Minced meat anyone?

I remember when we were first married, I bought a Spong mincer with some of the money given to us.  Every time I minced meat, I took it out of the box and set to work by clamping it to the table and putting the handle on with a chosen mincer piece and turning the nut on to hold it all together.  Then when it was all finished, taking it apart and trying to wash the left over fat and mince out of the pieces and getting that cloth into the hole at the top and from side to side, drying it off and putting it in the box again for another day. 

Don't know how long I used it for, but it was one day I put it in the box and it never came out again til yesterday.....I had even forgotten where I put it. 

I had to clear out a cupboard way up near the ceiling, a cupboard I even forgot existed - and I don't think I have ever opened since we have been here - almost 30 years! 

Well apart from the Spong Mincer, the cupboard was full of those Kodak slides, all organised in boxes with labels of my travels in the late 60s/70s and thank goodness the sleeves were still on the boxes........the dust was unbelievable!  I always wondered where I put those.  There was also a slide viewer, a radiator airer and some old children's Ladybird books. 

I doubt if I would have gone to that cupboard for at least another ten years, only the lower part is housing our electric boilers for the central heating and we were going to have the expansion tank in the high cupboard, but that is all changed now and it is sitting next to the boilers on the wall in the lower cupboard.  As the top cupboard is now wrecked by a number of pipes going up through the ceiling, I won't be hoarding anything in there for a long time.

Not sure what I will be doing with the Spong Mincer either, I haven't used it for over 30 years, and I cannot see myself be bothering to clamp it to a table again.  Like most people today, I buy my mince straight from the supermarket now - so much easier -

Photo a Day Challenge - 22nd April - the last thing you bought

No photo today.  I bought a second hand cot/toddler bed and put it together this afternoon to take the photo.  My husband comes in and thinks he is helping - and dismantled it before I had the chance to bring the camera to the living room. 

Why a cot bed you may ask.  No babies!! No little children!!  Well I had this grandier idea to make our Murphy (dog) a bed, a bed we can take away with us on holiday and without the worry of her getting up on the sofas, which isn't allowed even in dog friendly accommodation.  I wouldn't like it anyway, and she having her own sofa at home would expect to sleep on one whilst away. 

Well this cot is a trifle long, so a bit of adjustment has to be made.  It is too long for our car, so we are thinking of chopping the base in half and removing about 12" and putting a hinge or cross piece of wood to hold it together when in use and dismantle to fit in car. 

The mattress although not very deep, is foam and slightly sprung, which the latter may cause a problem if I go chopping a lump off.  That needs some thought - it might be that I will need to find another piece of foaml.

Then there is the headboards - well as this is a conversion from a cot to bed, the headboards come in two pieces, so we recycle the lower half, and as the remaining piece of headboard is still a bit high, the idea is to cut a 3 inch strip out of the middle and close the gap with two flat pieces of metal to brace on the sides and a piece of thin wood along the width of headboard to cover the gap..

Of course our Murphy will like a "back" on her new sleeping arrangement, so we will add a piece of ply that can be removed - then she can't fall out of one side of the bed when she is asleep.

The remaining parts of the cot - the two side railings will be used in the garden for either a homemade "A" shaped cold frame, or for a climbing plant.  The lower pieces of the headboard - well not sure yet - but they won't be wasted.

This is another home project - so hopefully before and after photos will follow shortly.

Photo a Day Challenge - 21st April - Bottle

I just love this bottle - the three monkeys - "I see no evil", "I speak no evil", "I hear no evil".  Love it.  My mother gave this to me many years ago with perfume in it.  Of course the perfume has all gone, but I still have the bottle. 

Photo a Day Challenge - 20th April - Something you drew

Aaah my attempt at being an Artist!!!  About ten years ago I met a local artist, who then became a  friend until she moved away and started a new life. 

We met regularly every week for lunch or coffee for a couple years and during that time I admired her paintings and spoke of my dream of not becoming an artist, but to take up painting when I retire!  Over the years I had collected books from drawing to oil paintings, so all was left is to find "time". 

The last Christmas I was in touch, we decided to exchange small inexpensive gifts and her gift to me was a pencil case of coloured pencils and an A4 cartridge paper, for me to have a go.  I did, but only to this day drawn in five pages.  My attempt at drawing was awful.  I had lost the "skill", which when I think of it now must of been very childish in my school years and the praise I had from the teacher, was to encourage me to do better.

So for today's challenge I have allowed you to have a peek at two of my pages......the top one is copied from a plant book, and the second one was our pet dog, who sadly died a few years ago.

No laughing please......I am doing plenty of that!

I am already into the retirement years, but still have not taken up art......there just does not seem to be the time in my very busy life.....

Photo a Day Challenge - 19th April - Orange

That one is easy! Took a bit of sorting out though, as my "to be read" bookshelves are stacked hicklety picklety til I get a chance to arrange.  No I don't put mine in colour order but rather in author order.

Well now, what have we here? 
Jonathan Kellerman - well he certainly likes orange.  There is "Devils Waltz", "Compulsion" and "Bones".  (I love JK books so looking forward to reading these)
Stephen Fry - "Moab is my Washpot" - now I am not sure about this author's books - I have seen Stephen Fry on TV, but not read his books.
John Grisham - "The Appeal". I have read one book by JG and enjoyed it.
Lisa Scottoline - "Dead Ringer".  Having read two others by this author, really looking forward to this one.
J.G. Ballard.  "The Kindness of Women".  Never heard of this author. 
Santa Montefoire.  "Meet me under the Ombu Tree".  Not sure if this is my type.
James W. Nichol.  "Midnight Cab".  Not read this author before
Robin Cook.  "Seizure".  Love Robin Cook.  Can't wait to read more.

