EH - Essex > Hebrides...the next step of the adventure?

EssexHebridean

Thanks lovelies - appreciated!

Still not feeling brilliant but again very conscious that it could be oh-so-much worse too. 

In non covid news, I made a dishcloth! And half way through another - dead easy and I’m enjoying the playing about with patterns too. Been given a link for a website which seems to stock vast amounts of cotton yarn in an entire rainbow of colours so may be placing an order and playing around with dishcloths some more. 

Todays little bursts of activity have seen a couple of bits removed from my wardrobe for the charity shop, and a couple of others earmarked as “maybe” going - an pretty white edge to edge cardi that I’m reluctant to let go of because it could be a lifesaver to dress up an otherwise casual outfit, and an old hoody that frankly might not even be charity shop suitable now - it’s too big and I rarely wear it but I’m reluctant to let it go at this point in the year. The two items that went were a dress bought for and worn at one of my best pal’s little one’s christening - it’s beautiful, but wasn’t terribly comfortable and I didn’t feel very “me” in it, and a shirt that I acquired from a charity shop a couple of years ago - I’ve worn it a couple of times but not often, and it was mainly in there because I feel I “should” have a smart shirt in the wardrobe. I’ve also stripped the duck meat off the carcass - enough for two more meals - and made stock with the carcass and giblets - that needs skimming and portioning but some will get used tonight in a sort-of paella. A bit of light tidying, one load of washing to the machine ready for tonight, and the load outside brought in and folded. Oh and I have given our big flask (that gets used daily) a soak with soda crystal solution and WU liquid - that’s now had a scrub out and is sparkling clean again - amazing how much residue it gets inside allowing it’s almost only ever used for plain water.

Banking checked and all OK - and £250 shifted across to PB’s as pretty much all of the DD’s for the month have now gone out. We finally got the refund for the broadband overpayment through from Sh3ll too so that got shifted over to savings the other day. There should be a surplus at the end of the month to throw into savings as well, especially allowing that the diesel in MrEH’s car will now stretch further because of no commuting this week. (His oyster credit will do likewise - I can’t see him travelling in more than one day next week either). 

Hoping that by tomorrow we might both have started to properly shake the lurgy off - it feels as though we’re both coughing slightly less this afternoon, I still have a faint headache but not enough to be worth taking anything for now, but we’re both still feeling very fatigued very fast when we do anything, and I’m guessing that will be the last thing to go.

We did get some garden stuff done yesterday - MrEH’s cactuses and my succulent repotted, beans, basil, land cress, nasturtiums and some mild chillies sown, we’ve still got parsnips and tomatoes to sow, and have just realised that we forgot to buy the chard seed we’d planned to some that will need a return garden centre visit at some stage. I may have decided on more herbs by that stage too though. If I’m feeling OK for it I might make a start of digging over the parsnip bed tomorrow and rehoming some of the forget me nots from it - no matter how many we dig out every year we always end up with the same number or more all over again! 

Right - time to make paella-ish I think. I’ve got duck and chorizo so that’s what it will be getting in it! 😁

MrsPorridge

I started making dishcloths and face flannels a couple of years ago - its very addictive.  I've got a big stock now and even made some for DS.

RosaBernicia

Glad to hear you are both doing ok.  Take it easy. 

foxgloves

I like home made knitted cotton dishcloths - sufficiently abrasive to shift cooked-on gunk but soft enough to wash more fragile items too.
Hope you feel properly better very soon.
F

Cheery_Daff

I like home made knitted dishcloths too - not too thick though. I've got one that someone else made for me and it's far too chunky and never properly dries out 🙄

EssexHebridean

Well I’ve just completed dishcloth 2 - this one has a border as well, AND a mix of stitches - get me going all fancy! I have also just placed an order on a website someone gave me details of - so there will be more dishcloths…and more panels for my blanket. Just over £26 spent but I DID find a discount code and there is a lot of hours of gentle soothing entertainment in that order so good value I think. Chosen a nice mix of yarns which will tone together both for the blanket and for more dishcloths/kitchen cloths too. (Different yarns, obviously - I’m not making a blanket out of cotton, OR dishcloths from acrylic come to that!) 

Cheery I also have a couple that were made for me - mine are coming out a little less chunky than those I think - we hang ours over the tap so never have an issue with them drying out though. Foxgloves I found that the “knobbly” bits were good enough to shift most things too - nicer than using abrasive pads for sure. MrsP - face flannels - oh now THERE’s a thought…probably a good job I only  saw your post AFTER I placed that order isn’t it! 😆 Rosa thank you - we are, although at least in part as we have no choice, we’re both getting absolutely worn out from doing almost nothing, it’s very frustrating! 

