Away From The Madding Crowd

Humboldt

Hello and welcome.

Motivational quote of the week

Not all those who wander are lost – JRR Tolkien.

Money saving

Our monthly grocery budget for me and my DH is £250.  Week 2 spend for August was £50.67.  Total spend to date for August is £131.11.

DH and I took advantage of an offer from our mobile provider and had lunch in a well-known pizza chain restaurant.  We enjoyed a classic pizza for the reduced price of £6.95 each (around 50% off).  Whilst it made a change, we both concluded that we preferred a homemade pizza in terms of taste and cost.

This week’s main menu

Monday – Chicken Korma (H@iry D!eters recipe), small portion of brown rice, onion bhajis (bhajis are homemade and from the freezer), mango chutney, homemade cucumber, mint & yogurt dip, with poppadom’s.

Tuesday – Lentil Bolognese with whole-wheat spaghetti. I will add extra veg i.e. chopped peppers, diced carrots, and a splash of red wine to the Bolognese mix.

Wednesday –  BBQ with homemade couscous salad, fresh sweetcorn, homemade vegetable kebabs and homemade flatbreads. All the meat products for the BBQ were reduced in price and frozen until required. 

Thursday – Basa fillets with a lemon and pepper dusting, with roasted Mediterranean vegetables. 2 x frozen Basa fillets are currently £2.85 at Ald!.

Friday –  Away on holiday.

Breakfasts continue to be oat based with lots of seasonal soft fruit (Ald!’s wonky blueberries are currently only 89p and delicious), and for lunches we are making the most of seasonal vegetables in salads.  If it is of interest to anyone, August’s  ‘He@rt M@tters’ email has 8 delicious salad dressing recipes that are salt and sugar-free (sign up for free on the Br!tish He@rt F0undation website).

Healthier lifestyle

Completed 2 free workouts via F@bulous50’s on Y0utube.

Completed 5 free meditations.

Step count for last week was 44,102.

Simple pleasures

Decluttering my wardrobe at the weekend resulted in a win-win situation for both me and a local charity shop.

At long last, tomatoes and a courgette (just the one, lol) are forming on the plants in the veg boxes. Plus, there are lots of baby cucumbers on the plants in the summerhouse. The beetroots, leeks and rainbow chard continue to do ok. It has been a very odd year in terms of vegetable growing, but I remain hopeful that we may still manage to have some homegrown vegetables this year.

Knowing that our frugal habits have contributed to us being able to go on holiday.

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

 

bluenose1

Love the weekly update @Humboldt.
Making a basu and rice one pot curry from an old Gousto recipe tonight, definitely one of my faves as tasty and easy to do.
Read your Whistlef!sh tip before and thought I had missed the offer but it was still on. I love the quality of their cards and couldn’t resist ordering despite being rather well stocked up for next year or two already….  Had bought my husband a lovely Anniversary card last time I ordered. For the first time in 22 years we both forgot it was our Anniversary so didn’t get to use it, at least it is there for next year.

I have been decluttering my kitchen cupboards , one shelf at a time, aiming to get rid of at least 5 things a day. Definitely need a big wardrobe declutter as well in next week or so.

Nebulous2

Great update once again Humboldt. 

On the topic of wandering I'm currently reading "Travels with Charlie" by John Steinbeck, courtesy of our local charity bookshop. It is going well so far. 

As a simple pleasure, a recent book I got from them was signed by the author. When I handed it back and told them what I had found it was promoted from the £1 shelf to the £4 one..... 

bluenose1

Hope all ok @Humboldt. Just been doing some deadheading and weeding, not my favourite pastime but a sense of achievement filling up the garden bin. We are off to Florida on Saturday so starting to think about packing and all the booking of rides etc.  I like going on holiday but not all the preparation required. Trying to reduce amount of stuff I take, as I normally use less than 50%.
My whistlef!sh order came, delighted as ever with the cards and gift wrap, won’t  need  anymore cards until Christmas now. 

mark55man

Yes - hope everyone OK - OH and I are up north of the border at FIL's house.

Travelled a bit and went to Hill House near Helensburgh - the masterpiece of Glasgow architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh - very attractively designed.  Also beautiful empire biscuits with a CRM emblem.  Drove home along the side of Lochs and estuaries glittering in the occasional sun 

Quote of the day - What's for you won't go by you.  (although with a scottish accent)

uralmaid

@bluenose1 have a wonderful holiday. We have had a busy time. Last week we went to Stamford. Called into a local dealer and "unintentionally" spent a very large sum on a new motorcycle/trike.  Only went for a look!. My daughter said "Mum, you can't take it with you. Enjoy life while you can"  Went to Lincoln steampunk weekend too.    Planning a short trip up to Scotland on the new trike - as obviously we need to try it out. . Have a good week everyone.

