From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

LG and DH have pootled off to a local show.  We've not been before, and whilst I would have liked to go, it would have been £35 for the 3 of us (annoyingly a group of 2 adults and 3 kids get in for the same price).  As LG seemed to want to go with their beloved papa 🤔 I forfeited my place, and they've got snacks and a picnic lunch, plenty of coffee and water, the admission fee and a £10 for icey-creams, so only £5 'saved' in effect, but had we all gone, would we have forgone any purchases?  I doubt it.    Whilst I think it would have been quite a nice outing - I love country shows, and this one is quite a well run/popular one - it is nice that LG is getting a trip out with DH - they have had my company for quite a bit this hols already.......

I plan to use my time constructively.  I've a workwear wash to peg out.  I plan on making cake - banana, naturally 😂 I need to rejiggle the freezer drawers as they've got a bit stuffed, with no plan as to what is where.  There's yesterday's washing to fold and put away.  

Best get on with it I suppose.  

Greying X 

KajiKita

Awww … this post reads a bit like Cinderella …

I hope you get some ‘you’ time with a good book or a cheerful hobby as well today, as well as chores today 😊

KK

Greying_Pilgrim

Oh KajiKita - I wasn't aiming for a 'poor me' post.  £35 just seemed a bit steep is all.  

However - I have had some pics and a video convo, and LG is having a good time.  They have seen some wonderful animals, and for lunch (I think they managed to last very nearly 2 hrs before they dove in....... having first eaten their 'elevenses'....... 🤣), they sat on (real-life) hay bales around the 'hoss ring' 😁  Everything I wanted for them at their first foray into a rural show 😁

I have done all my chores.  The banana bread buns are cooling, the cake is just finishing off.  I managed to use up 2lbs of bananas in the baking.  I've not run 'em out yet........ 🤣  We're having courgette pasta for tea 😁

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Well, a great time was had by 2/3rds of Fam. Greying at the local show yesterday 😁LG returned smiling and clutching a bag of sweets they had won off the tombola (took numerous tries according to DH 🫤), plus a bag that the stallholder threw in as well (must have spent alot of pocket money..... 😬).  LG had taken part in the 'kiddies' race on the main ring - which I have to say, I was a bit surprised to hear.  LG is capable, but doesn't really like competition - they prefer teamwork/teamgames.  But they enjoyed the event and I think it was a 'handful of sweeties' for all competitors, so that was OK 😁 DH saw someone that he knew from school - we've seen them periodically since, but not for a good few years.  The £10 for icey-creams was used - to buy two iceycreams 😱 Granted they came with the 'kitchen sink' stuck in them and drizzled on them, but........  Anyway, I suspect that the 'handmade/farmhouse' ice cream we'd enjoyed earlier in the week was tastier, and better VFM - however, a holiday treat is a holiday treat, so the £10 was spent how the holidaymakers wanted to spend it at that moment in time ✅

We had courgette pasta for tea - LG found room, despite the sweeties - followed by a white fleshed peach each with some yoghurt.  I have to say, had I paid full price for the peaches, I probably would be disappointed, they - even though they are very ripe - don't really taste of much.  I know you can get the yellow-fleshed peaches that don't taste of much, or are 'woolly', but these were no advert for peach munching.  There are still 7 (I think) courgettes left and one peach.  I did toss in some of the yellow cherry tomatoes into the pasta dish as well, but there are still some of those left, along with some Valentina and red cherry tomatoes too.  

The workwear dried beautifully and that and the previous days wash have been folded up and put away.  I boxed up all the banana buns and put them in the freezer for 'picnic eats'.  I also froze all but one slice of the banana cake (running out of storage boxes).  The slice of cake will be up for grabs at elevenses today.  

