Life After Money

Kitty Cats in the garden

2012-02-19T20:09:00.000Z

A straight hedge that's starting to get straggly bugs me, I've just got to get my shears out and tidy it up. The hedge divides the garden up nicely, this side is the lawn and shrubs, the other side is the veg garden.

That's better. It's been a lovely sunny day here, time to start thinking about what needs doing in the garden. Tidying the raised beds and digging in the compost is the next job, then it wont be long before it's time to start sowing seeds. The potatoes are chitting nicely on the window sill. I will be growing some veg again this year, as it saves quite a lot of money. It will be the usual things that I know will grow without too much mollycodling. Potatoes, beans, peas, courgettes, salad leaves, and carrots.

The cats are out in the sun today, Mayze is her usual mischevious self, climbing on the garage roof. Hey look at me mum, up here, ha ha.

Bugsy prefers to sunbathe.

And here we have a visitor, it's Micky on the prowl for food again.

Hey Missus, please can you spare a morsel for a hungry cat. Micky, you are always hungry, don't come to me with your sob stories. Oh alright then, come on in.

Mayze has other ideas, oh no you don't this is my patch, and you can skidaddle.

Lily was fast asleep in bed while all this was going on, he missed out on the fun.

I've made some more yogurt today, this time using Soya milk, I'll let you know how it turns out, it will be ready at 11pm tonight.

The maps are printed for my visit to Sherwood Forest at the end of the week. If there is anyone in the Edwinstowe area not far from new Ollerton, I shall be at the hostel on Friday night, and walking in the area on Friday and Saturday. I wonder if I shall see Robin Hood. Ha ha.

Here is the theme song from this popular programme, I remember it well do you? All sing along now, Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding through the glen.......

Policing my own spam

2012-02-19T14:32:00.000Z

It's gone, all cheer !!! That blasted new fangled word verification wostit thingymabob which no humans can read, never mind a spamming computer. Comment all you like, I will continue to dump the spam manually by clicking the spam button. Easy peasy.

Ready for the off

2012-02-18T20:17:00.001Z

I usually have a lie in on a Saturday, 7am in the week and 8am at the weekend. The phone rang this morning just before eight, flippin heck, who wants me this early, good job I am up. A mans voice said, 'Hello, it's the Tesco delivery driver, we'll be with you in an hour'. Sure enough, he was, bloomin great service I thought, better than waiting in all day for it. The man wheeled a massive heavy box in on his sack barrow, what a whoppa.

And here is my lovely new toy. I had to have a bit of a move round but I managed to get it in. I cleared a corner, this bit of the living room is my new mini gym. From this position I can look out of the back and the front windows. I've checked from outside in the street, no one will be able to see me as they walk past.

It was fairly easy to put together, all the tools required were in the box. There's a handy socket nearby to plug it in. The pussy cats were well confused with all the furniture being moved around. I can just imagine what they were thinking, 'Oh gawd, what's she doing now, I'm out of here, she's got that blasted Dyson thing going again, I hate that'.

Well that's me ready for the off. I've had a little go on it, and I'm not as fit as I thought. It's going to take a lot of work to get my leg muscles toughened up. All I've got to do is work the computer out now. This page in the instruction book tells how to test your body fat, I don't think my wobbly bits are the same thing. It all looks very complicated, I'll have to study the book.

So tomorrow I start my new fitness regime, to be honest, I haven't a clue how long I am supposed to do it for. There are lots of different programmes to play around with, I am going to stick at it untill I see some improvements.

A cheap and simple dinner tonight, not in the mood for cooking. Spaghetti about 5p, and mushy peas 13p. That will do fine.

PP asked about the phrase, 'Aye up me ducks'. It must sound like a foreign language to anyone outside the UK, ha ha. Sorry to confuse you PP. It's a Derbyshire dialect phrase, an old fashioned regional term, it means Hello my dears. 'Dead chuffed', means very pleased. Toodle pip :o)

Beefing up the money saving tips

2012-02-17T20:40:00.000Z

Aye up me ducks, I hope you don't mind but I haven't had time to prepare a post for today. I have been busy re writing the list of money saving tips which were down the right hand side. So many people were asking me questions about them, because some were a bit vague due to the width of the column restricting how many words I could use. They have now been relocated, and have their own page, with a link at the top of here. This means I have more space for them and I can go into more detail. By putting them up in the Gods, I can add to the list as I discover more, and share them with you.

There has never been a more important time to be careful with our money. Maybe people of my age are more savvy, many of us grew up in a frugal household, we learnt our skills from our parents. But younger families who are struggling to make ends meet will be finding it difficult to cut back, they haven't had role models in their lives, to pick up all the tricks which we were shown.

I worry about people becoming depressed because they haven't got much money. I want to tell them it isn't as bad as they think, it just means they have to make a bit more effort to work out their finances. They have to decide what their priority is, who to pay first, what to spend their money on to get the best value. My first priority has been to always pay my mortgage, I have never missed in 35 years. Second priority is services, gas, electric, water. Third priority is food, you can't live without it, though you can cut down on it to pay priority 1 and 2. Everything else is a luxury.

How many people think sky tv is a priority, new clothes an essential, and going out is non negotiable because they will do it any way whether they can afford it or not. I'm afraid some young people of today will get depressed over their lack of money, and fall into the debt trap, because they have their priorities wrong.

It's a shame that Super Scrimpers has gone off in a different direction, now it's all about make do and mend, which is only a small part of money saving. The cookery slots are ok, as long as they don't start using expensive branded foods, they need to stick to the basics. Most of the people I know who make things don't do it because they are skint, they do it because it's an enjoyable hobby. SS shouldn't lose sight of the fact that people don't have enough money to live on. They won't be wanting to make cushion covers if they haven't got enough food in the cupboards.

Anyway, I'm rambling. Take a look at the new money saving tips, you won't find everything covered there, but it's a start. Toodle pip.

The good, the bad, and the downright ugly

2012-02-16T21:42:00.000Z

It was a lovely day for a walk today, I think spring is here, so off I went down town. Calling in at the Cash and Carry as I was passing got me another bargain. The manager was filling up the new shelves, they are expanding, and he handed me a dented tin of red salmon. 'Want this for 50p', he said, 'normally £1.50'. 'Thank you very' much says I reaching for my purse, 'that will make me a dinner'.

There was a lot of people in town, due to it being half term holidays. They had kiddie fairground rides up the middle of the High Street. I looked round the charity shops, I am looking for a lightweight pair of slip on shoes which won't take up much room in the big rucksack, couldn't find any. Paid a bill at the bank, and took a bit of cash out. Bought a map from WH Smiths. Bought six eggs from B & M, and a packet of cooked ham slices for the cats.

Our High Street seems to be sprouting money shops all over the place, we also have loads of nail bars. Even though people may not have a lot of money to spare the nail bars are always full of customers. Strange that.

Anyone who is struggling a bit with their finances would do well to go to one of these places. Credit Unions are the good guys for saving and borrowing. They wont rip you off, they wont rob you, they will give you good advice and put you on the right track. This is a good shop to go to.

If you haven't got much money this is a bad shop to go to. These shops are for people who are chasing dreams. The only sure fire winners in a shop like this are the people who own the shop. You will not find the answers to your financial problems here, in fact you are more likely to come out with more problems than when you went in.

This is also a very very bad shop to go in. They put tempting stuff in the window to lure you inside, swish furniture, desirable home electricals, big TV's, everything you need to bring your house up to showhouse standard. You don't even need to pay for it up front. Sounds good you may think, but there's a catch. They then charge you an arm and a leg in interest fees.

Before you know it you will be up to your eyeballs in debt. This is a very bad place to go in. They prey on vulnerable people, throwing stuff at them telling them how easy it is to have anything they like. Lovely three piece suite, wouldn't it look nice in your lounge, try it, sit down and see how comfortable it is. What about a plasma TV, you've got to have one of those. For God's sake don't get sucked in, don't even step over the threshold. Go up the street a few doors to the British Heart Foundation furniture shop, pick out something second hand that you can afford to pay cash for.

Well that's the good, and the bad, and now we have the ugly shops, the shops that want to throw cash at you. You can sell your belongings here to raise a bit of cash, but make sure you get a good price, don't take the first that's offered. They also give away money, or they would like us to think they did. Can you see the sign in the window, 'Are we cheaper than Wonga? Well they might be if that's what they are advertising, but I bet they are only slightly cheaper, maybe by a half a percent. Short term loans will cost you a fortune, avoid them like the plague.

Here's another, log book loans. Don't do it, you will be sorry.

Anything to get you in the shop, dead easy, just come in and ask, we will give you anything you want. Look at the interest rate.

This is a good one, instant cash. Then it tells you how to qualify. You can walk away with the cash today. Yes, and you'll be paying for it for the rest of your life, it doesn't mention that bit.

Here's a few figures for you. Borrow £15,000 for seven months and pay back £18,000. Do it if you want to throw away £3,000.

The sign in the window offers Payday loans. Another expensive way of borrowing.

I can't give you any figures for the loans that these shops are offering but if you go onto Money Saving Expert forum, you will find these loan companies are mentioned over and over again by people who have got themselves in a mess with their finances. For anyone struggling to make ends meet, getting a short term loan is not the answer, it inevitably leads to misery. The sooner a problem is recognised the better, seek help and advice early, burying ones head in the sand only delays the inevitable. Tackling it head on is best.

I've found an Asian shop, it's in a side road just off the High Street. Worth a look. I bought two tins of chick peas at 39p each, a lot cheaper than anywhere else. Also three tins of black eye beans for £1. Think I'll stick to the tinned version much easier than faffing around with the dried.

I will add this shop to my list for cherry picking bargains, and call in again when I am in town. Toodle pip.

Working up a sweat

2012-02-15T17:13:00.003Z

I haven't been doing as much walking as I should do. There's been some dog walking but that's only around the local area, and not as taxing as a longish hike. I don't like walking on snow and ice, not much fun skidding and sliding all over the place, and I must admit the cold weather has put me off a bit. Sounds like a pathetic excuse really, but it's easy to sit tight in the house wearing lots of layers when it's flippin freezing outside.

I'm worried that my muscles might be getting a bit sloppy, I need to tone up in readiness for some long walks. I have an idea, what about keeping fit in the privacy of my own house. I need a cross trainer...........

photo borrowed from Tesco web site

If it's good enough for Kelly it's good enough for me. Yes I have gone mad and splashed out on my own personal gym. I love cross trainers. This one has good reviews, it is not that expensive, even cheaper for me because I have used all my Tesco vouchers, £57, as part payment.

I am so excited, can't wait for it to be delivered on Saturday. I will set it up in my front room, and listen to the radio or look out of the window while I am using it, and I am going to keep a notebook close by to log the times I am on it.

It will be great to hop on it every day, several times a day in fact, because it will certainly warm me up if I feel a bit chilly. Won't need to put the heating on ever again, just work up a sweat on the trainer. Whooopeeeeee.

Happy Valentines Day

2012-02-14T21:06:00.000Z

Tis better to have loved and lost........

Than to have never loved at all.

Alfred Lord Tennyson. In Memoriam 1850

Home made yogurt anyone?

2012-02-13T13:16:00.003Z

I mentioned that I was going to have a go at making my own yogurt in a slow cooker. I happened to come across this method whilst bloggy browsing, and blow me, I can't remember which blog it was. Never mind, it encouraged me to look for further information, which I found on youtube. There's plenty on there to get you going.

This is how I did it, not sticking exactly to their method, but then when do I ever copy anything exactly, ha ha. Ingredients - Coffee Mate, you can use any dried milk powder, carton of cheap natural yogurt, just under two pints of normal whole milk, yellow sticker at 40p.

Step 1. Pour the milk into the slow cooker, or crockpot as they call it in the US. Switch on, leave for 2hr 30mins, should be 180 degrees. My slow cooker is old so I wasn't sure of the temperature and I don't have a thermometer.

Step 2. Unplug and leave for 3 hrs.

Step 3. Add half a pot of natural yogurt, and two dessertspoonfulls of powdered milk. Stir, mix thoroughly. On the vid they ladled some milk out of the pot into a jug to do the mixing bit, but I can't see the point of this, only makes for more washing up.

Step 4. Wrap slow cooker in a blanket and leave for 8 hrs. Mine had cooled right down at this point, so, as it is an ancient pot I switched it back on again for 30 minutes just to warm it slightly. then I put it in the airing cupboard wrapped up.

I was supposed to take it out at 2am, but thought blow that for a game of soldiers, I am not getting up just for that, it will have to stay there all night. As it happened Lily cat did a stinky whoopsie in the litter box at about 3.30am, so I had to get up to remove that. I also moved the cooker into the front porch because the next step is put the yogurt into jars and store in the fridge. The porch is cold so that will have to do, I'm not faffing about now, the fridge is full, so it will have to wait till morning. Back to my warm bed.

This morning I couldn't wait to see if it has worked. I dipped a spoon in, and hey, yippeeeee, I have a pot full of yogurt, and it tastes mighty nice.

You can put it into glass jars, sterilised first, but I don't have any so I used drinking glasses with lids. In the right hand one I chopped up some reduced price cherries and added them, along with a teaspoon of home made elderberry juice to give it a lovely fruity colour. I will add other fruit to the plain ones as I use them.

This is something I shall be doing again. It works perfectly well with the cheap Value yogurt, but I'm wondering if a better quality thicker yogurt would give a creamier taste. On some of the youtube vids they don't add powdered milk, I think it is used to give a thicker consistency, maybe something to experiment with. I think you can use any kind of milk, soya is also ok.

If you are going to try this I would suggest you start it off in the morning because the whole process takes approximately 14 hours. Or start late, do step 1, 2, and 3, before you go to bed and leave it overnight.

As a single person I think this might not be as cost effective as it would be for a family, unless you eat yogurt every day. For smaller quantities it might be just as cheap to buy the Value yogurt and add your own fruit to that. Also if you can't find any reduced price milk that would bump up the cost. However, once you have made your first batch the idea is to save some of that to use as a starter for the next batch. You can freeze it if you don't want to use it straight away, so for the second batch you would only be buying the milk, and the cost of the dried milk is negligible if you were to use it.

Take a look at some of the other videos, there are plenty of ideas out there.

Getting to grips with rugby

2012-02-12T16:18:00.023Z

Good afternoon, the snow is starting to melt, yipeeeeeee :o) I felt a bit dog rough when I woke up this morning, is this a mini hangover I wondered, hhmm, don't know how that has happened. Surely I can drink two pints of cider without any ill effects, seems not, unless someone spiked my drinks. A quick dash to the lavvy was necessary, flippin heck, my head was fuzzy.

I had forgotten I was due to go out last night. In the afternoon I took Rocky dog a walk, then popped across the road to have a natter with my friend Barry. He was watching rugby on the tele, England v Italy, playing at Rome. I kept glancing across at it in between talking, and I noticed how hunky the Italians are. Italian stallion came to mind, ha ha, I like a beefy man. They were charging about getting all sweaty, the steam was coming off them in the cold air. Couldn't take my eyes off them.

Now I know nothing about rugby, except they use a funny shaped ball, and they have big punch ups on the pitch. Well not quite that violent but there is a lot of throwing themselves on top of each other in a big pile. Barry explained what was going on and how they score the points. In the beginning England was in front, then Italy had a run of good luck and took the lead. It looked as if we were on the way to losing. Then there was a clever intervention and England took the lead again. This gave the team a big confidence boost and they went on to score again and keep hold of the lead. Yay, good old England we won.

Bye this time I was hungry so it was home for dinner. Just as I sat down to eat the phone rang, it was Julie, ringing to confirm our meet up time in the local pub. Oh heck, I had completely forgotten about that. I am just not used to going out at night. We agreed on 8.15pm. I am also not used to spending hours getting ready, so it's just a quick splash in the bathroom, a quick splodge of roll on deodorant under the armpits, and change of clothes. That's it, don't do make up, fancy hair do's, ha ha.

It was a lovely night, we had a couple of drinks and a natter, then more friends of Julie's came in, they were celebrating a 70th birthday. It ended up quite a friendly party, it was nice to socialise with people from the village and meet new people, catch up on who's doing what. Someone asked if I wanted a drink, I should have said no, or gone onto fruit juice, but I said yes please, I'll have another half of cider. It was my fourth glass so I should have been alright.

However, I did find myself rambling on and on to anyone who would listen, as the alcohol loosened my tongue even more. I could feel myself playing to an audience again, stories came into my head which had to be told. One man kept pigeons so that was a cue to recall a story about a man I met from Reading, who had photographs of his pigeons all over his house. A night I shall not forget in a hurry, don't ask, ha ha.

Anyway, just like Cinderella, Julie and me were ready to go home, the crowd were going on to someones house to continue the party. We were invited but we both felt we were ready for our beds. Besides, I think everyone had had enough of me, there's nothing worse than a boring drunk, ha ha.

I don't think my body can tolerate alcohol any more. I only had two pints, I used to be able to sink four or five in one night. Years ago it was fun to get a bit tiddly, now I hate it when my brain becomes befuddled through booze. In fact I have cut it right down because I like to be in full control of my faculties. My only intake these days is one can of cider every two or three weeks, and the ocassional bottle of wine which lasts three days. Last night was an exception, I wont be repeating it. I think it's best if I only have fruit juice if I go in a pub again.

Anyway you will be pleased to know that my mini hangover didn't last very long. After a mug of coffee and a bowl of bran flakes I felt a whole lot better.

Here's a little bit of fun for you, no prizes. Can you guess what this is. Sorry the pic is a bit fuzzy, I took it this morning, ha ha.

Truck driving women

2012-02-11T11:10:00.000Z

This has been on my mind so I'll post on it. Several people told me about a programme on Channel 4 called MotherTruckers, thanks Jules and Don't unplug your hub, I watched it last night on 4oD. My first thoughts were why do they even have to make a programme about women working in a male dominated profession, surely all is equal now after all these years. As usual they use the same old cliche 'working in a man's world'. I want to shout at the screen, haven't I been saying for years there is no such thing as men's jobs and women's jobs, there are jobs for everyone. But that is Channel 4 for you, using emotive words for dramatic effect. You have to take what they say with a pinch of salt. The title of the programme leaves it wide open to abusive comments, it is truly awful.

The women they have chosen for this programme, and I think it may be a series, are a mixed bunch, but hey such is life, we are all a mixed bunch. I have met Wendy the instructor at truck shows, in the past. At the beginning I thought, here we go again, I've heard it all before. The aspirations of women who have a passion for their job, the struggles to get accepted, the loneliness, and the joy of finding other women who have the same passion. It brought back all my memories of my Lady Truckers Club, the club I founded in 1986.

I remember well the thrill I got from driving a 40 ton articulated truck around the country, sleeping in it, waking up and for a few seconds wondering where I was. Camping out in layby's and truckstops, being one of the lads and having a pint or two. I like to think I did my bit fighting for the rights of women to drive trucks. I ran the club single handed for seven years, built it up from nothing to over 350 members nationwide. An achievement I am proud of.

The programme, my thoughts. I kind of warmed to it as it went on, as I got to know the characters, and what was going on in their lives. It kind of made them human, not robots sitting in a cab for hours on end. I felt Vikki Marie the transexual was put in for novelty value, a cheap trick which Channel 4 is famous for. This wasn't new to me, we had a male to female transexual in my Lady Truckers Club years ago, so wake up Channel 4. I have every respect for people who undergo gender reassignment, she was very brave to take part. We also had a mother who took her young daughter out with her in a baby seat in her own truck, so nothing new there. I also know of two other female instructors, one of whom has her own truck. The girly night was funny and showed that although they are truckers they still have a feminine side, and do not have to behave like men all the time.

All in all the programme was entertaining, it was made for the general public and not just for truckers, and I am sure many people would have enjoyed it. How did I feel at the end of it, I felt very sad. Sad that I am no longer one of the girls. It's nice to see young up and coming ladies just starting out in their career, but it brings it home to me that I am getting older and my career is over. For a while I wanted to be back there, I wanted to sit in a truck again. I know just how that young lady felt as she came to a halt on the M62 as she hit the back if a traffic jam, I remember it well. She lives in my local area though I don't know her.

After watching I went onto a truckers forum to read what they were saying about it. I am sad to say I was horrified by their cruel and vile words, words that I would not to wish to inflict on my readers here. If you have a vivid imagination you might guess what they wrote. Basically they pulled the whole programme to pieces. A lot of their vitriol was aimed at the physical appearance of the women, Wendy, as an older lady, got a slating, as did Vikki Marie. They also leered at the younger women, treating them as slabs of meat rather than human beings, if you get my drift, typical tabloid newspaper garbage. They poked fun at the girls efforts to master the art of driving a large vehicle, forgetting that they once had to go through the process of learning. I suppose they were perfect from day one.

I am very disappointed to learn that sex discrimination in transport is still rife after all these years, but as long as some men have their brains in their testicles, things will not change. I've a good mind to resurrect the original Lady Truckers Club, just to let these testosterone fuelled truckers know that I am back with a vengeance. I'm going to have to stop now before I explode.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/mothertruckers/4od

Another shopping post...Ilona style

2012-02-10T15:35:00.007Z

I'm jumping for joy, the little job I had to do turned into a great money saving excercise. First I had to dig the car out of the snow, that took an hour. Then I gave my friends a lift to the station, they are on a train to London, probably arrived by now.

On the return journey I made a split second decision. Although I don't need to buy any more food, I remembered my mantra, 'pop in if you are passing, you never know what you might find'. I'm glad I did that left turn at the traffic lights and popped in the little Asda store which used to be a Netto.

Heading straight for the reduced, looking for the yellow stickers, I found 2 pints of milk for 40p so I bought two. I'm going to have a go at making yogurt in a slow cooker, I've seen the instructions on a web site somewhere. Then I was a bit naughty, and picked up an apple pie baked instore, at half price 50p. I don't do any baking myself so this will be a nice treat.

Next door is Poundstretcher, had to have a look in there didn't I, as I was passing. Lucky I did because I remembered I had to get my seed potatoes, need to start them chitting. Got two bags, ten in each for £3. That will give me all my spuds for the summer. Also picked up a packet of courgette seeds, and cucumber as well, 50p each.

When I got to the the till to pay, the young lady asked if I wanted any coffee, it was a special price as it is about to go out of date. Normally if I hear the words, 'would you like', my immediate response is no thank you. But then I thought, hang on a minute, it is Nescafe which I drink anyway, and they are selling it for £1.29 instead of £2.59. A good saving so I took two. I know I didn't go in for that, but I see it as an investment, £2.60 saved, and enough coffee to last six months

So far so good. There's more........Next place on the way back, no going off route, is Barnes Cash and Carry. Worth a look, they know me there now. As I went in I said to the manager I have come to look, to see if there is anything that I absolutely must have. I might walk out empty handed if there is nothing.

After carefully studying the prices and not finding anything, I noticed they had reduced the cheese (345 grms) in the chiller cabinet. Last week it was £2, this week it is £1. Blooming good buy, it's mature which is what I like. I think mild cheese is awful no taste, yuk. Had to have three packs. It is just about to come out of date but it will be fine in my nice lovely clean fridge :o)

Just as I was about to leave, the manager came to me carrying a pack of juice drinks. He said with a grin on his face, 'I've found something that you absolutely must have, all these for £1'. I said, 'what all of them' Yep, a whole carton, 30 drinks, for £1. These are selling at £1.98 for 6 at Asda. He was right, I had to have them, ha ha.

I am loving this bargain hunting lark, it gives me a buzz when I drop lucky on something. I think what helps me is that I am not afraid to tell people what I want, and also let them know I want it cheap. If I go in an unfamiliar supermarket I will ask where the reduced counter is, I don't care if they look down their nose at me. The lady on the veg department in Tesco tells me when she is going to do some marking down, then I hang around and wait for her to bring the trolley out. Now the cash and carry man is looking for bargains for me.

I see them as my support network, they probably see me as that dotty woman who's always on the scrounge. I don't care as long as I get what I want. Toodle pip.

Getting a bit techie

2012-02-10T10:27:00.003Z

Just a quickie here to let you know what's going on. I have noticed that some blogs have threaded comments, that's when readers can comment on other peoples comments, a bit more conversational like.

One blog I have been following has it, and it seems a bit more interactive, people talking to each other. I did notice however that the blogger herself had replied to every comment on a particular post, thus doubling the number of comments. I do feel this gives a false impression. When you see a blog with massive amounts of comments you automatically draw the conclusion that it is well established and must have a huge following. To me this seems slightly misleading.

Ok it's polite to reply to people who have taken the time to comment, but I don't think it's necessary to reply to every single comment. If I posted once a week I might do, so I hope you dont think I'm being rude, if I just post every day and leave you to it.

I would however like to have threaded comments on here because it could be quite good fun. I have tried to install them but the facility isn't working, and it seems the reason is because I have a customised template. I choose to design my header and colours myself, so it doesn't fit in with the norm as far as coding goes. The coding for threaded comments is hidden behind the header. The only way I can try and sort the problem is to start another blog but not add any content, then to study the coding and compare it to this one, and somehow copy the missing coding into here. I've got things to do now, so I'll look at it later.

Normal service is resumed

2012-02-09T19:08:00.007Z

Just look at my scrumptious, mouth watering, and incredibly healthy dinner tonight. Boy it's great to get back to normality, after my voluntary eating everything in the cupboard and freezer excercise. Some of the meals might have been a bit unconventional, but I am still alive to tell the tale. I think Kath was getting rather worried about me, ha ha.

So what have we here. Salad leaves, mangetout peas, ordinary peas, carrots, mushrooms, and the last salmon portion which needed to be eaten as it had defrosted a little in the makeshift fridge in the garden. Topped with three splodges of mayo. Now that's what I call a proper meal. The vegetables are steamed and the fish grilled. Do you know you wouldn't be able to get this in a restaurant, and if by any chance you could get something similar it would cost a ridiculous price. Home cooking has got to be best all round.

As you can see the fridge is full again, look at those lovely yellow stickers. Cheap cheap cheap :o)

A good assortment of tins to keep me going into the next four week period of my experiment. I have added this shopping to the list in the Food Diary by the way.

It's a good job I went shopping last night because we have more snow. It is coming down as I type. I might not have been able to get to the shops if I had left it any longer. A good decision. However, I have got to dig the car out tomorrow because I am taking some friends to the railway station, that's if the train is still running, there may be snow on the line, ha ha.

Once again thank you to all my lovely blogger friends who pop in from time to time. You say such lovely things. Crystal Mooncat has commented that she has had a reply from Purina, after telling them about my bag made from a dog food bag. Thank you for that, I'll let you know if they get in touch with me. Practical Parsimony has told me how to cook the black eyed peas, thank you, I will try that. If it doesn't work I'm going to buy a pea shooter, ha ha.

I have another hostel trip booked, this time one night at Sherwood Forest hostel near the end of the month, I'm going to see Robin Hood and his merry men, ha ha. Another cheap £10 per night offer. Toodle pip, catch you tomorrow.

Fully stocked again.

2012-02-09T00:03:00.004Z

Hi, a bit late I know, it's just past midnight. I'm back from shopping, the cats have food and litter, and I have my fridge and cupboards stocked up again. I went to Sainsbury's, Morrisons, and Tesco. I wouldn't normally go to all three, but I have been chasing the bargains, and they are not far from each other.

I've just checked every item off on the receipts, and will put the list on the Food Diary tomorrow. I spent £26.67 on my food, and I seem to have loads, because I got a lot of yellow stickers as I hung around Tesco untill nearly 9pm. I found some damaged boxes of cereals, only the boxes were damaged the contents were fine. Also some dented tins at a good price. The veg lady brought out lots of salad stuff for pennies, then she came back out again with packs of prepared fruit, also cheap. Of course I grabbed all I could. Anyway, a good nights work, I'm off to bed. Goodnight.

Three loaves and 49 tins of tuna fish

2012-02-08T13:57:00.010Z

A photo from this mornings walk in the woods, with two black labs. Very pretty, but lethal under foot.

Breakfast was porridge with half a tin of rice pudding added to it, to give it a bit of creaminess. Lunch was a piece of grilled salmon, with the rest of last nights bulgar wheat concotion. I throw nothing away.

How do you like my new arrangements for keeping food cold? Two plastic boxes with lids, on the back lawn half buried in snow, with blocks of ice on the top from the cats outdoor drinking water pots. Inside are three loaves of bread, one salmon portion, a few peas, carton of Clover spread, and elderberry juice ice cubes.

The real fridge is now defrosting. Can you see Garcia's little head at the bottom, looking in. He practically lives here now, I'm thinking of sending an invoice for board and lodgings to his owners up the street.

Right, so what is left. On this shelf, bulgar wheat, split peas, black eyed beans. sultanas, cous cous, brown rice, and seeds.

On this shelf, stock cubes, frog spawn (tapioca), cuppa soup, pickled onions, honey, tin spaghetti, tuna fish, (of which I have 49 tins in total), and two cartons of apple juice.

Elsewhere I have four boxes of bran flakes, two bottles of Robinsons peach barley juice, two bags of porridge oats, half a tin of rice pudding, Nescafe and coffee whitener, green tea, half a bag of sugar, olive oil, and various packet sauces and spices. Oh nearly forgot, loads of apples. And that is the total sum of all my food. So what can I make with it, not a lot. Spaghetti on toast for dinner, followed by rice pudding. Or bran flake sandwiches perhaps, ha ha. Possibly rice and tuna fish.

Now I must go shopping, I am craving fresh vegetables. Not only am I running out of food, the cats also have very little left. They need cat litter, which I am hoping to get from Morrisons. I remember in the snowy season last winter it was in short supply because people were buying it to scatter on their driveways, that was quite annoying because it pushed the price up. Toodle pip. Catch you later.

Not much spag but loads of bol

2012-02-07T20:05:00.005Z

So, 'What's the recipe today Jim', ha ha, remember that catch phrase? The Jimmy Young show on Radio 2. Every day he had a new recipe to share with the nation. Not that I am going to have one every day, I find recipes pretty boring to be honest, but as I am having to be a tad inventive with my dwindling food stocks, I thought I would carry on untill I had no food left.

Breakfast was beans on toast again, the second half of the tin from yesterday.
Lunch was the left over cous cous and peas, yes I did too much, with half a tin of chopped tomatoes added to it. Zapped in the microwave. Followed by a cuppa soup, horrible things but I don't want to throw them away.

By 4pm I was feeling a bit peckish so I had a couple of slices of toast spread with Value cream cheese.

Dinner tonight. I cooked some bulgar wheat in water in a pan for about 20 minutes till the water had been soaked up. Then I added the other half tin of tomatoes, splash of apple juice, a chopped up apple, splash of oil, a veg stock cube, a tablespoon of cheap curry sauce mix, some sultanas, and seeds crushed in the pestle and mortar.

I cooked it for a further ten minutes, some water was needed to stop it becoming too stodgy. Served on a very sparse bed of wholemeal spaghetti. My version of spagbol. The taste? I wouldn't say delicious, but it was perfectly acceptable, and I am full. There is some left for tomorrow.

How many cushions do you need?

2012-02-07T14:13:00.005Z

A question has been asked about my long term financial plans, lizzie is worried that I am paring things down to the bone with not much emergency back up. She asks, do I have any wiggle room in case I get sick? A good point lizzie, let me try and answer.

I was brought up in a family which didn't have any spare cash. We lived from week to week, my mum doing the best she could on the little resources she had. Her coping strategies have rubbed off onto me. When we (one brother one sister),were little, we didn't get any pocket money so we couldn't save very much. Sometimes we had cash for birthdays and Christmas, or we did some jobs and earned a bob or two. We saved for bigger things and bought them when we had enough, but we never saved long term, and that is how it has been for me ever since. I have worked to earn money, saved up for things, and also spent some on having a good time. I haven't any long term savings.

All my money is tied up in my house. I could sell it but would have to pay a heck of a lot more than my small mortgage, in rent, and there isn't enough capital in it to downsize to a smaller property unless I buy a static mobile home on a park. I don't want to do that because of the ground rent and other things I would have to pay, I would be no better off. So for now I will stay put, besides I like where I live.

My belief is that I came into this world with nothing, I would like to go out with nothing. None of us can take our cash with us so I cant think of any reason why I need long term savings. Eventually I will find a way to release the equity in my house, but not yet, I will know when the time comes.

If I am sick I shall have to throw myself at the mercy of the National Health, I hope it will still be there if I need it. My pension will hopefully be paid into my bank account untill I die, which is a comfort, at least I won't have to go back to work again. So I can't see a time when I will have absolutely no money, but if the government went bust then I would find a way to survive.

My house would benefit from some updating. I could do with a few new roof tiles, a new garage, the drive needs tarmacing, and one or two other jobs need doing, but I can't afford it, and besides it isn't a priority for me. It is a solidly built house, it has the facilities I need, and it will not fall down around my ears. That is enough for me.

I could switch the heating on if I wanted to. The small problem which stopped it working seems to have put itself right. It could have been down to the amount of snow stacked up at the side of the house, burying the pipes, but it's working ok now. To be honest if I put the heating on it has to be very cold, and then I am turning it off again an hour later, because I find it too stuffy. Give me fresh air any day.

While I was in the process of downshifting, reducing my work hours, I found myself with a lot less money to spend. I watched my bank balance shrink because I couldn't face going to work. But a strange thing happened, I didn't panic, I didn't worry about how I was going to cope, I didn't care that I hadn't got much money. So what, I was a much happier person for it. As long as I had enough to pay the mortgage that month, the rest of it would fall into place.

What I am saying is I don't look at things long term. The now is an exciting time for me, not five or ten years away. Uncertainties are a challenge I relish, the stepping out into the unknown, and using my gut instincts to make decisions. This is why I love walking from one side of the country to the other, with a map to find the way, not knowing where I am going to lay my head. This is why I don't meal plan, I cook something up with whatever I have in the cupboard or fridge, ten minutes before I want to eat.

In answer to the question do I have any long term financial plans, the short answer is no. I will sort out any problems if and when they arise. I don't know what is round the corner, and neither does anyone else. You can have all the cushions in place to give you a soft landing should things go tits up, but if the old guy up there says it's your turn now, you go, no questions.

Still not shopping

2012-02-06T19:07:00.005Z

I was going to go shopping tonight, but I can't be bothered. Surely I can rustle up a few more meals from what I already have in, which is not a lot bye the way. A lot of people would panic if they had cupboards and a freezer as bare as mine. There is something rather comforting though in a bulging fridge and cupboards packed to the rafters with tins and packets. You never know when you might need to draw on your food stocks to survive. World war three, global warming, flooding, drought, the big freeze, lorry drivers strikes, anything could happen. Always best to be prepared.

On the other hand however, if you are going to stock up, you need to have a good stock control system in place. Stock rotation is important. I do not need a chest freezer, my fridge freezer is perfectly adequate for me. How many people can say that they know exactly what is at the bottom of their chest freezer. Well done to you if you have it under control, but I bet there are many who haven't. No control means you will inevitably be throwing food away at some point.

Anyway, I choose to live dangerously, I am out of my comfort zone as I head towards zero food in my house. Just how far can I push this eating out of the cupboards and freezer lark? I have been reading a thread all about it on Money Saving Expert forum, and it seems to me that they are just scratching the surface. No one has the bottle to stop buying and eat everything they have. When people run out of a few items they panic, and go shopping.

I might last till Thursday, when all I will have left are tins of tuna fish, bran flakes, cous cous, dried beans and split peas, bread, and drinks. I will switch my fridge off soon and defrost it. Then I will start all over again restocking.

Right, what have I eaten today. Breakfast was half a tin of baked beans on three rounds of toast. Lunch was the last of the baby food from yesterday. An hour later I was hungry so I had two slices of bread spread with cream cheese, and a cuppa soup.

Tonight I made a smoothie with the last carrot, last portion of melon, and half a tin of mandarin pieces. Very nice and refreshing.

Take one packet of dried mushrooms (29p for 4pkts) soak in hot water. Drain and chop. Put them in a pan with five chopped up pickled onions, add a shake of garlic granules, and cook for about 10 - 15 minutes in a drop of oil and a splash of apple juice.

Then I put a piece of frozen salmon under the grill. I boiled some frozen peas in a small pan, and after a few minutes added some cous cous. Take off the heat, keep stirring. I like to add a splash of toasted sesame seed oil, gives it a nutty flavour. Flake the salmon, and arrange on a plate thus.

My goodness am I stuffed now :o) Toodle pip.

Editing this to add my latest figures in my food diary. Full report at the top of the page. Total food spend for the last 16 weeks is £161.58 giving an average of £10.09 per week. On target.

If I had a baby.......

2012-02-05T16:54:00.003Z

I would feed it food like this :o) None of your mass produced processed gunge, in little glass jars. This is real food with no added crap, the stew from last night zapped with the blender.

And eee by gum, it's lip smackin lovely. They say you go back to being a child when you grow old, well this big baby loves her home made baby food, washed down with a can of cider of course, ha ha.

Mum, I haven't seen this white stuff before

2012-02-05T09:36:00.017Z

'Help, Mum, what's going on here', shouts Mayze as she tried to get through the cat flap. 'It's gone dark, what's all this stuff in the way?'

'Don't worry', laughs Mummy, 'I'll move it for you'.

'Oh look, there's Micky on the other side waiting to get in. Cheeky Micky after some free food. Go home Micky, I'm a bit short, get your breakfast at your own house', shouts Mummy.

'Oh, gawd', thinks Micky. 'I'll wait here till you get this white stuff shifted'.

'There you are, Mayze, go out and play', says Mummy.

'But Mum, what is it, I haven't seen this before, I'm scared'.

'I keep sinking up to my tummy, Mummy, help! Does this mean I can poo anywhere, it's like a humungus litter box'.

'I don't like it, Mummy, I'm coming back inside.'

Aaahhhh, little Mayze is such a sweetheart. Here are some more views from the windows. I parked the car nose in up to the front door thinking the corner of the house would give it some shelter and keep the worst of the snow off it. Wrong. The falling snow was whipped up by the wind and drifted into every nook and cranny.

View from the office window, back, upstairs.

View from the front bedroom, up the street.

View from the back window, downstairs living room.

View from the front window downstairs living room, down the street,

The hedges all around the garden are my hedges which I have to keep trimmed. I prefer hedges to fences, they look better. I know trimming them two or three times a year can be a bit of a pain, but maintenance costs nothing except time. Better than fences blowing down and needing replacing.

Not sure how long this white stuff is going to be around for, the forecast says showers, so maybe not for long. I'm off out to clear the paths, and set up a bird feeding station. The water bowls have frozen and need sorting. Don't forget our feathered friends in this cold spell. Toodle pip.

Getting up my nose

2012-02-04T18:59:00.010Z

We have snow, boo hoo :o( I don't want snow. I did all the pretty snow pictures last winter, have I got to go out and take them all again, or can I slip in a few from the archives and hope no one will notice :o) Oh heck, Mathew wants photo's. At the moment it's blowing sideways, if it keeps up I won't be able to see my car on the front in the morning. Suppose I'll have to do some shovelling. At least there will be one consolation, I won't have to do any litter picking, I won't be able to see it.

I was in town again today, looking for a few items on my list which I missed yesterday. I was feeling really hungry despite having two breakfasts before I left the house. First thing I had bran flakes, then at about 10.30 I had a pan of porridge (yes I eat that out of the pan as well), plus I stirred some of the stewed apple into it, luvverly jubberly. Anyway I needed something to keep me going till I got home. As I was in and out of the discount stores they sometimes have some dead cheap crisps, but no luck today. Oh well, go without, I am not paying full price for anything.

