Bunting

Was not going to do anything for VE day as a child of a Burma Campaign airman I resent the way my Dad was part of the "forgotten" who went on for 6 months more and by the time he got home all the attention, and housing, had gone. My parents started married life sharing with her sister and 4 boys in a bomb damaged house then in a Nissan hut vacated by Polish POWs till getting a council house in 1952!  Still I put my feelings aside when I found I had lots of triangles of blue all over the table from cutting the V necked scrub tops for the NHS. Roughly joined them to a left over strip, added a couple of white and a red triangle and hung on the garden gate to join my rainbow just to cheer our road up.

I had to bike round the village today to get some milk( about 2 miles) and in that distance only counted 5 other bunting efforts. Could have been more on the estates and closes off the roads but I thought there would be far more considering this is supposed to be a "retirement" village.

Perhaps I will do a display for VJ day in August!

Meanwhile lockdown drags on a bit for us. My husband decided he wanted to finish a boat model project he started 20 years ago. He dragged out the hull and the wood for it from storage but could not find the plans. Hardly surprising as we have moved at least half a dozen times since then! He went on a boat model forum and someone in France offered him the plans within 2 days! Marvellous thing this internet, and, Google translate!  They apologised (in French) that he may have to wait 2/3 weeks and he replied that after 20 years that would be fine!

Milk jug/ turning into our mothers?

The one job I insist my husband does everyday is make me a pot of nice coffee in the peculator at 11am. We then sit together and share our interest in the news or something on YouTube (or sit in the garden). For ages he has been saying he find the plastic big jugs of milk a bit difficult with his arthritis and I argue back we use so much milk in custards etc that we need the big supply.

Last week I conceded we needed a milk jug "like our mothers used to have". So I went to the charity shop and found one for £1.50. Filled at early morning tea making it lasts all day for cups of coffee and tea and saves getting the big supply out.

It reminded me that my mother and aunts would gather round a kitchen table with a pot of tea and milk in the jug of course, for that daily catch up!!  Husband's mother was dead posh. Her tea set matched.

Gosh, turning into our mothers for sure.

A creative productive start ot 2020

We have a few creative days to start 2020.

I have managed to make two balls in crochet using YouTube instructions. Toys for Jack the cat at son's house.  Ends of left over wool used.

I made a case for my husband's i pad  as he may want to take it on holiday next week and says all electronics have to go in hand luggage. Made it bright so he can spot it in the security trays! Left over fabric used.

My husband made me a nice big cutting board from a bit of left over kitchen top.

And I bottled 2018 brewed wine!  Not sure why I did not do it in 2019; perhaps we were still drinking 2017 and did not make any more? Its a bit like jam - some years you make so much you can't get through it.

Husband is out making/creating space in his workshop for all his planned activities in woodworking in 2020 and I am going to leap on Movie software and make another video for YouTube channel Grow to eat about hedging and shelter belt. Then we are going to do some guitar playing practice. 

 Our new year resolutions:  We are going to be creative in 2020. But it will have to thrifty stuff as there is not going to be a lot of spare money this year with some planned house improvements needed.

You Tube channel - Gardening

I hinted some weeks ago I was experimenting with You Tube and thinking about doing a gardening channel thing from the perspective of retirees who grow things to eat and eke out the UK State Pension.


It all started because my husband, the photographer with lots of expensive equipment, had been saying he would do something for months but could not work out the movie making and editing bit and of course wanted to buy more lovely equipment i.e. a drone. I got fed up with waiting for his motivation to kick in. So I challenged him to a contest. He put movie software on my old PC.  I shot a load of quick bits and in two hours achieved a 4 minute video and added narration and music and uploaded to You Tube. A month plus later he is still hesitating!



Over the last few weeks I have put up 4 videos on growing your own fruit and veg and am working on my last for the year. And I think it may be the best to date its got a few bells but no whistles!. Although they are not very sophisticated as I just use a point and shoot small digital camera held in my hand. I have not Vlogged (as they say) which is talking endlessly to camera. And I don't think that will ever be me!  Only yesterday found out I could put my little camera on my husband's tripod so I can do stuff in front of the camera.

