I'll have a slice of soup please ;o)

Hello one and all. Miserable, wet and cold to start off with today, but it turned out nice again. My food stocks are getting dangerously low, the fridge is empty, and not many tins left. Yesterday I decided to use up the half packet of dried soup mix, which was only two years out of date. Soak it for eight hours, bring to the boil and simmer. I added the last onion, a large potato, and three packets of frozen home grown runner beans. Then I zapped it with the stick blender. 

Anybody like a slice of soup, ha ha. Had some for dinner last night, lunch today, and another bowlful just now. I think I'll go into business making healthy baby food, ha ha. It tastes alright, I watered it down a bit so it goes down more easily without chewing.

I made time to go to the park this morning. They are busy with clearing the leaves at the moment, one tractor with a blower on the side, and two men walking around with hand held blower machines strapped to their body. They didn't seem to be making much progress, just moving them around. 

The ducks lolling about in the sunshine.

It was a lovely afternoon so I did a bit of tidying in the garden. The brown bin is to be emptied on Monday, and as I haven't put much in it over the last month I thought I would trim up the hedges between me and next door. I'm afraid I went a bit crazy with the loppers and hacked quite a lot off. It won't all fit in, I will put some in my neighbours bin, he won't be doing any gardening before Monday.

The gas and electric bills came through the letter box this morning, I was keen to see them because it's about a year since I changed supplier. Three weeks short of a year actually, so my bills are from 12th Jan to 23 December. My four electricity bills add up to �89.09, and my projection for the next twelve months is �107.06. There is a mistake with the reading on the gas bill, they have taken the November reading instead of the December one. It comes out at �10.25, they are 39 units short. I rang them up and they are going to send another bill. I estimate the new bill to be slightly more than double this one. Total gas over the three bills is �57.07, they project my next years usage will cost �71.73.

All in all I am pleased I changed to Ebico, no this isn't an advert, they are not paying me, I have no standing charge, no penalties for quarterly bills, and their prices are frozen across the board for everyone until 2016. If you are considering changing you need to know your  annual consumption, this company may not be the best for you if you are not a low user like me.

I've just seen the time, I'm off to Tesco now to search for yellow stickers. Toodle pip.

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If you need a new table, make one.

That's better, totally refreshed after my day off. Now I'm back in the swing of things. The skip was taken away yesterday, I didn't expect it to still be here after I came back, but it was. Luckily I had a look in it before it went off on the back of a lorry. I found four bags of children's clothes and towels. They have all been washed today, and folded ready for giving away. The older tatty towels have gone to a friend who has dogs that like to jump in mucky ponds. The better towels will be given to a charity shop, and I have plans for the clothes. They will go with the toys to an organisation that provides women and children with a safe place to live, after a relationship breakdown.   

It's been a glorious day, all the washing dried beautifully. There seems to be a lot of spiders about, all busy spinning their webs. It seems pretty heartless to destroy all their hard work by walking past them, so I have been trying to walk around them. Isn't it amazing how perfect their webs are, it's fascinating to watch them. And how do they find places to hook them up to.

There is a web hanging from this guttering, coming down at an angle to a bush, just outside my back door. I have been ducking underneath it to avoid pulling it down. There must be a good six feet between the two anchorage points. How do they do that?

My garden work table was in need of a refurbishment. It's very handy to have this just outside the back door, for mucky jobs that can't be done in the kitchen, and to save my back by not having to bend down.

It's been here for six years and is showing signs of rotting. Oh dear.

I removed the top, and found some suitable pieces of wood from my stash and nailed the boards to two batons, then nailed it to the two sides. A couple of narrow pieces for each end, some extra nails at all the joins to strengthen it, and Bob's your Uncle. Job well done, a table that's good for another few years. 

After I had finished outside and put everything away, guess what I found in the kitchen. It appeared to be a spider suspended in mid air in the middle of the room. But no, on closer inspection I saw it had attached it's web to the ceiling, and across to the cupboard under the sink. Sorry spider, but I'm going to have to put you outside. There's no way I can be dodging round that one as I cook my dinner.

I'm off to Tesco now, I have a voucher for �3 off, might as well use it before it's out of date. Catch you tomorrow. Toodle pip.

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From garden to kitchen

Welcome. A garden catch up today. Here we have three beds of potatoes coming along nicely. Not sure if they are earlies or lates, or what sort they are. They all go in together in no particular order, and come out as and when I want to eat them. Looking healthy, looking good.   

One bed of broad beans. Not quite ready to eat, waiting for the pods to fatten up. Some of the plants have not grown as high as last year, so maybe they are a different kind. I put the pieces of wood across to stop the cats from using it as a toilet.

Runner beans at different heights, some planted early some late. I have wrapped the outside in net curtains, again to stop the cats getting onto it. It will be another month before they are ready.

Six courgette plants showing signs of flowering. Another couple of weeks and there should be something to eat. Bits of wood, and plastic and anything else, to keep the cats off. Looks untidy but needs must.

This is the chuck it and see bed, chuck the seeds on and see what comes up. Something is growing. Think I used three different kinds of seeds. Radishes and turnips possibly.

 And last but not least, the bed occupied by frogs. I have planted a few dwarf beans in here, let's hope they start showing soon. I grow just the basics, not faffing around with anything that is too complicated, haven't got time.

Has anyone got one of these gizmo's? It's a wotchamacallit thingy. You know, a wotsit that you put in your saucepan to steam vegetables. Now this one looks like a shiny new one, but it isn't. If you had seen it 24 hours ago, it looked 'orrible. Even though I wash it each time it is used, the limescale in the water builds up on it. Time for action. I soaked it for 24 hours in the saucepan that I use it with, in a solution of diluted vinegar. A scrub with a wash up brush gets rid of all the gunge and it looks shiny new again. 

