Will there be enough time.

It was like a summers day here today, even though British Summer Time doesn't start until the 29th. 

I have jobs waiting to be done in the garden so I thought I'd better get on with things. Firstly sorting the plant pots out. Re potting where needed, trimming up dead foliage, and deciding which plants to keep when they look a bit sick. Will they pick up or won't they. Next some weeding, down on my hands and knees. Thank goodness Angela gave me one of those kneeling things with handles. I need to get the mower out soon, the grass needs cutting. Will it still work after all these years. I need to wash the car. It hasn't been done for ages. I can't bring myself to drive it through a car wash, I will do it myself, when I have time. Then I need to clean the windows inside and out. The summerhouse needs a lick of paint. Lots of jobs to do now the weather is getting a bit warmer. Plenty to keep me busy. 

Here is a video if you want to see my garden. 

I would rather be busy than have nothing to do. We are only here for a short time, best make the most of it.

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Test driving a Shark.

Good evening. You may remember I bought a new vacuum cleaner, back in January last year. It was a cheap cordless one from Home Bargains. I have to report that it wasn't up to the job. Poor suction, and the battery frequently needed charging. The hand held part of it is useful for cleaning cars and small areas in the house like the bathroom so I shall use it for just that. 

So, yesterday I spent some money and bought a new vacuum cleaner from Curry's. They didn't mind me paying with cash. £180. 

Introducing the new Shark. Today I did a test drive. It's one you plug into the wall. I don't like cordless appliances. This has a really good suction, it picked everything up. My carpets look like brand new now. It is not too heavy to carry around. It has a five year guarantee. Let's hope it lasts a long time. 

I've been to the pub tonight, was invited for a drink. That's why this is a bit late. 

Have a good weekend. Toodle pip.   ilona

Keeping up with technology

Out with the old Dysons, in with the new Goodman. 

I think this is going to make housework a lot less stressful. A quick ten minute whip round with this cute little suction stick and the job's a good one. No more humping a heavy lump of plastic about, plugging and unplugging the lead as I move from room to room, and no more wrestling with an unruly hose which wraps itself around my legs and trips me up.  

I am never going to actually like housework, but at least this makes it a tad easier. I don't want to live in a showhouse anyway, but at least the floors will be cleaner. 

Have a good weekend. Toodle pip.   ilona 

Washday smiles

Too hot to walk means I have time to do indoor things. Yesterday I did a load of washing and made a video about it. I have a gigantic box of Ariel. I bought it a long long time ago. When I do a wash I put in two dessertspoons of the powder in the drawer, that's all. I wash everything at 30 degrees on a 30 minute cycle. A way to save money on my laundry. 

Here you go. Me in my kitchen.

 

Now I have to take Billy dog out. It's a bit overcast today so not so hot. 

Thanks for popping in. We will catch up soon. Toodle pip.  ilona

A tiny home for little people.

Hello. Sunny today so I went out. I was on my way to the park, walking down the High Street, when I bumped into my friend Linda and her sweet pooch, Poppy. She hadn't got a specific route in mind so she said she would come to the park as well. It made a nice change to walk and chat. 

When we got to the park it seemed that a lot of others from our village had the same idea as well. It was a really nice atmosphere to meet and greet with everyone. Linda told me about a fairy house in the wood which I hadn't seen before, it must be quite new, and here it is, a play area for children. It's built with thick wood, and well put together, it should last for years. 

It's got a sink with two taps and two plugs.

A beautiful wood burner.

A lovely tall dresser.

The view through the front door.

It's got two bench seats, both have a foot stool and a coffee table.

There is a central dining table. Whoever built this has made a fantastic job of it, I can see many hours of fun for the children in the summer. It would be great to live in a bigger version of this, with all the furniture made out of thick solid wood. It would last a lifetime, no need to buy anything else ever again.

Little Poppy looking wistfully for another treat.

Look at that cute little face. Couldn't you just fall in love with it.

When I went out the cats were in the garden, when I got back my two were waiting to get in. Garcia has been missing for three days, I reckon he has been staying in his own house and not bothered to go out. He was back again this morning though at 7.30am. When I got back from the park he was waiting at his own front door for his family to come home from work. That cat is clever.

Thanks very much for popping in, the weekend starts here so enjoy. We'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Just pants

Good morning. Running out of clean pants. I was up early so the first thing I did was fill the washer. Now I have 30 pairs of clean pants. All arranged neatly for the photo shoot, ha ha.

The regular readers will know why I wear pants, but the newer readers will say, what the heck is she doing now. Yep, I have been a fan of pants, some of them teenage boys pants, for oh, around 15 years now. The reason is that they last a lot longer than flimsy ladies knickers. They are more robust, thicker fabric, well made, hug my hips, and will wash millions of times without falling apart. I like the way they feel snug and cover the whole of my bum, no dental floss up my backside for me, ha ha. Some of these must be around ten years old, and I might add that I have a fresh pair on every day, sometimes changing them half way through the day if I am going out.

