Frump to Fab - A Whole New World.

maman

helensbiggestfan said:

The nights are starting to draw in.  Winter is Coming!!!! 😂🤣.  

Oh LL!! Don't say that. Lockdown has been bearable to an extent because of the light evenings and good weather. The idea of staying in all winter fills me with dread! Obviously it's not as strict as at the start but I feel I'm just doing essentials and until we can meet up in groups indoors it's hard to meet up with friends properly.

I'm not naturally a fearful person but I know there are places I'd choose not to go. Yesterday, when I went to Aldi there was a pub next door with some sort of  (very loud which is what attracted my attention) outdoor music event going on in the garden. There were crowds there with no social distancing at all and, of course, being a pub no masks. I don't know what it'll take to get some people back to taking Covid seriously again. There was a coherent plan in steps and stages linked to the R rate at one time but then so many restrictions were all dropped at once despite the R rate not dropping  that some people think it's all over. ☹

I'm almost afraid to talk about our freezers in case I jinx them! . I didn't want a tall fridge/freezer so we have 2 under the counter freezers and a larder fridge. They were all quite cheap. I'd have to look in my file of guarantees but I know 2 of them are 13 years old and one was replaced sometime but that was years ago. It's such a lottery but mostly I buy things from John Lewis for the 2 year guarantee. If you do the maths, something costing about £300 that lasts for 2 years is about 50p a day so anything beyond that is a bonus. 

It's dry and a bit muggy here. No sun but much cooler than last week so we can breathe! 😁

Wednesday2000

That was a fail! I put far too much product in my hair and it looks like a wet look perm. I called my husband and told him not to laugh when he sees me.

The women in the videos used lots of gel but maybe my hair is finer or something. Oh well, I will try again tomorrow.

candygirl

Hi Girlies ! 
Have had a productive day today, in that my gardener has finished the weeding, n power washed the patio.I need loads of new plants now though, as baby Zeus emptied all the pots, n dug up the bushes, bless him 💔
Have booked the gardener to get rid of loads of my rubbish too, so that's the outside sorted for now .
Hope the hair turns out ok WEDNESDAY X

helensbiggestfan

Hello Lovely Ladies. 

Sorry Maman didn't mean to upset anyone with talking About the forthcoming winter.  I guess it was just that it felt so autumnal yesterday. We still have several weeks of summer and early autumn warmth and sunshine ahead of us.  I understand your qualms though.......a winter lockdown is not a very attractive prospect.  The only thing that made full lockdown bearable first time round was the fact that we had a lovely warm spring.  I could at least enjoy the garden.  We will just have to support each other in the virtual world if it happens. 

I have been thinking about the forthcoming winter though, about what I can do to keep myself occupied and happy.  Even without full lockdown I still won't be able to socialise much, won't be able to go out to cinemas and restaurants until after the baby is born because of the need to be careful to shield DIL.  And of course cruises and foreign holidays are right out. No winter sun this year. 😟.  I guess I'll just crack on with diy, furniture painting, and get arty and crafty.  I'm also stocking up with books.  

 The baby is due mid October, although as it is most likely to be an elective Caesarian it could quite well be early October.  DILs mum cant  come of course, so there's only me to help.   If all goes according to plan then I'll be pretty busy for a little while, just being an extra pair of hands.  If it proves necessary to go into full lockdown again I will just move in with them.  Not ideal because I think it would be better for them to have some time to themselves but realistically they are going to need help.  Will just have to see what comes and play it by ear.  

Having a break from gardening to rest my shoulder so I started painting some furniture today, a little cupboard to fit in an alcove in my dining room.  Did a mini shop in Aldi. Just a few salad and veg bits because I'm running down the fridge and freezer now, ready for the new one on Thursday, although one of my neighbours has kindly offered some freezer space for a few days.  

Had to cancel my chiro this mornjng.  Went out and discovered I had got a flat tire.  All sorted now, it was only the valve. £10 to replace it.  Phew. 😁

Other than that, nothing much happening here.  I don't exactly live a rock and roll lifestyle these days.  After the years of marriage and parenting, I do find life very quiet sometimes And Covid just seems to magnify that.  Life seems almost surreal, everything seems "On hold". I Cant make plans and I'm not the sort of person who finds it's easy to just drift along aimlessly. 

Anyway I gave myself a manicure this Morning and yesterday I painted my toenails Chinese red. 😂. Don't know why there's no one but me to see them. I do it for me.  

