Good girly

Good girly

cats crafty stuff

Hello. Heidi has been to see Marian the vet today for her six monthly check up. Marian is pleased, she has lost a little weight, but that's ok because she was a bit chunky. Her gums are pink, a good sign, and her heart is ok. We discussed a blood count but both agreed that she didn't really need one because she appears to be in good spirits. We know she has a blood disorder, and the tablets are helping to stabilize that, so no need to put her through more stress. 

So, we carry on as we are. The tablets are not expensive, £6 a month and she is used to taking them now. I lift her on the worktop, wrap her in a towel, she doesn't struggle but the towel tells her what is going to happen next. I open her mouth and pop it in. To encourage her to swallow I squirt a few drops of water in with a syringe. She gets some of her favourite food for being a good girly. Not a typo, they are both my girly's. 

I've done a bit more on this project today. It's the frame for the embroidered circles. Still a lot more work to do on it but it's coming together nicely.

Yoootooob is wonderful for planning a holiday, I am checking out some places for my next trip. The drone footage being posted is very useful for ideas. Google maps are great as well for checking terrain and footpaths. I love sending the little man on a walkabout. I shall be driving to North Wales, there is such a lot to do and see over there. I will be doing some walking and looking at interesting places.

Just a short one tonight, I'm going to watch How to live mortgage free, on Channel 4, it airs on a Wednesday night and I catch up with it any time after that. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon. Toodle pip

Cheapest places to shop.

Cheapest places to shop.

budgeting shopping crafty stuff

Hello and Good morning, and what a brilliant one it is as well. Sunshine all the way today I think. I have had to water the flower beds and pots this last week, we could do with some rain really.

I am often asked where is the cheapest place to shop for food. The short answer is, I don't know. People think that because my food bill is low I know the best place to go. The truth is that I know the best places to go to buy the cheapest food that I need for me.

Shopping is a very personal thing because everyone has different needs and wants. Everyone has their favourite foods, and know what they can't live without, and what they can compromise on by dropping a brand, buying cheaper.

People have different taste buds. I absolutely love Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and just about all veg, others might not like them at all. I like simple not mucked about food, others might like all the trimmings and treat food preparation as a hobby. The less time I spend in the kitchen the better.

People have different reasons for eating. I regard food as the fuel to keep my body alive, so a lot of it should be healthy. Oh I can be tempted with treats now and again, isn't everyone, but I try and keep things on an even keel and not over indulge in things that are bad for me. My comfort eating is at an all time low, as I don't look for sweet tastes to make me feel better. A delicious plate of steamed veg and I'm happy.

Finding the best prices takes time, and those working might not be able to spend much time trawling shops. Prices can be checked on the internet, but this also takes time. However, some kind of organisation is preferable to none at all. Grabbing stuff off the shelves because you are in a hurry will push up your food bill.

How close are supermarkets to your home dictates how much you will spend. If you have several within walking distance you are laughing, you can play one off against the other. Even a short drive to the shops is worth it to help you find the cheapest prices. If you are out and about doing other things it always pays to pop in somewhere for a bargain. Those living in remote areas may not have access to cheap food, and may have to do an online shop, which is not always the cheapest way.

Most of my shopping is done in Tesco and Aldi. Other places I go to are the discount stores, B & M, Home Bargains, Pounstretcher, Asda, Superdrug, Cash and Carry, Market, Morrisons, Poundland, and others occasionally. I don't generally shop in Marks and Sparks, Sainsbury's, or Waitrose, all too expensive for me.

So my list will not be the same for you, which means I cannot answer the question, where is the cheapest place to shop for food. Now you tell me where is the cheapest place for your food shopping?

Here's a little taster of my embroidered circles project. The next stage. I have an idea.

I'm going to sign off for the day, I'll be back later to catch up with you all. Thanks for popping in.
Toodle pip

PS. A little bit of information. I have just been awarded a badge from Money Saving Expert, I have been posting on the forum for ten years. I have made a total of 1753 posts, and have been thanked 6184 times in 1272 posts. Phew, time passes so quickly when you are enjoying yourself  :o)

A few random photo's

A few random photo's

cats cheap food crafty stuff food

Good morning. I need to get this done in half an hour because I've got a busy day today. Helping my friend deliver leaflets for her de cluttering business, so there will be a lot of walking up and down garden paths. All helps to keep me fit. I've a few random photo's snapped over the last few days. 

Popping in to Morrisons the other evening I found these yogurt drinks. I would never pay full price for them but for 50p I'll have them. I am using them for my breakfast, pour onto cereal, add water to the empty bottle, shake, pour this on. Twelve bottles, twelve breakfasts, yes they will be ok to use even though they are out of date. 

Also from Morrisons, a quiche for 65p. Why on earth do they make them without a crust? Bonkers if you ask me. Four portions make four meals, with salad or steamed vegetables.

There you are. Spinach, mushrooms, cucumber, cheese, and beetroot. Just how I like a meal, no cooking.

The garden is looking very green now, in fact it's green most of the time because I planted the hedgerows with evergreen bushes. This is the view as I eat my lunch al fresco, sat on a chair at the back door.

My mini chopper is still in daily use. By using this I can get my quota of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit inside me. My teeth can't cope with eating whole nuts, this is an ideal solution for me. 

This was a cobbled together meal from a couple of days ago. I made two portions, one eaten with a spud in the microwave, the other I ate with pasta. Mushrooms, a tin of mixed bean salad, spinach, turmeric and garlic powder. It was lovely.

Are you still wondering what I am going to do with the embroidered circles? Here's a clue. I have enough now.

