Missing My Challenges

It's been a long time since I've done a Challenge, a proper Challenge that is one that I can really get my teeth into and channel all my energies.

It was brought home to me a couple of weeks back just how much I was missing them when I bought the above items from Booths one day.

The bill came to £6.85 just for those four items, and no that luscious looking lemon wasn't worth it's higher than usual price tag ... it was all thick peel and hundreds of pips.  Of course it straight away got me thinking of all the times I have lived on £7 for a full week and made me want to do it again just to prove to myself that I could still do it.

I did a mix of shopping from my cupboards at that days prices, and picking some things up from Sainsburys until I got to that magic amount of seven pounds, and got as far as starting to plan out a menu, and then life and time ran away with me and nothing became of it.

It's hard living in a small space with someone else that needs feeding too, and with no fridge or freezer space to store prepared foods so that they will last for the week if you have made a batch of something.

Then this week I was watching The Hack, Toba Courage's YouTube channel and pondering over his latest Challenge where he is literally going out three times a day armed with one pound for each meal, buying the food, coming home, cooking it and usually eating most of it.  Just click on the photo to watch for yourself.

I could do that I thought!!

Not that I have yet, but it is possible even if it does mean a huge budget of £21 for a weeks meals instead of the much stricter £7 that I'm used to, and just one week of a Challenge should be achievable ... shouldn't it?  And cure my itch for a Challenge.

Of course going out armed with just £1 for each meal just before that meal is the Challenge here as it means limited immediate buying power and a possibly a few very meagre meals at the very start until there are a few leftovers.  On the plus side it will get my daily steps up nicely as two of my three possible supermarkets are a ten minute walk away 😀

Should I?

Could I?

Oh you know me always up to something new and usually daft!!  😄😂

Hands up if you think I should.

Sue xx

Saving Things for Best

 

Claude Monet - The Boat Studio 1876

I think I confused some of my readers yesterday when I said  ...to quote myself   'It was a recently made quilt but made from vintage fabrics, so it's pretty precious to me and full of memories.'  There were so many helpful tips on looking after my lovely old quilt and preserving it, and I really do thank you for those.  But I wasn't asking for tips I was simply stating things as they are, those of you who have  got to know me over the years know that I use my things for the purpose for which they are intended all the time.  Yes I might have been 'quite dismayed when it came out of the washing machine' and I saw all it's rips and tears, done I hasten to add before it went into the washing machine!!

In my life I don't have best plates, best cutlery or best textiles of any description.  If I love something I use it daily, I use it until it wears out and then and only then do I replace it with something that I can love all over again.

We aren't in this world to store up treasures, we are here to live lives and lives are so much better lived if you love your surroundings, your stuff and your day to day things.  So there are no things in my life packed in away in boxes or drawers for best, waiting to be used on special occasions.  Each and every day that we are on this planet is a special occasion and I use my things as though each and every day could be my last.

After all when I'm gone are either of my large hulking sons going to want a delicate old quilt full of memories and dog hairs?  No they will probably do what I did when my Nana and Gran died and just help themselves to something small and meaningful.  Then they can go off and spend all the money I saved from not buying day today things to use while the best stuff lay languishing.

Sue xx

Keeping It Simple and Repairing the Past

 

I spent a good couple of hours this morning repairing my lovely old patchwork quilt, so much so my fingers are sore from the unaccustomed hand sewing of teeny tiny stitches.  Alan had been using it on top of his bed for a long time and as he sleeps with all the animals there were many pulls, holes and much wear and tear.

I was quite dismayed when it came out of the washing machine, although it smelled so much fresher, seeing all the damage was to be honest quite heart-breaking.  But I do have to put it into perspective I bought it with money from Alan's Mum ... I can't remember to be honest whether it was anniversary money or birthday money ... but it was bought from a little antique shop in Wheatley after I had just finished a craft fair at the Merry Bells village hall, I think it was around the Summer of 2010.  It was a recently made quilt but made from vintage fabrics, so it's pretty precious to me and full of memories.

Our animals have always been allowed on it so I'm not blaming Alan, I'm more mad with myself for forgetting how old and fragile it is now.  Now it's repaired I am going to let Alan have the tougher modern patchwork quilt and I will probably save this for use in my new place ... where animals will not be allowed on top of it ... she says ... I remember saying that once before 😄

The eagle eyed among you might have noticed that I have changed my profile photo, it might show up on the 'Followers' section of your blogs and in other various places, so I just thought I would say it's still me.  It's gone from me with a cabbage to this one, just temporarily I think.  I doubt I'll be growing cabbages again ... they take up far too much room when you grow them as well as I seem to, so I thought a few books and a Peace Lily would make for a good temporary photo.

