Living richly; simply and debt-freely

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

mrsinvisible - lovely to *see* you The sim-only deal is actually good - we went for the basic one. I can't fault the service that we have had thus far in terms of calls/texts/data. It's just beetee's inability to plonk £10 plus vat on my bill that has caused all the problems. it was they who insisted on messing around with the DD and collection dates. They seem to make it overly complicated - whereas other companies alter bills in realtime and 'the computer' can adjust your bill at the drop of a hat if you add something on/take something off. And I think it is always worse if you just want to be honest and pay for what you've had - there are enough folks world wide wanting to cheat the system, so work with those of us that simply wish to pay our way and cut our lives according to our available cloth.

I have now also been introduced to the delights of 'wHat'sapp Doc' so the Beetee deal is good, but hopefully in the future we can be less reliant on it.......

We spent a little bit of money up the high street yesterday. But pretty much everything was on the list DH picked up a couple of things whilst I was waiting in the hairdressers. He apparently was in HB weighing up the various lengths/prices for foil - thankfully they had the longer length in stock (don't always) and he plumped for that - he does listen to me sometimes batting on about 'unit cost' :rotfl:

Tea last night was a little bit late, and I have to be thankful that the freezer contained some leftovers, but I was able to 'fashion' a dish out of what I had too, to make a reasonably cheap meal. I had picked up a bag of spinach leaves in m&$ YS'd to 45p, so had the thought of teaming it with the last (unfrozen) packet of paneer to have saag paneer again. I also wanted to use up the remaining 'green sauce'. I did wonder whether the spinach would have disintegrated to green mush - but thankfully it had kept well and was fresh and green. So the curry plate looked like this;



Clockwise from 9am we have; Curried Coconut Lentils, boiled rice, Mugg (Mung Bean Curry) and a version of Saag Paneer (used a mix of recipes and the green sauce)

I'd forgotten that the chilli in the mugg had been a little bit on the hot side But apart from that, it was fine It was a nice mix of flavours, cleared space in the fridge and freezer and used up things before they disintegrated into a frothing green mass Think it fits the :money:criteria

Oh, I did pick up something in HB yesterday, which wasn't on the list, but was a bit of a bargain. I got 2 'brick' packs of Brown Basmati Rice - easternenders brand - 1kg for £1, which I think is a very good price. It is certainly less than I paid for brown long grain rice from mrA a little while ago. Luckily, I have just run out, and was going to get some more for any salady type dishes I might make.

We won't be venturing far from the homestead today. There are too many chores to attend to, so no picnicky lunches in glorious nattytrusty gardens today Ah well, balance in all I suppose

It'll give me time to thing as to what as 'eck as to make for us tea! :rotfl:

Right, brekky is calling

Thank you for popping in, reading and commenting. Mucho appreciated

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

What a rich life I lead.

We went out earlier (after the completion of some chores ). We took a pack up lunch, but it was in effect, what we would have had for lunch indoors. But we dispensed with the bone china (;)) and cracked out the tupp3rwar3 We were going to head over to the local park. But decided instead to head out to a little picnic area across the way, which we often overlook, as unfortunately, it's solitude makes it attractive for local folk with substance abuse issues. On the whole, they probably do more harm to themselves than others, 9 times out of 10, but........... Anyway, as luck would have it, the picnic area was deserted - and clean and tidy

We were serenaded by lots of birds as we tucked into our egg mayo sangers:D We delighted in watching the petty territorial squabbles of seemingly the entire local robin population and we sniffed the rose blooms on a neglected, but thriving, rambling rose in the remnants of a shrubbery. Baby Greying behaved impeccably and took in the sights and sounds with sufficient enthusiasm

I forgot to say earlier - before we went out - I saw the bat again, approximately the same time as before, and it seemed to be actively feeding - it by the way it swooped and dived about. I am in admiration of wildlife camera persons - I tried to capture it on film. I did a bit, but mostly there is alot of clouds............

Tea ended up being a bit of a mish mash. I dug out some courgette bake from the freezer and served it with potato salad, made with tinned potatoes, and a generous helping of runner beans (sliced finely and steamed in the microwave) from the clutch that we have been gifted.

I have the beginnings of a meal-plan for next week.

Today there were many, many more things to be grateful for - to pick just 3 would be stinting.

Therefore, today I am just grateful, for my life, as it is.

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

Aw, what a lovepy sentiment Greying! :kisses3:

We had an impromptu picnic today too last day of our weekend away, we planned a 5 mile cycle along an off road trail and then a cafe lunch however the trail was closed for long stretches, diversions were not well signed and we cycled far loger than intended and then just couldn't find a cafe that met our stringent requirements....

Which was most fortunate, as we ended up with a takeaway cuppa and some butties, watching a brass band in a little park by a river :j :j most pleasant

Of course, we then had to cycle back to the car :rotfl: but our route was rather more efficient on the way back

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

BeeTee kept their promise and got back to me. I'm 'sort of' in the wrong on this one - but it's due to bee tee's overly complicated billing system with one bit in advance, one bit in arrears......... Anyhoo, it has been explained out to me, I am actually up to date with payments and I know what will be my future DD's - they are what I thought they would be and have been budgetted for, so all is well . Again, thank you Tilly for your advice as to how to proceed, because a person, explaining it out to me, made perfect sense, and reassured me that I wasn't going to find my self in deep debt doo doo.

Today will be all about keeping cool, although I should nip up the high street whilst it is still relativelywarm and not boiling hot.

Baby Greying is currently in 'floppy' sleep mode on my lap, and typing this is difficult.

See y'all later.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Afternoon :hello:

Well, how blessed am I - the day is already 'rich' and we're not even 3/4 of the way through yet!

