A little bit more to do

I was hoping to have something to show you tonight. This pressie project is not as simple as I thought it might be. A simple idea initially, but I keep changing my mind and it is growing and changing by the hour. Linda guessed that it is going to be my friends name, she is right. I visualised how the five letters should look, what colours to use, how big they should be. Would they be free standing or attached to something. Sewn on, stuck on, joined together or separate.

I am looking at it now and it is quite amazing. Tomorrow it will be finished, and you will see it. A little bit more to do, that's if I don't think of something else to add to it to make it better. Oh no, I have to stop now, my fingers are sore from all the hand sewing. I think my friend will like it. I would like it, if someone made me one.
Toodle pip

 

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I am a vulture

Well who would have thought it, people coming to blows over a bag of yellow sticker carrots, ha ha. Things are getting out of hand at Tesco in Slough, apparently. When the veg trolley is wheeled out into the shop there is a lot of pushing and shoving going on, and folks are knocked to the ground in a desperate bid to bag a few bargains. Read all about it here.

Thank goodness we are a bit more refined here in North Lincolnshire. I haven't seen any behaviour like this, a few of us gather in anticipation, we hover, we drift off and come back again, and we choose a few item for ourselves leaving stuff for others to pick up. An Asian woman who I see likes the peppers, chillies, and oranges which I don't buy, and she doesn't want the green salads and veg that I want. We don't annoy the assistant while waiting for our turn to get what we want, it's all quite civilised.

I can understand why people are getting in a scrum though. If you don't qualify to receive parcels from a food bank, and you have a lot of mouths to feed, or your income is very low, what else can you do. Normal prices are just too expensive.

I have skimmed through the comments in the news report, and some of them are quite scathing towards people who go yellow sticker shopping. Mind you, that's to be expected from those who have enough money to live on. They haven't a clue what it's like trying to live on a small income, and watching every penny you spend. I take their comments as a personal insult. According to some people, I am a scrounger, a loser, I am greedy, I have no respect and no manners, I am a scavenger, I lack morals, and I am a vulture. Well I don't give a stuff what anyone thinks. I have to make the most of the money I have.

Some of the comments in the paper suggested that shopping at Aldi and Lidl is a cheaper alternative to Tesco. Well I don't agree with that. When I can't get any yellow stickers I will go for the Value, Savers, and the Basics or whatever you like to call them. I get a few items from Aldi, but the majority of what I buy is cheaper in Tesco, with a Value label. Lidl is up the other end of town, I've had a look in there, but came out with nothing. It's not worth my while to make a detour to go there. I don't find anything in Farmfoods, too much convenience and processed food in there. I get a few things from B & M, and Home Bargains, the Cash and Carry, the market, and an Asian shop. I traipse around the different shops to make my money stretch that bit further. Carrying heavy bags, or wheeling my shopping trolley. I would absolutely love to be able to go to Tesco and buy anything I like, stuff the trolley full, get everything in one place. Wheel it to the car and bring it home, no hassle, but it ain't going to happen.

I am managing to keep my head above water, with just enough to pay for what I need, and a bit left for a few treats. I have no spare money to update my house. No money to replace broken or missing tiles on the roof, no money to replace one window, no money for a new door and window on my front porch. I have no spare sodding money, so I will carry on hunting for yellow stickers, because that's how I survive.
Toodle pip.      

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In the mood

Oh dear, no post tonight, nothing prepared, nothing in my head, tis empty. Been sewing, and watching yoootooob vids. I've had this song buzzing around in my head for days now, don't know where it came from, it was just there. Try listening to it and NOT tapping your feet, and NOT jiggling around in your chair, and NOT going dooby dooby dooby dooby dooby do do. Betcha can't, ha ha.



By the way, Linda guessed correctly. You'll have to go back and see what she said. Snot finished yet, will unveil soon. Toodle pip.

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Making a gift for my friend

I've been a bit busy today, being creative, but have managed to fit in a walk in the park. It was a gloriously sunny morning, just a tad chilly, but  nothing that a good heavy jacket and lots of layers couldn't cope with. From a distance I could see that the deer were congregating near the fence at the back of the hall, so I legged it over there to watch them for a while. They get their winter food brought to them on a tractor and trailer, due to not much grazing.

