Five OS Pleasures in your day today

Broomstick

My five for Tuesday

1. Didn't manage to post last night because I was finishing an OU assignment that had been like wading through treacle to get done - e-mailed it late (and without permission for my delay - which is a no no) and my lovely tutor contacted me this morning to say that everything was fine and, of course, she'd mark it.

2. This week's veggiebox. The fresh, earthy veg always smell so wonderful when the box is first opened.

3. The usual first vegbox supper of baked potatoes with cheese, broccoli and carrots. So simple and so yummy.

4. Reinforcing more old magazine files with thick cardboard and covering them in brown paper so they are strong and look like new, very like the kraft paper stationery in Paperchase. I have lots of brown wrapping paper and intend to wrap all my old stationary boxes and files in it over time. They look really smart and cost next to nothing.

5. More paper decluttering and shredding. However little gets done, it's really lovely to be making inroads into our clutter.

Sweet dreams and thank you for this inspirational thread - I, too, am becoming more and more conscious of the blessings in my life. It's a real force for good.

SunnyGirl

Good evening all,

Blessings for today:

1. Getting lots of compliments on my chilli even from 2 chilli haters. The only difference was that I cooked it in the slow cooker
2. Pegging out the big bath towels & them all drying.
3. Lovely chat with my Mum who I haven't seen for a week as Dad's slipped a disc. She keeps me going with her lovely praise & support.
4. A trip to the library - I'd never be able to afford to buy books at the rate that I read them & one that I'd ordered was in.
5. Having the elder kids text me on & off all day to let me know where they were & whose house they were at :A

Many blessings to you all for the rest of today & tomorrow.

Olliebeak

Congratulations everybody for your 'bargain buys' :j!
Good news about your acupuncture, Caterina .
Sounds like you had a good time at the George's Hall, bluenose - we've been in there and it's a fabulous building. Love the gardens round the back in the summer for a picnic.
Good Luck to everybody trying to find OS/Moneysaving ways of entertaining kids during the half-term break.
I do 'envy' all you OSers with veggie patches. I'm not very green-fingered, but would love to be. Well done to you all :T .

1. Hot buttered toast and porridge for breakfast today (found a lonely demerera sugar sachet lurking in my bag to go with my porridge ).
2. Good drying day here and managed to get through three loads of laundry - just had to finish off the drying on the airers though.
3. Visit from the Mobile Library Van today and talked a few more of the tenants into using it!
4. Toasted the last of the crumpets for lunch and topped them with some grated cheese - mmmmm.
5. OH did the honours for evening meal - double egg and chips! And he managed to keep the yolks runny in the eggs .
6. Baked some fairy cakes for DS1's g/f's son's birthday (4 tomorrow). Still need to wrap his present though - mustn't forget before I go to bed!
7. Took some Lamb's Liver out of the freezer for tomorrow's evening meal. Also have a cabbage that needs using up - so it can be steamed over the pots. If I do a huge pan of pots, there'll be bubble and squeak for Thursday evening .
8. Ordered two more books I've been after from Amazon this morning. 1p each plus postage - so I'm delighted. I don't like paying for the postage, but I can never find any of this writer's books in the local charity shops - I do search there first.

Hope everybody has a goodnight's sleep - nitey nite - Ollie xxx

sparrer

Tuesday blessings...

1. Waking up to find a cat's nose three inches from my face and her paw holding my hair down. Naughty moggie, she's not allowed in the bedroom but knows if she pushes hard enough the door will open as it doesn't close into the catch properly. She did look sweet though, so we had lots of fuss and cuddles before getting up

2. Bathed with a free sample of tea tree bath gel, moisturised my body with a free sample of Dove moisturiser and my face with a free sample of Olay Touch of Sunshine, all chosen from a drawer full of tubes, sachets etc I've got from reading the Freebie forum

3. Searching for car insurance, have now got it down to £74 fully comp via cashback site. Last year I paid £313 :eek: but that was before I knew about how to cut the cost.

4. The contract gardeners came to do the public areas, I took tea out for them and was chatting with one, and just happened to mention :whistle: my paved front garden which weeds seem to like too much. He kindly sprayed it with weedkiller saving me a horrid job

5. Reduced price Cumberland sausages, cauliflower cheese using quick cheese sauce recipe, and jackets for dinner, less than 70p each, very yummy and very filling. Couldn't eat all of mine so that's tomorrow's lunch sorted out

ampersand

Good morning all - I've felt shy of joining this, having 3 times seen I would be posting right after sparrer. Didn't want to appear to be tailing you, s!

