Away From The Madding Crowd

Humboldt

louby40 said:

I've made a plum crumble with plums from my parents plum tree. We've just eaten it with warm custard.
😋 yum 

Hi @louby40 plum crumble and warm custard - delicious. I so enjoy this seasons tasty and comforting recipes.

Shame about your friends plum tree @QuizB.

Humboldt

jaybee said:

My very favourite Bill Bryson book is The Lost Continent closely followed by Neither Here Nor There. Made me laugh out loud!

Hello and welcome @jaybee thank you for taking the time to share your Bill Bryson book recommendations.  Both books now added to my never ending to-read list. 

Humboldt

Hello and welcome.

Motivational quote of the week.

Budgeting is not just for people who do not have enough money.  It is for everyone who wants to ensure that their money is enough – Rosette Mugidde Wamambe.

Money saving.

Our monthly grocery budget for me and my DH is £250. Week 1 spend for September was £75.06.

In addition to fully utilising this week’s 2-hours free electric via our energy provider, we have also been participating in ‘Power Moves’.  For those who are not familiar with the Power Move Flex, it refers to a scheme that encourages customers to shift their electricity usage away from times of high grid demand and towards times of low grid demand, thus helping to balance the grid.  With just a few tweaks, last month we earned bill credits that equated to several hours free electric.

Sale shopping – a couple of summer dresses, one reduced by 50%, the other by 70%, and a top reduced by 50%.  A T-shirt, base layer top and shirt for DH, all  reduced by 50%.

I recycled 5 items at Bo0t’s and gained 500 Adv@ntage points.  Thanks to @AliBee16 for highlighting this scheme.  You can find information regarding the Bo0ts recycling scheme online or in store. 

This week’s main menu.

Monday –  Spanish stuffed marrow (G0od Fo0d recipe). The marrow was kindly gifted from a friend.  I only used half of the chorizo in the Spanish chicken recipe last week, so will use the remainder today.  I will replace the roasted red peppers from a jar with a fresh red pepper and use cheddar instead of manchego.  To fully utilise the oven, I will also roast vegetables to make a roasted tomato soup for lunches.  Tomatoes were reduced in price.

Tuesday – Wild garlic pesto and goats cheese pizza.  The pesto is homemade and from the freezer.

Wednesday – Lamb moussaka (from one of my recipe scrap books), with a dressed salad. 

This is a meal swap from last Saturday when we had spatchcock spicy chicken, with quick ratatouille (from one of my recipe scrap books).  The chicken was reduced in price, and we had peppers and gifted vegetables that needed to be used up. 

Thursday – Ping meal (as above) – cook once eat twice – saves on time and energy costs. 

This is a meal swap from Sunday when we also had a ping meal and enjoyed the remainder of the chicken and ratatouille.

Friday – Chili con carne, with a small portion of brown rice.  I will use a small pack of 5% fat beef mince and add a tin of green lentils, which will not only save money, but will also make it a little healthier.

Saturday – Stuffed peppers, with a large dressed salad.  I will stuff the peppers with leftover chilli con carne and cook them in the slow cooker.

Sunday – Sweet potato and peanut stew ( from one of my recipe scrap books), with naan bread.  Naan bread is from the freezer.  Ald! sell 2 x Bil@sh giant plain naan breads for £1.49 which are enough for two meals, and they freeze well.

Healthier lifestyle.

Last week’s step count was 42,132.

Completed 5 free meditations last week.

Completed 3 free online workouts last week.

Simple pleasures.

DH and I have completed the pantry project.  The cupboard has been painted and the shelving installed.  Great to have more storage, and whilst it is not as grand as Nigella’s, I am really pleased with it.  I wonder if I should add some fairy lights ….

The rainbow chard seeds that I planted last week have germinated. 

A meet up with friends for a cuppa and natter.  Always good for the soul.

Now that the season has changed, the soft light at the end of the day really makes the golden oat grass shine in the garden border.

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

 

Yorkie1

Humboldt said:

Simple pleasures.

DH and I have completed the pantry project.  The cupboard has been painted and the shelving installed.  Great to have more storage, and whilst it is not as grand as Nigella’s, I am really pleased with it.  I wonder if I should add some fairy lights ….

 

Always!

(But if you can wait until January, they'll be in the sales too ... !!)

Humboldt

Yorkie1 said:

Humboldt said:

Simple pleasures.

DH and I have completed the pantry project.  The cupboard has been painted and the shelving installed.  Great to have more storage, and whilst it is not as grand as Nigella’s, I am really pleased with it.  I wonder if I should add some fairy lights ….

 

Always!

(But if you can wait until January, they'll be in the sales too ... !!)

Morning @Yorkie1 I shall be quoting you when DH rolls his eyes about me adding fairy lights :0)

Today's simple pleasure - I watched the sunrise whilst enjoying my first cuppa of the day.  

Yorkie1

My fairy lights are permanently around my large living room mirror (not least because it was an absolute b*gger to get them up, and I didn't fancy doing it every year haha)!

missile

my fairy lights are up 24/7

Humboldt

Hi @Yorkie1 and welcome @missile, I too have fairy lights on the fire place.  I like their soft, warm glow, especially now the season has changed.

Humboldt

Hello and welcome.

Motivational quote of the week.

If it is to be, it is up to me – William Johnsen.

Money saving.

Our monthly grocery budget for me and my DH is £250.  Week 2 spend for September was £56.30.  Total spend to date for September is £131.36.

I fully utilised the 2-hours free electric via our energy provider.  This will be the final week of this scheme, so we will try and make more of an effort with the Power Move Flex scheme.  We have accrued credit over the summer months which will be useful for the colder months.