Unfortunately I had just missed the scattering of the food, so it was heads down as they foraged for every last morsel. I see there are a few young ones this year. I love to watch them.

Around the back of the hall is a sun trap. It is also where the staff put out the corn on the steps and window sill to encourage the peacocks to visit. There were four of them there today.

 

They wander freely around the grounds, though they tend to stick close to the house, the walled garden, and outbuildings. They are often hanging around the car park, a nice sight to greet the visitors.

There is an information building, and inside is Joey. He was the dominant male of the herd, until he was challenged for top position in a bloody battle, and came off worst. He died from his injuries.

Poor Joey, and now he has no legs, I wondered what happened to them. I don't like to see stuffed animals, I think taking a dead body apart to use the skin to build it back up on a frame is  disrespectful to them. I suppose Joey could have been served up as steaks. Even so, he should have had a dignified funeral.

Here is a little teaser, a couple of mini pics of what I have been doing today. I need to get this finished for Christmas because it's a pressie for someone. Can you guess what it is? No prizes.

Must get back to it, I'll post the pics when it is finished.
Toodle pip.

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Crafty Club Christmas Party.

These are my crafty friends, having a jolly time at our Christmas Party this morning. There was food a plenty, and the sherry was flowing.

 We laughed, we chatted, we joked, and fed our faces.

 We supped the coffee while we stitched and bitched, ha ha.

We knitted and nattered.

And checked our mobile phones. That's Heather taking a photo of me taking a photo of her.

There was nibbles, savoury and sweet.

 And I scoffed a plateful.

Some of us showed what we had been making. Patchwork and crochet and bags.

It was good fun, we should have Christmas more often. Toodle pip.

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And the winner of the bag is......

Simplesista

Congratulations. Please send me your name and postal address in an email, or a comment here, which I will not publish. It will be in the post tomorrow.

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Strong Woman, by Karren Brady. Book review

I've been reading this book bit by bit for the last two weeks, usually last thing at night before I put my head on the pillow and drift off to somewhere else. When picking a book up again, I always have to re read the last couple of paragraphs to refresh my memory, as inevitably my eyes start closing while I am still reading. This is not a reflection of the content of the book, I just can't stay awake.

I think most people have heard of Karren Brady, at 23 she was the youngest Managing Director of a PLC, she turned Birmingham City Football Club around from being on the verge of bankruptcy, to selling the company for �82 million.  

Karren was born ambitious, driven, and determined. The desire for independence is her driving force, she wanted to live her life where no one could ever tell her what to do. From a young age she was always opinionated about everything, and never afraid of saying out loud exactly what she was thinking. At the age of 13 she was sent to boarding school, which she didn't particularly enjoy unless she was throwing herself into a project, but she does say it gave her the capacity to make the best of a difficult situation.

The book charts her working life, and her family life, and how the two fit together. She faced a life or death choice when it was discovered that she had a brain aneurysm. In 2010 she was appointed Vice Chairman of West Ham United FC. She writes newspaper columns, sits on the board of directors of several companies, was voted Business Woman of the Year, and is currently appearing on The Apprentice as Lord Sugar's right hand woman.  

The last chapter of the book is taken up with her ten rules for success. Briefly these are...

1.  Work hard.

2.  Have confidence.

3.  Embrace ambition.

4.  Have the courage to take a risk.

5.  Take a reality check.

6.  Learn to juggle.

7.  Plan to win.

8.  Know how to negotiate.

9.  Grasp the bottom line.

10. Communicate. 

Karren wrote the book about her own experiences to inspire other women to think about developing their own paths to success. Going through the rules above, some of them did apply to my own career path. I did work hard. I did have confidence, eventually. I did embrace ambition. I did have the courage to take a risk, though I could have taken more. I did plan to win, and I did to a certain extent. The reality check came at the end when I wasn't enjoying it any more, so I called it a day.

Anyone just starting out in their working life would do well to read this book, and anyone else who wants to get down to the nitty gritty of working in a business environment would find it interesting.

I'll be back later with the winner of the bag. Two hours to go to the 6pm deadline.

Toodle pip. 

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