Very much need to emulate your car insurance triumph - still haven't really understood cashback - tried a long while back, but couldn't seem to make it work. I need tips(which I've twice mistyped as 'tups':eek: - those I don't need!)
1. Finding this Thread, leading to thinking how much else have I missed on mse.....then thinking and thanking Martin for the whole community and blessing the chance hearing of his voice one afternoon on Woman's Hour, ranting nicely against 0870 no's, thus leading me here.(I'd spent 4-5 hours on one and being cut off - British Gas, long ago changed thenk hyew)
2. Enjoying the mind trail which takes me from Thread Title to Marge Piercy's Six Under-rated Pleasures(Collection: My Mother's Body)
3. Seeing the fog and thinking of it clearing for haleygrey today - her BR day.
4. Knowing Buspass means I can afford to give another day at Charity.
5. .........leading to anticipation of tomorrow's free lunchtime talk in Kettle's Yard, via same BP, hence no clockwatching/parking vs Park'n'ride fare, petrol-driven rationing of means. Allows Fitzwilliam and Botanical Gardens in, too and so much more.
-and it hasn't happened yet, but will. Pheasant aka Big Boy will strut through hedge any moment expecting food(I'd better hurry), shared with blackbirds, thrushes, wood pigeons, collared doves, starlings, sparrow, dunnocks, robins, Blue tits, Great tits, chaffinches, jenny wrens, long-tailed tits, magpies, with woodpeckers, gulls various, heron as sporadic extras. It's a small garden, but backing protected farmland with a far-but-near line of whispering poplars and sheep.
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Just wanted to enjoy this one again, sunnygirl -
2. Pegging out the big bath towels & them all drying.
I love pegging out and bringing in fresh laundry. The smell ranks with basil as one of my Greats.
Thankyou.

ampersand

re:5 above. Just went out, wearing very little as birds WERE waiting and they stayed while I laid their trail and re-did water from rain barrel. It did not feel deathly cold and grass felt good under bare feet.
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......and for the avoidance of cloy, the poplars are planted in a line leading to village sewage ponds:D, where good tomatoes there do grow!(as always)
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Morning mot:hello: . Please give my allsorts to hg if you speak with her today before BR.

Disflop

Hi everyone, am back from a lovely break last weekend, so here are a few pleasures from the last few days.
1. Just catching up with evryones news on this thread - it always makes me feel warm and more aware of the fact that the important things in life aren't things at all.
2. Coming home from my trip to my DH - even after 36+ years being with him is my greatest pleasure.
3. 5 yr old DGD coming for half term sleepover - such special times to enjoy and treasure.
4. The sun shining for more than 2 minutes at a time! Great help with the heating bills.
5. Doing freezer and pantry inventory and realising I have enough in stock for quite a few weeks!
6. Going for a walk with DH and meeting neighbours we dont see often, standing in the sunshine catching up.
7. Book I've had on reserve since November ready for collection at library at last - was very hard to wait and not just send for it from Amazon, so feeling very pleased with myself about that.

Calephetos

- Carrot cake cupcakes from Sunday's baking. Mmmm...

- Reading the new Iain M Banks, not only bought on 3-for-2 with a friend buying the other two, but paid for with a gift card (birthday money from the office).

- My seedlings popping up in my office propagator - there's not enough light at home, but greenery cheers this place up no end, and it's warm and bright too.

- Cycling in again through fresh air and nice bits of countryside. I am mostly a cycle commuter, but sometimes need to remind myself that every day I do, it saves £2 in bus fares.

Mixed blessing - tried a hot oil treatment last night: warmed olive oil with a drip or two of perfume oil from when I was heavily into swapping perfume samples around the internet. I should have shampooed twice! Oh dear... Still, it smells good

Reverbe

Yesterday

1. Dentist fixing my tooth for free

2. hot cups of tea - both Value and samples of Cafedirect tea

3. Leslie Philips autobiography in hardback from Poundland - should be £19

4. 2 more mystery books from the library and a free dvd rental token in BOTH - I now have 4 free rentals to use before 14th March

5. posting some free coffee to another Old Styler as I can't use it myself

6. Fresh free Cafedirect coffee

7. Market Kitchen - gonna really miss that when the cable tv gets switched off.

8. finding out that I am able now to help out at another Cafedirect Tastefair session and being able to get in free to the River Cottage event/tasting(possibly getting another tshirt too)

9. Baked potato for dinner

10. gift of a tin of white crab meat from M&S from friend

11. Rick Stein on Who Do You Think You Are

newlywed

Here's mine:

1. Getting an email saying I'll be sent free teabags to test and a questionnaire to fill out

2. Remembering my secret stash of chocolate this morning (after disagreements with OH).

3. HM bacon leek and tatty soup

4. HM crutons with it - shame bread wasn't HM though

5. Being given an enamel pendant along with a second one to make into a necklace for the giver Fine by me!