For Lesley ... Pugs Might Fly

 

Are these the 'things' that you were asking about Lesley?

I hope they are.

They are my 'Pugs Might Fly' bought by Alan as a Christmas present for me during our first few months in Wales way back in 2013.  They were white at first and once we had redecorated the wall around the fireplace there they did stand out a bit better, but I decided to paint them this subtle shade of  fawn when I moved here and I knew I wanted a white wall.

Just three little plaster Pugs flying in the manner of the old Flying Ducks from the 1930s.

Made even more famous on Coronation Street in Hilda Ogden's house.

Sue xx

Waiting for Dad

 

Alan was away down South for a few days for work at the start of the week and as usual Mavis went periodically into a state of decline.  It's almost as though the food with Mum is good, the walks with Mum are good, the snoozing in the doggy bed right next to Mum's chair is bliss ...

... but every now and then she realises that Dad has gone.

And there's nothing for it but to sulk and stare into space, or in this case sit looking at the freezer door for over an hour.

Every single time he goes away it's like this, and gosh he's been doing it for all of her little life with us, she knows he always comes back but she does enjoy a good sulk.

I usually let her have her space for a while and then call her back to me Suky and Ginger in the living room end, and put something doggy related on the television for her.  She does like a good programme with dogs, cats or farmyard animals to watch.

https://youtu.be/p1dFuSGx1mI?si=xQ1lkIdqXKfjNCnA

She also loves watching Mr Hamster ... but the music drives me mad so she only gets small doses of that.

*  And yes, those are Gingers ears at the very bottom of the first photo.  😸

Sue xx

Bringing Home the Rhubarb, Snaffling the Blueberries and Old Photos

 

We only planted this rhubarb plant in Spring of this year.  You're not really supposed to harvest from a newly transplanted bush, instead you leave all the goodness to go back into the roots ready for a bumper harvest the following year.

Our rhubarb has had other ideas, it was this big a couple of months ago and I carefully pulled out the largest of the stems and made some rhubarb crumble mixes for mine and Alan's freezers.  Over the last few weeks the plant has gone rampant ... there is no other word for it. 

The chippings disappeared under a blanket of huge leaves and the plants behind were invisible unless you peeled back a leaf and had a look..

So today I bit the bullet before the garden totally disappeared under a swath of huge leaves.  The dogs will be pleased to see their chipping area back, I can finally see my Fern and Rosemary plants again ... and the compost bin is full right to the top with all the leaves.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, the rhubarb stalks are all trimmed, soaked and ready to be cut into chunks and frozen ... alongside a few apples that came easily off the tree.  There will be some lovely homegrown fruit to help out with my rations over the Winter.

I could have had some Blueberries as well if I hadn't been eating them all the minute they turn blue enough.  Not a single one has made it as far as the kitchen.  Well, all gardeners deserve a tasty little treat don't they.  😄

When we met up with my cousin at Mum's house a few weeks, ago she brought with her some old family photos to see if we wanted them.  I of course had to say yes to most of them and Mum had some too.  I love old photos, especially black and white ones.  I managed to find this old frame in an antique centre with a mount that I just knew would compliment it perfectly.

It's just Mum, Dad and me on the day of my christening.   I'd say happy memories .... but I don't remember it at all. 💖

Sue xx

Weekend Watching

Our motley little crew hoping to share Alan's lunch, I think it's the corned beef they are after rather than the figs and beetroot. 😄

And here for Weekend Watching are a few of the YouTubers that have entertained me this week.

https://youtu.be/5slnHqMG22Q

Farmhouse on Boone ... a recent home tour.

This is one of my more recently discovered channels, she does some lovely relaxing cooking videos too, and now they are a family of ten.

https://youtu.be/EQHcunpixHI

Three Rivers Homestead - Jessica is currently doing her #everybitcountschallenge.

