Living on next to nought - is that the key?

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

How lovely - visitors

Upsidedown Bear - that looks like fun, especially if you were in a beech or horse chesnut wood and the leaves were huge.......... and there were no regular dog walks in the vicinity.............._pale_

BoB - lovely to *see* you. Glad you approve. Probably the last neep recipe for a while though, I've only a sliver of our holiday one left and given the prices around here......

Pippi - Whoop! Whooop! I got praise from teacher, I got praise from teacher :j:j:j...............:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

So guys, how'd the day pan out for y'all? Mine went well. Nothing majorly important happened. No triumphs no tragedies.

It was a spend day unfortunately as DP was near to Ald*, and we needed milk and washing up liquid. So I made sure I picked up most everything else on the list today too (there wasn't much anyway) so that we can perhaps aim for a gaggle of NSD's over the weekend. That's the theory anyway, as thinking about it, I have already used 2 of my 11 spend days for this month :eek: Today is also another AFD.

Is anybody else irritated by shrinking pack sizes of stuff? I thought it was just food, but I bought some bars of soap today and whilst there were as many in the packet and they were the same price, I noticed that each bar is now only 90g whereas previously they were 100g. :mad:

I see Memorygirl is talking about foodbanks on her blog. I thought some of the comments were interesting..........

Dinner this evening was a curry affair. I decided to do a menu from another evening so that I could make best use of the YS'd aubergine I bought. I made that the other night, and I was going to freeze it, but it was so in little quantity, that I decided it wasn't worth stashing away. So we had; spicy aubergine, Ethiopian lentils, Rajma and basmati rice. A pic hopefully is here;



The spicy aubergine was a waste of time. It was a recipe that has been in my recipe book for years. At one stage I wrote in recipes I thought we would like before trying them. I no longer do that. I'd never made this recipe and I won't make it again. The Ethiopian lentils was a different version to the dish that I made a couple of weeks ago - called the same thing (see post #420), but that version had sweet potatoes in it and came at a time when Ald* had sweet pots in their S6. This version was just red lentils a few other bits and berbere spice. Very nice, tasty and I think open to endless variation if you use different lentils. A recipe, very similar to the one I used can be found HERE . The actual recipe I followed was from the recipe book that last night's dish was in (look at the turnip treat link). The rajma was from an internet recipe - I liked it, but I used Kashmiri chillies and a 'hot' one got in there, so it was a little spicier than intended There are as many versions of Rajma (basically red kidney bean curry) and names as there are cooks in india. If you fancy having a go, just google. Rick Stein has done a version - Memorygirl has a version on her blog too (but the name is spelt differently - as you'll find on the net).

Still, it was a frugal plateful. There is plenty left over for snap boxes and some lentils to freeze. I would make 2 of the dishes again, so a win I think.

Right, today I am grateful for these 3 things;

gravity - a local sweet chesnut tree is yielding up its treasure. Interesting to see the thorny spheres dropping to reveal their bounty - as long as you can be on the bit of path that takes you around the tree mind Plus, it looks like a poor year, nothing big enough to singe, never mind roast

for the 3 'R's - I can read, write and do (simple ) sums. This is invaluable in the current climate where you have to work out grammes per pence, 50% extra, 3 for 2 etc etc etc. Budgeting and housekeeping is a vital lifetime skill. It should have a high priority in schools, for all children, at all ages.

for dictionaries - even I had to look up taxonomy, just to make sure..................

Thank you so much for popping by, reading and commenting. If you haven't got the gist of how much I appreciate it by now...... But I do. And I'm going to keep telling you - just so you know

See y'all later.

Greying

Shovel_Lad

I was just wondering, you know, whether you appreciate your readers and the people who comment?

Know what you mean about the shrinking pack sizes. I'm sure they think we don't notice :mad:

We have a walnut tree nearby so we've been collecting some
And an apple tree
There are loads of mushrooms about but I don't quite trust myself to pick any. Must do more research.
Once found a forest of these - pretty amazing

Greying_Pilgrim

Shovel_Lad wrote: »

I was just wondering, you know, whether you appreciate your readers and the people who comment? Between you and Upsidedown Bear it's a wonder I can do anything coz I'm always PMSL :rotfl:

Know what you mean about the shrinking pack sizes. I'm sure they think we don't notice :mad: I think that too

We have a walnut tree nearby so we've been collecting some Jealous
And an apple tree Jealous
There are loads of mushrooms about but I don't quite trust myself to pick any. Must do more research.
Once found a forest of these - pretty amazing I always find it fascinating that the one mushroom that is regularly used to illustrate children's fairy tales is one of the most toxic :eek: However, I would of thought it a pretty amazing sight to see a whole load in one place.

