Charity shop curtains for �1

I picked up a bargain yesterday when I was in town. Browsing in the Age UK charity shop where everything is �1, well it would be daft not to look wouldn't it, I found a lovely pair of curtains. I didn't bother checking the size, I will find a window somewhere that they will fit. It was the bright colours which made me take them off the rail. Possibility of cutting them up for patchwork if the fabric wasn't in good condition.

When I got them home and inspected them, they were like new, too good to cut up. I decided to take down these curtains in my bedroom as they have been up a long time, and I am getting bored with them.  

Looks a nice pattern on the photo, but they are a bit pale and wishy-washy. I fancy adding more colour into the room, to match the quilt and the rag rug.

Aren't they lovely? I am so pleased with them, vibrant colours to wake up to. They weren't lined, but I remembered I had a pair of linings which I removed from some other curtains before I ditched them. Guess what, they were the exact size, a perfect fit. So no cutting and trimming needed, just sew them straight in.

This close up picture makes them look a bit pink, they are more like a very dark pink almost red colour.

Not bad for �1, eh! Chuffin brilliant I say. I love a charity shop bargain. The other curtains I will wash and put away, I've got a few pairs now to swap about when I get bored.
Hope you are enjoying your weekend. I am busy sewing.
Toodle pip

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Cheers, bottoms up

There's been a big mopping up session going on today at the bottom of the hill. Thank goodness that this mornings high tide wasn't as high as last night, and didn't make things worse. The pub was flooded along with several houses close by. When I went a walk down there, people were assessing the damage, the water had brought all kinds of rubbish up with it, as it breached the banks and covered the road. Several horses had been moved up into the village to higher grounds yesterday, and this morning they were walked back down to their fields which had luckily escaped the deluge. Some fields however are still covered in water, we now have ponds where there were no ponds before. One of the paths which I sometimes use is under water. Looking at the pictures of other areas, it seems we have got off lightly. Not good for the people who have to clean up, but it could have been much worse.

Moving on.......Austin asked me if I brewed my own wine. He noticed that I had paid �5 for a bottle at Aldi, and said I could make it myself much cheaper, at about 20p a bottle. Hello Austin. There is a reason for me not brewing wine, and it's the same reason why I don't bake cakes, and biscuits, and I don't make jam from foraged fruit.

I enjoy a glass of wine, but on the whole I don't drink much alcohol at all. I limit myself to one bottle in maybe three or four weeks, that way it stays a treat and doesn't become the norm. I only buy one bottle at a time, as and when I fancy a glass, and a bottle lasts me three days. If I had lots of bottles of home made wine in the house, I would be very tempted to have a glass every night, and could very easily come to rely on it as a comfort drink. This is not a good idea, excess alcohol does all kinds of horrible things to your body, screws your head up, pickles your organs, and is very bad for your health all round. I saw what it did to my father, he died at 46 through drinking every night. So, I would rather not put that temptation my way. I will carry on buying one bottle of wine from a supermarket, as and when I feel like a glass or two.

So where's the connection with not baking? In the same way, eating excessive cakes, and biscuits is not good for your health, there is too much sugar in it. I love cake, but, I don't want to bake them because I would scoff them as soon as they were out of the oven. I would rather not put temptation in my way. Cake once in a while is a treat, maybe for a special occasion. I sometimes buy cake when it is reduced to pennies on a yellow sticker at Tesco. Then when I get it home I find I have too much. So to get rid of the temptation I give most of it away.

Home made jam is much better than shop bought jam, but I don't collect berries and make it because you need to add a lot of sugar to it, and sugar is bad for you. Sugar rots your teeth and piles the pounds on your hips, I never buy jam for that reason.

I hope that has answered your question, a bit long winded I know. To sum up. I don't want 50 bottles of home made wine at 20p a bottle in my house. I would rather have one bottle at �5. Basically I am weak willed with anything that tastes nice. I have to be strict with myself because I don't want to be storing problems up for myself in the long term. I recognise my weaknesses and like to stay in control of them. Oh gosh, don't I sound boring. I'm not really  :o)
Toodle pip

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Keeping safe, staying indoors.

I have been listening to BBC Radio Humberside all day, there have been updates giving severe weather warnings for the whole of the east coast. At this moment in time, almost 7pm, the reports are non stop about areas that are already under water, and areas under threat are being evacuated. We have had extremely high winds all day, and now we have the biggest high tidal wave in the last 60 years, coming up the Humber right now. 

Grimsby, Cleethorpes, and Hull are flooding, people are ringing in with what they are seeing, it is an extremely dangerous situation. Victoria Dock in Hull is about to flood in the next hour and everyone is being instructed to leave. Places of safety are being set up in leisure centres, elderly people are being moved out of their residential homes. I am amazed at what I am hearing, it is quite upsetting to think what people must be going through. There are a lot of low lying villages along the banks of the Humber, the Ouse, and the Trent, and some of them not far from here are being evacuated now. Luckily where I live is on the top of a hill so I am safe here.

