Happy in my own skin

Hiya peeps, in complete contrast from last nights offering, I woke up a completely different person today. Every day is a fresh new start for me. Funny innit, how moods can change throughout the day. This morning I feel empowered to do something. Not walking though, it is still murky. After a stroll down the garden and finding everything is damp with the heavy mist forming droplets and falling like rain making everything wet, I'll do something indoors today.

I feel quite empowered, that I have made a decision. I like that word, empowered, gives me a feeling of being in control, I like that, being in control. Not that I want to control anyone else, I can't be held responsible for how other people control or not control their lives. I can't control external issues all around me. Empowerment is a personal issue. One can only be responsible for one's own empowerment, heck that's me talking posh, one this and one that, ha ha.

Carol Sarler has written in The Mail about how she realized she was fat and decided to lose weight by not dieting. Her answer is that weight control is all down to willpower, she set herself the goal of losing one pound a week for 42 weeks. She did it, what she says is a lot of common sense. Often common sense is the answer, people go all round the houses to seek out a solution, and there it is staring you in the face, good old common sense. Here is a quote on hunger pangs. She says will power is all you need to ignore them.
Carol says, 'You are fat because you gave your stomach too much and now you're giving it too little. Of course it's going to growl.' Makes sense to me, ignore the growls.

I feel empowered to maintain my current weight and fitness levels. I don't want to be super fit because that takes hard work, and many hours of training, both of which I am not willing to commit to. Common sense tells me I am pretty much ok as I am, watching my diet, and some exercise, is fine for me.

Time management is empowering to me. Having given so much of my time to various employers through the years, taking orders, doing exactly what they wanted me to do, I now feel liberated to do exactly as I please. Don't get me wrong, I was never a slave to my job, when I stopped enjoying the work I was doing, I moved on to a new employer. Towards the end that wasn't possible as jobs were hard to come by. I dealt with it by making my leisure time more enjoyable and interesting so I had something to look forward to when I wasn't behind the wheel of a big truck. Then of course as I have previously mentioned I decided to claw back more of my life when I went on to part time employment. I deliberately took more control which was hugely empowering.

Having less money coming into the house was not a problem. I didn't feel trapped, or limited in any way, I actually felt liberated. Having less money meant having less to worry about. The challenge of managing my personal finances was another way I could take control. I have a strong willpower and can easily say no when presented with a all kinds of temptations put in front of me.

I can control most things about what I do while I am on this planet, but one thing I cannot control is how I leave it. It is my theory that by becoming more self sufficient, becoming more empowered to take charge of my own decisions, to not rely on others but to manage through my own resources, will better prepare me for the last journey I will make. I have navigated my way through my life mostly alone. Through my own efforts I have worked to earn my own money, paid my way, and bought a house. Walking long distances alone is further preparation for that last journey. No one will be coming with me, no one saying let's go together, no one holding my hand and saying let's get off now. I will be facing that last journey on my own.

So, the word empowerment is important to me. What's the opposite? Not being empowered means giving your life to someone else, handing over responsibility, saying tell me what to do. The supermarket tells me to fill my trolley with crap. I don't. Social networking sites invite me to sign up, join us, keep in touch with the whole chuffin world. I don't. Less is best, my little old blog is enough for me.

Now I feel liberated, having got that off my chesticles, having put down here in my own words exactly how I feel. Empowerment is a wonderful word, one that everyone should learn. No more blaming someone else for what happens to you. Go forth and take charge, and come back tomorrow happy in your own skin, not struggling to fit into someone else's.          
Toodle pip.  

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I'm off to bed, goodnight.

It's almost 11pm and I'm feeling a bit guilty because someone has just commented that they love my blog, and I can't think of anything to write about tonight. What a let down I am indeed. The day has not been particularly eventful, and the weather has been very murky, it still is. Looking out of the window it looks like a scene from foggy London town in the days of Oliver Twist. The street lights are struggling to light up the road below them in the swirling mist. I hope it is gone in the morning and we have a nice day. I have a walk planned, but if it is raining, I won't go.  

The highlight of my day was going to town. I needed to pick a few things up for me and the cats. Aldi was the most convenient store to visit so I got the basics there, bran flakes, bananas, yogurt, eggs, and cheese. Worth a look in the small Asda while I was there, I found a yellow sticker on a very tasty loaf of bread. I trawled the other shops for bargains, and picked up a few out of date items from the cash and carry. You will be pleased to know that I managed to resist buying a packet of Jaffa Cakes from Home Bargains for 39p. It was a double size pack as well, I was sorely tempted, but I have had my quota of sweetness for this week. Helen bought me a cake yesterday, ooops, don't tell anyone.

I'm getting a bit behind on my crafting projects again. I've several things on the go, but finding it difficult to focus. I've just had another idea for something to try, but I really ought to finish what I've already started.

