Making a coffee table

This is a post for Butterfly, or anybody else, about what you can do with cat food boxes. I made this coffee table some time ago and have been thinking of ways to finish it off.

I have used fourteen boxes, a simple test design to see if it will work. The two sides are four boxes on each side, the top is six boxes. Make the sides first. You need to get inside, pierce small holes on the outside about one inch from the edge where two boxes meet. You also need to pierce another hole through the two boxes on the inside so you can thread a piece of string right the way through, and tie the ends in a tight knot on the outside. Trim off excess string and close the box lids. Practice with two boxes first.

When you have made the sides, make the top in the same way with six boxes. Then tie the three sections together. It's like a bridge but the middle two boxes will not fall in if you tie the string tightly. You can see on the first picture that I covered the joins with parcel tape to strengthen it. I had to remove this later because the papier mache would not stick to it.

I then covered the whole thing, except the bottom, with papier mache. I started with walpaper paste and newspaper, but it wasn't sticking very well. Also the wet was distorting the flat sides of the boxes, they were bowing inwards. I tried tearing up some large sheets of white paper and stuck these on, it worked a lot better than the newspaper. Any recycled A4 sheets would do, it's a better quality paper than newsprint. Then I had to build up the dips with extra paper to try and level the surface. I used some old CV's next because they were printed on strong paper.

Now the whole thing is covered in washable wallpaper. I put a coat of varnish on the top which has stuck alright, but it is difficult to get the edges straight and tidy. It is very sturdy.

I think there is no limit as to what furniture you could make with them if you have the space to work. Think of them like lego bricks, in fact you could use lego to play around with different designs, then copy it with the boxes. If you make anything big though you would have to think about it being very inflammable, it would be very dangerous if it was placed in a position where it might catch fire.

Better than landfill - make a bag

What can you do with sixteen dry cat food bags, seems such a shame to throw them away. I have been saving them because I like the bold colours. Light bulb moment.....MAKE A BAG

First I did the back and front. Sew four bags together with a flat overlap seam, zigzag stitch on the machine. Zigzag two bags together for the side, make two. Then join the four pieces together with running stitch seams on the outside, so you have a bag with no bottom. Next join two bags with zigzag seam for the bottom, trim to size and pin into place. Sew together. Fold top edge over one and a bit inches and pin. Make two handles out of two bags, you have to open bags out lengthways and cut two strips, fold lengthways, sides to middle, and stitch. Do two rows of running stitch around the top edge half an inch apart and attach handles while you are doing this.

Overall dimensions are 14.5 inches tall, 15 inches wide, 7 inches deep, it will fold flatish when empty. It seems quite strong because it is double thickness, although I would use it for lighter items such as toilet rolls and cereal boxes, rather than heavy vegetables. That way it would last a lot longer. I will try it out on my next shopping trip.

The Last Supper

I took some photographs today which I really must show you. There is three new exhibitions in our 20 21 Arts Centre, so I went along to have an eyeball. The first one is along the wall on the left hand side as you enter the reception area, about seven or eight very large abstract waterpaintings in pastel wishy washy colours. It is supposed to be pictures of Venice. I read the introduction by the artist, loads of gobboldeygook masquerading as art speak, I didn't understand a word of it. Then I looked at the leaflet giving titles and prices. You could have knocked me down with a feather. How much, good grief, over £1,000 for each one. How to describe the pictures? Straight lines, boxes, curves, squares and circles, randomly daubed on. I looked closely at the paper he had used, second hand out of the recycled box, with printing on the other side. What a swiz. If anyone buys one of those they must be out of their tree.

Around the corner down the next corridor was an exhibition of Pointillism, painting by dots. The artist Sean Williams called it Between here and here. It was fantastic, such detail in his work. Anyway, I didn't get any photo's of that, I forgot all about it when I saw the next exhibition in the main church building.

You know how you see something amazing and it stops you in your tracks, it was like wow, that is stunning. The artist is Marian Van Der Zwann from the Netherlands. The exhibition is called The Last Supper. I am stood in front of a very large table covered in a blood red velvet cloth, on it are several large loaves of bread and a gigantic pewter drinking goblet. Around the table are hanging pictures of female figures from different cultures and religions. Beautiful serene music played in the background, it was very calming. What a talented artist. Don't you think it is fabulous?

Will I get a cashback?