Thank you for posting Shovel Lad. I so appreciate it :D

Well, I've just made some bread dough, for rolls that are destined to be for a picnic on Sunday and I'm just waiting for the milk to cool down and I'll add the yoghurt starter too it and put it in the flasks overnight.

See y'all in the morning.

Greying

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

Goodness, we're at the 4th already. Have a feeling this month is going to whizz! Well, perhaps until the housekeeping runs out, then it will d-r-a-a-g-g, but that's the norm isn't it?

Well, today will be a NSD, my purse will be firmly shut. Besides, there is absolutely nothing that we need

Dinner this evening will be HM pizza and HM chunky chips. It'll be the first test of no buying alcohol, because we'd normally have a 'glass of red' to go with such a meal. However, we did without all last weekend, so actually it should be no biggie. Plus, what I'm looking forward to tonight is using the last 2 tomatoes that we bought on holiday. They are at the peak of redness and ripeness, so I'm hopefully they will make a tasty topping In addition, I was day dreaming yesterday of what we might buy if we had enough AF months. It's a 'want' not a 'need', so we'll need to save for it.....

The yoghurt turned out well and the bread dough has just morphed in the fridge :eek: It always baffles me why bread dough rises in the fridge better than if I left it out in the kitchen, or any other room in this house :rotfl: I'll make the pizza dough this afternoon.

Right, time is ticking, better get up and at 'em.

Thanks for popping in, reading and commenting. I greatly appreciate it.

See y'all later.

Greying

Pippilongstocking

Hey up all

I had no idea that bread did the morph thing in the fridge - that's my new thing for today.

Pizza sounds yum - its a staple of the young folks so I often forget about how yummy it can be I hope you enjoy it minus the wine and how productive you are when you're asleep! Buns a making and yoghurt a brewing.

Sorry about making you hunt for a dictionary but I do love them - facisinating books that they are.

Lovely looking toadstools too - thanks for the lovely pic shovellad.

Have a good un - I'm off out for a scamp soon and a few spends - must write a list first.

If this month would go a bit slower please I'd quite like that - quite a lot to do and I don't want the days disappearing - wellys still to polish.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

Hey up Pippi thanks for stopping by. Naturally I work in my sleep i'm always on the go, me ...... I reckon I need you as my PR guru though, to explain my talents to DP who always seems to comment on the one thing I haven't done

Well, I managed to get my paperwork in to our local credit union this arvo. They only took 5 days to send me the application form in the post....... It's under 3 miles as the crow flies from their office to here......... Still, I've signed, been countersigned and proved I am Greying, of Greying Towers. I think it has to go in front of t'committee now to see if I'm good enough and the 'right sort' to participate. They've 4.5 weeks to get that all sorted if they want to beat the cc company

Today was a NSD :T It has also been an AFD. Dinner was no worse for being unaccompanied by el vino Must remember to update siggy

So, onto dinner - pizza and HM chunky chips. Plus I thought I'd be a little decadent and make some really garlicky aioli to accompany. So no K.I.SS.I.N.G for Greying tonight ....... unless of course the object of Greying's affections has also feasted on garlic :kisses2:

Here's a pic - not that it is particularly interesting, but the potatoes were from our hols (getting low on them now ) as were the tomatoes (actually the last 2), so it was a little reminder of our fab adventure



As you'd expect from me, the dish was made up from l*dl flour, special offer cheese, value mayo and herbs in addition to our holiday - reasonably priced - fresh produce. Whilst it doesn't look as appetising, portion size was on a par with the big Italian eatery chains - plus there are 4 slices of pizza left and enough tomato sauce to top 2 more pizzas. Since the cheese was from a big block, there is plenty of that left over too for the rest of the month. A dish worthy of inclusion in a budget conscious household's repertoire I reckon

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

Autumn Sunshine - as glorious and welcome as spring sunshine, it's really making the leaf, fruit and berry colours blaze and sing this year.

community based-finance initiatives - it feels right, honourable and supportive. Further investigation into a CU current account may take place in the future. After all, the CU is not going to try to get you to take up a credit card/loan/house insurance/pet insurance or a funeral plan :eek: every time you go in to deposit your 2p collection, are they?

challenges - that make you do something different, try harder and/or keep focussed. MSE is full of an array of challenge threads, with a load of enthusiastic and supportive folk running them and spurring participants on. And isn't it wonderful to see what folk can achieve when they put their mind to it?

Thanks so much for popping in, reading and participating. I greatly appreciate it.

See y'all later.

Greying

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

Just a quick note from me this morning

Aiming for a 2nd consecutive NSD today. There is nothing that we need, so that should be achievable It is the non-gardening parentals birthday tomorrow, but I already have a card. Wondering whether to go over today or tomorrow. Would prefer today really, as there are doubtless some gardening chores to attend to, and at least we could go in our 'scruffs', rather than take a change of clothing to then go on our walk. Tomorrows walk is in the same vague geographical direction as the parental's estate

Arggh, I've lots of 'bitty' work to complete today. Not sure where to start really. At the beginning would be good I guess.