I love my steamer gizmo, would be lost without it. There are two sizes, I have the larger one which fits in a large pan. You can buy them for around �5, can't remember exactly, I have had this one for a couple of years.

The pan has also come up like new. Hurrah for vinegar :o))

All ready to go again. This is in constant use in my kitchen. An inch or two of water in the bottom. All the vegetables go in together, starting with the hardest root vegetables first, softer quick to cook ones next, and leafy ones on top. It only takes a few minutes to cook vegetables in this. Stick the fork in to test if they are done, switch the heat off when they are nearly ready, leave for a couple of minutes more, the steam will finish them off.

It was still warm as the sun started to go down last night, a good opportunity to take a walk in the park after dinner. The hall looks splendid.

And Rocky came too.

Looks like another nice day. A bit more playing with fabric, then playing outside. Enjoy your day. Toodle pip.

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Really nice shopping bags

Good morning. I want to get on with stuff today so I am posting here early. I bet you have been wondering what I have been doing the last couple of days, while posting the photo's. Here are the fruits of my labour. Eight shopping bags finished, photo's taken before I give them away. I'm on a use up the fabric crusade. Nothing fancy just bog standard easy to sew bags. They can be folded, washed, chucked in the car, used for groceries, or kept for best. They are handy for carting all sorts of stuff around, library books, swimming gear, baby and toddler stuff, gym wear, and lunch bag for a day out. One of my craft club friends brings her knitting in hers every week and loves it. 

It is forecast that we are in for some sunshine in the next few days. Luvvly jubbly, got to get some of that. The end of my road looks a scruffy mess, I'll get a black bag and pull up the weeds and tidy round.

I have booked an appointment with the nurse to have the jab, thanks for your input in that matter. The battle with slugs and snails is ongoing, but hey ho, there are some broad beans on the way, and the spuds look great. Six courgette plants should eventually give me something to eat. I wanted to sow some more seeds in a vacant bed, but on lifting the plastic compost bag covering it I found three frogs have set up home there, so only half the bed can be used. Didn't want to destroy their secret hideaway, they are safe from the cats if they stay covered.

Catch you tomorrow. Toodle pip.

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My froggy family

Good evening. I did the usual craft club meet this morning. I hadn't got round to preparing something to work on, it was a last minute decision. I still have some fleece offcuts left, so I quickly pieced together another cat mat with just two colours, black and purple, then cut a piece of old curtain lining to sew them onto. We were making preparations for the display in the church at the weekend, our exhibits have to be delivered on Friday afternoon so they can set it up. I shall be there to help, as I have to take my art pieces for another display. 

My friend sent me an email with this photo, she took it last week, that's Bella the Labradoodle sat on my knee. She is gorgeous, endless energy, and gets so excited when she has a visitor. She loves cuddles, and playing, and treats. 

Here is another bag photo to add to our collection. I forgot I had given one to Carol. Here she is posing with it. She is standing in the garden of a stately home, but I've forgotten which one, she did say. It will come to me in a minute. I am pleased she is finding a use for the bag. 

Someone asked about my new strimmer, I bought an electric one. I already had an extension cable for the mower, and I didn't want to mess about with petrol. I've been tidying the garden tonight, it's nice to be able to work a bit later in the evening. I have no idea how many frogs I have. I don't have a pond but they do in the neighbours garden at the back of mine, so I suppose the frogs come from there. I spotted five tonight. This one is in the runner bean bed.

This one is in the long grass in the middle of the lawn. I keep a section of it long so the cats can lie in it in the sun. I sometimes have to rescue a frog from there and re locate it if a cat finds one. Mayze was looking at this one. 

Two more in the broad bean bed.

There was one in the potato bed but it hopped off before I could get a picture. It was getting dark by that time. Fascinating what goes on in the garden in the evening.
Toodle pip

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Let me show you round my garden.

How would you like a tour of my garden, just the flowers. Don't ask me the names, I haven't a clue. These are big red ones, like puff balls. 

These pink ones are tall and floppy and need to be supported with a cane.

They are close to the back door.

And a purple variety as well.

Little white flowers in an evergreen hedge. I planted lots of evergreens when I moved in, don't like things dying off and leaving big gaps.

The crimson lilac smells lovely, yes, I know the name of that one, it's a lilac bush, more like a tree actually, quite tall. Pity it's at the bottom of the garden behind the greenhouse.

Little yellow flowers are sprouting up everywhere. Places where they shouldn't be. They don't last long, I pull the plants up when they have finished flowering.

This is in a pot, it would do better in the ground. Might move it if I can find a space.

Different shades of green, some with yellow leaves. 

This bush has big spotted leaves. The new growth is more yellow than the green leaves underneath. I trim this so it doesn't grow too big.

Tiny white flowers on another evergreen bush.

Ooops, a rogue dandelion amongst the blue flowers.

These little pink flowers are close to the edge of the lawn, and often get mowed. No wonder their numbers are declining. 

I have a really big lilac tree in the back garden. Lovely while the flowers are out, but not so attractive when they start going brown.

These little purplies are everywhere, I think they are a weed as the plant is like a creeping ivy, it swallows up everything around it. I have to be brutal and pull a lot of it up or it spreads everywhere.

My lawn is full of daisies. I don't mind, they look pretty, till I chop them off. They soon come back.

As you can see all in the garden is rosy. There was hardly anything in it when I moved in. I planted a few bushes and scattered a few seeds, now every year the flowers come back, and the evergreens have filled out the borders. Just how I like it, trim the bushes, mow the lawns, pull a few weeds out.
Toodle pip.

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