A day out up north

Hello. It will be a short post tonight because I'm a tad tired. I've been out of the house for eleven hours today, driven 220 miles, and walked around for seven hours, now I am falling asleep. Here is a little clue as to where I've been, I went up north to visit an event and this big green bus was there. 

Pictures tomorrow. Toodle pip and goodnight.

That was a whoppa, no worries.

Hello. I've had a massive credit card bill this month, money spent on what I needed, vet, food, and petrol. The days of impulse spending have long gone, everything I buy is what I need, with some cash left over for wants and treats. My emergency fund easily covered the bill, and as always, the balance is cleared every month. 

Keeping a tight hold on my food spending is ongoing, as is eating healthily. I find I am eating less tinned food,  some rice/pasta, very few veggie burgers/Quorn products, and no convenience ready crap. Most of my meals are fresh or frozen veg, sometimes eggs and cheese added. I don't eat much bread, when I do it's always wholemeal or seeded, but I can take it or leave it, some days I eat no bread at all. 

I prefer to spend little time in the kitchen, it's not my favourite room in the house. If I can knock something up in ten minutes that will do nicely. Shorter cooking times saves on gas. 

I got some yellow stickers the other day. Soys beans from £1.50 to 38p. Ready chopped onions from £1 to 25p. Spinach £1.50 to 38p. Mushrooms from 90p to 24p. Stir fry some of these in a pan and scramble an egg into it when it's almost done. One cheap and healthy meal. 

No cooking is even better. Yellow sticker pasta and char grilled mushrooms, £2.15 to 54p. I love this and would never pay full price for it. Add it to salad and it makes a lovely light lunch.

I've only got four bean plants but they are producing quite a lot of runner beans. Some I am eating, and the rest are bagged up in portions for the freezer. I don't bother blanching, just break them into three pieces and into the bag.

My fridge is looking quite full. I have some prepared veg which I will cook up, make soup, and freeze it today. I do a regular fridge inspection checking on quality and dates, to make sure I eat things before they go off. I have some peaches and strawberries which will need eating over the weekend.

All these little money savers means I don't have to worry about out of the ordinary large bills. Planning ahead and being mindful of the cost of day to day living has become a habit for me. It means I can sleep peacefully in my bed at night.

It's the weekend, enjoy. Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

PS. Just remembered. If anyone is wondering what I am doing about the new rule that says you have to have a TV licence to watch BBC iplayer catch up, I have stopped watching it and switched to Channel 4od, and yooootoooob. Plenty on there to entertain me while I sit and eat a meal or do some hand sewing. I don't sit glued to programmes when I have other things to do. BBC ain't getting any money out of me.

A little bit more of Lincoln

Hello. A few more pics of Lincoln. Here is the official web site of the Cathedral.

Wandering through the arch into Bailgate I came across a lorry loading up a portable toilet block. Not any old toilet block but a super duper luxury mobile toilet. Wow, not seen one like this before. Doesn't it look pretty. Now what about using similarly decorated shipping containers as starter homes? Good idea eh!.

And if you want to hire it you can just about make out the phone number above the door for the Ladies.

Steep Hill, is an eerrmmm, very steep hill. I walked down it and up it. Little crafty shops, and cake shops, and eateries.

The River Witham runs through Lincoln. Here is a boat about to sail underneath the High street. 

I took a walk down to Brayford Waterfront and did a circuit of it. Private boats moored, a cruise boat taking people for a ride, and a restaurant floating on the water.

The Brayford Way road bridge crosses it at one end so I took the steps up to the top to get to the other side of the water. There is a lot of building work going on and my attention was caught by a lorry getting it's load of steel unloaded. Just for nostalgia's sake I watched a while. It brought back memories, I used to deliver Condor Steel for Leicester Heavy Haulage to numerous building sites around the country just like this one. The man on the trailer is not the driver, he is a slinger. It's his job to hook up the chains and give directions to the crane driver. I am fascinated to watch how precise the crane driver and slinger work together. 

Time was getting on so I walked back up that steep hill to my car. I like Lincoln, but as with all towns and cities, after an hour in a shopping area busy with people, I just want to get out. I am a country bumpkin at heart.

The smell of Bugsy's litter box is wafting past my nose, I'm going to have to get up and clean it out. Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Walking around Lincoln Castle Walls

Hello. Some correct guesses on the previous post, yes, I went to Lincoln yesterday. It's less than an hour's drive, I took a packup lunch, and enjoyed a day out in the sunshine. I hate driving in a city or town so I park on the outskirts in a road with no restrictions, and walk in. Coming in on the A15 from the north, the road is wide with some parking on both sides. I think possibly some of the workers use this to park all day, or people like me who don't want to pay in a car park. Sometimes it's difficult to find a space.

Yes, the selfie was taken walking around the castle wall, up in the tower. It was a bit windy and the sun was in my eyes. This post is all the photo's I took from that walk. The charge for OAP's is £4. There is an audio guide but I didn't take that. The views were fantastic. Of course there are several shots of the splendid cathedral. 

There had been an event on and a few contractors were still about removing some of the equipment. The patches on the lawn are where the marquees would have been.

The front view of the prison, not very clear the sun is in the way.

There is a view of The Westgate Water Tower, there's a plaque on the castle wall with information. If you want to know more, this is a good site.