I have had contact with 2 sorts of NHS facilities (proactive not reactive, we're all fine ) and been helped out by the two people that I spoke to and the organisational 'machine' behind them. They were both really pleasant and friendly - and made my enquiries so easy to deal with.

I wandered up the high street. A little later than I planned, but I managed to find shade most of the journey there, round and back I did have a chuckle to myself in m&$, as on Friday, there was not a lime (singular, not in a multipack) to be found in the food'all. Perhaps there was something of a mix up with ordering, as today, the citrus stand was awash with limes........ I don't know how many are in their boxes, but there were 4 or 5 boxes - they usually have one...... :rotfl: Today I needed no limes :rotfl:

I ventured across to h3ron f00ds in search of ice cream Got to make the most of the pavement cracking summer And stumbled upon a bargain in their chiller cabinets Yet again, serendipity has had a hand in 'us tea' as they had their mozarella (Ga1bani brand) on offer at 3 for £1. Except, it wasn't ordinary mozarella. Oh no. It wasn't even the 'maxi'. Oh no. I got, for £1, 3 of these;



:j:j:j:j:j

I also got 3 Ga1bani conventional cow's milk mozarellas (they were on the shelf together) and have stuck those straight in the freezer. What a delight to get bufalo mozarella for 33p each and which will enable me to make a Maria Elias recipe for tea :j

I did buy brocolli (frozen) to balance out all the ice cream and cheese...... honest

On our way out of the door earlier, I could hear the call of buzzards. I looked up to see 2 circling up high above. They were then joined by 2 more - seemingly from nowhere. As they circled, I noticed 2 more birds come flying in - I thought that they were gulls, and wondered if the buzzards would react to them, but no, they too were buzzards. Then, again seemingly from no where, 2 more buzzards joined in. There were 8 buzzards circling around overhead at Greying Towers. I stood transfixed watching them - Baby Greying couldn't see what all the fuss was about - and as they moved over towards the north, they appeared to disperse again. Did I get a 'Buzzard Flashmob' experience today? And if so, who sent it? Coz I enjoyed it immensely

Right, I'm away to make whoopee whilst Baby Greying snoozes We are both keeping well out of the sun. It's lovely to have a sunny summer, but temperature wise, it is a little hot for us But I'm not complaining, I top up my vitD and then retreat to the shade

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

Oh Greying how interesting about the buzzards! When I was a child my mum once insisted she saw a flock of buzzards - everyone mocked her (and still does to this day) - she'll be most pleased to find out someone else has seen more than 3 at once

Bargainous mozzerella too! :j :j glad you've had a cheerful day

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

Oh Cheery - how fab I wondered if they were parents teaching the young, but the birds that 'flew in' seemed very accomplished flyers. Buzzards usually 'float' on the thermals - 2 of these appeared to be actively 'gliding' on the thermals to reach the group. And they were definitely buzzards - firstly by the noise they made and secondly, the sky was a lovely light blue and the sun was just in the right position to light up the underside of their feathers (they literally were 'overhead') and buzzard markings are quite striking. Although to my shame, I couldn't tell you what type of buzzard they were

Tea is munched and was successful. One component never had before (buffalo mozarella) and one new recipe tried out. I've added to my 'expensive tastes' and got a keeper of a recipe - told you the day was 'rich'

If I'm honest, I think that the mozarella deserved better treatment than the recipe i used it in - had I had some HG, sun warmed tomatoes, some single estate EVOO and a hunk of rustic bread......... It was actually more like burrata - not that I've had that either, just watched enough JO et al on telly

Anyhoo, I made a version of a Maria Elia recipe - I make it on the stove top, but it is supposed to be cooked en papillote so the recipe is HERE, but you can see the ingredients that I used for the lentils, beets, dressing and mozarella - even if I didn't follow the recipe as such (story of my life! :rotfl:). With it I made a new to me recipe that utilises runner beans :j - it's a keeper and can be found HERE. And then I used the very last of my YS'd mung beans and made a version of Yotam's mung bean and feta salad - pared down because of all the other good things in the other salads Picture;



I only actually used 1 of the mozarellas - more for another day Although the BB date is the 18th, so can't hang around too long...... will have to eat them........

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

Customer service/reception personnel who are in the right job

fabby food, on the cheap

a fleeting ariel display that was unexpected, free and brilliant

Thank you so much for popping in and sharing my day.

Greying X

greenbee

mozzarella freezes well..

Greying_Pilgrim

greenbee wrote: »

mozzarella freezes well..

Ha ha, i know hun, but it's buffalo mozarella:D:D:D, I can't freeze buffalo mozarella the first time I've bought it :rotfl: I have to say, I don't think there will be any left after lunchtime/snap snaffalage time

I did freeze the 3 conventional mozarellas. They will come in for pizzas etc. I remembered Memorygirl's tip from old

Greying x

joeyjimbles

Weeping as have no Herrun Foooodz.
Mozzarella looks great, and I'm sure you know that it will keep a little beyond 18th as long as unopened and properly cold. This may be a step too far for your posh Buffalo stuff but this is a popular dish Chez Jimbles esp. amongst DS1's veggie girlfriends.
https://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/roasted-mozzarella-potatoes/
Actually looking at it I realise that I don't follow the recipe much - I don't use the sourcream but sometimes chuck in quark or cottage cheese if I have some around, or passata (not sure why I'm giving you the recipe at this point!), or just the potatoes and cheese. I usually roast the potatoes when the oven is on for other things so this is often a Monday dinner. And when there haven't been any salad potatoes around I've even made a version with those tinned new potatoes though it doesn't get as crispy.