Hello. Showing off my new Berghaus boots. I am wearing them in the house to test for comfort, so far so good. I got a size 6.5, though the assistant said I might be better with a 6. I know they have to be a snug fit because any movement of the feet inside might cause blisters. I am trying different thicknesses of socks, the purple ones work well. I have a drawer full of socks so no need to buy more. The toes are where I usually get blisters, mainly because my bunions cause them to crush up together. Feet get hot and swell when walking so I think it's best to have a bit of wiggle room in the toes. I'll make a decision later today if I should keep them or change them. So far so good.
You can't skimp on good boots, I would draw the line at silly prices though. I bought these because they have a wider fitting. I also don't like fabric boots, these are better for durability in my opinion. They are a bit more than the last boots I bought, but at £100, not as expensive as the swanky designer names that some walkers go for. I like my boots rugged, not a fashion statement.
Good to see they are promoting recycling the box. It's a very sturdy box, I'll keep it a while, it might come in useful.
Just while I think about it. If you use any of the carton nutty or otherwise milks, it is wise to shake before you pour. I have noticed that when I start a new one, I shake but when I pour, the contents have not fully mixed and the first pour is watery. I pour a small amount onto my cereal which creates a little space, replace the top, and shake with more a lot more gusto. That mixes it better so there is no separation. This one tastes lovely. Only two cartons left, (3 for £1), I think the Cash and Carry might have sold out by now.
It's a nice morning. I'm just off to do a walk, (not in the boots), and call in at the Church Post Office to pay my Council Tax. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip
Hello. I'm trying to keep myself occupied when inside I want to weep buckets. Anyone who has lost a pet will know all about it, and judging by all your comments, most of you do know what it's like. The poor little chap couldn't go on any longer, his arthritis got worse, the fatty lump in his tummy got bigger, he was going off his food, he became deaf, and was getting very confused. He woke me at 4.30am on Sunday morning in a distressed state, trying to bury himself under my duvet. I knew then he was telling me something. As I had to go out on Monday I felt it was unfair to keep him hanging on until Tuesday. A lady vet and her assistant came at 12.45 and I held him supporting his head and he fell asleep in a second or two. He knew I was there with him. He now lies in the garden.
I have skimmed through all your comments, to read them brings on more tears. I will have to go back to them later when it is not so painful. Thank you all very much. One day I will tell more of Rocky's story, but for now I need to try and get on with keeping busy.
Yesterday me and Janet set up our stall at Epworth Show, to raise money for the rescue cats. It was very busy and our sales went very well, we were please with the amount taken. I sold all the shopping bags, and chatting to the customers was a welcome distraction to take my mind off things. At the end of the day I dropped Janet off and I didn't want to go home, but I knew the cats would be pleased to see me.
I took a few photo's at the show, I love the shire horses.
Vintage tractors.
I used to drive a small truck like this Bedford, loaded with doors and window frames on the back.
A good show of vintage cars.
Do you know, I never got to drive a Renault Magnum, it was the tallest cab in Europe when they first came out. .
Two young ladies performed acrobats on the back of their horses while they walked around the show ring. Everyone was eager to meet them and pet the horses.
This chappie was telling the audience all about his sheep. The sheep were busy eating the whole time.
Boy was it hot in the produce tent, like a sauna, couldn't stand it in there for very long.
I've been pottering around the house this morning, doing all the little jobs that usually get left. Anything to fill the time. This afternoon I went to pay the vet bill, and I went to Great Outdoors to buy some new walking boots. My feet have got used to walking in soft trainers and feel like they have spread out a bit, so I need a boot with a wider fitting. Found some, now I need to wear them around the house a bit, then do some shorter walks of around four hours and build it up to longer walks.
Going out for a walk now, almost the end of the month and I am on target reach 666 miles. How are you all doing with your walking? It is helping to calm my emotions. I did a second walk on Sunday night quite late because I wanted to tire myself out before I went to bed. It worked.
Thank you for popping in. We'll catch up soon.
Lots of love xxx
Rocky is at peace now, the vet has just left. He couldn't go on any longer. I am closing down the computer now and won't be back on until Tuesday.
Lots of love xxx
Hello. There is the most stunning sunset tonight, but it will be gone in a few minutes. Strings of orange slowly sinking, with parts of the blue sky visible behind it, and dark clouds hovering yet hardly moving at all. Now the orange is turning to red as it drops below the roofs across the road. .
So, what have I done today. It was time for Mr frogs makeover. I put a very pale green undercoat on him first. I thought I might leave it that colour but it looked a bit boring, so I thought why not jazz him up a bit. This colour is called Positively Purple, it's a Dulux tester pot, it looks blue on the photo, but it is purple. I found the easiest way to paint it was to put the wheelie bin in the middle of the lawn with an upturned pot underneath him. He is at the right height, no bending, and I could walk all the way around him, reaching all parts, with very little effort.