I am not sure yet if it will be worth doing a lot of this, but I do know I know a lot more about growing fruit and veg than some people on You Tube! And there are not many "elders" sharing sensible growing for the cooking pot.

So I called my channel "Grow to eat" which was a mistake, I think, as it comes up on a search along side these body builders who eat to grow their bodies! There is also another channel with the same name, but You Tube did not tell me that and mine loaded anyway. When you do an email address it usually automatically says there is another "MollyB" or whatever, in the system. Strange. 

Other strange thing, my family say I have put on a very posh voice. Honestly did not try to do that. It just comes out like that because I am still self conscience about sitting here with a mike talking to myself!

If you get time please go and look and give me some feedback.  I would be very grateful.


Here is a link to the first video.
(I think, It feels like I am still stumbling in the social media dark forest.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJd0NFZtzIg&t=21s


Now back to some more editing and learning before we go away for Xmas and for a short holiday somewhere a lot warmer than the British east coast in January!!

Logs and rats

Or Rats and logs - if you take the chronological order!
Went away for a few days and on return found that the old loo we had converted outside loo into a store had been invaded by a rat and our store of potatoes gnawed and the kindling in there popped on. B....... rat. 
But it all had to come out anyway as the next day the local log man was bringing us a lorry load. From the drive to the shed took all day, between showers

.

Got it all squared away, remaining bags moved to another location and the poison put out.

Next day my husband opened the garden tap to drain the last bit of water. It flowed. What happened I asked? Did you not turn it right off on the valve at the back of the shed after we cleaned up and before we put in the logs?

Apparently not.  Well, not fully off or some mumbled explanation.
Half of the lorry load will have to come out again.
I am not moving them again.
The ones that have to be moved are coming indoors once and for all.
I don't care about the stacks of logs littering the place I am only moving the ..... things into the fire.

I blame the rat.

Books

The other morning we were sat in bed with our tea and books while the local radio station presenter whittered on about not being a reader. Not read a book in 2years! Unbelievable.
Just had a look at my library account on line.  In 5 years I have borrowed 633 books. Plus 10 or so brought in charity shops or received as gifts.

That is about 3 books a week!

Currently I have a detective novel on the bedside table, an art book in my hobby cabin where I am taking time to do some art lessons, on the settee there is a non fiction book on taking photos for Instagram which I browse when bored with TV.  On my tablet I have another novel open but I am struggling to engage with it and have dipped in and out when on line in the afternoons.

My husband can get through 2 novels in a week and can't sleep unless he's had 15 minutes with a book. He let's me choose books but often complains! He hates going to town to the library on the bus. If I get the "wrong" ones and runs out of a good read before I go to town, he downloads his free book each month from Amazon prime to the Kindle. So there's another 12 books a year we read!

Do you think we have an addiction problem?

On her last visit my 5 year old granddaughter saw my husband reading and asked why he was doing that. Her mother explained he was reading a story which he played in his mind like one of her TV programmes.  I hope that inspired her to read more by herself when she gets to that stage soon.

Brain Activity

I was listening to a Radio 4 programme the other day about us "older people" keeping the brain active to ward of the dreaded dementia.  I was half thing "yada yada ya!, same old - do more exercise, eat healthy, etc etc and then they said something new and interesting.  Apparently there is some new research (possibly German) that as you get older parts of your brain technical "die off" but they have discovered you can re grow your brain cells   by doing completely new (to you) and creative stuff outside of anything you had done in your previous adult working life and to make it something that makes you stretch yourself to feel uncomfortable..

Now that is interesting.

• I have set my target to do something creative everyday, to include to do something NEW creatively or something that is demanding and difficult for me. 
• I am going to try to learn a new fact everyday.
• We are going to work together on crosswords, polyword puzzles, or a TV quiz every week (mastermind, university challenge, type thing).