Another spend to declare as well (honestly it feels like the spendy-elves are a symptom of covid at this rate!) as I have bought the full size version of the little deodorants I had the trial sizes of. It’s not the cheapest, but even with a fairly active week of walking, climbing around on hillsides etc last week I never once thought that I wished I’d taken my more usual Mitchum - so it IS effective. It’s also FAR more environmentally friendly as the case is reusable and the refills are all recyclable - I have for a long while disliked the aerosol/plastic combination of “regular” deodorants, and ultimately I am fortunate to be able to afford to do the right thing for the environment so I’ve committed to this one. It’s a small step, but if everyone was able to make a similar small step we’d be in a better place, after all.

Trying to remember to keep my eye on surveys today - had a complete whitewash of screen-outs on Onepoll earlier, but did get one small Prolific study last night. All screen outs on Ipsos as well this morning but did at least get the “you didn’t qualify but have three points anyway” points for a handful.

Our friend has now given us the split of the shared costs from last week so that is paid - we’ve also agreed to each chip in a lump towards the Tavern and our personal shop tabs so I may be able to get that cleared off the card straight away rather than waiting for the next top-up into the relevant savings account. 

I need to do a proper meal plan for the rest of the week - there’s not really been one this week because of course we had to do a hasty stop on the way home so we never had time to sit and really plan. The rest of the duck I will freeze I think - that will do a stir fry another time. Tomorrow will probably be a mushroom and bacon risotto, and tonight might well end up as the final portion of bolognese from the freezer. I’ve also got an option to do something with couscous as we usually would - there’s some roast lamb chunks in the freezer so that might work well. I think I’ll do a click and collect shopping order for the end of the week that Mum can then get for us - annoyingly I couldn’t re-jig our veg box to get one this week, that would have helped on the veg supplies front. Realistically with both of us still having instant and strong positive results this morning I think it’s unlikely that I’ll get negatives as soon as days 6 & 7 so it’s not likely I’ll be able to do my shopping in person for next week. 

Fun fact for you - this time in 1992 I was sitting on the steps outside the old Wembley Stadium waiting to go in to the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert - feels incredible to think it was so long ago, I might put the DVD on later! 

Right - time to sew in the ends on my dishcloth then sort out the next load of washing to head to the machine I think - it’s glorious sunshine here today so hopefully the load I hung out earlier will dry well through the day. Aside from collecting the rubbish to go out that’s about the only constructive thing I’ve done so far today! 

EssexHebridean

Eek - just done my first ever T’s Click & collect order which Mum is going to get for us on Friday. This means we also have a “sort of” meal plan for next week - although it mostly revolves around roast chicken on Sunday (need to check whether I can specify that they can substitute the chosen size with a free range - as much as they ARE FR at the moment - one of a different size) then rubber chicken variations for several other days, plus omelette or frittata, and a duck stir fry… Don’t buy into the idea that you spend less by shopping online at ALL I’m afraid - that came in just under £40 and I’d not have spent that in the shop - although in fairness some of it is “just in case” food as we feasibly could both test positive to the end of the 10 days (Tuesday for me, a week today for MrEH). Still, we will have plenty of fruit and veg, 

Dishcloth number two is now hanging over the kitchen tap looking pretty… 🤩

milann

The dishcloths sound lovely. Whilst at dds last year I was sauntering around the crafty beach huts and they had recycled jars with knitted and crocheted make up removal pads inside, made  from a fine cotton……looked 4 ply. Various themed colour ways and jars zuzzed up with pretty ribbon. It was an idea I was going to have a go at for Christmas presents but never got around to.
Hope you are feeling ok despite the dreaded Covid. Take care

Cheery_Daff

Glad you've got some food on the way! 

I do hang our dishcloths over the tap but there's one particular one with very thick cotton and dense knitting that just doesn't even dry out overnight. I tend to use it for a big clean up (or the floor!) then it goes straight in the wash. Mr Cheery hates damp dish cloths lying around - sadly that usually translates to him using loo roll to wipe counters rather than just swapping dish cloths more often 🙄 Clearly I need to crochet some more so we have an enormous stash! 😂

savingholmes

Glad you have help getting food.

Hope you get a negative result soon.

Garden and dish cloths sound soothing. Love crafts