Acquiring Things, and Letting Things Go

Mum's windowsill in her care home room holds her most treasured possessions, not that she knows they are, but I can talk to her about the memories behind them over and over ... and then they make her smile. Her walls are full of family photos, and we regularly go over and over who the people are with her when she asks, but she sees no one except for me, Alan and my brother, so she really is losing track if we talk about anyone else.

It makes me realise that not acquiring things, as we have purposefully done for the last few years, (apart from a few special things), has been a really good move.  We don't need any souvenirs from our holidays apart from a few photographs, there are no fridge magnets or little jars of sand to remind us where we have been.  Just the memories and some photos to jog those memories, in case they start to slip away in the future.

When we enter the world we come with nothing, and then immediately start acquiring things, at first via our parents and relatives, and then with great gusto and lots of relish when we are independent adults striking out for the first time.

Of course while I have donated most of my randomly acquired things and ornaments in a bid to declutter my life over the years, there are some still things in the 'memory box' that I have. It being a memory in it's own right as it was made for me by a blogging buddy when we moved onto our very first farm.  I may even need to revisit that at some point and photograph the 'things' and just have them that way.  We'll see in the run up to our move what will happen.

Of course I have lots of books, but even my book buying has almost ground to a standstill.  I have paused my Amazon Prime membership. With no deliveries and little on Prime that I wanted to watch on television there didn't seem any point in supporting a huge company with a multi-multi billionaire at it's head.

Taking my life down to a simple level, and a much more satisfying stage seems to be such a good idea.  One day I too might only need a windowsill to display my possessions. 

Sue xx

Filling Up Spaces, and Shrinking by the Week

 

I called round to the bungalow with Alan's lunch on Monday, to find that he had been busy filling up the space in my bedroom with the stud walls for the en-suite.  It completely changes the look of the room now.

It actually feels smaller than it appears in this photo and will feel smaller still once the plasterboard goes up and the whole bungalow is plastered in a couple of weeks.  

As a reader mentioned the other day, we are shrinking by the week.  At the beginning the bungalow was 880sq ft or 83 square metres, I think we will have to have a re-measure once all the walls are completed as all the exterior walls will have come inwards by around 4" due to the insulation.

After having a lunch break with Alan, I headed for home to do some more filling of space.

I managed to get some roasted vegetables, pasta and peas and some stewed apple in orange juice, made up to fill that empty shelf in the fridge.  I also took a tub of grated Christmas cheese out of the freezer and opened a jar of pesto to have with some of the pasta for my tea.

It's nice to see it looking a bit healthier in there again with things to give me inspiration for this weeks meals.

Sue xx

Shopping, Using Up the Bits ... and Perfection

 

We went to Aldi on Saturday, as is now becoming a ritual to start the weekend off.  We have a coffee in Booths and then get over to Aldi nice and early before the masses arrive.  Although to be fair our Aldi seems even busier on a Sunday!

I mostly bought just what I needed, which this week was Weetabix, orange juice and paracetamols, but I was obviously influenced by a talk that I went to last week on inflammation and osteoporosis.  Where we were reminded how important it is for many ailments, especially those that include any sort of inflammation to 'eat the rainbow'.

Well I managed to get four colours of the rainbow ... now I just have to eat them more regularly.  😄🌈

My receipt for posterity ... and to celebrate that I am managing to get to the end of my pension-less days by the skin of my teeth.

As I went to the fridge to put my new purchases away I realised just how much progress I had made eating up all the little tubs of leftovers last week.  So, as I always do, I moved the last couple of things off this shelf and gave it a good wipe down.  Cleaning the fridge one shelf at a time is so much easier than having to hoick everything out and do the whole thing all at once, with it beeping at me like a crazy guinea pig.

This week I think I will concentrate more on the bits and pieces in the freezer, of which there are many little bags, tubs and half packets.  I want to batch cook some more meals and all the tiddly bits are just taking up too much space.

While I was peeking in there to see what I had, I spied the blueberries left over from our final Riverford order.  So as I had a very ripe banana glaring at me from the side, it just had to be a batch of Blueberry and Banana muffins*.

I used my usual method of weighing the eggs and then adding the same weight in flour, fat and sugar and as luck would have it, I had the exact amount of flour left in the jar to be able to stick to this criteria.

Perfection. 