I received a letter this morning, yes a proper letter with my name and address on the front, remember them? My old mates at HM Revenue & Customs have sent me a very cute little note telling me what they are going to do to me if I don't get my arse into gear and fill out my tax return. It seems the threat of a one hundred pound fine is hanging over my head.

It's a coincidence because I was only talking to my accountant on the phone yesterday, asking if I will have to fill a form out now I am a pensioner. Barrie has been looking after my financial matters for the last few years. I know it sounds a bit daft, having an accountant when I have so little spending money in my pocket, but he has been a good investment, well worth the hundred quid or so I have paid him. He has ensured that I have claimed for all my allowances whilst I had my business, saving me loads of money.

You may not believe this but I really struggle with numbers. I can work out simple calculations like how much money comes into my bank account and how much is going out, but that's about it. I was always bottom of the class in maths at school. Faced with anything more complex than add, subtract, multiply and divide, and I am completely flumoxed. When I signed up for my mortgage it was more like sticking a pin in a list of options. Dont even mention about traipsing round the building societies looking for the best deal, confused or what!

Anyway, I am going to tackle this tax return myself, because there will be so little to put on it, surely I can't make a botch job of it, can I? The first thing is to register online, dunnit. Next wait for a pin number to come through the post. In the meantime I'd better gather a few bits of paper together, because time is running out.

Why can't we just go into a real office and sit at a real desk, and get a real person to help us do this? I usually steer clear of putting any of my financial information onto the internet, I just don't trust it, things get hacked. Anyway, it's got to be done. Wonder if I can get a rebate, that would be lovely.

PS. I did a post yesterday but was not entirely happy about it. I've put it in the closet till I have time for a closer look at it.

A ton of glass

Those that are familiar with my frugal lifestyle know I don't usually buy something unless I absolutely need it. So it may come as a bit of a shock to you when I have to confess that I bought something today that I don't have a use for....yet.

I like to browse the charity shops because you can be lucky and come across something that has been at the top of your 'wanted' list for ages, or you might find something pretty unique or amazing, or you could find such a fantastic bargain it is hard to walk out of the shop without it. I was browsing the bric a brac table in our Scope Shop this afternoon and came across this...

A carrier bag full of glass stones. There's small round ones like marbles, bigger flat ones, clear glass and opaque, a lot of blue ones, and some are metalic. They are usually displayed in a dish as a table decoration. I would say there is at least one thousand if not more, I don't fancy counting them there are that many, they weigh a ton. And they only cost £1 for the whole bag.

Now all I have to do is think of a good idea for them. I have seen somewhere where you make a long narrow sausage out of some thin fabric, stuff beads inside one at a time, and tie a knot between each one, and you end up with a necklace. I might try that. I wonder if I can stick them to something with the hot glue gun? Hmm...I can see me doing a little experimenting tomorrow.

Shopping bag number 7

Another day indoors, but things are looking up, the snow is melting and it's starting to rain, so it's likely I might venture out tomorrow. I took the cover off the sewing machine this morning and knocked up another shopping bag, this is the seventh. I found some smaller pieces of the gazebo roof in my offcut box, not big enough to make a big bag, so I added some oddments of window blinds to make a reasonable 13" x 14" bag. I like to have bags of different sizes. I made the logo out of fused plastic carrier bags, I thought it would look quirky if I pushed the letters up close together. Thank you to everyone who commented on my Rock Pool, it's great to have your feedback. I am now looking for inspiration for my next project. The trouble is you can never tell where it will come from. Ideas just happen, it's just a matter of playing around with something untill it switches a light on in my head. At the moment my head is full of other stuff, I need to declutter it. Toodle pip.

Unveiling the Rock Pool....

At last my Rock Pool is finished, well I think it is, I keep finding new bits to add to it. It is more or less how I imagined it would be, although all the way through it I kept changing my mind. Finding the exact parts to fit in the right colours was a challenge, I wanted to use wool, plastic, and vinyl and anything else a little bit unusual. I am pleased with the way it has turned out.

First the six stones covered in crochet jackets.

Springs from a video player painted with nail varnish.

Six x 4inch coloured zips cut in half, stitched into circles and made into flowers.

Tops from plastic felt tip pens sliced up and sewn on with beads.

White buttons with spots painted on with nail varnish, and wool fluffed up.

Piece of plastic washing line, the strands separated and knotted, and black beads added.

Seven x 4inch coloured zips cut in half and wrapped tightly into spirals and stitched together.

