Saturday, 9 August 2014

Saturday chat

Hello, let's lighten things up for the weekend. Let's chill. I've just listened to Sounds of the Sixties on Radio 2 and it's had me dancing around the living room. All the old favourites that I remember from my teenage years. Brian Mathews is ace at presenting this show, filling in the gaps between records with snippets of information that help to bring the flavour of the era flooding back to me. Now it's just after 10am and the radio is off. That John Bishop guy is on and I'm sorry but his accent grates on me, I just can't listen. Now put a Geordie accent on and I am all ears, but Liverpool  :o( sorry Liverpudlians.
Anyway, moving swiftly on. I went to town on Thursday afternoon to do the rounds, the discount stores, the cash and carry, and a few supplies from Aldi to keep me going. I can manage without yellow stickers till next week and will use the veg in the garden. Our Aldi has a new shop front, it's looking more like one of the big players now in the battle of the supermarkets. I still can't do a full shop in there though, I doubt I could do a full shop in any one supermarket and get full value for money, I need to cherry pick from all of them. For instance I got some cheese from the cash and carry, cheddar with caramelised onion and cranberries, only £1 for 250grms. A bargain. 
I noticed we have another shop closing in the town, a long established stationary and home office supplies. They sell everything for the self employed small business person working from home. I have on occasions been in there myself for the odd item, but on prices they can't compete with the likes of The Works, Home Bargains, and even the stationary department in Tesco. I had a browse to see what they were selling off cheap. There were some desks, tables, and chairs on offer at silly prices, I had a think where I could make use of a table, and concluded that I have enough in my house. I found something to buy. Blue markers and red pens. Markers 10p each, red pens 5p each. Seems I am going to be writing in red for the next twenty years, ha ha. 
I had a walk round the village the other night, trying to give away my excess courgettes, and I found another swap. My friend invited me in for a coffee and gratefully accepted the largest specimen I had. We did the catch up thing  because it's a while since we last met, and I said I was doing a bit of sewing, and told her about the Chat and Craft group that I go to every week. She then disappeared into the house, we were sat outside enjoying the warm evening, and returned with a bag of fabric and asked if I could make use of it. Oh wow, what a nice surprise. So here it is, folded and put away in the mini warehouse which is my spare room. A fantastic swap, I must deliver another courgette next week as I think I have the better deal.

I've been struggling with the design of the pond for the picture, trying different ideas, cut up pieces of fabric, ribbon, and fused plastic, they didn't look right. I wasn't sure if this idea would work, but it has. An assortment of bits and pieces scrunched up and run over with the machine lots of times to flatten it. In there is blue and white mesh fruit bags, ripped up bits of one of those papery hairnets that they use in food factories, silvery ribbon cut into narrow strips, and some scraps of pale blue lacy fabric. It's coming together slowly.

That's all for now, I have things to do. Have a nice weekend. Sunny here with some showers, so I'll be in and out. Toodle pip.

19 comments:

  1. Good price on the pens, I use a lot of permanent markers for my Ebay parcels. Luckily I've been given a few but I dare say I won't be lucky enough to find any at that price x

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  2. It's great to have home-grown produce to share! Just picked some beans and invited our surrogate bean watere round for supper!

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  3. Love the picture (well, the teaser anyway!). It's going to be a warm one here,we'll be cutting down fallen trees and chopping them for this winter's firewood.
    Jane x

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  4. I love the look of the pond in your picture. Very beautiful and a very creative use of bits of fabric and ribbon.

    You have a very generous friend to give you all the fabric. I particularly love the dotted one.

    What is the "cash and carry" store? I'm thinking that maybe it is what we call a convenience store in the U.S.

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    1. it`s a shop that sells in bulk to trades people as well as general public. Prices are usually much cheaper when you buy from there instead of supermarkets.

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    2. Oh, I see. There is a store scheduled to open here called GFS Marketplace that sounds similar. Thanks.

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  5. Would you believe, I still have loads of ball point pens, pencils and felt tips as well as old exercise books left from my kid`s school days. They must be good 10 years old now, but all still work fine. If I do need any more I shall look in Poundland for supplies. I will be doing some veggie swap with neighbours, too. I have loads of peas and could exchange them for a bag of fallen apples.

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  6. LOL I have in my minds eye made a half-dozen quilts with the fabric you were gifted. Your 'water' looks interesting!

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  7. oh, my gosh, that's beautiful!

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  8. Wow Ilona your handiwork is looking great. Must admit I do find John Bishop very funny, different strokes for different folks and all that. Have a good weekend.
    Twiggy x

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  9. Howled with laughing....I did the same as you this morning. Listened to Sounds of the Sixties,while doing my washing in my twin tub. Saves loads of leckie and water and I can have a line full very quickly. Then as soon as I heard John Bishop, off went the radio ! Sorry, his accent sounds false to me. Love your " no nonsense " blog.

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  10. Your pond looks beautiful, Ilona, you go girl ! It's Sunday morning here, I'm having a cup of chai and coincidentally listening to Aussie 60's rock - life is good :)
    AussieCheryl : )

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  11. My other half is a Mod and DJ of 35 years so sixties music is a constant in our lives!

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  12. I quite like Jon Bishop, I think he's cute in an ugly way. But I can understand how his accent might grate.

    Glad to hear you too have been walking round giving away veg, my neighbours are quite used to me being the strange veg lady now I think.
    What a great amount of fabric that should keep you going for a while.

    X x

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  13. A neighbour gave me a bag of washed lettuce from her garden just because I chatted to her and gave her info about what car to buy. I loved the sentiment!

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  14. I love your pond! Can't wait to see the completed picture! Have just returned from the Festival of Quilts and they had some brilliant things in the exhibition. Maybe you could enter next year???? Linda J

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  15. I used to belong to a "Stitch and Bitch" group which met over lunch hour and I loved it. My work hours changed and I had to stop going. I miss it.

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