I used to love preserving our produce for the Winter months, but I never reached the volume that Jessica does ... well there are only two of us and lots more of this lovely family.

https://youtu.be/n_T1qayJk0I

If you are even thinking of moving onto a narrowboat here are some great tips delivered in a unique way by Vic, of Holly- The Café Boat fame.

https://youtu.be/zx-tD8w8rBk

And the lovely Grackle is all grown up, married and sharing some of the things she enjoyed on her honeymoon.  It's been like watching a daughter grow up and find the love of her life.

And finally -

https://youtu.be/7FIfcScc1JE

A couple living in a tiny space in Brooklyn, New York.

I'm not sure if some of the things they have done would suit me, but they have lovely taste and so much of this apartment I would love.  They also have even less space than me, my small home is just over 336 square feet and theirs is just 300.

I hope you enjoy some of these YouTube videos as much as I have over the past week or so.  My current favourite is watching Farmhouse on Boone while I wake up in the mornings with a nice cup of coffee, watching while she makes her sourdough bread or organise her food for the day is a lovely peaceful start to my day.

Little glimpses into other peoples lives is very nice isn't it, and I would much rather this than all the 'celebrity news' and gossip that is bandied around.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, I'll be back soon to let you know what we've been up to on ours.

Sue xx

Oh WOW!! ... Thank You

 

Oh wow ... really wow!!

Thank you so much for the responses to yesterdays post, I did not expect to receive so many immediate answers to my questions or such detailed ones, but they REALLY helped me and I thank you for taking the time to join in with what turned out to be a bit of a survey.

This morning over the cup of coffee you see me making in the photo above, I sat and read all the responses that came after the first two that I had replied to last night.   The photo was taken for a completely different reason but boy has it come in handy to head up this post.  I am now sitting writing this over a bowl of Weetabix ... a proper multi-tasker. 😄

It seems that we are indeed a community of like-minded people that dip in and out of each others lives, sometimes regularly and sometimes more intermittently, but that's just like real life isn't it, we see some people regularly day-in day-out and there's always that friend that we don't see for months or even years, that once we do get together again it's as though no time has passed at all.

This meme sums it up really well, blogging gives me and fellow bloggers a way of entering into peoples lives all over the world and and we find that borders, languages and ways of life do nothing to stop true genuine friendships developing ... and I will always write about everything that is 'good and true and real'.

Don't worry if you can't get into the new blog that is linked on the sidebar, I am currently tinkering with it's layout and 'pages' and while it is flashing around and changing it will remain private.  Once I start my rationing journey it will ... I have decided after reading all the responses to my questions ... be public and available for all to see and comment on and Follow. 😄

Something that came up in a few comments was the inability to see the sidebar when reading on a phone.  What I do to visit people's sidebars when I'm on my phone is scroll to the bottom of their post or page and click on 'View Web Version'.  This will bring up the same page but as though you were on a computer, hence everything will then be visible.  Hope that helps.

And now it's only fair that I answer my own questions, just so that you can see how I view things in blogland.

So, the questions:

1.  What makes you want to read a post on a blog?

A good title can grab my attention and if you are on my sidebar I tend to read your posts most days.

2.  What makes you decide to click on the Follower button?

I always Follow a blog that I read more than a couple of times if I like the content and want to visit regularly.  I see it as being like the Subscribe button on YouTube, it lets the person creating the content know that you are there and appreciating their efforts.

3.  What stops you from leaving a comment?

If the same answer I would have left has been said over and over, or if I have nothing nice to say.  I hope I would never say something that would upset someone.

4.  Do you prefer a blog that you can't comment on?

I don't 'prefer' it, I don't mind it, but it does surprise me sometimes if people don't want to engage with their readers.

5.  Do you like getting a response to your comment when you leave one?

I always check back to see if there's a reply and sometimes to see if my comment is still actually there.  Blogger is being strange these days, sometimes I have left comments on other peoples posts and they just vanish.  I always check my SPAM folder as comments on my blog that have previously published suddenly revert to there, even my replies to other peoples comments.  It's bloody annoying!!

6.  Does being a Follower and a Commenter on a blog help you to feel part of it's community?

Yes.  It shows me that I have found a blog or blogger that I can relate to.

