My frugal finds today

I have always been a fan of op shops (charity shops in Strine...) and today I got 3 pairs of tights for a £1.00 and a new T-shirt for £3.50 which was for sale in the shop three doors up for a lot more. Nice.

I get lots of comments about my clothes at work, (nice ones - don't think anyone is pointing and laughing!!).  I like dresses and many of mine are op shop finds. I love a thrifty bargain and get very excited about finding yarn. The trick as with any purchase is to buy only if it will be used or is needed.....such a hard trick at times.

As a rule of thumb, if I can get something at a reduced price, I will. I will even ask sometimes, very nicely, if the price on offer is the best price. My girls hate it, but hey, we all reap the benefits, even the vendor as they KNOW they will get a sale. It always amazes me how people will pay the asking price for so many things. Yes, there are manufacturing, shipping, advertising, storing, labour costs and all that involved, but even so. A friend of mine makes glasses frames in Japan. They cost less than a pound a piece. Stick a brand label on them there you go, sky high profit margins.

But there are days when I want a new dress or shoes and I want to feel as if I have shopped. When that happens, it feels like a real treat.

It is all about balance. My scales tip in favour of the bargain though!

Yes my dear, you shall go to the ball

While trying on a strapless bra with the in a shop the other night, the zip on Han's dress caught, not in anything visible, probably just a cheap fastener. Result, I had to break her out of the dress. Literally. There were tears and thank goodness for the very young bra fitting lady who told her own tale of her dress tearing minutes before her prom. She reminded Han that there was a whole week to fix it and it was better off happening now than on the night etc....
Well, that week has now only days left and we have a new zip but mama has not started her task....due to nerves. I am a bit out of practice putting in zips. And this is a frilly prom dress that MATTERS!!
But Lucy at Attic24 mentioned zips and sticky tape and that seems like a perfect solution. So that the frills do not get sewn in all directions, they can be taped down before the zip goes in - phew.

After this, I plan to start unpicking so that my lovely big girl can go to her ball.

It has been an odd week. I have been very productive on the crochet front. In less than a week I made this:

for Han at her request. A chocolate Swiss roll pillow!

An old WIP was frogged to start this:



The work was never going to be finished, but a friend told me how much she loved the colours and so it will end up a cushion cover for her. Not blocked yet, still a bit twirly....

Now I am impatient to start the blanket for Big J and me to snuggle under, but before that, before I buy more yarn, I am using up as many bits as I can and doing a granny stripe blanket. This is for Pem and I am getting her to have as much input about the colours as possible.

New Blog to follow

It is always nice to find a new blog to follow. I have been looking for inspiration for colour to decorate our bedroom and want to make a suitable blanket for our bed. For a long time I have been a big fan of Lucy at Attic24, MemeRose, Dragonfly, to name just three of the amazing blogs I follow. I also love reading about life on an organic farm in Australia, of prints and lino cuts, of food and frugal living and the work and creations of every one of the talented women and men whose blogs are in the side bar here.

Then I found Mouse Notebook and fell in love with the colours of her gorgeous blankets and it just set off the most incredible urge to get on with getting the bedroom decorated.

The rainbow colours of many of the blogs I follow give me immense joy, but they are not right for me and my home. I have always loved the sea and sand and stones, from the stormy, inky Atlantic near my granny's house in Ireland to the iridescent blue of the Barrier Reef and tropical waters that I have been lucky enough to swim in. Then when I saw the seascape shades in this lovely blog it all fell into place. I already had a colour in mind for the walls, but have since found a carpet and the ball is rolling. This is also a fabulous chance to buy some new yarn - bowahahaha!!!

Tonight our crafty session is off because this old dear has over done it with the bike and spin and crept home last night worn out to the bones. Still a few days off before the next session on Saturday should see me fighting fit again.

Glorious food

On Sunday, after the wonderful day in London, the rain was still lashing at the windows, so it was a perfect day to cook.
I made amazing muffins. These are an all time favourite and have been used to feed the hordes at school and work to raise money for good causes. They are a continuously evolving thing and we have never had the same result twice.

Yesterday I did them with gluten free flour, but actually prefer them with original wholemeal. In lieu of chopped dried apricots and blueberries, in went 50 gm of dried sour cherries and for pumpkin seeds/walnut pieces I used an Aldi seed and fruit mix. I used one courgettte and one carrot and courgette gives a lot of moisture to them. There is a lot of baking powder in this recipe, but for gluten free self raising flour I halved it and it was fine. The rise is good. I think there could have been less of that sharp taste of soda, so a bit less next time. Anyway, the results are like a meal in themselves. Do have a go.