Then I went to Skippingdale, there are several new shops which have moved in over the last few months, worth a look, I might find what I want. I went in Poundstretcher, they might have some reduced crisps, I am still hungry. I found a basket near the till with some out of date marked down items in there. Seabrooks crinkle cut crisps were 10p, whoopee. Wait a minute, here's a packet for 5p, even better, I delved down to the bottom of the basket and found four bags at 5p each. So I have to confess I have eaten some gunk today. There is no chance I will ever become a crisp junkie again because now I only ever buy them when they are cheap, and it takes ages to find any. Four packets at 59p each = £2.36. Cost to me 20p, result.

Mathew asks how I am coping with the cold. Very well actually. I have been putting the central heating on for the odd hour now and again, just to take the chill off. I must say the cavity wall and loft insulation make the place feel a lot warmer. But I now have to report that the heating has gone on the blink. I switched it on tonight and it didn't come on. I now have a flashing light on the boiler, it's supposed to be constant. So what has happened I don't know. I'll have to get the manual out and study it.

Anyway, we will manage. I have a few candles on a tray next to me, it's surprising how that makes it feel not quite so cold. Below you will see a picture of my nose, no my nostrils are not stuffed full of tissue because I have a cold, I haven't. Nor is it because my nose is cold and wet tonight. My nose is always cold and wet all the time. I really don't know why, I get fed up of constantly wiping the drips off, so the easiest way to control it is to stuff tissue up there. It works, my nose is warm and non drippy, ha ha. I do this when walking sometimes, a bit embarrassing if someone sees me because I didn't have time to whip 'em out :o)

My food stocks are very much depleted, and I am scraping the bottom of the barrel now. Tonights dinner is a serving of this mush, I put some in a dish because this pan is too big to hold while I eat it. In it is the last of the carrots, potatoes, the last two onions, and broccoli, half a tin of chick peas, some frozen peas, bulgar wheat, and split peas. Someone mentioned about how long it takes to cook pulses out of a packet. I simmered the split peas for nearly an hour, then added the rest and simmered some more, and still they were hard. I will use up what I have got, but think I will stick to tins from now on. After chomping through it tonight the rest will be zapped with the blender tomorrow, to break it down, it will make a nice soup.

Not a lot left. Just seeing how low I can get it, eating everything I have. Plenty of tuna of course from my bulk buy. I am not adding the whole total of this into my food diary, I am adding a tin when I eat it, the cats will get more than me. I have loads of cuppa soups, most of which people have given me. I am not a fan of these so I mostly use them to flavour soups and stews.

A few seeds, pulses, couscous, bit of rice, some bulgar wheat, some sultanas.

Oil, spices, packet sauce mixes, turmeric, odds and sods.

The fridge is bare, freezer has four loaves, three pieces of salmon, a few peas, and my elderberry ice cubes, the frozen juice I made in the summer. I add this to my fruit drinks, I'm sure it's helping me to avoid catching a cold.

I have porridge oats, bran flakes, and tea and coffee in the top cupboard, oh and some cans of cider. That's about it. I'll see what I can cobble up for tomorrows meals, should be fun.

Thank you all for your suggestions for the little pink pot. I'll have a think about it, so many ideas. It would be usefull for pills but I don't take any. Dog treats, not big enough, my pockets are usually bulging with them. Don't use lip balm, don't like it. I like the idea of vaseline for sore feet, or moisturiser. No rush, something will come to me.

I've just looked out of the window, the snow is still coming, loads of it. It's about a foot deep now. An early night I think, sleep tight.

An apple a day......

2012-02-03T19:19:00.009Z

I found this cute little pink pot on the ground next to a bench while out walking, a partly used pot of bubblegum flavoured lip balm, yuk, how disgusting. It's a wonder it doesn't take the skin off your lips judging by the list of ingredients on the bottom. Anyhow it was the colour which drew my eyes towards it, so I put it in my pocket.

I scooped the remaining gunge out and gave it a thorough wash in hot soapy water. Now I have plastic pot, 3.5cm diameter, with a screw lid. Any ideas what I can do with it?

I had a few places to go in town today, but spent that much time gassing I didn't get round them all. I wanted some cat food, but there are no offers on at the moment in the supermarkets, so the next cheapest place is the market. What a bugger, they have bumped the price up from £2.75 to £3.00. I gave it a miss, I will have to keep looking. I will have to stop feeding the neighbours cats and keep what I have left for mine.

I was rather pleased with this bargain though. Millets are closing down, and as well as everything being reduced, they also had an extra 20% off today. I managed to get myself a £20 sleeping bag for £4. This will come in handy for the summer when I plan to go camping with a shopping trolley and a bus pass. Now I need to find the right shopping trolley, someone told me I should look in the market. I looked today but maybe the stall is only there on a Saturday.

I checked my stash of apples today and I am pleased to report that they are all fine. My neighbour gave me loads at the end of the summer, so I wrapped them in newspaper and put them in plastic trays. You can pick these trays up from outside takeaways or markets. Mushrooms are delivered in them and they are thrown because they are non returnable.

I stew five or six of them at a time, add a spoon of honey, and eat them out of the pan, not all in one go mind you. I keep the pan in the fridge and keep dipping into it, saves on washing up :o) Toodle pip

What will Henry do next !

2012-02-02T18:37:00.009Z

I wrote this story when I was house and dog sitting for my friend Helen, two and a half years ago. Henry was seven months old, it was a week I shall never forget.

Henry is a young chocolate Labrador which I am looking after in his own house, while his owners are on holiday. I have only been here three days and already I feel exhausted, what a boisterous boy he is. Every few minutes I am looking up from what I am doing, just to check what Henry is doing. I sit at the dining room table looking out through the patio doors over the large garden. He parades around for a few minutes to check on me, then strolls around some more, and when I look again he has disappeared from view. I give him a few more minutes to appear. When there is no sign, I know I have to get up and look for him because he is bound to be getting into mischief. I am right, he is in the flower bed eating what is left of the flowers, having already made several meals out of them. I chase him off. I know this is futile because as soon as my attention is diverted he will do exactly the same again.

He is a crafty little chap. He has a guilty look on his face, and his eyes are watching mine as he parades once more. I notice he has done a poo on the lawn, he seems to poo for England, there’s no stopping him. Hardly surprising when his whole day seems to be taken up with searching for whatever he can find to eat. His nose is like the nozzle on a vacuum cleaner, this must be the tidiest lawn I have ever seen, every little speck of garden debris gets sucked up by Henry the Hoover.

There is a very nice rockery close to the house, well it was before Henry arrived. He likes nothing better than to lie on top of it plucking the juicy plants from their roots and munching away. His instincts must tell him that ivy is poisonous though, because that is the only greenery which survives the onslaught. I go to pick up the poo and find a pile of grey gunge, it looks more like wet concrete. There is so much soil and compost in there, it’s amazing how it all goes straight through him.

There is a lovely big pond in the garden, well the birds and frogs think it is lovely, but there isn’t much plant life left. Measures have now been taken to protect it from Henry, and it has been fenced off. Well theoretically that is what is supposed to happen. Several times Henry has found a way in, and if you don’t happen to be watching when the break in occurs it remains a mystery as to how he has done it. What we perceive as being secure is a joke to Henry, just another challenge to beat the humans.

The whole garden is supposed to be secure, wrong! Last night Henry was no where to be seen for a few minutes, my heart missed a beat, I called his name as I searched the bushes. A female voice answered, ‘He’s over here.’ I remembered that he likes to play with the dogs next door, and has been caught frolicking with them several times before on their lawn. I picked up his lead and went to collect him. Nora was very understanding, we searched her side of the hedge, which also has chicken wire along it, for any sign of a break in. A complete mystery to us as to how he did it. Back on our side I made another inspection, the chicken wire could be lifted a couple of inches off the ground, surely not! A lot of large logs had already been laid along the edges, they were obviously not working so I searched for something else that might do the trick, and keep Henry enclosed in his own garden. Hidden down the side of the garage I found a neatly stacked pile of used house bricks, just the job. Several trips backwards and forwards and hopefully all escape routes have been sealed, but I won’t hold my breath.

Well guess what, I caught him squeezing through the fence around the pond, and then he was almost through to the next garden, so that’s how he did it. There is some extra chicken wire rolled up, so with a clever re arrangement of the iron stakes pushed firmly into the ground, along with the excess wire, I think I may have cracked it, whew!

All went quiet for a few minutes so I went out to check Henry’s whereabouts, just to put my mind at rest. I hope to reach the end of this week with one dog still intact, and hopefully no visits to the vet. I looked along the hedge on the other side of the garden, and what a sweet sight I found, Henry has a friend. A cute brown dog was laid on his back, his nose poking underneath the mesh and Henry was kissing him, he has a best friend. Aaahh! My appearance caused him to jump up and start barking at me and I felt guilty for a moment for disturbing what was no doubt a tender moment of affection between two canines who are obviously happy in each others company. Perhaps a meeting can be arranged to bring these two pooches together for some playtime.

I suspect Henry is missing his owners, although I do my best to give him lots of hugs and kisses on their behalf. We play games, I take him walks and give him treats, but I suppose it’s not quite the same when the two people you love most in the whole wide world aren’t there. He mooches around the place, can’t seem to settle for very long before he is off again, checking and rechecking, just to make sure he hasn’t missed them anywhere. Every morning I have to show him all the rooms downstairs just so he can check. Although he isn’t allowed upstairs I did catch him once on the landing, after he did a full inspection. There is good reason not to allow him upstairs, he would eat everything.

Helen told me I could sit in the front room and relax and watch the big television in the evenings. She left notes on what I should do with Henry. He is allowed in with me, I have to play with him for a few minutes and he will settle. She said he likes to chew the fringes of a very expensive hearth rug, and try and remove the leg from the leather settee with his razor sharp teeth. I am advised to distract him from these destructive habits by encouraging him to play with his toys. This doesn’t suit Henry at all, and the toys I offered him are repeatedly pushed away so he can get down to the more serious matter of destroying the furniture, much more fun.

I gave up going into the front room because I know I am not going to be able to relax and watch the TV, a luxury I was looking forward to as I don’t have a TV of my own. It isn’t worth the hassle to do battle every night when I know I am going to lose. So I am resigned to sitting in the dining room on a hard chair, peering at a small portable TV in the corner. There isn’t much worth watching anyway, which reminds me why I haven’t got a TV at home.

I think this is going to be a week of disasters. Henry’s bed was the first casualty of his sharp teeth, I’m sure he didn’t mean to tear the cover of the floppy cushion as he threw it from one end of the room to the other. He was probably having a lot of fun as he tossed it around. Luckily I have my sewing box with me. It seemed a good idea to bring it and get on with some crafty projects as I have a lot of time to fill, well that was the plan anyway. Henry came in and searched for his bed, he wandered around crying, ‘Henry I am sewing as quick as I can’. He was pleased when it appeared back in his box again.

Disaster number two. It had been a sunny day and I had the sun lounger out on the lawn, lovely to relax, albeit only a few minutes as I constantly had one eye on keeping track of Henry’s movements. After tea I thought it would be a good idea to use the sun lounger in the dining room, a little bit of comfort while watching the portable, I moved it inside to use later on.

My house sit is only five miles from where I live, which is pretty convenient because it means I can go back and forth to water my veg garden, feed my cats, and check emails. I was away for half an hour, enough time for Henry to tear open the seat cushion of the sun lounger, and scatter thousands of tiny foam pieces around the dining room. Now I know why they have nothing on the kitchen and dining room floors. Everything is put away in cupboards, or lifted out of Henry’s reach onto tables and worktops. But what am I going to do with the damaged cushion. I inspected the gaping hole, it seems to be missing some of the fabric, inside Henry’s stomach no doubt, so I can’t just stitch it up in the same way I repaired his bed. This will need a patch, a pretty big patch as well.

When I called in home the next day I had a look in my fabric box, I haven’t anything of the same colour to match it, but found a piece of cotton with a floral design, this will do the job.

I seem to be painting a pretty chaotic picture of Labrador owning, it baffles me why anyone would want to share their house and garden with such a whirlwind of destruction? At the moment he is chewing the handle of a plastic brush, amazingly inflicting very little damage to it. Maybe if you provide them with robust toys to play with it might distract them from chewing other more valuable household items. Oh dear, I spoke too soon, I could see that the end of the brush handle was about to disappear down Henry’s throat, so I took it off him. I got a handsaw from the garage and remove the jagged edges so that he can no longer get a grip strong enough to break a piece off.

I had my first taste of dog training classes last night. Henry sat very still while I fitted the harness around his body, and happily climbed into the back seat of the car where I secured him with the seat belt. He is used to car traveling, as this has been his routine for several weeks of puppy training classes. Who would have thought that he shows no interest in chewing his way through the car interior, a new personality emerges as he seems to enjoy his journey.

He grew excited as we pulled into the car park, an emotion that escalated when he found a field full of dogs and their owners. Of course Henry wanted to say hello to each and every one of them, I fought to hang on to his lead as he pulled me in every direction. People turned to look at us as I battled to stay upright on my own two feet, veering first in one direction then another.

We were a few minutes early, a chance for Henry to exchange pleasantries with his class mates before the training commenced. At one point I thought that the first task was one that Henry was going to have great difficulty completing, as his attention levels were nil. His only interest was to meet and greet as many of his new friends as possible, sniffing first at the front end, then the rear. The little dog next to us was a particular distraction as it spent the whole time barking, or should I say yapping, with no sign of it ever giving up.

I listened closely to the teachers instructions, she was very precise as to how the relationship between dog and owner should develop. We practiced some simple exercises, and when Henry finally began to concentrate, it was clear that he has remembered a lot from his earlier classes. The teacher borrowed Henry to demonstrate some of the moves, surprisingly he co operated with her, perhaps this proves the point that it is me that needs to be trained.

The class proved to be exhausting for both of us. Henry, because he yearned to be off the lead to run amok, playing with everyone, and me, because it took an enormous amount of strength just to stay upright. The cuddly puppy is turning into a powerhouse of meat and muscle.

Henry is now three years old, and has grown into a beautiful and gorgeous dog. All credit to his owners Helen and Paul, who have done an excellent job of bringing him up. They deserve a flippin medal :o)

War on price rises

2012-02-01T20:39:00.005Z

Look at this cute little boy. He's eight months old and called Bobby. Janet and I picked him up today, the owners have a young baby and can no longer afford to keep him. He will be going for the snip in the next few days, then he will be ready for rehoming. Black cats usually take longer to find a new home, but he will have a better chance because he is so young. I think someone will fall for that gorgeous sweet little face.

We have had some photo's of Bobo through, he has a lovely home and looks quite settled. It's lovely when people let us know how they are getting on with their new family member.

I've done a bit of totting up on my food bill, the end of the four week period is on Saturday, and my cupboards and fridge are looking quite bare. My diet is getting a bit samey and I am looking forward to going shopping again to get something different to eat. I still have some broccoli, a few potatoes, salad leaves, two eggs, bread, four pieces of frozen salmon, and loads of tins of tuna fish. Bran flakes or porridge for breakfast, by the way the Value soya milk is just about acceptable, but I think I prefer the diluted condensed milk better for taste. The Aldi baked beans are ok, and have similar amount of sugar in them as the Value beans.

It's a good idea to eat out of the cupboards to get your spending down, but at some stage you have to start spending money to build stocks back up again. So far I have spent£19.80 in the current four week period, which is well below my target. If you add it to the previous four week period of £59.33 which was above the target, it gives a total of £79.13. This makes it within my target of £80 for 8 weeks. I could even afford a treat of a bar of chocolate before Saturday, ha ha.

It takes a lot of discipline and organising to get your food bill down, but I want to prove that it can be done, that's why I will continue with this experiment. The only way I can do it though is by not eating meat, and buying reduced yellow stickered about to go out of date, or out of date food. I am in a good position to get the most for my money, anyone who goes out to work or has a family might not be able to do what I do without the support of the whole family. It's a good sign that the Cash and Carry is expanding into the next business unit. Hopefully that will mean more choice. I shall certainly be visiting there when I pass to see what they have in. I like 20p bags of spuds :o)
Are you winning the war on price rises?
Toodle pip.

Doggy bag

2012-01-31T17:15:00.006Z

These plastic bags which the dog food came in are very strong, and quite colourful. Seems a shame to throw them in the bin. You could make holes in the bottom and use them as planters, could even grow veg in them, or put a nice conifer in it. I decided to make a bag with this one.

Make a lining, and make two handles, insert lining and handles into bag, and put a row of stitching around the top edge to hold it in place.

Bingo, a bag. Dead simple. I have to admit this one is not perfect. The fabric is a little bit puckered in one corner, due to not getting the measurements exactly right. Never mind, it is serviceable as a small shopping bag.

Thanks a bunch :o)

2012-01-30T20:13:00.009Z

Good evening, it's been a mixed bag of allsorts today. First off, before I forget again, we have rehomed our lovely big fluffy black and white Bobo cat. He came to us a few months ago after his elderly owner had to go into a care home. Now Bobo is living with a lovely couple in our village, who sadly lost their old cat two weeks ago. I am so pleased they came to see him and fell in love with him. Another success :o)

We have just taken in another cat which was found wandering in the next village. We are trying to trace it's owners as it appears to be well looked after and is wearing a collar. Posters have been put out, a free advert is in the paper, and Cats Protection lost and found have been contacted. We shall have to wait and see if anyone comes forward.

In the meantime we are getting calls from people who are looking for kittens. I have to say though that the tone of some of the people enquiring makes me think I don't want to hand over a kitten to them. Janet and Sue have also had this type of call, when the person seems to have no manners. The first words you hear are, 'got any kittens'. They don't bother to introduce themselves, (almost always young females), say anything about their circumstances and why they want a kitten, and when checking the 1471 after the call, (a system which gives the callers number), they are usually ringing from a mobile. I'm afraid we have to make quick decisions on that first impression, they won't get a cat from us.

I thought I would slip this pic in here, it makes me laugh. Henry choc lab is waiting patiently for Lily cat to walk away from his food dish, so he can mop up the crumbs. Henry can be a finicky eater, turning his nose up at perfectly good food, but the moment another animal is on the scene he starts to get interested.

Sometimes I offer him a titbit, I have all sorts of different treats. If it is one he doesn't fancy at that time he will spit it out. But if I offer one to another dog while out walking, all of a sudden Henry says, hey where's mine. His facial expressions are fantastic, I'm sure he is human.

Do you like my bunches of flowers, they cost 3p each, I bought them on Wednesday from Tesco. My sister gave me the tip of putting them into water so they stay fresher for longer. These went out of date on the 25th and they are still looking nice and green, no sign of yellowing yet. I have made a start on them tonight, dinner was steamed carrots, potatoes, and brocolli, with two boiled eggs. The eggs have to be eaten in the next day or two.

I'm hoping to get to the end of the week without spending any more money on food. Then I shall do a tot up for the last four week period and hope that it comes within my £40 target. I am still adding to my food diary, the link is at the top of the page. I find that by writing it all down, it keeps me focussed. The experiment is over a six month period, then I shall have some figures on how much it costs to feed me.

I have been thinking about food a lot just lately, and the different types we need to keep our body nourished. In the last year I have been cutting back drastically on what I call junk food, sweets, crisps, pop, biscuits, cake, ready meals, pies, and pizzas, etc. Food that has been refined with lots of sugar, salt, and fat in it. I think some of this stuff shouldn't be called food at all. It does nothing to feed your body and keep it in good condition. I want a new title for it, Gunk, because that's what it does, it gunks up your insides. The dictionary definition of gunk is, 'Slimy or filthy substance'. About right I would say. Keep your 'gunk' to a minimum, ha ha.

Now where was I, ah yes, what I did today. I had my hair cut at my friends house this morning. Her haidresser came, so she might as well do the two of us. My friend paid for mine, in exchange for me looking after her dog on Wednesday. A good swap I would say.

I did a dash to town on the bus, only two places to go to so I was in and out in a flash and came back on the next bus. My doggy treats were running low, I like to keep a few in for all my doggy friends, so I went to the market, cheapest place to get them. The Bakers Meaty Chunks are very handy for carrying around in your pocket, and all dogs love them. A few packets of other chews as well.