7.  If you are a fellow blogger how do you see your Follower numbers, Comments and interaction with your readers?

Yes Joy I know HOW to check, but thank you!!  😉

I don't check my Stats very often, just occasionally out of interest and they are always surprising.  The statistics on my old blog Our New Life in the Country for example are amazing, it is still drawing visitors from all over the world and each post has now had millions of unique visits ... I had no idea.

It's nice to see Follower numbers rise as it means I must be doing something right to engage with more people, THANK YOU to everyone that joined our little community yesterday.

It's nice to see Comments under a post as it means people want to have a voice on something I have written, give an opinion, offer advice or something similar.  I think we all want to be heard and it's nice to hear other people too. I know I sometimes get stroppy with an reply to a comment, I try my best to be 'nice Sue' most of the time but occasionally 'what the heck Sue' bursts forth.  Those of you who have read way back (like Linda from 2008 and Lavender's Blue ... ) just get used to my at times unique ways and take no offence, others run for the hills and are never seen again.  And Karen ... hold your head up high and comment whenever you want to.

Interaction with readers is part and parcel of blogging and in my opinion is what keeps me and many other bloggers going, gives us inspiration and at times can even be vital for our well being.  It's a shame I have no click here if you've visited  button.  (I will check to see if there is something similar available.)  I remember the post I did when we lost our little dog Charley and I couldn't bear to hear of other losses or even read comments for a few days and I asked people to leave 'two kisses for Charley', that post had 307 comments and meant so much to me then and now.

So to round all this up before I set off to Mum's for the day, I just want to say once again a massive THANK YOU to each and everyone of you who took the time and answered my questions yesterday, it was a really useful exercise and I'm sure lots of other Bloggers will have read your answers and found them useful too.  I didn't realise how long it would take you all, sorry!  The post is still there if you didn't see it yesterday and would like to take part.

It's brilliant that we have such a wonderful community of like-minded souls to bolster each other up, laugh with and at each other on a regular basis and well, to just be friends.

Thank you. 🎕

Sue xx

Frozen Assets ... and Retirement

 

The freezer drawers have been bugging me recently, it would seem with me they are either super organised or a complete mish mash of half opened packs thrown in any available gap.  So I decided to stock take yet again and go from the latter to the former in the space of a few hours.  

I think it was having that perfect new freezer with all it's empty drawers at the flat made mine seem all the more messy and out of control when I got home.

Taking everything out and wiping out the tiny annoying bits of spinach that were stuck everywhere took only a few minutes, so I decided to make a note of what was in which drawer and put everything back nice and neatly.

A proper stocktake. 🗠😀

It's always surprising to see how much food you have when it's usually out of sight behind a door isn't it ... and I've only done two of the drawers up to now.   I have a lovely amount of vegetables in the drawers, enough to keep me healthy for a good few weeks.  Now all I need to do is combine them with the things in the food cupboard and I should have lots of lovely meals at no extra cost to me.

Which is a good thing as we have been talking about our retirement plans over the last week or so, and Alan has finally handed in his necessary 18 months notice, ready for his actual retirement date of April 2025.  

As I am not due to retire until May of 2026 (providing they don't move the goalposts yet again), I would like to actually retire from the day job at the same time as Alan, closing the company down and finally being free.  To be able to do this I need to have a dedicated savings pot of one whole years basic salary, this way I will be able to continue to draw on that for the final year before my State Pension kicks in.

So being able to save money seems even more important just now ... time to sort out the last drawer of the freezer then!!

Sue xx

Flowers, Good Deeds, Books, Seeds and Deliveries

I was gifted a lovely bunch of pink carnations three weeks ago as a thank you for a little good deed I did via our town Facebook group.  They were unexpected and lovely, and have just lasted and lasted.  No doubt they will be going over in the next few days but while they were here they added an unusual splash of pink to my living room shelf.

The shelf is looking a lot more cluttered than usual at the moment, with my overflow of books having taken up residence since our holiday.  But do you know what I really like it.  There is just enough colour co-ordination to keep it looking organised and not over-crowded.