The rock pool is a piece of circular crochet in shades of blue to represent rippling water. I added a plastic backing to the underside, and inside is a tin lid completeley enclosed with crochet all completed in one piece, no seams. It is 9.5 inches in diameter.

The blades of grass, and flowers, were cut from vinyl and stitched on. The fish is cut from a drinks can. The fluffy tufts of wool are sea creatures growing on the bottom of the pool, and the green tufty wool on the edge is grass.

The five flowers are made from Christmas tree lights, with pink foam cut from the toe separaters in the centre, and blue beads added. The leaves are green vinyl, two pieces sewn together to sandwich the stalk which is wire from the lights.

And here it is with the stones in place.

It is a very nice decoration for a sideboard, or a centre piece for the table. You could make a collection of stones for it, and change it round every so often so it always looks different. I must say the finished article looks far better than the photo's. Now I need another project to get started on.

What a way to go :-)

Yesterday I was thinking what a difficult job lorry driving is in this weather and remembering my own experiences, when I came across a chappie in the churchyard sweating buckets as he was replacing the rock hard soil on the top of a coffin after a burial. He had filled the hole up to capacity and then had to trundle across the foot deep snow with his wheelbarrow, to dispose of the excess onto the pile in the corner. After several trips backwards and forwards, I watched him lean on his spade for a few minutes while he took a swig from his bottle of water. I felt quite sorry for him.

Apparently more elderly people die in the winter than the summer. I realise in these hard times that someone might be gratefull for a job as a grave digger, but I can't help wondering that it might be a lot easier if the corpse was sent on it's final journey to a crematorium during ice cold weather. We could perhaps keep the burials for the summer months when the sun shines and the flowers dance in the breeze. A more pleasant task for the grave digger.

A few years ago when times were very lean, I was doing several part time jobs to make ends meet, one of them being the church cleaner. I gave myself the title, Church Scrubber, which brought a little chuckle whenever I mentioned it. I had a key to let myself in and could choose my own hours to fit in with everything else. I was in there one day at about 4pm, when the vicar came in. He looked a little perplexed and asked how long was I going to be. I said I had mopped the stone floors, done the dusting, cleaned the toilet, and needed to get the hoover out for the carpets.

He said the funeral directors were due to arrive with Mr Webster, in a box, and his wife was coming along to pay her respects and meet her husband on his final journey. The plan was to leave him there untill the funeral the next day. I said, 'That's ok, I will go home and have my tea and come back to finish off.'

Two hours later I crept into the church and put all the lights on, glancing at the coffin on it's wooden stand at the front. I plugged the hoover in and started. I did all round the edges first but my eyes were drawn towards the coffin as I got closer and closer. I kept thinking about what would happen if this was a horror film, imagining the lid to slide off, and Mr Webster slowly rising to sit bolt upright. I looked to see if the lid was fastened down, it was, and I was relieved. As my initial apprehension subsided and I became more comfortable with the situation I found myself talking to him and hoovering right underneath him. I hope he appreciated the effort I was putting in to make the church look nice for him. I often say hello as I stroll past his grave.

Memories of fun in the snow

I finally got to Tesco this afternoon, it was touch and go after several snow storms this morning. I had a brainwave to defrost the car. It is parked close to the front door so I plugged an extension lead into the kitchen, and put a small portable fan heater inside the car. The windows defrosted in ten minutes and it was warm and snug inside when I set off. My street is always the last one to clear of snow, but as I got onto the main road it wasn't too bad. My shopping came to just under £34 in total, including the bargains I picked up at the cash and carry as I was passing. If we get more snow I will be ok for a couple of weeks, maybe three.

I am pleased that I haven't got to take a lorry out in this weather, I can remember some horrendous shenanigans in the snow in years gone by. The biggest problem we had was with the diesel solidifying in the pipework from the tank to the engine. You held your breath everytime you turned the key to fire it up. It coughed and spluttered, then gave up with a big groan. Some of the drivers used to light little bonfires underneath their engine, I was never brave enough to do that, preferring to ring for assistance. It was bliss when they finally added something to the fuel to stop this happening, but we had to scout around to find the fuel stations which had this magic formula in their tanks.

I used to have lots of nights out in my cab, in fact I had one job when I lived in the lorry, only getting home on a Friday night or Saturday morning. There was a particularly cold night when I was on Cardiff lorry park, and I hadn't got a night heater in the cab as they had only recently been invented. Some of my fellow campers thought I was mad to stay in my cab and advised me to get booked into a B & B instead. I said I would be ok. Walking back from the pub with my pals, I was indeed beginning to feel a bit parky and wondered if I should have taken their advice.

