No time to go shopping

Hello. Sorry, but it's another Summerhouse post, bet you are getting fed up with them now. I have to press on with this, I want it ready for my visitors. All the nails removed from the long pieces of wood, and painted white. I only did one side and the edges, the other side won't be seen. Two tables and a step ladder make the job easy. I found half a tub of white emulsion in the garage, it had been there ages, I remember Helen gave it to me after one of her house renovations. It was a bit thin so I had to give them several coats. 

There we are, the roof supports are up and the plastic roof is screwed into position. All looking solidly fixed, that won't fall down.

There is an overlap with the main roof, I didn't join them together. The porch roof is slightly lower so sits underneath the main one.

Just one gap needs filling with a piece of wood, then it can all be painted.

The man from up the road doing the house renovation said there would be more paving slabs if I went back today. He was right, I now have a total of 26. I will be able to lay them out at the front of the Summerhouse. I was dead lucky to get these. They all need a good scrub, free ants were included  :o)

I did my three miles tonight, and now I feel tired. Still haven't had time to go shopping so another day with cobbled together meals. I might get to Tesco tomorrow night.

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

Skip diving for free materials

Hello. I thought I would do my walk a bit earlier this morning, but I only got half way round and was distracted by a skip. I've been keeping an eye out for a few more bricks, and some long lengths of wood. It seems it is the season for house renovations, we have several going on at the moment. 

I had a nosy in a skip and told the man what I was looking for. He didn't have any long pieces of wood, but I could have the pallets if I wanted them. I have just used two of mine so I picked two of the best ones out, they will go in the garage for future use. I went home to get my car. When I got back the man said he has some paving slabs if I want them, they were going in the skip. Yes please, just the job, better than bricks. He got five out and said there are ten more and he would put them by the gate and I can collect them. I'll go back tomorrow for them. Whoopee, my lucky day.

Then I had a nosy in another skip and saw some long lengths of wood. I asked the man if he had a tape measure because I wanted some 9 feet long. Lucky me again, two at 9 feet and one at 10 feet. These were easy to carry home, it wasn't far. They were full of nails, took me a few minutes to get them all out.

Beginning to look like a builders yard now, ha ha.

The second door is on, and I have built up the height by adding more wood to the tops. Two of the long lengths will go across between them to support the polycarbonate roof panel. I should get that job done tomorrow.

 A friend was chopping back some of the bushes in his front garden and putting the bits in the wheelie bin. The flowers were very pretty, it was a shame to throw them away. He said they were weeds, but I rescued some of them. I love these colours.

I still haven't been shopping, it's amazing what you can find in the freezer and cupboards when you think you have no food left. For lunch I had beans on toast with grated cheese. Dinner was the last two Quorn sausages, last bit of cauliflower, three potatoes and a handful of frozen peas. I might get to Tesco tomorrow night, if I have time.

It's late and I am ready for bed, so I'll say goodnight. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

It's coming together, slowly.

Hello. Crafty Club was busy this morning, full house, we had to get another table out. Lots of chattering going on, it's all too much for me, I sit quietly and do my thing and wait till the chatter dies down, then I can speak. It's very difficult to hear what's being said in a noisy environment, that's why I don't go out socializing very often. I need to be reasonably close to the person I am speaking to, but if there is background noise my hearing aid picks it all up and drowns out the voice of the person I want to hear. My felting picture is coming along nicely. 

I did a bit more on the Summer House this afternoon, but it is still windy, not ideal for working outside. I had a pallet with slats missing so I added wood to fill the gaps. I've screwed it to the corner opposite the other one. I stopped at this point because time was getting on, and the wind was making it quite difficult to hold the heavy door in position while I screwed it into place. That pallet doesn't look very stable but I have secured it with screws on the one side, and there is a metal pole hammered into the ground on the other side. Work will resume tomorrow if it isn't too windy. Once I have the second door on I need to find a piece of wood to go across the top of the doors to join them together, I think I have one in the garage. 

Mayze was outside with me, snoozing in the kitty shelter.

Heidi was out for a while but doesn't like wind, so she came back in. This is where I found her. There are lots of comfortable places she could get comfortable in, but no, she likes to have her back leg dangling over the edge of a windowsill, or this stool in the bathroom. I sometimes find her curled up in the bath, when there is no water in it, or in the wash basin.

