Away From The Madding Crowd

Katiehound

Today's free pleasure- when walking the dog soon after 7 am to escape the heat I saw 2 small brown butterflies chasing other. I thought they were meadow brown- but maybe they were Ringlet? 
 There was no sound of traffic, far too early' so I was able to hear a song thrush singing through his routine several times. including the magic trills

oh, and ate a few blackberries- the 'lead' berry on each bunch is just black so a tad tart!

Humboldt

@Katiehound thanks for sharing your wonderful photos.  I have fond memories of cloud spotting as a child.  Always good to see the swifts, although there are less of them these days. I find that an early morning walk before the majority of people are up and about can feel magical, thanks for sharing yours today.  

@Nebulous2 my DH and I once walked for miles around a Cumbrian forest which was well know for it's red squirrel population.  We didn't manage to spot one until we returned to the car park, where we saw several enjoying the food on the bird tables in the neighbouring gardens.  Seeing several baby red squirrels has to be the simple pleasure of the week! How wonderful that your Grandmother could still enjoy nature whilst in a care home. 

Today's simple pleasure - the fine, dry weather finally provided an opportunity to do some gardening.

bluenose1

Katiehound said:

Today's free pleasure- when walking the dog soon after 7 am to escape the heat I saw 2 small brown butterflies chasing other. I thought they were meadow brown- but maybe they were Ringlet? 
 There was no sound of traffic, far too early' so I was able to hear a song thrush singing through his routine several times. including the magic trills

oh, and ate a few blackberries- the 'lead' berry on each bunch is just black so a tad tart!

I saw a couple brown butterflies chasing each other today, glad as haven’t seen many lately. Have no idea what type they were though.
Loving the Merlin app, on my walk  it identified 15 different birds in my local woods, though must admit I can’t really tell the difference in song between most of them. 

Very fortunate as  the squirrels where I am  are red  as our woods link up to Formby Red Squirrel Reserve. We are asked  to report it if we see a grey squirrel. Saw a red squirrel twice this week scampering up trees. Was told that a squirrel never comes down the tree it goes up, and on all the occasions I have been able to see they never do.
 

Humboldt

Morning @bluenose1 I did not know that a squirrel never comes down the tree it goes up.  How lucky are you to have a Red Squirrel Reserve linked to the route of your daily walks. 

Hello and welcome.

Motivational quote of the week

My approach is, if it’s edible, why wouldn’t you use it? – Nadiya Hussain, who is waging war against food waste.

Money saving

Our monthly grocery budget for me and my DH is £250. Week 3 spend for July was £61.58. Total to date for July is £195.71.

I attended a B0ots Over 60’s rewards event.  Whilst there were savings on offer if you bought items in store on the day, I did not need anything.  I did, however, enter the free prize draw, and claim a free No7 gift which was worth £12.95. Just in case anyone is unaware, it is free to join the Bo0ts Over 60’s rewards loyalty program.  You receive 8 Adv@ntage Card points for every £1 that you spend on your favourite brands, exclusive offers, plus invites to in-store events. To join, either call the telephone number on the reverse of your Boots Adv@ntage Card or log into your Bo0ts account, search Over 60’s and follow the steps shown.

Met with friends at a local M&S café and enjoyed a free cuppa that I had 'earned' (buy 6 drinks and get a free hot drink).  It is often our venue of choice, so nice to have our loyalty rewarded. 

This week’s main menu

Monday – Imam Bayildi (Turkish stuffed aubergine Pinch of N0m recipe), homemade coleslaw, salad.

Tuesday – Salmon with chilli ginger sauce (H@iry D!eters recipe) with stir-fry vegetables, and noodles.  Salmon was reduced in price and frozen until required.

Wednesday – Tuna with ratatouille (H@iry D!eters recipe).  I will swap the tuna for sea bass (2 x sea bass plus a flavoured butter currently £3.49 at Ald!).

Thursday – Lentil chilli con carne with a small portion of brown rice.  I will add red kidney beans and chopped peppers.

Friday – Pesto pasta.  Pesto is homemade and frozen until required.  I will include whatever vegetables I have, probably courgettes, peppers, onions, and fresh basil. 

Saturday – Spicy autumn chicken (from one of my recipe scrap books), with roti.  This is a meal shuffle from last Sunday when we decided to have a BBQ. Roti was reduced in price and frozen until required.

Sunday – Pork chops (reduced in price and frozen until required), new potatoes, carrots, and cabbage, with apple sauce and gravy.

Our breakfasts continue to be predominantly oat based.  Lunches include salads, and homemade soups from the freezer. 

Healthier lifestyle

Completed 2 free workouts last week via Fabul0us50’s on Y0utube.

Step count for last week was 56,482.

Completed 4 free meditations last week.

Simple pleasures

Sunshine, at last.

A perfectly ripe peach.

A chat and cuppa with friends.  Always good for the soul.

A stunning bunch of yellow gladioli, costing just £1.89 from Ald!. 

Thanks for dropping by and taking the time to read my diary.

bluenose1

Morning @humboldt. Love your diary update and meal plan as ever.
Tried my first recipe from the Pinch of Nom book, Mongolian beef. It was a hit with all the family, so I am going to batch cook several portions next time.
Have arranged for a Gousto shop Next next week as had a 65%  reduction offer, I do that now and again using a different family members email address. Good way for me to try new recipes.

Have just been Rucking which involves carrying heavy weights in my rucksack up and down the dunes and through the woods. Now enjoying a most well deserved coffee after all my activity.