Wow, that's a good view.

The brown rusty steel tower down there is the lift up onto the wall for people who can't manage a spiral staircase.

I must say the walkway is very well built. My only gripe is that some of the views on one side are obscured by frosted glass which has been fixed to the wall. I imagine that's to preserve people's privacy who live in the houses directly below. 

That's the courtroom.

A view I took from the ground earlier.

The back view of the prison. It's open to visitors but me being a tightwad, I didn't bother. Besides it was 4pm when I did this walk, and they close at 5pm.

The prison again.

I think I've got these in the wrong order, never mind. That's what happens when I do two jobs at the same time. If you want to know more about Lincoln Castle, please go to the web site. I'll post some more pics of Lincoln tomorrow.

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

Where am I?

Hello. Excuse my lateness, but I've been out today, plus I called in at Tesco on the way back and picked up some yellow stickers. I have lots of photo's but I'll leave them till tomorrow. In the meantime can you guess where I was when I took this selfie? A city I have visited before but not been there for a few years. 

off to bed now. We'll catch up tomorrow.
Toodle pip

Table lamp makeover

Hello. I was planning on going out today, but it was too darn hot, so instead I got on with the job of finishing this lamp makeover. These are the after pictures, down at the bottom is the before picture. I know which I prefer. I was given two matching lamps, I didn't like them so I donated one to the Heart Foundation charity shop, and gave the shade from the other one to the Age UK shop. I found another, smaller shade at a car boot sale for 50p. 

I have enclosed the base in crochet, using oddments I already have. I started with a circle at the bottom, increasing the stitches to accommodate the widest point, then working my way up with the lamp inside, I decreased as it got narrower near the top. 

I added the cross stitch to pull it in a bit tighter because there was some puckering around that part, I should have maybe not gone so wide. I think the disguise works and the mistake is not so noticeable.

The shade is a creamy hessian type, I could have left it plain, but I like to jazz things up a bit, and think the hearts look lovely. I doodled them on with felt tip pens using templates.

Now shall I put it on top of the stereo.....

or on the shelf over the gas fire.

The before picture, yuk me no like. 

So, if you have anything you don't particularly like, maybe you could think of a way to tart it up. I suppose I could have given both of them away, but I saw the potential to make something more to my liking. My lamp is a unique creation, no one has another one like it. I like to be different.

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

Have a little titter

Hello. Before I turn this computer off and go and enjoy the rest of the day, I will leave you with this short ten minute video which made me titter. Last of the Summer Wine fans will like this, and if you are a fan of good old fashioned silliness it will probably tickle your fancy as well.



Bye for now.
Toodle pip

A look at Youth Hostels

Hello. I haven't been doing much Youth Hosteling lately, but as you are aware I am always a fan of cheap and affordable accommodation. I don't like paying silly prices in a posh hotel, and don't need all the trimmings. A comfortable bed with use of a clean shower and toilet is all I need. Breakfast I will have if it is included in a cheap B & B, or a reasonable price in a hostel, or I don't mind preparing my own food in a self catering kitchen. 

My recent stay at Helmsley was just perfect, the hostel wasn't busy so I was lucky enough to have a six bedded room to myself. No queuing for toilets or showers. I might mention that some hostels now have en suite facilities, they also have private and family rooms you can book, so if you don't fancy sharing a dorm there are other options. Prices vary, the cheapest being £10 a night, a bit more if you choose a popular month. 

I always find the wardens very helpful, and the people I meet are always friendly. It's the ideal place to stay if you are a single traveler.  Just to give you a taste of some of the hostels I have picked a few out to show you. 

Grinton Lodge is near Richmond in North Yorkshire. If you want to go this coming weekend it would cost you £10 a night on Sun/Mon/Tues. And if you are a member there is a reduction of £3 per night. You won't get cheaper accommodation than that unless you put a tent up in a field. Have a look here. 

Hartington Hall, near Buxton, Derbyshire.This is just the bees knees of hostels. A 17th century manor house with log fires and oak paneling. Have a look here.

Want to stay in a castle? This is St Braviels near Lydney in Gloucestershire. This is a grade 1 listed monument which is over 800 years old. It certainly does have the WOW factor. It's looking like beds are £20 for this month and next. Have a look here.

Fancy a bit of Shakespeare? This is the Youth Hostel at Stratford on Avon. A Georgian mansion set in three acres of grounds. Beds from £17. Ideal base for Stratford and Warwick. Have a look here.

This Victorian house is at Streatly on Thames in Berkshire. Lots of places to walk and cycle around here, close to the River Thames. Have a look here.

As my blog is about saving money I am not going to advertise a posh hotel at astronomical prices just because they have given me a freebie, I am telling you about some of the cheapest accommodation that is available. YHA is a charity, they rely a lot on volunteers to run things. Cheap doesn't mean they are tatty, they are continually updating their buildings. I don't get a freebie for this, I believe they provide an affordable service for low income households. Another thing to note is that you can get a breakfast at a hostel which does food, even if you are not staying there. Served between 7.30 and 10am.

I'll leave it with you. Consider hostels when planning your holidays, check out the web site and see the list of benefits they offer. Breakfast at a city hostel on a Sunday? No bother, just pop in before 11am.

I must get on. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip