A game I want to win

A game I want to win

budgeting shopping food healthy eating home made

Hello. The talk last night was a bit strange, it was in a pub, and the group were due to eat after I had finished. They were short on numbers, only five turned up, others had sent their apologies that they couldn't attend for different reasons. Not to worry, I just got on with it. A small audience is a lot more difficult than a large one, especially as they were in such close proximity to me. Give me a hundred or so any day. It ended up like a chat, I had examples of my arts and crafts to show, and some of my newspaper cuttings. They seemed to like it. The food arrived before I had finished, so they started scoffing while I was winding it up. I didn't want any food, I had eaten before I left home. 

The end of the night was very enjoyable however. After I left I decided to go home via the big Asda store. I don't usually shop there, because it's at the other end of town. It was gone 9pm when I arrived and not many shoppers about. I soon had to change my basket for a trolley when I saw the mound of food that was being reduced to literally pennies. I well and truly struck gold. Everything on this photo was 2p per item. It reminded me of the time I went there with the Rip off Britain crew, we found a lot then, this time I get to keep everything. 

A brief rundown. Three large bags of potatoes, asparagus, grapes, blackberries, raspberries, baby salad leaves, grated carrot, rice noodles, watercress, snacking fruit, parsnips, turnips, casserole veg, diced carrots and swedes, butternut squash, courgettes, 6 bread rolls. My neighbour next door, and the one across the road, each had a bag of spuds this morning, and I shared a bag with my friend up the road.

There were a few other items which cost a bit more. Total shop was 94p. Didn't I do well!

 Who would buy 21 raspberries for £2? Bonkers.

 Who would buy 37 blackberries for £2? Crazy.

I will have them for 2p thank you very much. The banana is from my yellow sticker shop a week ago at Tesco. They might have black skins but they are fine on the inside.

The prepared veg needs cooking, so here are the main ingredients for a pan of stew. Three bags, at a cost of 6p. 

Here's whats in it.

And ten minutes later on the hob, no prepping, I have four portions of stew for the freezer. My ready meals. The second pan is cooling down now, another four portions. By the way, if you freeze them in margarine tubs like this, they are difficult to get out. Never microwave in the tub, I use a pyrex dish to heat them up. To loosen them, because they are like a solid brick, waft a hairdryer over the bottom and sides for a minute, then they will come out.

My lunch today was mushrooms, (needed to use them up), grated carrot, and rice noodles, on a bed of watercress. Very nice.

Someone asked me in an email, a week or so ago, (I am a bit slow at replying to emails), what would I do if I couldn't buy yellow stickers. Well, my attitude to shopping would still be the same.

Know the prices of the items I buy on a regular basis.
When anything goes up and it becomes too expensive, look for a similar product which is just as good and cheaper.
Be flexible with my eating and spending. I don't have to eat the same things week in week out.
I am prepared to eat the same meals three days running, if I find food that is very cheap and must be eaten before it goes off.
If there are any not to be missed offers I will stock up.
I will shop in lots of different places, often looking for reductions in the most unlikely of places. Poundland sometimes sell six eggs for 50p. The discount stores have chiller cabinets and sometimes reduce items.
I check shelf labels. I shop with price in mind. I don't make a list, I buy what's cheap.
I don't meal plan, because to work out what you are going to eat in advance means that you need to make sure you have the ingredients for a particular dish. I open the fridge door and eat what will go off the soonest. I make up meals, I don't have a recipe book.
I treat shopping as a challenge, to get the very best for my money at the cheapest price. It's a game I want to win. I make an effort to pop in shops on the way back, or when I am passing.
If there were no yellow stickers I would survive.

When you think about it, supermarkets will never get their stock orders exactly right. There will always be items that are overstocked and some that will run out. It's best to sell off the overstock cheaply rather than bin it. There are attempts to give any spare food to charities, which is a great idea. This in theory would work best with tins and packets, it would be very difficult to give away food that has to be eaten on that same day or the day after. It would need to be collected by the charity pretty quickly, or delivered by the supermarket. The logistics would need to be worked out. A lot of people wouldn't touch food that has gone past the date, so the difficulty there would be who would want it. I can't see the yellow stickers ending just yet.

That's all for now. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Come walk with me

Come walk with me

food healthy eating walking

Hello. I'm just getting back into the daily routine now, the feet are healed so I can walk again. Bailey's owner is not very well so I am helping with the dog walking. I shall take him out in the mornings, and someone else will do the afternoons. I've also started on the three mile walks again, need to keep up with it, and I like getting out to chat to people.

Mayze has been very affectionate since I have been back. She has taken the place of Bugsy on the desk, so when I sit at this computer she plonks herself right under my nose. She also takes an interest in what I am having for dinner, and if it appears to be tasty she is waiting to lick the plate when I put it down. She liked the mayo and the cheese sauce, but doesn't like the toasted sesame seed oil.

This is the frozen cheese sauce I bought from Tesco, it's in little brick shaped pieces, it needs microwaving for two minutes.

So, the verdict. It has a lovely creamy taste and consistency, but is not very cheesy. I don't know if that's because I like strong cheese. I think I will add a bit of real cheese to it, to up the taste a bit next time I make it.

I've made a little video about my walking trips, and put it on yooootooob. It took a while to upload, but it's published now. Don't expect my videos to be perfect, it's just me talking, a bit of fun.



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

Soup of the day.

Soup of the day.

cheap food healthy eating

Hello. The future King messed up my plans today. I was going to go to Hull to see the newly refurbished Ferens Art Gallery, the new Humber Streety Gallery, and the Blade installation. I checked my Twitter and saw that Charlie and Cami were going to be there. Oh bother, don't want to get tied up with a crowd of people, and Ferens was closed until 2.30pm anyway. Weather permitting I shall make the trip across the bridge tomorrow. 

So, plan 'B' is to tidy up the spare bedroom, there is stuff in there which will have to go. I did my walk early to get that out of the way first. Lunch today was soup. I didn't manage to eat all the salad last night so it went in the pan with some carrots, peas, cucumber and spring beans. Also added soft cheese and spices. 

Here is a little video I made as I was about to eat my soup.



Two soups.



Back upstairs. Thank you for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Globe Trekker by Lee Morton. Book review

Globe Trekker by Lee Morton. Book review

book review healthy eating vegetarian

Hello. I've got a book review for you today. I'm not sure I'm actually going to read the whole of the book, because I'm sort of bored with it now and I'm only two thirds through it. I was looking forward to it as it covers a lot of countries, which should make it interesting, but I am disappointed with the writing style. The character descriptions are almost non existent, and there is a lot of inane and uninteresting details in it. It's as if a school boy wrote it. I was appalled at how many spelling mistakes are in it, on almost every page, was it ever spell checked, it can't have been proof read before it went to print. 

In a nutshell, Lee Morton drank his way around the world, went in this bar, went to that party, chatted women up, plenty of hangovers, stayed in this hostel and that hostel, and had long bus journeys on uncomfortable old buses. The blurb on the back cover is heavily embroidered and does not give an accurate description of what is inside the book.

He didn't have anything nice to say about the Australian people, some of his remarks were rude and condescending, and at times he comes across as arrogant and full of his own self importance. He reminded me a bit of a loudmouthed football fan, getting blathered after the match. 

Amazingly there are more positive reviews than negative on Amazon. I don't know how that happened, but as most of them are from a three month period in 2006, when the book came out, I can only assume they are from friends and family. Now I have talked myself out of finishing the book, I won't waste any more time on it. I can't recommend this book.

My dinner tonight. Yes, I have salad, bought before all the hoohaa about shortages and price rises. I like these Tesco vegetable grills, at £1 for a packet of six. Handy to have in the freezer to add to salad, or steamed vegetables. 

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

Slashing the grocery bill

Slashing the grocery bill

budgeting shopping food healthy eating

Hello me hearties. It's a bright sunny morning, makes me want to go out. Makes me think of all those lovely walks I am going to do this year. I've got a spring in my step. 

My yellow sticker dash last night proved very fruitful, I got £24.82's worth of food for £6.20. Howzat for money saving. This little lot will last me a couple of weeks, along with other bits and bobs I bought, till receipt at the bottom. Quite a bit spent was for the cats, mainly Bugsy and his treats. 

There's diced onions, broccoli, cauliflower, spring onions, carrots, potatoes, rice noodles, egg noodles,  houmous, salad leaves, potato salad, watercress, mushroom pasta, brussels sprouts, pancakes, and a 30p cake. Gotta have a treat. 75% off most things. Of course a lot of it won't need cooking so a saving on gas will be made as well.

Everything here is all out of date as from midnight last night. I shall inspect my fridge 2 or 3 times a day, and will eat what will go off the quickest, first. After all the salady stuff, if I think I might not be able to eat the rest in time, I will cook the veg up into stews and freeze in margarine tubs. These are my ready meals.  

Yes, there's a bottle of plonk there, I am not doing dry January, my alcohol intake is very low, one bottle every 3 - 4 weeks, so why should I deprive myself of that. This weekend is Wine Weekend, the bottle will last four days. The meaty items and tuna, along with the cat food are treats for Bugsy.

This yellow sticker dash seems to be turning into a monthly ritual. In between times I sometimes pick up a bit from Aldi if I am in town, and buy a few items from the Discount stores, B & M, Home Bargains, and Poundstretcher. Occasionally I will call into the small Asda which is within walking distance, if I have 20 minutes to spare, and I will pick up a few oddments from the Cash and Carry as I drive past there on my way to town. Keeping my food bill low is really easy, I have it all organized, I know where to shop within my budget.

The places I don't go are Sainsburys, and Marks and Sparks,  far too expensive. Morrisons is at the other end of town so is the big Asda, I have no need to drive that far. I have looked in Farmfoods, the mainly freezer place, they don't have much that I would actually eat. We get a leaflet through the door every so often, there was only frozen veg and Quorn that I would actually eat, all the rest is processed, ready meals, full of sugar, junk. No thanks.

Anyway, I'm sure you have your favourite foods and places to shop, which will be different from mine, according to how many you shop for and what the rest of your family eat. I must say, shopping for one is very easy.

I'm off out now. Too nice to be in. Thanks for popping in, have a nice weekend.
Toodle pip

Dump the junk.

Dump the junk.

exercise healthy eating keep fit shopping

Hello. There were a few questions on my diet, snacking, and size, yesterday which I will answer here. Thank you to the readers who asked.

Have I always been slim? I was a skinny kid and a skinny teenager which stayed the same well into my late twenties. I did put on some weight after that due to eating crappy snacks while out driving a truck. In the early days I didn't do packups, that was my downfall, I went in shops and bought crisps, pop, biscuits, and chocolates. I wasn't very organized then due to working 12 hour days. One thing I never did was to pull in a cafe and have a truckers breakfast like many of my male counterparts did. I'm sure later many of them would come to regret that. At one point I was approaching 11 stone, which worried me, because my clothes were getting too tight. My skin was horrible too, sallow and spotty. Eventually I saw the light and thought this can't go on, I have to take my own food with me. Thankfully I lost a few pounds. I have never consciously dieted.

My weight dropped a bit too low when they found a large cyst on my right ovary at age 59. I was concerned that I was becoming very skinny. Thankfully after an operation to remove it, I gained a bit of weight to a more healthy level, and I have been able to maintain that.

Do I snack between meals? Most of the time I don't feel the need to because I try to eat only when I'm hungry. I don't snack for the sake of snacking, just because it's there. Snacks to me are a treat, only to be eaten on odd occasions. My meals are substantial enough to keep me going. I know people say watch your portion size if you are trying to lose weight, but I say you can eat as much as you like if it is not 'bad' food. Look how I pile my plate high with vegetables and salad. I do believe all the accompaniments that go with meals bump up the calories. Gravy, sauces, pastry, dumplings, Yorkshire puddings, all not necessary. And if you have to eat meat only go for the leanest, smallest piece you can find. Avoid fatty cheap cuts, avoid sausages, and avoid any processed frozen pies and pasties. In fact I believe all meat is bad for you, but I am not going to get into the veggie v carnivore argument, it's all been said before.

