Away From The Madding Crowd

angieb15edin

Humboldt said:

angieb15edin said:

I do several small shops just around £10 at Boots now instead of one larger one to take advantage of the recycling points
means for a shop of around £10 you get £6 worth of points back

Welcome back @angie15edin, I am also saving blister packs as you kindly suggested and when I have enough, I will recycle them too. The scheme is a great way to gain extra Adv@ntage points, which I will use when Christmas shopping. 

You only need to recycle 5 blisters to get the 100 points 

angieb15edin

I do the yes2next walking workouts on YouTube 
there’s a variety of them and there’s no shouty happy clapping on them just encouragement 

Humboldt

angieb15edin said:

I do the yes2next walking workouts on YouTube 
there’s a variety of them and there’s no shouty happy clapping on them just encouragement 

Hi @angieb15edin thanks for taking the time to recommend your free online walking workouts.  

Humboldt

Hello and welcome.

Motivational quote of the week.

Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day – Anonymous.

Money saving.

Our monthly grocery budget for me and my DH is £250.  Week 4 spend for September was £63.34. Total for September was £264.32.  £14.32 overbudget this month.

Took advantage of S@insbury’s ‘buy 6 bottles of wine and save 25%’, saving £9.97.  Just a reminder that wine is not included in our grocery budget. 

20% off a winter jumper via my M+S Sp@rks account.

I won 2 x £2 Gr£gg’s vouchers via my mobile network provider’s free weekly prize draw.  Used the vouchers and paid an additional 20p to buy 4 x cheese scones and 4 x fruit scones.  Item’s now in the freezer.  

This week’s main menu.

Monday – Singapore noodles.  I will add additional vegetables to a small bag of oriental stir-fry veg, use dried noodles that I have in the cupboard, and add a Singapore noodles mix bought from Heron.

Tuesday – Three bean hotpot (recipe from a Rich@rd and P@ul Y0utube video). I will swap the celery and use the stalks from some gifted rainbow chard. 

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

Thursday – Sweet and sour chicken (H@iry D!eter’s recipe), with a small portion of rice.

Friday – Vegetable bhuna (adaptation of H@iry D!eter’s chicken bhuna recipe), with naan bread.

Saturday – Cottage pie (H@iry D!eter’s recipe) which I will adapt by topping with a swede/carrot mash, and serve with green beans (from the freezer).  To fully utilise the oven, I will bake a sourdough loaf.

Sunday – Ping meal (as above).

Healthier lifestyle.

Last week’s step count was 56,785.

Completed 4 free meditations last week.

Completed 2 free online workouts last week.

Simple pleasures.

I gave my green tomatoes to my MIL who has offered to use them to make chutney. 

DH cut the lawns and I did a bit of general tidying in the garden borders.  I am tempted to plant a few seasonal pansies, but the summer bedding is still looking good, so I will leave it a little longer. 

Lovely to have family visit overnight to celebrate a special occasion.  Nice meal out, chatter and laughter.  I made a ‘lighter c@rrot cake with Greek y0gurt icing’ (Sainsbury’s recipe) for the birthday celebrations.  I swapped the pistachios for a mixture of nuts and dried fruits. Nice, simple, and tasty recipe.

Books read 15/25 – Waiting for Mango Season – Ellie Cooper (a charity shop find).

‘Ellie was stranded in India as the world locked down. 

After rescuing a rusty Royal Enfield, she embarked upon a thrilling adventure across the mighty Himalayas, conquering some of the world’s most dangerous roads. Prepare to close your eyes and smell the Samosas, as Ellie paints her experience of India from the street side chai wallahs to the ghats of the Ganges.

She discovers many of India’s secrets, in a land which transforms every few hundred kilometres.  Ellie then learns to meet herself, reflected in India’s honest mirror.  Her sensory depiction of India from bustling cities to barren deserts is a palpable journey through a  colourful and diverse country.’

Oh, my goodness, I just loved this book.  I have been lucky enough to visit India and this book brought the memories flooding back.  It is so beautifully written – immersive, poetic – just wonderful. I am not a biker, but I was rooting for Ullu throughout the journey. 

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

Humboldt

Hello and welcome.

Motivational quote of the week.

We often wait for kindness … but being kind to yourself can start now – from ‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’ by Charlie Mackesy.

Money saving.

Our monthly grocery budget for me and my DH is £250. Week 1 spend for October was £46.01.

Made £9 via my crafting.  Monies added to the Christmas/Birthday account.

Interest gained on various savings accounts for September was £104.11.

I won a 12-month digital subscription to a magazine of my choice via my mobile network providers free weekly prize draw (no sign up or bank details required, just the winners code). I chose L@ndScape, which I am looking forward to reading on a quiet afternoon.

