The Simple Bare Necessities feat. Gratitude & Recipes

Greying_Pilgrim

rtandon27 wrote: »

Lol - liking your vibe/tribe siggy GP - made me giggle!

(Please tell me it's new & not just me being unobservant!)

Um, it's been there quite a while..... Not sure where I picked it up from now, but it seemed quite relevant - so I put it up there


Greying X

rtandon27

Greying_Pilgrim wrote: »

Um, it's been there quite a while..... ...

Oh dear - unobservant it is then...

:o:o;)

apple_muncher

But you made the rest of us also wonder about it, rtandon!

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

apple_muncher wrote: »

But you made the rest of us also wonder about it, rtandon!

Ha ha! And you've all reminded me that I need to retain a positive, pleasant vibe, to attract my tribe No more hanging around with grinches at the PO! :rotfl:


I've been keeping out of mischief, attending to my crafting and pootling about with BG - who continues to surprise me each day with what they can achieve, and cause me headaches when they stamp their foot, and say 'no!'. Can't imagine where they got that character streak from.............. :whistle::rotfl:


Tea on Friday was black olive pizza and wedges. The wedges were the HB tatties - origin of Lancashire (I looked it up), so thank you to the Sephton family for picking and packing Again, not the tastiest tattie ever, but they cooked nicely and were fluffy inside.



Tea last night was a bit of a departure, in that we didn't have curry :eek: I watched a bit of the Wales v Scotland rugger, so didn't have the prep time for making something from scratch. So I hauled a 'ready meal' out of the freezer and used that instead. I had bought the pre-prepared 'Aubergine Parmigana' yonks ago, from h3r0n f00ds. It was a '80xed' product - I think mrT sell them (maybe elsewhere, too?). In mrT they retail for £4 - I paid £2.50 and it was a 2 serving dish. In a word...... bleurk! I had bought this for a 'special' meal, some time ago - the opportunity for which, came and went. And boy, am I glad it did. There was SO much oil in the dish, I mean, the aubergines were literally doused in thick oil, that had a funny taste - think chipper oil that has been used too many times I shall not bother with this product again. It also took forever to cook. I cooked it in the oven, but had to end up putting it in the microwave to get it cooked through. My own HM lasagne doesn't take over 1hr to cook! Anyhoo, this horrible food item was served alongside baked tatties, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower.



Tea this evening will be something along the fish line - maybe the cheap and cheerful scampi I bought in h3r0n on special, with oven chips and mushy peas. We are so classy :rotfl:


All bills are paid - with the exception of my cc (I'll do that today), and we just need to 'money shuffle' pennies out of current accounts and into instant access savings, so that next month's bills can be met, whatever life throws at us in the meantime. There was a little bit of family allowance (CHB) leftover this month, so it went into BG's saving account. I so wish it was more - we'll not have this time of 'relatively' low cost child-rearing again - DH and I were discussing 'gadgets' and DH optimistically talked about BG having their first mobile phone at 14..........:rotfl: I don't think it matters - in this instance - that DH and I are older parents, I rather suspect that most parents feel that so much has changed - so rapidly - from when all of US were children, that it's a completely different ball game, with attendant new rules, to that which we knew/experienced. Meanwhile, I am remembering to be grateful that BG doesn't seem to mind wearing chazzer shop clothes (I try to pick nice ones) and is delighted with chazzer shop toys, especially as they are now big enough to hand over the money to the staff member, and tell them all about the ins and outs of that particular toy/character set :rotfl: People are so kind (and patient! :rotfl:)


Right, can't think of owt else :money: that has been going on, and I've drained my coffee cup, so best vamoose.



Ta for popping by. Appreciated.


Greying X

apple_muncher

At 10, my dd still loves ch shop clothes and toys- she loves a good rummage! Tho she recently got her first phone - we wanted her comfy with it well before going to sec sch. And she has said that she feels safer going out and about on her own (to meet a friend on another part of our estate) because she has it. She always swore that she would never ever become 'one of those teenagers who are addicted to their phone', which gives us ammo for teasing her...

A friend's dd, when aged about 7, said that she didn't like a certain tshirt because it smelt funny. It smelt funny because it was brand new and she wasn't used to the 'new' smell with her clothes!

Greying_Pilgrim

Ha ha! I love everything about your post apple - gives me hope for the future!



I do seem to see alot of children round about with very 'posh' branded-wear, whether it is licensed character clothing, or from, um, 'high-end' fashionable children's-wear retailers. Of course, I am such a luddite, I have no idea if they are 'this season's must haves' or whether they too have been purchased in a chazzer, or bought by Grandpa or an indulgent aunt. One person i know was always at pains to point out the origin of her child's clothing (high-end, online retailer), but then quickly added that grandma had ordered and paid for it all, so........



I'm rather more resigned to the phone issue. I wish children didn't need them, but accept there are good reasons for them to have them. I suppose the only thing I can influence is how BG uses it when the time comes, and how responsible they are. To think, even at University, we all queued up to use the phone-box to call home, or call our chums etc - seems a million years ago now! :rotfl:


Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:


And whoosh another week gone!