Sue xx

*There are no photos of the finished muffins ... we ate them all. 😁

Old Food ... or Leftovers

 

I was reading some comments on an Instagrammers feed the other day, she's the queen of frugality and uses things so well. But, as is the way when someone gets successful online, the negative nellies and keyboard warriors turn up to put their derogatory comments in, and try and get their comments 'liked' by other people.  

One of them said that she wouldn't dream of saving or eating leftovers, and that all leftovers were was 'old food' and should be thrown in the bin.  Wow!!

Happily lots of people were not of that opinion, and I am one of them.

The other night for instance, I was having some spicy potato wedges with a fish portion, and some frozen mixed vegetables and I couldn't quite finish them all.  Did they go in the bin, no they did not ... an idea came to mind straight away so they were quickly cut in half and put into a little tub in the fridge.  

My fridge seems to be the happy residing place for lots of little tubs this week and I am working my way through them all.

I tipped some frozen peas into the pot with the wedges ready for action, took a rather large egg out of the fridge to warm up, and got the little pot of Flora brought home from a meal out ... et voila the makings of a nice little meal all ready to go. 

Ten minutes later it was all in the pan and I was busy making a nice cup of coffee to go with it.

Another few minutes and I had a nice dinner all ready to eat.

That is most definitely not 'old food'.

Do you love your leftovers?

Sue xx

Wildlife ... and Renovations

 

Heron and Greenhalgh Castle Ruins by Dermot Cummins

Isn't this a lovely photograph of a beautiful spot in our town.  I asked the photographer if I could share it and he said I could.  The river is the River Wyre which snakes its way all through our small town.  We are very lucky as well as supporting lots of wildlife, such as the herons and kingfishers, we also have quite a few otters that have returned to the river.

And now, ladies and gentle for your delight and delectation ... yes I am old enough to remember 'The Good Old Days'.  I don't know why I loved it so much as a small child, but it taught me the words of a lot of the wartime era songs, which on occasion I baffle Alan with, here's this months walk through of the bungalow.  

Alan asked me to do another one at the weekend before he fills in all the interior walls with the insulation.  I'll have to have a go at editing all the clips together at the end and make a movie won't I.  😄

https://youtu.be/haO5B4hHrRA?si=o3K-MlEizo7qCopB

I don't know why I talk so softly on these, it must be not wanting to bombard you all with my Mancunian tones in such an echoey environment.

Sue xx

Pies ... and Dates

 

One minute I was looking in the fridge for an egg to make myself a fried egg on toast for my lunch, and the next I was making pies.

I do that sort of thing a lot, it's as though I have a brain that tells me to do something else other than what I actually have planned.  Hey, brain just who do you think you are, who's in charge here ... and where is my fried egg? 😐

Instead I stood looking at all the little tubs of leftovers in the fridge and the roll of ready made pastry that was well out of date, and decided to add them all together and make pies.

The potatoes were actually boiled and in lovely big pieces, but I warmed them up for a few seconds in the microwave, mashed them up with a fork and added in some of the onion chopped into small pieces, and all of the cheese in that tub ... plus a little bit more for good measure.

As I was cutting out the pastry circles I realised that there wasn't going to be the usual perfect fit for my four bases and lids, then I remembered Angela mentioning quite a while ago that the pastry pack sizes were now smaller ... shrinkflation at it's invisible best.  

  Happily though I just about managed to roll out all the scraps to make a circle that just about covered the fourth pie.  No little pastry 'chef's perk' of a couple of jam tarts for me then from now on.  Unless I make my own pastry, which of course I should do.

They are very tasty.

 I had one for my lunch straight out of the oven, I gave one to Alan when he got back from the bungalow after a days work, and the other two are temporarily living in the fridge.  I don't think they are going to make it to the freezer though, they are far too delicious.

Someone asked me the other day if I was still writing the dates on any long term foods that I buy for the cupboard.  The answer, as you can see from this weeks photo is yes.  😊

Sue xx

Always Space for Just One More

 

As you will have noticed Alan had a busy week at the bungalow last week, so when 2pm on Friday afternoon came around and he phoned me to ask if I fancied meeting him at Booths for a coffee and a spot of lunch of course I said yes ... I don't need asking twice.  😄

After some sandwiches for Alan and a shared bowl of chunky chips alongside our coffees, we went downstairs and picked up a few bits and pieces that we both needed, and lots of Ginger's favourite cat food.

I spent £8.40 on the three items of food and I may have spent another £3.99 on a Dahlia.  It was a beauty I couldn't resist.