October’s premium bond win was £100 (2025 total to date is £675).  

This week’s main menu.

Monday – Cottage pie (H@iry D!eter’s recipe), gravy and lightly steamed kale.

This is a meal swap from last Saturday when we had homemade bacon and lentil soup (slow cooker recipe), with garlic bread.  Garlic bread was reduced in price and frozen until required.

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

This is a meal swap from Sunday when we had butter chicken curry (Ald! readymade sauce £1.69), with an Indian starter selection (vegetable pakora & samosa and onion bhaji).  I used chicken thighs, and cooked the curry in the slow cooker.  The starter selection was reduced in price and cooked in the air fryer. 

Wednesday – Slow cooker prawn paella (Tesc0 recipe).  I will use the half a bag of ‘seafood for paella’ that I have in the freezer.  The parsley will be from the garden.  I will omit the olives because I do not have any.

Thursday – Salmon in chilli ginger sauce (H@iry D!eter’s recipe), with stir-fry veg and noodles.  I will cook the salmon in the air-fryer.

Friday – Beef lasagne (H@iry D!eter’s recipe, and a large dressed salad.  I will use a small pack of beef mince and add a tin of green lentils to reduce the cost and increase the nutritional content. To fully utilise the oven, I will bake a wholemeal, seeded sourdough loaf. 

Saturday – ping meal (as above).

Sunday – Liver & bacon, chips, peas, and gravy.  I will cook the chips in the air fryer.

Healthier lifestyle.

Last week’s step count was 44,773.

Completed 5 free meditations last week.

Completed 2 free online workouts last week.

Simple pleasures.

DH and I met up with friends at a local nature reserve. A lovely walk, followed by a cuppa and cheese scone at the onsite café.

More clearing of the garden ready for winter.  I removed the soft furnishings from the summerhouse, but will still enjoy a cuppa in there whilst I can.

An afternoon spent crafting whilst listening to mellow jazz.

Christmas mince pies baked and now in the freezer.  Mincemeat was bought at a massively reduced price in January this year.

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

Humboldt

Hello and welcome.

Motivational quote of the week.

No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face – John Donne.

Money saving.

Our grocery budget for me and my DH is £250.  Week 2 spend for October was £69.76. Total spend to date for October is £116.17.

I signed up to S@insbury’s ‘C0unt up to Christmas.’ The challenge gives you the opportunity to earn bonus points by completing personalised tasks in the Nect@r app (ends 11 November).  I have completed the first task and collected an extra 300 points.  Whilst I tend to shop in Ald!, I will buy the items that S@insbury’s price match to gain the points.  We use the points to help towards the Christmas food shop, and currently have £66.16 worth.   

I bought this year’s M+S beauty advent calendar.  The calendar is priced at £330!  However, if you spend £35 on other items, you can purchase it for £60.  I have had 2 sets of glass tumblers in my basket for a few weeks now, these together with a tee shirt on my wish list, enabled me to buy the calendar at the reduced price.  I used this month’s premium bond win to pay for the order.  A fabulous treat

Edited: actual cost of the beauty advent calendar is £290, and according to M+S,  £330 is the cost of the contents. 

Made £6 via my crafting.  Monies have been added to the Christmas/Birthday account.

Despite not spending much at Holl@nd and B@rrett, I am a rew@rds for life member (free to join), and this week I was sent a free 3-month trial of the premium mindfulness app. No bank/card details required, I just had to download the free app and input the code provided.  I am enjoying having some new meditations to choose from. For anyone who would like to try meditation, this app also provides a useful guide to get you started.

This week’s main menu.

Monday – Thai green tomato curry (Mrs P0rtly recipe), with naan bread.  Tomatoes were gifted from a friend. Lemongrass and ginger were reduced in price and frozen until required.  Chillies were homegrown. I will use half a lime and include the other half in Wednesday’s meal.

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

Wednesday - Spicy chicken and sweet potato (from one of my recipe scrap books). I have several chicken thighs in the freezer which I can use.  To fully utilise the oven, I will bake a sourdough loaf and an apple crumble (apples were gifted from a friend).

Thursday – Tuscan bean soup (slow cooker recipe), with homemade sourdough.  Rosemary will be from the garden.  I have leftover kale to add.

Friday – Microwave orange & soy salmon parcels (G0od Fo0d recipe), with stir-fry vegetables. I bought Ald!’s Essenti@l E@ting salmon pieces (responsibly sourced), and I was once again impressed with the quality.  This pack contained 2.5 good sized fillets (not pieces) for only £2.85.

Saturday – Tuna pasta bake  (G0od F0od recipe).  I will include whatever vegetables I have, and top with left over cheddar cheese.

Sunday – Away overnight.