Well that's my opinion.  😁

A close up of the books for all of you lovely book addicts.  💖

My August edition of Kitchen Garden arrived this week with it's free seeds, which reminded me ...

... I have not yet read the July edition, or sown the red lettuce seeds that I meant to.  I must remedy that over the weekend, and I definintely want to get some cabbage seeds sown in pots ready to fill gaps that will start to appear in the wooden beds soon.

Although it will be a while for gaps to appear if I keep picking my spring onions one at a time. 😄

 I love being able to pick exactly what I need from the garden and not having to buy a whole bunch of something and having to find a use for it all.  Just one of the many perks of growing my own even in a much smaller space than I used to have.

We are off to the Welsh flat tomorrow to start kitting it out ready for use.  Fingers crossed that the first delivery arrives on schedule, it's the bed ... without it we will be sleeping on the floor!!

If you would like to see the flat, I will try and make a small film, or at the very least take lots of photos of it before we put things in.  And then maybe again afterwards, I guess I wouldn't be a true blogger if I didn't now would I.  😀

Sue xx

The News Isn't the News ...

The news isn't the news any more ... on national television things that should and do actually matter get pushed aside for trivialities.  I don't know who figures out what the headlines should be or the running order of said headlines but they really do need to wake up and smell the roses ... and get things in order of actual perspective.

It's just the same when you fire up your computer, the headlines of the day or week are lost amongst things like 'savvy nan turns overgrown garden into an oasis with a gin corner', celebrities that I have barely heard of  have welcomed a 'new addition to the family' ... but don't get too excited it's an animal to their zoo!!   

I mean who decides!!

My 'news' for the week is sporadic and bitty, but something nice that did happen was this little visit from little Mr Bee.  Buzzing around Wendy the Weed and gathering in the food, and giving me time to pick up my phone and photograph the proceedings.

 It was just a little highlight of my weekend ... but if I phoned it through to the BBC maybe they would run it as the headline for tonight, and put 6% interest rates for mortgages next year down to 10th place.

Other news from the weekend, We had a day out minus the dogs yesterday and had a wander around the big car boot sale in Bilsborough.  I went armed with £10 of change from my little wooden savings box but only managed to spend 70p ... I am obviously way out of practice.  😄

 Twenty pence on the little bowl and 50p on the little oak frame which was empty when I bought it, but I knew one of my little pictures would fit in perfectly.

And it just completes this little area perfectly.

And that folks ... is the news.  😁

Sue xx

Hot Days and Hot Dogs

 

There's not been a lot of dog walking over this past few days, the weather has just been too hot for little friends wearing fur coats.

I have been getting up earlier than usual, feeding the trio of furries and then walking the dogs on a quick loop along the canal and back home.  Doing this means that there are plenty of surfaces to walk on, more than enough things to sniff at and just enough fresh air and distance to satisfy a bouncy Jack Russell but also appease an unwilling Pug.

We start off along the road and come down a set of ancient stone steps from the bridge to the canal, and this is the sight that meets us.

Then after a bend or two we are on the homeward straight, passing narrowboats and little cruisers until home is in sight.  Mavis occasionally gets to say good morning to her best friend Maeve if she is playing in her back garden as it backs onto the canal.  It has trellis fencing at the bottom which is ideal for doggies to greet each other through, and many doggy kisses are exchanged.

Once home a rewarding gravy bone and a drink of water are the order of the day ...

... before everyone collapses in a heap around the living room.

The dogs and Ginger switch from beds, to carpet, to tiled floor and back again many times during the day depending on their comfort levels, warmth and state of mind.

Me, I just make a coffee and settle down with my feet up for a while, watch a bit of YouTube or read my book and listen as the washing machine does it's thing, and I defer doing anything else until it is all pegged out on the washing line.

Sue xx

Plants, Seeds, UPF, Dumpster Diving and a Café Boat

 

Last week I potted these Cosmos 'Purity' into larger pots.  Three of the little pots sharing one much larger one to hopefully make a nice display of pure white flowers in a few weeks.