Met up with an old school friend, whom I haven’t seen for many years last week,had a lovely time. Her sister was one of the post office staff accused of fraud, what they’ve been through is unbelievable, she was told to say goodbye to her child when they were sentencing her. Even afterwards struggled to get work due to post  office references etc. nightmare scenario.

My simple pleasure so far today was a lovely chat with a friend recovering from cancer. She was saying how much she appreciates her life and no longer sweats the small stuff. Very inspiring.

mark55man

Evening everyone just adding a quote for your perusal, although I'm not sure if it is motivational

"The soup of life is salty enough without adding tears to it" - hope you like it

My simple pleasure today was watching the Queen film called Bohemian Rhapsody - it was the soundtrack of my youth and I'm not prone to displays of emotion but I was very moved by its beauty and sadness

Humboldt

Morning to all who are reading.

@bluenose1 a few years ago I was thrilled to be gifted 3 P!nch of N0m recipe books for my birthday (I may have hinted once or twice lol).  The books are very much used and have a vast array of recipes that offer much choice.  I often see them now being sold for pence in charity shops. So sad to read about your school friends sisters dreadful experience with the post office.  Sending my best wishes to your friend who is in recovery.  Go you rucking!

A beautiful quote @mark55man, thank you for sharing.  I find that simple quotes have the power to refocus my thoughts and almost instantly motivate me.  I have to agree that Bohemian Rhapsody is a fabulous film, and one that we have watched several times for the reasons that you have stated.  

Today's simple pleasure - my first cuppa of the day whilst sat in the garden. 

bluenose1

Morning @humboldt Thanks, will keep an eye out for other editions in the charity shops. Just back from a long walk in woods, only started raining last 10 minutes which was actually quite refreshing…
Trying new hairdressers so off for the allergic reaction test or whatever it is they do before colouring it. Can’t get the appointment for 2 weeks so hoping that means it’s a good hairdressers.
Tweaked my back putting clothes in washing machine yesterday,  I had just done yoga so think it was connected.  Something similar happened a few months ago after doing yoga, I’ll have to be more careful or let my husband do all the washing in future

Nebulous2

bluenose1 said:

Morning @humboldt Thanks, will keep an eye out for other editions in the charity shops. Just back from a long walk in woods, only started raining last 10 minutes which was actually quite refreshing…
Trying new hairdressers so off for the allergic reaction test or whatever it is they do before colouring it. Can’t get the appointment for 2 weeks so hoping that means it’s a good hairdressers.
Tweaked my back putting clothes in washing machine yesterday,  I had just done yoga so think it was connected.  Something similar happened a few months ago after doing yoga, I’ll have to be more careful or let my husband do all the washing in future

We've had a lot of rain recently - summer downpours - verging on thunder. We've also had some very pleasant sun in between showers, or have we had showers in between sunny spells? 

A quote I like is:- 

"Some people feel the rain, others just get wet." 

I've seen it attributed to both Bob Marley and Bob Dylan, but either way, Bob said it! 

Humboldt

@bluenose1 I hope that your back is feeling better and good luck with the new hairdressers.  

@Nebulous2 lovely quote, thanks for sharing.

Hello and welcome.

Motivational quote of the week

Balance is not something you find; it is something you create – Jane Kingsford.

Money saving

Our monthly grocery budget for me and my DH is £250.  Week 4 spend for July was £60.39. Total spend for July was £256.10.  Given that I stocked up on coffee beans whilst on offer, I am ok with being £6.10 over budget this month.  August’s grocery budget will start on 29th July.

Took advantage of a 15% off at Wh!stlefish.  I ordered all my greeting’s cards for next year.  Using the buy 10 cards @ £1 offer, together with the 15% off discount, resulted in each card costing just 85p.  I also purchased 2 of their lovely notelet gift tins costing only £4.25 each, which will be great as stocking fillers. Delivery was free, and I saved a total of £28.50.

This week’s main menu

Monday – Pesto baked cod (Go0d H0usekeeping recipe).  The pesto is homemade and from the freezer. The cod was reduced in price. This recipe uses lots of cheaper seasonal vegetables.

Tuesday – Chicken Chow Mein (P!nch of N0m recipe). To reduce costs, I bought a packet of Chinese stir-fry vegetables rather than buying the vegetables listed in the recipe separately.

Wednesday – Toad in the hole, carrots, peas, broccoli, and gravy.

Thursday – Ping meal – cook once, eat twice – saves time and reduces energy costs.

Friday – Spaghetti with sardines (Go0d F0od recipe).  This recipe uses tinned sardines in tomato sauce (only 70p in M+S). I have no olives or capers, so will replace these with 1 tsp of fennel seeds, some lemon zest/juice and spinach. Leftover spinach will be used in Saturday’s and Sunday’s meals.  Parsley is homegrown.

Saturday – Carrot, chickpea, and falafel traybake (from one of my recipe scrap books. P!nch of N0m do a similar recipe, but I am cheating and buying readymade falafels (only £1.05 for 6 in Ald!).  I will serve with homemade hummus and a warm wholemeal pitta. 

Sunday – Creamy Tuscan chicken one pot (from one of my recipe scrap books).  I will use homemade chicken stock from the freezer and cook this recipe in the slow cooker. This recipe includes orzo pasta.

Healthier lifestyle

Completed 2 free workouts via Fabul0us50’s on Y0utube.

Step count last week was 72,588.

Completed 4 free meditations.

Simple pleasures

DH and I went to a free live music event at the local brewery.

Sunshine, a walk in nature and a picnic.  Followed by …

Tea and a lemon and fresh raspberry tart.

Enjoying watching some of the Olympics coverage.

Thanks for dropping by and taking the time to read my diary.