A free fringe cut. My hairdresser offers these in between actual hair appointments.

I was able to pick up 2kg of basmati rice for £1 (original price over £4) at our local C0-oP.  I have no idea why this was in the clearance section (BBF end May 2027), but it was too good an offer to miss.

Made £36 via my crafting.  Monies have been added to the Christmas/Birthday account.

We have booked a couple of nights away in October, taking advantage of a seasonal offer.  The accommodation is in a lovely location and we will have a choice of several scenic walks direct from the Inn. The offer includes a double room, breakfast on both mornings, and dinner on the first evening. A great overall offer and it is good to support the hospitality sector in the low season.

This week’s main menu.

Monday – Creamy spaghetti with courgette and bacon (from one of my recipe scrap books). I will swap the bacon for salmon, and use Ald! ‘Essential Salmon Pieces’ (£2.85).  Excellent value given that the pack contains 2 x responsibly sourced salmon fillets.

Tuesday – Cream of mushroom risotto (M+S recipe).  A new to us recipe, that uses both fresh mushrooms and a tin of cream of mushroom soup (65p in M+S).

Wednesday – Toad in the hole, peas, carrots, savoy cabbage, and onion gravy.  Sausages were reduced in price and frozen until required. Cabbage and carrots were part of this week’s ‘Super Six’ at Ald!, and only 49p each.  To fully utilise the oven, I will bake a sourdough loaf.

Thursday – Ping meal (as above) – cook once, eat twice – saves on time and energy costs.

Friday – Spiced carrot and lentil soup (G0od Fo0d recipe), with toasted sourdough. I will cook the soup in the slow cooker.  

Saturday – Beetroot burger in a wholemeal bun, Spanish potatoes (from one of my recipe scrap books), and a side salad. The beetroot burger is homemade and from the freezer.  The potatoes are from the garden. I will cook the meal in the air fryer.

Sunday – Baked potato with prawns in a homemade Marie Rose sauce, and a large dressed salad.  I will microwave the potatoes and crisp them in the air fryer.

Healthier lifestyle.

Last week’s step count was 58,037.

Completed 5 free meditations last week.

Completed 2 free online workouts last week.

Simple pleasures.

When I was awake in the early hours, I heard the calling of tawny owls in nearby woods. 

A slice of homemade cake and a warming cuppa after a chilly, but lovely walk with DH.

My MIL has kindly offered to make a chutney with my homegrown green tomatoes.

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

 

Humboldt

Hello and welcome.

Motivational quote of the week.

Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it – Charles R Swindoll.

Money saving.

Our monthly grocery budget for me and my DH is £250.  Week 3 spend for September was £69.62.  Total spend for September to date is £200.98.

I recycled another 5 items at B0ot’s. The aim of the scheme is to encourage customers to recycle ‘hard to recycle’ health/beauty containers and blister packs.  Having downloaded the App, you then use it to take a picture of your item, and it is either approved or not, so you have nothing to lose and £5 worth of points to gain (150 points for blister packs). 

Saved 20% when booking airport hotel/parking for next years winter sun holiday.

This week’s main menu.

Monday – Sticky pork and beans (from one of my recipe scrap books), with roasted fennel seeded carrots.

Tuesday – Fish, chips, and peas from the freezer.

Wednesday – Roast chicken thighs, stuffing balls, cranberry sauce, carrots, savoy cabbage, green beans, and gravy.  Chicken thighs were reduced in price via my personal Nect@r offers (£2.31), so using these rather than buying a large chicken. Cranberry sauce is homemade and from the freezer.  Savoy cabbage and carrots were part of the Ald! ‘Super Six’ offers, costing just 49p.  To fully utilise the oven, I will also bake a sourdough and roast extra chicken thighs from the freezer to use for Friday’s meal.

Thursday – Ping Meal (as above) – cook once, eat twice (saves on time and energy costs).

Friday – Moroccan chicken spiced soup (from one of my recipe scrap books), with a hunk of homemade wholegrain sourdough.  

Saturday – Meal out with family to celebrate a special occasion.

Sunday – Macaroni cheese surprise (Br!tish He@rt F0undation recipe).

Healthier lifestyle.

Last week’s step count was 45,920.

Completed 4 free meditations last week.

Completed 4 free online workouts last week.

Simple pleasures.

Made use of a blustery day to dry bedding/bath sheets outside.   

Some stunning sunrises to start the day this week.

An hour or so spent listening to the radio whilst doing a jigsaw on a very rainy day.

Book 14/25 – Simple Pleasures. Little Things That Make Life Worth Living – National Trust (bought from a charity stall).

The idea of the book came to those at the National Trust when they reflected on what is it that they are really offering ‘for the benefit of the nation,’ as their statute requires. The words in their founding Act states that they exist to promote places of natural beauty and historic interest, but they feel that the benefits are not just the places themselves.  They felt that the real benefits were the experiences people have in those places; what they can offer – anything from a much-loved memory of time spent with a loved one, family or friends; the experience of being close to nature and the timeless quality of beauty; the joy of freedom from our over-busy lives for a day, or even an hour or two. 

In the words of the National Trust, this little book is a celebration of things that do not require a lottery win, or a banker’s bonus to make our lives pleasurable.  It is a celebration by nearly sixty of our finest writers of the small, often unconsidered things that make life worth living.

A nice read, that I dipped in and out of throughout the week.  I am sharing an extract from the book below:

'When it examined mental well-being, a recent government report identified five key ingredients for happiness – the equivalent of the daily fruit and veg for physical health.  These five ingredients spell out GREAT – Giving, Relating, Exercising, Attending to the world around, and Teaching yourself something. So, the moral is ‘Be a GREAT person and be happy.’

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