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Sunday Snigger.



This cracks me up.
Toodle pip

Hooooray it's the weekend.

A change of breakfast this morning. It's the weekend and I fancy something different from the usual porridge, cereals, nuts, seeds and fruit. A thick wedge of seeded bread, beans, a Quorn sausage, an egg, and a vegetable burger from Tesco. these are quite tasty, you get six in a pack for £1. That set me up for the day. 

I still feel like the weekend is different from the weekdays, even though I haven't had to go to work for ten years. Silly really because every day is like a weekend, I am completely free to do what I like.

After breakfast I lounged in the bath for half an hour, sipping my second mug of coffee, it was hot. Very relaxing. I've got a load of washing on the line, and now I'm going to sew some more buttons onto the new art piece. Think I'll find some nice music on yooootoooob to keep me company.

Later I'll go for a walk.. Howz your Saturday going? Is it a day off from the normal routine, do you do something different, or do you enjoy every day, no matter what you are doing?

Toodle pip. ilona

Looking for bargains in the town.

I dragged my shopping trolley around town this afternoon because I knew my haul was going to be too heavy to carry. First stop was the bank, to take out some cash from the machine inside the bank. I never use cash machines outside in the street. 

I checked the usual shops for cat food prices, before I made my purchases. No cat food in Poundstretcher, but I did come across cartons of soup for 19p each. Worth a try I thought at that price, so I got five. 

I popped in the Age UK Charity Shop and found these socks, five pairs for £1. I like knee highs in the winter. Just Tried one on and they fit my size 5 foot, hooooray.

 I found cat food in Wilko, they had an offer on Sheba pouches. Saved £7 on four boxes. Small Sheba pouches I bought from Home Bargains, £1.65 for a six pack. At Asda I bought two bags of Whiskas dry, £4 each. And I bought some Whiskas and Felix pouches from the pet stall in the market. Oscar used to eat these but he went off them. I am hoping he will go back on them again because they are cheaper than Sheba. That will keep me going for a while.

There are a lot of empty shops in our town centre, one part of it is like a ghost town. They have been trying to cheer the place up a bit though by putting big posters in the empty shop windows, and big signs above saying, to rent at a reasonable rate. I noticed that some of the stalls in the market have become vacant, and it's only been open a few weeks. Looks like people gave it a try and it didn't work out. I think all towns have the same problem, rents and overheads too high and not enough sales.

Have a nice weekend. Toodle pip.  ilona

A pan of stew goes a long way.

I was planning on doing a yellow sticker shop last night, not much left in the fridge. Then I made a delicious curry-ish stew out of bits of this and bits of that, whatever I had left. 

I found a large courgette on my doorstep, don't know who left that for me but it came in very useful. Also I was given some apples, they went in this hotpot as well. I had one carrot left, five mushrooms, and a few spinach leaves. Some sliced potatoes, a bit of broccoli, and a handful of frozen broad beans, and some Quorn mince. It was bloomin lovely.

So I didn't bother to go to Tesco last night, this will keep me going another couple of days.

I wondered if I should maybe go tonight. I've eaten two portions of this today, and there's still some left for lunch tomorrow.

I took Heidi to the vet this afternoon for her medication review. She is fine and I came away with another 60 tablets, some flea treatment, (she hasn't got fleas), and £44 lighter.

As I was passing Aldi I thought she wouldn't mind if I popped in on the way home. She is very good in her cat carrier, doesn't mind at all. I spent £9.63 on a few essentials because I had run out of bananas, eggs, cheese, Mayze's chicken, and yogurt. They have an offer on at the moment, a bag of five bananas for 45p. I rooted through them and picked the bag with the biggest bananas in it. I normally buy them singly for 13p each as this is cheaper than the normal price of a bag.

So I didn't go to Tesco tonight either, because my few essentials will keep me going over the weekend. I'm running low on cat food though so I'll have to go to town tomorrow and trawl the discount stores.
Toodle pip.  ilona

If I can help somebody as I pass along......

This comment has cheered me up no end, and I thank Athena for sending it. I copy it here, because it shows that there are some lovely people who appreciate the hours I spend tapping away on this keyboard, sharing my life with anyone who wants to read it.

I get similar comments from lovely blog readers, and I appreciate them all, some have been reading for a long time. I don't expect compliments, I don't expect praise, in fact I feel a bit embarrassed about it. But hey ho, it's nice when it happens. I don't recall seeing Athena's name before, I think she has been secretly viewing from the sidelines. This was a nice surprise this morning when I checked in.

Athena5 September 2019 at 02:52

I need to thank you Ilona. 8 years ago i started my frugal journey. Initially saw you on tv. No i was not in debt but living from pay to pay. Decided mortgage had to go!. Paid of £85000 in 6 years took in lodger lived on yellow sticker food!. Every penny budgeted!. All clothes charity shop. Now have saved for 2 years half my income. Now can retire in 4.5 months from nhs at 55. Without mortgage paid and savings no. For that i thank you!. Athenax

I write the blog for me, if someone finds something useful in it that's the bonus. Athena I am so pleased that you are on track for a wonderful retirement. The burden of a mortgage has gone, due to all your money saving and planning. You should be proud of yourself, I am proud of you.
Best wishes,  ilona

Nothing wasted.

