Trying to be frugal?

Last week I blog hopped and found some very interesting blogs of people that are trying and succeeding to live frugally. They made me think of how we shop.. we are the traditional shoppers, we do one weekly shop and in the same supermarket each week. But it has made me think of what we buy. We do buy the cheapest tinned tomatoes because we use them as a base for soup, curries and bolognaise sauce or whizzed for a passata, but for everything else we buy the brands we know and like. But we are savvy and don't always buy so called bargains until we have done a quick calculation,  to check if 2 small packets of the equivalent weight is cheaper than the 'bargain' larger size. Thank goodness for the mental maths lessons of our generation!

 I have always grown tomatoes and we have a veg patch where we grow salad crops,  beetroot, radish, carrots, chard, squash, courgette and runner beans. Then in pots and bags we grow potatoes, more carrots and more tomatoes. So we do have a lot of veg from our garden.

An early morning view of our small but productive patch.

A lunch of a ham and mushroom pastryless quiche (frittata) with our own veg.

And from one of the blogs, I hopped to a recipe site and made these rustic herby crackers, using chickpea flour (besan flour) and ground flaxseed and my own rosemary, sage and thyme chopped up finely. We had them for lunch with my own sweet Sungold tomatoes, picked from the plant and warm from the sun. Absolutely delish! The pate was from Mr Waitrose although we normally we would have my homemade salmon pate..

So probably not frugal but do you know, I felt as though I was 'saving' money because I never really thought about how much we grew in our modest sized garden.

Of course at the moment I am limited to what I can do one handed but I can still sow seeds and prick out seedlings so not totally useless!

Thank you for all your good wishes and comments on my Five on Friday.. and welcome to my three new followers; perhaps when I am back to normal I will write about what I can do with two working hands!

XX

 

Five On Friday

Five on Friday.

First a thank you to Amy for allowing me to join in..

My first Five things are because of my present predicament. On the 14^th April 2015 I tripped over ‘nothing?’ and broke my humerus bone in my right arm. I am right handed, so my five things are some very simple basic actions you can’t do with just one arm/hand.  Of course there is no driving, stitching, knitting, crochet, or sewing. No cooking, or housework except dusting, no lifting, no gardening. I can’t even steer the vacuum with just my left hand, make up a bed or do the washing except I can load the machine but can’t lift the washing basket. I can load and unload the dishwasher. And I can swish round the bathroom but have problems pulling on a rubber glove onto my left hand.

 So my DH literary does everything! He is my ‘Superman!’

Until you can’t do these things you don’t know how you just took it all for granted.

1.    Each morning you can hear me call to DH down stairs, ‘I‘m ready for my bra please’… because You can’t do up a bra with one hand. I didn’t wear one for 12 weeks and now my DH does it for me.

2.   The ignominy of one handedness is …… You can’t push off and pull up knickers, much too painful to use my broken arm . One of the first times I decided to wear a pair, I struggled to get them up, swore (I am afraid to admit) .. and then??? Tears of frustration as they were on back to front. Screams that frightened the dog, foot stamping and more tears. DH arrived in the bedroom and quietly and calmly pulled them off and I stepped into them and in a trice my personal bits were covered! So now I still go without in the house and have only just started wearing them in the last four weeks when we go out.

3.  The frustration when you can’t undo tops on bottles and jars, so my DH obliges. So there is no sneaking into the peanut butter when I am in the kitchen. It’s DH’s as officially I am not supposed to like it, but I tasted it once and yum yum!!

4.  It’s all very well being able to use your left hand but you don’t feel you clean your teeth properly. There is an awkwardness, so I have changed my toothpaste to one that contains bicarb. Tastes horrible, but with my electric toothbrush it’s a lot better and my teeth feel clean.

5.  And you could starve!!!  Fat chance of that! LOL…. Because You can’t cut up your food, DH cuts the meat and I struggle with the veg, but I use a spoon for things like rice and other foods, because otherwise I drop bits of food! And as for chasing those last bits of food around your plate, I give up and eat Indian style (with my fingers!)

 

It’s not just awkward using my left hand but trying to

 use my right arm is still painful 16weeks on.

There is one benefit to all this, my finger nails are

spectacular and last weekend I went for a manicure

and had them painted a orangey-pink, they look

amazing, well I think they do. My right hand is swollen

 and this too prevents me stitching as I cant hold a

needle.

 

I hope you have found my Five things of interest and perhaps funny, but I hope in a month or so time I will have use of my right arm again, I have missed it so much.

Watch out for Five on Friday to start again in September.

XX

 

 

9 Years today!!

It was a very hot and sunny day nine years ago when Mike and I married.

I had the hat made for a previous friends wedding and so just had to add some aqua feathers to the white ones to match my outfit.

Don't know why the photo is on the squiff!!  It was a very happy day and it has been a very, very happy nine years.

 DH and I were email friends, we started writing to each other in 2004. I had changed schools in 2002 and suddenly found I needed computer skills so bought my first laptop. Playing around I found a penpal site and DH was one of six people I choose to write to. We agreed to meet when DH and I had been writing for a year and a year later we married.

It has been a real blessing meeting him and I say a silent prayer of thanks hundreds of times each week and 'I love you' to him every day

 

I still write to two ladies, one in Australia who we stayed with for a few days when we visited there. And the other lives in UK and we fill pages with talk all about gardens and families..

Hope all my blogging friends have been blessed with a loving happy relationship too.

 

XX

Such a wonderful day with a wonderful grand daughter

Saskia Christine Amelia. B.Sc

My lovely grand daughter proudly standing tall for her degree ceremony, and so she should having got a 2:1

We had such a good time. She had planned and organised the day for us and then all the family met up in the evening for dinner.

