Hello. What scintillating topic of conversation can I come up with today then, on this wet and windy and dark Sunday afternoon. Blimey, I've had to put the desk light on and it's only 1.45pm. The rain is lashing against the window , but there is some good news, the summerhouse roof is still attached to the rest of it. I had visions of going to retrieve it from a neighbours garden, but happily it is all intact. I've had to tie the plastic gate onto the wheelie bin though, for fear of that being ripped up and jettisoned into the next street. It's batten down the hatches here today. We had a Rocky walk earlier, but we may not get the second one later on at this rate. It will be a piddle on the back garden, for him not me ;o) Oh my word, it's howling as I type. With the amount of rain coming down, now would be a good time to go out and wash the car.
I think a practical money saving tip for today would go down well. Here is a selfie of me with wet hair, I washed it in the kitchen sink, as I often do. Two kettles of hot water does the job, one for washing and one for rinsing. No need to heat a whole tank full of water.
When this task has been completed, the water is still not dirty enough to throw away. No need to add any soap as the residue from the shampoo is enough. This is when I get a floor cloth (bit of old sheet that used to be a dishcloth), and start wiping down the paintwork. The doors, skirting board, door frames, handrail up the stairs, outside window ledges, and anything else which looks a bit grubby. Cats have a habit of rubbing their faces up the edges of the doors. Last of all, the kitchen floor gets swept with a brush, and I get down on my hands and knees to wipe it all over. It's the only way to get in all the corners, I don't like mops.
Crafty Club tomorrow but I don't think I will be doing much crafting. I've volunteered to build Santa's Grotto in readiness for the Christmas Fair on Saturday. I have the sidewalls from the white gazebo which would make a den for him, and Anne has the decorations.
Bit of sad news :o( Mr Mole has been eradicated, maybe that's the wrong word, his body will probably still be intact. The mole catcher came, and despite the vicar asking if he could be captured alive and relocated, they went ahead and gassed him. Apparently they don't recover the body but just leave it there. At least he is laid to rest in the right place. I shall always think of him when I walk through the churchyard, I may make a little memorial. Rotten horrible people for killing him.
On that sad note I'll sign off. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, if you can in this changeable weather. Catch you soon. Toodle pip
Horrible for the little animal. Lidl's no longer do their large shampoo bottles anymore - one bottle lasted well over a year - so interested in how you do your hair. Natalie
ReplyDeleteHi Natalie. I am using up my oddments, half bottles, bit left in the bottom bottles. Using the conditioner as shampoo at the moment, I've had it years, needs to go. I wash my hair once a week, using the minimum amount of whatever I have. When I need to restock I will buy some Value baby shampoo. Probably won't need any for about six months.
DeleteI descaled my kettle yesterday with half white vinegar and half water. Rather than just chuck it away, I put some bicarb in the plughole of the sink and poured the descaling mix down it; nice fresh drainhole. Then I found that the kettle no longer worked! I texted DH at work to buy a kettle before he came home and made do with a saucepan on the hob and a flask. So much for saving money and avoiding waste! At least the vnegar and water did a good job.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that tip, Attila. I bought a bottle of something, about £1, to put down the gunged up plughole. It worked. Shame about your kettle, I have a spare one, found it in a skip ;o) I also have a whistling kettle to put on the hob, handy as a standby.
DeleteCensorship is alive and well on this blog.
ReplyDeleteI haven't deleted any comments in a long time. If I wanted to I could. My blog. You stalking me?
DeleteNo, I thought you hadn't published one of my comments, but you have now so I apologise. I just wanted to present some things to challenge the opinion you put forward as i thought you wanted to engage in a debate. I happen to love your blog which is why I was here in the first place. I won't comment again on this issue.
DeleteHi. I can't sit at my computer all day waiting for comments to come it, so they don't get published immediately. I walk away and do other things. Sorry if I didn't join in with your debate, but I genuinely didn't understand what you were getting at, my simple mind won't stretch that far, and I can't always find the right words. You can put your opinion forward but I may not want to reply. I would hate to think I was alienating any of my readers. Let's just kiss and make up :o)
DeleteAs confused as Ilona! Does this relate to the previous post I wonder? Ilona can hold and write her own views and shouldn't be pressurised into justifying them, as, after all, it's her blog.
DeleteAnyway - re: this post and other replies - we aren't on a water meter - yet - but I'm practising for when it eventually comes. Also, we too have a whistling kettle. I love the sound of it as we both grew up with one; just hearing it takes me back in time.
I'm sad to hear about the mole poor thing. I like to get on my hands and knees to wash the floor too, good idea about using up your soapy water. I remember a post you did a while ago where your readers came up with ideas for recycling water and it is something I am far more mindful of since. Thanks for the reminder. Debbie.
ReplyDeleteI have a kettle which I put on top of my woodburner. Lovely hot water bottles for bed. We haven't had to buy a single log yet and we have had it 3 years. Rats on the logpile at the moment but I guess they have to live somewhere. Have resorted to buying bags of smokeless fuel for overnight. It burns all night long and is still chucking out some heat in the morning. Just enough to kickstart the fire again for the day. Six chunks will last all night and then if I am going out to work I add another six chunks. They last all day till I come home. Not a roaring fire like we get with the logs but still pleasantly warm.
