A Cosy Sort Of Day

Yesterday was a family Sunday. A day when we were all at home. The sort of day I love. The weather was wet and windy but it makes me look forward to evenings round the fire as winter approaches.I took the dogs for a walk in the morning and although there was a steady drizzle, wrapped up in a rain coat I don't really mind. At least the park was nice and empty, except for the usual dog walkers and one poor young woman trying to settle her screaming baby by pushing him round and round in his pram. I tried giving her a sympathetic smile as we passed but she ignored me, probably feeling too stressed. While I was there, there was a spectacular sight of a large flock of starlings flying in to land on the grass. The wet weather must have brought some kind of insects to the surface. I think it is called a murmuration when starlings fly like this and I waited hoping to catch them flying away but they were far to engrossed in whatever they were eating I'm afraid.

 The afternoon was spent dodging showers while I planted some pansies in the window boxes and trying to bake a chocolate cake for after Sunday evening tea. I use the word trying as it was only when I had got all the ingredients out I realised that I was missing cocoa and had to run to the Co-Op in the rain to buy some more. My raincoat was certainly getting some use yesterday!. I was starting to think the chocolate cake was not meant to be as when I got my Mum's old Magimix out to mix the ingredients it wouldn't start. I realised the power knob at the front was missing. The only way I could get it to work was to stick a screwdriver in the hole where the knob had been all the time praying I wouldn't get electrocuted. This is obviously my next mending project! All in all it was a nice productive day. The pansies look quite bright in the boxes even if it is far to wet to take a photo of them and the cake turned out not too bad considering.

We spent the evening chatting over a nice cup of tea and munching on chocolate cake while looking out at the hooley that was blowing outside. Yes quite a cosy sort of a day really. I'm hoping as I'm looking after Scarlett for the day today the weather might be a bit better. What ever your doing today I hope you get a bit of sunshine and your day goes well. xx

Turn Off That Television For Your Health

Last night Tom and I were babysitting for my eldest daughter and her partner who were going to a Queen tribute concert. They has warned us that bad weather had damaged their sky sattelite dish and the only channel working was Sky Sports (Hmm!). So when football had finished and Scarlett was asleep we looked through the Catch Up channels for something cheerful and light hearted to watch. We settled on an old Christmas special of Darling Buds Of May. We haven't watched an episode of this programme from the early 1990s for years and years and even though it all did look very dated we both said we did really enjoy it for a change. Christmas with the Larkins looked so perfect and idyllic my spirits were definitely lifted by the end of it! One thing I did think was that although I'm sure life was far from perfect or "perfick" as Pa Larkin would say in the 1950s there was no telelvision to intrude on a family Christmas.
  Not just Christmas but everyday life seems to be completely ruled by it. While I love some dramas I'm afraid I have made a descision that, for my health, the news programmes have to go from my life. It's not just politics which is so dire and depressing at the moment but the news seems to report on only misery, cross county lines gangs, modern day slavery, stabbings, starvation, war and endless ... no I won't mention the B word, all in our living rooms 24 hours a day. From now on I am just going to get a quick round up on an app on my phone and not watch it anymore. When Tom and I are in our caravan we choose quiet sites and don't have a TV or WIFI and often not even mobile phone access. It is heaven, we listen to music on our little 70s cassette player and play cards or a board game, walk the dogs and just relax.

 Could we live an adaptation of our caravan life all the time? It is something Tom and I discuss endlessly at the moment. We are definitely a family of frustrated hippies! We all long for something simpler and unless you grab your dreams I'm scared we will be taking them to our grave. We will keep planning for now and we have bought a bigger 1970s caravan this summer, which I will share photos of soon, but I am sure that in our future there will be some big changes.

Solving Problems!

I have thought about my blog and all the dear people in blogland often over the past year. After a gap of blogging and a new computer I found I had somehow got locked out of this google account. Instead of sorting out the problem straight away I opened a new account and put that problem on a back burner as I often do. But a new me has been emerging in the last few months! One that fixes and mends! I suddenly decided that I will sort out so many irritating little problems. I have decluttered all the small outgoings on our bank account (How easy it is to hang on to a small house accident policy costing £5 a month for years as it takes precious time to sort it out) fixed broken items in cupboards which are now perfectly useable and have started to use other precious items I have put away, what am I waiting for I asked myself, life is too short to have unused items in cupboards.
  Over on instagram today I saw Marlene has started a new blog which looks right up my street The Secondhand And Savvy Shopper. That's it I thought I must sort this problem out so I settled down earlier today and went through all the steps to resolve the problem and that's it sorted! I can't tell you how pleased with myself I feel and how happy to see so many of my old favourites still going strong.
  I have found this problem solving is becoming a bit addictive. I had such a feeling of satisfaction when I cancelled one internet provider and returned to another saving myself £50 a month doing so. I had been putting it off over and over again thinking it would be hell, well to be honest it was a bit, but it is done and £50 is a lot of money to save. I wake in the morning thinking what problem can I solve or item can I mend today! If I'm not sure how to do it I look on youtube there is always someone telling you how to do it. "It looks very light in here tonight" my youngest son said as we settled down for our evening meal a few days ago. "That's because I have fixed a light that was put away in the cuboard and put it out" I said proudly! It was only a 50p car boot sale buy but I couldn't have been more pleased.

 So that's it today's problem solved. I'm off to read a few blogs and hopefully my new organised self will get round to writing a few posts too!