Next a quick visit to the library to pick up some Ordnance Survey maps. I need to start planning my next long walk. Not sure when to do it yet, possibly April. There was one map short, they didn't have the Morecambe bit, so I will have to look on the internet for that. Anyway, ready to start by laying them all out on the living room floor. As you can see Mayze can't wait to get started, ha ha.

I finished off the afternoon with a walk with Rocky, the little dog up the road who doesn't get out much. In fact, I kept him for a while after, untill his owner came back, then I reluctantly had to take him home.

Just before I sign off I would like to thank you for your lovely comments about my Whitby stories. I do appreciate that you take the time to read about my trips, as it takes ages to load all the photo's and add the words. Talking of photo's, have you noticed the new link at the top of the page? I decided to do a standalone page on the photo's which are my favourites, rather than lose them in the bowels of the blog. I have more to add, it will make a nice little slide show when it's finished. Toodle pip.

Last few pics of Whitby

2012-01-29T11:00:00.012Z

I've just dug out the last few photo's of Whitby, a few odds and sods that caught my eye. I love looking down on these red roofs on the East Bank.

I was fascinated by these two gulls who kept stamping their feet, are they trying to keep warm I wondered. After a few minutes all was clear when one of them bent down to pull a worm from out of the ground. Clever seagulls :o)

There are hundreds of green benches all over the place, and quite a few of them have bunches of flowers left on them, presumably as some kind of memorial to a deceased relative or friend. Someone has gone one better and spent a bit extra on a basket of flowers, which was tied on with a piece of string. No doubt it made the person leaving it feel a bit closer to their loved one, but I can't help thinking that if the money spent had been given to charity, and a simple home made version using foliage from the hedgerows used, it would have still had the desired effect.

And then I saw this. Now this memorial has my full approval, what a fabulous seat, made in wrought iron. It's going to last many years, and be usefull as a resting place for anyone who needs to sit for a while. I think every sea front should go for this idea. They could all have a different design, and be painted all the colours of the rainbow. Wouldn't that be just fantastic.

What a spectacular building this is, standing high and proud on the West Cliff overlooking the sea. There is a restaurant and a pub on the ground floor, but the rest of the building didn't look to be occupied. I assume it must have been a hotel at one time, but there were no hotel signs to be seen. I would love to have a snoop around inside.

I love these shelters on the promenade. I can just picture ladies and gents in their 40's and 50's outfits, sitting chatting and eating their fish and chips.

This is Crescent Gardens on the West Cliff. In the centre are flower beds and lawns which you can walk through.

I haven't yet mentioned the Dracula connection, I will now. Bram Stoker found some of his inspiration for the Dracula stories from Whitby. He stayed in a house on Crescent Gardens. In 1994 the Whitby Goth Weekend was founded, and has grown into one of the worlds most premire Goth events. There is a Goth weekend 26th - 30th April 2012, and another from 31st October to 5th November. I love the way the Goths dress, I might go to one of those. That's all for Whitby, thanks for looking at my photo's. Catch up tomorrow.

Whitby Cinder Track and the Cleveland Way

2012-01-28T12:18:00.031Z

It was a lovely sunny morning on Wednesday, the last day of my visit to Whitby, so much better than the day before. I checked out of the hostel after a breakfast of spaghetti on toast, my pack up for the day in my little rucksack, and headed off along the Cleveland Way coastal footpath towards Robin Hoods Bay. I am only going so far along here, the bit I haven't yet done. I have already walked from Hawkser Bottoms to Ravenscar when I stayed at Bogle Hole hostel.

In this first photo you can just make out the Abbey on the horizon. It's very high up here, there's a gentle breeze, it's perfect for walking.

The path is very well marked, you couldn't get lost.

There was the the odd one or two walkers about. It gets very busy up here in the summer, out of seaon is best to avoid the crowds.

I noticed in some places that the path has had to be moved back from the edge a bit where it has started to crumble into the sea. Someone has been busy putting new fences up and installing new kissing gates.

The first white building I came to is the Whitby Fog Horn. According to a newsaper article in the Yorkshire Post on 25th July 2008, a couple from Middlesborough called John and Janet Evans bought it for £495,000. They took a gamble with it because it is so close to the cliff edge, but a survey found that it was secure for the foreseable future. I don't know if I would take that gamble.

The fog horns first started warning shipping in 1902, and it was decommissioned in 1988. Let's see if this link to the article works, it's an interesting read.

A blast from the past - Features - Yorkshire Post

In the next field is the lighthouse at Ling Hill. This was built in 1858, it was electrified in 1976, and was fully automated in 1992. The lighthouse is not open to the public, but the two cottages are available as holiday lets.

There were two cars parked there when I passed, so it looks like one or both of the cottages were occupied.

I carried on untill I got to Hawkser Bottoms then took a right turn inland through a caravan park. There wasn't a soul about, it was like a ghost town. Pity that no one was using their caravan, or should I say mobile home. It was like a glorious summers day.

I went past High Hawkster, and took a track along Long Rigg. Then I went through an enchanted wood with the sunlight peeping through the trees. By this time it was quite warm and I had to take my jacket off. Pity I didn't have my shorts with me :o)

At the top of the wood I came to an arch way, this is where the old railway track goes over the top. It is now the Cinder Track, for pedestrians, cyclists, and horse riders.

There were some steps up to the top. Now it's just a matter of following the track back to Whitby.

The track then goes over the top of this bridge, which goes over the river. The viaduct has 13 arches, construction started in 1882 and it was finished two years later. The railway which ran along the top was opened the following year and closed in March 1965. It is now a grade 11 listed building. Isn't it fabulous.

Quite a few new houses have been built close to it on the east bank. It looks like a private estate as there are notices up everywhere, only authorised people to enter.

Almost back in Whitby now, I went down some steps to the road.

And here is a sign telling the story of the Cinder Track.

I was back early enough to pay a visit to the museum and art gallery. A bit disappointing though, I was hoping for some modern art to look at. There wasn't any. The entrance fee for the museum was £3.50 for pensioners. I don't mind looking round them if it is free, but I am not that interested enough to pay, I can take them or leave them. Just enough time before I head for home, to get a few more pics of things I noticed on the West Bank. I'll post them tomorrow. Toodle pip.

A room with a view

2012-01-27T16:22:00.014Z

I didn't take many photo's of the inside of the hostel. It was comfortable, tastefully furnished, and clean, with modern facilities. This one is looking up at the ceiling in the main hall, as you climb the stairs.

And this is taken from the top floor looking down.

Here is my bunk bed. It was a four bedded room with seperate shower, and toilet with a washbasin. I like a lot of pillows so I always take three of my own, then I can prop myself up in bed and read. Each bed has it's own small light. Handy if others want to sleep.

There is a large conseravtory with tables and chairs. A bit cold in January but it must be lovely in the summer. The Abbey is right next door.

A glimpse of the town down below.

The views from the gardens are fantastic.

The gardens are really big. A group of volunteers had turned up when I was taking photo's, they were discussing which parts of the garden they were going to work on and which jobs needed doing first.

A view of the Abbey, from the other side of the wall around the hostel grounds.

And another. You can see it is quite close. I could see part of it from my bedroom window, talk about a room with a view.

I'll be back with more photo's tomorrow. Toodle pip

Farmland and coastal walk from Whitby

2012-01-27T15:21:00.000Z

It was a miserable wet day on Tuesday when I set off for a walk. As well as wearing my waterproofs, I decided to take my big rainbow coloured brolly as well, it covers me and my rucksack. I don't let the weather put me off, I've paid for the room, I've driven myself here, so I am jolly well going for a walk.

I decided to walk inland along the river as I didn't think the views would be very good along the coast, due to the drizzle and mist. The Esk Valley Walk is a 35 mile walk from the river source at Castleton Station and ends in Whitby. Looking back, the river and the railway line are down at the bottom.

Follow the leaping salmon, to Ruswarp, crossing the Cinder Track.

This carved statue of Brother William is in the centre of Ruswarp. I've been trying to find out a bit about it but have drawn a blank. Wish I'd have taken more notice of the sign.

The Railway Station in Ruswarp.

St Bartholomews Church

A bit further along the river boats can be hired. These youngsters were having fun under the close supervision of their teachers. I wondered how much health and safety paperwork they had to fill in before they were allowed to teach this activity.

They stopped for a few minutes chat, then off they went towards Whitby.

The Esk Valley Walk leaves the banks of the river a bit further upstream and zigzags across fields and farms to the north of Sleights. I was getting a bit fed up of sloshing through mud, and at one point I resorted to scrambling through a hedge as it was the only way to avoid sinking up to my knees in farmyard slurry. The path took me over the railway line, then the river, and across the main A169 trunk road. Next I reached the village of Aislaby. This is St Margarets Church which was built in 1896.

About half a mile out of Aislaby I joined a minor tarmac road, it was nice to be able to stride out without slithering all over the place. At least the rain has stopped now so that's a blessing.

Just as I was coming into Dunsley I spotted these four little plastic huts. They look like the type which road workers use when they dig a hole, a place to shelter and brew their tea. Each one had a young cow in it, laid on a bed of straw, there were several more dotted around the farm. When I started talking to them, as you do, ha ha, they all got up out of curiosity. Aren't they little cuties, this must be their winter quarters. The mummy cows were close by on the other side of a fence, calling out to their babies.

I wanted to take one home, aren't they gorgeous. I could train it to walk on a lead :o)

This plastic shelter was a bit bigger, there was six living in here, with a bit more space to move around.

I was heading for Sandsend, just a bit further up from Whitby. It was my intention to go back along the Cleveland Way, a popular long distance path. I decided to leave the road and take a path across the field, but after crossing two fields I lost it. There was a sign but it didn't seem to be going in the right direction. I could see the sea up ahead, so I just headed off towards it.

It's a bugger when you traipse across a field then can't find a way out of it. You then walk around the edge looking for an exit. Time was getting on and I saw a derelict cottage not far ahead. There must be a way round it or through the garden. It was surrounded by brambles, but I found a spot that looked like it had been trampled on by others who had probably got lost like myself. I had to scramble over a barbed wire fence and climb over some prickly brambles. I found the slabbed path through the neglected garden and it brought me out at the end of a cul de sac road. That's better. Shame that house has been abandoned though.

Here I am at last at Sandsend, turn right next to the cafe and follow the waters edge back to Whitby. It was a bracing walk along the sea front.

Another night in watching the tele. After having the room to myself the first night, I now had three room mates for the second night. Two young French girls, and a Chinese girl. They were very friendly and chatty, lights went out at a reasonable time and I had a good nights sleep. Todays walk was only 11.25 miles, just a stroll in the park. Toodle pip.

Bimbling around Whitby

2012-01-26T10:12:00.020Z

Good morning, just, it's nearly lunch time. I had a bit of a lay in this morning due to going to bed late last night. I though sod it, stop up all night if I feel like it, ha ha. Anyway, I've had a bit of a sort out of the photo's will put them up a few at a time as it takes ages to load them. First off, general photo's of Whitby.

There are two sides to Whitby, the East Bank which is where the hostel and Abbey are located, and the West Bank which has large hotels high up on the cliff top. The River Esk is in a deep valley between the two, spilling out into the North Sea. Close to the water on the East Bank is a maze of alleyways, narrow cobbled streets, and ancient buildings. Over on the West Bank is the fishing quay, which years ago would have been lined with fishing vessels three and four abreast. Whilst fishing still goes on it is on a much smaller scale. The two banks are connected by a swing bridge which lets vessels through to the marina and upper harbour.

This photo was taken near the top of the 199 steps. Dotted along the right hand side are benches built into the railings, where weary people can rest a while before continuing upwards. I will mention at this stage that the photo's were taken at different times of the day, hence the difference in lighing. You can walk along the two piers which form the harbour wall, I didn't because it was very blustery and cold.

At the bottom of the steps is a Tea Shop, a tall narrow building with four floors. Most of the buildings on this side have been crammed into a small space, even the modern ones.

Anyone fancy a bit of bovver, ha ha. Through that alleyway is the waters edge. If you fall out with someone you can chuck 'em in.

The swing bridge was opened in 1909.

There has been a lifeboat operating from here since 1802. A new lifeboat station was built in 2007.

I had a walk around the harbour, it's a lovely day, is it Spring already?

This is the view of the church looking across to the East Bank. The Abbey is behind it and the hostel next to it.

A view looking inland up the River Esk.

The harbour walls. Too cold to walk out there today.

It was almost 5pm when I climbed the steps back to the hostel.

Chips but no fish

2012-01-25T21:23:00.005Z

Hiya. What do you reckon to Whitby hostel then, pretty cool eh! And what a fantastic location, on the top of a hill next to the Abbey, with fantastic views. I took this photo this morning, look at the blue sky. It's been lovely and sunny all day, I've been hot, wish I'd taken my shorts with me.

It was a different story yesterday however, it started off with rain and I had my full waterproofs on and my big brolly. No wind so I didn't get blown over the cliff edge, ha ha. The rain stopped at lunch time but it didn't really brighten up at all, still I made the most of it and did a long walk.

It was 1pm when I arrived on Monday and after parking at the hostel I spent the afternoon looking around Whitby. It was very windy and quite cold. It's a pretty place, very steep streets. There are 199 steps down to the town centre from the hostel, and 199 back up again. If anybody wants to visit the Abbey and can't manage the steps they would have to drive about half a mile around the road, and approach it from another direction.

I couldn't pop in my usual Tesco for the reductions because I was coming back over the Humber Bridge and not down the motorway, so I made a stop at Morrisons at Beverley as I was passing through. I spent the grand total of £1.17p, and for this I got 12 free range eggs 30p, bag of fresh egg noodles, 19p, two bags of prepared veg 38p, and bananas for 30p. I did even better when I called in at Tesco Barton on Humber. It's a smaller store and I didn't expect to get much, but it's worth a look if you are passing. I spent £1.57p. Five loaves of wholemeal bread at 5p each. Two bags of prepared salad at 8p each. Three stalks of brocolli at 3p each. A prawn salad for 30p, and some cooked turkey slices for the cats. Amazing bargains. I won't need to shop now for another week.

Anyway, I'll get off now. I've really enjoyed my visit to Whitby. I couldn't bring myself to spend £8 on fish and chips, so I just had a tray of chips for £1.35, and I got five doughnuts reduced to 37p from the Co op store. I know the hot chocolate would have been nice, but I managed with a kit kat instead, ha ha. It was the scenery which gave me the most pleasure, not what I put in my mouth. Catch you tomorrow. Toodle pip.

A load off my shoulders

2012-01-22T14:01:00.007Z

Wow, the weekend has gone already, and we're now more than half way through January. Time goes too darn fast. The post yesterday sparked off a few Woolies memories, thank you for those. I sort of threw it together at the last minute. I already had another post prepared, then it was pointed out to me that it would be more appropriate to use it next month, somewhere around the 14th, so I've filed it and will bring it out later.

Ahh Woolies. I remember most of the staff wore horrible yucky green overalls, with those on the food counters wearing yellow. We had some silly little hats to wear, like a band around the head. We used to fold them in half and use a hair grip on each end to hold it in place on the top of the head. We had male supervisors called 'floor walkers', there was one in particular that I day dreamed about, called Howard. He was a bit drippy and I flirted with him something rotten. Scared him to death. I didn't buy records because we couldn't afford a record player. I bought makeup and stockings mainly.

Anyway, lets press on. Today I got my big rucksack out, I had an idea to make it a bit more comfortable on the shoulders when it is packed full, and heavy. I could have bought one with very thick padding on the straps but it was a lot heavier so I went for the lighter one. Mayze wants to help me again, she is a sweetie.

These are the straps that come down over my shoulders and fasten across my chest. As you can see they don't have much padding. When I used it last year I cut a small towel in half and folded the pieces to put underneath my clothes to take the weight. It worked but it was a bit of a faff.

Why not make some sleeves that will wrap around the straps, a bit like those padded sleeves you can buy to make seat belts more comfortable across your chest. I had some waterproof fabric offcuts I got from the Scrapstore. Red will be fine. The padding inside is foam, I folded it to make it double thickness. And used press studs to fasten it together around the strap.

The padding is only on one side.

There you are, hopefully I won't have to suffer the agonies of sore shoulders again.

While I was making these, an idea came to me. Our lovely blogger friend Sharon makes beautiful cases for kindles and suchlike. She said she wants to make something different. Hey, Sharon, what about making some seat belt comforters in your lovely fabrics, decorated with customised embroidery. I bet they would go down a storm.

Anyway, got to go, off to Whitby in the morning. Must do a bit of tidying up and get the cats stuff ready for when Janet comes. All the litter boxes are washed, now need to clean their food trays and dishes. I'll catch you Wednesday. Toodle pip.

47 years ago

2012-01-21T19:28:00.008Z

Hands up how many people can remember what they were doing on this day in 1965, it was a Thursday. Those under 47 don't need to answer ;O) I've just been flicking through my diary for that year, and you will be pleased to know I had quite a good day at work on the 21st of January. I was 15 and a Woolies shop girl. 'I have at last got a move onto the jewellery counter. Val will stay with me for a week then she will go onto make up. There is a new girl coming and I will move on Monday.' Then I wrote, 'I posted my letter to Jack at last, and took some shoes to the menders.' Who was Jack? There is a reference to him in the entry for January 1st.

Jan 1st 1965. 'Mum told me that we will save to go to Australia and live on Jacks farm. I will love to go because I want to get away from Stretton and to be with Jack will be lovely. I told Lyn (friend) and she will be sad to see me go. Anyway, it's a long time away and we might not go till a few years time.' This is the day dream of a very naive fifteen year old, we didn't go to Australia. Jack was the nephew of Bob who lived next door, friends of mum and dad. Jack came to visit and I immediately had a crush on him.

Want to know some more?
Jan 2nd. 'I didn't go to work today because I have a cold, I just sat around coughing. I bought a film for my camera to take some photo's of Jack. On the tele I saw Juke Box Jury, Dr Who, and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. I bought a box of chocolates and ate them all.'

I bet you can't wait for the next entry now, ha ha.
Jan 3rd. I didn't do much today. I saw a fabulous film about warships. I took a photo of Bob hanging his washing out. Mum is poorly. I washed my hair and coloured it Golden Chestnut. I put it in rollers but took them out before I went to bed because I can't sleep in them.' Ha ha, gets better doesn't it.

Jan 4th. 'I went to work as usual but I've still got a cough. Lyn told me she's got lodgings with an old lady of 50.' It makes me smile when I read that now. Good grief, I am 62 and don't consider myself old at all!

Jan 8th. Usual day at work, (on sweety counter). Saw John today and he tells me he's got a job and will be earning £8 a week and he says he will be able to take me out.' John was Lyn's friend and I fancied him like mad. He had long hair and a motorbike. I was dreaming that he might like me better than her.

Ha ha, this is funny, just as I wrote it.
Jan 10th (Sunday) 'I stayed in bed till 10.30. I didn't do much. I washed my hair with bubble bath and it turned out lovely. Later I had a fabulous bubble bath. I love having a bubble bath because you can relax in it and the bubbles cover you. I saw a film later (on the tele), and I sat by Jack. He is so big and fabulous.' What a silly girl I was.

Jan 14th. 'We were ever so busy at work and I was left on my own for most of the time. John said he would take me out this weekend but I don't suppose he will as he has said it twice before, and he hasn't.' I wasn't very lucky with boys at that time, I was forever being stood up. Waiting on a street corner, and an hour later still there and no sign.

I didn't like it on the jewellery counter so asked to go back on sweets.
March 12th. 'I am made charge girl on sweets (that's one step below supervisor). I started by cleaning the sweet bins out (under the counter). I am glad I am back on sweets.'

Woolies used to be a very busy shop in the sixties. I can remember customers waiting to come in at 9am, it was packed out all day. We used to serve them from behind the counter, weighing up loose sweets, then weighing the pick n mix after they had filled their paper bags. Customers were waiting three deep to get served. There was boxed chocolates, the seasonal goods, Easter eggs and selection boxes. I used to do all the counting in the stockroom. We called it 'doing the binders', big books where we entered all the stock we had, then the head of department did the ordering. I could hide away there for a couple of days out of sight, and dip into the sweeties without anyone seeing me :o)) Oh happy days. The Woolies which went bust not so long ago was nothing like the shop I used to work in.