Day 3 of January 2019 - how are we doing?
We watched University Challenge - husband got 9 answers, I got 2 more, literary ones. with us even beating both teams on one answer. We are competing on "who wants to be a millionaire" - keeping scores.
I have learnt 3 facts
1. Dust blows off the Sahara desert and lands on the Amazon Basin. You can see it from space.
2. My grandson has a G instead of a C in his DNA that makes him lactose intolerant. Genetically his father is northern European and his mother Asian and that means Dad is lactose enabled due to Europeans developing a diary based diet over thousands of years but a diary diet is not in the racial makeup of people from the sub continent of India (mum).
3. The L train which featured a lot in episodes of the TV series ER (which I loved) is a shortened form of the word "elevated" train network. I always wondered why they called it that.

I have started a new creative project which I shall write about tomorrow.

OK I have set no targets for being more active. As they suggest. My husband's arthritis limits walks etc.  I think I am just going to try to be outside for at least 30 mins everyday in any weather and be doing something that leaves me a little puffed.  So far I am tidying and turning the surface of the garden flower beds which are already showing bulbs growing.

Folksy seller

After a lot of urging from my children and their spouses I have decided to dip my toe into the e selling market with things I make at home often from bargain materials and up cycling things. GrandmaMakes is what I am calling myself.

I don't have much money to invest in this speculation and set myself a target of £100 income in a year. This will equal what my husband makes selling his tomatoes at the garden gate.  I have gone for Folksy as the e selling site for crafts and home-mades. I researched Amazon, ebay, Etsy and think this is the easiest - but if any of you bloggers have feedback let me know of your experiences please!

I have put 6 items I have made and it has cost less than £1 so far to list them.  Tote bags, bakers apron, children's sun hats and toddler's sun dresses are my main things so far.

It is a good job it is too cold to be doing much else because the photos and uploads are taking me ages to do. I hope I get faster as I could have made 3 more things in the time so far!

I hope its a success even in a small way, but just in case I shall say "Thank you" nicely to the nice Government department who increased my state pension today.

Further stretching till the end of the month

Been a funny January. We have mostly been toddling along OK enduring the cold days, the miserable days, the sunny but windy days.  Then we go and have the most expensive day ever.  I went to the dentist for a filling - £57. That was the third visit in the last 6 months so now I am taking so much care - no toffees, no hard biting, no grinding teeth in the night. 

Then we went on to the opticians.  Hour and an half at least of tests, talk, hard sell (refused all up grading) till I was ready to scream!!  I have not been for 8 years and was perfectly happy till about 4 weeks ago when I felt somethings were a bit blurry.  Turned our work was bad for my eyesight and since retiring and not having to squint at databases, spreadsheets, endless long Ofsted reports, cross check lesson plans  on screen with badly lined up word documents.  My next prescription is less strong apparently.  But I seem to have started cataracts. Then I failed the last test of flashing lights - to much like a computer game for me.  I have to re do it next week. 

At that news I decided to go mad and ordered purple glass frames for my verifocals.  I might go for a purple dye at the hairdressers next week just to feel less like an old, old lady.  Also a very broke one - £225!!  Mince from the freezer until the next state pension pay day.

Cold turkey holiday

No, not meat. No, not bad weather in Turkey.

A cottage in Skye (Scotland) with fantastic broad band but NO TV or MOBILE RECEPTION or LANDLINE PHONE.  (There was a working coin operated red phone box at the end of the mile long rough lane).  So our usual 2 or 3 hours a day wasted on TV (and the other hours where it is background noise to other activities) are suddenly gone. Its lovely.

Our digital devices (ie ancient laptop) can Google but can't play movies or sound at all. So the cottages DAB radio playing via the modem is permanently on Classic FM and our pile of library books is going down.  We have played 4 games of Worddrop (a cross between scrabble and connect 4) and the other half has won three games to my 1.  Jigsaw puzzles are available in the bookcase too.  Weekend papers quiz pages are strewn everywhere.

I have been sketching and doing some water colours inspired by the fantastic scenery.  Then we go somewhere and see local artists who are all absolutely fantastic!

I am also enjoying the dish washer. Its a holiday treat not to be doing the washing up!!  No log fire, (so a break from wood cutting and cleaning as well). This timber built bespoke cabin is so well insulated the small radiators and evening cooking are keeping us more than cosy.