I have to admit to opening the fridge door and having a couple of cream crackers with cheese. I might have a yogurt, or a banana to keep me going. I might have a single slice of seeded bread with a smear of lemon curd. Or I might have half a tin of rice pudding. I quite often bring a meal forward an hour if I am feeling hungry, or delay a meal if I am still slightly full from the last one. Mealtimes are not set in stone here. As regards snacking, there is so much crap out there, it makes shopping a lot easier if you avoid going down those aisles anyway.

Do I consciously watch what I eat? Yes, I do. I am always aware of what I am putting into my mouth. I know in my mind what is good food and what is bad. I don't go out very much socially so I am not drawn into eating with other people. I don't believe you have to have a starter and a pudding with a meal, just the meal is enough for me. And as for a cheese board, that's plain daft. If I am caught out feeling a bit peckish while I am out, I will look for the smallest snack I can find. They have a small nutty bar in B & M for 19p. I don't have a coffee and cake while I'm out, too many calories. I never have takeaways, never go into burger bars and suchlike. I have been known to hurry back home because I need to eat.

Can we have a more detailed recipe for the veg and blue cheese concoction? I usually start off a meal like that in a medium size pan with chopped onion, mushrooms, and spinach. Soften in a spoon of oil. Then I add whatever vegetables I need to use up, chopped small to reduce cooking time. Throw in any spices I have, then add fruit juice and/or water or both, simmer till soft, add cheese before serving. That's about it, I make it up as I go along.

Is there any hope for the rest of us? Certainly is. If you are not under the doctor for any underlying medical problems then there is no reason why carefully monitoring your diet should not bring about an improvement in health. In fact I believe a poor diet often contributes to health problems. It's all down to what you put in your mouth, and of course getting enough exercise.

Thank you for your questions. I'll get off now, my stomach is telling me to eat.

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

Healthy eating for one.

Healthy eating for one.

food healthy eating village life

Hello. It's been a week since I did that massive shop at Tesco. I was really low on food so had to stock up on almost everything. I still have lots left, mainly tins and frozen, but my fresh stuff is getting low again, so I went to Aldi today and did a small top up shop. I needed vegetables and salady stuff, and eggs, and bananas, and bread, and cheese, and more nuts, gotta have nuts. 

This is the lunch I had today. Mushrooms, tomato, cucumber, potato salad, pickled onions, brie cheese, Quorn sausage, and a cheese and onion crispy bake. Very nice it was too.

 Tonight was my usual steamed vegetables with a sprinkling of grated cheese. I could scoff broccoli every day, I love the taste of it. Still got some home grown beans in the freezer.

A leaflet came through the door the other day, from the church. It is a thank you card to show their appreciation for the support they get from the parishioners, and has a list of services for the following weeks. . Everyone gets one regardless of whether they go to church or not. A large part of the leaflet is taken up with a list of ten churchyard rules which go into great detail about what is and isn't acceptable regarding the decoration of graves. I think quite a few people will be upset by this because such a lot of things are not allowed. There is a detailed list, plastic flowers, pot plants, statues, garden ornaments, lights, windmills, pottery and glass, are just a few of the things.

I can't see the harm in a few plastic flowers, people can't afford to put expensive fresh flowers on their grave all the time, and if the relative is not able to visit on a regular basis, plastic flowers would be ideal. There are some people that have gone right over the top though, with their decorations. They are going to be mighty upset if they have to remove everything. I do think it is a bit harsh of the church, some of the rules are a bit over the top, there should be some wiggle room in some cases. There is a grave alongside the wall on the edge of the graveyard which is a small child. The mother has been coming almost every week for years to tend it. She takes the soft toys away for washing and brings them back, she adds cards for the child's birthday and Christmas, and swaps the old toys for new ones. I shall be very sad to see this go.