I left there on Friday the 29th of October, and got my holiday pay in the last wage packet, a grand total of £8 2s 1d. I started work at Melias, a chain of small grocery shops, on the following Monday. I never did get to go out with John, or anybody else. In fact I didn't have my first date till I was almost 18, and then I didn't like it very much, ha ha. But that's another story. Toodle pip. `

Fine tuning my diet

2012-01-20T12:22:00.003Z

Yet another healthy lunch. I'm definately going to keep making these smoothies, it's a brilliant way to get fresh fruit and veg down you. I think it's doing me good psychologically as well, knowing it's best for my body, and I can eat loads of it without feeling crap afterwards. You don't get the guilt like you do when you have scoffed a load of chocolate or cake.

I am in the early stages of experimentation, at the moment I use whatever I have in. They needn't cost the earth either. I am astounded by how much those small bottles of Innocents Smoothies are. Who in their right mind would pay that when ingredients can cost so little. As usual I make up my own recipes, most of them are mixed with water or a splash of fruit juice out of a cheap carton, just enough to start the mushing process so the blender is not struggling to break down the hard pieces.

Here I have a carrot out of a 2kg Value bag, an apple my neighbour gave me, she gave me loads. Reduced price spinach. Reduced price melon, and a few grapes, bought on special offer, I would never pay full price for them.

Delicious, all gone. Have I tempted anyone else to start blending and eating raw? It's a lot easier than cooking, ha ha.

I've been on the phone to the YHA this morning and booked myself in at Whitby Youth Hostel for a couple of nights next week. My bank balance has taken a bit of a battering in the last few weeks with bills for car insurance, road tax, MOT, income tax, and utilities, now it looks as if I can afford the £20 for a bed, and the petrol to get there. As usual I shall be taking my own food to keep costs down. It was a toss up between Crowden near Glossop, or Whitby. As it isn't that long since I was in Derbyshire I thought it would be a change to go to the seaside. Looking forward to it :o)

Right, who has been commenting and who has asked me questions.
Lee from Australia has been lurking, welcome Lee, I do a bit of lurking myself, ha ha. Yes, it's good that I have access to quite a few shops, there are a few more that I sometimes visit, only to buy things I need you understand, I didn't photograph them all.
Practical Parsimony asks about cat litter boxes. I have six boxes in my house. because elderly Lily gets a litle befuddled and needs one close at hand. I use clumping cat litter and scoop out the solids as soon as they have appeared and the widdle once a day, then top up. If you don't it soon gets smelly. Lily is a little bit erm loose, and it stinks. Even if he uses the box downstairs the smell soon drifts up to my nostrils and wakes me up. I have to remove it or I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep.

Several people have advised on the green tea topic. I don't like drinking plain water, I like a little flavour of something. Just a hint of fruit will do. I will try again and only leave the teabag in for 30 seconds as Eeek suggests. The reason I chose plain green tea is that it was the cheapest, and the packet has 60 tea bags in it for the same price as 40.

Sometimes it is the not so nice tasting foods and drinks that are the best for you. I do believe that giving yourself too many sweet quick fixes is not good for the long term. There is a balance to be struck, I can put up with the tea. I think I am doing quite well with it actually, being as I don't like normal tea. I have had fruit tea in the past and I like it, so I thought I would experiment with this green stuff, adding a bit of this and that, and see how I go on. It is an ongoing experiment, it won't kill me.

Wean of the Woods, I don't know what kombuch is, I will have to google that. Thank you for mentioning it.

gz thank you for the suggestion of Rooibosh, will look for it in the supermarket.
Right, I'm off out, got things to do. Have a nice drizzly day. Toodle pip.

Canine capers

2012-01-19T18:43:00.013Z

I'm struggling with the green tea, it's still horrible. I've got honey in it, a splash of lemon juice, two elderberry juice ice cubes, and some syrup from a tin of peaches, and still it tastes awful. I will gulp it down as fast as I can.

I can hear Bugsy scratching in the litter box downstairs. Any minute now the smell of fresh poo will reach my nostrils and I will have to get up out of my chair and dispose of it. He does pick his moments, still it's better than 3am, the time when Lily decides to do his ablutions. I sometimes wish for a full nights sleep without being disturbed.

What did I do today? It was a nice morning again when Henry choc lab arrived. His owner Helen has a de cluttering job in town. Yes you've guessed right, she goes to people's houses and sorts out their stuff for them, and tries to get them to pass it on to charity shops or dump it, so they end up with a neat and tidy house. Not as easy as it sounds, some of them are rather attached to their clutter. I'd like to do that job, would be good fun to sort through peoples drawers, ha ha.

Anyway, Henry was whimpering to go out, as he does, so we went round to see if Graham and Lady wanted to come for a walk. Graham gave me the thumbs up at the window and was ready in five minutes. Henry loves Lady and Lady loves Henry, aaahhhhhh. We set off down the lane past the playing fields, the new cemetery, and the allotments, across the fields, to Normanby Hall.

This Regency house was built in 1825 in 350 acres of woodland, deer park, gardens, and country park. We are lucky that it is close enough to walk to. This is the back of the house.

There are lots of peacocks here, I wonder if these two are waiting to get in.

I couldn't persuade them to show us their plumage.

They can sometimes be found wandering around on the road outside the park in Normanby village.

He's a handsome chap.

Here is Henry waiting for me to take his photo. He's not very good at posing.

Graham and Lady.

The wind started to get cold on the way back, the two dogs were having great fun chasing about in the fields. I was ready for my lunch at one o clock.

An hour later and Henry was ready to go out again. My goodness, he has loads of energy. This time his companion was Rocky from up the road. He doesn't get out of his garden very much, so I have started to take him out most days when I am here. He stayed with Barry and his dog Scruff for a while, but his owner wanted him back. Shame really, we were rather hoping that she would let him go and live with them permanently. It was not to be, so now I try and bring a little happiness into his life.

Rocky has a habit of jumping onto any bench that we pass, because he knows I will sit down and give him a treat. He is such a cutie.

I just lurv walking dogs.

It seems that there is still a problem with posting comments on some blogs. I have been unable to comment on those who have their settings on Embedded. If this is you and you aren't getting as many comments as you normally do, you need to change to Pop Up, or Full Page. If anyone wants to read up on this, click on help, and go to the Blogger Help Forum. There are posts in 'How do I', and 'Something is Broken'
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger?hl=en
Now why doesn't that link work, ugger, I give up.
Toodle pip.

A bit of leg work in search of cheap food

2012-01-18T20:06:00.022Z

Anyone want to come on a shopping trip with me? Today I went to town to pay a couple of bills at the bank, and withdraw some cash. I needed some cat litter as well as a couple of other things, and did my usual rounds of looking for any special offers in the food line. It's not a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket when food shopping. To get the best bargains you need to know your prices, so try and remember what your regular foods cost so you can compare. I know some people do this research on the computer, but to be honest I can't be bothered. I would rather go to the shops and see for myself.

First stop Aldi, where I parked and walked the couple of minutes to the High street. I went in to have a look and found a Farmhouse seeded batch loaf at half price, 49p, and I also bought a tin of Corale baked beans to try, at 28p, as other people have recommended them. My main complaint about Aldi is they only ever have one person on the till. So even if you have two items you have to wait in line behind families with a trolley full. It's a pain in the bottom :o(

I didn't go in Poundland today but I've put this pic in here, because sometimes you can find a bargain or two. I have bought currant and raspberry bushes in here, and they have turned out ok. You have to be carefull though, because with some items you think you are getting a good buy at £1, but could probably get it cheaper somewhere else. Some of the cheaper items which are two or three for £1 are the best buys, look out for those.

B & M is where I get my eggs, currently 95p for six, only buy free range. I sometimes get cat and dog food here, if they have any offers. Their food department seems to be expanding, I always check prices, sometimes you can pick up some pasta quite cheap.

Home Bargains is another discount store I visit. If B & M don't have eggs I can get them here. I also get wash up liquid, bleach, Nescafe, sugar, Coffee Mate, and sometimes cat food here. These items can also be found at B & M for a similar price.

I find Pets At Home quite expensive, but I do get Felix cat food here when it is on special offer and no one else has it.

Good old Morrisons. Clumping cat litter is £1.44 a bag, that's Morrisons own the cheapest, I get five bags at a time. I wish my cats would go outside to piddle, I am getting through a lot of this at the moment. I always look for whoopsies here, that's yellow stickered price reductions. Today I bought some Brie and Danish Blue cheeses at 29p a portion, and a melon reduced to 49p. The bread wasn't cheap enough and it was white, I like wholemeal or seeded.

Next stop the pet stall in the Market. I used to get all my Felix pouches here because it was the cheapest place around. Not any more, they put them up to £2.75 a box, and you can always get them on offer somewhere at £2.50. However, they have cheap Whiskas dry at the moment. They were selling 2kg bags for £3.99 which is very good, but now they have 360grm small boxes for 50p, which is even better, I bought eight of those today. I also get my dog treats here, as the prices are better than the supermarkets. Might seem daft being as I don't own a dog, but you can't take a dog a walk without having a fews treats in the pocket.

This is the new Poundland in the shopping precinct. I need to explore this a bit more. I bought three tins of tuna for £1 a few weeks ago, but it was only fit for cat food.

I have mentioned this Cash and Carry a few times, I pass it when I go to and from town, always worth a look in. A bit of a basic warehouse type place, no frills here, but you can pick up a few bargains. It's a bit open to the elements, and it doesn't have fancy lighting, but who cares.

The owner and his assistant are very friendly, always polite, always helpfull.

They now have a licence to sell booze, and are starting to stock fresh foods in the chiller cabinet.

You have got to sift through this lot though, there is a lot of stuff which I don't buy anymore, like crisps, biscuits, fizzy pop, and sweets. The pet food is not all that cheap either.

But this is a good buy, a bag of spuds for 20p, I'll have one of those.

Stock cubes 20p a packet, I already have some of them in my cupboard.

Fantastic price for Ocean Spray juice. I don't need any at the moment because I stocked up on John West apple juice at the same price a few weeks ago.

But today I stocked up on Tuna Chunks. The price of tuna has shot up dramatically in the last few weeks, even Tesco Value jumped from 45p to 75p, I would not pay that price for it. So today I bought a case of 48 tins of John West. The price was £24, but the man knocked £2 off that, so these have cost me 45p a tin. What's the catch? They are out of date by six months. They're going to last a while, that's if the cats let me have any, ha ha.

I've just had half a tin tonight with a plate full of steamed vegetables, a healthy cheap dinner. I'll have the other half tomorrow, with a spud in the microwave, and salad. Cheap lunch.

These are just a few of the shops I visit. I didn't go past Tesco today so no pic, but you know what it looks like. I also didn't go past Sainsburys or Asda. I think Sainsburys is too expensive, and Asda is the other side of town, not a place I go past very often. Cherry picking the best prices gets you best value. I realise that not everyone has time to do this if they are working full time, but for those who do have time it is a good way to save some money, by shopping around. Toodle pip.

Food and other stuff

2012-01-17T18:30:00.005Z

I was going to get this post written really early this morning, but then Henry choc lab turned up, so it was walkies with him. After lunch we picked Rocky dog up and we all went a walk together round the fishing pond. Here is a picture of lunch. From the bottom up, spinach, half a red pepper, carrot, white cabbage, grapes, brocolli, pumpkin seeds, linseeds, and sesame seeds. Splash of water and apple juice. Luverly :o)

I must keep up with the walking to build myself up for the bigee. I've been thinking about the next long trek, studying maps, and checking distances. I fancy another coast to coast, but want to top the 137 miles of the previous one. I'm thinking of starting further north on the west coast, Morecambe or above, and going in a big curve through NorthYorkshire and down to Hull. I'm looking at the possibility of starting in the Lakes, but that might be a tad too far. I'll check the distance. I like the idea of walking towards home, because every step I take will get me closer to collapsing through my own front door, ha ha.

Well the frog spawn certainly got you talking about puddings. There was mixed feelings on whether you like it or hate it. I must say, I am not that keen, but I will persevere with it and the packet will get used. I think I might put some in my next stew, that would bulk it up nicely. Yes, tinned fruit with evaporated milk on a sunday was served up at our house as well. And why were we given bread and butter to eat with it, I dunno.

Also mentioned was Semolina, Creamola Rice, Cremora, Pink Custard, Prunes and Custard, Ginger Sponge, Cornflake Tart, Jelly with Evap milk, and all manner of puddings, brought back memories of school dinners. Thank you for your pudding suggestions.

I had my bran flakes with diluted 50/50 evap milk this morning, it was perfectly palatable. Only a slight difference between it and soya milk, I'm sure I could get used to it. I think it would work out cheaper to switch to this, I must check the maths. It was mentioned to mix up powdered milk and keep it in the fridge. I use Coffee Mate, it's not quite the same as Marvel so I'm not sure it would work. I sprinkle Coffee Mate in the water when I am making porridge just to give it a slightly milky taste. Another good idea someone mentioned, mix tinned fruit in with any milky pudding. Also jam, but I don't buy it, too much sugar for my liking.

I've been going through your comments and notice that there are a few new names, so welcome to the newbies. Sal's View, Gill that British Woman, lauradora, Pinecone, Mel, Morgan, quinn, wean of the woods, Laughter, Knitty Nora, AlisonB43, Debs, and anyone else I have missed. Phew, I can't keep up with you all.

Is anyone watching the latest series of 'An Island Parish'. It's all about the Scottish island off the west coast called Barra. I saw the first series and got hooked, just as I got hooked with the programmes on the Scilly Isles before this one. The scenery around Barra is beautiful, the people are lovely, and the stories interesting. It's a real soap, not a made up one. I shed a tear this week as Father Roddy had to leave the island and move on to another parish. He didn't want to go, but that's how the Catholic church works. Father John Paul the new young priest is struggling a bit with his housework, he needs a housekeeper. Scraggy Aggy thinks he should have a wife, but of course he is not allowed. If you want to follow the lives of the people on Barra you can get it on the iplayer.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01987zp/An_Island_Parish_Series_6_A_Bolt_from_the_Blue/

That's all for now, catch you tomorrow.

Frog spawn anyone :o)

2012-01-16T13:18:00.007Z

Here's one for Toffeeapple, she doesn't like tapioca pudding :o) The cooking instructions on the side of this packet are incomplete, due to me removing the 'whoopsie' label, silly billy. I marked the price on the front to remind myself how cheap it was if I didn't use it up immediately. I bought it from Asda at around March time 2010, so it's a bit out of date. It's been sat in my cupboard for ages, and I haven't found any inclination to use it. I well remember this frog spawn pudding from school days.

Anyway, in these times of austerity, a buzz word which everyone seems to be using now, I have got to make an effort and use up every single item in my store cupboard. I think it is recommended to cook this in the oven, but as my oven doesn't work properly, and I wouldn't use it anyway even if it did, I thought I would try it in the slow cooker. Quinn makes rice pudding in a slow cooker, so I wondered if this would be the same.

I started it off last night, boiled some water in the kettle, added some Coffee Mate, and was intending to leave it all night as I didn't know how long it needed. I checked before I went to bed and found it was cooked, but a bit lumpy, so I transfered it to a saucepan.

This morning I tasted it, yuk, tastes of nothing, needs some milk and something to sweeten it. I have soya milk on my bran flakes, but yesterday in Tesco I noticed how the price of the organic long life has rocketed to £1.10 from 89p. I started using this one after the price of the soya milk in the chiller cabinet also went up. So now I am looking for a cheaper alternative.

I don't expect the Value one at 65p to be very nice, because the Value yogurts are awful, but it's worth a try. I'll let you know how I get on with that when I open it. I was perusing the shelves of long life milk reading the labels, and found some good old fashioned evaporated milk. I used to love that when I was a kid, maybe this is the time to go back to it.

So, I opened the evap milk, poured it into a jug and put it in the fridge. I swilled a drop of water around in the tin and emptied it into the tapioca. Next I added two teaspoons of honey and put it on the stove to warm up. Quick taste, a drop more milk was needed, and hey presto, it's not too bad at all. Frog spawn.

It says on the packet it is microwaveable so I will try that next, there is plenty left. I am determined I am going to eat it. I should add here that I don't eat puddings after a meal, because my meals are so filling. My puddings come any time I fancy one, breakfast, elevenses, mid afternoon, or bed time.

Tomorrow I will try diluted evaporated milk on my bran flakes, if it tastes alright I will make a switch to that. In my coffee I always use Coffee Mate, I buy it cheap on offer, and I can get zillions of cups out of one packet, so very cost effective. It's a cereal day tomorrow by the way, I had a fruit, veg, oats and seeds smoothie this morning, with a cup of green tea. I have updated my food spend diary after yesterday's shop if anyone is interested. Toodle pip.

Gone fishin

2012-01-15T18:52:00.021Z

Instead of mooching around half the day and getting nothing done, I decided to get my finger out and go for a walk. A couple of sandwiches, a pot of cous cous left over from last night, a few peach slices, and a bottle of watered down juice was my packed lunch. Kill two birds with one stone, I thought, park at Tesco and time it so I get back to the car at 3pm, then lurk in the store waiting for the final reductions.

Tesco is opposite the football ground where they have a car boot sale, today was the first one after the Christmas break. I had a little nosey around first but there wasn't many stalls and some were packing up. I spotted this little cutie and got chatting to it's owner, as you do, ha ha. The elderly lady obviously loved her little dog to bits. It had a little coat on underneath it's pink blanket. She proudly showed me a certificate, it had won a photographic competition for the best pooch. I suggested she frame it as it was getting a little creased. I don't think she minded, she was probably glad to show it to anyone who might be interested.

I set off down this path, it's a dismantled railway track.

We get quite a lot of cable theft in this area, and here is the evidence. Sometimes whole villages lose their phone connections or have power failures. Luckily it hasn't happened here yet. With the price of metal rocketing the thieves are having a field day.

This is the bridge over the River Trent at Gunness. I have mentioned this before, I came past it when I did the long walk up the Trent. It used to be a lift bridge but has been fixed for quite some time now.

Surprise surprise, there is a boat in at the docks. It's a Dutch vessel called Ardea.

It's got it's own dinky little matching lifeboat at the rear, poised ready to be launched. Bet that's exciting if you are in it when it hits the water, like the log flume at the fairground :o)

A bit further along at Keadby Wharf is another boat, the Fehn Cartagena. I can't get a full length picture of this as it's on my side of the river. As you can see it's from Gibralter.

This pile of scrap metal has been unloaded, bound for the steelworks.

Here I am standing on the road bridge looking down towards Belton. This is where the canal joins the River Trent. I decided to have a walk down the left hand side.

Me being nosey I got chatting to the fishermen. This one has tackle box which has a table on the side, and you use the box as a seat.

The fish seemed to be biting well. I watched as he reeled it in, then he used a crochet hook like tool to get the fish hook out of it's gullet. I asked if he was going to eat it for tea. He said, no, it will be put back in.

A bit further along is Keadby Power Station. This is a gas fired power station, it was built on the site of a former coal fired station.

About half a mile on is where the railway line crosses the canal. There is the signal box.

Next to it is a swing bridge with a little cottage.

At this point I decided to turn round and go back. Didn't want to miss my bargains at Tesco. The store was quite busy, I was surprised, it has normally tailed off by this time. A lot of people have cottoned on to the late shopping lark, the store closes at 4pm and it was buzzing at 3.45. A lot of the stuff in the chiller cabinet had meat in it so no good for me. I got some yogurt and dips.

I hovered around the veg and picked up a few items there, but not as much as I'd have liked. The bread was a big disappointment, they didn't bother to do the final reductions so all I got was a packet of wholemeal bread rolls for 45p. I have a lot of space in my freezer so I was hoping for some more. They brought a load of ready meals out and reduced them all to 10p. Again no good for me, they had meat in them :o( Never mind, I spent £8.86 on food, hoping it will last me a week.

I'm getting a bit behind with my blog reading, forgive me if I haven't commented on yours, I must try and catch up.