Like Retireewannabe I am actually back at home when you read this - no point advertising to the criminal fraternity!

Food costs

Time for a quick review of our food costs.  Bloggers have raised concerns lately.

We keep our accounts package up to date and use the title "groceries" to cover all food and household/cleaning products and toiletries for a household of two retirees and visitors. We grow a lot of our own fruit and veg, cook from scratch and don't have processed foods. My main shop is done on t'internet and delivered for £1. We use local butchers and fish market (but not exclusively as both involve a drive of 10 miles so it is just when passing on other business we stock up).
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Firstly, I looked at the long term spending and found the average over 3 years is £58 per week

Had a look at last 12 months and it averages £52 per week, which was probably due to the good harvests of last summer.

The last 3 months have been more expensive - costs rising to £57 pw.   Why?  Lack of our own potatoes and we have had to buy in our supplies since Christmas Plus, we have been treating ourselves twice a week to locally baked fresh loaves. A mistake. The price has crept up to £1.90 a loaf.  Just those things have cost £7 a week. I am sure we could reign back on the bread and crops are coming on!

I could save more by going into town and shopping around  but I am not willing to waste a day a week. Besides growing your own means you need to be around and working at it every day.

How is your budget going?

Moral dilemma

So I am on that local bus again; grateful for the regular service from town to our village. BUT I am a trained workplace assessor and spent 10 plus years watching people working to an efficient(or not) standard.  So this is what I observed over 20 minute journey:
1. A colleague of the bus driver is on board and has chatted with him all the time he is taking fares etc. Stands next to the driver and chats when we set off. In front of that line and the notice that says "do not speak to driver or distract them".  Ok, I have often seen bus staff do this. Common practice but not best practice.
2. Driver takes 3 sharp bends and one right turn junction with one hand clearly on his bus cab support and only one hand on the wheel. OK,  Don't fuss.  No husband often does one handed thing when driving.  I am a nervous 10 to 3 wheel clutcher.
3, We enter the fast straight stretch between villages, and he speeds, up a lot. Colleague receives a text message on her smart phone. She holds it in front of the driver for him to read and share. They laugh and exchange comments.

I got off a few minutes later with a sense of relief.

When I went indoors to find my husband having coffee and watching programme about bad driving on the A1 which, after my morning, did not look that bad but the emphasis was on the dramatic consequences. When it had finished, we discussed my observations and agreed 3 was probably illegal (Reading a text while driving? or, is it receiving and accepting and reading a text?).

So I confess. I emailed my comments to the bus company. I am feeling very guilty - was it bad enough to endanger their jobs?  Or am I Mrs Fussy who has spent too long "judging" people at work?  (I did end up changing careers to get away from that role as judge! )  But then if something had happened unexpectedly at just the wrong moment would the driver be able to react? Was I really a dissatisfied customer - my journey was free, quick, and I was not harmed?

I used my husband's email as my operating system is the same as the NHS one that got hacked so I did not want to turn my PC on.  His reaction was "Thanks, now I will be the one to get the hate mail".  I pointed out if he had driven me to town I would not have been on the bus in the first place!

Travels abroad

So last week we traveled from Gatwick for  a short break in Palma, Majorca. Our first trip aboard for nearly 5 years. Now you should bear in mind I am not an airport person and my husband has arthritis in one ankle and is not able to walk quickly. After an uncomfortable night in the hotel we set off early into the whole airport process.
What annoyed me most?
People rushing past us, pushing in queues and generally just having to be first in line no matter what?
The security woman repacking our toiletries into two separate plastic bags as having them all in one handy big plastic bag was not acceptable?
The overpriced food?
The long walk with a least two non-operating walkways, a non-operating lift which meant going up several flights of dingy stairs?

Thank goodness I fell asleep in the plane and woke up on landing! It was warm and sunny and the public transport from airport to hotel was smooth and trouble free. We spent a lovely afternoon wandering the labyrinth of alleyways with their upmarket shops and squares with pavement cafes in the old city and the enormous cathedral that dominates the skyline. Tried to avoid most of the steps and steep bits but it was quite a way up from the marina road and sea front where we were staying.