I also sowed a couple of rows of radish seeds into one of the shadier beds, hopefully we can have a few more homegrown radish before the temperatures get too high and they all bolt.  You can let them bolt, go to seed and then eat the pods, but I'm not that keen on the fiery little pods to be honest, although the flowers are very pretty.

You're not really supposed to pick from a newly planted rhubarb plant, but this one is growing so well and starting to cover so much of the chippings area of the garden that I am going to risk it this weekend.  Homegrown rhubarb with some coconut yoghurt sounds like a lovely dessert ... or maybe breakfast.

And now for your delight and delectation ... some Weekend Watching.

There was a lot of interest in my new book, so I thought I would share this short YouTube video with Dr Chris van Tulleken talking about it and ultra processed foods.  It gave me a better understanding of just what UPF was before I started reading the book.

https://youtu.be/uAVuU2xS_YA

I also watched this one as it was a long time since I watched the actual programme a couple of years ago.  It ties in neatly with the book.

https://youtu.be/T4PFt4czJw0

And here's a Freakin Frugal dumpster dive with lots of lovely fresh produce.

https://youtu.be/cd8CTzmXiv8

And finally, a bit of Holly the Café Boat, which is just one of the many narrowboat channels I watch on a regular basis.

https://youtu.be/P2ijbgMlfXQ

We are off to a park in Lancaster today with the dogs, we've been out and about quite a bit just recently making the most of this lovely weather.  I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Sue xx

Cucumber Plants, Weekend Watching ... and Moving House?

 

Yesterday I finally got my cucumber plants out into their final places, two in this bed near the shed and the other in a pot so I can stand it in full sun and see what difference it makes.  Quite a lot I should imagine as cucumbers love to be warm.  Unfortunately, the areas I have for growing vegetables in our little garden are mostly shady except for at certain times of the day, but like so many gardeners I'm doing my best with what I have.

The one in the pot is now here as the this side of the lodge gets the sun for most of the day until early evening, so it should have a head start over the ones that get the evening sun and lots of shade.  As you can see in this photo, I think this last couple of weeks of hot sun has been a bit hard on the tomato plants.  Thank goodness there are a couple of smaller tomato plants in pots on that top shelf waiting to go into larger pots in the next week or so.

All the time I was working in the garden the fat-ball holder was being visited by lots of little birds, they're very brave at the moment as I was literally only a couple of feet away most of the time.  Possibly they're braver because we have stopped putting out all other food that seems to attract the larger birds and have just been using up our supply of fat-balls instead.

Here's a bit of Weekend Watching in case you want a bit of sitting in the house out of the sun for a change ... and aren't in the mood for the FA Cup Final.

First some gardening inspiration from Tanya at Lovely Greens.  I used to use the terracotta plant pot method of the Olla's she is showcasing in this video in my polytunnel ... I would love a Polycrub!!

https://youtu.be/IDRiBJsqjyg

Next a channel I only discovered this week and I've been watching quite a few videos from, We Cook Vegan.  Some of the ideas are brilliant, if a bit samey but it's been good for some new inspiration.  The only thing I don't like is the almost permanent titles of 'Better than meat'.  If you like meat I doubt you would find them better than meat, but hey ho!!

https://youtu.be/dMugENc-6mg

And finally, a lovely little apartment to drool over.  I do like small space living ... both doing it myself and watching how other people do it.  This space is smaller than mine by about 60 square foot and I love the way that it's laid out.

https://youtu.be/XmtCv4pMfKE

Here's a lovely little cottage in almost original condition that's just come on the market in our little town ... am I drooling over it - yes, am I tempted to buy it - yes.  I must remain firm and not view it.

2 bedroom semi-detached house for sale in Church Street, Garstang, PR3 (rightmove.co.uk)

 Tomorrow we are heading to Morecambe for the annual Vegan Fair, and of course it will give the dogs a lovely walk along the seafront and might even take my mind off Church Cottage.  😄 

I hope you have a lovely weekend, what are your plans? 