Just been pootling along. Don't think I've achieved anything outlandish. Although I did manage to get a haircut (very good one too ) for 1/3rd less than I have been paying :jIt involves going to the next along citadel, but that's no real hardship, as I can always justify the fuel and the parking (actually very reasonable by today's standards), because they have 'all the shops', very good chazzers and an excellent library - which our cards are still valid in It is also home to the very friendly folk who run the FB, so if I get my timings right, a trip is justified on :money: grounds!


Talking of FB's I'm continuing to lace together our Christmas donation. Still trying to get best bang for my buck, without compromising on quality. Luckily, I happened to spot a recommendation for chocoate coated oaty biccies from asda, 41p for 300g, over on Old Style, so I've picked up a couple of packets of those. Anything chocolatey, or 'interesting' fits my brief of 'treat'. I also spotted 3 tins of peaches for £1 in bee&em, so I got some of those - as they have the advantage of being (probably perfectly good quality) in tins that are not plastered with 'valoo', 'sayver' or 'smartly-priced'. Needless to say, my budget is evaporating before my eyes! But i'm still trying to get what i can for the best price, best quality, and a meaningful quantity.


Grey Queen has started a thread on OS about accepting (or rejecting) 'freebies'. On a similar - but different - vein, I am already fed up of activities, aimed at families or children that include a 'gift from santa' - which you pay for in the 'admission' price, natch. All manner of activities have been hi-jacked - visits to zoos, animal parks, shopping centres, any type of transport ride, all and every natty trusty place..... the list goes on! And you're expected to pay for plastic tat, that you may or may not have chosen to purchase for your little one, just for them to 'see' santa. Added to which - what's the percentage of littlies that are scared rigid by santa, and bawl the place down? Why can't more places just have a Santa 'on hand' sprinkling lots of 'Ho Ho Ho's' about, maybe a few sweeties, whilst accepting donations to a food bank, or donations to your local hospice/cat's home/donkey sanctuary/charity of the location's choice? Why am I expected to pay to accumulate more plastic carp in my home????


rant over.





We've been doing OK on the food front. Don't think I've cooked anything 'new' or 'interesting'. I did get a stalk of sprouts the other day for £1.20. There were a load of sprouts on there, and I reckoned it was good value. Sprouts are so expensive! I do think I'll go for the net of sprouts the shop was selling, next time. They were 75p. I have zero idea why brussels sprouts are so expensive elsewhere - I'm looking at YOU m&$.


Right, best get on. Ta for popping by. Appreciated.


Greying X

beanielou

Thanks so much for always thinking of your local foodbank

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Afternoon,




Sorry for being AWOL. RL rearing up and biting me in the bumgain


BG has contracted yet another respiratory infection Drugs have been administered, and grateful thanks flung up above (again) for our wonderful NHS service - and for a no-nonsense GP who will tell ya if you're an over-acting drama queen of a parent, or whether your gut-call, to bring your tot in for their examination was right.........


Money has been evaporating on 'shopping' - food mostly - but we've not alot to show for it. And teas have been boring


I have, however, made a little more progress with planning out the rest of my FB donation - and if I can get what is now left of my list, I should come in at just about on budget. But there won't be an overly large amount of stuff for the money - the tins of meat (varying size) average £1.10 per tin alone £8.80 of the budget used up



I do not have any presents, yet, for BG though but do have a couple of items; and a couple of ideas, for their stocking. I have dropped on a couple of nice (inexpensive) ornaments for the tree, which is just as well, as it was new last year (for BG's benefit) and was 'slightly' bare....... I do like the idea of getting one decoration or bauble a year and building up - although I tend to prefer smaller baubles, as the tree isn't huge, but the trend seems to be for BIG decs, going by what I've seen in the shops.


The tradesperson saga lurches from the ridiculous to the ridiculouser. In a word.



GREED.


So it's back to the drawing board.


We have paid in small contributions to the Poppy appeal and to CiN - not mega bucks, but it all adds up. Listening to the R2 Breakfast show has been wonderful - and had me in floods of tears - with all that has been going on. Great that there is equality of opportunity to take part in such marvellous events too. To raise the best part of £10m in one week is pretty stunning. I hope lots of children's groups benefit for years to come.


BG is snoozing, so I best away and clear up and make preparations for tea. If I can, I shall make lentil bolognese to have with pasta for tea. Otherwise, I'm going to whole-heartedly cheat and opt for cardboard box fish and oven chips avec pois mushy. Tres chic!



Ta for popping in. Appreciated.


Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good evening :hello:


Lentil bolognese made & munched - albeit only a few spoonfuls for BG But at least it made sufficient for tea, with some leftover for another day, and the fush&chups will come in again too.


Today i am grateful for;

the NHS

walk-in services


for my lot - some have it much harder, much harder than us, I know it.


Greying X