Anyway, I suppose I had better go to bed, nothing is going to come into my head at this late hour. If you don't hear from me in the morning, I've gone a walk and the photo's will come later. If the weather is rubbish I will be here. Isn't it a chuffin pain when you have to see what the weather is like before you can decide what to do for the day.
Goodnight. Sleep tight. And don't let the bugs bite. xxx

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Everybody outside

And here is the daily news. This morning it was a bit misty, everything outside was wet after heavy rainfall overnight. After lunch I went out into the garden to plant the seed potatoes in their beds. The cats came out with me as the sun had come out. Mayze climbed up into the sun lounge bed, aka the wooden shelving next to the garage. She said do not disturb me, I'm going to sleep. 

Heidi decided to stay at ground level and view my activities from the decking.

Then Heidi went walkabout past Bugsy who was basking in the sun.

We had a visitor, Rocky came to say hello. 

Later on I went over to Helen's new house to do a bit more in the garden. I cut the conifer hedge down the left hand side in the back garden. Another opportunity to pop into the small Tesco before I came home, and what do you think I found. Yes, more vegetables. I got four bags of mixed veg, carrots, baby sweetcorn, and broccoli. They were �1.30 each, the yellow sticker said 16p each. When I got to the till I had 64p ready to pay, the staff member said it was 48p. I queried it and he said there was an offer of buy 3 pay for 2. I was chuffed with my bargain. I didn't buy anything else because it wasn't cheap enough, and there was not much there anyway. So, keep on munching the veg. I heard on the radio today that we are supposed to be eating seven portions of fruit and veg a day, not five. That's me sorted then.
Catch you tomorrow. Toodle pip.  

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Sharing a bloggy link

Good morning. April Fools day today, and although I am a bit of a joker, I cannot think of a suitable mickey take, so I'm going in the opposite direction and posting about something which I think is deadly serious. A blog which I dip into from time to time, written by Leo Babauta, is called Zen Habits. I usually pop over there from the Lovely Grey Day blog, on my rounds through blogland as I drink my morning coffee. I have now installed a link to Leo's blog on my sidebar, as I definitely feel a connection with the writer.

Today's post has struck a chord, I could have written it myself, so instead of making a joke, I will share Leo's words with you. First of all, there is no copyright on his blog. Please excuse big writing, that's what happens with copy and paste.
Uncopyright

This entire blog, and all my ebooks, are uncopyrighted (since January 2008).That means I�ve put them in the public domain, and released my copyright on all these works.There is no need to email me for permission � use my content however you want! Email it, share it, reprint it with or without credit.

A Call for Compassion for the Defenseless

By Leo Babauta

We don�t like to think that our way of living is wrong, that our beliefs are untrue, that we participate in cruelty or injustice.

We want to think of ourselves as good people.

I know because I reacted with anger and defensiveness the first time I heard criticisms of the sweatshop clothing I owned, of the consumerism I participated in, of the sexism and homophobic culture I�d grown up in. I know because I ridiculed vegetarians and vegans when I first heard about their ridiculous abstaining from meat and animal products.

And yet, we can be good people � and close our eyes to wrongdoing.

This is when those who see the wrongdoing have a duty: to speak up, and call for conscience, and call for change. And call for compassion.

Today I am calling for compassion for animals: defenseless, suffering, feeling animals.

Our Food System

I grew up in the modern world, with food brought to me already prepared, ready to eat. Microwave dinners, chicken nuggets, cans of chips, packs of beef jerky and candy: it was all the same to me. It was just Food.

I knew nothing of where that food came from. If I ever thought of animals, it was animals on peaceful farms, living happy lives. But mostly I just thought of the food, the delicious, nourishing, yummy food. It wasn�t living beings, just food.

Of course, if we really open our eyes, these are fellow sentient, feeling beings that we�re eating. And they�re not happy or peaceful: they�re suffering, in mass factories of hormone injections, daily beatings, lives of living hell, and murder.

We rightly feel compassion when humans are subjected to mass murder and genocide, under the Nazis and Pol Pot, of the Kurds, in Rwanda, and other incidences of horrible suffering and injustice. And yet, we participate in the mass torture and murder of other beings, simply for our pleasure.

And sure, I will concede that human and animal lives are not equal. But that doesn�t mean they are worthless or unworthy of our compassion. It doesn�t mean we can treat them like unfeeling objects.

If you wish to read the full post please click on the link to his blog. 

I'll be back later with the day's news. Toodle pip.  

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A bag well travelled

Good evening. I'm cheating a bit today, posting pics of other people's craft projects. The ladies brought them to this mornings craft club to show, and I thought they were so clever that they deserve a place on my blog. We have got some talented ladies in our group. This is a picture embroidered onto canvas. It is stretched over a wooden frame, all it needs is an attractive frame to complement the scene and it is ready to be hung. This is not a kit, the lady designed the whole thing from choosing a nice scene, to picking out the colours and stitches she wanted to use. 