This was the scene yesterday as I went for a walk. The River Trent is beyond the green field you see, so there is no way it will flood up here. We do have some houses, a pub, and a caravan park down at the bottom of the hill, quite close to the river. I haven't heard any news about what is happening down there, but I have seen the river come over it's banks before, and stop a few yards from the pub.  

I went outside briefly today during the wind, to retrieve some bins that were being blown about, and it was flippin cold. Best place to be is indoors, so this is where I have stayed. I have moved my extra large table to the front window so I can look out as I work. I have hung a second set of curtains over the ones already up, so it is nice and snug. The desk light keeps me warm. I've got my sewing machine and computer close at hand, no need to go anywhere today. I am working on the third patchwork square now, getting on really well with it.

I think it's forecast to be better tomorrow, so hopefully the wind might die down, and I might be able to venture out. Today it was not possible, the wind was too strong.

A quick hello to Austin, thank you for your friendly and interesting comments.
Toodle pip.

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Time for a move

Oh what a nightmare it is to compare gas and electricity prices, and to identify which supplier will be the best one to move to. I've only done it a couple of times since I've been in this house, and now is the time to do it again. I find it an awful struggle to understand numbers, oh I can do the basics, like manage my own finances, but anything complicated I stare at a page of numbers and they don't register at all. My mind goes blank. I have been reading up about dyscalculia, a form of number blindness, and I am convinced I have a mild form of that. Maths at school was a nightmare, I didn't learn a thing apart from the adding, taking away, multiplying, and dividing. I bluffed my way through, mainly copying from my friends book. Later on, when I did a transport related course I had to leave the room because I had a panic attack when it came to vehicle costings. I failed miserably, that's why I now avoid anything to do with lots of numbers.

They say they are making it easier to work out your utilities costs, to understand your bills, but looking at the reverse of mine which I have just received from British Gas, there are more numbers than ever on there. It's taken me an hour to understand it.

Anyway, I need to move from British Gas, not because of the price increases, I can budget for that, but the fact that they have introduced a 25p a day standing charge on both gas and electricity, so that's going to bump my bills up big time. 50p a day for 365 days a year, chuffin heck.

I've done a comparison on the Ebico site, putting in my figures for kilowatt hours used, and they are going to be cheaper. I am a low user so I am going to benefit because they have set their standing charges at zero. Also there are no penalties for quarterly billing, so I can keep that and don't have to sign up to direct debit which I don't want to do.

I'll wait and see what happens next. I believe it takes a few weeks for it all to go through. In the meantime I will pay this �60.81 British Gas bill tomorrow. The standing charge came in on the 23rd of November, so for four days I've already been charged �2. Not for much longer BT, I'm out asap.

Toodle pip.

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More patchwork, and a declutter

I got straight onto the job of adding more patches this morning, after the breakfast pots were moved into the kitchen. That's what I like about being retired, I can do whatever I like, and today I decided I am going to get this block finished. I've cropped the edges in the photo. It started as a 24inch square, and half an inch will be trimmed off all round to give a neat edge.   

I think this method works pretty well, and it goes together quite quickly using the sewing machine. I am going to carry on and make more. It won't be a bed quilt, probably a throw for the sofa. I'm not sure how big to make it, I might get away with six blocks, but might go to nine. As it's already got two layers I will just put a backing onto it. I will need to dig out some more fabric from my stash, I don't want to buy any more, but want to use up what I already have. So, hey ho, keep on sewing.

Another little job I tackled today, keep on chipping away at those boring unglamorous jobs. I have a nice little old writing bureau sitting in the corner of my living room. Someone gave it to me years ago, they were moving home and didn't have room for it in their new abode. I seem to have a talent for finding freebies, ha ha. Anyway, it has been housing my card making bits and bobs, mainly old greetings card which I cut up and stitch onto new cards. I haven't made any cards for ages. I tried to sell them at one point, but I think most people are of the same mind these days and have given up sending cards.

I thought about chucking the whole darn lot, having a good clear out, but there are some very old family cards here which I don't want to part with just yet, so I have just scaled down my collection. I took the scissors to the ones I didn't want to keep and now I have a big pile of white card to use for notes. I've also saved a lot of decorative snippets which can be used to make new cards, if I feel inclined to start making them again.

That's a lot better, the unwanted clutter has gone in the paper recycling box. I bet the bin men will think it's strange when they empty the box, to find lots of Christmas cards three weeks before Christmas. They usually get recycled in January.

I did find time to go out for a local walk today, I like to get out once every day. Right, I'm going to do a bit more sewing, make a start on the next block.
Toodle pip.

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Moving on to another patchwork project.

