The Simple Bare Necessities feat. Gratitude & Recipes

Pippilongstocking

Have a good one!

XOXXO

Greying_Pilgrim

well, I have been ruthless and culled most of my notebooks. I figured if I haven't even tried a recipe that I noted down in 2012, then it's unlikely that I'm going to be tempted now. Pulling out only salient notes, or a recipe that still caught my eye, has yielded a small sheaf of papers that don't even constitute an old-style school exercise book. What was I thinking keeping all this carp?!?

Of course, it's been a delight going down memory lane - seeing plans for holidays, for special birthdays, for our wedding..... Of phone conversations at the beginning of my pregnancy journey, and beyond..... and of finding a doodle, from 2012 that is sweet, but if anyone could see us in RL, they would say, premonition? I rather think the universe knew summat I didn't........ :rotfl:

Right, onwards and upwards.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

So, the way to garner a NSD is always to leave your purse at home, intentionally or otherwise

Because then you also get to stop yourself borrowing more library books because your card is in your purse There were some new ones too

Still, the sunshine was free :j As was the rain But the pootle around the municipal gardens was ace I think everyone must have gone on a last 'quick getaway', the place was all but deserted. Everyday that the weather has been 'good enough' in the summer, it has been heaving.....

I've just used the last of the plums that we got from the roadside stall to make a crumble. They look and taste mucho, mucho better for being given a week to ripen on

I think tea may yet morph away from a buddha bowl, but will be using store ingredients, so kinda in the spirit.

Right, best crack on.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

Tea this evening, was about as far removed from a 'buddha bowl' as you'd care to consider I flew right back to the 1970's and had fish fingers and mash! 'cept the mash was made from real potatoes (not out of a tub, and not manufactured by martians ), and we didn't have beans with it, as we had none So I redeemed myself slightly, and was a slightly bit more 'this century' and did brocolli, carrots and sweetcorn. There may have been 'THAT' red sauce on the table too......

And you thought it was all haute cuisine round 'ere :rotfl:

Still, I used up the last of the potatoes, the fish fingers were from the freezer, the brocolli was half a bag remaining, I used up half the sweetcorn and the carrots were out of the fridge - as was the tommy katsup. So I didn't spend any money today on tea We'll have plum crumble with (probably) the last of the iced-cream just now.

I was thinking today about my 'Try Harder Trimester'. I won't beat about the bush, it's gone off the rails in August. For a variety of reasons - unfortunately, I had underestimated the impact of 'noises off' on leaving me insufficient energy and head-space to meet my aims.

However.

As a whole, the THT 'worked' in that I know that we have achieved much, much more than we would have had I not set out the challenge. The old addage of 'that which gets measured, gets done' is probably true.

The biggest 'fail' was in my fitness. I've not really made a dent in that, and I think my weight has 'at best' remained static.......

We have been to 7 or 8 NT places - I think I'd pencilled in to go to 10, but we've definitely already gone to 4 'new' ones. One of the 'new' places was simply stunning, and we had a great time there, despite inclement weather. As we visit all the 'nearby' places, it gets harder see new places in a 'day' visit. Something not helped by the NT having properties shut for half the day.........

We have bought some of the items on my list, replacement of 'white' goods was the most important, and there were one or two 'wish-list items too. There is only one item that I haven't bought, that I think we'll need sooner rather than later, and that is an external hard-drive principally for photos. They're not terribly expensive, I ought to get my arris into gear and buy one. The difficulty is mostly about the retail parks being on the periphery of Greying Town, and it being just too far to walk to them now, with Baby Greying in the buggy. I don't want us to own two cars, there is no need for 99% of the time. But for that 1% of occasions.........

We have made significant progress with things in the house. More than I'm giving us credit for. The thing is, it isn't the 'big' stuff. We've not had a wall knocked down or a boiler replaced, or a conservatory built. But we've got rid of a shed-load of crap. Which helps. We haven't regretted getting rid of any of our 'stuff' (not crap) to the chazzers. I'm still keen to whittle stuff down further, I 'm thinking how beneficial it will be when we move.

I know what I've got to do in certain rooms, because I made a list/inventory/plan. I might have missed my 13 week deadline, but the framework can be used in the future, it was not a wasted exercise.