One of the drivers suggested I bring my matress and bedding into his cab and sleep across the seats, because he had a night heater. He assured me that I would be perfectly safe, he was sleeping in the pod in the roof, a bit like a loft. At first I declined his offer, then as we got back to the park I changed my mind. I thought sod it, I don't want them to find me frozen to death in my cab. I was lovely and snug, the night heater kept coming on to top up the hot air, by the time morning came I was sweltering. I don't know what the other drivers thought when they saw me carrying my bedding back across the park to my own cab, but I didn't care, he was the perfect gentleman.

I remember one winter, it had been snowing all day on the last day of the school term before the kids broke up for Christmas. I was driving buses for Stevensons Travel and did the school runs, which were mainly in the countryside. Most of the kids were picked up and dropped off outside their houses, some of them quite remote. They never thought of closing the schools early in those days, so at normal finishing time I was there to pick them up.

It was starting to get dark when we turned off the main road down a narrow country lane, the snow was coming down. Up ahead I could see a pair of headlights coming towards us so I eased off the accelerator and slowed down to a crawl. The dozen or so kids I had left on were all near the front of the single decker, I think they were trying to help me to see where we were going. As the headlights got closer it became apparent that the vehicle was as big as my bus, a rigid six wheeler lorry which had stopped. I started to brake but we kept on sliding down the hill towards it. Now we were in trouble.

There was no way I was going to hit that lorry, and the road was not wide enough for us to pass each other, there was only one thing left to do. I shouted to the kids to hold on, and steered into the grassy bank on the left hand side. The back end on the right hand side slid into the other bank and the bus was wedged across the road. The kids thought it was hilarious. We all gathered our belongings and clambered out of the emergency door at the back, and headed off towards the lights of a farmhouse. The kind people allowed the kids to ring their parents to come and collect them. I rang my boss for a breakdown truck, he said, 'Oh no, not another one'. Seems I wasn't the only driver that night to get into a bit of bother. Aaahhhh the memories of my fun in the snow.

Where are the gritters?

Not much has changed weather wise from yesterday really, we had more snow overnight, and two more mini blizzards today. This afternoon I cleared it from the top of my car and the driveway, and started the engine just to make sure it would start because I need to use it tomorrow. Yep, it's just fine, good old trusty Ford.

I rang my friend in the next village to see how she was going on in the snow. I said I might go shopping tonight because that would be the quietest time on the road. She rang me back at just after six and said, 'Thank goodness I have caught you, don't go'. Her husband has just arrived home from work after struggling up the orbital hill, it's like a sheet of ice. The only trouble is that to get anywhere from here we have to go up or down a hill. I will go tomorrow instead, I hope it is sunny so the ice will be melted on the roads.

I took Ben out this afternoon for his comfort walk and it snowed heavily while we were out. Alright for him with his big fur coat. When we got back to his house I left him in the kitchen on his mat by the back door. Although his coat keeps him warm he gets lumps of snow and ice sticking to his legs and undercarriage. My friend would not be best pleased if she found puddles all over her living room carpet.

There was a message on my answer machine when I got back, the doctors surgery has cancelled my visit for tomorrow morning. I was supposed to be helping out with some training with student doctors, they want to quiz me about my ovarian cyst I had in 2008. I don't mind doing this, they have to learn somehow. Anyway, the students can't get there because of the weather, and I think I might find it difficult as well, there's a big hill to go up. They are going to ring me back with another appointment.

My dinner was a bit basic tonight, using up some bits and bobs. I fried an onion in olive oil, added half a tin of sweetcorn, it was 20p for the whole tin, and half a jar of cheese sauce that was six months out of date and cost 30p. I cooked it for ten minutes, and boiled some egg noodles from a packet that cost 60p from which I have had four portions. A cheap dinner, well below my £1 per meal limit. Must go, the Archers is on in a few minutes.

Help! We are snowed in

It hasn't stopped snowing here all day. I've shovelled it off the drive twice but it's covered again, and I keep putting food out for the birds and changing their water but it just gets hidden by another layer of snow. The silver birch trees at the bottom of the garden are very pretty, like they have had a dusting of icing sugar, all white and crispy.