Craft and Chat club was very busy this morning, a full house of twelve turned up. We have room for more should anyone else decide to join us, maybe they will once Crimbo has been and gone. The tables were split into two camps so that three ladies could get on with making Christmas wreaths without disrupting the rest of us with their piles of greenery. Two of the ladies were receiving instructions from the third who makes them every year for Normanby Hall. The finished wreaths looked fabulous, a great first attempt to be proud of.

I took the last bit of patchwork to be completed for this cushion, then when I got home I knocked up the cover it was to go on. So here is number five, the last one. Phew, I'm glad that has finished. Don't much like repetition, want to move on to something else.  

A full set of five. Spose I could make another one, no maybe not. Five is enough. I'm mighty pleased with them.

I've made a start with another project, using up all the bits I have accumulated. Rather than just piece them together which would be a very fiddly job, I am using an old sheet to sew them onto. This is a bit of an experiment to see how it turns out. I have cut a 24 inch square from the sheet and started by pinning a square scrap in the middle. The idea is to go round and round it, until I get to the edge. Adding complete strips, or making up longer strips out of two or three pieces of contrasting fabric. The width of the strips doesn't matter. I started this off with hand sewing at the club this morning because I didn't have anything else to take with me. It's quicker and easier to do it by machine, so I'll continue with it at home.   

The idea is to cut the next strip to size and put it face down on the edge you want to add it to, then sew it on.

Then fold it back so the right side is showing. At this stage you could iron it flat as you go, but I think pinning it is enough until you sew the next piece on.

I've joined two pieces here to make the strip.

 Pin it with right sides facing each other, and sew it together.

 Then fold back, and pin it down.

Next strip, join two pieces.

 Pin and sew again.

 Fold back. Another strip added.

I will keep going like this and see what happens.
Toodle pip.

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My new second hand winter coats

Hello. Did you see the beautiful sunset last night? Wasn't it fabulous. I was hanging out of my bedroom window for this shot.

Then I thought, if I run to the church I might get another one. Five minutes later and it was gone. I love it when the sky turns red. Such an amazing sight.

Yesterday, after the Christmas Fair, I went to see my friends J & T, and their dog Bella. Poor Bella is not feeling so good, she has had her lady bits seen to, and was a wee bit sad. Nevertheless, she found a burst of energy when I rang the front door bell and came charging towards me when she saw me through the glass. Bella is a gorgeous white labradoodle, and so pretty. After an excited greeting, she went back to sitting in her chair again, where she let me whisper sweet nothings in her ear. Poor Bella.

It came up in conversation with J, that she has three jackets which she no longer needs. She has either gone off them, or they no longer fit. She asked me if I would like any of them. I tried them all on to see if they fit me, and Bingo, they did. J mentioned that they would be good for dog walking because they are warm and thick. My goodness, they are far too good for dog walking  This one is a Per Una from Marks and Spencer. It's dark green with a knitted back and sleeves, and a cord fabric front. Nice and long, it's more like a coat than a jacket. It will keep my bum warm.

This jacket has a Crew Clothing label. It's got a fleecy lining, plenty of pockets, and a fleecy lined hood with fake fur trim.

And this one is the icing on the cake. It's a really thick long jacket, quilted lining, fake fur lined hood, with a Fat Face label. It's snuggly and warm. Don't you think it's just fab.

I am chuffed to little mintballs with these lovely gifts, they will last me another five years or more. My friend is chuffed because they have been given a second life. There are some lovely people in my village. I don't mind at all if someone offers me their preloved, no longer needed clothes. I say hand me downs are the best kind. I always wore my aunties clothes when they were passed down to me when I was a child, and my younger sister always wore the things that I grew out of. I guess the habit hasn't left me. It's silly to feel embarrassed about wearing something that someone else has worn before. I certainly don't.

This morning I was awake early, it was bright and crisp, and I had the urge to go for a brisk walk. I had a coffee and put a banana in my pocket to eat while on the move, and set off along the hills, high above the River Trent. I met a couple of runners and a cyclist, and I even broke into a little jogalong myself now and again. The ground was still hard from the frost, but it isn't ideal for running, there are a lot of pot holes and slippery slopes. I am happy to stride along at a fast pace in my walking boots, don't want to bugger my knees up or break my ankle.

It was a there and back six mile walk, and I was timing myself. This went out of the window as a man walking his Rotty dog struck up a conversation with me at the halfway point as I was eating my banana. Then on the way back two more dog walkers stopped to chat. It took me almost two hours to complete it. I could knock 30 minutes off that if I wasn't such a gas bag, ha ha.  

This afternoon I spent an hour in the garden doing some hard digging, I've been to visit two lots of friends, just had my dinner, steamed veg as usual, now I'm going to play with some scraps of fabric. Got to get something ready to take to Craft Club in the morning.
Catch you tomorrow. Toodle pip.

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