It's the weekend again, the weeks are flying by and it's getting colder. Nowt else to tell you so I'll buzz off. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.

The time is right to go shopping

The time is right to go shopping

budgeting shopping cheap food healthy eating vegetarian

Hello. Not a lot left in my fridge so time to make a meal from a few bits and bobs. Three mushrooms, two onions, one Quorn fillet and frozen veg, on a bed of  cheap noodles. Curry and garlic flavour. That will do nicely.   

I was putting off going shopping, sometimes it is so boring. You buy food, you eat it, you go shopping again. Yesterday I had beans on toast twice. Once for breakfast and again for dinner. The second time I chucked a few chick peas into it to bulk it up, and added some grated cheese.

Oh dear things are getting desperate.

Never mind, I can stretch it to another day with this frozen soup, wonder what flavour it is, I will soon find out. Now I'm going to have to get off me bum and go. 

Last night it wasn't very busy, I had a £4 off voucher so I took my time to select the things I really needed. Found a good buy in the freezer, these packets of 8 veggie sausages were £1 each. Best to buy them while they are cheap. I sometimes grill these, but quite often I will zap one in the microwave to make it soft, then cut it into chunks to add to a stir fry.

Struck lucky in the fruit and veg department, 75% off. I've already cooked some of this up in a big pan and made stew for the freezer. Lots of strawberries to scoff, they normally sell for £2. They were knocking them out for 50p a punnet. Had to have some.

Portion control? Bugger that, I will eat as much of this green stuff as I can pile on my plate. Just chomped my way through this like a rabbit, a whole bag of salad leaves, ha ha.

It has been three weeks since my last yellow sticker dash. In between my Tesco visits I pick up a few things from Aldi when I am in town. I spent £30 last night, cat food and a bottle of wine included, I have enough to last me a couple of weeks maybe longer.

Well I hope you are having a nice weekend. Thanks very much for all the comments on yesterdays post, it's good to get your perspective on health care where you are. Have a nice Sunday. We'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.

It's fine without a dressing

It's fine without a dressing

food healthy eating reuse vegetarian

Hello. The art sign looks good on the lamp post, very eye catching next to the shop near to the Village Hall. Let's hope it brings people out to have a look on Sunday. 

I've just eaten this salad, it's completely naked, no dressing whatsoever. I've run out of the cheap mayo from the Cash and Carry, and haven't got anything else to put on it. I don't like oily dressings, in my opinion it ruins the fresh taste of the individual items,. I don't buy them nor do I make them. I might occasionally buy toasted sesame seed oil but I prefer that on steamed veg. It doesn't seem right to put oil on salad and make it greasy. So, naked it is. 

I've had this bottle of whipped body oil for a few years, it lasts so long because I can't be bothered to squeeze a small amount out. I only moisturize my face, and if I squeeze the bottle on to my fingers I always manage to get too much out and I end up having to wipe off the excess. I had a little empty plastic pot so I filled it from the bottle. This makes the job a lot easier, all I have to do is dip my finger in it and get out just the right amount.

I have been given a very large window blind and a smaller one, aren't they the most ugliest things ever. My friend thought I might be able to make something with them. I don't have windows to fit them, nor would I want to hang them in here anyway. Give me curtains every time. I will take them apart and have a play with them.

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

Go Ida

Go Ida

exercise healthy eating

Good morning. Here's something inspirational to get you up and running. I've just read in The Times about Ida Keeling, the 100 year old woman who has broken a world record. I gooooglied her and found this on the CSS Sports web site. 

There is a video on yooootooob


She was asked about the secret of her longevity, she said, 'Eat for nutrition, not for taste, exercise at least once a day.'

Good on you Ida, I am working on it.