I thought I might go shopping tonight as I have very little left in the fridge, and I'm running out of other things as well. A £6 off voucher arrived this morning from Tesco so that will be used, but I can't be bothered to go tonight, maybe tomorrow night.

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

A new porch for the Summerhouse

Hello. It's been a nice day, sunny but a tad windy, so I've been out in the garden. The Summerhouse is getting a new look. I have four spare doors, someone offered them to me last year, they will come in handy I thought. So, I have a pallet, haven't I always got a pallet, I can't resist picking them up when I see them lying around. 

I've screwed the pallet to the side of building, and screwed a door onto that. I had to remove some of the brick patio and the bricks from the corner of the raised bed, to squeeze it into the gap. I could do with another pair of hands to keep things steady as I screw them together, but the bungee elastic will have to do instead. 

The back view. I don't paint this side because it's close to the hedge and can't be seen. It's also a hidey hole for tubs and plastic boxes. That hard wood door was difficult to drill into with a hand drill.

On the other side there are three more spare doors to use. I am repainting that side, and repainting the back of the garage. I shall paint over the beach scene, I'm not doing that again.

 That's all fixed together nicely, it's pretty solid. The gap is closed with a piece of wood. I have a spare piece of polycarbonate roof which I would like to use to cover the porch, but I have to find a way to support it on the other end. I might add another door like this one so the roof can be attached at both ends. I'll have a think about it. I have another pallet but it is not really big enough.

I am thinking of opening it up for the Open Gardens event in two weeks time. I missed the deadline for getting on the list, through my dithering about, but I have plenty of time to tell everyone it will be open.

I am now going to lounge in the bath for half an hour. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Fantasy or real?

Hello. What do you reckon? Does long hair suit me? I have always wanted long hair, and now I have. You can get anything you want from a car boot sale. New hair, only £2. 

Or should I stick to the real me. Speccy, home cut and dyed hair. Silk blouse, ex charity, shop has been in my wardrobe for 25 years, I love it.

Hope you are enjoying your Saturday, I'm bopping away with Owain on BBC Radio York. The rain has stopped so it's out into the garden for me. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.

Busy in the garden

Hello. That's all done and dusted then, now we know who is going to run the country. Seems all a bit confusing if you ask me, but no matter, the mess will get sorted one way or another. In the meantime we carry on as normal. 

The weather has got better as the day went on, it's been quite warm this afternoon. I started off by doing some sewing, then went outside to carry on with the painting of the Summerhouse. I tarted it up a bit with some old cd's. Looking good so far. 

The flowers are doing well though the tall ones have taken a battering in the wind and have collapsed on top of the smaller plants. I have put some stakes in to support them.

I'm really pleased that this little tree is growing. I've got four of them, all rescued from the bins in the churchyard. Silly people for throwing them away, lucky me that I found them.

I've mowed the front and back lawns. I love to see it when it's tidy like this. The garden looks so much bigger after the grass has been cut and the hedges trimmed. View from my upstairs window. The lumpy bit in the middle is where there used to be a paved path. I took up the slabs but didn't cut the grass. It is the cats playground, they like making a nest in there and snoozing in the sunshine. A frog also lives in there, so I leave it rough.

I keep adding a bit more stitching on the felted picture. Looking good so far. A lot more to do.

I'm just off out now to do the second half of my walk. I started it earlier today and got waylaid with chatting to people and had to cut it short because my belly was groaning that it was lunch time.

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

The choice is yours

Hello. I have a feeling that there is something I have to do today. Ah yes, it's on my calendar, as if I needed reminding. I have to go to the Village Hall, get a slip of paper, take it to a booth and make my mark thus X in the box of my choice. Simple.

I have come to my decision, I have listened, I have watched, I have read, it hasn't been easy. Going round in circles comes to mind, in one ear and out the other also comes to mind. I have used my brain to the best of my ability and processed all the information offered. The conclusions I draw are that yes, every vote counts, everyone should exercise their democratic right, but when the circus leaves town, what then? We all have to get on with our lives the best we can.

I used to be a worrier, it's normal to worry about the future when you are young. But as I get older I find I worry less. There's no point in worrying about things I cannot change. Will my cross make a difference, probably not, but at least I've made my choice. What happens after is out of my hands, I shall carry on as always.