The next day on our way home from a breakfast at the garden centre, picking up our monthly free coffees while we were there, we stopped off at Aldi because Alan wanted to do his 'proper shop'.  I bought this lovely trolley full.

As well as these flatbreads which I use as pizza bases, and which went into the trolley after I had taken the photo.  

In Aldi I spent £20.95, and as you might have spotted in the trolley photo I was pressured by it's beauty into buying another Dahlia.

Alan said ... 'Will you have space for it in the garden?'

What a silly question to ask a gardener, there is always space for just one more. 💚

Sue xx

One Day It Will Be a Bedroom

 

One day I may just have a bedroom like this.

I do have a bit of hope, as up until Thursday of this week the windows of my bedroom were boarded up.

And now I have windows.

I didn't think I would be so excited about a bedroom window.  😁

Or a bathroom one.

It's made the world of difference to the bungalow,  instead of dark gloomy rooms and builders lamps, there's light so that everyone can actually see what they are doing.  

Alan's first job at the start of next week is to start to move the stack of plasterboards that were left in the exact place where he has to start building the wall for the bathroom ... that was really handy wasn't it.  😐

Yesterday was a really good day in the bungalow, the windows went in, the solar installation was finished, the gas board came to cap off the gas pipe in the pavement off our property, and the plumber called to discuss the first round of work he needs to do, including putting in a stopcock under where the kitchen sink will be.

Yes, one day soon I will also have a kitchen.  😀

Sue xx

A Much, Much Cheaper Option.

 

I went way past my dinnertime yesterday and only really thought about food in the late afternoon, so I fancied something small and tasty to tide me over to my tea.  I opened the freezer for a rummage and  spied a box with one vegan battered sausage in it. 

Now I bought these a while ago when I was making us a home cooked 'chippy tea'.  Our usual chippy order is 'one medium fish and chip meal, one medium fish portion, a battered sausage and a pot of curry sauce'.  From this Alan has the fish portion, the sausage, the curry sauce and half the chips, I have the rest of the chips and the fish.  It suits us both and makes it affordable as an occasional treat.

When I replicate it I buy these battered sausages as Alan really likes them, I also used to have some of the instant curry sauce granules from Aldi, but I think that I threw them out when I was having a bit of a UPF blitz and there was only a bit left in the tub. 

 Oops, I had forgotten about doing the homemade chippy teas. 😐

One sausage cut in half on a little bun with two sachets of tomato ketchup from my freebie stash and I had the perfect little late afternoon snack ... and do you know what I absolutely loved it.  

Now I might just have to buy another pack and a tub of the curry sauce granules to appease Alan next time he says 'Should I go to the chippy?'.  It's a much, much cheaper option.

For those not in the know I am originally from Manchester in the north of England, and there dinner is at lunchtime and tea is our evening meal.  Having also lived down in the south it used to get queried a bit as there it was lunch and then dinner.  But ask yourself this ... if you live in the UK what were your school DINNER ladies called.  

I rest my case.  😄

Sue xx

Canalside Walk

 

I used to share so many of our canalside walks on here when we had the dogs.  It's just not the same without them.  There's no little companion to talk to and to stop for a while and drink in nature while they sniff and explore what must be so many glorious scents for doggy noses.

It all feels a bit flat ... but it is beautiful.

There were lots of little clumps of bluebells in the long shaggy grass.

It's sad to see all these new houses in what were until very recently vast swathes of green fields.  The people that live on these boats are going to feel very overlooked in the near future.

Just how our schools and the single doctors practice that our town has, are going to cope with yet another influx of new people I really don't know.  This new development has hundreds and hundreds of houses and flats along the length of the A6 and going way back into what was all farmland.

Heading back for home it made me realise that I will miss the proximity of the canal when we move.  It always feels calm and green, especially if I head away from the new houses and the noise of the builders.

Sue xx

My Bank Holiday Weekend in Pictures

 

First thing on Saturday morning we went out for breakfast to one of the garden centres we like.  We got a small breakfast each and our free coffees for May.  As usual my 'Vegan Gardeners Breakfast' was brought to the table with a couple of packs of Lurpak butter on the plate and I had to ask for Flora instead, which the waitress brought over with a smirk on her face.  I am starting to realise that someone in the kitchen is out to try and annoy vegans!!  For anyone that doesn't know I am not vegan, but I don't eat meat and I can't eat dairy, but the intolerance often shown to vegans is absolutely infuriating.  I have left a review on Trip Advisor after this visit, enough is enough.