Toodle pip.

Try now, I've changed something

2012-01-14T18:19:00.003Z

Just had a look. I've changed my comment settings to a pop up instead of an embedded box. It should work now. Blogger are making some changes so that people can reply to a previous comment. There are some glitches.

Thank you for your patience. Hoping it will get fixed

2012-01-14T17:50:00.003Z

Thank you all for getting back to me so quickly, you are brilliant. I can't even comment on my own blog now. Think we'll have to wait a bit and see what happens.

PROBLEMS WITH MAKING COMMENTS

2012-01-14T16:57:00.003Z

It seems some people are having problems posting comments. I've had two emails saying the screen freezes when they click on comments. I've just been to my friends house and it is happening to her as well, she showed me what happens. I don't know what is causing this, I haven't changed any settings. I'll look into it later, to see if I can find anything out. It could be a Blogger glitch. Are any other bloggers having the same problem?

Secret Millionaire

2012-01-14T11:45:00.003Z

I was struggling all day yesterday to think of a topic for my post, suddenly it came to me when I noticed my lotto ticket on the kitchen worktop. I am normally a down to earth person, not prone to dreaming about what might happen, but more making plans for what will happen. I don't believe gambling is the answer to anyone's problems, no matter how desperate they are to get out of the hole they are in.

Gambling is about luck, pure and simple. Of course if you have a flair for a particular job, a determination that you are going to win at whatever you do, then you do have a better chance. Some of the highest earners got lucky in the first place, but then went on to exploit that to their advantage. I was never lucky enough to have the brains to push myself, I just wasn't focussed.

I don't think there is one person on this earth who hasn't hoped for a big win, but most realise it is just a dream. I don't win because I don't gamble, because I know I will never be rich. Why hanker after something you will never have, be gratefull for what you have got.

My post has prompted Kateg and dancingonabladeofgrass, to ask the question what would I do with a big win, maybe a million or so. For a few minutes I will have a little daydream and answer that.

Family first, make sure they have enough and don't have to worry about struggling to make ends meet. My nephews wouldn't have to worry about paying the mortgage. I think that goes without saying. I wouldn't have a party, but I would visit them all individually and take great pleasure in handing them a big fat cheque.

Next I would help my very best friends. Sue could do with a bigger and posher house, with a big garden for all her cats. I would send Janet and Paul on a nice holiday, they deserve it after losing several of their cats and two dogs last year. My friend Carol would like to move but she can't sell her house at the moment. I would give her enough money so she could sell it cheap and pay for a new house. I have several friends who could do with a bit of a helping hand, mainly animal lovers, they are kind and their hearts are in the right place.

Then I suppose I'd better spend a bit on myself. I would have a bigger, nice house, probably in this village, and a new car. I would invest a lot of it to provide me with more money to give away. My time would be spent finding good causes. All begging letters will be destroyed, I will know who I want to help after I have met them. A bit like the Secret Millionaire programme. I read a story yesterday about a single mum who has taken on her best friends five children, after their mother and father died within months of each other. She needs a bit of help with an extension for the house. She intends to continue working because she loves her job. She is a true hero, I would go and give her the money.

Animals will benefit from my win. I would visit small rescue centre's to see what they need help with. New pens, fencing, buildings, food, vet's fees, for dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, any animals.

I would still be a bit frugal in my own spending but I wouldn't be shopping for reduced prices at 8pm any more. Other people will need it more than me. Looking for bargains would be a hard habit to give up. I would not pay extortinate prices, but I wouldn't need to buy the cheapest. I hate the idea that it would change my personality, because I like who I am. I will do more long distance walks but maybe pay a sherpa company to transport my luggage. A few more hotels instead of hostels would be nice. And I would pay someone to stay in my house and look after my cats while I am gone.

Phew is that it, have I come to the end of my list. Dream is over now back to reality. I think I'll go for a walk, it's lovely and sunny here. Toodle pip.

On to a winner

2012-01-13T21:18:00.005Z

I have a confession to make, I have done something really silly today, something I haven't done for several years. It was a complete waste of time and money. Why on earth I have bothered to do this I do not know, yes I have taken leave of my senses, and common sense just flew out of the window. I don't know what posessed me to do it. Why would I throw away my cash on a whim, and it was a whim. This crazy idea came into my head and I couldn't stop myself. It happened in a flash, I hadn't planned it, I just turned left into the shop and handed over my £1 coin.........and walked out clutching a lottery ticket.

I get a feeling that it is my turn, it must be. Please God let it be my turn. If I win we will have a big party tomorrow night. My numbers are 1 2 5 6 16 49

Oh heck, I've just noticed what the date is. Could it be an omen ;o)

Half full of beans

2012-01-12T20:15:00.009Z

It should have been a smoothie breakfast this morning, but I just couldn't face it, so I went for the comfort of a pan of porridge with sultanas, and a cup of coffee. However, by lunchtime I was in the mood for a refreshing jug of raw vegetables and fruit, smashed to smitherines in the blender. Cabbage, orange pepper, carrot, apple, grapes, nuts and seeds. Add a drop of water and there you go. Thick and mushy, full of goodness, it was very nice.

When I went shopping last week I picked up a tin of Oaktree beans from Tesco, because they were cheaper than their Value range. As soon as I tasted them I knew they had far too much sugar in them, yuk!

I usually have half a tin on toast, but when I came to use the second half I put them in a sieve and rinsed the sauce off them. In a half can serving there is 12.2 gr of sugar as opposed to 9.2 gr in the Value. In fact looking at the rest of the ingredients it seems the Value is slightly more healthy apart from the salt content, which is slightly more.

But then there is something else to consider, the Value has 44% beans, and the Oaktree has 49%. So which is it to be? Save 3p, get more beans and more sugar, more calories, more fat, but less salt. So confusing :o( Don't know which to buy for the best now.

Twas a beautiful sunset tonight, did you see it? I caught a glimps of it over the rooftops so I legged it to the church to get a few snaps. It was breathtaking. How lucky that we are high up here and have such good views.

You can see the reflection in the river.

These photo's are undoctored, just as it was to the naked eye.

I get quite emotional when I see the sky like this. I stood for a while leaning against a tombstone, just to take in this breathtaking sight.

Ten minutes later it was gone.

I don't wear short shorts :o)

2012-01-11T15:32:00.007Z

We have a shop in town where you can take all your sewing jobs and a lady will sit there at her machine and mend, repair, and alter, any clothing items you take in, and she will charge a fee for this service. She always seems busy, so I suppose there must be a enough customers to keep her going.

Makes sense to me, especially if you have something which you dearly love and it requires attention. Pay a few pounds and get a bit more wear out of it.

I used to love sewing at school, it was my favourite lesson. The teacher was called Mrs Walker, a rather portly lady who was plastered with make up and stank to high heaven in perfume, she must have emptied the whole bottle over herself. She wore lots of loud colours and masses of jewellery, with hair backcombed and laquered in a style similar to Mrs Thatcher. We used to take the micky out of her something rotten. Her first name was Constance, but we mostly called her Fanny, and sometimes Connie. What a shame we didn't treat her with more respect, she taught me a lot about sewing. But that's teenagers I suppose, I was one once, ha ha.

Anyway, I digress, Fanny came to mind when I was making this alteration to a pair of pedal pushers today. I bought them a few years ago when I was earning money, and when they first came into fashion. Everyone seemed to be wearing these half mast trousers at the time. I thought they would look nice, but when I got them home I realised I would never like them, they felt uncomfortable around my knees. They remind me of those bloomers you could buy which you wore in bed, a slimming aid to sweat a few pounds off you while you slept. So, they have been in the wardrobe ever since I got them.

Good idea....cut them down to make a pair of shorts for my walking trips. Or a pair of longs, whichever way you look at it, ha ha. You know how I like them, baggy and flapping just above my knees. Here's my blue ones to compare. I can use these as a guide as to how much to cut off.

Hem the bottoms up, and make two map pockets out of the bits cut off. Perfect, just the right size.

Look at these, perfect, I'm well chuffed.

Big pockets for bits and bobs. Mayze is not interested, ha ha.

PS, do you like my new bed cover? It was free. My friend Graham had his bedroom redecorated, and he had a good sort out of all his bedding. His plan is to replace everything to match the new decor, he gave me a bag full of unwanted stuff. This one is brand new, never been used. Not sure where he got it from though, it's not really a manly design is it. It looks lovely with my pink bedroom walls :o) Toodle pip.

Nice rice

2012-01-10T21:29:00.004Z

It's very comforting to eat something sweet and scrummy, we have all got our favourite treats. They melt in the mouth and tickle our tastebuds, and for a few moments make us happy, and gives us a sense of well being.

How convenient that the little puddings come in these plastic pots, it is so easy to slip one or a dozen into your trolley when passing the chiller cabinet. They are a handy size for taking to work in your lunch packup, or picnic, or you can just pick one up and eat it straight away if you fancy one.

Years ago you could only buy creamed rice in tins, then Mr Muller came along and decided plastic pots were the way to go. They were another alternative to yogurt. When they first came out I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about. Rice pudding in a pot, so what, I've been eating rice pudding out of a tin for years. So how come this is different? It may be flavoured but you can add all kinds of things to rice pud to make it taste fruity and sweeter.

The little pot above costs 61p. You can get a whole tin of Ambrosia for that, a lot more cost effective. You might need to carry a tin opener in your bag though if you want to eat it straight away.

Here is a cheap way to make your own Muller Rice at a fraction of the price. I have used four Tupperwear pots with lids that seal. I must have had them for about forty years, remember Tupperware parties? You can use any small pots with tight fitting lids. One tin of Value Rice Pud cost 13p. One tin of Value Peach Slices cost 29p.

Decant the rice into the pots, I could have got five out of it but I only have four pots. Chop up three peach slices for each pot and add to rice. Seal and put in fridge untill required. And there you have it, fruity rice for a lot less than buying it ready made.

You can use any kind of fruit. If you have children make these up in advance, they will keep a few days in the fridge. A cheap treat without breaking the bank, and you can use the pots over and over again.

Best foot forward

2012-01-09T19:18:00.015Z

Twas a beautiful sunrise this morning, I rushed outside to take a few snaps.

Isn't it amazing how the sky looks like it is split in half.

I wonder what makes it do that.

Then the clouds came over and in a few minutes it was gone.

Whatsitlikewhereyouwork asks if I am giving up coffee. Hi there, no I wont be, I like coffee, well Nescafe actually. I am cutting down a bit though, mainly because I can't drink it without sugar. I am having one mug on alternative days for breakfast, instead of every day.

Today I had no coffee, and made a smoothie with these ingredients, this is a dinner plate. Ten grapes, one carrot, one orange, a few pieces of apple, some pineapple, and three teaspoons of seeds. Add water and blend, first on slow speed then whizz it fast.

Eat with a long handled spoon, straight from jug. Simple.

I thought it was about time I got off my bum and went for a walk today, so the computer did not get switched on this morning. Before I went however I had a bit of clearing up to do around the church. The youngsters have been partying and left a bloomin mess, especially around the front gate and the bench. Loads of discarded bottles and cans, some smashed up. They don't think about how this might cut the feet of passing dogs, quite a lot of people walk through here on their way to the hills. I took my sweeping brush, a small dustpan and brush, as well as my picking stick. Job done.

I walked into town because I needed some eggs from B & M store. Some of the route is across the fields, some along a country road, and some on a main road. I was a bit sad to see this beautiful pheasant lying dead by the roadside. It was probably hit by a car as it dashed across from the woods. Poor thing :o(

I purchased six eggs for 95p, only buy free range, a small pot of black pepper for 39p, and I found some packets of shiitake dried mushrooms, 29p for four. Apparently they are supposed to be good for you, so the book says, worth a try for that price.

I thought about getting the bus back, but I still had loads of energy so I thought, no, walk back. I need to keep my fitness up, ready for the long days and I can start walking longer distances.

I called in at the Cash and Carry as I was passing. They have some out of date (Aug 2011) tins of John West tuna chunks in brine for 50p. It's a good job I took my rucksack, I bought eight tins, although I won't be eating most of them, the cats love it for a treat. I asked the man if he had a lot in stock, because they tend to have limited supplies. He said they have 60 cases, so I might get some more when I am passing in my car. I used to get Tesco Value chunks but they have gone up from 45p to 75p, a horrendous price increase which I wont pay.

Anyway, I was approaching my village as the sun was going down. Look how it bathes all the trees in a red glow. I deliberately left my shadow in there.

This bit of the walk is very nice, hardly anyone ever uses this route.

The windmills just the other side of the road, over the hedge, and the marker post saying turn left.

Almost home now. The sun will disappear in the next few minutes.

Tonight my dinner was a plate of steamed vegetables with half a tin of tuna fish. I had to open a second tin. As soon as the fishy smell wafted through, I had four cats in the kitchen meowing like crazy, even Garcia the neighbours cat was licking his lips in anticipation. Toodle pip, catch you tomorrow.

Not enough to go around

2012-01-08T19:55:00.006Z

What a bloomin cheek ! Mayze has pinched my chair. When I am sat on it she jumps on my knee and tries to get round the back to push me off. If she doesn't succeed she then waits for me to get up for something and immediately jumps in my place. Then I have to fetch the other chair from downstairs. She is a cheeky madam.

I spent this morning trying to understand if HM Revenue and Customs have worked out my income tax correctly, it seems rather a lot. I did my self assessment on line last month and I have the statement, I have to pay some money by the end of January. Luckily my friend Carol was able to give me some guidance, because this sort of thing is her job.

So, the sums are, state pension plus small private pension, less the personal allowance of £6475 (the rate for 2010 - 2011), less £210 tax already paid on the private pension, and 20% of what's left is the amount I have to pay.

They talk about pensioners having to continue working or going back to work to make a decent living. This would probably be a good idea if you were on a much reduced pension, and could top it up with a part time job. If your pension is really low all you do is claim every benefit you can which will top it up. Because my income is slightly more than the tax allowance, if I went back to work I would be paying 20% of everything I earn.

The personal allowance for 2011 - 2012 goes up to £7475, so if my pension hasn't gone up by much this year, I should not have to pay as much tax next year. In fact I could probably work it out now because I know what my income will be in this tax year, I won't bother though, I'll wait till next January.

When I rang HM Revenue and Customs up to querie my account I did get a bit of good news. When I reach age 65 I won't have to pay income tax, whooopeeee, can't wait ;o)

Another bill landed on my doormat this week, car insurance. My broker has managed to find me a company with a more competitive premium, £54 less than last year, so I'll go with that. On top of that I've just paid the car road tax, £165. In December it was gas, electricity, and water to pay. It's all flippin bills at the moment. The winter fuel allowance of £200 was a help, but it's not going to be used for soley for that, my gas bill is not expected to be very much at all.

Oh well, the scrimping continues, there's no let up. If I want to have my cheapo mini holidays the money will have to come from somewhere, and that is my day to day living. Cutting back on everything, and accounting for every penny. Doing without. No heating. One bath every fortnight, washing in a kettle of water in between. Shopping at night for the reductions. Cherry picking at all the shops for the best prices. Growing my own. No new clothes, I can manage with what I've got. No buying food out, take it with me. Using the bus pass, or walk, or cycle, whenever I can. It's a good job I don't mind my own company, I can't afford to socialise.

I'll do a bit of tidying in the garden, the brown bin gets collected tomorrow.

Toodle pip.

A change in breakfast routine

2012-01-07T10:27:00.007Z

Good morning on this wonderful sunny Saturday morning in January. Here I am feeling bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to enjoy another day. Following on from yesterday, the Anti Cancer book by Dr David Servan - Schreiber, it has made me think more about what I put into my body. The book isn't just for people who have already been diagnosed with cancer, it's for everyone who wants to adjust their diet to cut back on cancer promotors, and include the greatest number of foods that help prevent and actively fight tumours.

Now I'm not about to become obsessed by food nutrition and healthy living, I just want to do the best for my body, to give it a fighting chance of serving me well. I'm not going to make any drastic changes to my diet based on what I read, but I want to incorporate some of the ideas, and introduce them gradually to see what happens.

There are a lot of videos on yoootube, posted by people who have an interest in raw vegan food, something which I want to try. They all say how much better they feel within themselves, how alive and full of energy they are. I am pretty much heading in that direction, but I feel there is still more I can do, so I'm going to make a start.

It will be little steps at first, replacing some of my meals with raw food. I have always loved crunchy fruit and veg, but now I have a problem with chewing, it takes me ages to get through an apple, because most of my back teeth on the lower jaw are missing. I do have a denture but it feels so horrible in my mouth and food gets stuck underneath it, so I don't wear it anymore. My missing teeth doesn't affect my appearance so I don't see any need to wear it.

Anyhow, let's get on, it's a sunny day and I want to get out. I found this book at the Christmas Fair last month and bought it for 50p. It's a bright and colourfull book with all you need to know about making smoothies and juices. An ideal solution to get more raw food down me.

So this morning I decided to change my normal routine of coffee and cereal, or toast, or porridge for breakfast, and go for a smoothie instead. I usually only have one mug of coffee a day, first thing after waking, and it always tastes great. So this is what I did this morning. One banana, one advocado (reduced price), chunks of fresh pineapple from the 20p prepared fruit pack, and a teaspoon of sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, golden linseeds, and a few walnuts.

Put it all in the pot with a splash of water, and whizzed it up with the new stick blender. This I got free of charge with my Tesco vouchers when it was the double up offer. A £20 blender for £10 vouchers. I must say it does the job very well. I had a cheaper stick blender before, and I couldn't clean it properly where the whizzer thingy goes up through the shaft. Horrible brown gunge came out because the seal wasn't very good and the food had seeped inside it. Yuk, it had to go.

The result..... I decided to leave the consistency thick so I could eat it with a spoon, and do you know it was surprisingly delicious. The banana was the prominent flavour, with hints of pineapple and advocado. When you eat it, it's best not to gulp it too quickly, but to swish it around your mouth so it mixes with your saliva, no chewing yipee. This is the start of the digestion process. See, I'm learning already, ha ha. I think I'll be making lots more smoothies and juices, I could get hooked on this.

All washed down with a mug of green tea. Yuk, this tastes horrible, so I put a splash of lemon in it. Still tastes horrible but I am going to stick with it. I don't like ordinary tea but I read somewhere that this green stuff is good for you.

I can't see me doing this every morning, just yet. Slow steps first, if I see an improvement in the way I feel, I might go to the next level and gradually increase my intake of raw foods. A little at a time I think. Have a nice weekend. Toodle pip.

Unfinished post (book review)....now finished

2012-01-06T19:51:00.004Z

Who was it that asked about my reading material, Jane I think. Dartford Warbler asked if I have read Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy. Is that fiction DF, because if it is no I haven't, I don't read fiction. My choice to read non fiction limits me to a small section in the mobile library, I go through every title to find something which takes my fancy. Ocassionally I will have a blitz through the main library, and bring even more books home as there is a much wider choice.

So, it's biographies and auto biographies, crafting, gardening, diy, diet, medical, walking, travel books, food nutrition, art, home making, excercise, psychology, relationships, and true history stories. So, anything what happens for real, not made up :o)

I usually have eight books out of the library at one time, they live on my table in the living room or on my bedside (ironing board) table. I pick bits out of them whenever I want a quiet wind down moment. I find it hard to read from cover to cover, my attention span is not long enough as all kinds of thoughts are darting through my brain, I am constantly thinking 'what next'.

So, a brief run down of what I am reading at the moment. Fitness has always fascinated me, and what better example of this is Arnie. I also like stories of the meek and mild pulling themselves up by the bootstraps and making something of their lives. Mr Schwarzenegger was a scrawny boy from an Austrian village, who went on to be the greatest body building champion in history. He became a big movie star, then married Maria Shriver, and went on to become the Republican Governor of California.

Laurence Leamer writes a very graphic account of how the young Arnie was single minded and driven towards stardom. Along the way he used his charm and charisma to get anything he wanted, women were falling head over heels in love with him and he took full advantage of that. Indeed, later on his colourfull past gave him cause for concern, as his credibility came into question many times. All his skeletans in the cupboard came back to haunt him.