So, a curate's egg of an analysis, but overall I'm pleased. Focus does work, and we've done well, but I'm human, I only have so much energy, I only have so much mental capacity to dole out to different scenarios. But there is no point in getting angry at the thief of my time and energy, because it cannot hear me and it cannot be moved to atone for its intrangience.

I have £3.60 left over of my food budget :j Technically, it was £6.59, if you count in the money I spent on the DVD. I will aim to buy UHT milk for the FB with my £3.60 surplus.


Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

for recognising achievements - we've done stuff, met targets, progressed

for wonderful free exercise and entertainment in the great outdoors with BG - hope we brought a smile to one or two other faces too

for finally staying in budget with my food budget :j:j:j:rotfl:

Ta for popping in and reading. Appreciated. now, s'cuse me, crumble is a calling......

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

I am most impressed with your achievements lovely Greying :j :j

Will you be starting another trimester challenge?

Greying_Pilgrim

Cheery_Daff wrote: »

Will you be starting another trimester challenge?

Cheery - thanks love. Um, I'd not considered it, until you said. But thinking off the top of my head....... yes, but not straight away. There is something that is eating my time and head space and until it goes away, it is very difficult to focus on anything other than care for BG, care for myself and DH and the general day-to-dayness of life.

I've just checked, we're on week 35 of 2017. There are still 17 weeks of 2017 left. i could squeak a trimester in somewhere......... :think:

Good job this is only 'progress' I'm giving birth to; rather more difficult to ask a growing babba to 'hang on a mo'....... :rotfl:

Greying X

rtandon27

Greying_Pilgrim wrote: »

...the DVD...

...crumble is a calling...

DVD - GP as well spent 2.99 - that is a marvelous movie - good fun - we saw it for 'free' in the theatres when it first came out!:T

Crumble - mmmmmm - save me some - will bring some vanilla ice cream to go with it!;)

ETA - OH just reminded me of two sulky bananas & 6 apples that need using up tomorrow - banana bread & crumble on the plans for tomorrow

beanielou

Great results for you

Greying_Pilgrim

rtandon27 wrote: »

ETA - OH just reminded me of two sulky bananas & 6 apples that need using up tomorrow - banana bread & crumble on the plans for tomorrow

Then I'M coming round to yours then! Thanks for the DVD thumbs up. I hoped it would be good, but if you liked it, then I'm confident we will too Even DH is looking forward to our film night on Saturday, he's going to get his disc player out especially........

The DVD player can't be linked to the TV when the recorder is - what else did you think I meant? :rotfl:

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

Here we are again!

1st of September...... cor.

I've some admin to get on with today, washing to dry and ...... things to sort/toot to get rid of. Alongside caring for BG and having a nice day

Tea this evening will be relatively easy. The freezer is awash with pizza, so no need to make another, I'll just have to work out what to have with

I was pondering last night how much of my food budget 'saving' could be put down to receiving gifted garden produce goodies, and being much more focused about using store cupboard things. I think that the one difference this year is that I have tried very hard to make the gifted produce be the 'main' event iyswim. So we've had runner bean curry, we've had courgette bake or courgette curry and then built rice or dhal or steamed cous cous around that. In previous years, I have defaulted much more to 'oh we've beans too' or 'i made a stew and lobbed in a bit of courgette with the ingredients'. Making myself think and find new (nice) recipes has definitely helped. But I still have to think that I've 'only' £6.59 of £160 left after 31 days........ :eek:

Food prices are a strange one to get a grip on. I suppose it is because they are out of season, but HB has clementines for £1.29 - they were £1 a net. That seems too dear for me (especially as the quality always looks a bit off), but then m&$ are charging £2.85 for their net (admittedly the fruits look better), and now only ever seem to YS them down to £2. We've been a long time without citrus, with the exception of lemon. I have seen 25kg bags of tatties (not from my preferred supplier) that are supposed to come from the county (couldn't see the supplier on the bag, no variety given either.......), at £7. I won't be buying those, but I'm hopeful it is signalling that the ones that I do want are on their way into stores.

Right, I have drained my coffee cup - did quite well on the cutting right down, certainly had many more days that I only had one cup of coffee, versus days when I caved in and had a second cup.

Best go and see what DH and BG are up to and make up some snap.

Ta for popping in and offering such words of encouragement, I'm so grateful.

Greying X