Counting my blessings.......

Afternoon All,

Happy New Year and hope you are all fit and well, life soon returns to normal doesn't it? I've been back on that treadmill, up and down the motorway each day, with what it seems like less time to spare than ever.

Ten years ago we used to have a caravan at Montgomery which we went to every weekend when we could, I still worked full time and all 3 of my children (although grown up) were still at home, I still managed to do all the housework, cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing and the garden and I still had time to go to the van - Now I still work full time there are only 2 of us at home in the week and 3 of us at weekends and I manage all the housework, cooking, washing , cleaning, ironing and gardening and then nothing much else! where does the time go to? Is the world moving ever faster or am I moving ever slower?!!

I get in the car every morning and go down the motorway every day thinking 'lifes not fair - I want to be at home doing my crafts, in the garden and having a nice easy life' then I get to work and the madness takes over, and I suppose I do enjoy my job - then after a busy day, I then come back up the motorway, counting my blessings, thinking well at least I do have a job, which is a lot more than what a lot of people have, I live in a lovely little house that I own, with good neighbours, I can pay my bills, I can keep warm and eat good plain food and most important of all,  I earn my own money.

I've worked and earned my own cash since my daughter was 5 years old - she's 30 now, there have been times, when I was left a single mom and had a mortgage to pay that I worked at 3 jobs - I did the council job during the day, then on some nights I worked in the cash boxes at the local illuminations and on the nights I didn't  do that I worked behind a bar serving drinks.

But by doing this, it was my money that was paying for everything - I even managed to buy 2 brand news cars by doing this. (Strangely something I can't afford to do at the moment!)  I've also paid into my own pension for the last 22 years. So although I go down the motorway each morning wishing I didn't have to - I do appreciate and realise all the good things in life that it gives me. (Although I shall still go down the motorway on Monday morning thinking - 'wish I didn't have to do this')

My Nan always used to say that a woman should have her own bit of money put away somewhere for a rainy day and emergencies -  there have been times when that little bit has come in handy - even now, I still do keep a little bit on one side, it helps to pay for birthdays, Christmas and other things.

Talking of paying for things - take my advise, never never buy a Citroen car - every January something goes wrong with our C3 and you can guarantee that it will cost us a pretty packet and yes yet again it has happened - this time it has been the clutch and gear box bearing that decided it wasn't going to work - so we have started January off £400.00 worse off than we were at the end of December, which has given a knock to the savings.

We've decided that again this year we won't have a holiday - we need to carpet the conservatory, due to the way it was constructed (we live on a slope going downwards and sidewards) it is built onto constructed walls with concrete grandfathers (beams) across the breadth of it and whilst we have 2 large radiators in here, (we put on the largest conservatory we could, without planning permission)  the cold comes up through your feet and then slowly up to the knees if you're in here for any length of time, (I had to tell the family to wear thick socks when they came for Xmas dinner!) and we know that carpet will cost us £500.00+

I also want to purchase a decent T.V, for in here (it's a large conservatory with 2 large sofas as well as a dinning room table for 6)  - we both love to sit in here in the summer and it will mean that the room gets more use, plus the garden and allotment are on going and I also want to paint the inside of the summer house this year - and there is only so much that we can do at a time.

The curtain that I made for the front lounge way back in September has come in very handy especially whilst we've been having these strong winds which seem to find every little nook and cranny to come through.

Oh well time to go and get ready - on baby sitting duties tonight -  Hope you all have a good week.

Byeee

Happy New Year

Afternoon All,

Miss Piggy Bank - Nice to hear from you - I agree, can't wait for the next series of Downton.

Jane and Chris - I agree with you completely - I look at what other people are putting through the check-out when I go shopping and think why are you paying that much for that rubbish! It's far better to cook from scratch and tastes far better.

Anne - Glad you think that it's a good idea -I've already done my 4 quarterly lists and have been and brought my birthday and anniversary cards for the next 3 months  - it's not that I'm that organised - it's just that by writing my lists I stand a reasonable chance of remembering everyone's birthday. (Couldn't live without my lists now- at a funny age and all that!!!)

Kath - Thanks, good idea - I will one day

How are you all - all ready to welcome in the new year? I think I'm as ready as I can be - we shall just have a quiet night here and tomorrow will be spent cleaning the house through and taking the Xmas trees down. I know that they should be left up till twelfth night but I start back on the treadmill (back to work and the commuting) on Tuesday and as with all holidays I like to go back to work knowing that I've left the house all clean and tidy.