Catch you later. Toodle pip

Painting the world pink

Painting the world pink

arty stuff food garden healthy eating vegetarian

Hello Peeps. That's a bit more of the pink paint used up, and I still have some left. Getting a bit short of ideas now. I have had these sticks in my garden for a long time, well over a year in fact. Guess where they came from? The churchyard when they trimmed the lime trees. You can see the post about it here. I thought it about time I gave them a new lease of life and make an artwork out of them. I had three fancy blocks with holes in, just the job, stack them and drop the sticks in. Looks pretty good, I think. 

There you are. You might remember I did something similar with a dead bush I dug up. The twigs were painted different colours and put into a plant pot. The post is here.

Dinner tonight was a super salad, nowt left, all scoffed. Cold pasta twists, mushrooms, cucumber, tomato, chopped spinach, boiled eggs, grated cheese, and mayo. £6 in a restaurant. Cafe de Tightwad Towers, really cheap.

I went to Arty Club this morning, I wasn't going to go because I didn't fancy doing water colour painting. I rang my friend to say I wasn't going, but she talked me into it, saying I could do my own thing. I sploshed some paint about and made a bit of a mess. The ladies are all very nice, but I am a bit of a rebel, I am also not very good at painting.

Thank you for your miles updates, I'm dead impressed with your enthusiasm. Long may it continue, I am willing you on to keep going and cross that finishing line at the end of the year. Do whatever miles you can, it isn't a race, everyone has different levels of fitness. Do whatever suits you best.

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

Pink plant pots are in

Pink plant pots are in

food garden healthy eating vegetarian

Hello. Brown pots are out this year, pink pots are in. I've been sprucing up the summer house with the paint I had left over from last year. There was a bit left in the bottom of the tin and I hate to waste it so a few more things got the pink treatment. There is still some left, I will have a scout round tomorrow to find something else to paint pink. 

Lunch was a salad. There is a heck of a lot of spinach in a bag from Aldi. I will be turning into Popeye soon, with bulging muscles. 

I fancied pasta tonight so here we have it. I did a lot more pasta than I needed, and will use it up over the next few days. In the topping is one onion, mushrooms, sweetcorn, grated carrot and grated potato, spinach, a tin of tomatoes, garlic powder, spices, and porridge oats to thicken it. It tastes bloomin lovely. I've just scoffed this plateful.

A few walking group members have sent in their mileage updates for the walking challenge, thank you for that. Has anyone else got theirs? You can send it as a total, or just the April amount and I will add it together, and update the page. I had about four days off in April, the weather wasn't so good, or I was too busy. I should be making up for it in May with three walking days coming up. Some of you are doing very well, you must all be getting pretty fit by now. We are a third of the way through the year, the target was 333 miles for that. I didn't quite make it, but some of you are steaming ahead. The five month target is 416 miles. The six month target will be 500 miles. There is still plenty of time to get in your miles. If you don't want to do the whole year, you could split it into one month chunks of 83 miles. Any walking is better than no walking.

Right, I need to get off my bum and go and do my three miles now. My dinner has gone down and it's still light, it's not raining, so no excuses, just do it Ilona.

Thanks for popping in. Enjoy your Bank Holiday Monday. We'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Love my home prepared food.

Love my home prepared food.

food healthy eating sewing vegetarian

Hello. It's a foodie post today, with a bit of stitching thrown in for good measure. I photographed this meal on Friday, it was my lunch. The salad and fruity couscous were yellow stickers, the tomato from a pack I bought the week before from Aldi. The cheese and pickle sandwich was left over from Thursday. My sister made me a snack and it was rather filling, I couldn't manage it all, so I brought it home with me. Waste not want not.

More yellow sticker food, my lunch yesterday, and I had the same thing today. There is butternut squash ready prepared in strands. Rice noodles, mushrooms, spinach, and a splodge of sweetcorn relish. It was lovely.

And today's lunch was, well you can see what it is. A quarter of quiche 25p per portion from Tesco, pickled onions, and houmous. I like these no cook meals, saves on gas, no messy pans, and can be prepared in minutes.