The mat he is sitting on is a bit broken round the edge, but it doesn't matter, can't complain, it was free. I painted his eyes, yellow. .
While I had it on the brush, I painted Mrs Tiggy's eyes as well.
Who says you can't have a purple frog and a green hedgehog, ha ha.
Snacking today was two kiwi fruits, a nectarine, with a splodge of plain yogurt.
Look, I've got runner beans, yippeee. A kindly reader put some dried beans in a goody bag parcel she sent me. Thank you, and now I have beans to eat.
These are doing really well, £2 from Aldi.
And I have a few of these pretty flowers in the beds. The bulbs were from Poundland.
How are you all doing with the walking? Only five more days to the end of the month. The target for the eighth month is 666 miles, and I am on 650. I doubled up today and walked six miles. Might have to do that again.
I'm struggling to keep my eyes open here, so I'd better sign off. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.
Hello. I've been to Uncle Stan's funeral today. It was held at St Mary's Church, Stretton, Burton upon Trent. There were a lot of people there. This is his self portrait which was on the front cover of the Order of Service.
After the service we all moved on to the Burton Albion Football Club for refreshments. This is a blast from the past. Ben Robinson, the chairman of the club used to go to the same school as me, he was a couple of years above me. Fifty two years have passed since I left school, and I am walking down the corridor at the football club and who should I see but Ben. We recognized each other straight away, how lucky that he was there today, and he remembered my name. He was very popular at school, all the girls liked him including me. I fell for his lovely smile, and look, he still has it. You wouldn't believe he is approaching his 71st birthday would you. He is as handsome now as he was then. I was so excited to see him today
It was a sad day to say goodbye to Uncle Stan, but it was nice to meet with relatives and share our memories. And what a bonus to meet Ben.
Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip
Hello. A big fail today. Tried to copy Cassie's video, made a right pigs ear out of it, mainly because I didn't have the right materials. Cut a piece of cardboard, cover it with glue, stick on various bits and bobs, add more glue.
Cover in foil, press down with fingers, and paint.
Nope, doesn't look anything like hers.
What went wrong? Put too much topping on the pizza. Used PVA glue, maybe this is the wrong sort. Beads started poking through the foil, so I removed them. Try again with fresh piece of foil. Air bubbles trapped underneath, smooth it from the centre working out towards the edges. Wrong kind of paint. No wire wool so try other abrasives, didn't work. Need more practice.
Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon. Toodle pip
Hello. Remember these two, they were unwanted, thrown out, destined for the skip.
Mrs Tiggy-winkle has had a makeover. I was going to paint her in several different colours but I could see that it was going to be a fiddly job, so I opted for an all over transformation with subtle green metalic paint. Much easier to do, and she looks like brand new again, even better than the original finish.
I went to the mobile library today and came across a book which might be very useful for my next project, ha ha. Having a coffee break, I'll have a read and see what materials I will need.
Blooming hot today outside, I've trimmed my hair, done a load of washing, now it's tea time.
Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon. Toodle pip
Good morning, a quickie before I get started with the jobs for the day. You might have noticed that I have a link to Cassie Stephens blog on my sidebar. She is an art teacher, and I think she looks a lot like our Duchess Kate. She has some great art ideas, and I love the way her enthusiasm for art shines through in the clothes she wears and the way she projects her voice. I would love to be in her art class. Our art teacher at school was Mr Brodie, and all we did was paint, which I wasn't very good at. Nowadays art is about so much more than just painting.
I've been on yooootoooob and Cassie has several videos on there and I've picked one out which shows a simple project that anyone can have a go at. I will certainly give it a try. She demonstrates the technique on a smallish circular piece of cardboard, but it can be adapted to any size and any shape. Have a look and see what you think. If you are feeling creative why not make one yourself today. All you need is cardboard, glue, kitchen foil, paint, and some bits and bobs. It's all about adding texture.
I'll leave you to it and will be back later to see how you have got on. You are welcome to comment about your creations. What did you use to create your texture?
Hello. I wish the kids were as easy going about food as I am. I've got the oldies, Bugsy and Rocky hanging around my feet because they are not happy with the food I have just served up. They think if they whinge enough I am going to cave in and come up with a fresh bowl with something different in it. Sometimes I do, to get a bit of peace from them. Tonight they are just going to have to eat what is there, I am fed up of throwing food away.
When we were little we had to eat whatever mum dished up, and some of it was pretty awful. Some of the meat dishes were unrecognizable as meat, gawd knows which bits of the animal she was giving us. I often felt sick moving it around on my plate and was almost in tears. We moaned a bit but it was eat it, there is nothing else. I remember tripe, I definitely had to go without that day. Later on when I went to big school I looked forward to school dinners, especially puddings which my mum was not very good at making.