Have you made any New Year Resolutions? I haven't - I think that the word 'resolution' just sets me up to fail (it's a strong word isn't it?) so I shall 'endeavour' to make a few changes - then if I fail I can always start endeavouring again can't I?! I won't have broke or failed a 'resolution'!

One endeavour that is always ongoing is to get the garden and allotment  'just right' - will it ever happen - I don't know - I just know that I do enjoy trying each year. Let's hope that the weather is kinder to us in 2012 and I can grow all the vegetables that we and the family need.

I do want to get the conservatory decorated and the summer house painted inside and all the decking re stained. The stain is so expensive isn't it? (That's another endeavour, just shot down in flames - I was going to say, try to not spend so much!)

Finally as per usual - loose some weight!! I know that all I've got to do is eat less and move more -  just easier said than done in my case!

I hope 2012 is a better year for everyone and that we all have a happy, healthy, (especially my Mom and Daughter in Law after all the problems they've both had recently)  and comfortable 2012

Best Wishes to All

Byeee

Catching Up............

Afternoon All,

I hope that you've all had a Happy Christmas and are ready to welcome in the new year in a few days time.

Anne and Jill - thank you for your messages and I hope that you both had a good Christmas too.

We had  a lovely time -  if what a little busy, I raced over to see my 2 young Granddaughters on Xmas morning and then raced back (literally - I was driving my son's car - I don't think he realised that it could go that fast!) to get the roasters in for lunch, we had 7 to dinner and everyone said that they enjoyed the meal.

My Dad enjoyed it, as this is the first meal that he hasn't had to cook since my Mom broke her wrist and he didn't have to wash up afterwards! I also managed to make a Dundee Cake for the first time, on Xmas Eve,  which also got the seal of approval from my Dad.

My Daughter in Law managed to eat her dinner as well. (we didn't realise that the ear operation would affect how she could eat - all the side of her face and jaw have been painful plus the dizziness made her feel sick - poor girl) But she managed to sit with us and had a good lunch and she said she felt much better for having something good to eat. I'm a big believer in that, after any sort of illness or operation - that you need good wholesome food to sustain your recovery, so I was pleased to see her managing to eat.

(I'm afraid that I don't really 'do' or believe in all these 'convienience' foods - it never tastes like a proper meal and it worries me what chemicals they have put in it, to make it so easy to cook and to make it last so long.)

Did you have any gifts that you've thought "what on earth do I do with that" - I've been very lucky and everything we're received has been perfect and will be put to good use. But I have felt a little disappointed with a few friends who I've sent gifts and presents for, but haven't even received a card back from them. I can appreciate that times are hard and it has been difficult for some families, but a thought and message in a card doesn't cost that much. It will be interesting to see whether these same people will be sending thank you cards - I doubt it - but there, you live and learn.

We went to my Daughter's for tea yesterday which was nice and then I have spent today doing the bills for this month and setting all my folders up ready for the next 12 months - so that I know what has got to be paid each month and when.

I suppose if I was a whizz with the computer I could set it all out on a data base but I know my limitations and I much prefer to put it all down on paper and know what I'm doing! I now know what bills I'm going to be paying and when along with what I'm going to be overpaying on and how much I can save each month. It's a nice way to start the year - with a clean slate and knowing where you stand.

My son tells me that the town was very busy today with people out shopping in the sales, I won't be bothering - this little old house has too much in it as it is and is bursting at the seams and there's nothing I can think of that I want - so can't see the point in going out- I would rather stay here in the warmth!!

Tomorrow is my day for the diaries and calendars -  birthdays, special occasions, anniversaries etc., all get transferred from last years diary to this years. I try to buy the birthday and anniversary cards for each 3 months in advance and put the money away for any gifts at the same time. I find that it's a good system for when I'm really busy at work and don't have a lot of time to spare.

What about Downton Abbey ladies? A happy ending at last but poor Mr Bates is still in prison - lets hope that they get him out in the next series!

That's about all for now - have a good evening

Byeee

Merry Christmas Everyone

Merry Christmas to All


Well, the 3 Christmas trees and the house have been decorated, ready for Christmas, the cards written and posted, the presents brought wrapped and distributed, the food shopping done and the house cleaned from top to bottom, the pantomime was brilliant oh and we've had 2 members of the family in hospital,  my Daughter in Law for an operation on her ear, (only a few days ago so balance is not good!) and my Mom,  courtesy of Mr Marks and Mr Spencers for leaving boxes out for her to fall over and break her wrist. (Shrewsbury branch so be careful if out shopping there, in the sales - they appear to have very little regard for their customers safety!).

No wonder I haven't had time to post, service will be resumed in a few days time (she says hopefully!)

