The In-Between Days

 

We're in those in-between days.

It's no longer Christmas although our homes are full of good food, decorations and gifts that have not found a home yet.  We don't quite know what day it is, let alone which of the leftovers to have for our lunch today.

The world seems to have tilted and left us slightly discombobulated, made all the worse if you are also feeling the after effects of illness of any kind.

We went out for a coffee and a bacon butty for Alan, and a coffee and a couple of crumpets for me at Booths this morning in at attempt to claim back some normality ... and drop off the misappropriated shopping basket.  We finished it with a detour to the bungalow to see if my befuddled workings out at fitting ensuites into both bedrooms is a viable plan.

Somehow having a few days away from the bungalow has ended up saving us quite a lot of money, as we have found a way of not having to build a porch on the side of the house or knocking part of one exterior wall down to fit new double doors.  This is the plan as it was before I planned the ensuites, less wasted space and a lot less doors.  It's all starting to come together.

I knew there would be some benefit to my brain taking a few days off.  😄

Sue xx

A New Beginning

 

September 

- from my Lucy Almey-Bird calendar.

A new month, a new season and a new beginning.

Well that's how it always feels for me at the start of Autumn.  For all the people that love the Summer, I am instead one of the fewer number that love Autumn rolling in with all it's 'mists and mellow fruitfulness'.  

Coming back off our holiday where we had had a week of sunshine and warmth, to the heavy rain of Saturday and the much cooler temperatures of today, made the first day of Autumn even more special somehow.

  I went on holiday knowing that I would be using it as a reset to a lot more than just the weather.  As you all know I have been running down the cupboards and the freezer, using up all the foods that I wasn't really wanting to carry on eating.  I had drunk all the wine that I had in the Lodge, not all in one go I hasten to add!!  😄 

But over the last couple of weeks it had all been drunk and enjoyed.  When Alan reached to pick up a couple of bottles last time we were in Aldi together I told him firmly to 'put them back'.  Don't worry, I wasn't banning him as he rarely drinks wine, but he has the habit of always having bottles in his fridge and cupboard to offer to me when I'm at his in the evening.

So the last evening of our holiday was my last day drinking any alcohol, at least until Christmas, or I may just have a single glass on our wedding anniversary in December, but none until then at the very least.  I have done well eating my way through the the freezer, although it's now messy, as is my inventory, and both need sorting out.  The fridge is looking sparse and sparkly white now that I am back home and cooking for myself, and I am about to really start to make inroads into the cupboard store of food, especially all the out of date and things dated for this year in the top section.

Today though is all about making my home look, and hopefully feel a bit cosier, taking a smidge of inspiration from the picture above my desk.  It's very chilly at the moment, and while the heating hasn't been switched on yet, I have dug out a jumper to wear over my t-shirt and the immediate cosiness feels very welcome.  

So today, after a warming cup of coffee and a trip around blogland, my little vignettes on the sideboard and radiator shelf will be changed slightly, highlighting books in different colours and taking away some of the cooling look that has been in place over the Summer months.

I haven't shared any of my holiday photos as I'm not sure if you would like to see them, and those of you on Instagram have already been bombarded!   Sometime other peoples holiday snaps can be slightly wearisome, if however, you would like to see a few images of our hotel and some photos of Stratford Upon Avon let me know in the comments and I will happily oblige later in the week.

Sue xx

I'm Already Thinking of Next Year

 

This year has been such a shit-fest, sorry no other way to describe it, that I am not surprising myself that I am already thinking about next year.  

Usually I hold on to each year until the last possible moment, but this year I have my two new calendars ready to go, I have plans to buy a non-officey desk diary .. hey next year is retirement year for us both, four months in the office do not need a diary.  Instead of officey I am thinking bloggy, there you go ... spellcheck hates me!!  😄

At the moment I am thinking of moving away from Challenges on the blog, moving towards day to day simple living as it used to be on my Smaller Life blog.  A little bit more homey, days outey, but still booky and foody.  Continuing to annoy spellcheck with a gleam in my eye.  😎

I was looking at the stats on the blog the other day and over the course of the past couple of weeks have watched the Follower numbers going up and down with gay abandon.  What is it about the numbers 87, 88 and 89 that leaves the little total going up and down like a lift with a mind of its own.  I have no problem at all with fewer Followers, but being under the magic 100 does mean that I have the option of making the blog open only to those Followers, it's something that I am seriously thinking about the way the internet is going these days.

After all with over sixteen years of regularly posting on my various blogs under my belt, I have a beautifully, wonderful core of regular readers, blogging buddies and Followers that have put up with my comings and goings, my blog hopping and life changing ways and still for reasons best known only to themselves stay with me.

Brooke seems to know her tribe ... and I think I know mine.

Sue xx

A New Year, A New Blog, A New Way

 

A new year and one that I wanted to be even simpler, slightly different and to be able to blog in.  Due to work related issues I have had to find a new way to post about my doings, and my comings and goings, and what easier way to do this than to simply ... for now ... post about my two favourite activities in the world, eating good food and reading good books.

I chose the name for this blog simply because I do not think you have to spend lots of money to eat well.

  Good food is food mostly bought as ingredients, eaten in season and cooked simply.  Not necessarily from the cheapest shops but bought in the right amounts so that there is no wastage, so that every little bit of what you buy is used and enjoyed.

I'm no angel, and I won't pretend that a Pot Noodle never passes my lips, that a yellow stickered microwaveable ready-meal never enters the house.  But like many, I do my best to eat good food most of the time.  An 80/20 rule is a good one to follow in my humble opinion.

So this blog is going to be all about the food I buy, the food I cook and the food I eat and share.  For the first time in years I have set myself no Challenges, I can spend exactly what I want to each time I go to the shops.  But I will, as usual, be mindful of cost and try to keep the money I am handing over as small an amount as possible.  Each week I will try to remember to photograph the shopping as it is brought into the house and tell you how much it cost ... and if I remember to menu plan I will share that too.

I am not striving to empty cupboards in a rush, I am instead menu planning from them and the fridge/freezer and just buying any additional things I need to turn what I already own into tasty nutritious meals.  As always as I tumble into January and a brand new year, the cupboard is full, the freezer almost full ... but unusually for me the fridge is quite bare, well except for a plethora of dairy-free cheeses and spread that should keep me going for a few months.

As for the reading part of this brand new blog ... well I have a new bookcase to fill so as the Christmas decorations come down I will be re-organising my shelves and reacquainting myself with some old favourites.  If I go missing for longer than you expect I will most likely be found in a corner, surrounded by books reading ... and perhaps snacking on something tasty.

Thank you for joining me on this new adventure.

Sue xx