Tonight I've had a plate of yellow sticker steamed veg, with a drizzle of toasted sesame seed oil. All scoffed, nice. I love my home prepared food.

I'm making a few shopping bags to sell on our cat stall at the village fete in June. Starting now so I will have a few colours to choose from. It's the heavy fabric with a rubbery backing which I get from the Scrapstore. Should sell like hot cakes, they are very strong.

I did my first grass cut of the year on Wednesday, the ground was a bit wet, but it had to be done. I'm amazed that the mower keeps going, it was a cheapie from B & Q about ten years ago. I never clean it  before I put it away for the winter, and every spring it starts perfectly with no bother. I've had another tidy up of the garden and filled the brown bin ready for collection tomorrow. I see signs of life in the flower beds, a few new shoots are pushing their way up through the compost. How exciting.

I think Rocky wants to go out now, so I'll sign off. I did my walk this morning, now up to 294 miles. I hope your walking is going well now the weather is a bit better.

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

There's a bit more life left in the shelves yet.

There's a bit more life left in the shelves yet.

experimental food garden healthy eating make do and mend recycle remembering vegetarian

Hello. Hope you're not getting too bored with the garden posts, but the sooner I get it done the sooner I can move on to other things. Today the wooden shelving got a makeover. The bottom is rotten so the plan is to saw that off. First I removed everything from it, and tipped it over to lay on it's front. Then I removed the shrink wrap from around it. I think Mayze is stalking Heidi, they are not the best of friends and mainly give each other a wide berth. 

Here we go, the last bit is getting the chop. I've peeled back the plastic backing so I can get at the wood. I knocked a few nails in where some of the joints were a bit loose.

The next thing to do is encase it in fresh shrink wrap. To do this I laid it on it's back and went round and round several times. There is a brick under each corner to raise it off the ground so I can take it right to the edge at the back and front which will keep the rain out. Shrink wrap is like a gigantic roll of cling film, it's very strong.

Next I laid out a base of bricks for it to stand on. The ground is not flat so I put some compost underneath to level it.

This is the before picture, it's leaning crazily. 

This is the after picture. A bit shorter but much more stable. I now need to paint the garage wall above it to blend it in. I hope I've still got some paint left. I've put some sheets of strong glass on the top, the cats are bound to climb on it so it will stop their claws from tearing it to shreds. Mayze will be happy that her bed is still there. .

I did a small lunch today, this is on a tea plate. I can't stuff my face in the middle of the day when I have got physical work to do. I needed protein so I zapped a Quorn fillet in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it, then I cut it into pieces and put it in a small pan with a splash of oil. Next I chopped up a couple of spring onions, I find scissors do this job better than a knife, opened a tin of chick peas, half in this, half in the fridge, and washed and cut up four mushrooms. Chuck it all in together with a sprinkle of grated cheddar cheese, and a teaspoon of vegetable granules. Stir while cooking for a few minutes. It was chuffin lovely. You could serve this as a dinner with potatoes, pasta, or rice, or salad. 

This is why I have a big car, it doubles up as a van. Off to the tip again to get rid of this.

Bit of a climb to lug it up the shiny new steps, but I can manage. They have a non slip surface so not much chance of falling. There is a man to help if anyone turns up with larger items. 

I've had some comments come through from Alison, another enthusiastic new reader who is lost in the bowels of the blog. I'm sure she will turn up here soon, she says she is reading five months of posts daily, so by her reckoning she will have caught up by the summer. She's recently taken early retirement, is de cluttering, and has got the sewing machine out. Sounds like she will fit in just fine here.

It's been a very sad day for the people of Brussels who have been caught up in the terrorist attacks. I can't begin to imagine how anybody can recover from losing friends and family in such horrific circumstances. Those who are injured will carry their pain with them for the rest of their lives. My heart goes out to all who are affected. Tears in my eyes as I write. Lots of love and best wishes to the people of Brussels. xxx

Thank you for popping in. We'll catch up soon. xxx