From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

kayannie

I hope you've enjoyed your day too, it's nice to have a day to yourself sometimes! 
KA x

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

kayannie - I did, although I chose to wind yarn I have received in a skein into 2 matching balls, as I want to attempt to knit socks with self-striping yarn.  I don't own a swift, and although another adult holding the skein might have been useful, DH gets distracted, and I know if there had been knots I would have lost my composure...... So I thought if I had peace and calm, I could attempt to do it by myself.  There were knots and tangles......... and I spent over 4 hours in total untangling, winding, untangling, winding.  Re-winding, untangling, re-winding, untangling.........  I do now have 2 balls of self-striping sock yarn - and to my credit I didn't lose any of the yarn to knots, but the whole episode kinda took the sheen off of things....... 😕I had wanted to move to knitting 'less', but with more natural fibres, now I'm not so sure........  I'm not sure if the purchase of 'yet another gadget' is worth it.  I'll keep an eye out in chazzers, whilst I contemplate which way to jump.  If I find knitting socks too complicated, it might be immaterial anyway.

Well, I am super-pleased to be eating my words, as DH and LG had a wonderful day out together yesterday.  There literally was '4 seasons in one day' weather-wise, which meant they had to take all the coats, and hats and umbrellas.  In hindsight, they could have done with more water as it warmed up considerably as the day went on - they purchased bottled water from the ice-cream van for £1.50 😱  But we were all unaware of how the venue was set up, could you return to the car etc, whether to take seating (DH did and then found there to be plenty 🙄), how much do you want to carry in a back-pack, how long they would stay etc etc.  With a few tweeks we'd be better prepared for a similar event - although the variable weather didn't help matters at all.  But they saw lots of interesting things, participants were kind and encouraging to LG to get involved and sit in this and stand on that and have some cake with us etc etc  They didn't get home until after 5pm, having set out just before 10am, so a full on day.

I'm pretty sure DH will want to do chores around the homestead today, so I suspect we won't be going anywhere.  

Tea was freezer curry and lentil dhal with boiled basmati last night. I intentionally made extra and I had 1.5 portions of dhal to put in the freezer and a portion of rice.  I want to get focused on filling the freezer with 'ready meals' or meal components so that the first couple of weeks of term are a bit easier as we focus on being in the right places at the right times with our new schedule.

I've just checked the weather forecast, which has changed again 🙄 We've lovely sunshine at the mo - but apparently it's not set to last.  

I'm thinking we might have plant-based burger baps for tea, possibly with oven chips.  But that will depend on the weather.  The way the weather is at the mo, we might be better off with Caprese salad, we might be better off with a hotpot come 6pm.  Who knows?

I can't think of owt else money-related to natter about, so I best go and get another coffee and get the lolla-bed's awake, see what they want to do today.

Ta for popping by.  Greying X

peb

Pleased it turned out well.  £1.50 for water is, I'm sad to say, not bad for An Event.  At least all the cricket grounds I've been to now have free facilities to top up your own bottle, I suppose it depends on the infrastructure of the venue but something that I hope becomes.more common place 

Greying_Pilgrim

peb said:

Pleased it turned out well.  £1.50 for water is, I'm sad to say, not bad for An Event.  

I have to say peb I agree. It could have been alot worse.  LG did have their water bottle, but whether they had it with them at all times is open for debate.  DH isn't in the 'take water everywhere at all times' mindset (Scott Mills had an interesting slot on his R2 show the other day, querying when this became common place - at school you went all day without water, especially if you chose not to partake of the stuff in the aluminium battered jug at lunchtime) and so doesn't think to ensure a) LG has their water bottle and b) they are using it 🙄 It's a work in progress - and there may well have been free water sources at this event, but DH wouldn't think to look for them.  You've made me think tho, peb we ought to get better at searching out/asking for water at places, if we've not had the foresight to take our own in the first place, as some venues are getting better at providing it.  

Greying X

themadvix

In my experience, most places will fill a water bottle for you - even *bucks, even if you don’t want to buy anything. A polite enquiry, with a smile is usually enough. Perhaps different if they’re an independent selling bottled water, from a van type thing, but generally places are happy to provide.

Greying_Pilgrim

tmv - in hindsight, I'm sure if LG had it with them, potable water could have been found for their bottle.  Thinking about it, the kind of event it was (must check with DH as to whether some participants were stopping over), I'm sure a quick word with one of the participants would have yielded a source - everyone was so nice and welcoming.  I'm not sure what sort of catering was available at the venue - most likely a 'burger van' and an 'ice cream van', and I agree, you can't suppose small businesses will dole out water freely, but you're right, I think a politely phrased question to a volunteer/participant would probably have got a drink of water.

DH and LG have gone out on their bikes and have been loaded up with a biscuit each, a small flask of hot chocolate to share and LG's water bottle!  There may well be things around to stop and see - depending on where they go.  The weather is set to turn around lunchtime, so I don't suppose they will be out all that long. 

Greying X

beanielou

Glad the adventurers had a good time. 

kayannie

Well done on getting the wool wound into balls. I remember this was a regular thing when I was young - I suppose most wool was sold in skeins in those days. I used to have the skeins draped over my outstretched hands while mum wound the wool into balls - if I wasn't around she'd use the back of a dining chair.

I've used the self patterning wool for knitting socks & hand warmers, but only used 4 ply wool & only in ready made balls. I've still got an unused ball - I want to dig it out now & get knitting, it's certainly the right weather for knitting!

KAx

Cheery_Daff

I love self-patterning wool. I think I stuck it on my upturned feet to wind it into a ball And I confess I didn't even attempt to match my socks, just finished one then started another So they don't match, but they're cheerful! 

Greying_Pilgrim

Yes indeed, 'skeins' of yarn are the way it used to be sold, and I knew "kind of" what I was trying to do, but couldn't work out how to have it so that I could wind it with my ball winder by myself.  Suffice to say - I picked the wrong way.....😕

I know that I would be slightly twitchy about not having vaguely matching socks.....  but the reason why I'm attempting 'matching' is because this is the first time I'm trying knitting socks that (hopefully) will fit.  The 'matchy-matchy' is hopefully more about avoiding/being able to easily spot mistakes, than my perfectionist tendencies...... That's what I keep telling myself, anyhoo..........  It would also make more sense to start the socks top down, but that way, you have to 'fix' the leg length, whereas if I came toe-up, the leg could be as long as the remaining yarn.  I'm probably biting off more that i can chew anyway, because i want to try an afterthought heel in a contrasting colour.......  

And did I mention I'm going to use 9" circulars for the first time......

As yet the forecast rain showers haven't materialised, but the wind has definitely picked up.  So for the time being, the washing is still out on the line.

DH and LG did their bike ride.  I had been moaning to DH that LG hadn't been riding their bike enough these holidays, and apparently LG found it a bit of a struggle to keep up 🙄 But still, they got out and about.  We're going out on an adventure tomorrow.  I'm a little worried it'll be a "2 hour drive for a 10 minute visit", but hopefully I will be wrong, and there will be plenty to see.  We'll take a picnic, and water bottles......

Whilst DH and LG were out I kept myself busy cooking up most of a kilo brick pack of brown lentils and I made a batch of tommie sauce in the PC using onions, celery, garlic, chopped peppers and carrots with one bottle of the bargainacious passata I bought the other week.  Seasonings and herbs were added once the veg was cooked and blitzed.  I had 3 pots of tommie sauce and 4 tubs of lentils.  I will keep out one of lentils and one tommie sauce in the fridge for lentil bolognese for tomorrow's tea, and the rest can go in the freezer.  

Feeling a little more organised on the future meals front.  

Greying X