I haven't reached the end of the story yet, but I have read in the press that his sexual behaviours eventually put a big strain on his marriage as it emerged that he fathered a love child many years ago. Reading his story I am not surprised one bit that Maria thought about leaving him, there are some men who just won't be tamed. A fascinating insight into the world of fame and glamour.

There is a lot of humour in Bill Tarmey's story. Of course we all know him as Jack Duckworth from Coronation Street. There is an account of his early days before the Street, how he was a night club singer and host, then became an extra on the Street, and then offered the part of Jack.

He has had a few health scares along the way, but always managed to inject a sense of humour into his accounts of this. It's nice to read some background stories of Coronation Street, what happens off camera, and discover a bit about the other people playing the parts of the characters we know so well. What comes over in the book is that Bill looks back on his past with great joy, and is eternally gratefull for the life he has been blessed with.

This might seem a strange book to pick up, unless you are a person who is battling with cancer. It's an 'everything you need to know' pocket guide, though you would need a big pocket with almost 300 pages. As I mentioned, I am interested in food nutrition and how different food affects our bodies, the reason for me reading this book.

The Author, Dr David Servan-Schreiber, is a clinical professor of psychiatry. He was treated twice for a malignant brain tumour, which was first diagnosed almost twenty years ago.

Excuse me while I take a few moments to compose myself, I have just googled his name and found out that he passed away on 24th July 2011. It has taken me by surprise, I didn't expect that. I've got to walk away for a few minutes. Knowing what I have read about him in his book, and knowing he is no longer with us, I am gutted.

Sorry for that blip, I have had my lunch and I'm ready to continue. That was very strange, I don't even know him. Oh heck there I go again, I didn't even know him, but there are things in his book which really struck a chord. He describes natural methods of healthcare that contribute to preventing the development of cancer.

People who want to protect themselves should seriously reduce their consumption of processed sugar and bleached flour. He also talks about some foods which are cancer promotors and fuel their growth, and other foods which are anti promotors, they block the mechanisms necessary for cancer growth, or force the cancer cells to die.

Throughout the book Dr David tells of hard scientific facts that back up all his research, so you don't get the feeling that it is all mumbo jumbo. You don't need a scientific brain to understand it, I am not clever but it makes good sense to me. Try googling his name, there is a lot out there about him.

Here he is telling his own story. RIP Dr David.

There was another book to review, but I can't find any more words.

What's up Doc?

2012-01-05T20:11:00.004Z

I had a request from my doctor last week, could I help out with some student training. No they didn't want to examine me, just to ask lots of questions about the ovarian cyst I had three years ago, and the hysterical rectomy which followed :o) I don't mind doing this, if it helps the trainees to learn. So today I went to the Medical Centre in the next village and met two very polite young men.

I gave them an account of the whole event from start to finish. How I woke up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain, dialling 999 and getting whisked off to hospital, being admitted onto a ward, and having xrays which showed a 10cm cyst on my right ovary. Then having to wait four months to be admitted to hospital for the op. Then about the recovery, and how long did it take to get back to full health.

Me being the gas bag type, any excuse to get out of the house and have a natter. It all started off very politely, me putting on my posh voice and trying to act ladylike, and them taking things very seriously using the correct terminology. One of them was sat on the trolley bed taking notes, and the other on a chair in front of me asking all the questions. Things were going swimmingly well.

Because it was a gynaecological problem they needed to explore a little further. Then came a few personal questions about my erm how shall I put it, encounters with the opposite sex. They didn't actually come out with 'How many lovers have you had', but I got their gist, ha ha. I might as well tell you now that I am no wallflower, so I find matters of this nature quite easy to talk about with the medical fraternity. If they were shy with me to begin with they certainly weren't shy at the end. In fact the one on the trolley bed had to stop writing as he was giggling so much.

In for a penny in for a pound I thought as I rambled on. They were enjoying it, so was I. The thing is, if I am making someone laugh, it spurs me on to keep going, I just can't help myself, I get carried away. They got far more information than they bargained for. At the end of it they said I was the most entertaining case study they have ever had. Glad I made an impression, once seen never forgotten. I hope they will be laughing about that for a long time to come. I certainly will be, ha ha.

A last look at Oxford

2012-01-05T09:11:00.011Z

Good morning. I'm going to wind Oxford up now with the last few photo's. I'm pleased that they have been of interest to you, and have brought back a few memories for some of you. I ran out of daylight the day before I took these, and had to pop back into town again before I left.

Love the architecture.

An ornate iron gate.

It was a case of walking around the streets to find the best angles, I love this one looking through the arch.

The finger post tourist signs are a good help to find places.

This is known as the Radcliffe Camera. It is a reading room next to the Bodleian Library.

The Bridge of Sighs.

The Bath Place Hotel, in a quiet little corner off Holywell Stree.

I have found this excellent short film on the tube. It's a virtual mini tour which features a lot of the places I saw. Take a look and enjoy. Toodle pip.

How far can you stretch a bowl of water?

2012-01-04T11:50:00.004Z

Good morning. Sneaking in a money saving tip here while I have got a minute. I don't like wasting water and will use it two or three times over to get the most use out of it.

Here we have a bowl of manky water. It started off as rinsing water after I washed my hair. Yes I prefer to use the sink for this job, one and a half kettles of boiled water is enough. If it is bath time I will hang my head over the bath and wash my hair before I immerse my whole body in the warm water, but in between times it's the sink.

Next I got a wiping cloth that I use for mucky jobs, a piece of old flannelette sheet, and wiped down the insides of the window frames in the whole house. At this point I will mention that I didn't add any cleaning agents to the water.

Then I wiped down the paintwork on some of the doors if they looked grubby. I wiped the inside of the front door in the porch, and some of the walls which are painted with gloss paint. It gets a bit of condensation in there.

Next I got down on my hands and knees and wiped the whole of the kitchen floor. It's got a vinyl covering and I want to keep it looking nice and clean. So there you go, one bowl of water, lots of job done. At this point I felt the water was too mucky to flush the loo with, so I chucked it down the drain. Now what did I do with those last Oxford photo's :o) Toodle pip.

Happy Birthday Sis

2012-01-03T20:01:00.014Z

It is my sisters birthday in a couple of days, I decided to make her a card. I have loads of stuff which I have collected, it was all free, apart from the cards themselves which were £4.50 for 50 cards. I don't like using glue, too messy and the paper goes all wrinkly. I sew the bits and pieces on. For this one I have used old cut up cards, and a scrap of fabric, but you could use anything as long as you can get a needle through it. Anyone can have a go at this, no special skills required.

I stick the pictures on with a bit of rolled up sellotape on the back to keep it steady as I sew. I use a small notice board pin to pierce the holes through first, and put a mat underneath it to protect the table.

Try and make the stitches all the same size.

Tidy up the ends on the inside.

To hide the stitches get a piece of A4 paper and trim it to slightly smaller than the card. Measure 1.5 inches in from each end on the crease, then another one inch in. Stick the pin in at these places and use four strands of cotton to tie them together.

Then stitch your name on the card at the back.

One exclusive hand made card for a few pence. Much better than a shop bought one. It actually cost me nothing to send it as well. I found a stamp which hadn't been franked on one of my Christmas cards, and very carefully peeled it off. My goodness I am tight, ha ha.

Kidston Rocks OK !

2012-01-03T18:28:00.002Z

Here we are then, back in Oxford. I said there was a lot of bikes, many of them are parked at the railway station. The ground is covered in brown crunchy leaves, which the workmen are trying to gather up. They are having to sweep between the rows of bikes which makes it quite difficult.

This sign is on a portable frame with wheels on the bottom, but some bright spark has chained their bike to the fixed barrier and the sign. How daft can you get.

These storage lockers look quite swish and are a better alternative to leaving your bike where it will get exposed to the elements, and thieves. Mind you most of them are wrecks anyway, but if you had a posh bike you could put it here.

All Cath Kidston fans now drool :o) This is just for you. I popped in here to have a look around to see why the name is so popular. Yes it's all very pretty and the colours are so sweet, it's alright I suppose but I can't get excited about it. You're going to hate me for saying that. Ok I give in, Cath Kidston rocks :o)

I asked permission to take photographs inside the store, but I was told no, not allowed. Miserable sew and sews, ha ha. So this is the best I could do with my little compact camera.

I thought the window display was quite clever. They used old wooden packing cases laid on their sides, and painted the insides in matching Cath colours.

This is the street outside the shop, loads more bikes. At least they are parked all together in the right place.

More Oxford pics to come. Toodle pip.

Eating other people's left overs

2012-01-02T12:08:00.003Z

Good afternoon. I've got blog posts coming out of my ear holes now. More pics of Oxford to come, and some for the Kath Kidston fans amongst you. Book reviews are in the pipeline, because Jane asked me. Finances need another post in light of all the bills I have coming in at this time of year, grrrr. But all that is on hold because I keep changing my mind by the minute. You know me, a bit of allsorts. I don't like you to become too comfortable here, this is not a place to lounge around in a comfy chair. This is where you come to get ideas, to look at life from a different angle, to expect the unexpected. I don't want you falling asleep on me.

Yes I know I have stated in the past that this blog is for me, I don't write for you I write for me, it is my record of my life. I am happy to share it with you. The way I dart about through different subjects is how I am in real life. I don't like things on an even keel, plodding along, it's boring. I like to dash off in different directions, explore and learn. Dont come on here and expect the same old same old. Right, what's the subject for today then?

I just want to quickly mention here that I love powerful women, they inspire me. Last night I watched a programme about Hilary Devey, the newest dragon on Dragons Den. Boy has that woman got balls, I love her. You can see it on BBC iplayer, but sadly I don't think the rest of the world can get that. Try youtube or googling her name for clips. Her web site is www.hilarydevey.com She started from humble beginnings and has built an empire in logistics which boasts a multi million pound turnover. Check her out.

Right, my lodger has now gone home. The gorgeous Henry choc lab, see pic below, was collected this morning by my friend Helen. Look at that face, I am sure he understands every word I say to him. We have done loads of walks, he has met all his doggy pals, and now Mayze cat can breath a sigh of relief because she doesn't like him very much :o(

You know how I like freebies, stuff I find and stuff which is given to me, here is the latest haul. Helen had food and drink left over so she brought them round. She doesn't need to ask if I want them, I am gratefull for anything that people give me. I know my friends don't view me as a charity case, but someone who hates waste and will use up everything. If I can't personally use it I will make sure it goes to someone else who can.

When I was at the hostel in Oxford I noticed there was a young Italian student who didn't have much food. He was very well spoken and was studying English for an exam. Before I left I had a rummage through my cool box, and a bag of food that Carol had given me, and put together a few items to give him. He was over the moon. I may not have very much but I am willing to share my excess. If people are kind to me I want to repay that kindness. Toodle pip.

A bit more Oxford

2012-01-01T11:03:00.018Z

A few more pics. Now what was this place called :o) Ah yes, Christ Church, entrance through the big gates and gardens off St Aldates Road. An impressive entrance.

Love the shape of the windows.

This tree is clinging to the brickwork, I bet it looks pretty impressive in the summer when it's covered in green leaves. It's like a skeleton at the moment.

Oh dear £5.50 to go in, I'll walk around the outside thank you.

Here is another entrance, still costs the same :o(

The Cathedral from a distance.

Oh dear, now I'm lost. This is a very nice carved wooden gate. I love the bay window above it. Wonder why some of my buildings are leaning over, I can't seem to get them square and central in the viewfinder.

No entry in here, more bikes chained to the railings.

Gates shut.

Walking down towards Magdalen Bridge, starting to get dark now.

The Christmas tree in front of Magdalen College. This is the nearest I could get, poke my camera between the bars of the fence.

Here I was meandering around the back streets, I like the warm glow of the street light against the wall.

Now where was this arch way, I bet someone could tell me :o)

I'm running out of daylight now so I went back towards the town and the hostel. There are a few more pics I want to take, I'll come back in the morning before I set off home.

Today it's been me and Henry choc lab. We have been two long walks and he has had fun playing with his doggy friends. Now it's time to get my dinner, it's looking like a pan of veggie stew is on the menu. Toodle pip.

Goodbye 2011 Hello 2012

2011-12-31T09:33:00.005Z

I'll have a piccy break today as the last day of the year is traditionally a time for reflection, more Oxford pics tomorrow. Matt asked how Oxford compares to Cambridge, I can't answer that question yet, as I haven't been to Cambridge. I am looking into it, and hopefully a trip will be on the agenda soon. The Youth Hostel has a cheap offer on but no car park, so I need to look into cost of public transport to get there. Rail prices are rumoured to be going up, so it might be cost effective to drive, so much to consider when trying to organise things on a budget.

Anyway, I'm feeling quite chipper as we say goodbye to 2011, and hello to 2012, I much prefer even numbers, ha ha. On the whole it's been a pretty good year for me, mainly due to the fact that I like to make things happen rather that wait for them to happen. I know you have to plan big projects, things to consider are budgeting your money, and finding a slot in the diary to fit everything in. I also like to fill in the gaps with last minute ideas, a quick trip here and a short visit there. Being flexible helps, it's great to have my freedom now that I don't have to go to work any more.

My 2012 calendar has been on the wall for about a month now. It's next to the phone and computer in the office, so I can tell at a glance what dates I have free when I plan my trips. I used to print it out month by month, but now I tend to buy a cheap calendar for around £1, makes the job easier. Here are my calendars, they are all in order from 2004.

The question I ask myself is did I do my best this year, and could I have an even better time in the next year. Let's have a look at what I did and where I went.

January.9th. Day walk around Spurn Point. 8 miles.
21st Local walk. 7 miles.
26th - 28th Three day hostel walks in Edale. 29 miles.
February.
20th - 23rd Four day hostel trip to Liverpool.
March.
5th Day walk Lincolnshire Wolds. 7 miles.
14th - 17th Four day hostel walks in Windermere. 43 miles.
28th - 31st Four day hostel walks in South Lincolnshire. 65 miles.
May.
11th - 23rd Holiday in Scotland.
June.
11th - 13th Camping and hostel in Blackpool and Yorkshire. 30 miles.
15th Local walk 13 miles.
July.
23rd - 30th Walk from Blackpool to Humber Bridge. 137 miles.
August.
12th Local walk 10 miles.
15th. Hull to Humber Bridge 11 miles.
16th Local walk 12 miles
17th Misterton day walk 14 miles.
18th Local walk 10 miles.
September.
2nd - 4th Camping in Derbyshire 25 miles.
9th Day walk in N E Lincolnshire 13 miles.
19th - 25th walk Burton to Burton 119 miles
November.
8th - 10th three day hostel walk in derbyshire 28 miles.
27th Local walk 10 miles.
29th - 1st Dec three day hostel walk in derbyshire 28 miles
December
10th Local walk 14 miles.
23rd - 28th Holiday in Hampshire and Oxford.

I make that a total of 634 miles, but added to the trips where I didn't record the miles, and all the dog walking, and walks to and from town, I reckon it might be nearer 1000 miles. Next year I would like to do more :o)

My other activities which keep me busy are blogging, litter picking, watering friends garden, delivering newsletters, dog walking, giving lifts to friends, fund raising for cat rescue, foraging in the supermarkets and shops for the cheapest food, craft work (sewing crochet etc), visiting family, growing veg, and reading.

How many blank days do I have on my calendar for the year? Days when I didn't have anything arranged, no appointments, no nothing.
Jan = 11. Feb = 9. Mar = 10. Apr = 8. May = 8. June = 12. July = 3. Aug = 6. Sept = 11. Oct = 13. Nov = 18. Dec = 18.
Total of 127 days, that's far too many, I need to get out more, ha ha.

After all this deliberating what do these figures tell me? What plans do I need to put in place for next year, and what resolutions should I be making? Well, I think the answer is, get off my backside and do more of everything, because the longer you sit around procrastinating the more time you waste when you could be doing something usefull. So, starting tomorrow I will give myself jobs to do to fill the gaps, and write it all down on the calendar, so there are no gaps at all in a years time. My goodness, aren't I a genious to think of that :o)

Happy New Year to all my bloggy friends.

Tales of the riverbank

2011-12-30T13:31:00.021Z

Here's a nice walk you could do if you have 2 - 3 hours to spare in Oxford, it's about seven miles. I joined the River Thames at Folly Bridge, on the A4144 Abingdon Road, and went north. The pub, Head of the River, marks the spot.

If you fancy a boat trip instead you can always catch a boat there as well. Not today though, maybe it's seasonal, or private hire only.

It's not long before you leave the built up area of the city behind, and get out into the countryside.

Approaching Osney Lock there is the control box which the boat people use to open and close the lock gates.

It's a self service lock, no one here to help today.

I am not sure when the lock keeper is in attendance, probably only in the season when it's busy. There is a nice little cabin to sit in and keep watch.

This part of the Thames path is called The Shakespeare's Way.

Some boats moored up and ducks in abundance. Over on the opposite bank is a vast grassy area known as Port Meadow. It's very popular with dog walkers.

Look at the deep ruts on the bark of this tree. I wanted to hug it. Very tactile and rugged.

I wonder how old it is.

And here we are arriving at Godstow Lock, and another lock keepers cabin. How nice to put a Christmas message on the blackboard.

It all looks very well maintained, grass neatly clipped and no rubbish about.

I came off the river at the Trout Inn, and headed in an easterly direction along a minor road to Wolvercote. This thatched cottage on a bend in the village really has bright yellow shutters. I wonder if it is to stop vehicles crashing into it.

It wasn't long before I came to the Oxford Canal, I turned right along the towpath and headed back to the city. It really is a pleasant walk, there are quite a lot of other people out enjoying the nice weather.

There are lots of narrow boats parked up, some of them are quite colourful, and some with signs of life within, the chimney smoke gives it away. There are also some which look abandoned and in a poor state of repair. They all seem to have their little pile of belongings on the path opposite the boat. Most have got bicycles, there's bags of coal, and stacks of wood. Some have been growing veg in plastic boxes on the roof, some have aerials and solar panels, and some have a 'for sale' notice on them. I wonder what it's like to live on a narrow boat.

Almost back now, I've just crossed this bridge to get on the right side of the water, to return to the city centre via Hythe Bridge Street.

It's been a really nice walk, and I've still time to get a few more snaps of the city. Catch you later. Toodle pip.

The rooftops of Oxford

2011-12-29T19:13:00.015Z

Good morning, lets make a start on the Oxford photo's. There's such a lot of them so I will split them between three posts, don't want to bore the pants off you with one massive long rambling post. I hope you will forgive me if I do not go into a lot of detail about each individual building, truth is that as I went round and round in circles in the city centre, I got a bit confused as to which I had seen and which I hadn't, and they all began to look the same after a while.

My overall impression was that it isn't as big as I thought it was, everywhere is easily reached on foot, and as the main A34 trunk road isn't far away there is often the humming of traffic in the background. I found this quite irritating when I did a walk northwards along the river.

There are nine million bicycles in Oxford, well it seemed like it anyway. Bikes are chained to fences, gates, signs, trees, in fact anywhere, even when there was a sign which said 'bikes chained to these railings will be removed'. Most of them looked like complete wrecks, bent and buckled wheels, wheels missing, battered and scratched, they were dumped anywhere and made the place look so untidy.

The buildings are magnificent, the colleges are spread out through the whole of Oxford. I recognised some of the names from when I was a keen fan of Bamber Gascoigne on University Challenge many years ago. It would have been nice to be able to walk around the grounds of the individual colleges, but there was no public access to snoop around the back. I don't know if it's like that all the time, or because it's the Christmas holidays, but all the gates were locked. Some had closed signs at the entrance, a bit disappointing. The Museum was also closed. There was one open, Christ Church college, but it was £5.50 to go in, I took photo's from the outside.

I went to the Museum of Modern Art in Pembroke Street, thinking I had a treat in store, wrong! Big gallery, all white inside, with a collection of paintings from one artist, mounted sparsley around the walls, didn't do anything for me. Smaller room showing a film about the artist, and a coffee shop. Bit disappointing.