After we had finished eating and drinking  we wandered around to see if they had any Tumbling Tom type tomato plants, but no such luck.  So we called next door to an even bigger garden centre and there we struck lucky.

Alan bought me a tray of spring onions and six Tumbling Tom style tomato plants, three of them being called something else and being yellow.  We detoured to Fleetwood on the way home for some fresh air and another cup of coffee.

The tomato plants are all now in the 'bedroom greenhouse' until the weather gets a bit warmer.  😄

On Sunday we went to visit Mum.  

She's back at her care home now, but still not doing very well.  As is now our habit we stopped at the motorway services to get a snack and a coffee, Alan had the free steak bake that I had available on the Greggs app and we both had coffee.  I wasn't in the mood for a pastry so I decided to get a portion of fries from Burger King ... £3.65 for a large fries and a little pot of mayo!!  Wow, it's a good job Alan's pastry was free. 😐

This stop on the way home is proving to be a very necessary decompressing stage, we are both coming out of the visits more despondent each time.  It's so hard seeing someone you love declining and getting absolutely nothing out of life.

On Sunday we went to Booths café for a quick breakfast before shopping at Aldi.  Alan had a small cooked breakfast and I just had a couple of crumpets, Booths are always good at supplying Flora, there are no problems there.

Then it was onto Aldi for the bits of shopping that we both needed, seemingly this week I will be living on fish, peas and tomatoes.  I was really surprised that the tins of pink salmon were only £1.45, so I thought I would try them, I usually buy red salmon.  If it's just as nice I may stock up a bit as the date on the tins is December 2030.

  As usual I didn't need much, my cupboards are ridiculously full.

The receipt for posterity.

So it's seemed to be a very foodie Bank Holiday weekend, with a bit of plant buying and a detour to the seaside for a coffee and some fresh air.  It's also been a very snooker-y one for Alan as he has been glued to the Snooker World Championship for the last week and the final was over the weekend.  Now he's back to the bungalow for a few days of things really moving forwards.  The solar installation will be finished by tonight, the gas pipes will be disconnected to the road tomorrow and the new windows should all be installed by the weekend.

Big changes.

Sue xx

Appreciating What You Already Have

 

After sitting looking at the soil and rock pile at our new bungalow the other day, shown on Thursday's post, I came home and appreciated what we have here all the more.

Having no money at all to spend on the garden this year is setting me a nice little challenge, making the most of what I already have.  The little tin bath at my front door has been refreshed with the free rockery plant that I got from the garden centre as their April freebie for card holders ... along with the usual two free coffees.

The forget-me-not seeds that we got off the vets after Suky was cremated appear each year, (both Suky's and Mavis' ashes are in this little tin bath, so they will always be with us).  The tall twiggy plant at the back grew from sticks that were in a bouquet of flowers that Alan bought me a few years ago, I just pushed them into the soil et voila.  💖

The little vegetable bed at the end of the back garden had this years veggie seeds sown yesterday.  

There are just rocket, radish and three types of salad leaves in there for now, along with the perennial chives and thyme plants.  Seemingly there's also a random potato plant, which I didn't have the heart to pull up, but I will have to won't I ... maybe I'll try to transplant it.  😀

I was also going to sow some spring onion seeds, but I have none.  Also, much to my dismay I have absolutely NO tomato seeds.  How did that happen?  I was so upset going through my seeds tin and finding it devoid of tomato seeds that Alan asked what sort I had wanted to sow.  I told him that I was simply going to have a couple of hanging baskets of 'Tumbling Toms' this year, so he said that he will buy me a couple of plants when we next go to a garden centre.  Which I think will be very soon with a Bank Holiday Weekend upon us and two free coffees available at two of our favourite ones

Across from the vegetable bed the rhubarb is looking brilliant already and will soon start to be picked, and the apple tree is having a very leafy and blossomy time.  As are the blueberry bushes, two are full of little flowers and the third is the one that always blooms a bit later anyway.

As you may have spotted on the new header photo, we also have a little bit more colour appearing now that the daffodils have all gone over.  

I'm putting the photo here as well as one day in possibly the not too distant future, the header will change and then later readers will not know what on earth I was on about. 😄

Ginger in the garden first thing yesterday morning. 🐱

I hope he's still with us when we move, and that we can make him a new garden to explore and play in.

I hope you have a wonderful Bank Holiday Weekend, if it is one where you are.

Sue xx