Living on next to nought - is that the key?

Upsidedown_Bear

Smilie of the day.

Upsidedown_Bear

I thought you lovely people on here would like this and "get it".

I have an old cardigan that has baggy sleeves which get chilly and drafty when the weather is cold. I've been wondering how to fix it as it's really warm apart from the sleeves.
This morning I was unwrapping the asparagus (very very reduced Christmas Eve :money:) and discovered the elastic bands used were the same colour as my cardigan :j They are the right size to go over the sleeves near my wrists.
Problem solved - no more drafty sleeves :T:D

beanielou

Loving the bunting

little_sweetie

Yes, upsidedownbear, I quite get the reasoning behind the elastic bands...very useful

Just popped in to say ....I forgot to say that I lurve the bunting GP perhaps you could start a little cottage industry as you have a few orders already :D

well I'm home now and, like the proverbial turkey, well and truly stuffed :rudolf: must get some sleep before the family descend on me tomorrow. It's my turn to entertain, the tiddlers are bringing stuff 'to do' with them :eek::eek::eek:

Night night all x

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

i'm just popping in to say Hi! and thank you for all the lovely posts - I have read them, just haven't got time to reply at the mo. We orf out adventurising in a min.

Upsidedown Bear - I hope you have a lovely few days away. And I HEARTILY approve of the cardigan *adaptation* - would of done similar meself!

Have a great day all.

See y'all later.

Greying

Hopefuljoy

Happy boxing day chums!! Love the lacky band fix for the jumper!! Hope you all had a lovely day yesterday xx

supersaver1000

Happy Boxing Day GP and friends. We did adventurising yesterday, then went sale shopping this morning so the fire is on and we are snuggling this afters. Have a great day all xx

liltdiddylilt

Hello lovely GP and chums

First time back since pre Christmas Eve - it has been a whirl and a blast. Jut so you all know, reindeer food tastes YUK! It was meant for children, but it has gone out of the window onto the garden for the real reindeer... could not get the icky taste out of my mouth!!

UpsidedownBear your cardigan fix sounds perfect!! I've got a lovely cable knit jumper for Christmas, and the difference between it and my others is that the sleeves are drawn in at the end so I have snug wrists!! LOVE it enjoy your newly fixed cardigan.

maddiemay I am so glad I am not the only one with orange wrapper bavarian smoked cheese GP it is also from Mr S, as Mr A had sold out! How rude. I've got lots of mini truckles too of all flavours, some mentioned, some not. My board is being cracked out tonight - and by board I of course mean my wooden chopping block!! :rotfl:

Hope that everyone has had a fantastic Christmas. Mine has been amazing and a huge improvement on last years heartachey breaky tense affair! Jellytot was so spoiled as was I.

Have a lovely end to your Boxing Day - I am going to prepare some food for Jelly from the groaning fridge and then wake her in time to both enjoy it and go to bed at a reasonable hour!

Anyone expecting snow, do be careful xx

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

Mothernerd - your perseverance astounds me. I agree with little_sweetie - if I lived next door to you, you'd only have to bang on the wall and I'd race round to see how I could assist. And well done you for keeping your humour. I hope it will aid your recovery, and you'll be looking back at this episode as nowt but a minor glitch in next to no time.

supersaver - thank you for all your good wishes - snuggling in front of the fire sounds grand and was exactly what we did yesterday evening too

Busymumofthreeplusdog - lovely to *see* you, ta for popping in. And I must admit, I heartily approve of stepping away from things for a day/week/whatever. We seemed to have really sidestepped the *razzmatazz hoo-hah* element of Christmas this year, it has been a very quiet time for us. And whilst it was a particular set of circumstances that has occurred during the past couple of weeks, to make it a very quiet one, I have to say, I'm happy with it. Christmas is 'done' for 2014 - and I don't mean that in a bah-humbuggish fashion, I just mean that we've celebrated, given thanks and praise and had a lovely time. Given gifts to those that we care about and enjoyed a huge amount of time in the great outdoors - thanks to good weather conditions We've indulged, but not over indulged, and I'm looking forward to ushering in the New Year in the same fashion, and I'm looking forward to 2015. That's all good in my book

rtandon - thank you for your kind compliment But you really dunna want to be me when you're all growed up - I've far too many foibles and insecurities I do think your hubby's reaction to *posh cheese overload* was FAB! Aren't we human beings funny - we have the ability to avail ourselves of all manner of lovely things and foodstuffs, and yet how often do we crave....... simplicity I'm glad that you have a nice person in mrW who is looking out for you. There is only one member of staff in our mrW who *gets* YS'd goodies - they were telling me about the wastage that goes on........

little_sweetie - I love that you have money left out of your grocery budget! You've done far better than me this month - I have zero and the kettle has just gone kaput! Because I was looking through the thread for when we bought this kettle - I said over 1 yr, DP said under (he was right), I found your first post to the thread. Do you think you've moved mountains this year? I do I know that there are potentially worrying times ahead for your DD & family in 2015, but I really, really do hope that you've had a wonderful time of celebration together and that good things come along for you all in 2015. Fingers crossed!

Beanie :wave:

Hopefuljoy - how's the Pirin training going for DD? Was thinking of her over the past couple of days - whilst we encountered a variety of dawgies and their good, bad and indifferently trained owners.......

