NST JULY

grandmanerd

On Thursday I boiled some eggs and chopped 4 potatoes into largish chunks and cooked them in a pan with a steamer full of broccoli on top. On Friday I made vegetable curry with some cauliflower cooked last week, some small carrots and peas that had been hanging around, a couple of red onions and about half the potatoes. The other half of the potatoes were turned into potato salad. Curry was okay but not thrilling - it used up a jar of sauce not chosen by me. 

Yesterday I couldn't walk. I presumed from all the standing whilst chopping and cooking. So washing did not get brought in from the line, fresh washing did not go out, food did not get put away and bags of rubbish and recycling are accumulating in the kitchen. I did try to get DS3 to bring the bins to the house or at least to the back gate (path is smooth but I wouldn't stand a chance on the cobbles). By evening I had worked out what was wrong (different problems with each foot) but not much of a solution. I have started remedial work but found the padding bandaging and then taping some sort of sole onto my right foot too much to deal with.

So today I've done some work but stayed inside (grabbed the 3 nearest things off the line) and did my best barefoot hobble, avoiding contact between the floor and my injured big toe. I also had a cold shower. We must have had a power cut and the boiler had turned itself off, but I was already in the shower before I found out and decided to carry on.

I have a whole list of systems to implement or simplify - reducing the number of things I cook, what I buy, how to tackle more things sitting down. I did find a bag of carrier bags and it had a pile of SM bags inside as well - the SM ones are worth 10 p each if returned.

I haven't needed cough medicine or throat sweets for several days and my head is clear, but I've realised not being able to go out has a 'mental block' element which I need to tackle. I hadn't noticed because leg problems and then the heat were stopping me leaving the house anyway.

So I have a plan, or plans, understand what needs doing, have ideas about how to go forward - making it easier to do the right thing than doing the wrong thing. I'm grateful for not being worried - things are bad enough, I'm not wasting mental energy on worrying, feeling the benefits of looking after my skin, most of the kitchen and bathroom storage systems working. 

Shall I do August if apple  is on holiday or is anyone else champing at the bit?

beanielou

@Thrifty_Taylor. 🤗🤗🤗🥰

Rowan9

Hugs to you thrifty and thinking of you very much

Thrifty_Taylor

Thank you folks. It's hard to think that 2 months ago today, our world came crashing down. DH & I went for a walk along one of DS1's favourite local routes after breakfast. Then a friend came to cut DS2's hair. 
Sold one of my fb items, beimg collected tomorrow. Sent photos of the letters written to them, to DS1's best friend & friend/ex gf. Washed the dishes & picked lots of currants, gooseberries & raspberries.
Played 3 rounds of Uno with DH & both DSs. So good that Ds2 joined in, he hasn't got years. Sewed up the bits knitted so far, for neighbours gonk birthday present.

Grateful for a nice walk, managing to get cabins on the boat due to cancellations, time in the gardrn

f0xh0les

Sending so much ❤️ @Thrifty_Taylor

apple_muncher

So glad you have cabins, Thrifty

Grandmanerd, thanks for offering to do August. I promise I'll do September - pinky promise!!!

DawnW

Sending love @Thrifty_Taylor

DawnW

I haven't been making cakes and other treats for a while as I am dieting, but I had some black bananas to use up, so have made a banana and walnut cake. Just had to try a small slice off the end by way of quality control as I haven't made this recipe before. It is yummy, and very easy. If you have black bananas you can find the recipe at https://www.tamingtwins.com/easy-banana-cake/   I reduced the sugar content by 25 %, as I always do with new recipes, and stirred in a couple of handfuls of walnuts from the freezer becuase I had them, and am trying to free up freezer space for garden produce.. I will probably slice and freeze it once properly cold (so much for reducing freezer stuff  ). NB it is quite sweet enough with the reduced sugar content. Black bananas are sweet in themselves aren't they? I might reduce it further next time.

Other than that, I have attacked the cobwebs on the ceiling with the hoover (standing on a stool with all the hoover pipe extensions added as I have high ceilings and am not so tall), squeezed a couple of sad oranges - I will top up the juice with diet lemonade later, composted some seedlings infested with caterpillars and resown indoors to escape the wretched white butterflies, picked some berries and the inevitable courgette and done several other tasks too small and boring to mention. 

OH is back home tomorrow from his pet sitting for DD1, so I will have to cook something 'proper' tomorrow. I have been living on garden veg and bits of leftovers but he wouldn't see that as a proper meal.

Grateful for decent rain yesterday, which means not much watering needed again today 

f0xh0les

Those pesky cabbage whites ate every last nasturtium I planted but left everything else alone so I think i have found my sacrificial plant. They can have them.
 Greenfly love nettles best of all, the little b~ggers killed my lupins this year but I can't plant nettles in pots. I saw one single ladybird, and realistically I know it couldn't have eaten them all on its own, but he might have made more of an effort!

grandmanerd

The August Challenge https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6621092/ninja-saving-turtles-challenge-august-2025/p1?new