Simplifying Life

Eager_Elephant

Hi everyone I am reading the book 'Home Comforts' which is very good and it has me thinking more about my linen and to have good quality rather than lots of lower quality items.

Can anyone recommend a good company to buy from online? In Summer we like cotton and winter we like flanelette. Right now I'd be keen to get some cotton at a lower cost, ready for next spring/summer if possible but I want it to be good quality?

Hi

I always use La Redoute which are a French shopping catalogue, either pay in full when you order or have an account.

I have just got in the post the latest catalogue and they now do flannelette sheets at reasonable prices.

They also do jersey sheets which are just like t-shirt material - ideal for summer.

The best thing about them is they don't just do single & double - they do single, three quarter (queen), double, king & super king.

Also the colours are amazing, about 30 different colours.

HTH

EE

mary43

Thankfully.......legs not aching too much as a result of yesterdays bit of gardening but today I'm have a day of taking it easy and generally catching up on a few things. I seemed to have a lot of bits of paper kicking around with family tree information on that needed adding to my records - sorted out little bit of washing -just need to clear my comp. desk drawer of print outs that I find I don't need anymore (did a lot of trial and error stuff for sons birthday card).............and that, so far is my day. Easy, simple and unhurried................;)
The rest can wait..........................

2cats1kid

Just been out for a wander and found (on the common behind our house!) two more apple trees (so that is three apple trees on the common), two plum/greengage trees (leaning towards greengage, as they seem to be ripe-ish but showing no signs of going purple), loads of elder, three more blackberry patches that no-one has even touched yet (although people are gathering from the easier to get to ones) and some sloes (or possibly those bullace thingies). So I can see some hedgerow jam or jelly being in the offing. Would do hedgerow wine, but all demi johns are currently productive!

Charis

2cats1kid wrote: »

(leaning towards greengage, as they seem to be ripe-ish but showing no signs of going purple)

I don't think they are meant to go purple, they are quite green in this picture of 'harvested' greengages:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greengage

[Deleted User]

How on earth do tidy cupboards get messy again? Oooh I`ll have to start again on the space at the bottom of my wardrobe. Oh well I`ll have to turn it into a feel good job ie rainy day with the radio on. We are having some success re using up bathroom goodies, I had a large stash, all good qvc tsv`s special buys at the time and it is going down slowly. Lol I am thinking of getting rid of some more into christmas boxes. Liz earle, moulton brown etc I bid you a fond goodbye!! to be replaced in time with a`kin and not from qvc

I am trying to simplify my clothes. I made a couple of linen dresses this year but that was a complete waste of time as no day has been warm enough to wear them. The clothes I am most comfortable in are hm A line skirts and layered with t shirts, jumpers, slip, tights whatever is appropriate. If I had real courage then this is all I would have in my wardrobe as this is all I have worn most of the summer and they will see me into winter too.

I have managed to give my car away to my dd as she now has a baby and one car may not be enough for them when she returns to work. It was a really good car that I had from new but it feels good to get down to one car now that we have retired. I am out and about about on my bike a lot these past two months, even in light rain. I go to the supermarket and fill my panniers so no need for another car.

Out on my bike this am to get the papers and I think I`ll start on christmas boxes this afternoon.

2cats1kid

Charis wrote: »

I don't think they are meant to go purple, they are quite green in this picture of 'harvested' greengages:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greengage

Yeah, that's why I figured they were probably greengages. It's such a shame, as the fruit is just rotting on the trees, but I suppose if I didn't know they were there till yesterday, most people don't know. I used to love greengage crumble at school, so I think I'll be back for more.

mary43

2cats - youre making me feel really hungry......................oohhh.crumble....any kind of crumble.......I love it !
(With custard-has to be custard)

kittie - gremlins come out at night and make all the cupboard untidy again........they do, honest ! Well, in my house anyway. Been through my wardrobe twice this year and get the feeling I'll have to do it again before this summers out (if you can call it summer!) There's loads of stuff I just haven't worn but can't work out why. Not that they don't fit.........I just seem to rotate the same things !
I've some drawers that I cleared out that really need a good sort out again........stuff' just seems to accumulate in them.
Yesterday I had a 'doing nothing in particular day' -though did sort some of my family tree folders out a bit - but finished up thinking of all the things I could have and should have done. So, today, I really must do something.
Cards I have to make..........one for a wedding and one for our lads 18th (just wish he'd disappear for the day so I can get on with it). All my christmas stuff is strewn across the spare bed waiting to be allocated to different folk but can't really do that when there's kids about either.
So, looks like it'll just be cards for now...........I'll just have to hide our lads under some paper if he comes into the kitchen when I'm doing it...........lol
My aim to get christmas 'wrapped up' by the end of August is fast becoming a distant dream..............