I found a reference in a book I am reading at the moment, which prompted me to google a name. Dorothy Rowe is a psychologist who has changed how we understand ourselves. That's what it says on her website. This page seems particularly appropriate in today's political turmoil. How to Deal with a Crisis. The article sheds some light on how we can deal with things which are beyond our control. She says we have three choices. We can pretend it isn't happening, we can become very frightened, or we can become very angry. If you are experiencing mixed emotions about the outcome of the general election, you might want to have a look at this. 

Are you going to stop reading or listening to the news and ignore everything that is happening around you? Are you going to become so scared that you retreat into your own little bubble? Or are you going to scream and shout and stamp about because your team didn't win? The choice is yours.

Time for breakfast. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.

Needle felting update

Hello. The weather is a bit better today, still windy but at least it's dry. I need to mow my lawns in the next day or two so I hope that's the end of the rain for a while. Here's me trying to get on with a bit of stitching, but Heidi is having none of it. No, you will fuss me because I demand it, she says. 

Here is a little update on the felting, seven minutes long. My videos are in the raw state, I don't know how to edit them. I make cock ups, and I stumble over my words, one day I might get it right, ha ha.



I've just had a BIG sandwich lunch and now I need a coffee, so I'll leave you to it. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Getting excited

Hello. If I get a good feeling about a new project from the start, it usually turns out well. As we have had a lot of rain in the past couple of days, and it's raining now, I am getting on with this. I have to go with the flow while the brain is engaged. Early mornings are best for me, yesterday up at 4 am, today at 4.45 am. 

As I said yesterday I found the design in Stitch magazine, and got the needle felting kit out which had been languishing in the spare room for months. Time to get a grip. 

I have used a piece of net curtain for the backing, the wool sticks to it nicely. When all the felt is in place I shall be putting a thicker backing onto it before I begin stitching into it. 

The colours aren't exactly right on the photo, but you get the idea. I don't follow the instructions in the magazine article, I put my interpretation on the design and do it my way. I end up with something similar but not the same. This is more an exercise on technique, getting to know how to manipulate the wool by altering the angle at which the single needle enters the work. If you want a sharp edge to the shape push the edges towards the centre. If you want a more  softer edge so that it merges gently with the background, push the edges away from the centre towards the outside. All good fun.

Some of my newer readers might ask what's this got to do with money saving. Well, while my brain is engaged with something interesting to do, I don't feel the need to go shopping. People shop out of boredom, the buzz they get from treating themselves helps relieve boredom, for a while. I suggest anyone in this position who sees shopping as a feel good factor might find a hobby which keeps their brain occupied. Shopping is not my hobby.

Nearly 9 am and I have got to go out in the rain and walk Bailey the poodle for Joyce, she is busy this morning. Later I shall be visiting the mobile library to change my books and have a natter with Stan. The rest of the time I shall be working on this, it's a no spend day today.

Gawd, it's a raincoat and brolly day, I shall have to go. Enjoy your day, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Bargains from the car boot sale.

Hello, back again. It's been wet and miserable outside, so when I got back from Crafty Club I decided to stay in and get on with another project. I bought some wool and felting needles from the Scrapstore ages ago, and apart from having a play with it, I haven't touched it since. Time to get serious and make an effort to produce something. 

I've seen a project in the latest Stitch magazine, June/July, it was wet felted, with an abstract design, and has a lot of machine and hand stitching on it. It was made into a cover for a kindle. I thought I could make something similar but bigger, dry felted with the needles, and make a wall hanging. So I've spent all afternoon on that while watching Heatbeat videos on yooootoooob. Early days but it's coming together nicely. 

I went to the local car boot sale yesterday morning, at the football ground. I don't go very often, about three times a year, this is the first one I've been to since last summer. I found a few bits and bobs which might be useful. I already have a lot of tiny beads, but often when I am making something I can always guarantee I don't have the colour I need. I found this box of beads for £1. 

All this lot was in a box on a table with a label saying £2 the lot. I asked the woman if she was trying to get rid of them, she said yes. I gave her the £2 because it was worth it.

Here they are sorted, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Some of it is too big and a bit ugly so those pieces will go on the cat table to sell. The small beads and small shiny items will be used in crafty projects. 

I was looking for a straight up and down plain glass vase, and I found one. It's 10 inches tall, cost £1, and I have an idea for it.

I'm going to get on with a bit more needle felting, so I'll say tatty byes. Thank you for all your comments on yesterdays post, you really are too kind. All I do is live my life the way I want to. I am just being me.