That just leaves me to just say Merry Christmas everyone - I hope it's a good,  peaceful and happy one for you

Best Wishes xxx

Our 'Sid'............

Afternoon All,

How are you all?................ All ready for Halloween?............... Aye Aye Captain reached 78 'I's'  before I lost count and that was just after lunch so I reckon I wasn't that far out at all.

As it is close to Halloween, I thought I'd tell you a little about our resident spirit, Sid. This house is 150 years old and these old 4 walls will have seen some births and deaths over those years.

When we moved here 8 years ago  it was to escape and get away from my first husband (who still doesn't know where we are), we moved 25 miles away from where I'd grown up and from where I work hence our commute up and down the motorway every day.

When we brought the house, it belonged to a 'new age couple' who had painted the rooms in some very modern loud garish colours. So 2 days after we moved in we spent £300.00 on paint and set to with the paint brushes and rollers. Three weeks later it looked like a 'proper' home. But each time we finished a room we'd have a spell of the lights flickering on and off, in that particular room.  My hubby checked the electrics, but could never find any reason why for it.

As this house is very similar to my Nan and Grand Dad's house from when I was little and the fact that we moved here 2 years to the day after my Grand Dad passed away and that the street we moved to has his christian name as our street name - I used to say 'Oh it's my Grand Dad just saying it looks better!' jokingly.

But 2 months after moving in I went to see a spiritualist who said to me "You know you have a spirit in that house" - "It's someone who lived there a long time ago and someone who loved that house - he planted something red in the garden" and I said " I've joked that it was my Grand Dad" and she said "No it's someone who loved his home and he's so pleased that you've put it right now and it's looking like it should".

I came home and searched the garden and couldn't find anything red until the winter took over - there was an over large bush in the garden, which was a dogwood and when it had lost it's leaves the stems turned a bright red!!! - I'd found what he'd planted.........

There would have been a black leaded fire grate in the kitchen, which someone removed (what a shame) we have a log burner there now and in the corner there I have a comfy chair, everyone who comes into the house always seem to make a beeline for this chair - I love sitting there, there's such a feeling of peace and contentment in that corner and I wonder if this is where 'Sid' (that's what we decided to call him) used to sit.

The lights stopped flickering a long time ago, now Sid's party trick is to turn the TV on for about a minute and then off again. My brother came to our house a couple of years ago and we were all (the family) sitting in that room and we were telling him about the T.V. going on and then going off - he said "No I don't believe it" a couple of moments later, the T.V. went on and then off............... there was a sharp intake of breath all around the room and I said to him "Now do you believe it?"


But despite this I never feel scared - I'm sure that Sid knows that we love this house as much as he did and we all live in harmony. I was on my own and cooking some Apple Chutney a few weeks ago and wasn't sure whether it was done and must have spoken out loud as to whether it needed any longer......the T.V. went on then it went off, so I just said I'll take it that it's cooked then Sid and turned the jam pot off!!

So there we go.......... Sid the Spirit......... Happy Halloween and have a good week

Byeeee

Memories

Hi

I've been thinking about yesterdays post and it got me pondering and I believe that the reason that I like white ironed sheets is down to my Nan.....

I remember when I was small, my Nan and Granddad had an old house with a scullery type kitchen. I can remember my Nan having to boil the water, on the stove and then pour it into a big barrel, out on the yard - the washing would go into this and then she had a thing called a 'posh' in our parts which was a broom handle with a brass round thing on the end that you would use to bash the dirt out of the washing.

From there, the washing would go through an old fashioned mangle and then back into the big white stone sink (which I would give anything to have now!) where everything was thoroughly rinsed through and then it went through the mangle again. If it was 'whites' like sheets or net curtains then it would then be put back in the sink, but this time the rinse water would have a 'blue bag' in it and your whites then came out a lovely bluey white - then it was out onto the washing line, to blow dry.

People had pride in hanging out a line full of snowy white washing in those days.

Then, she had a twin tub and the washing would go through the different processes, but still there was the 'blue bag' and if it was needed starch would be mixed up in the enamel bowl and the collars and cuffs were dipped into that.

Everything was then ironed properly, with a hot iron and a damp tea towel if something might go shiny with the iron or if something was really badly creased. No steam irons in those days.

I'm sure that it's these memories of my Nan toiling away, whistling as she worked, in that freezing cold scullery, that keeps me ironing those damn sheets each week!

I remember the cooker that she had in that scullery - it was a proper old fashioned gas cooker and I remember that when North Sea Gas first came out, everyone had to have their cooker altered to manage this type of gas - I remember my Nan moaning that the food didn't taste the same after North Sea Gas!