I am getting a bit low on food, I could do with going to the supermarket, but it says on the radio not to drive unless it is absolutely necessary. Well looking at my food stocks I suppose I could always have soup or prawns for breakfast, or perhaps runner beans, carrots, and peas would make a change :-) Ha ha, not quite that bad. I have some bran flakes and porridge oats left, but if it carries on like this and I can't get out I will be having some weird and wonderful combinations on my plate.

This has got me thinking about how society would manage if extreme weather conditions became the norm, certainly we would all have to drastically alter our shopping and eating routines. How many would cope if we got snowed in for weeks at a time? Some would panic and stockpile all those familiar items they couldn't live without, ready meals, snack foods, and booze.

Looking at my food stash I could probably live off what I have in for 3 - 4 weeks. My imagination would take over and I would stretch out the ingredients to concoct some strange but wholesome meals. I am not a fussy eater, plain and simple that's me, so I wouldn't be bothered if I had to make a few variations of the same dish.

Imagine the worst case scenario, if no one could get in and out of the village. We have a small mini market/general grocery store, there would soon be queues outside there and the shelves would be stripped. The two pubs would sell out of food, then that's it. Next would be the allotments getting raided. I have some sprouts in my garden so I could eat them, and there is a smallholding down the road where I could get free range eggs, that's if they will have any left. They might have a few winter veg in their poly tunnels as well. I suppose we could all go down to the fishing ponds and the river and try and hook something for tea. And if we were really desperate we could raid the kennels and cattery for any tins of chum or Felix, I believe it is tasted by humans so it can't be that bad.

I have got the usual rice, pasta, and a few tins in the cupboard, and a freezer full of mostly veg, so I will be ok for a while. If this snowing keeps up I am sure my self sufficiency skills will see me through. On second thoughts, maybe I will ring the bus company in the morning to see if the buses are running. It might be wise to get a few more essentials to top up my stocks, just in case the snow gets worse.

You can't rush things

I think I'll give you another glimpse of my ongoing project, the rock pool. It's coming together bit by bit, as soon as I have an idea for something I think, perhaps it would work better if I did it like this instead of like that. I fiddle about putting bits and pieces together, changing my mind, no wonder it's taking ages. I always say you can't rush things if you want to get it right.

I am quite excited because I have some Christmas tree lights that don't work, so I took them to pieces and can use some of the parts in this. A few weeks back I found one of those pink foam toe separators in the street, you put it between your toes when you paint your nails so the polish doesn't smudge. Why it should be lying in the street I don't know, but I picked it up thinking it might come in usefull, and it has.

Here is another rock, it has three flowers on it made from six coloured zips, and buttons. The zips are 5 inches long, the two sides are separated and the zipper bit removed. Then sew two ends of one half zip together to make a circle and make a row of running stitch along the opposite edge to the teeth. Pull the stitches tight to make a flower shape. Do six of these and add three buttons to make three flowers.

And here is the pool, well the start of a pool, it needs to be bigger, and a lot more added to it. Think of the blue circles as ripples of water. I know it doesn't look like a pool at the moment, but it will. It needs to have some plants growing on it, and around the edges.

The mystery continues........

Happy state of affairs

I seem to have some spare cash lurking in my bank account. Since May last year when I changed from Job Seekers Allowance to State Pension, the balance has been steadily increasing. I haven't made a conscious effort to save, so this happy state of affairs could be down to the fact that my frugal life style is so normal and routine that I hardly notice the pennies mounting up. And of course we all know that a few pennies saved every day add up to a few pounds eventually.

Take shopping for instance, it's normal for me to go to town, buy what I went for, and come home. Sometimes I wander into one or two other shops, just out of curiosity more than anything, but I always come out with nothing because I feel sick at the sight of all that stuff bulging from the shelves that is neither use nor ornament to anyone with a sense of value.

It's also normal for me to sit in my house, with no heating on, wearing more clothes than I would outdoors. My utility bills are normally an average of £75 a quarter combined gas and electricity. If you look down the list of money saving tips on the right hand side, I practice just about all of them. I think nothing of it, it's normal to me.

So what am I going to do with this accumulation of cash? The interest rate is so low at the moment, if I save it I wouldn't be gaining very much. I suppose I could pay a lump sum to the Building Society to shrink my already small mortgage, but as I am paying very little interest it hardly seems worth the bother.

I have never in my whole life had any long term savings, a secret stash somewhere put away for a rainy day. As long as I have a small emergency fund should any unforseen disaster strike my home, me, the car, or my cats, that's as far ahead as I plan for.

So it seems the best thing I can do is spend my spare cash, after all I can't take it with me. So now I must find something I need, because if I spend it on something frivolous that would be wasteful. So how can I spend money and be frugal at the same time? I don't know!

Celebrations, I am one

It's my first anniversary today, yipeeee, I have been blogging for one year. When I started I intended to write every day, and I did for quite some time, but then I had a few mental blocks and missed an odd day here and there. When I look back over the earlier posts I cringe, some of them are a load of twaddle. Being a bit green I thought you had to post every day, a bit like a diary, but what about the days when you haven't done much to write about? Just pluck a filler out of the air, anything will do, just write?

Anyway I am going to try harder, don't want to bore the pants off you because you will buzz off somewhere else. If I find I haven't got anything to write about I am just going to get off my backside and do something so I have a story to tell you.

I know some of you like pictures so here are some of my walk today, I know, not another bloody walk, sorry, yes, I walk because it's free and it keeps me fit and the scenery is lovely. Wont you join me along the hills above the river.

The footpath behind the church brings you here, three minutes from my house. The River Trent which I walked along yesterday, and the frozen fishing pond behind the tree at the corner of the house.

Looking south along the river, the caravan park and the dock behind the tall trees.

Looking north along the river, towards Alkborough.

The trees near the pylons, the turn around place to come back.
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I want to build up my stamina in preparation for some longer walks, and maybe some running as well. I would like to do the Great North Run in September, but it is quite complicated to apply for a place, and it costs £44 to enter. I think that is a bit much, they must be making a fortune out of the event. I will see what my friend says as she was going to do it with me. Something to think about, maybe I could make up my own 13 mile route round here, I don't like crowds anyway. Toodle pip, catch you later.

A look at the inside

It doesn't seem that long since we hit 2000, and here we are ten years later, it's frightening, is the universe whizzing out of control? I seem to have slowed down, and the world is spinning faster, whoa put the brakes on.

The first day of a new decade, and a time for reflection. What better place to get lost inside ones own head, than strolling through the woods and fields of our wonderful countryside. There was a dusting of snow overnight which glistened in the morning sun. I decided to start the new year as I mean to go on, and not waste any opportunity to get out walking.

I set off, out of the door, round the back of the church, down the hill, through the gate, across the field to the fishing pond, and on to the river bank. The pond is frozen over, no one fishing and no ducks or swans, I wonder where they have all gone.


Picking my way round hundreds of mole hills along the river bank, I could hear the church bells ringing out welcoming everyone to the midday service. Overhead a gaggle of geese were chattering away as they flapped their wings in formation, soon out of sight and on their way.

This is the area where they want to put some wind turbines which is upsetting a lot of people in the village. Up to now I haven't been drawn into that arguement and I think it's best not to let my feelings be known. Once they are up and running I don't think they look too bad, don't tell anyone I said that. I reached Flixborough and skirted round the edge of the industrial estate to join the path that runs along the bottom of the wood, and back home. By this time the sun had disappeared, the sky darkened and a few flakes of snow were falling.

I came across this chappie in the middle of a field, looks like he has plenty of time to contemplate a new year out in all weathers. Behind me is the wood, and a long way in the distance is the river bank.

What was the outcome of all my reflecting? Overall 2009 hasn't been too bad for me, although the first five months when I was on the dole wasn't very pleasant. Being patronised and made to feel like a scrounger was soul destroying. It was only when I stopped looking for work that did not exist, and concentrate on just getting through each week living on very little income, I began to relax and enjoy myself. Freeing yourself from the shackles of earning money takes a weight off your shoulders. Having no money means you don't need to think about spending it, freeing up time to do other things.

Once I became a pensioner it was plain sailing, so as long as the government keep on paying what they owe me, then I will have a wonderful life. I am not sure what 2010 will bring, it's still at the planning stage, but I am sure that I will make the most of it. I want to do more walking, longer distances if my health holds out. I want to keep busy busy busy, grabbing opportunities when they arise. Not waiting for things to happen but making them happen.

I have just been watching 'An Englishman in America', the last part of the life of Quentin Crisp, I love his philosophy. John Hurt played the part perfectly. In his last stage appearance, in Tampa Florida, Quentin finished with this gem. 'If there is anything that you want, don't look on the outside. Look on the inside to see if there's anything you haven't unpacked'. Love it.