Saturday 15 December 2018

Oooooh.....that smells better

Heidi's poos are puke inducing if not removed from the litter box pretty soon after she dispatches them. In the time it takes for her to cover them the obnoxious smell has drifted throughout the house. Some means of masking the pong with another fragrance would help, so I bought this reed diffuser kit. It was £3 from Dunelm. They have got a good selection in there, I chose a cheaper one
In the box is a slimline bottle of perfumed oil, and on the outside are seven reeds. I had visions of the bottle getting knocked over or just falling over. What it needs is a wider base. 
I have a few of these round mayo jars, washed and put in the cupboard in case they might come in useful. Put the slim bottle inside, and pack the space out with an unraveled body scrub, luckily it is a lavender colour. Then I got six beads and threaded them on wire and pushed them into the top to keep the body scrub in place. 
Perfect, a more solid, heavier base which shouldn't topple over. If you wanted to do this you could fill out the space with sand, shredded fabric, buttons, beads, wool, or anything else which might look decorative. 
I had a look in at the Cash and Carry on the way to town. Found a few things. Mini oatcakes, made in Orkney, 20p a packet.

This is something to add to soups and stews, sauces, rice, pasta, gravy, and any meals. I've just opened it, its in granule form and smells nice. Worth a try at 20p.

Two boxes of granola, 60p each. I put a spoon of this in my mini chopper with the nuts and seeds, to bulk it out a bit. These two boxes will last ages.

It's very windy and freezing cold today. I've been out for my walk, in case I don't get chance later if it deteriorates further. I've brought a big jacket which is thick and heavy, with a furry hood, out of the wardrobe. I need extra protection from the bitterly cold wind. The weather changes from day to day, it was sunny yesterday. Oscar is snoozing on his chair, Heidi is on top of the microwave, have no idea why she likes it there, and Mayze has burrowed her way under the top cover on the bed. I'm doing some arty stuff.  ilona



22 comments:

  1. Lidl do nice diffusers, quite big bottles that last for ages. Our litter tray is in the bathroom and they keep it smelling reasonable sweet, lol
    Briony
    x

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  2. What a good idea for the reed diffuser. I've never bought one because they look unstable, at least with Obi Wan Kenobi running around on everything. I'll have to take a look at them at the local Dollar tree. I've some canning jars that would be splendid for this along with a bag of 1 inch colored glass beads that would fill it out nicely.
    I pulled a muscle in my back last Friday and finally able to walk without a cane. I hope to begin walking (Doctor's order) with the new year. It's been over a year since my Lacey passed, she was my somewhat unwilling walking partner it's so much nicer to walk with ones big 'ol dog than alone.
    Becca

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  3. I bought a lovely lemongrass reed defuser from a charity shop for a pound.Now as I will be having more visitors around this time of year I need to desperately help the aroma of dogs in.my house.It's pretty bad as new dog is stil l toileting indoors.Last night I walked from the hall into the sitting room and stood in poo and it was all wedged under.the door.He had just been outside too and I'd only popped upstairs for a minute x

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  4. hi ilona heidi mayze and oscar - i know where you are coming from. same here due to weather conditions its what we do for our beloved pets who have been abandoned and left behind. over the years all my pets have been abandoned by people who just didnt care. i wish this didnt happen especially in 2018 but unfortunately it does. wish the government would pass stringent laws in respect to pet owners and their responsibilities. have a lovely weekend ilona and your gorgeous pets. lots of love liz amy and bennyxxxxx

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  5. I am a regular reader, but don't often comment, knowing how much you care about your animals I guess that the diffuser is well out of reach of the cats, but I do recall something awful happening when a cat got some of the oil on its fur. I just googled and found a few things including this link https://icatcare.org/news/essential-oils-risk. It might be useful to another cat carer if not to you. Seasons greetings to you and the furry ones.

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    1. I think that Ilona’s diffuser is very stable with the jar she has added. But I appreciate your concern. A year ago I was excited to try the essential oils that friends suggested until I read that they could be dangerous to my precious cat. So I have given up the idea because my cat, now 16, is more important to me by far.

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    2. It is nowhere near the cats.

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  6. Is Oscar snoozing on his chair or your chair? ;-)

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    1. He's on his own chair. The wind is howling outside, I think he knows that he should stay in.

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  7. Helloo ilona:) just want to say a warm hello, and greetings feom from haduuu

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  8. Great idea better than air fresheners. Just a question, Ilona do you have any advice as to the best day over Christmas for yellow stickers. I am thinking Christmas Eve or do you think later? I will wrap up and walk to shops the traffic and parking crazy.

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    1. I think there will be yellow stickers as normal over Christmas and New Year. Maybe more seasonal stuff to get rid of, but even so, if they have long sell by dates they may not be reduced till January.

      Our Tesco is a 24 hour store, they start reducing in the afternoon, last sticker goes on at 7pm. I suggest you find out your stores opening times, and go an hour or so before they close. Sundays at 3pm as they close at 4pm.

      Christmas Eve might be good, but remember the store will only be closed for one day, so if the food has several days left on the label they will be full price on Boxing day and yellow stickered after that.

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    2. Hi there! Ask at your store and dept staff will tell you. Reductions can be earlier if the particular individuals want to get away quickly (in snow etc). Last year I got some free veg on Christmas eve; they were giving away to clearout before early closing. Best day for me has been 31st cos tesco shuts on 1st, and either shut or skeleton staff on 2nd jan. Mostly it's a case of going and being prepared to hang around by the y/s shelves!! Good luck!

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  9. This question may seem silly and please in no way do I mean to insult but have you ever considered "dumpster diving?" There are many videos on Youtube especially the vlog "Freakin Frugal" where people get perfectly good food that Aldi and other stores toss away. I was just curious of your thoughts on this.

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    1. I have seen some of the videos. No I don't need to do that, I can afford to buy my food. Our dumpsters (skips and bins) are usually under lock and key in a compound at the back of the store. High walls, fences, locked gates, and cameras keep intruders out. There is no access to the back of our Aldi store.

      It might be possible with smaller shops, their security might not be so keen, but I am not tempted to find out.

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    2. I am a proud 'dumpster diver' - not for food cos it's illegal; but a lot of my furniture/diy stuff has been found in the street or skips. Have found that people are more than happy(if a bit surprised!),to allow you to take stuff.

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  10. I left a comment about the perfume oils and our lungs, wondering if it's gone astray?

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