ReplyDeleteRain lashing down here too Ilona and very strong winds too bringing down tree branches. DS1 says he will go to the local cemetery / nature reserve and gather up the fallen branches and bring it home on his cycle trailer. I hope the wind has died down by then. it will help fuel the wood burner later in the winter. it is allowed in our area. stay safe
ReplyDeleteHello.I am not surprised to see that the summerhouse is still intact after seeing how you built.:-)You use your water for all it's worth,Ilona. thank you for a peek at how to do the same.I use a lot of leftover water to water houseplants and wash down outdoor doormats,steps, and muddy pawprints.Still need to get a thermal wrap for the hot water tank before the real cold sets in.Last night was minus eight,so needs doing soon.Am sad to hear of Mr. Mole's outcome...all creature's are so very vulnerable to human beings.Bye for now,D.
ReplyDeletePoor little mole. They can be destructive, but sad end none the less. Great water saving tips!
ReplyDeleteRain here today too. Enjoying a lazy kind of day doing laundry and working in my sewing room.
We live in the country, and have a good well that was dug and set up before we bought the house. We have been here over 30 years and have had to do very little to maintain this abundant, clear water. However the folks who live in town have in the past few years, come under the tyranny of having their drinking and household water metered and billed to them. There are those who carry on as if there was no end to their water supply or finances. Then there are the rest who are looking for ways to get the best use of every drop of water. I pay attention, and like one other reader, practice now, because I don't know how long my present water situation will last. Thank you Ilona for the tips. Your blog today reminded me of the years when I was growing up. We had access to a well, but all the water was hauled into our house by hand. When that is the case, you learn ways to get the most of your water, too. In case there are others out there who think that Ilona's use of a bowl of water is a bit extreme, try and keep an open mind, and remember she is just trying to get people to think differently about their resources, and to think out side of the box. Great post. Mary Jane in Canada
ReplyDeletePoor little mole it's so sad, I know they can be destructive but there is no more destructive animal than humans, we should live along side our animals and if we are to move them on we should do it in a humane way if possible.I hope not to have upset any one by my comment but look at what we humans have done to the planet and to each other, Mr Mole was just living his life!
DeleteTotally agree Christine. What's a few mole hills when the planet is heading for total destruction brought about by the human population.
DeleteHere here, Mary Jane. The message is think before you chuck away clean water, can it be used for anything else.
DeleteI forgot to tell you that I am new to your blog and you are both sensible and fun so you could say" funsible ". You are an inspiration,I too don't eat meat and make some lovely meals out of allsorts but can't get many yellow stickers as our supermarkets are too far away, we live in a small town on the edge of Dartmoor, but your advise on saving the pennies is so helpful and your blog is such fun to read. Thank you.
DeleteThank you for your kind words, Christine.
DeleteI'm always impressed by how you stretch your water resources. I'm no where near as good as that though I do try in various ways to conserve water such as not letting the taps run when brushing teeth and cooking, having a very quick shower and using energy saving appliances. My washer uses very little water and the clothes come out practically dry when done. Saves on the drying bill too.
ReplyDeleteHi Ilona - in a previous post you mentioned that you were not able to watch Ben Fogle on catch-up TV. Have just watched the episode where he stayed at a Yorkshire sheep farm . it contained a very sad scene where moles were trapped and their bodies hung on a fence - it was very upsetting and spoilt an otherwise excellent programme.. it did go on to say that the moles can contaminate the grass which then poisons the sheep but i don't think that would apply in your church yard. love your blog, onlyjo
ReplyDeleteThank you for that Jo, I know not to watch that programme now. What a horrible thing to do. Killing them is bad enough, but hanging their bodies up, yuk, some people are warped.
DeleteSuper comments about water, Ilona. I was actually going to write to you about this very topic a couple of days ago. We also have taken to washing our heads with a kettle or two of boiling water mixed with cold. We usually hang our heads of over the bath and save the water to flush the loo etc.
ReplyDeleteWe wash our other bits at the sink - it's amazing how little water you need. Or rather - amazing how much we in our society customarily waste in order to perform necessary but modest tasks such as keeping clean.
We have also experimented with not washing our hair so often. I used to have to wash mine every day and it drove me crazy if I didn't. But now every 3rd or even 4th day seems to be fine, as though our hair has started to self-clean! Most liberating!
We are on a meter now, and have got our water usage down to about 100 litres a day for the two of us and a cat. Apparently the UK average is something like 300 litres a day, so this isn't too bad. Even better: our last gas bill was only 8 quid for the whole month. It just goes to show how little is actually needed to live and live well.
I also completely in accord with your comments about the Lord's Prayer. Britain doesn't seem to have much to hang onto apart from rather confused post-modern relativism and mass consumerism these days.
And I am also very sad about the mole.
Spot on TTT, just because it comes out of a tap and would run all day if you let it, doesn't mean you have to be wasteful. As you say, you can wash your bits in a bowl full of water.
DeleteEwww, they left him in the mole tunnel? I guess it is as good a resting place as any for a mole. He should be right at home there. We have been getting rain in Texas as well, but it looks like sunshine is coming tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteVery sad about Mr. Mole.
ReplyDeleteWhere I live there are a lot of small lizards and one sometimes gets into the house. They are fast and hard to catch. Of course my cat loves to chase the lizard and traps it but does not catch it, just taunts it. The poor little lizard is petrified. But then, when my cat isn't looking, I can pick up the lizard with a piece of paper and put it back out in the garden. When my cat comes looking for the lizard I say, "The lizard had to go outside to see his friends." (Yes, I talk to my cat.) Even small creatures deserve to live their lives.