Not too sure what is on the agenda today.  Not alot if DH has any say 🙄 One day's childminding has probably worn him out.......  It's scheduled to be warm and sunny today - which makes meals more difficult to conjure up, but we've got plenty, so we won't starve.  I can't believe we're so close to the conclusion of the hols.  DH is on leave from next weekend, so I've (in effect) 5 days to entertain LG.  There's so much we haven't done off our list, which as I've mentioned, hasn't lessened what we've actually managed to achieve, and some of the things left are 'family' things, not individual.  Such as a overnight stay in a 'Purple hotel room', which was a request from LG but intended for us all to be involved in.  

Right, I heard movement upstairs, and I've drunk my coffee.  Better get shifting a tail-feather.

Greying X

KajiKita

It didn’t come across as a poor me post, more that perhaps you could have some you time …? 😉😊

Sounds like LG had a fabulous time 🤩 How about DH? 🤔

We had an omelette last night with frozen chips (done in the air fryer) and peas - not thrilling but tasty enough and meant I didn’t have to put the flipping oven on! 😉

KK

Greying_Pilgrim

I think DH did enjoy himself.  I think he does realise how much energy it takes to entertain/supervise a kiddo, but I don't think he quite gets how "curtailing" it can be in sole charge of a 'young un'.  When DH bumped into his old chum, he would have liked to have a longer chat - but because he'd spent ages chatting to another chum at a previous event he'd taken LG to, LG knew what was coming and they wandered off - out of DH's eyeline 😬  That, coupled with someone else barging into the conversation, as they too knew the fella, 'curtailed' DH's chat.  Not the end of the world, but mildly frustrating for DH.  LG should not have wandered off, but then DH should have known from the previous event that kiddos get bored when they're not involved in the convo.  

LG tried out lots of things - and I have to say, I think sometimes they are 'braver' when with DH, or perhaps they want to show DH they can do things.  Usually when I encourage LG to 'have a go' they might if they're in the mood, or if they actually want to have a go, and just need a tadge of cheerleading, but I don't think they do things to prove anything to me.  There was a 'circus skills' area set up for the kids - LG had a go on some stilts - I'm not sure they would have done if I was there, but DH encouraged them, and got the photo as proof! 😁

On balance, I think they both had a grand day out.  I'm not sure they would go to that show next year - I suspect, that whilst it's good, family orientated and entertaining - the format probably doesn't change much decade on decade, so it would possibly be a bit 'samey'.  But it's a traditional rural show, so it certainly 'does what it says on the tin' - they've been at it over a century.  And I do think they've gone all out to encourage children to be there, with many activities that the kids could get involved with - and it works, it was well attended according to DH.

I've just added the pictures DH took to the 'summer holidays' pictures folder - memories were made 😁

Greying X

Watty1

I think that is the joy of rural shows, they don't really change but if they are good shows then there should be plenty to try and plenty to see and "have a go" at   (Look out for special offers too - they turn up on websites as the organisers are really keen to get pre ticket sales)  OK  - I'll stop - I think all readers of my thread know I love a good rural show and am a life member of an agricultural society just to support it.

Sadly I couldn't find anyone that wanted my two tickets to a rural show this weekend.    (£36 for the two, mine were free as a life member)  I didn't go because WattyDog could not come.

Greying_Pilgrim

You're right (as ever) Watty - I am pretty sure there could have been a discount if we'd have bought tickets on-line prior to Friday midnight (or whatever the cut off was).  But I was in two minds of whether to go at all - DH is having a stressful time at work, and is difficult to engage in 'planning' chats at the best of times.  At the moment it's virtually impossible.  As it is I think he's angling to work the first day of his 'holidays' 🙄Which of course is another reason why people go away for holidays, so you can't 'just nip into work for half an hour......'.  From what I could see, it seems like the organisers of this show have got the balance right - keeping farming/animals/skills/equipment/rural front and centre, and yet embracing 'other' to sit alongside, and provide something for everyone. - clearly they've got the balance right 😁  

Also, I have subsequently learnt that the tombola was raising funds for Breast Cancer research (so no pocket money was actually 'wasted'), and all DH's change went into the air ambulance collecting bucket.  That's a vital service in rural areas, we're always happy to support.  

Greying X