This is what happens when I sit down at the computer, Mayze cat craves my love and attention, rendering my right arm out of action. I can manage to move the mouse, but have difficulty with the keyboard. She is a sweetheart, a crazy cat that doesn't walk anywhere, just dashes about. She is often in the windowsill surveying the world outside.

I must get on, packed lunch to make as I'm out for the day. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

I should be so lucky, lucky lucky lucky.

I should be so lucky, lucky lucky lucky.

crafty stuff friends

Hello. Nice morning again. This is something I am going to play around with, decorating a horseshoe. I've had this one for 20 years, it was here when I arrived at this house. It was nailed to the front of the garage, then fell off, and lay around for another few years. 

I read that Bransby Horses, a rescue near L:incoln, sell lucky horseshoes to make much needed funds. They are decorated with embellishments and made to look pretty. So this got me thinking, what could I do to my horseshoe to tart it up a bit. 

It was rusty so needed some kind of abrasion to get rid of it. I don't have the equipment or the patience to do that, but I know a man that can. 

Stan the Library man has come up trumps. He is into restoring cars and motorcycles and has all the equipment needed to buff up a piece of metal. This one was in a sorry state, but look at it now, Stan has worked his magic. It looks beautiful, very tactile, I want to stroke it. It hasn't been painted, just buffed with an electric wire brush. The rust has gone, and revealed a textured shiny surface. 

My first thought was to cover it in fabric or wool, but it is too nice for that. Stan says if it is left outside it will go rusty again, so I think it would be a nice decoration for a horsey abode, or even in someone's kitchen.  Another project waiting on the sidelines to be completed.

Someone mentioned that their comment did not appear. Just to remind everyone, they don't automatically appear on the blog when you hit the publish button. They come into my 'moderation box', first. I get to read them before I hit the publish button. This may not happen immediately because now that the weather is getting better I am starting to spend less time on the computer. Although it's nice that readers are able to speak to each other through the comments, it is not like a forum when responses come more quickly because several people are online at the same time. Replies on the blog take a bit longer to appear.

There is still time to add your walking miles to the post on the 1st of May, in fact you can do that at any time. Thank you to those who have done so already.

Again a nice start to the day, so I don't want to waste it, I'm off outside. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.

Getting up close to stitching

Getting up close to stitching

crafty stuff

Hello. Some great reports have come in from the Walking Group members, glad to see that people are still enthusiastic about it. And even more glad that people are feeling a lot fitter through exercising. You see, it works. Sitting in a chair for hours is not good, we are meant to move about. I am trying to cut down on the time I am sat at this desk, by switching the computer off for longer periods of time. Now the weather is improving I am keen to find other things to do, and get outdoors as much as I can.

I did my three miles this morning, back for lunch, and this afternoon I took Bailey poodle out for an hour. I've watered the pots and raised beds, and done a bit of hedge trimming and filled the brown bin ready for collection tomorrow.  

I am making these small embroidered circles at the moment, two inches across, I can spend half an hour on them while drinking my morning coffee. I need lots more, for a bigger project. I haven't taken the stitching right up to the edge, I will do that when I come to sew them onto the backing. Some of the stitches are so tiny I have to take my specs off and hold them close to my face when working on them. They look so pretty, they could be made into brooches with a pin attached to the back of them. 

If you haven't checked in with your miles you can do so at any time. Just go back to the first post of the month and leave a comment there.

Looks like I might get chance to test out the erm 'campervan' soon ;o)  the weather forecast is looking good. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

PS. Just noticed, we have some new followers. Welcome aboard everyone, glad you have found us. 

Keeping busy indoors

Keeping busy indoors

crafty stuff food reuse sewing vegetarian

Hello. That got you going. Did you like my colourful words, ha ha. The weather is still unpredictable, I've been in most of the day, apart from when I went to the Post Office, then did my three mile walk. I got caught in a shower of hail and wind, just managed to stop the brolly from blowing inside out. 

A couple of recent lunches, one from yesterday and one today. I don't have much veg left so it's root in the cupboard and the freezer time. Two slices of toast, half a tin of spaghetti hoops, and two Value Tesco veggie grills. A cheap meal. 

Today I made a sandwich with two slices of toast, cheese spread, Danish Blue cheese, and the last of the salad leaves. I plonked the rest of the tin of hoops on top.

This pile of 14 cleaning cloths used to be a toweling bath robe. It was looking a bit grubby, and a lot of threads were pulled due to Mayze cat pummeling me with her paws. She thinks I am her mummy. These will come in handy for dish cloths, floor cloths, polishing cloths, (not that I do much of that), and any other type of cleaning job.

I've started another project. These small circles of fabric, 2 inches across,  are Suffolk Puffs, ironed flat and decorative stitching added. I need lots of these.

I came to a halt with the wooden garden sculpture because I ran out of small pieces of wood. I found a big box of scrap wood yesterday at the back door of Wicks the DIY store, they said I could take what I wanted. I will be able to get on with that when the weather is a bit warmer.

I need to make a phone call now, so I'll leave you to it. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Now there are eight.

Now there are eight.

camping cats crafty stuff garden

Hello. I made some more flowers at Crafty Club this morning. So now there are eight. Aint they pretty. I'm getting short of plastic now so I'll stop. 

Heidi is not interested in the flowers, she's just come to say hello.

The foam mattress now has a cover. I trimmed a double bed duvet cover to the exact size. It was an old one, and I have plenty more. I think I'm going to be snug in there. Little gas cooker for my morning coffee. Waiting for the weather to calm down now, no two days are the same. Very windy today.

Six o clock and I'm chuffin hungry, so I'm off into the kitchen to chuck something in a pan. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.