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

A lesson in money management from the 1950's

Hello, chomping through my salad lunch and browsing yooootoooob, like you do, I found this video. Food Shopping, a handy guide for the housewife. Go back to the 1950's to find out how to save money on your food. Sorry if I am teaching your granny to suck eggs, but this should be shown in all schools as part of the home economics course.



Amazing that these rules still apply today, it proves that our mums and grannies knew exactly how to get the best value for their money.

Raining outside, staying in, more crafting. I'll be back later.
Toodle pip

Cushions and cat beds.

Hello. That's another job done, the duvet which was passed to me, is now ten cushions and six cat beds, like mini quilts. I used every bit of the quilt, and I had some stuffing from another donation of lumpy cushions which I used to add a bit more bounce to these cushions. 

The covers can be removed from the cushions and washed, the brown fabric was donated, from a blog reader I think. People give me stuff and I can't remember where it came from, but it all gets used or passed on to the ladies in the Crafty Club. The patterned cushion covers were a curtain which I no longer required.

The cat beds are covered in donated fabric.They can be put in the washing machine as they are.

I've made a little video showing a few other things I have made from recycled materials.



I'm glad that jobs done, I'll drop the cushions off at the church in the morning. Now I can move on to another crafty project.

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

Be kind to your body

Hello and good morning. As I was sitting here eating my breakfast while browsing the internet, I suddenly remembered, it is not recommended to eat at the office desk. I'm not sure why that is, possibly because it encourages you to rush food and get back to work, or, that you should concentrate on every mouthful and let your taste buds savour the moment without interruption. 

I must say, I don't go along with this, for me eating and looking at a screen go hand in hand. I eat more slowly while reading or watching a video. My breakfast has just taken me 25 minutes to eat.

I know a certain person, won't name names but someone I know well, who shoves his food down his throat at breakneck speed. When I am in his company eating a meal he always berates me for eating so slowly. He says I should eat it while it is hot because it will be cold before I am finished. I could never understand why this should be a problem, hot food cold food what does it matter. I think the fact that he is overweight says a lot about his eating habits. 

 Food digestion starts in the mouth, by chewing food and mixing it with saliva not only adds to the enjoyment of eating by titillating your taste buds, it also starts the breaking down process in preparation for it moving on  through the gullet and into the stomach. If you are going to force feed yourself your body will not be able to extract all the nutrients it needs, and you will probably end up with one awful belly ache as it struggles to break everything down.

I like the saying, 'your eyes are bigger than your belly', yes, it happens to me sometimes, but not very often. I nearly always eat everything on my plate. Occasionally I stop eating before it's all gone, and put it in the fridge for the next day, but not very often.

When I am at home all day my breakfast takes me 25 minutes to consume, my lunch 40 minutes, and my dinner 45 minutes. Admittedly when I was working full time I wasn't able to give so much time to eating, but now I am retired I am more mindful about how I should treat my body.

I prefer to eat alone, because I can concentrate on every mouthful, even in front of a screen. When I am in company I find it difficult to have a conversation and eat at the same time. My mum told me never to speak with my mouth full, and yes it is rude if your friends can see what's going on in your mouth.

I never stick to set times for my meals, I have approximate times, depending on whether my previous meal has gone through me quickly or slowly. I wait until my stomach tells me it is ready for more. Breakfast is about 8am, lunch between 11.30 and 1.30pm, dinner between 5 and 7pm.

Eating tons of food at a fast pace is basically self abuse. I sometimes read about eating challenges where people sit round a table scoffing vast quantities of one type of food, eggs comes to mind. Some of these people must be totally oblivious to the damage they are causing themselves. Indeed some of them do die. I would like to see this type of challenge totally banned. Aside from the health point of view, there is a moral issue that to publicly fill yourself to bursting point is an insult to those who don't have enough to eat.

To wind up, are you a slow eater or a fast eater? Do you watch a screen while you are eating, like me, or not? Do you eat alone or with others? Do you put too much on your plate, or is the quantity just right? Do you have a cooked meal at lunchtime or something lighter? Do you have a cooked meal in the evening or is that high tea time? Questions questions questions, come on, tell us your scoffing habits, or tell me to mind my own business, ha ha.

Thanks for popping in, have a nice weekend, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

A visit to Brick City, a Lego Exhibition.

