Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

ArthriticOldThing

Thanks Candlelight. I do read on a regular basis but rarely feel I have anything of interest to post.
Though I am quite pleased with myself at the moment as have been MM&Ming in a small way. Have taken up two pair of trousers that have sat in my wardrobe for far too long. It takes me ages nowadays with arthritic hands but as its £7.50 round here for a single pair to be professionally altered I though I would just take my time and do it.
Next on list is to start on making a crochet throw for my DDIL for Christmas. I have the yarn already - its just getting going AND pacing myself.
Take care

candlelight_2013

Well done you, I think sometimes we all need a little motivation, but if you know you are going to suffer after it must be hard.

You have plenty of time for the throw, and if you say to yourself half an hour each afternoon or evening you will do it. I am sure she will be thrilled with it, I know I would be. I love it when someone has taken the time to make something for me, even just a card, it just shows they have given it some thought.

Take care

Candlelightx

misstara

Viv - hope you've had a lovely birthday

That's me finished my wee run of double shifts so looking forward to an evening in the flat and catching up properly with everyone's news. Will also have to catch up with all the boring stuff, washing, ironing etc.

For tea tonight, I'm going to do loaded potato skins and salad. I bought some garlic and herb soft cheese for lunches but I don't really like it so this will use the rest of it up.

monnagran

Happy Birthday Vhalla. 21 again? Hope you are being spoilt rotten.

Am having a browse on the 'puter while the bread is rising. Holiday club was good this morning. The little boy with ADHD was missing which may have accounted for the peace and quiet though I had no trouble with him yesterday. I just kept him busy and had another activity lined up for him before he finished the last one so no time for rampaging around.
As for no-cost entertainment for children I found that if they were not spoonfed amusements they managed to entertain themselves very well. If at a loss I used to tell them a story. A bit unfair to mention that as telling stories came to me as easily as breathing. My two still remember the family of mice that lived under a wheelbarrow at the bottom of the garden and all their exploits that uncannily resembled what they themselves had done during the day. Even, I believe, to the food they ate, and yes, mice do enjoy spag bol, sausage and chips and scrambled egg on toast. Apparently.
I also found that cardboard boxes were the best toys ever. I think I have mentioned before that at one of DS1's birthday parties a crowd of boys played for 2 hours with a punctured football. Kids!

The dough must be ready for the last rising in the tin so I'll go and sort it out.

The Rev is doing a bit of counselling so the sitting room is out of bounds at the moment. Oh Hell! That means that there is no excuse not to do ironing. Listen carefully. You may just be able to hear heavy sighing.

x

meritaten

Happy Birthday Vhalla! and many more happy ones to come!

vhalla1478

Evening Everyone,

And thank you once again for your good wishes; I've had a lovely day. I'm just back from my DS's; he cooked the tea for us all and myself and DDil shared a good bottle of merlot plus chocolates! And of course I had a chocolate and orange birthday cake with (a tactful) single candle. I'm getting to the stage where the cake would have to be enormous to accommodate all the candles which would represent my not inconsiderable number of years!!

My DB had hidden birthday presents under the towels in the bathroom cupboard - wonderful chocolates and fab lingerie - he certainly knows how to spoil me !:beer: And although he couldn't get here today, he will be over for the weekend which is even better as his next job isn't starting on Friday as anticipated.

So no MMMing for me today, except that I didn't have to cook.

The other nice thing that happened was I spoke to an old schoolfriend who is organising a school reunion before we all start to shuttle off this mortal coil. I'm really excited about it (the sneaky bit of me wants to count everybody's wrinkles!) as I haven't seen some of my old classmates in 50 years. Next week I shall have to go through the photograph albums as the hotel where we are having lunch and an evening meal is going to provide us with a noticeboard to pin photographs and memorabilia. We had to wear bowler hats at my grammar school and most of us when we left either burnt them or jumped up and down on them until they were no more, but I do hope someone somewhere has kept theirs and brings it to the reunion even if we have another ceremonial burning with it! I told you before I never got beyond 18!