She was a brilliant cook and her meals always tasted beautiful - I would do anything to stop at my Nan and Granddad's when I was little, just to be able to sit and tuck in to whatever she had cooked. The only things I couldn't eat was when they had rabbit for tea or my Granddad would have pigs trotters sometimes.

But I tucked into what ever else she cooked with gusto! I've always tried to cook like my Nan, she was very much into slow cooking and she could bake a lovely fruit cake. That's one thing I have inherited from her, I can bake a decent fruit cake (My Mom says that I'm just like her for that)

 Funny how memories  can stick and still influence you 51 years later isn't it? The winds really blowing today - I wonder if she's got those snowy white sheets out on the washing line up in heaven, today?

Have a good day  xxx

Saving Pennies.........

Afternoon All,

Hope you are all fit and well and that life is treating you kindly.

 My son went into hospital on Thursday and the surgeon managed to 'pop out' the broken cheek bone so that he didn't need to have a plate fitted. We went to see him on Thursday night and was really surprised at how good he looked considering he had only come out of 'recovery' approx 1 1/2 hours before - he's had hardly any bruising and his face went back to being symmetrical immediately - he was allowed home on Friday morning and has just got to go back and have his stitches out next week.

He was back in work on Saturday morning (He's a Postman and the Post Office are the worst company to work for - they have no thought or empathy with their employees at all, the 2 days he's taken off for the operation was booked as leave as he couldn't go on sick leave - he'd loose his chance of a transfer if he did that!)

Bet he'll be more careful when he's digging the garden, next time!

I've been looking for Xmas presents recently - my husband retires in 2 years time and we are starting to rein in our spending now, so not spending quite as much on Xmas as we have before, but how everything has gone up in price! - I've had to warn my Daughter that there won't be as much, as in the past for my Grand Daughters - My daughter has always put our presents with theirs and then told the girls that Santa has brought them, after Nanny has sent them to Santa.

I've managed to get a number of friends and relatives presents already and I've got a lot of knitting to do in these next few weeks for friends children, these items will double up as Xmas presents.

But I feel so mean not spending as much as I normally do on family and where I am spending the same amount - it's just not going to go as far.

I've already started off the Xmas food boxes, I've done this since my own children were little, I start in September and buy one thing extra each week and put it away in the box - so far I have chocolate biscuits, trifle, cheesy biscuits, stuffing mix, foil etc., - so some put away already - I also do my Son and Daughter-in-law a box the same. I've also started saving  stamps for us, my Son and Daughter for Morrisons only six pounds on each card so far but every penny helps.

I've also been saving the cards from the the Mail on Saturday and Sunday - you enter the numbers from the cards onto the computer and by 27th November, I shall have enough for a fifteen pounds voucher for Tesco. (I know that it means buying the papers each weekend, but I like a paper on a weekend to read so might as well get something back in return!)

Hopefully Morrisons will do the deal whereby you save your receipts for a month and they give you vouchers to the value of twenty five pounds. I'm hoping that all these little things will add up and not make Xmas too expensive for us.

We've managed so far, not to put the heating on or light the fire, I'm trying to put that off for as long as I can, but the nights are getting darker earlier and cooler aren't they? We've changed the bed today and the good old fashioned flannelet sheets have been put back on and I've changed the summer quilt to the winter quilt.

I know that I am extremely sad and old fashioned, but I always use plain white flannelet sheets in the winter and plain white cotton sheets for the summer and my sheets always have a boil wash and they are ironed - I paid a lot for the sheets and brought the best I could, so it always makes sense to look after them and there's nothing like getting into a bed made with freshly ironed sheets.

 A while back I had enough pennies to purchase a duck down filled winter quilt and a summer quilt the same and it was really money well spent. I'm the same with curtains - I have Sanderson Rose and Peony for the front of the house for the winter and Laura Ashley for the Summer. I think it's nice to acknowledge the changing of the seasons, within the house.

I've finished altering the curtains for the conservatory today and they are now up at the window. The thermal lined curtains are all up all at the other windows in the conservatory and all the curtains have now all been closed - they'll stay closed now, until it's warm enough to open them next Spring.  We have 2 radiators in the conservatory but it's such a large room, that you don't feel any benefit from them, when they are on in the winter and as the forecast is that it's going to be such a bad winter again this year, every little bit of spare warmth will be needed. There's plenty of daylight through the roof.

We'll start closing the garden down next weekend ready for the winter months. so lots to do there.

Hope you all have a good week Byeeee