Hello. Here are a few pictures of the Lego Exhibition on display at the moment at the 20 21 Visual Arts Centre in Scunthorpe, until the 20th of June. I was dead impressed with this. Warren Elsmore is an artist who gets to play with Lego all day long, a job I think many would like to do. He has had this passion since he was a young boy, now he is living his dream. I will leave you to look around. 

There is more information on his web site. 

So, what else have I been doing. The quilt is divided and and cushion pads/beds made. Now I need to make the covers.

I am giving the Summer House a makeover, some of the paint has faded so it's getting a lick of paint using the small sample pots. No buying new, I will use what I have.

It's good to see so many of you are still enthusiastic about walking, thanks for checking in with your miles. If you haven't already done so you can go to the 1st of the month post any time to update your progress.

That's lunch eaten, now I'm going to get on the sewing machine. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Calling all walkers, report here please.

Hello. My visit to Hull yesterday. First I drove to Barton to have a look at the exhibitions in the Ropewalk Galleries. One was closed due to installing new exhibits, the other was a series of paintings which illustrated Spurn Point, didn't like them much at all, and of course the prices were ridiculous. .

Then I caught the bus to Hull. The fountains in the city centre were advertised as something special, I was expecting them to be arty, colourful, and maybe a bit showy with background music. Like dancing fountains. Don't know where I got that idea from. Nope, It was a splash pad, with jets of water coming up out of the ground and lots of little children having fun playing guess which one is going to spurt next, and let's see what happens if I put my foot on this one. It was a gloriously hot day, ideal for a splash about, kids and mums alike were enjoying it. I remember seeing the fountains in Bradford five years ago and they were shooting up as high as the buildings. Maybe that's why I thought these would be the same. Sorry, no pictures, it is frowned upon to take photo's of small children in their underwear in a public place.

Next stop the Ferens Art Gallery to see the pictures from the Sea of Hull, you may remember that everyone was painted blue and photo's were taken at various locations in the city centre. I was hoping to see more pictures than what had already been shown on the internet. There were two that I hadn't seen before, a lot of naked people were photographed on the Humber Bank with the bridge in the background. They weren't blue, just their own naked skin in the buff. The blue ones I had already seen, albeit in a smaller screen size. Have a look at this report in the Hull Daily Mail on the opening day.

Also part of the Skin exhibition are several nude sculptures by Ron Mueck, some of them larger than life, some in miniature, all of them perfect in every detail. They are so lifelike you have to get up close to see where every hair has been inserted into the model. I was not allowed to take any photo's in the gallery, but if you check out this BBC webpage, there is a picture of the Wild Man. The man is a giant perched on a giant stool, the top of my head came up to his nipples. The rest of the exhibition was fascinating, nude lifelike bodies of different sizes.

I wasn't long in Hull, the bus journey took ages because of the heavy traffic. I picked up a few yellow stickers at Tesco in Barton. A nice cauliflower for 48p marked down from £2, TWO CHUFFIN POUNDS, good grief. Bags of salad leaves for 16p.

The duvet has been deconstructed, and is now three separate pieces, now to start sewing.

Hands up anyone who uses resealable packs as they are supposed to? I find that they are such a faff to get the two sides to stick together that I don't bother. I cut them off completely, fold over, and seal with a clothes peg. Simple. To the manufacturers, get rid of them and knock a couple of pence off the price.

Here's a thought, are young people losing their observational skills? I presented this at the checkout at Wilko, girl scanned it and held out her hand asking for 50p. Hey girl, open your eyes, what does it stay there? I do despair, no wonder the tills are being replaced by self serve, brains are no longer required to be a checkout assistant.

Now to the most important part of today's post, THE WALKING GROUP CHECK IN REMINDER. Come on, are you a bragger, or a fessing up participant, ha ha. Have you broken all records with your walking, or have you failed to get up off your bum? I am a bit of both. I will get on with it when I feel like it, or I can say stuff it, I'll not bother today. I am able to ease up a bit on the three mile daily walks because I have clocked up a few extra miles on longer walks. It's like a deposit account, today I have 570 miles in the bank. On the other hand, if I take my eye off the ball for too long there is a possibility that I might fall behind. I can't let that happen.

So how are you doing? Let us know so we can admire your stamina or give you a kick up the bum to get on with it. Only joking, don't get too hung up about the numbers, just do as much as you can. It needs to be enjoyable, not a slog.

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