Next day there was a lovely coloured dawn from behind the cathedral with the light reflected in the marina. Good weather promised with temperatures up to 18 C!!

We went back to the modern city centre on the  bus and took the historic train through the mountains to Soller.

From the town we took a sweet little tram down to the sea. It squeezes and shrieks through the streets, straight across roundabouts and back gardens.  

 Lunch and a paddle!

Back in the town we had the most gorgeous ice cream ever in the town square.

There was some interesting knitting bombing on some of the trees - patchwork squares wrapped round the trunks of the otherwise bare plane trees. 

We found a FREE exhibition of ceramics by Picasso at the station.

There is a lot of modern sculptures and art all round Palma.

Next day was more exploring the winding streets and historic buildings of the old city. Plus leisurely lunches. 

Old windmills, above city walls with orange trees.

Interior of the 14th Century Merchant Guild building with wonderful arches designed like palm trees. 

Next day we traveled back to the UK and I won't bore you with a rant about airports and travelling public general lack of manners but I was glad when it was all over.

We contemplated Euro rail as an alternative and I agreed to try ferries again rather than any more air travel.

Travels in Februay

Our first bit of travelling in this month was a weekend in south London with our youngest son and family.  We got our discount rail "Travel together" tickets and a lift from our neighbour and set out early on Saturday from King's Lynn.  All went well except the express train was busy, but not full, then got busier and nosier  at Market Downham and then got frankly ridiculous at Cambridge!!  How can they sell twice as many tickets as you have seats? Surely there is enough technology, and chances in the hour long journey to there to physically count, and realize you have  sold 8 carriages of 80 seats and allowing another 400 + people to last 20 or so in each carriage to board is silly and unsafe?  Needless to say I was not impressed by having a creche of six under 5's round my feet for another hour even though they were well behaved and lovely.

Luckily Thameslink is an underused line and we arrived slightly calmer for lunch.  Later that day we joined son's east Indian Hindi family at a Bollywood concert in a school in Croydon. Great fun, even though we had no idea of the lyrics the energy and musical skill was fabulous.

Bit cold on Sunday but we braved a walk in Kelsey Park. It was a nice break from reading Thomas the Tank engine stories non stop which is little ones latest obsession.

Interesting park, linear along a stream and around a lake, bequeathed from the original manor house, and has some very old and interesting trees. My son thinks this one must have inspired Tolkien to invent "Ents" in the Lord of the Rings.

Late Sunday my son drove us to Gatwick to stay overnight before an early flight to Palma, Majorca. I will carry on my travels next time!

Break from blogging

Hi
One of the advantages of having a thin time with money in January was I have not much to clear out of the fridge at the end of the month so that we can go off travelling in February. We have 4 trips planned one after the other - a short break abroad, and visits to all 3 children in various parts of the UK. One has a new shed, one a new baby and the other a new house!

Having struggled not to go over any budgets all January I now feel like money is leaking away in tickets and hotel costs plus some new shoes and a jumper each!  Still, we limit ourselves the rest of the year so this will be all our treats in one go and we will tighten the belts all summer.

As soon as we get back we will be deeply into seed sowing and preparing the garden to feed us for the summer.

So not much blogging in February - see you in March!

Grabbing a fine day

Despite fog and frost most mornings we grabbed the opportunity for a 4 mile walk around the lanes yesterday. Still, bright but hazy.

 We admired the vast areas of spring cereal crops already green and doing well.

Totally puzzled by the ridges in this field. Too early for potato ridging? Its a bit solid looking? Eventually we spotted the green shoots of daffodils! Its a flower field! The next field over, behind some thick hedging,  was more advanced and you could see rows of green tops. 

By the time we left the road and took a path between fields, copses and hedges we had warmed up and had to loose hats and gloves and loosen woolie scarf.

Home in time for lunch of carrot soup. Our carrots are getting a bit old now and I have found a bit of ground cumin when softening the onions really improves the flavour and colour of the soup.