The stitching is really intricate, I love it.

The back has extra fabric machine stitched around the edges so that the threads can be pulled tight across the back to keep it square.  

Another lady brought in two books that she has made. The picture on the front is embroidered in tiny stitches.

The front and back cover is two separate pieces. The fabric is pulled tight and secured at the back, then covered in decorative parchment.

The pages are thin card so it could be used as an album.

Here is another one, with a cat on the front. 

Lots and lots of small French knots make up the picture.

Very clever how the pages are joined together.

This afternoon the weather was glorious. I took my radio outside and listened to Steve Wright in the Afternoon while I planted up my beans, peas, and courgettes. My ears pricked up when I heard the name Jack Munro (linky to her web site) mentioned, she came on the show to talk about her book. She's doing very well for herself  promoting cheap meals. My meals will be even cheaper when I start harvesting my home grown vegetables.   

Dinner tonight was very cheap, all reduced of course. Half a punnet of mushrooms 11p, two chopped spring onions, a handful of chopped spinach, cooked in a little oil, a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard, a shake of garlic powder, and a dessertspoon of plain yogurt added at the last minute. Served on a large microwaved potato. Must have cost all of 25p at a guess, and it was chuffin lovely. Beats all your fancy mucked about food they serve up in restaurants.

The smiley Sue G has sent me a photo, she is carrying an original 'Ilona' bag, on her way back from holiday up north in Scotland. Below is the email she sent.  

Hi Ilona,
Just thought you'd like an update on your (now my) bag. 'Bag' has been on holiday, to the Inner Hebrides, to Islay and Jura in fact. (Should have taken it to Iona really, since it has Ilona embroidered on it!) Anyway, it came in very handy for putting all sorts of things in, and it enjoyed it's two weeks away very much. It would be interesting to know how well-travelled your other bags have been. 

Here is Bag coming back past the Kintyre peninsula, on the way back to the Kennacraig Ferry Terminal:

Thought you'd be pleased to know what a wonderful time Bag had, camping and birdwatching and seeing lots of winter geese. Thank you Ilona!
best wishes
Sue G

Thank you for the pic, Sue, I'm pleased that you like the bag and you are finding it useful. Your suggestion of finding out what has happened to the other bags I sent out is a great idea. Let's ask everyone who won a bag to send in a photo of themselves using it, with a description of where they are in the world, and what they use the bag for. That would be great fun, I will post them on a separate page so they don't get lost in the main body of the blog. So how about it folks, email your photo's to the address on the sidebar.

I'll catch you tomorrow. Toodle pip

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Summer is here, everyone outside

Happy Mothers Day to all mothers everywhere

I hope you don't mind but I went out for the day yesterday, a spur of the moment thing, like you do. I fancied a trip to the Midlands to visit family. My goodness that M1 motorway is a pain, twenty miles of roadworks at 50 mph. Why they can't do it in four separate lots of five miles I don't know. Good for the fuel consumption I suppose.

Uncle and Aunt are doing fine, they have just had their veg patch flattened and graveled over, a lot less work for them. The strawberries have a new bed, and there will be some runner beans planted soon, they are aiming for low maintenance gardening.

Sisters new bungalow is looking fabulous now the new conservatory is up. It was gutted when they moved there and they had to live on site in their caravan for a while until the work was done. The house itself is smaller than their previous one, and although the garden is smaller, there is room to park the caravan at the back. They are well chuffed as it's in the area they like, and near to children and grandchildren.

On the way back I hit Tesco at just after 8.30pm, it's at the end of the motorway just off the roundabout,  well I had to pop in didn't I, ha ha. A few yellow stickers left. I was looking for bread, but there was none, oh well, never mind, I will manage without. I have four slices left in the freezer and some potato cakes, I'll eat them instead. I spent more on the cats than I did on me. Chicken pieces �2, yellow stickers �1.18p. I have added it to the list on the page above. It was a quick dash round, wanted to get home.

I have a confession, I didn't do the 5k Park Run yesterday, I know, I've let myself down. I just didn't get organised in time, wanted to get off down the motorway. Never mind, I promise to make up for it. Extra on the cross trainer, and more walking around the village, I might even get the bicycle out for a ride.

Looks like a sunny day today, the first day of summer, YIPEEEEEEEE. I think it might be time to take the winter curtains down now. Got stuff to do in the garden, a line of washing to get out. Let's make the most of it. Enjoy your Sunday.
Toodle pip.

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Worth a look if you are passing

Good morning, it's raining so I will get on with this post and maybe go out later if it stops. Someone asked for more information about finding reductions when food shopping, or as it's widely known, yellow sticker shopping. Not all reductions have yellow stickers on, different stores have their own way of doing things. Some go through their shelves of short dated stock and stick a blank label on and hand write the new price. Tesco have big yellow stickers, Sainsbury's have small yellow stickers, Spar shops use a large hand written sticker.