This portion of frozen stew does not look very appetizing, but I know what's in it so it will be tasty.
This is something I had the other day, simple veggie burgers in buns with potato salad and houmous. It was ok for a change because I couldn't be bothered to cook, but I could have managed on just one, I was too full afterwards.
As you know I often chuck a few things in a pan and scramble two eggs into the mix. I like these simple one pan meals. Here is left over steamed veg from the previous day, I made too much, with a handful of frozen broad beans and some chick peas.
Underneath the beans and chick peas is a portion of cheap noodles, with Danish Blue cheese on the top. It looks more like a side dish you would get at a restaurant because I put it into a bowl instead of a plate. This was my dinner one night last week.
I like to mix and match my food, I don't need recipes to follow, I make it up as I go along. It makes life more interesting to invent new concoctions. Anyone else have a slap dash approach to food as I do, or do you need to have all ingredients close by to create a masterpiece?
Thanks for popping in, We'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip
Hello. This morning didn't get off to a very good start. I had to make a second mug of coffee because I didn't get to drink all of the first one. I was sitting at the dining room table with my drink, as I always do, when out of nowhere came Mayze cat, taking a flying leap onto the table. It's a good job I had the mug in my hand or it would have gone all over the place. Her back leg went straight into it splashing coffee onto the table and up the wall as she jumped onto the window sill. After my initial annoyance I had to laugh as she tucked her coffee leg underneath her and lay down, looking all innocent.
I've made twelve shopping bags to be sold for our cat rescue on our stall at the Epworth Show on Bank Holiday Monday. Me and Janet will be doing it as I have a big car to transport four tables and all the stuff we have for sale. I have booked extra space this time so we won't have to squash into the line with the other stallholders in the shopping tent. On the opposite side are individual booths of twelve feet square, so we will be able to set up our little shop in one of those.
Talking of cats, Sue has taken in three last week, it's lucky that we had a pen for them. They came from a flat where someone was evicted and they moved into a place where they cannot have pets. These cats are quite nervous and shy because they haven't been outside before. Two of them need neutering which will be done quite soon when they get settled into the pen.
Just a quick one tonight, I'm going to switch off and read a book. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.
Hello. I've got some pictures sorted out for you, and to keep a record on my blog about the time my shed won the best Budget Category in the Shed of the Year. I could not show you this one of me and George before because I have my rosette pinned to my bag, and it would give the game away. I did so enjoy hugging him, now I'm not so sure which one is more huggable. George is taller, I like tall men, but I like William's cheeky grin and floppy hair. I bet George would look nice with a beard, he should give it a go.
I've made a little video to thank everyone who voted for my shed.
Next are some photo's I took from the TV screen while Paul backtracked and paused the recorded programme.
Someone asked about the William picture. I was asked to do that by Plum Pictures the film company, they thought it would be good fun. I didn't want to do it because I am not very good at faces, I am more a landscapes, trees and flowers stitcher, but I said I would give it a go. I have added some stitching but it needs a lot more. If it gets finished it won't look like William, because I can't do faces. I am thinking of making it into a 'Wanted', poster, more of a joke that a portrait.
The ones with the blue button at the bottom of the screen are those that Paul took with his phone.
I must say that the Summer House/Beach Hut looks magnificent on a large flat screen. The colours were dazzling.
And this is what I won. A plaque which is now in my kitchen front window for the time being until I can decided where to put it permanently. Note the red lettering, I am customizing it. The dark letters are a bit boring, a touch of paint will brighten it up.
A perfect rosette in pink.
And a mug for my morning coffee.
Ooooh William, I didn't know you cared.
He's gone, I am alone once more. It was nice while it lasted.
That's it, it's all over.
Cheers, thanks to Janet and Paul, my best friends in the village.
When I stood on the stage at the end as George was about to announce the overall winner I knew it wouldn't be me. I built mine in about six weeks, some of them had taken a lot longer, and had a lot more work and detail in them. There were far better sheds than mine. West Wing was a very worthy winner, I loved his eco shed with the secret door. So pleased that Oliver's shed on the allotment won his category. I liked Povero, the artists massive shed with all his artworks. I liked the home made sheds the best, those that had been built from scratch by one person.
What next? Oh, I'll find something else to do. I've got four spare doors out the back and two pieces of poly roofing plastic, might build an extension. I'm pleased that so many people have been inspired by my 'have a go', outlook on life. It's true, you don't need loads of money to have a good life. The only limitations are those you impose on yourself. Have a go, and let's see more ladies in Shed of the Year, next year.
Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon. Have a nice weekend.
Toodle pip
Hello. My working life ended 15 years ago. Now I just please myself. This is my diary. What I do and what I think about. You are welcome to read it. Toodle pip.