Most of them are black, dark blue, and grey, with the odd colours thrown in. I buy whatever is cheap which is usually boys pants in packs of five. No VAT on kids clothes. I don't care what colour they are, nobody sees them. I haven't had to buy any for a long time as these will go on and on for many more years. I don't need to include the cost of underwear in my spending budget, because I don't expect to buy any in the near future.

Washing a load of pants only happens here once a month. I prefer to do them in bulk rather than three or four pairs here and there. I made up a full load with t-shirts and trousers. YAY, after a murky start the sun is out, so these are going out on the line.

Thanks for popping in, enjoy your weekend, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Here you are then, me and my pants from Hunt for Britain's Tightest Person, seven years ago.

Old vests and pants have their uses

Hiya gang. I knew I would have a use for this holey flannelette bed sheet one day, and today was the day. I was looking at tea towels yesterday in town, and found some in B & M at a reasonable price, £3.99 for a pack of five. I almost put them in my basket, and then changed my mind. Surely I could make some of those, they are only squares of fabric with hemmed edges. So I had a look in my airing cupboard and found this sheet. Yep, that will do the job. 

My tea towels are in a state, they need relegating to mucky cleaning jobs like washing the floor or wiping the paintwork down or even wiping out the litter boxes after they have been washed. Before I chuck them into the outhouse I'll use this one as a guide to cut up the sheet. I started in the corner and moved it around the outside where the sheet wasn't so worn.

This is all that's left, the hole in the middle. Anyone know what to do with a spare hole?

All I had to do then was to hem around the cut edges with the machine, and bingo, I have six tea towels, plus seven cleaning cloths which will go under the sink and be used as dishcloths and window cleaning cloths.

I really don't know why people buy cloths to use for cleaning jobs around the house. What did people do years ago when microfibre cloths hadn't been invented? They cut up any old textiles that they happen to have in their cupboards and drawers which were no longer fit for purpose. I can't remember my mum ever buying dusters, we used old vests and pants, for buffing up the sideboard, and our shoes.

Hope your walking is going well, I am on track at 3 miles per day. Thanks for popping in. Catch up soon.
Toodle pip.

Crumbs !!!

Hello, it's a nice day and I have been out . I went out yesterday as well, to visit The Ropewalk Gallery in Barton on Humber. I haven't been for ages so decided to take a look at the exhibitions. I was lucky, there were two extremely talented artists on show, this one was very pleasing to the eye. This is my kind of art, the sort that makes me go 'wow',, innit fabulous. The pictures here are photographed from the leaflet I brought home, there is a bit of blurb about Clive Redshaw below. 

Here is a link to the Ropewalk web site. There are some more of his pictures on the Lincolnshire Open Studios  web site. I really enjoyed this exhibition. 

On a completely different note, I've been getting fed up of clearing away bread crumbs and other bits of chopped and grated food from my worktop. Some of it inevitably ends up on the floor as I try and wipe it up with a dishcloth, which then means I have to clean the floor as well. Grrrr, I hate housework. I've come up with an idea which I am trying out. I don't want to get a bigger chopping board, mine is a normal size one which can be a bit cumbersome to scrub down in the washing up bowl. I thought of an idea to extend the boundaries of the board by placing a tea towel underneath it, then all it needs is for the chopping board to be lifted on it's side, with the bits falling into the tea towel, which is then taken outside and shaken. I haven't got a nice tea towel, mine are all a bit worn, so I have used a pillow case. I will see how it goes, good idea eh!

What do you do with half a portion of chips left over from the day before. I just fancied some yesterday, it was a massive portion, enough for three people. Today I put the last of them in a bowl, topped it with half a tin of baked beans, and zapped it in the microwave. Ta da! a two minute Sunday lunch, no food wasted here. I will make something a bit more healthy for my main dinner in an hour or so.

I'm going to sign off now, I've got more stuff to talk about but I'll save it till tomorrow. Some questions to answer, and I've picked out a couple of ideas for blog posts from your comments. Thank you for joining in, and welcome to the new readers.
Toodle pip
PS. Still waiting for two addresses. Primroses Attic and Aussie Cheryl. You have each won a shopping bag, they are ready to go. Give me an address.

From garden to kitchen

Welcome. A garden catch up today. Here we have three beds of potatoes coming along nicely. Not sure if they are earlies or lates, or what sort they are. They all go in together in no particular order, and come out as and when I want to eat them. Looking healthy, looking good.   

One bed of broad beans. Not quite ready to eat, waiting for the pods to fatten up. Some of the plants have not grown as high as last year, so maybe they are a different kind. I put the pieces of wood across to stop the cats from using it as a toilet.

Runner beans at different heights, some planted early some late. I have wrapped the outside in net curtains, again to stop the cats getting onto it. It will be another month before they are ready.

Six courgette plants showing signs of flowering. Another couple of weeks and there should be something to eat. Bits of wood, and plastic and anything else, to keep the cats off. Looks untidy but needs must.

This is the chuck it and see bed, chuck the seeds on and see what comes up. Something is growing. Think I used three different kinds of seeds. Radishes and turnips possibly.