Here we go then, and I don't know what this building is, good start eh, ha ha. Note the bicycle.

I think this is on Cornmarket Street, a lovely old timbered property. Reminded me a bit of York.

A little courtyard off one of the main shopping streets.

Next I climbed the Carfax Tower, on the corner of Queen Street and High Street. On the blurb it said 'Best view of the Dreaming Spires', maybe worth paying the £2.30 and climbing the spiral staircase for some good photo's. One or two good views but I wasn't overly impressed.

Lots of roof tops to look at. I spot a Dreaming Spire amongst the tower cranes :o)

That looks nice over there, should have cropped the roof tops out of the picture.

Looking in a westerly direction you can see the green hills beyond the A34.

I quite like this view looking down High Street, an assortment of interesting buildings.

Back down to earth and this lovely old fashioned wooden post box, outside the main post office.

This is a gate into Christ Church college, St Aldates Road, main entrance down the road. No entry here.

More later. The sun is shining and I'm off out to play.

Sharing a walk with my best friend.

2011-12-29T10:21:00.019Z

Good morning. I am sitting here with Lily on my knee as usual, and back to wearing lots of layers in my central heating free zone. This mild weather means I can live with the absolute minimum of heating, only putting it on for an hour in the evening if it is really cold. I'm on target for a relatively cheap gas bill in February.

Loads of photo's to wade through, here are a few of my last morning with Carol, on Monday. I managed to get her out for another walk, albeit quite short. Frensham Common is 1.5 square miles of open heathland midway between Farnham and Hindhead on either side of the A287. There are two ponds known as Frensham Great and Frensham Little ponds, and they are surrounded by coniferous and mixed woodland. The ponds were built in the 11th century to provide fish for the Bishop of Winchester's estate. The Great Pond was drained during the second world war to prevent enemy aircraft using it as a landmark.

We set off from the visitor centre car park to walk around the Great Pond in a clockwise direction. Part of the waters edge here resembles a sandy beach, children were enjoying themselves playing at building sandcastles and a moat.

A bit further on and we came to the Sailing Club. There were quite a lot of boats out on the water, a slightly warm breeze made it ideal conditions. Although I don't fancy having a go myself, I like to watch people busy enjoying themselves. Preparing to set sail.

Pushing the boat out into the water.

Rows upon rows of boats, all in their allocated parking slots.

Once out on the water the trailers are left along the edge for the return. People are sitting out on the deck of the boathouse enjoying the mild weather.

A life boat is on standby in case anyone gets into difficulty. A bit further round we stopped to watch the sailors as they grappled with the sail to keep themselves in an upright position. Throwing themselves from one side of the boat to the other as the wind changed direction. Several times we thought someone was going to flop their boat over, but they managed to heave ho and pull it back again, with the whole of their body leaning over the side. No wonder they all looked in peak physical condition, you need to work every muscle for this. A great sport if you like water and want to keep fit. This non water babe will stick to walking thank you ;o)

The Frensham Pond Hotel is right on the side of the water. This attracts a few ducks and swans, in the hope that a few morsels will be tossed their way.

Sorry mate, I have no bread today.

This is a Best Western Hotel, and prices range from £65 per night for a single, to £100 for an executive suite. It looks very nice but I will have to stick with Youth Hostels for the time being. One can dream, ha ha.

Aren't swans so very beautiful. They make a place feel very tranquil and fabulous. I love them.

After lunch back at Carol's I was ready to leave for Oxford. It's been a fabulous break, smashing to see my friend again, indeed Carol is the bestest friend anyone could have. She might poke fun at my quirky ways, but she is never condescending and she never looks down on me. Throughout our lives she has always earned more than I have, she had the brains to chose a lucrative career path, I just bimbled along doing what I loved best, driving a truck. Our lives have been completely different, the only thing we have in common is that neither of us had any desire to have children. So for more than 50 years we have remained friends, I hope we have many more years as best friends.

Snuggling up with the cats tonight

2011-12-28T21:16:00.005Z

Aye up me ducks, I'm back at the homestead. Cats all pleased to see me, especially when I got the 20p chicken slices out of the bag and gave them one each. Lily is now in his favourite place, on my knee. It was such a surprise to get out of the car at Tesco car park and find the wind nearly took the door off. There wasn't any wind at all when I left Oxford at 11.15am, and no wind when I stopped by to visit my uncle Stan in Burton on Trent. I can hear the letter box clattering now on the front door, the wind is whipping across it.

Did I mention stopping at Tesco, of course I had to, just to see if there was anything reduced. I found a trolley parked at the veg department and picked a few items which were a good price. Then the nice lady with the ticket machine came along and took them off me and said she was going to take the trolley in the back and reduced them even further. I didn't argue, ha ha, they know me there. So, I got my next weeks veg plus six bananas and a carton of soya milk for £2.69.

I've just finished off the 20p bean salad, the lettuce, and the garlic piza bread for my late tea, I suppose you could call it supper. A big chunk of 20p coffee cake to follow, it was £2.25, well you have to have it at that price don't you. This is my Sainsbury's haul, eleven items £2.20. I gave the young lady on reception at the hostel a pack of four muffins, she was well chuffed.

I've checked my mileage, as Joyful was asking, it was 479. I'm not sure how much fuel I used, about £50's worth at a guess. I don't work out the mpg, not much point, I bought the car, it's supposed to be economical. I drive at 55 - 60 mph on the motorway, no harsh acceleration and no harsh braking. Nice and gentle on the gas pedal. I stopped once on the way down there for about 20 minutes, and had a two hour break at my uncles on the way back. Probably about five hours driving each way.

Thank you for the translation Christy, I wondered if it had anything to do with fishing. Sorry Sft, I didn't take any photo's of the hostel. It wasn't anything special, looked a bit like a modern office block from the outside. Reception desk as you go in, with snacks and drinks for sale. A big lounge area with computers, TV, and cafe style tables and chairs, and sofas. Another lounge with TV and pool table. The members kitchen was too small for the size of the place. When you have cooked your meal you eat it at the table in the same room, a bit cramped. The restaurant wasn't very busy as most people seemed to cook for themselves. There was a quiet study room with books, but they were all fiction, not enough time to read a whole book if you are only staying for one night. I was in a six bed room, en suite with toilet and wash basin, and a seperate shower room. There was quite a lot of young foreign student types there, mainly Chinese.

I'll get the pics sorted tomorrow, goodnight.

Hampshire to Oxford

2011-12-26T21:09:00.002Z

Hi, just checking in from not very sunny Oxford, I arrived at 4.30pm. Me and Carol went a walk this morning, round a lake. It was lovely, watching people sailing, and watching the ducks and swans. I think her legs have recovered from the last walk. Joyful asked how far away from home I am. My drive from home to Carol's was 233 miles. Now I am a third the way back, so not so far to go home on Thursday. My plan is to call in to see Uncle Stan on the way through.

I've had a little bimble round Oxford tonight, to get my bearings and look for some good photo opportunities for tomorrow. I shall be up nice and early to get the most out of the day. I have one room mate, not met her yet, but it looks like she has been living in the room for about six months, she has that much stuff. The nice lady on reception says it took her ages to bring all her bags in.

I happened to come across a Sainsbury's during my bimble and noticed that the staff were marking down the goods in the chiller cabinet. I couldn't resist taking a peek. I came out with a bag full of food, everything was marked down to 20p, I just couldn't resist it. Enough food for tomorrow and the next few days. I walked a bit further and blow me down another Sainsbury's. I went in to have a look and came out with three more 20p items, well you just got to have it haven't you.

Sorry no photo's tonight. Must go, time up

A Spring walk on Christmas day

2011-12-25T21:46:00.014Z

Christmas day and all is well. A Merry Christmas to everyone, it's like a sunny spring morning here in Hampshire, I have to go for a walk. Carol does not want to join me today, I think I wore her out yesterday, besides she likes to enjoy her time off work relaxing at home. I set off with my map in hand to bimble around the local area. Turn right at the end of the road and take the footpath on the left over the fields. It wasn't long before I was walking through some woods and crossing the River Wey by this little stone bridge. A dog turned up and had a paddle.

I continued towards Headley Park.

Through the wood.

Which is part of Broxhead Common.

At Pickets Hill I came across the Headley Park Hotel, and went to have a look because I didn't understand the word Sodyba on the sign, and wanted to know what it meant.

Along the driveway there was a sign pinned to a tree, in a language I didn't understand.

The hotel looks very grand but also looks very tired and in need of a face lift. It is set in acres of parkland with it's own lake.

A sort of monument in the garden, looks kind of religious.

Carol says it is run by Lithuanians so I did a search, and indeed it is. However it has several not so favourable reviews on Trip Advisor. I noticed it is closed for refurbishment untill the new year, possibly to put right the complaints from the guests.

I walked into Hearn and turned right to Arford, and continued to Headley Down. At the end of the houses I turned right down a path onto Ludshott Common.

It was a very pleasant walk, a few people were out with their dogs, no doubt walking off the effects of a large Christmas dinner. Mine will come later.

Miles of green trees and brown bracken, it was like a spring day, very mild, and little breeze.

I came to where several paths met and was a bit confused as to which way to go. I thought the best plan would be to backtrack a bit and take the path which I was sure would take me in the right direction.

I walked down some narrow roads past some very big posh houses with long driveways. This made me smile. What do you do when you want to put a fence up and a couple of trees are in the way? Build the fence around the trees of course, and leave them poking through it :o)

I got back at 4pm, a lovely bimble at 8.85 miles. Carol made a lovely dinner, lots of veg again and a piece of salmon. Tomorrow I move on to Oxford. I may not be able to post till I get back, so I'll save up the pics for you. Toodle pip.

A walk around The Devils Punchbowl

2011-12-24T18:14:00.025Z

Carol really is spoiling me rotten here, my trousers are getting tighter by the minute, and I need to go on a diet when I get back. It's a lovely morning so we went for a walk. The Devils Punchbowl is a large natural amphitheatre and beauty spot near Hindhead. The deep depression is believed to be the result of erosion caused by water beneath the sandstone causing it to collapse. First of all I wanted to get a photo of a place I spotted on the map, called Land of Nod. We went down a track but couldn't find it, then when I had given up looking I saw this sign. Carol screeched to a halt as I jumped out to photograph this sign.

Next we parked at the National Trust car park next to the cafe at Hindhead. We were lucky that the ticket machine was out of order so we didn't have to pay for parking. Carol had a map of the area which gave all the footpaths, so you can make a long walk, or just a short stroll. We went down towards the bottom of the Punch Bowl. Ahead of us we could see what looked like an artificial bank. An elderly couple were walking close by so I asked them what it was in the distance. The man said it is the old A3 trunk road, which they have now dug up and covered over to restore it to it's natural state. I decided to climb up for a closer look.

Carol waits for me.

This used to be the main A3 trunk road between London and Portsmouth, now it is no longer required because they have built a new twin tunnel directly underneath here. They have laid a membrane over the ground and will scatter tons of seeds over it so the natural plants will grow over and cover it up.

We walked down into the bottom of the Punchbowl where we had to negotiate some quite boggy ground to cross the stream. With all the rain we had yesterday it was very muddy. Unfortunately Carol lost her footing and just managed to stop herself from falling on her face in it, oooops, shouldn't laugh.

A bit further on we crossed the stream by this little wooden bridge.

And look what we found, Hindhead Youth Hostel. No one at home today. Vehicle access is by a rough track, 4 x 4's will cope better with it.

Trumpet shaped mushrooms.

There are no proper roads here, just tracks, this is Highcombe Farm.

Next door is Gnome Cottage.

A few ponies are wandering about, keeping the grass tidy.

Back over the stream a bit further on and we get to Keepers Cottage

A memorial stone.

We sat on a bench here and had our packed lunch. Over there in the distance you can see the covered over A3 where we were earlier. It's amazing to think we are sitting on the top of the longest road tunnel in the UK, at 1.25 miles long. It cost 371 million pounds to build the four mile bypass including the tunnel, and was opened in July this year.

Carol does a lovely salad box, yum. Cheese, lettuce, coleslaw, potato salad, tomato, grapes, cucumber and quich.

There was an hour to kill before we went home so we paid a visit to a big garden centre to have a nosey round. I headed for the farm shop to see if they were reducing anything, a habit I can't get out of ha ha, no too early. Then we meandered around a bit more, Carol said she was going to sit in the car, so I took another look in the farm shop. I timed it right, I got a tub of cream for 25p, naughty I know, and also a brocolli in cheese sauce meal, reduced from £2.00 to 50p, I can eat that at Oxford.

Tonight's meal was my favourite, loads of vegetables. Now watching tele. Toodle pip.

Carol's Five Star Hotel

2011-12-23T21:28:00.003Z

Hi peeps. It took me about five and a half hours to get here, there was an accident on the M1 at junction 21 near Leicester, then it was quite busy past Oxford. Newbury was a bit clogged up with shoppers, same at Basingstoke, then it was country lanes through Alton to Linford.

Carol made us a lovely dinner. Starters prawn cocktail, potatoes in garlic sauce, fish, and mushy peas, pudding was a chocolate eclair, and of course we started on the wine. Boy it isn't half hot in here, I'm not used to this central heating mularky, I'm having to take clothes off not put them on, ha ha.

Do you like Carol's frugal tree, it's ten years old. The fairy on the top, which you can't see is 32 years old. and the lights and tinsel are the same age.

I could easily become a tele adict with this massive screen, we have just watched Coronation Street, it's like being at the cinema. We are now sipping Bucks Fizz and eating Maltesers, I can see I am going to put a bit of weight on over the next couple of days, Carol's cupboards and fridge are stuffed full of food. I hope I don't get too accustomed to living the life of luxury, or I will coming back down to earth with a bump when I return home.

We have a walk planned for tomorrow if the weather is ok, which should be fun. I hope everyone else is enjoying themselves, don't drink too much. Toodle pip.

A faffing day today

2011-12-22T18:17:00.010Z

I am not very disciplined when it comes to getting ready for something, I always think I have plenty of time so never rush myself. Then at the end of the day when I haven't got half the jobs done I still can't hurry up. I have no sense of urgency at all, and faff about doing things that aren't important.

Right now I should have my bags packed, I should have the cool box almost packed, I should have my clothes sorted out, I should have my boots cleaned, I should have cleaned the inside of the car out after I transported rubbish to the tip in it. Have I done it, have I heck. Instead I have just spent half an hour printing off a Christmas card for the people round the corner who used to own Lily. I take a photo of him every year and put Merry christmas from Smartie on it, that's what he used to be called. I put it through their door so they know he is still alive, they probably aren't bothered but it makes me feel better to let them know.

Anyway I did get a few jobs done, like wash the litter trays. Get them all out on the yard and scrub them out with hot soapy water.

Then run the Dyson round everywhere, I don't want Janet to think I am a sloppy begger, ha ha. Next clear everything off the table, put a fresh cloth on it, old bed sheets come in usefull for this, and wash the cats trays and dishes. They always have their food here, easier for me so I don't have to bend down on the floor, easier to clean up as well, I am not a fan of scrubbing floors. That little square on the end is my bit where I eat my breakfast, I don't mind sharing :o)

Next empty the boxes of pouches into the plastic box, and, with the dry nibbles, install on the other table, within easy reach for Janet. Put the kitchen waste bin under the table for the empty pouches.

Then I had to take 12 tins of cat food round to Sue's, which I picked up yesterday, they are for Bobo. I went on my bike as it's been quite warm here today.

Then I took Rocky dog for a walk, then I went to see my friend Barry. Oh bother, I've just remembered I should have gone to the Post Office to renew my car tax, it completely slipped my mind, will have to do that next week.

Lunch today was a big plate of green salad leaves and crunchy salad, topped with chopped celery and grated cheese and drizzled with toasted sesame seed oil, scrummy. That's the last of the cheap salad now, finished nine days after the sell by date.

Right, I'm off to stick this card through their door, then start packing, then have a bath. I'll get off here and stop faffing about. I hope you all have a marvelous Christmas, behave yourselves because I will be watching you, ha ha. Toodle pip.

Understanding art ;o(

2011-12-21T18:30:00.018Z

Here's a bit of gobbldygook for you, taken from the latest 20 21 Arts Centre brochure. It's about an exhibition they have on at the moment called Beyond Pattern.

We often think of pattern simply as an adornment or perhaps even as a form of disguise, but it can also reflect a desire to communicate through a specific visual language. It might represent cohesion and a sense of balance, thereby providing visual stimulation or a space for meditation or perhaps symbolise status, political beliefs or cultural tradition.

Sounds very intellectual, but what the heck does it mean :o( Anyway it all looks very nice, some interesting exhibits. I didn't have much time to study it as I was on a free one hour park, so I must go back later and take another look, maybe then I will find a greater meaning in it. The artist who created this is Doug Jones, it's called Non Sum Qualis Eram.

The next pieces are by Michael Brennand Wood. If you google his name you will find hundreds of pictures of his work. I haven't got the photo's on their side, they are all mounted on plain white walls. Sorry I can't tell you much about them but I had a quick flit round in about ten minutes, then spent another 20 minutes gassing to the staff, leaving me 30 minutes to go to the bank, Asda, and the market.

Oh and a pic of Lily, nibbling a few Whiskas biscuits.

I checked the winning numbers of the raffle tickets on the Bransby Horses web site, and I am soory but I am the bearer of bad news, nobody won a prize. Sorry :O(

Smashing time

2011-12-20T10:10:00.006Z

My first computer has been sitting in the corner of the office, on the other desk, cluttering the place up for the last few years. Today I finally decided it had to go, but what to do with it. Does anyone want it, a museum maybe, probably not.

So I googled 'disposing of a computer'. Yes I know it has to go to a recycling yard, no problem we have one a couple of miles away, but I also read that the hard drive has to be wiped clean, to prevent dodgy people stealing your personal details. Oh my goodness I don't know how to do that :o(

Then I checked out a few more sites, aha, that's the answer I can smash it up. I don't know what a hard drive looks like so I contacted my computer man Mark, and he described it to me. Still not 100% sure which bit I was looking for, so just to be sure I unscrewed everything I could and took the whole thing apart.

Next I took all the bits out into the yard, put my protective goggles on, got my lump hammer, and systematically smashed every possible bit to pieces. The little sticker made me laugh. 'Product warranty will be void if this label is removed', ha ha. I wonder what they would say if I took it back to the shop and told them I dropped it, then asked, well the label is still there, can you repair it ha ha.

Destruction is not something I normally get involved in, as I am a very placid person, construction is more my thing. I must say though that with every blow of the hammer I felt a sense of victory. Take that, you are out of my life forever, ha ha. The computer is dead.

I chucked it in a skip. The skip was full of all manner of electrical appliances, the man said they will be stripped down and all metal will be salvaged. Bye bye computer, you have come to the end of the road.

Time for doodling

2011-12-19T11:47:00.003Z

I haven't got a lot to do at the moment, a bit of time to kill, so I've been doodling again. Now I have a set of four mugshots, much improved with a bit of stitching, ha ha. Perhaps I should keep going, add some more, then enter the collage in an art competition. Is there no end to my talent ;O))

Don't worry, I am not losing my marbles, I will be getting busy towards the end of the week. On Friday I'm off to my friends house in Hampshire for a few days, then a couple of nights stopover at the Youth Hostel in Oxford on the way back. I've always wanted to see Oxford. Hope your Christmas arrangements are going according to plan and everything works out well for you. Toodle pip.

God moves in mysterious ways

2011-12-18T18:14:00.005Z

Today has been a 'bit of', day. I've done a bit of housework, a bit of sewing, a bit of dog walking, a bit of reading, watching a bit of 4oD, and a bit of litter picking. The rubbish has been blowing around the village a bit just lately so I thought I would have a tidy up.

I give my time freely to keep my village spick and span, I expect no reward, it's just nice when people say thank you. It's nice to be appreciated. Today I got a bit of a bonus. I found three cans of Blackthorn cider in the churchyard, still in their plastic sleeve. How strange. So my wages for today was £2.73, paid in cider.
Thank you Lord :o)