Humboldt

Thank you all for your lovely comments whilst I have been away on holiday.  

@bluenose1 I was pleased to read that you managed to take advantage of the Wh!stlefish offer.  I am on a mission to declutter our entire house, having done my wardrobe, next on the list is the paperwork drawers.  I hope that you have a fabulous holiday in Florida.

@Nebulous2 how lovely that you not only returned the book to the charity shop, but you also increased it's resale value. It would be interesting to know what you thought of 'Travels with Charley'. Whilst some regard it as a classic of American travel writing, more recent reviews believe it to be heavily fictionalized. Whatever, I'm sure that it makes for interesting reading.

@mark55man great that you got to enjoy a trip to beautiful Scotland.  Apparently empire biscuits are a traditional Scottish recipe. Is it just me that did not know that? I only found out when I checked out the ones with a CRM design that you mentioned. 

@uralmaid I agree with your daughter and I hope that you are enjoying your new purchase. Looking forward to reading about your trip to Scotland.

Today's simple pleasure - almost caught up with the holiday washing.

Humboldt

Hello and welcome.

Motivational quote of the week

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page – St Augustine.

Money saving

Our monthly grocery budget for me and my DH is £250.  Week 3 spend for August was £77.95.  Due to being on holiday, total spend for August was £209.06.

Interest gained on savings accounts for August was £171.75.

September’s premium bond win was £50 (2024 total to date is £750).

Leftover holiday currency will used for another holiday next year.

This week’s main menu

Monday – Chicken, stuffing, broccoli, carrots, peas, and gravy.  Chicken was cooked in the slow cooker, and was large enough to be used for 2 meals (today & tomorrow), plus a lunch (chicken broth with noodles, lemon, and mint (N!gel Sl@ter recipe)).   

Tuesday – Chicken salad, with orange & almond couscous (Br!tish He@rt F0undation recipe). 

Wednesday –  Porcini risotto (C0ok Sm@rt recipe). I will add fresh mushrooms too.

Thursday – Bacon and lentil soup with a hunk of wholemeal bread.  I use a mixture of green and red lentils, and homemade chicken stock from the freezer. Soup will be cooked in the slow cooker.

Friday –  Sourdough breaded fillet of cod (2 x extra-large fillets currently £4.15 at Ald!), small portion of oven chips, peas, and tartar sauce.

Saturday – Roast chicken wings with lemon and cracked black pepper (N!gel Sl@ter recipe), spiced sweet potato wedges, and homemade slaw.  I will utilise the oven space, and cook some sweet treats for the freezer.  

Sunday – Lentil Bolognese. A 49p tin of green lentils from Ald! form the basis of this healthy and inexpensive meal.  I will add more vegetables, i.e. diced peppers, carrots, etc.

Breakfasts continue to be oat based and lunches are predominantly salads.

Healthier lifestyle

Our holiday provided a complete break from the normal routine, with lots of new things to engage the brain and stimulate the mind.

Simple pleasures

A fabulous holiday that created memories to last a lifetime.

Harvesting homegrown cucumbers, young beetroot and rainbow chard leaves for salads, chives & chive flowers, oregano, mint, and parsley.

Book 12/24 The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan (a charity shop find).  The author has written numerous books and her work has been translated into 25 different languages. I nearly gave up on this book and had to read several chapters before it gradually drew me in.

‘ LuLing Young is getting old and whilst she still can, she begins to write down her memories of life as a girl in 1930’s China. One day, while tending her ailing mother, LuLing’s daughter Ruth uncovers this extraordinary memoir of a childhood spent in the remote mountain village know as Immortal Heart.’

The Sunday Times review states – ‘LuLing’s intensely shocking and tragic story is all about lies and barriers in a culture where women are valued only as brides or servants.  Brilliantly done… Tan’s evocations of China in the 1920’s and 1930’s are extraordinarily vivid and moving’.

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

mark55man

The empire biscuits looked fabulous - and (something the internet can't deliver) they tasted gorgeous as well.  A soft shortbread biscuit with jam and patisserie cream (I think), and the icing was not overly sweet and fruity flavoured

Quote of the day: You can have your cake and eat it

Scotland was very very wet, more so than normal - the little stream running alongside the walk to the corner shop was in full spate almost worryingly so

Humboldt

Morning all.

@mark55man sold! After reading your description of those biscuits I would certainly have bought one.  Love your quote. The UK has certainly had a lot of rain of late.  I guess we now have to embrace the new season, despite it arriving a few weeks early.

Today's simple pleasure - dew drops on a spiders web reflecting the morning sun.