She will be 21 next month, where did those years go to?

She was a beautiful baby and she has grown into a beautiful young woman, with a talent for putting people at ease and keeping her brothers in check!!

Here we are together.

 

 

 And her brothers taller than me these days.

You can see my ugly brace in this pic!

And all the family, proud parents and the other G/parents.

We had such a super time, and the three days away were like a mini holiday.

I came home tired but very, very happy

XX

 

The answer was NO......

.....when I asked could I have the brace off! My little face showed my disappointment and it was hard not to burst into tears.

But the Dr explained that while I was still experiencing pain, it hadn't healed sufficiently to go without the brace.

He has suggested some ultrasound treatment as I have already been 15 weeks, however as it is a costly treatment his dept. has to request funding!

We were there nearly three hours, but as  I had  requested to attend a hospital near to where we live, we didn't have to drive to Colchester but attended at Basildon. So we did do a little bit of shopping in Basildon.

And I bought Harper Lee's new book, and also her one other book

'To Kill A Mockingbird.'

Like most people I have seen the film and I saw a stage version which was amazing.

I needed to re-read it, and I am loving it all over again. 

 

I can't wait to start reading this new book written it seems before 'To Kill A Mockingbird.'

Although all the reviews suggest that Atticus, now in his seventies is racist;

I can only think of him as the upright, quiet man who strove to give his children Jem and Scout a view of life that was honest and fair and who treated the black people with respect. Will I change my mind?

When I am reading this is who I see............

Ahhhhh...... didn't he play the part right into our hearts??

 

 Thank you for all your kind comments, I will try to do some stitching again this coming week and it is my 7th blogaversary this month so as soon as I am able I will be doing a give-away

  

XX

 

I am still here

 

Just a short hello to say I am still here struggling with my broken arm! I have a hospital appointment next Tuesday and I am hoping that I will have this brace off. It will be 15 weeks.. The last few weeks I have tried to do more but as my hand is very swollen it is impossible to do much. No further stitching as I can't hold the needle with my swollen fingers.

Still I have enjoyed watching the tennis, although it would have been even better if Andy had won!

I have looked at some beautiful blogs, so many talented women who display their work wonderfully and take superb photos. I can't wait to be back to stitching, sewing, knitting and crocheting.. in fact I have looked longingly at so many quilting sites and yarn sites, which have given me some super ideas, can't wait!!

 

And of course if I hadn't had my DH I wouldn't have coped. He has patiently helped me dress, listened to my moans and encouraged me when I have cried in frustration and taken me off for picnics and walks to help with my 'fedupness' of being in the house and unable to do the simplest of things.

He has cooked, done the housework, although I can do the dusting and tidying, it takes me ages. He has washed the clothes, done the ironing and gardened. 

I can never thank him enough.

He has been an absolute love!

xx

A small start !!

It wasn't easy and I was very slow but I have stitched a few stitches on my favourite piece.

This is where I left it 12 weeks ago, yes it has been that long.

Does anyone remember me saying I hoped to have the brace off on my second visit at the hospital, just a few weeks after I broke my arm?

How silly of me!!

It takes at least 3months or more to heal a broken bone.

But I am hopeful that on my next visit I will have the brace off.   Only 2 1/2 weeks to go, yipeee!!!

This broken arm has turned my world upside down, but with lots of blessings and a lot of help I am surviving!

XX

 

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you .....

..............Ingrid.

Look what the post man brought today.

It's so lovely, a Rak

Beautifully wrapped

And look what's inside it... 

 

 

 This beautiful stitched pin keep, and a saying that is 'close to my heart.'

 

  And the chart, La foret Enchantee Printemps by Tralala.

 I can't wait to get back to stitching and this will be my first effort when I get this brace off. It has been 12 weeks, only 3 more to go.  This RAK from Ingrid was a beautiful surprise, so thank you again Ingrid, I love, love, love it!

xx

Growth but only in the garden!

I can't believe we are at the beginning of June.. I have been sitting around not doing a lot for nearly 7 weeks!! FED UP, FED UP, FED UP, totally fed up!! I have tried to do some stitching but it is too painful, can't knit or crochet either..

I have read loads of books and chatted on the phone, because I can't do much else.

Our garden has blossomed but so have the weeds.

I love  Lupins and grow more each year.

I have reconciled myself to the fact I can't do much this year but there is always next.

And although the fox gloves self seed I help them along by shaking the dried seed pods over the garden.

 

DH has done a lot but he is also doing all the cooking, cleaning and generally looking after me, so not a lot of time to do much else.

I don't know if any of you have ever broken your arm, but you do need someone to help you dress, it's impossible to put on a bra one handed!!
I did plant up my patio pots, but afterwards I was exhausted.

Last week I had to have a tooth extracted, as I was having tooth ache. It was a back one and had been heavily filled. I could have had treatment and a crown but with all the pain, I just wanted it gone.
This week I have developed a dreadful cough and cold, so I think I am generally run down.
I feel very sorry for myself but I am so glad I have my lovely man, who has been wonderful.
So kinda looks like I will  carry on being a lady of doing nothing for a few more weeks yet, so I will just have to learn to be patient, which is very hard for me.
Thank you for all the kind messages, hopefully I will back to my happy always smiling self before long.

XX

 

 

Isn't she gorgeous?

So we have a new princess..will she be Alice or Charlotte, Elizabeth, Diana or ?

What ever they chose for her name, no can deny she is beautiful.

 

 

Congratulations to her proud parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

A day to remember.

 

 

xx