I need an early night as the weekend with the grandchildren has just caught up with me. Have a lovely evening, Folks.

Viv xx

Lynplatinum

Hiya all

vhalla - hope you had a great day for your b.day - it certainly sounds like it!! Very much deserved! :beer:

Jackie O your holiday expedition begins to sound like King Caractacus court going past!!! How many cars are you taking?? Will it be Operation Stack mark II??? :rotfl:

Busy day today and was out by 9.30 as they were closing the road off because they were having a portable classroom put onto the local school grounds. Got my self a take out C!sta coffee and took it to place where you can park in a layby and look over the cliff tops to the sea. Must be one of the most beautiful places to have a coffee in the world
Then found a new walkies for the doggie. (Free parking yea!) then went and got a pasty for me and my friend's Mum (I am house sitting and dog sitting for her and so have popped in to see her Mum for lunch) - then to L!dil for gifts for my hostess tonight - one of my friend's friends (they meet once a week for their evening meal and they kindly invited me!). also managed to wash my hair and do half an hour weeding and dead heading for my friend. whew!!

Definitely not MM&M today - nor good for the diet but will get back on bandwaggon tomorrow!
Nite all!

[Deleted User]

LynP We take two cars my son-in-laws is a saloon car but I have a seven seater Zafira which when the back seats fold down almost becomes a van Just as well really with all the stuff we take.

DGS Ben is travelling down to Southampton with his G/F in her car and leaving it at Bitterne where my Oh's cousin lives and he is going to drop the two of them off at the Hi-speed jet on the docks.

We take the car ferry.Its planned like a military operation
Because of DD having a large family we have over the years perfected packing my car and use every inch of space available

Great fun though and the boys all look forward to our yearly jaunt to the IoW. DD practically grew up there, as a child my two daughters would go off to stay with their Granny every year for the summer holidays and even though grown up DD still adores the Island She says when her tribe have grown up that's where her and her OH will retire to.

Its very relaxing and mostly the sun shines down on us .We like picnics on the beach at Colwell Bay or Fort Victoria and a bracing walk up Tennyson Down will blow most of the cobwebs away, and wear out the most boisterous of children ( the boys take their kites with them for that ) Its very much home from home for us all. DD will take the boys sea fishing and last year caught us dinner of two sea bass and a couple of plaice which my son-in-law cooked in butter very yummy and MSE.This year we are going to a converted theatre for the holiday house in West Cowes so I'm looking forward to that Only 17 more days to go :):)
Making do like mad for the next couple of weeks as every penny now goes into the holiday fund, so lots of freezer roulette meals :):)
Onwards and upwards chums
JackieO xx

silvasava

Oooh Jackie - sounds lovely! I'm lucky enough to live opposite the IoW & we go there at least once a year. We take our caravan & used to pitch in Freshwater - the West side of the island has such lovely beaches for the littlies & is so unspoilt. We sailed to Bembridge earlier this year & discovered another part we'd not explored! I feel the need for another trip!

vhalla1478

Good Afternoon, Folks,

I'm back on the MMMing bandwagon today and have just made some salmon fishcakes from the head and tail of a whole salmon I bought a few weeks ago - half price at Morrisons and so much cheaper than buying the pieces. I tackled slicing it into steaks when I first bought it but had just shoved the head and tail into a polythene bag in the freezer so I poached it, added the same amount of cold mashed potato, two great handfuls of herbs from the garden (chives, parsley, tarragon and chervil), tablespoon onion, parboiled for a couple of minutes, a tablespoon of breadcrumbs and an egg, salt and pepper. It made six substantial fishcakes, which will do for several meals for me and I've saved the fish stock to go towards the next bouillabaisse that I make. I'm chilling them in the freezer as we speak and am just promising myself one of the delicious chocolates I had bought me yesterday, as long as I restrict myself to one fishcake. I have some of those deep metal rings and find I get a better 'presentation' that way, although of course they taste the same.

Have a good evening, Folks.

Viv xx