On the very miserable days I have been pursing my rag rug making. I have concentrated on longer lengths and used wider strips of thicker fabrics mixed with jersey fabrics or rayon to give colours. Each strip is folded in to conceal as much of the raw edges as possible. This is giving a nice thick braid when plaited up.

I have been stitching them together in pairs in front of the TV in the evening and I think I will need 20 pairs to make a big rug !  The odd bits hidden in cupboards and drawers are rapidly getting cleared into this project - old cushion covers and tablecloths as well as old clothes and pillowcases!

How have you been using your time in this cold weather?

When I am old

I was mooching round some clothes rails with my husband today on a rare visit to town. He was moaning about the lack of interesting and affordable men's clothes and I was depressed by all the grey and beige woollies in the women's aisles.  I was reminded by this poem by Jennifer Jones which starts...

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, ......

Most of the clothes we saw were expensive, would not last one wash let alone half  a year and were dull and thin.  I shall book a half day to mooch round the charity shops after my next wardrobe review. I shall look for much brighter colours.

We returned from town with a pile of library books and some meal worms to a bright sunny afternoon which allowed us to rush round the garden doing those little jobs (logs, veg peelings to compost, dig up carrots, weed in the poly tunnel, replenish bird table and feeders).  Retired back indoors at 4pm to shake our heads sadly at the USA antics and plan to watch BBC's Winterwatch next week!!!

Hot curry

Welcome to new follower!

Just used 2 tablespoons of Balti curry paste to liven up left over chicken and veg (carrots, mushrooms, onion, few potatoes) with a packet of frozen tomatoes from the garden.  Nice and hot and has cut through the snuffles and sore throat nicely.



Quiet a warm day here (8C) so shuffled out to dig a few carrots, fetch a couple of wheelbarrows of logs down to the house and add some more shrub trimmings to the bonfire.  As soon as the wind changes direction (and the flu goes) we will have to have a big session.

In the next few days my husband will be installing the bench and things in my sewing cabin.  Will publish some pictures when it is all fitted and tidy!  It has been a bit cold in there this week, down to -2C.  Which is a bit disappointing as we paid extra for thicker wood which was supposed to be more insulating.  Hopefully with furniture and curtains it will feel better.

Thrifty ways

While we were on holiday last week my grandson objected to his "jim-jams" having a tight neck. So Granny took them home, unpicked one side and put in two facings in a matching red fabric and two poppers.  Sent back in the post so he can get a few more weeks out of them Kids grow so fast!

On the way back from the post office I search 3 charity shoes for new boots.  The cheap ones on the left I brought 4 years ago for £12 in the cheap shoe shop and have worn them to death. The uppers were fine but the soles were cracked but finally the front fell off. The short brown ones to the right are barely worn, leather, Clark's, and were only £8. As I no longer have to yomp round urban areas between meeting meets for work they should last twice as long! 

At least I have managed some thrifty ways but there are several things building up in the house that are going to require attention and spending. Always something!

Trains, boats and planes

We concluded our holiday in north Wales with a lot of slow transport trips.

Horse drawn canal boat trip, train up Snowdon, steam train from Blaenau Ffestinog to coast, walks along canals and over Aqueducts.

Snowdon in sunshine and canal boat on Chirk aqueduct

My daughter in law is Indian but brought up mostly in the UK, and sometimes we have to explain some  English customs. Yes Devi, we are playing pooh sticks. Poo??? (child obsessed mother in the throws of potty training) No not that poo, POOH.  You are all very strange. What?   Us?? 

So did the 2 year old grandson enjoy all this Welsh scenery and culture? No. He is obsessed with tractors, diggers and JCB machinery. He would rather spend time watching the lorry with a crane on it reverse across the canal bridge or men digging up roads. 

He taught me how to find you tube videos on mummy's i pad of tractors!!!

As they left north Wales his parents took him to an air museum to look at planes. You would think he would have had his quota of machines - no, all the way home they had to play spot the digger/tractor!

I spent all week teaching  him to say please and thank you. (That is what Grandma is for).