5 OS Pleasures in your Day Today part 2

mhagster

Sparrer: was a take on Nigella's soft set peach & redcurrant jam. Which is :
8 peaches, stoned & cut into chunks
600gr redcurrants
2kg preserving or caster sugar
250ml water
juice of 1/2 lemon.

Everything in a pan, allow sugar to dissolve on gentle heat, then boil for 20 mins, until it's just at setting stage, remove from heat.

What I did was same amount of nectarines as sugar, juice of 1/2 lemon. Probably about 175mls of water, think I could have got away with a bit less. I always love the jewel like colour jam goes when it's cooking, this was the most beautiful red/yellow colour as it bubbled away. It tastes lovely.
Probably cost about £2.00 to make it.

A wee word of warning about your eyebrows, sometimes when you get them done first time you wake up next morning with a row of tiny white spots where you once had eyebrows! So don't do it day before your holidays, just in case.

Have had a nice leisurely day:
1. we went out for lunch. Still stuffed hours later.
2. bit cooler today (25o) but got washing all done & ironed & it's all away!
3.sorted through photos from Christmas & New Year to send to mum & MIL , showing their grandchildren on the beach! Must post them tomorrow.
4.Had a wee wander round mall on way back from lunch, got 3 tops at $5 each which is a very good price! Also got 2 items for Christmas gifts which have been put away.
5.Got a lovely email from my old work colleague, she did tell me she wasn't much of an emailer..ha! this was her first one since moved here (3 months ago) but it was so full of news, she is forgiven!

Lots of rain forecast this week ,which is good for gardens & water levels. Unfortunately much more forecast for poor Queensland too. Mid 20's temperatures too so that's more bearable too.
Have a good Sunday, M x

mhagster

Primrose: awhh! thanks for that!
I am for the most part enjoying our new life here, everyday gets a bit easier and it helps me to come here & write the positive aspects of my life.....re-inforces that it is good. There are a lot of similar things to back home but there are lots of other cultural & social differences!
My children have been great & settled in very well. My son ,15, is so happy & smiley.......now he's either coming out the other side of his 'Kevin' phase and would have been happy & smiley anyway, but he thrives in his dad's company ( as we all do!) he is enjoying the outdoor lifestyle, cycling, swimming etc. It's good to see.
We all enjoy a laugh & joke ......we have very dry sense of humour......we all think we are hilarious! So it is good to laugh & smile as much as we are.......I spent so much time in tears last few years saying goodbye & missing my OH when he had to come here & work and I had to manage on my own for months on end. Which I did, just had to get on with it but hard when you actually want to be together. I am getting so much pleasure just being us, all together.


I do go on,don't I ?!

sparrer

Just popping in before I pop out to have a lunchtime meeting with friends...wanted to say Mhags thank you for the jam recipe, so pleased I can use nectarines rather than peaches. There's something about the skin of peaches that makes me shudder Daft, innit?

Thank you also for the advice re waxing, I'm having it done on 27/1, going away on 4/2 so hope that's long enough for things to settle down.

Re you going on, please keep on going on, it's wonderful to read your positivity (is that a word :question:) and hear about the similarities/differences, your family's pleasure at the places you can go and what there is to see and do.

Right, better get in the shower or I'll be missing out on lunch and that would never do!

Happy Sunday everyone
S x

Primrose

Mhags - yes, it;s lovely to hear you sounding so positive about your new life. I have a friend who emigrated there many years ago and even now she is still homesick and hankering to return here, so the past 25 years have been spent in an emotional no-man's land.

Don't have a chance to post every day but here are my latest:

1. Phone call from a very old friend with whom we had lost touch for years. His wife has died and I think he's now coming out of his shell a little so we plan a catch-up when the weather improves.
2. Nice compliments from people with whom I work on various community "stuff" I've been doing. Always nice to feel appreciated.
3. A £25 premium bond prize this month. Not a great sum in these days of rising inflation, but "better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick" as my granny used to say.
4. OH and I have spent the morning having a date with the microwave and a selection of seville oranges and mixed citrus fruits. We've just made 5 jars of mixed citrus, and now the seville orange marmalade is on the boil. As we still have some left from last year, our cupboards will be overflowing, but luckily it keeps for years, and we definitely won't have to make any next year when no doubt electricity for the microwave will cost twice as much as it does now, (so another reason for stockpiling).
5. Green parakeet is feeding on one of our peanut cages as I type, the sun is shining, and every day we get a couple of extra minutes of daylight. All simple things to be positive about.

Introuble28

Hello Everyone!
Its been a few weeks since I posted anything really! Its all just a bit busy with xmas really.
I have a few pleasures to put from the last few weeks.

1. A very productive trip to Mr A. A 3kg joint of pork whoopsied for a fiver. I cooked it and froze it in portions. It'll do 6 dinners! I got a tray of cans of Coke. 24 cans for £7 down to £3.50 because 2 cans were missing! Then I got a present for my nephew's birthday. It was a truck for £30 and I asked for a discount as the box was rather battered and it cost me £15!

2. Started my xmas shopping for this year . I like to check the sales (esp boots and suchlike for the gift sets).

3. Saw a gift set of aromatherapy oils for £12 and asked for a discount as the box seal was broken and got it for £2.70!

4. Cleared out the freezer and did an inventory to see what I have available. I have about 2 weeks worth of dinners there :eek:

5. made a lovely dinner last night using only leftover veg and chicken. Lovely stir-fry!!