Exciting news over at the new place ... the handyman has started ripping up the concrete jungle that is currently the 'back garden' and I have finalised my choices for my new kitchen.  So has Alan, and as this is the first time we have both chosen a kitchen just for ourselves it's amazing how completely different our design ideas were.   I couldn't live in a house with his and vice a versa.

The one thing we do have in common is that we have both fallen in love with SMEG fridge freezers.  Me with the one pictured in a lovely cream colour and Alan with the larger fridge-on-top, freezer below version in a startling, but glorious shade of orange.  SO a question for any of you out there who have a SMEG or have had one in the past ... Are they worth the cost and are you, or were you happy with your choice?

Sue xx

Back in the Day

Totally and shamelessly stealing an idea from Sue in Suffolk and going back to the first 7th April post that I have left on one of my blogs to give you something different to read today, and this post is what I found on Our New Life in the Country, my second blog which was started in 2009.

First potatoes in.

Potatoes - tucked up and ready to grow!

Yes I know we're probably late in getting them in, but at least they are in. At last. A full bed of potatoes, our first proper planting. We also have all the tyres planted with courgettes, lettuce, carrots, cauliflower, beetroot, spring onions and mixed salad leaves. So at last the potential of our very own food. 

 Yesterday the sun shone all day (contrary to all weather forecasts) and more pond edge clearing went on. Its coming on quite nicely now and we have almost got one side clear. The brambles are winning and we both have sore arms from all the nasty thorns, but when you step back at the end of the day and look at what you have achieved you do get that special 'buzz' that almost compensates!! 

 The sun is out again this morning and as we are about to have a power cut, (planned for necessary maintenance work) I will sign off, pick up my gloves and get back to the pond. 

 Have a lovely day. 

 Sue xx

The actual post is HERE.

How different this day is now to how that day was then and how much our lives have changed in the meantime.

We were also in the process of making good use of an old swing frame on our rented farm and setting it up as a bean frame.  It worked extremely well and we had a wonderful show of beans ... and I got the swing back  to use in the Autumn  😁

This was a birds nest taken out of our chimney ... and the cause of us smelling like smoked kippers after the living room filled up with smoke two nights running!!

It was fascinating to look back, thanks for the idea Sue.

Sue xx

How Much ...

 

How much is that pussy in the window, the one with the waggle-y tail.

Ginger is getting much braver here at the flat now, he's just started jumping up onto the window sills himself and actually watching people and their dogs go past.  Previously he had to be placed on the window sill and would jump down whenever he saw anything go past.

It must be a strange place to be for a cat used to living far from other people and having five acres of his own to explore, but luckily he's a laid back cat and is taking it all in his stride.   I do think he's missing his cat-flap though, a new one has already been purchased and will be installed on Alan's kitchen door as soon as we move into the new places and then once again Ginger will be free to roam and be a inside/outside cat again with his own little patch to patrol.

In the meantime he sits looking very cute, and dashes out of the front door whenever we open it for a quick sniff around the cars and the immediate vicinity.

Here's a lovely little ear-worm for you  ;-)

Sue xx

When the flowers go on and on ...

 

Sometimes flowers go on and on and sometimes they wither and die within days.  

These are some of my Mothers' Day flowers bought for me by my eldest son and  his girlfriend and they were still looking good at the start of this week.

How they started off on Mothers Day.

The little Carnation head had snapped off in the letter-box style package the flowers came in so I thought I would give it a chance to bloom and put it into my tiny jug, I'm so glad I did as it turned into a magnificent little pink pom pom.

Sue xx

Living by Water

 

Mavis posing prettily yesterday, she knows how to look dainty and delicate.

And Suky has sleeping and dozing to a fine art form.

But they do occasionally drag them selves off the sofa and out of the doggy beds.

The riverside walks this past week have been different every day, from cold and icy to windy and wet with the odd warmer day thrown in for good measure.  This photo was taken on Saturdays walk and already after a day of sunshine yesterday and this morning starting gloriously well the large Willow tree is much greener and everything already feels more Spring-like and fresh.  

The birds along the riverbank are nesting and as we walk Mavis is tempted over and over to dash to peer in the hedges and borders when she hears them chunnering and pushing through the branches.

Right at the start of the path though, we are warned that some birds must be much more dangerous!!

The house with a lot of land at the side of the river have just added this sign to the other instructions at the start of the riverside path, much to our amusement.  It's nice to look over their gate at the new additions.  They are a mix of rescued hybrids, like our 'brown girls' and a couple of Skylines, the sort we had that laid the blue eggs.  The most recent addition to their mixed flock of chickens and ducks are some Indian Runner ducks, which Mavis finds fascinating to watch as they run across the field in their comically upright position.

There's always something to see as we walk along the riverbank each day, I wonder if the canal-side living will be as entertaining ... gosh I do hope so, I love living by water.

Sue xx