Monday 6 October 2014

Let sleeping cats lie

Hello.The weather looked so promising this morning, I even jumped in my car at 7 o clock and drove two miles to get a picture of the spectacular sunrise. Alas it didn't last, half an hour later it clouded over and we have spent the whole day being rained on. 
I went to the craft and chat, only seven of us this morning. I really enjoy Monday mornings with the ladies, a nice start to the week. I wanted to return some library books but then I remembered that the mobile van isn't there this week, it is off the road for a couple of days for it's MOT test. Think maybe I'll have to renew them on line, or take them back to the big library in town. 
After lunch, the last portion of veg curry and pasta, I got into arty crafty mode. My dining room table at the moment is covered in materials for the weaving, Oh dear, Heidi seems to think it is a bed made specially for her. I've just turned round to see if she is still there, she is, ha ha. 
Still more to do on the weaving, but I had a change today and made a tree. I need to make three of these. My first idea was to use ordinary chicken type wire and mould it into shape then cover it in fabric. I searched everywhere for the right sort of wire, found some but then went off the idea. Then I remembered I have a reel of electric cable, one of my skip diving finds, so this is what I did. Although quite stiff it bends into shape quite easily.
Join the branches on the main stem with pieces of tape.

Then bind it once with strips of fabric cut from a beige teeshirt also found in a skip. It is too big for me so I might as well use it. Then bind it again in a more colourful fabric. My own teeshirt which is past it's sell by date, I have far too many teeshirts anyway. The three trees will be different colours. I'm thinking about making leaves for them. Watch this space. I want plain trees that show up against the multicoloured background. Could be good.

Dinner tonight was an omelette, two eggs, I never cook just one egg, always two. It's got a chopped onion, chopped courgette, and half a tin of chickpeas in it. It's massive, had to cut it in half to get it on the plate, would have easily done for two people. Served with lettuce, two tomatoes, and grated carrot. It was very filling and loverly. A tip when making an omelette, don't try and turn it over or flip it in the pan, put it under the grill to cook the top. 
Two bills came through the door today from my newish energy supplier, Ebico, I changed in January. It's looking like the change from British Gas was a good move. My gas bill is £6.04, electricity bill is £21.04. They used estimated readings, the gas is almost spot on, and the electric is slightly under estimated. I expect the electric bill to rise throughout the winter as we put lights on earlier. I email my meter readings once a month, so for the first year they will be building up a picture of my usage. Ebico is the only supplier that has nil standing charges, and doesn't penalise customers for paying quarterly. If you are thinking of changing to them you need to check how much energy you use, because it might not work out cheaper if you are a high usage customer. It works fine for me because I can monitor my usage and keep it low.

I found a pressie in my front porch today. My nice neighbour across the road left me a carrier bag filled to the top with apples. Every year their tree is heavily laden, and every year she gives me some. They are cooking apples but so sweet I don't need to put any sugar on them. I have been giving her runner beans and courgettes, so a good swap I would say.

That's all for now, nighty night and toodle pip.

11 comments:

  1. If you look on Youtube "Jacques Pepin Omelette" he shows how an omelette should be made. Perfect. No professional would flip or toss an omelette, perhaps you're thinking of a pancake?

    Finishing an omelette under the grill isn't needed either if you cook it the Jacques Pepin way. Takes less time too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. A very productive day even if you did have to rescue your stuff from under the puss. I need to look at my fuel providers too so a good reminder.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sweet kitty on the fabric, have a nice day love.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I could live on chick peas..love them!
    Jane x

    ReplyDelete
  5. I may have to have omelette for tea, I've never tried one with chickpeas in.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I do my omelette with hot pepper cheese ....yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow I'm impressed with your low energy usage. My gas was £15 for Sept but that was with the standing charge and electric was £21 with the standing charge. Ovo's standing charge is quite reasonable compared to some. In my quest to retire at 60 I'm hoping to bank as much as possible over the next two years. I'm going to keep an energy log/diary so I can compare each years usage and cost. But I'm struggling with a laptop that won't stop configuring at the moment, so very Well once again my laptop is playing up. I think I'm going to have to revert to factory settings. I've resorted blogging on my phone. Sunday was a busy day we managed to get the gate in place but there was one let down. The black wrought iron latch we bought didn't have a 'Keep' when we opened the shrink wrap packaging. . Buy this time the shop was shut and w annoying. I wish I was more of a technology wizard. Can't wait to join a craft group, my shift pattern prevents me from attending anything on a regular basis.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Fantastic Ilona, you have just given me an idea with your bendy electric cable. I am in the process of making a prototype 'Lazy Susan' turntable out of some MDF that I got from a skip. I've cut this into two equal rounds for the top and bottom, with a bit of dowell through the middle to keep it all together. I know I need marbles for the 'bearings' in between the two rounds, so I've got those. I just need two circular pieces, one larger than the other, to make a circular channel about a marble's width around the inside edge of the bottom bit of MDF. I don't have a router which would be the proper thing to do, so I've been hunting around the kitchen and the garden shed for something to use. I think your bendy electric cable would do the trick! I'll give it a try and let you know how it goes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sue, I have no idea what a Lazy Susan is, don't know what you are talking about, but if you want some cable let me know how much and I will send it to you.

      Delete
    2. Hi Ilona, it's one of those turntable things that you either use for multiple dishes on the dining table so that everyone around the table can reach the dishes by turning it to face them, a bit like one of those cake decorating turntables. Thanks for the offer of cable but I have plenty already taking up room in the chest of drawers in the spare room, old computer cables etc, I have a drawer load of them so it's nice to know they will have some use.

      Delete
  9. Is the bill for electricity and gas for one month or 3 months?

    ReplyDelete

Some comments will be accepted. I decide which are published.

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.