. I feel so motivated that I could almost wish Christmas gone, almost maybe.
I feel that this will enable me to cope with full retirement, I am already planning my garden changes. I have a list of items to make from my fabric stash and I will be exploring lots of frugal recipes. I will get a head start on the food as I have been offered a brace of pheasant from each local shoot, and there are not many weeks without 2. I can get 4 good meals plus stock from each bird, and pheasant pate is sublime.
Oh my word this has become a ramble.

Reasons to be grateful.

1. An exciting challenge.

2. Lots of free top class protein coming my way.

3. An evening or three reading seed catalogues, lovely. 

4. A sweet smelling Ben, bathed yesterday.

5. A bag of huge pine cones, dried, ready to craft with. Free

I have just realised that I did not photograph the linens that I found in the CS, no time now so another day.

I will pop this memory of last summer in, two weeks to the shortest day and then the tide turns and the days get longer.

 I am making a stir fry for dinner and it is time to get slicing and dicing.


                          TTFN                                 Pam 

A,Lost Thimble and a Sore Finger.

I have had a couple of iffy days, backache and aching joints, hey ho. I am persevering with the exercises and reciting the mantra, No gain without pain. I was too achy to sit at the machines, even with "auto pilate" on little gem it was too uncomfortable, so I dug out a hand sewing WIP.

Once I have finished this round of greens I will do another in pinks.

That will be enough and I will square it up and quilt it on the machine.

I did a very easy, simple dinner. Tagliatelle with a sauce of little sausage meatballs in a spicy tomato, onion and pepper sauce. I used 1 pack of hot and spicy sausages RTC 50p, 4 rashers of bacon 30p, 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 green pepper from a RTC bag 22p, garlic  free from the garden and 1/2 red onion 5p, homemade tomato sauce 20p. This made enough sauce for 4 meals at 32p each the pasta cost 15p so my delicious dinner was 47p, round it up to 50p to cover seasoning and a pinch of mixed herbs.

 I had to bath Ben this afternoon he decided to jump into a very smelly ditch on his walk, Eau de Swamp is not pleasant I assure you.

We have suffered a minor disaster in the village, the shop closed on Sunday and by this morning it had been stripped back to bare bones. There is a notice on the door stating that it will open early January under new management, not really helpful to those who rely on it for everyday basics. Our next nearest shop is in Tydd Gote, about a mile away. No problem to the hale and hearty but too far for an elderly person to walk there and back with a bag of shopping and the owner is planning to retire soon. Bad and Sad Times.

Reasons to be grateful.

1. Ben smells as sweet as a flower.

2. My dinner was delish and filling.

3. My lovely neighbour Marina is still doing well despite the Leukemia.

4. Francesca is settling in well in London.

5. I found a vintage sheet in the charity shop this morning £1.75, it is in perfect condition and is big enough to back a quilt and more.

I went into the CS just on a whim and could not believe my luck, it is in the washing machine now, when dry I will photograph it.I also picked up 2 double duvet covers for the same price. I will turn them into something, they are soft and pretty enough for baby quilts.

There is a big appeal for the local food banks ready for Christmas, the children will be at home for 2 weeks and they will miss out on their school lunches. As I have all my cupboards and freezer full I will be doing a shop for them, I plan on filling a trolley and spending my Tesco points. I have over £60 and really do not need them myself. I plan on using £20 to double up for toiletries, I should be able to get a decent amount of smellies with £40.

I am hoping to spend some time in the kitchen this evening, I have found a few interesting recipes in Blogland plus I want to make a batch of mincepies for the stalwarts who run the CS. They were saying this morning that the woman who usually bakes for them has moved into sheltered accommodation and has not got the room.

Now I think it is time for tea, and lots of it.  Oh the blog title, my thimble is missing and as I am handsewing I have pushed the needle into  my finger tip a couple of times, not nice, I don't want to bleed on the fabric. I seem to remember hearing something hit the floor and roll on Saturday so the sofa is coming out later, fingers crossed that I find it.

            TTFN                                              Pam

PS Do you look at other peoples blog list and have  a dip in , I do and have found a few new ones to follow, tip toe through mine, you never know what you may find that takes your fancy.