Oh, I made bread last night, to use the oven effectively, and I took a pic - only coz there was an interesting air bubble formation. Can you spot it?



I decided to do more 'delicate' rectangular buns - so that if necessary they could be sliced and made into 'sandwiches'. the finger rolls really weren't very delicate to scoff in public

Right, better sieze the day.

Thank you for dropping in, reading and participating in this diary. I greatly appreciate it.

See y'all later.

Greying

Pippilongstocking

*is that a sad face I see?

Goodluck with the beginnings and the parentals.

I'm sure you'll make a very efficient choice

ETA they often do notice the one thing we didn't get to dont' they.
Will think up effective and energetic slogo's for your next advertising campaign.

'Greying gets it done'

That kind of thing but its early yet for the noodles in this little brain to be working.

beanielou

Loving the buns

Happy Saturday Greylings and friends.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

Well, today was a day of 'bitty' jobs, and they seem to of taken f-o-r-e-e-v-v-a-a-a to complete

Never mind, there is always the sense of achievement when a task is accomplished :rotfl:(Yeah right Greying.....)

So today I can claim another NSD and another AFD :T Must remember to update siggie.

I've pledged to make some cotton bags and donate some items to the charity drive that Memorygirl is having over on her blog. Don't feel obliged to follow the link, at all, but if you knit, or know someone that does, and would like to knit a teddy for a child in an African country, then check out the blog. There are also other things 'non-knitters' can contribute too.

We popped over to the parentals. I helped the gardening parental harvest over at the allotmental estate, whilst DP fought valiantly with the lawn leviathan aka 'that ****** mower', at the 'at home' estate. Unfortunately, the edging had not been done this week, so I had that job waiting for me on my return However, I got presented with a new set of edging shears to do it with :j(not). I should report that they were from Ald* and were a great improvement on the ones that the gardening parental had been using - a vintage pair, gifted by the gardening parental's parentals.... oh do keep up at the back! on the occasion of reaching the age of 21. As I said [STRIKE]prehistoric[/STRIKE] vintage

A cuppa tea and an orange k*tK*t were are reward this week
Plus 2 carrier bags full of produce (more beetroot *rescued* ).

The gardening parental seems to be on the mend, but I still think that the change from being able to do quite a bit, and being independent to being 'reliant' and less able, all in the course of this year, have had a bigger impact than will be readily admitted. Oh well.

Working in a garden, in the sunshine was actually no hardship. The wildlife was wonderful to watch/listen too. I called DP over to watch the antics of a hoverfly (according to my bee identifier, I think it was a bumble bee hoverfly - who knew bees, wasps and flies had mimics??). I have to tell you, whatever hoverflies have as the equivalent of 'hips' - those folk meddling about with GM in plants and creating pink sheep just want to stop and get the genetics of a hoverfly 'hip' shoved into a human hip joint. I mean it was cleaning itself with it's legs. Tell me dear reader, can you clean your 'backbone' and arms (including bingo wings) by rotating your leg around and 'wiping' down with said leg??? I'd like to see a yoga zen master even attempt it! I cannot describe how interesting it was to watch Both the hoverfly and a ladybird were resting on the leaves of a pear tree in the last of the afternoon sunshine - quite warm, but not scorching.

Dinner this evening was lentil Bolognese, fusilli pasta and some sm*rtprice garlic bread. To make use of the oven whilst it was on for the garlic bread, I make a small batch of fruit scones for our picnic tomorrow, utilising the left over whey from the drained yoghurt (labneh) I made the other day. Because I knew 7 week wonder would tell me off for not using it up :D

I'm sure you are getting bored of 'seeing me tea' now, but here's a pic anyhow....



The recipe for the lentil Bolognese is from a veggie student cookbook.

Today, I am grateful for these 3 things;

free food - when you tot up how much the veg I received today, would cost in the supermarket, I would say that I couldn't of afforded it and would of had to of left it on the shelf..........

free wood - DP scored a couple of unwanted pallets from the workplace. They are routinely skipped unless someone removes them. They make brilliant 'morning' or 'starting' sticks for the stove. To us they are priceless, to a workplace, they are a nuisance.

for contributors - it may be a kind and encouraging word on a forum, it may be a few pennies in a collection box, a 'prize' for a raffle, or a pencil and paper for a child eager to learn, perhaps a tin of food for a hungry person. Contributions make the world of difference to the recipient - Thank You

Ta so very for popping in, reading and commenting on this diary today. It is appreciated so much by me.

Whilst I'm planning going orf gallivanting with DP the morrow, I shall try pop in with an update in the morn.

See y'all later.

Greying