Amazing Muffins

 

300g wholemeal flour

50g    porridge oats

6 level teaspoons of baking powder

250g dark muscovado sugar

2  medium carrots, peeled and finely grated

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg or allspice

6 eggs, lightly beaten

150 ml sunflower oil or light olive oil

150 ml natural yoghurt

75g walnut pieces

100g dried blueberries

100g dried no soak apricots, chopped

50g pumpkin seeds plus extra for decorating

Pre heat oven to 180’C/Fan 160’C/Gas Mark 4

Line some muffin tins with paper muffin cases ( or use a silicon muffin tray)

Mix all the ingredients for the muffins together in a large bowl

Spoon the mixture into the cases to ¾ level

Sprinkle over a small amount of the pumpkin seeds.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until risen and browned.

They are known as amazing muffings because everyone says they are amazing!

I then made Broccoli and Stilton Soup all from left overs and a chicken bacon and mushroom casserole in the slow cooker.

Will I?

Ride the bike to work this sunny morning? Will I leave it outside the hospital with a plastic bag tied over the saddle in case of rain? Will I feel odd in a skirt and sneakers? Will I be able to carry everything I need for lunch/the day and my high heels in the tiny bikers back pack I have? Will I be able to pop into town at lunch time and do some odd jobs - on the bike or on foot?  Why yes, Elizabeth, you will.

The charity bike ride has been cancelled - due to lack of interest - can you believe it? But nothing is going to stop me riding my bike.

Bawds and Bards

In this inclement weather four of us with a Spirit of Adventure headed for London for our 'Bawds and Bards' walk. From London Bridge we passed through Borough Market. Abuzz with foodies and food and wonderful smells. But there was no lingering. We were off to see the walls of Marshalsea Prison where Charles Dicken's father was incarcerated and where Little Dorrit was set. We followed along the narrow lanes to Red Cross Garden a delightful tranquil little garden with a row of very desirable (i.e...I want one!) cottages.

Not far from here is Cross Bones Graveyard - a burial site for Winchester's Geese, licensed prostitutes who could not have a Christian burial. Paupers were also buried here. The gate of the site is covered in momentos to those who were buried there.

We then dropped into The Anchor for a drink. This was a let down. Despite its history, there was little atmosphere. Few of the bar staff spoke English well or even at all, which should not be a reason to grumble, but in such a historic pub it would have been nice to have a bit of local colour. The service was stunningly slow, in fact more people cancelled their meals while we were waiting at the bar than ordered them. Our intrepid book club team (down to four due to the weather) found two packs of Tescos sandwhiches left on the table by earlier disgruntled customers, so not wanting to waste them and having been watching over them for an hour with no return of their owners, we had them for lunch. One each!! Frugal or what??

Fortified with bland sandwiches and a glass of red we headed for the River. On the way we passed The Clink, the old prison where a gibbet hangs today. We all thought a gibbet was for hanging people, like the gallows, but were wrong. It is a nasty item of invention.

But we had to pass it to get to the Ferryman's Seat.
It is very narrow, and was quite a challenge to wedge this rear end into it.

There was a play on at The Globe so we could not get a look around, but we did see this keen theatre goer dressed for the occasion....

Southwark Cathedral was next. It wasn't going to be, but the choir was rehearsing so we trooped in to listen. It was great. Made even more appealing by a very keen volunteer who asked if we liked a bit of gossip - er, yes!! and she proceeded to go into gory detail about the true blood line of the Tudors... what a raunchy lot they were...

William Shakespeare and the Shakespeare window above him depicting characters from his plays and the seven stages of man.  

This brought us to our final spot, the Old Operating Theatre Museum. For this bunch of Medical Secretaries it was just fabulous. Up in the bell tower of a church, there are some horrificly fascinating medical instruments, pictures and stories. Each of us have our own Consultant (well they have us if the truth be told....) and it was amazing to read that the surgeons of old had 'Dressers' who prepared the patient's details, gathered information about their condition and generally ran around after the surgeon. Not much has changed.

Dinner was in The George. The last galleried coaching house in London. Great food, great atmosphere, fast fast service. An excellent way to end a wonderful day out.

A very big thank you to Juliet - it would never have happened without all your hard work and planning.

Endorphins

It is early days, but having discovered spinning there are signs that it is becoming a bit of a habit. Three times in one week so far....For years I have resisted it, convinced my legs could not take it and it would be hard work (Duh!). For some reason though, it appeals and I can do it without collapsing in a heap. It gets the heart beating, blood pumping and the endorphins flowing. I slept like a baby last night.
The link is for anyone who might be confused with spinning as in wheel and yarn and princesses and pricked fingers and the activity that Wikipedia thrilling describes as INDOOR CYCLING.....bet that floats a lot of boats.....