Healthier lifestyle.

Last week’s step count was 66,301.

Completed 2 free online workouts last week.

Completed 4 free meditations last week.

Simple pleasures.

A walk with friends through a local woodland. This year is a ‘mast year’ and it was lovely to see the wildlife taking advantage of the abundance of fruit and nuts.  

The crunch of autumn leaves underfoot.

2 bags of decluttered items donated to Oxf@m.

Freezer defrosted.

I have refreshed the compost in the pots at the front of the house, reused the ornamental grasses and ivy,  but added autumn pansies and bulbs.

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

angieb15edin

Came across a great website for Asian recipes thewoksoflife.com 
have made a couple and they were delicious 
like the fact that you can pick the recipe for the number of servings you need 

Humboldt

angieb15edin said:

Came across a great website for Asian recipes thewoksoflife.com 
have made a couple and they were delicious 
like the fact that you can pick the recipe for the number of servings you need 

Morning @angieb15edin thanks lots for sharing the Asian recipes website. Always nice to have a recommendation.  I love the name!

Today's simple pleasure - Homemade rosemary & sun dried tomato sourdough focaccia to have with our Tuscan bean soup this evening.  

Humboldt

Hello and welcome.

This week’s motivational quote.

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks – John Muir.

Money saving.

Our monthly grocery budget for me and my DH is £250. Week 3 spend for October was £55.78.  Total spend for October to date is £171.95.

I decluttered my makeup bag and was able to recycle yet another 5 items at Bo0t’s.  I have now earned £15 worth of points via this scheme.  I have only purchased items that I would have bought anyway, and for every £10 spent I have received £5 worth of points.  In addition, as an over 60’s member I earn 8 points for every £1 spent on Boot’s own branded  products and selected exclusive brands  (some items are excluded so check out the t+c’s). I will use the points to buy Christmas gifts, taking advantage of 'buy 3 green stickered gifts and receive the cheapest for free'.  You can find information regarding the Bo0ts recycling scheme online, or in store. Thanks again to @AliBee16 for highlighting this.

I replaced my old walking coat whilst away on our 2-night break, saving 60%.  An absolute bargain! Upon arrival at the accommodation, we were asked if we were happy to forgo our room clean on the second day, and received a free pint of local beer and a medium glass of house red for doing so.  We also took advantage of an offer in the app; a free side dish with each main meal on the first night of our stay.  We called into a farm shop on our way home and were able to buy wild venison burgers and mince for half price.

I completed task 2 in the S@insbury’s ‘C0unt up to Christmas’ challenge, gaining an extra 300 Nect@r points.  I also signed up to the S@insburys ‘T@ste the Difference’ challenge and completed task 1, gaining an additional 200 points (most of these items when reduced in price).

This week’s main menu.

Monday – Away overnight.

Tuesday – Chilli con carne, with a small portion of brown rice.  I used a small pack of 5% fat beef mince and added a tin of green lentils to make the meal healthier and to reduce cost.

Wednesday – Spiced chickpea stew (W@itrose recipe), with whole wheat couscous. I will include the remainder of the butternut squash in the biryani on Saturday.

Thursday – Baked barbecue beans (L@ndscape magazine recipe), with sausages.  The fresh ginger will be from the freezer, and parsley from the garden.

Friday – Creamy Tuscan chicken pot (from one of my recipe scrap books).  Chicken thighs were reduced in price and frozen until required. This recipe uses orzo pasta, spinach, and chestnut mushrooms. I will cook it in the slow cooker, and use the remainder of the spinach in tomorrow’s meal.

Saturday – Pumpkin, spinach, and coconut biryani (W@itrose recipe), and onion bhaji’s. To fully utilise the oven, I will bake a whole wheat sourdough loaf.

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

Healthier lifestyle.

Last week’s step count was 59,264.

Completed 4 free meditations last week.

Completed 0 free online workout last week.

Simple pleasures.

When out hill walking on our 2-night break, the early morning low cloud provided some fabulous photo opportunities, giving way to a bright, clear day that made the autumnal colours really pop.  

We were lucky enough to witness the farmers and their dogs rounding up the sheep from the high fells and herding them to the farm below.  These ‘gathers’ are a fundamental part of the farming calendar, and it was a privilege to experience.

I enjoyed choosing a few items of local produce to add to our Christmas stockings this year.

Cake and a cuppa at the end of our walk.

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

louby40

Being outside and enjoying nature is a joy in Autumn isn't it. I walked to our local Aldi on Monday and thought how wonderful nature is with the changing of the seasons. The colours of the trees and the freshness in the air was breathtaking. 

I've only ever lived in the UK but I do wonder how expats who live in other parts of the world  cope with the lack of seasons - I would find it very strange.