Where in the store do you look for reductions? For a start you need to get to know the layout of the store. Fruit and vegetables are often near the entrance, or close to the back door to the store room. These shelves need replenishing regularly so easy access for large trolleys is important. If there is an instore bakery the bread and cakes will be in the middle towards the back, so they can wheel out the freshly made loaves as they come out of the oven. The meat needs to be put out on the shelves pretty quickly as it is packaged up, so an aisle with access from the butchery department in the back is usually chosen.

Some stores will set aside a section in a chiller cabinet to gather all the reductions together in one place. Others will leave their yellow stickers with the rest of the same stock, so customers can take the cheaper item first. Some people will bypass the cheaper one and reach to the back of the pile to get a longer date. I think that's a bit daft. I have pointed out to people that the one at the front is cheaper, they answer, I don't want to use it straight away. We all know that the dates are a guide, but some folks are funny and will chuck out food on the actual last date.

When I walk in a shop/store, my eyes are programmed to search out bigger stickers than normal, be it yellow, plain with a red edge, hand written, or small yellow. I ignore everything else. I skim along the shelf edge looking for any labels which say REDUCED. Anything that catches my eye, or jumps out at me is worthy of a second glance. I go around the store like this when I first go in. When I have satisfied myself that I have found all the bargains, and picked out what I want, I then go around again, picking up a few must have items which I know are never going to be reduced. So, priority is, what is cheap, buy reduced first and base my meals around the bargains I can find.

Some of the discount stores, Poundstretcher, Home Bargains, B & M, Pound shops, have a trolley near the checkouts with half price of reduced dated stock. Have a look there first before you go round the rest of the store. There won't be any fresh produce there, but sometimes you will find tins and packets about to go out of date. Beware though, there is a lot of junk, cake, biscuits, fizzy drinks, sweets, which you don't really want if you are trying to follow a healthy diet. You have to be disciplined not to pick it up, even though it is cheap. I usually walk away from it, but I am not perfect and sometimes get a little treat for myself.

When picking up yellow stickers in a supermarket. put them in your trolley with the sticker face down. It has been known that other savvy shoppers will take things out of your trolley when you are not looking. If there is a bit of a scramble around the lady with the ticket machine, chat to her, be friendly, and make it like a game. No point in being nasty. Tempers can be lost and yellow sticker shopping becomes a misery. Make it fun, so what if you didn't get that small cauliflower with wilty leaves, go for the sprouts or the broccoli instead. If there are several of the same item available, don't grab the lot, say, I'd like two of those, and point out something else that the other person might like instead. I have had people hand me something from their own trolley, when I said, ooh dear I missed those. Of course, the level of niceness might vary depending on where the store is located. My Tesco is on the edge of the town, to shop at night you need a car to get to it, so not a lot of competition. If it is a store close to town or a housing estate, there will be more people looking for bargains, so there will be some grabbing going on. Not very pleasant, but there's ways of getting to the front without the pushing. I have been known to get down on my knees to get to the bottom of the chiller cabinet.

So, when is the best time to look? Anytime between 2pm up to 9pm. The meat usually comes out first, because it's got to be shifted quickly. The supermarkets start with a small markdown first, then later a second and a third markdown. The later it is the cheaper you will find it. Saying that, you may be unlucky and find nothing left if you go in at 7.30pm, because some people are satisfied with a 50% reduction. I like to take a gamble and go later to get 90% off. Of course I may be unlucky and find there is nothing left. It all depends on how much the management have over ordered the stock by, and how much people are prepared to pay for it. Supply and demand.

Do not waste time and petrol going from shop to shop, that is daft. Always combine journeys, if you are going out somewhere time it that you are passing a supermarket on your way back. It could be worth stopping for ten minutes to check out if there is anything to be had.

Don't be embarrassed about foraging in shops, the markdowns are there for everyone to buy. You are being savvy to search them out. Some people will say, oooh, I couldn't do that, and look down on those who do. Well bully for them if they can pay full price, let them. I have to make ends meet on my pension. I don't load my trolley with expensive crap. I look in their trolleys and think Jeez, what awful food you eat, then watch them hand over the plastic for a �100 bill. They are subsidizing my food bill, it makes me smile.

Are you going to become a savvy shopper? You don't need to go to the extremes I do. It would be more difficult to shop like this if you had some picky family members, it's easy if you only have yourself to please. Also, work can get in the way, and your time may be limited, but can you call in a supermarket on the way home. Worth a look if you are passing. I picked up a few items yesterday on the way back from my walk. Another �2.94 spent, listed on the page above.
Off out now, it's stopped raining. Toodle pip        

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