I did pop into a Chazzer, Picked up a cream top for £1 and three books for £.   Last of the big spenders me.  Unfortunately August is turning out to be an expensive month......chiro, new fridge freezer, TV licence renewal and today household insurance.  Never mind it's only money......😉😂.  

thepurplepixie

I think we should hibernate for the winter.  Seems the most sensible option to me.  I often feel like hibernating so this could be my big chance.

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies,
Some of my home cooked meals. Jumbo king prawn, vegetable and egg noodle stir fry. 



Chicken breast oven baked with a mixed salad


Basa fillet with Nando's hot panfry seasoning oven baked, seasonal baked potatoes with mixed herbs and a drizzle of olive oil with Lidl mixed vegetables. My daughter and I really enjoyed the Basa fillets for the 1st time. They are far more economical than cod fillets. 



Stir fry white cabbage with tinned salmon, red pepper and onion



I will continue to do home cooking. I want to do more chicken and fish dishes, as they are healthier, leaner and cook quickly. I do not like to spend hours in my kitchen to prepare and cook a meal. The recession has started, so it is even more important to try to eat a healthy, balanced diet on a budget. 

sugarbaby125

Hello again Ladies,
I cannot remember who asked me about my jerk chicken wings, but I use the following seasoning in generous quantities.:
1. Schwatz jerk seasoning
2. Schwartz piri piri seasoning
3. Tesco onion granules
4. Freshly ground black pepper
5. Ground cumin
6. Ground coriander
7. Tesco mixed herbs

I just rub the seasoning all over the surfaces of each chicken wing, making sure they are all well covered in seasoning, then roast them. 

thepurplepixie

Sugarbaby they all look delicious.  I'd love the cabbage and salmon, I love cabbage so much my husband threatened to divorce me if I served it again but my excuse was I was pregnant and why not have cabbage for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

savingfortomorrow

Things have been very quiet-  I have been doing a lot of diy and shopping for the house. I have decided to declutter some furniture so that less is more. I want to get a few things done before we head into the winter. 

LL I think it is better to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. 

It is looking like I am going into a localized lockdown. Cases are rising significantly near me; to the point that it is not advisable to even shop for bread and milk. I am worried but I have not left my home and interacted with people since march without a mask. I have a lot of picked foods and preserved foods, tins and dried goods but I don't feel like risking going out to a hot zone for fresh vegetables. 

I think we will get rolling lockdowns- we are going to have to make the best of it. I want to learn a few new skills-  I want to just focus on something artistic. (this is a wishful though as I have such poor hand eye coordination that I can barely draw a circle). 

Sugar the dinner looks great. You are right about eating cheap but well. Eating well with simple ingredients and well seasoned are key. I use a lot of miso paste for the unami taste.  

helensbiggestfan

Hibernating sounds like a great idea. We could be like bears, have a good feed and then sleep through it all, then wake up nice and slim.  😂🤣

SFT.  I can't draw freehand for toffee.......but I can paint.  So sometimes I trace an outline and then paint over.  Anyway, I have ordered a couple of paint by numbers canvases.  😂. I've not paid much So if they look naff I can get rid but I thought it would be worth giving it a go.  I used to do embroidery and tapestries, so I might take that up again. I did find embroidery very relaxing.  

Sorry to hear you might be going into lockdown soon, but at least you've got a bit of warning to prepare.  I was thinking about trying some sprouting seeds that you can grow on a window cill for salad leaves.  I'm not that keen on tinned fruit and veg But I might just get a couple of tins for emergencies. Then a few bits in the freezer.  In the winter root vegetables can keep for quite a while In a cool place. I noticed on one of the OS Threads some people use dehydrators.  

SUgarbaby ......those meals look fab.  I am concentrating on using up perishable food at the moment because I have to empty and defrost the fridge freezer on Wednesday. I have a mini fridge which doesn't hold much, a small carton of milk and one or two bits and it's full.  But it's better than nothing and at least it's not as hot this week so hopefully I won't have to throw too much away. Once the new fridge freezer is up and running I will do another stock up of meat, fish, frozen fruit and veg and a couple of cartons of milk.  I have a reasonable stock of dry goods, non perishables, cleanIng materials and toiletries maybe just a bit more tea and coffee. I can cope with most of what life throws at me as long as I get my caffeine fix......😂.   

And like you say SUgarbaby we are now in recession and who knows how much food costs might rise, so a good store cupboard is like money in the bank,