mary43

Well, more productive day than yesterday (thought still not got our lads birthday card done yet !)
Meeting at 10am about out lads future and its agreed he can stay with us which is a good thing, but hes got to get himself sorted out and sign on as soon as he's 18, plus apply for housing benefit.
Had to rush into town to pick up his birthday pressie, fell into a few charity shops while I was there but was very good........didn't get anything that wasn't needed as christmas pressie for someone.
Home.........quick coffee and another soc.worker arrives to see the other lad. Wasn't here long so I had the chance to get stuck into paperwork and all the 'stuff' that was building up on my desk ! Can't believe it............now its clear (well, almost).
More door hangers arrived this morning that I'm decorating for christmas pressies...........shaker style pegs came as well - I'm making a 'handbag peg rack' for grandaughter to put in her basket of 'allsorts'.
OH has the breadmaker working away alongside the slow cooker.(tomorrows dinner)..........our dinner's in the oven............so, at least today stuff actually got done. (pats self on the back)
Tomorrow, yet another meeting (why so many I'll never know) then I'm off to my friends for the afternoon.
Weather today has been weird.. ........very wet this morning (OHs washing was still on the line from yesterday and well rinsed !) but by this afternoon the sun was shining and it was really warm ! Now its 'all change' again and a bit on the chilly siide. No wonder the runner beans have come to a standstill and the tomatos are ripening one by one...........and one courgette plant for some reason is producing fruit that looks a bit 'mouldy' for want of a better description.......certainly wouldn;t want to eat it !
Hope you;;ve all had a good day

2cats1kid

Mary, you're really not selling fostering to me you know - you seem to have a constant round of paperwork and meetings!

Well last night I had a big chat with my DD (10) and I am more convinced than ever that she has a good head on her shoulders. We talked about why everyone should do their bit to cut down and reuse and such, and she has gone from "so and so has a bigger/newer house than us" and "so and so has a bigger/newer car than us" to agreeing that conspicuous consumerism does no-one any good in the last couple of years. I introduced the idea that meat takes more resources than arable agriculture, and she has agreed to use more pulses etc. in our diet, although we do all enjoy meat and will continue to eat it, just less. We played a family board game in the evening and had a good OS time.

Today I have put one lot of wine into a demi john and got another lot into the fermenting bin. I found sloes (to be left where they are till they are ready for sloe gin) and damsons and more elder berries yesterday, so the latest wine is a hedgerow one (blackberries, elderberries, damsons, crab apples and rose hips). I've also made a crumble for tonight with the free apples and blackberries I collected at the weekend. And lest you think I have neglected DD today, we went to the park to play frisbee in the morning, and went swimming in the afternoon. In between all this I've done some admin for work (I go back in 3 weeks and I really need to get some work done to prepare for the new term).

I think a nice glass of (HM) wine is in order tonight!

Right, best go feed the hoards.

mary43

2cats - sounds like you've had a really good day and its good to hear that someone as young as 10 can see the sense in what's going on in the world.
Strangle, MIL can't understand what all the fuss is about. Not that she's one to be wasteful of anything like that but we mentioned the breadmaker/slowcooker, growing our own veg etc., not using the car except for essentials and I could almost see her facial expression of bewilderment at why we don't do a 50 mile round trip to a supermarket that may have cheaper items here and there but would probably cost the same in petrol as we would have saved.

Now, as for fostering...........well, there are times when I want to throw it all in (not kids .I hasten to add...........lol) but when they turn up out of the blue juse to say hello long after they've gone, or come and take me on shopping trips, invite us to their weddings..........well its all so worth while.
And I did get a wild life pond done while one lad was here. He had a bit of an 'anger' issue so we let him take it out by digging a big hole in the garden for the pond................after that was done, we let him choose the plants and rocks to go round it so the whole thing became 'his pond' and a good place to 'chill out' away from the house.........for him and for us.........he still comes up to make sure its all ok, tidies up where needed and has a sense of pride that he'd never had before. That sort of thing makes it worth while.
But I am getting to the point where I'm starting to wilt a bit........thankfully the oldest boy we've got is allowed to stay on after his 18th birthday so thats one worry over both for him and us. After 4 years he knows us well enough and apart from plates/cups festering in his bedroom, he can be quite handy around the house...................lol