Sue xx

Food, Shopping, Shoes and Trucks ... Where Did May Go?

I seem to have blinked and suddenly May is over.  

We got through so much during May, work-wise, holiday-wise, food-wise ... I think I've eaten far too much food recently.  Even though we both got small portions of everything while on holiday, we still came home feeling podged ... and I was 2lbs heavier!!

Anyway the month has whizzed by, so much so that all of these photos were taken to be shared with you on the blog during May and were never used.  As I've now gone over to the June folder on my computer I thought that I would share them all today and start off June with a last look at May.

The top photo is my basket of 'you should use these things up soon' foods

It was a month of eating simply and using up what I had in, also of bulk cooking at least one thing each week to use over the course of the week.  This time it was penne pasta.

I only really shopped twice, this was the second lot of purchases.  A total spend of £13.34 spent at Sainsbury's buying only what I needed to make what I already had into satisfying meals ... along with two more of the tubs of spread while they were on such a good offer.

My mustard sneakers on the mustard rug just made me smile one day, so I decided to take a photo to remember the moment.  Seeing the photo here made me wonder how many years I have had these shoes for and looking HERE it would seem they are three years old.  They are a bit faded now compared to then, but still as comfy.

I had a roll of Aldi shortcrust pastry that was past it's best buy date in the fridge, so I decided to make up a batch of little tartlets with random bits of veg from the fridge and topped them with cheese.  The same filling was used in the pasty made from all the rolled out offcuts of pastry.  It made for a tasty lunch for three days for me and one day for Alan.

The dogs waiting for Alan to appear at the door ... form an orderly queue ladies.  😄

My little greenhouse was moved to the garden mid-month.

Rather than buy a Gro-Bag I decided to simply use one of the bags of compost that I already had for my main tomato plants.  I thought this would also weigh down this flimsy growing space.  Everything is looking so much bigger and better today, they are relishing their position in the morning sun.

And finally, just because it was the last saved photo in my May file, my elder son's new work cab.  

He is taking to the road again after a couple of years of being the garage foreman for Thomas Armstrong in Cumbria, and will be driving their number one heavy haulage tractor unit which bears a memorial to a former manager.  He simply could not resist the urge to be in control of the star of the company fleet and he will be taking it to as many truck shows each year as he can, as well as driving it with some of the heaviest loads that the company transports on a day to day basis.

So that was May, I wonder what June will be bringing us?

Sue xx

Books, Reading ... and Housework

I've been really into my reading at the moment, and also rather weirdly looking over to my various book storage areas on a regular basis.  I've been almost drinking in watching the books that are patiently queueing for their turn to be read.

It's the time of year when you can quite legitimately grab a book and sit outside for a while in the warmth of the sunshine, when it decides to show it's face.  The forecast for the next two weeks is for much better weather, so perhaps some more of my books will be joining me outside on the patio.

Maybe books need vitamin D too.  😁

Books as ornaments ... hell yes!!

These books haven't been touched for far too long, dusted yes, read no.  I will remedy that at the weekend and take the first of the Helen Forrester's away with me.  Tuppence to Cross the Mersey is one of my favourite books.

I often wonder which of my books I would choose if I had to pick just my favourite one hundred to keep and have to lose all of the others in some strange book disappearing calamity ... this would be among the ones kept for sure.

The Garden Cottage Diaries would also be on the list.  

The last book I read, Chicken Boy was really good if you have an interest in chickens and has earnt it's place on the shelf ... if not on The Top One Hundred List.

I've read all but the Kate Humble book from this little decorative pile.  Rather weirdly I don't even remember buying the Kate humble book!!

And that concludes a tour of all my living room books, I could count them I guess and see how many I actually own at the moment ...

... but I'm too busy reading to count.  😄

Could you choose your top 100 books and jettison all the others ... or do you not even own that many?

  My eldest son owns one book ... is he even mine, while my younger son owns hundreds.

Sue xx