 I knew I was going to have difficulty extracting all the sauce from this plastic bottle, but I bought it anyway because it was cheap from the Cash and Carry, and I like garlic sauce. The idea is to stand the bottle on it's head in the fridge so the contents run to the top, which is now the bottom.

When it is time to use it, hover the bottle over the food, and squeeze until the desired amount has landed. All well and good with the first few squirts, but as the contents shrink and a mere squiggle the size of a little finger drops onto the food, followed by a puff of fresh air, a hefty bash on the worktop is needed to get things moving in the right direction.

The next stage is to give up after six bashes on the worktop only produce a lot of air and no sauce. But there's still some left in there. I got a big pair of scissors which are generally used to open awkward packaging, and cut the bottle in half.

See, lots left, plenty to scoop out with a knife or spoon if you want to. I prefer to get a piece of food on my fork and wipe that around the inside then pop it straight in my mouth. 

Isn't it all too much hassle. Why can't they put all sauces in a glass jar with a wide neck so you can  use a spoon to get the last bit out. Now I've had to wash this out and put it in the plastic re cycling bin.

There are so many products like this where the container is a funny shape making it difficult to scoop out the last dregs. Loads of food must get thrown away because people can't be bothered to faff around. I only get this type of product maybe two or three times a year, as a treat, because I prefer not to smother my food with sauce.

What other daft containers have you found where it's difficult to get the contents out?
Toodle pip.  ilona

Richard Clayderman. Love the music

This song has come back into my life again, I was head over heels in love with it many years ago, and played it over and over again. I filled one side of a cassette tape and off it went for 45 minutes, pure bliss. Yes, I still have it.

Brendan the piano player who entertains commuters and shoppers at various venues around London played this recently and it has re ignited my love of this music.



I don't know what it is about this music that arouses such passion in me. It is gentle and calming and relaxing, then it builds up into a rousing crescendo.

I'm chuffed. I've been asked to do a 30 minute talk at the Sewing Studio at Jaylaurs, in Brigg on their Sewing Saturday event on the 5th of October. Talking about what I make and how I make it, sharing ideas to create inspiration. That will be a lot of fun.

Thanks to the walkers for checking in, keep on keeping on. Got to get on now. I've just made a video which I am not too happy about so I'll have to re do it. I want to learn a bit of editing and that is going to take time.

 Toodle pip. ilona

Check in day for the Walking Group

It soon comes round, doesn't it. The first of the month is check in day for the International Walking Group. The figures coming in last month were very inspiring, so many people still doing the challenge. Don't forget, it's your own personal challenge that counts. I set myself 1000 miles again, but some people are committed to their own personal numbers. It doesn't matter what you do as long as you are doing some walking.

So this is where I'm at. 686 miles for me. The 28 miles I did when I had a few days away really bumped it up. Now I am back to walking three miles a day around my local area.

Howzit for you? Are you keeping up the momentum, or dropping back a bit. There will be times when you think I just can't be bothered, I get like that sometimes. But if it's not raining and I have an hour to spare I have no excuses not to get up off my arse and go out there.

Your turn now, let us know how you are getting on. Toodle pip.  ilona

It's filling up......slowly

This is the state of play as I posted previously. There are 50 buttons here. 

And this is how it looks this morning at 102 buttons.

If anyone who has already guessed and wishes to change their mind they can, just once. There will be no more pictures until it is finished. Anyone in the world can take part. How many buttons will there be in total. The nearest guess will be the winner. In the event of a tie, there will be two prizes.

A reminder to the International Walking Group members, it's the last day of the month, and tomorrow, the 1st of September is check in day. Let us know how you are doing. I'm just going to go out now and do one last walk to top up my miles.
Toodle pip.  ilona

How to have a Brilliant Life, by Michael Heppell. Book review

The title of this book caught my eye on the library shelf. Had to borrow it, didn't I. I have skim read it, and now re visiting the sections which interest me most. It's a reference book which can be picked up at any time to refresh the memory, and oh how I need plenty of refreshing, ha ha.

Michael Heppell is one of the top professional speakers in the world, a best selling author, and an extraordinary trainer who works with big companies, sports professionals and high performing people who want to have a brilliant life. That's what the blurb says inside the front cover.

A lot of what he says is what I have touched on here in the past. There are chapters on Money, Health, Relationships, Career, and Personal Development. There are charts to fill in, questions to answer about where you are now, and solutions on getting to where you want to be.

A brilliant life doesn't happen by chance, it is something you have to work at. If you sit around waiting for something to happen, the chances are that it never will. This book is a recipe if you like, it gets you thinking about what your next move might be, how to make the changes that are needed to take your life forward to the next level. Achieving a brilliant life will be the ultimate goal.

A few tips I have picked out, and agree with.
Don't live in the past, learn from it but don't dwell on it.
Don't leave it to chance. Have a strategy and write it down.
Do build passion. The more passionate you are about your vision the more energy you will find to put into it.
Do believe in yourself, self doubt will hold you back.
Don't quit.

My life has had it's ups and downs, but I have always managed to drag myself back up again. I am not down for long. I sometimes wish that I hadn't got into some of the crappy situations that I did, but there is no way to turn the clock back. I only look forward with optimism now, knowing that the mistakes I made are in the past, and my life is going to be more brilliant each day I am lucky enough to be alive.

One quote in the book did make me laugh. In the chapter about creating the saving mindset, number 14 says use your library. But still buy my books. Ha ha, no I won't be doing that.

Toodle pip.  ilona

You've got to laugh

Yesterday was a button day, as you know. I like a bit of entertainment while I'm sewing, sometimes I put some music on, found on yooootoooob. I listened to half an hour of The Shadows, that brought back memories of the sixties.

Then I thought a bit of Radio 4 will keep my brain occupied, let's find out what's going on there. The 5PM programme was full of what Boris has been up to. Naughty boy has been to visit the Queen, to ask her if he can shut the whole Parliamentary caboodle down for a while. Go on off you go, schools out, now go off on your holidays. You would think everyone will be pleased at that, being given a few extra days off.

But no, not everybody is, some of them are frothing at the mouths and spitting feathers. Not that I understand the nitty gritty of politics with my limited bird brain, but extra days off, whooooohoooo.

The consequences of his actions are now all over the media, insults and trolling are coming thick and fast. The whole thing is like a circus, I am finding it all very entertaining. People throwing their dummy out of the pram, screaming and shouting, like a pressure cooker about to spout forth a whole load of hissing hot steam.

I am quite liking this man, Godfrey has a way of telling it how it is. He makes me laugh.



Weather is looking a bit better today, might spend some time outside.
Toodle pip.  Ilona

Guessing game.

The button thingy is underway, and I have an idea. I took a photo this morning, there are 50 buttons on here. I counted them out of curiosity, when trying to work out how many I need to fill the heart. Why not have a competition I thought, offer a prize to the person who guesses the correct amount. If not spot on, the person who guesses the nearest number. If there is a dead heat, there will be two prizes. A goody bag full of bits and bobs. 

The heart measures 11.25 inches across at the widest point, and 9.5 inches down the centre top to bottom.  

The buttons are different sizes, from tiny to quite big. I am mixing them up and mounting them as close together as I can, trying not to leave any gaps.

I will post one more photo later on as it starts filling up a bit more. That's all the hints you will get. This might take 2 - 3 weeks to finish, so you might like to wait to see how it goes before you make your guess. Only one guess per person, so be sure you have the right number before you post it in a comment. Entries accepted from anywhere in the world, and you can comment on any blog post from now till the closing date. I shall be writing all the entries down in a book as they come in. I will give you notice of when I am about to announce the winner, that will be the closing date. Good luck.
Toodle pip.  ilona

A little video about wot i am doing now ;-)

The buttons. There are rather a lot, don't think I will be using them all on this project. I've made a start.



Toodle pip.  ilona

Stupid people

Dear oh dear, the mentality of some people, it does make me wonder if they should even be allowed to have a dog. This came up on a local vets Facebook page yesterday. So very sad for the dogs, I have no sympathy for the owners. They don't deserve to have a dog.

Old Courts Veterinary Centre

5 hrs ·

EXTREME HEAT!!!

Despite the best efforts of animal charities and Veterinary centres, the message still doesn’t seem to be getting through.

We are on our 5th animal of the day presenting with acute heat stress brought on by inappropriate care during this extreme heat. Two have died and three more are being treated.

Do not walk your dog today!!! Do not throw balls and allow them to run around the garden with children. They will NOT miss the exercise.

Feel free to share, even if this post makes one person double think their actions it will have been worthwhile!

It makes me cry. Poor dogs. Please copy and paste elsewhere.
ilona

Chop chop

Time for the chop. My hair really irritates me when it's hanging in my face and in my neck. I get to the stage when it has to go. I still don't go to the hairdressers, saving me money, saving me the inconvenience of sitting around in a salon, and ending up with a haircut which I don't like. All I do is hang two mirrors opposite each other on the back doors, angle them so I can see the back of my head, and chop away.

I start at the front with the fringe and sides, then pull up clumps with my left hand and trim with the right hand. Just keep doing that all over. Tidy the bottom up and hope that I've got a straight line across the back of my neck. Usually works out ok.

I've cut most of the red off now, leaving my mousy brown locks with a slight ginger tinge on the ends. Might colour it later, depends if I fancy a change. For now, it's fine, and it feels a lot better.

How are you coping with the heat? I haven't been out again today, far too hot for me. Just started on a new arty project, a lot of buttons to sew onto a piece of fabric. I shall go out and water the pots shortly, and do a two mile walk. The sun is going down.
Toodle pip.  ilona