Lilty - WHOOP! that you have had the wonderful Christmas Day that you and Jellytotster deserve :T:T:T May you have many, many more of them together in your lifetime And will you sssshhhh! about the orange packeted smoked cheese - we don't want everyone twigging how good it is

Well, Dear Reader, DP and I have had a ball for the past couple of days. We have done precisely what we wanted to do, worked to no real timetable and had to please no-one but ourselves. It has been wonderful. We didn't bother exchanging gifts with each other - which I know plenty of people find odd, but then, we don't flinch about replacing the kettle when it goes pop! either, so swings and roundabouts.......

On our cycle ride (a forest 'greenway') on Christmas Day, we had stopped at the one end of the trail (it is a linear track) to have a 'no saus no sage' roll and a cup of hot chocolate, and we were standing quietly muching when a little bird popped into our eyeline. We initially thought that it was a wren, by it's size and mannerisms of flitting about in a bush just about at ground level. But when it got bolder, and came nearer to us, we could see that it's markings were much more decorative than those of a wren. We stood, transfixed, watching it for at least 5 mins. DP said I ought to get a pic, but my camera is very basic, and the bird never stood still! We had no idea what it was, and didn't think that we had seen one before - so we were delighted to see yet another one, on the return leg of the trail. On looking it up on the internet, it appears that it was a Goldcrest I really don't think I've knowingly seen one of those before, so I'm fast finding that by being quiet and still, it really is amazing what is all around you in mother nature When we returned to the carpark/picnic area, we had the rest of our *Christmas Lunch* at one of the tables. Of course we were joined by a Robin. DP loves feeding wild birds, but after a bad experience with some menacing chaffinches at a picnic area, I asked would he wait until we'd finished eating. So he saved his crumbs - by which time, Mr Robin had stomped off indignantly - and probably half-starving :rotfl: So DP left the crumbs and we returned to the car. As we started to drive off, we looked back to the table, and there was the robin, having found the crumbs - was tucking in. Only a *little* thing, but again, really, really satisfying, and zero cost.

Yesterday our walk took us into nature once again. We certainly got to walk through a number of differing terrains. On our cycle ride on Remembrance Sunday, we had been 'below' and had looked up to the route we took yesterday. So to be able to look down and see various landmarks, and know that we had cycled them all, was a real thrill. Another interesting thing happened too; we had sat down at a point (its a landmark in that area, so there were increasing numbers of people about, who were on their Boxing Day walk ) to eat our picnic lunch. Someone made a comment (it was a compliment) about us picnicing. I still find this very strange. As it happened, another set of visitors arrived, (as we were leaving), sat down and started to get out their flasks and snap bags. I didn't feel the need to race over to them and comment (favourably or negatively) about them picnicing. Why is it still an oddity for folk to take a pack-up anywhere? It doesn't matter if it's a flask o' tea and a shop-bought biscuit, or a full-blown silver service, wicker hamper extravaganza - as long as you leave no litter, WHY do people still think it such a rarity as to make comment about it?

I forget how much I *rub off* on DP. I witter on about MSE or moneysaving/thrift/frugality in general, and think most of the time he is not listening. And then from time to time, he surprises me with the most unexpected bon mot. We were on the return leg of our walk yesterday, and we were walking through a pine plantation. Now, you'll know that any forest has it's own creaks and groans, but in a pine forest, they are accentuated, due to the trees being so close together. Anyway, the wind was getting up (we were descending from the mountain top) and the trees were creaking. DP stopped, and said, 'Do you hear that? That creaking sound is the sound of the strain of credit cards being maxxed out.......' :rotfl:

So - I can smugly report that we, at Greying Towers, gained 2 NSD's over Chrimbo :j I've added one, I'll have to add yesterday's to my total. I'd hoped we'd snag one today too, but the kettle had other ideas, so that's that. Anyway, I can only be smug because there was nothing that we need in the sales. Had we required something specific, that could be bought at a good price, then who know's, perhaps we would have been out in the sales, rather than out in mother nature's glorious outdoors yesterday too

Right, I've wittered on for long enough. Better post.

See y'all later.

Greying

maddiemay

Greying, your Christmas sounds lovely and similar to ours:D Ma was with other family members, the young ones have their own traditions now, so in very happy solitude OH and I have eaten well, but not greedily, drunk a little of our HM Sloe Gin, rather pleased with first attempt!

On Christmas morning we drove to local beauty spot and had lovely sunny walk along valley, lots and lots of other smiling people, some very energetic going long walks (like you and DP) and others enjoying a pleasant stroll, I am a former energetic bod whose body limits me to the stroll, but cup half full ehh. Envious of the Goldcrest sighting, haven't ever seen one:( Flask of tea and shortbread biccies taken back at car, happy dog and happy people. I even spent money, but am unrepentant as filling station in the vicinity was open and their fuel is 2p litre less than here (one location, no competition:()

Yesterday's outing was a 50/60 mile drive to say hello to OH's departed ones and tidy their graves, a job well done and time spent in happy remembrance of 3 previous generations. The last 15 miles home were in heavy snow, without thinking it through we took the hilly route, and really struggled on some of the hills, but OH drove magnificently and I am so very glad that I was not driving:D Once over the top of last hill and onto the south side snow turned to rain and we made it home, car is staying on drive today, shanks pony or the bus for us.

There is no temptation for us in the sales, in the past it was worth the hassle to be able to buy good work clothes at :money: prices, but the days of smart suits and good shirts are well behind us thank goodness.

Waves and hugs to all and best wishes for a healthy, happy and peaceful New Year and whilst money isn't everything I hope that there is enough to go round for all, with at least a little bit spare:)

Thank you dear Greying for hosting this warm, funny and inspirational place and letting me hang out with you all:T