6. a nice tray of home made muffins are in the oven!

7. got some lovely cookbooks for xmas, plus some from teh charity shop so I will look forward to makign lovelyu things. Sant also bought me a slanket which is great and is saving on teh heating bills.

8. I spent ages sorting out my paperwork and money yesterday so I know where everything is. I also upped my direct debits for my gas and electric.

9. did a book swap with my mum so I have a lovely new shelf of books waiting to be read!

Thats about it for now! I am loving my new old style life! I never thought that I would enjoy living this way but I get such a kick out of bargin hunting!

frugalpam

Afternoon everyone!

Having a well earned teabreak! I am on operation de-clutter, and have finally plucked up the courage to go in my spare room and start work in there :eek: It's become a real dumping ground, with papers scattered around as I never got round to filing anything this past year or so, boxes I never put out for recycling, craft bits and bobs etc etc etc. I want this to be my crafting room so I can really settle down in there to do my cardmaking, instead of having to clutter up the lounge with it all. I used to be one of those incredibly organised people when I was working but never had the energy to continue it at home
So, I have resolved to do half an hour a day - but did better than that today.....

1) Spent an hour going through stacks of paperwork, which is now in 3 boxes: recycling, filing, shredding
2) Found all sorts of things in the process which I really need - these are going to be filed this evening. The rest can wait a while (but my goal is to have it all filed/shredded or recycled before the end of the month)
3) Found a letter from the recycling dept of the LA to say they will now collect old white goods/electricals/ etc for free. I'd missed that! So will ring them tomorrow to arrange for them to collect my old microwave and mini hifi system (can't freecycle them as they're well dead)
4) Playing with Tiny and her latest fave toy, a ping pong ball. It's keeping me fit, chasing round and retrieving the ball from under furniture
5) Having an instant meal for tea for a change - Morrisons had some great offers on the other day, so bought a few for the freezer for those lazy days

This evening will be a lazy one, apart from filing the urgent stuff. Hope everyone has had a lovely weekend,

Pam x

pollys

I don't often post but my 5

1. Seeing some sunshine for the first time in ages.
2. Hanging some washing on the line to dry.
3. Baking for the first time in ages and seeing the family enjoying it, so much that it's just about gone.
4. The boys playing football for the first time in weeks because of the weather.
5. Feeling a lot calmer after a rough few weeks due to illness.

Pollys xxx

house_elf

Hi All.

Just going to post and run as I have to make dinner.

What a long week it has been. One of our students passed away before Xmas and the funeral is tomorrow. This week has been very subdued at school, Also, DD had two rejections from courses she has auditioned for. I'm so disappointed for her, and can't do anything to help. It's not like when they were little and you could just go and complain on their behalf and make it all better!

5 Pleasures

1. Selling some clutter on EBay! (Even though one person was a bit unfair in their feedback comments!).

2. Shopping in M&S with £5 off £25 vouchers. Have stocked up on wine and treats.

3. Xmas decos put away. Bought some reduced cards and baubles for next year too!

4. Trip to York while DD auditioned at Leeds. Had great fun at the National Railway Museum with DS2 and a nice walk around York until DD phoned to say she wasn't selected for the second round.

5. Free tix for Tangled in 3D today. Took DS2 and we both thought it was funny. (Took our own drinks and got free parking, so a good bargain!).

Sorry to sound so despondent, but all my news seems to be sad at the moment. Hope you are all well.

HE x

Jolaaled

1. Seeing my jars of home-made marmalade on the window sill, with the sun shining through the orange jelly!

2. Finally finishing digging my veggie plots ready for planting later this spring.

3. Robin (the bird, that is!), keeping vigil as I dug, then swooping onto my barrow to check for worms.

4. Discovering that the extra £1.00 that I paid for special bread flour (granary from the mill bought at Farmers Market), was definitely worth the extra dosh...it gave an amazing extra 'bite' when added to my usual Lidl White Bread flour!

5. Lovely neighbour bringing me home-made Brownies. YUM

PetuliaGristle

I've been away at a work conference for a few days with no free internet so just catching up on posts.
Welcome to all new posters!
niksyg congratulations on your first house
frugalpam wd on your voluntary redundancy
Ladyhawk, laloopi, house elf I'm so sorry to hear about your friends, thinking of you all at this sad time. Ladyhawk I hope your shoulder is improving
savingforoz great to hear from you
Muppet81, DitaBombita, Gingersnap, Kittikins its good to hear from you all again, Dita congratulations on your marriage, wishing you a life filled with happiness and blessings! Kittikins hope your date went well

Mine for the past few days:
1) chatting with colleagues at the work conference, we don't often get the opportunity to meet face to face
2) feeling virtuous spending 45 minutes in the hotel gym on the treadmill and cross-trainer
3) dp and I going to a friend's birthday meal yesterday, her friends were good company. dsd babysat so dd happy as Larry
4) completing more workouts on the Wii Active, not gained any weight since last week after indulging during the conference having full English breakfast, desserts and so on
5) popped into Asda yesterday and picked up set of 20 die-cast cars for dd's school friend's party next week. They rang through the till at £4 though sel said £8 reduced from £12, so went back and picked up two more sets