They say never shop when you're ...

 

They say never shop when you are hungry, you will spend too much, buy too much crap, buy what you  fancy in the moment ... and then when you get home eat a banana.

What they don't say is never shop when you are hungry and desperately sad.

I have to stand up and admit to being absolutely heartbroken when we came out from visiting Mum at her care home at the start of the week.  I knew for a fact that if I just let Alan drive us all the way home without doing some thing different I would be sobbing for an hour and putting him under additional stress to concentrate on the road.

So, at my suggestion and fully admitting why, we went to Marks & Spencer ... for a look at their Christmas offerings.  I thought that being in public and in a brightly lit store I would have to pull myself together and who knows maybe even have a little fun.  As you can see from the slightly blurry photo, we may have done a little bit more than look.

We spent just over £95, Alan's half being the larger as it is very meat, seafood and cheese orientated.  Mine was a few treats for Christmas and some day to day foods that I am currently working my way through in date order as my freezer is full to capacity.

Did it work?

I have to admit that in the moment it did, but halfway home the lump was back in my throat, the ache was back in my heart ... and I had the added guilt of a spend that I knew I didn't need to feel guilty about, but did anyway.

This year has just about broken me and I am not ashamed to admit it.

Sue xx

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers who live in the countries that celebrate this day.  

I hope you have a lovely day with family, friends, or by simply choosing to mark the day in the way that suits you best.

'Reading by the Firelight' ... Unknown Artist

Sue xx

Logs ... Past and Future

 

It's funny what pops up in your Facebook Memories.  The other day this photo appeared and the one below, it made me go back and read the blog post that they were originally on.

It's HERE if you're interested.

I read a few of the other posts around it, and I had to laugh because only a couple of days earlier I had been saying how good I was getting at chopping wood with an axe!!

A post all about logs and kindling ... which seems very apt at the moment as we hope to be able to have a log burner in our new bungalow.  Although we won't have a barn to store all the logs and kindling in, so we will have to be a lot neater.

We are going to be all electric with solar panels, so with the rise of power cuts over the last few years we think it might be a bit prudent to have an alternative heat source as well ... and of course a log burner is lovely to sit in front of and to look at on a cold Winter's night.

I might not be writing so romantically about it once I have to actually chop wood, or even just keep getting up and down to put another log on the fire.  😄

Sue xx

Sausage Roll ... and Slaw

 

Remember THIS post when I held my hands up to, and showed you the evidence of, me accidentally cremating a poor lonely sausage roll?

  Well I thought I would keep my wits about me this time and cook the other one yesterday.

Review ... they taste exactly the same as they used to when they were slightly smaller and there were four in a box.  The thing is I think my taste buds have changed a bit and I am no longer a fan.  

On my plate in the photo is a side of a simple cabbage slaw which is simply, 1/4 of a cabbage shredded, a couple of slices of white onion and a dollop of mayonnaise, all stirred together and enjoyed with ... perhaps even more than ... the sausage roll. 

Perhaps I have been seduced by the Greggs vegan sausage roll, which currently due to all the travelling seems to be at the very least a weekly event.  These are ten times tastier than the Aldi cook at home offerings.

I doubt I will be buying the Aldi version on a regular basis anymore.  

Sue xx

Shopping ... and Cynical Festiveness

 

This weeks shopping array ... is that a better word than 'haul' I really don't know!! 😄

I shockingly spent £42.48, that just goes to show what wine, fish, a couple of toiletry items and a little bit of stocking up on a few things does to the bill.  Oh well, it was all needed.  I was very happy with the lemons which were on the Super 6 just as I needed them ... I was down to my last slice in the freezer!

I was also very happy with the 75% off 'Smash Burgers' ... they cost me just 19p.  Will they taste nice, I have no idea but for that price and knowing that I have some buns in the freezer they will provide me with two meals, and you have to try new things occasionally don't you.

The receipt for posterity.

I remembered to write the dates on the the things that were destined for longer term storage ... only I have a feeling that the Stackz won't last that long, and the weetabix will be opened tomorrow as I am down to my last one in the tin.  Oh, well it's good to keep in the habit, it all helps with rotation.  It was all somehow squeezed into the bottom cupboard, one day it will explode and all the food will burst out.  

Yes, we had a cup of coffee and also shared a plate of scrambled eggs in Booths before we went to Aldi, at the front of the photo are my freebies.

Booths café, there are lots of decorations around the place, including a couple of lovely Christmas trees and Santa's fireplace just as you come up the stairs.

Looking down at the store from the café ... we were there very early when I took this photo.  

It's not looking quite as festive in this photo as it was taken last week, but already they are really starting to ramp everything up now.  Soon it is going to be a Christmassy wonderland in a bid to make us spend as much money as possible.

Gosh I'm a cynic ... I better go and get another cup of coffee.  

Sue xx