 And last but not least, the bed occupied by frogs. I have planted a few dwarf beans in here, let's hope they start showing soon. I grow just the basics, not faffing around with anything that is too complicated, haven't got time.

Has anyone got one of these gizmo's? It's a wotchamacallit thingy. You know, a wotsit that you put in your saucepan to steam vegetables. Now this one looks like a shiny new one, but it isn't. If you had seen it 24 hours ago, it looked 'orrible. Even though I wash it each time it is used, the limescale in the water builds up on it. Time for action. I soaked it for 24 hours in the saucepan that I use it with, in a solution of diluted vinegar. A scrub with a wash up brush gets rid of all the gunge and it looks shiny new again. 

I love my steamer gizmo, would be lost without it. There are two sizes, I have the larger one which fits in a large pan. You can buy them for around £5, can't remember exactly, I have had this one for a couple of years.

The pan has also come up like new. Hurrah for vinegar :o))

All ready to go again. This is in constant use in my kitchen. An inch or two of water in the bottom. All the vegetables go in together, starting with the hardest root vegetables first, softer quick to cook ones next, and leafy ones on top. It only takes a few minutes to cook vegetables in this. Stick the fork in to test if they are done, switch the heat off when they are nearly ready, leave for a couple of minutes more, the steam will finish them off.

It was still warm as the sun started to go down last night, a good opportunity to take a walk in the park after dinner. The hall looks splendid.

And Rocky came too.

Looks like another nice day. A bit more playing with fabric, then playing outside. Enjoy your day. Toodle pip.

Not back breaking work.

Hello. I'm all for making household chores easy for myself, I do only as much as I need to, to keep things ticking over. Today I will share a load of washing with you. It's a warm and sunny day with a gentle breeze  so a good opportunity to strip the bed. The washing is in the machine, a 30 minute cycle at 30 degrees. My method of transferring it from the machine to the garden is not a conventional plastic basket. I don't drag it all out in one big pile, all tangled up, and drop it straight into the basket. By the time it gets untangled and hung up it's already creased. 

I don't have a basket because I don't like having to bend down and remove the items piece by piece as I hang it. This tall seat is what I use for transportation. I carefully take the washing out of the machine, shake it flat, and lay it on the chair. 

Like this. Heidi getting in on the picture again, ha ha.

I lift the whole lot up, chair and washing, without bending down, and pick up the pegs hanging on the nail on the back door. This keeps me in an upright position and doesn't put a strain on my back. When I peg out there is no bending down. I can move the chair along the length of the line if I need to. Mostly I just walk up and down, removing items one at a time as I hang them.

When the washing is dry and ready to be brought in I have the chair close by. I shake each item and fold, and lay it on the chair, starting with the largest items first. Again, no bending down to put it in a basket. When all washing is collected it takes hardly any effort to lift the chair a few inches keeping my back straight, and taking it all inside. It is then ready to be put away, but in the case of this load it will go straight back on the bed. I don't iron anything, can't be bothered with such mundane tasks. I don't buy clothes that need ironing. 

I have two sizes of wooden spring pegs, the bigger ones for the larger and heavier items. The smaller ones for such things as teeshirts, pillowcases, and pants. 

I also have some coloured plastic pegs. These are no good at all for hanging washing out. They are not strong enough for the job and they break easily. They are however very useful for clipping together the tops of half used packets of food stuffs. I like to keep things in their original packaging so I can check on the dates now and again. 

That's my washday system, it works for me. Have you got a system?
Toodle pip.

Super Good News Sunday

What a Super Sunday we have had, the weather has been glorious. Kath asked for more pics of George, so here they are. He is getting more confident each day. Now he climbs onto my knee and rubs his nose on my face. He loves cuddles. 

 Plenty of room to play, he wasn't at all bothered by his own reflection in the mirror.

Food is served on a tray. I like this one mum.

 Yum, that was nice, now lets play.

Ooooh, I wonder what's up here?

Look, did you see that bird fly past the window?

I like this new mat you're making, can I keep it? I can see right across the road from here, this is such a good view.

We had a phone call today from someone wanting to adopt. Trouble is they are a very busy household, small children and dogs, people coming and going all the time, it wouldn't be suitable for George, given the bad experience he had with a dog at his last home. Never mind, we will hold out for the right person. At least people are finding us, we are getting the calls. 

Told you it was sunny today, just right for a dark load in the washer. It's dried a treat. 

I called in to see a friend this afternoon, while out and about in the village. She tells me that there are plans for the council to open a Scrapstore in the town. Oooh, I am so excited about this good news, and of course I immediately volunteered my services. There is still some groundwork to be done, a grant to be applied for, and a fact finding mission to the Hull branch, but I will be invited to a meeting once they are ready to start. I am hoping to take on the job of visiting businesses and collecting all their unwanted materials, a job I loved doing for the old Scrapstore, which unfortunately had to close. Not sure when all this is going to happen, sometime this year was mentioned, but I'm ready, count me in :o))
Thank you for reading my blog, glad you could drop by. Catch you tomorrow, Toodle pip.