So all these books main colour is "orange" - look at all the different shades.  Look great together, but alas have now been put back on my shelves.   Another job to be done and that is tidy the book shelves.

Photo a Day Challenge - 18th April - Hair

Since this is the road to retirement, then todays photo is about my hair.  I was born with dark hair (of course I can't remember that)!  My two brothers have dark hair, one brother and two sisters have light hair.  My mother had black hair and my father dark brown.  No - my mother never dyed her hair, she had the most amazing black hair when she was young.  Mine was mahogony with a tinge of copper, I just loved to look in the mirror with the sun shining to see these lovely strands, as though I had highlights, but they were completely natural. 

I remember on my 21st Birthday, I had longish hair, which was frizzed up into the air and pinned at the back.  That was "1960s" look!  On my wedding day, I had beautiful ringlets gathered up high and fell to my shoulder - that was the "1970s" look. 

And then the dreaded middle aged loomed and the beautiful copper strands turned to grey - that is the "old age" look!. 

From that day, I decided that I would have my hair cut very short, and I mean short - because when my hair was cut, it is darker (probably dark grey - nobody has told me yet) and as it grows it gets all fluffy and grey and I see these whispy bits sticking out, and I have to return to the hairdresser to be shorn again.

Here is a glimpse of my hair..........you will note "no face", perhaps another time if there is a photo challenge for "wrinkles".

Photo a Day Challenge - 17th April - Something I don't like

Tissues!!! - I borrowed this box for the photo, and to emphasis the fact I have added some scrauched up clean tissues. 

Nasty things.  I hate it when you are walking behind someone and they have one in their hand and they just drop it.....and it floats down to the pavement, then the wind blows it in the air........all those germs!
I love to have a nice cotton hankie in my handbag.

Talking about handbags.....another thing I don't like is someone putting their handbag on my kitchen work surface, not just a handbag but a ruck sack, anything they have carried around.  I am no clean freak, far from it, but the thought of where those handbags may have been???? For instance the public loo floor!!!! No way........bears thinking about!

Photo a Day Challenge - 16th April - Flower

A flower?  That is a difficult one seeing as my garden lacks flowers!  I haven't been anywhere this weekend, so had no means of taking a photo of somebody elses flowers. 

I then remembered the plant in my kitchen.  It was given to me about six years ago by two Australian girls who came to visit for a few days.  I had two but sadly one died within months.

Actually this one does not look too happy - I am always forgetting to water it.  The "spoon" you can see is only there to push the leaves away from the flower so I can photograph it.  No idea what plant it is.....its not even pretty.

Photo a Day Challenge - 15th April - Sunset

I had just realised this morning that today's challenge was "sunset".  Well that only left me today to wait for the sun to set.  If only I had thought about it last week, then I would have seven days to try and catch the sunset. 

But no it had to be today.  But I could not remember what time the sun set, so I sat in the office, regularly looking out the window, and noticed that it was getting a bit dark.  So out comes the camera, and I lean right out the window to my left - but too late........I could just see the sun disappearing below the horizon, just a little glimpse between two houses.......by the time the camera was posed to catch this tiny ball of red, it had completely gone!

Luckily just above me were clouds which had a reddish tinge to them, so for today, that will have to be my "Sunset".  Here we go.

Photo a Day Challenge - 14th April - How you feel today

I feel Happy, why because some friends came to lunch - we swapped books - and I was given a bunch of tulips.  Never had tulips before, so that was special.  We laughed, we nattered and tucked into a lunch of salad, pizza, pasta and omellette followed by strawberry and apple crumble and icecream!

The books I picked up was The Innocent by Harlan Coben, The Bodies Left Behind by Jeffey Deaver and The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf.  The last author I have not heard of so looking forward to that.  But like all books it has to take its turn on by "To be Read" pile.  With total now exceeding 880 it could be some time.

I need to transfer the tulips into a better vase, this one is too upright to display them properly.  Another job for me to do tomorrow. Not now, as I am too tired.  Busy day you see......all the exercise (moving jaws) takes up a lot of energy.......

Home projects - new central heating

When we bought our home 30 years ago, it had supposedly open fires, except for over five years the house had remained empty, and the chimneys (4) were crumbling.  We took out three of the chimneys and blocked up the fireplaces.  We paid out hundreds of pounds to have the fourth chimney relined, then another hundreds of pounds to have coal fire central heating installed with the coal fire and back boiler. 

During the next five years we had to call the chimney guy out several times because something was not quite right with the lining, eventually he stopped trading and we were left with a faulty chimney which the only solution was to take it down altogether.  By then the coal fire central heating had sprung a leak, and many "cowboy" plumbers later who did untold damage we were left with one solution  and that was to take it out and start again. 

The children were young, we could not afford to just go out and get new central heating, so we took away the radiators and put convector fires on the walls. 

It was always freezing in winter and most of the summer.  With no wall insulation and only wooden single glazed windows, the house was very cold in winter.  In fact it was not unusual for us to go to bed with ice on the inside of the bedroom window, which remained there for several weeks.  It was so thick it would not chip off.  And then when it did thaw, we had to have several towels on the window sill to catch the water.

But I have to say, we never had colds or flu during those cold winter months - nor did our children.  Well I am not surprised because who could live in below freezing conditions, other than ourselves!

About six years ago, we had the walls insulated, and then double glazing put in.  Having the walls insulated has caused more problems than we imagined, now with damp patches appearing inside on the outside walls.  More work for us to put right.  But the double glazing for sound proofing has been a godsend. 

So here we are 30 years on......and not a lot of progress on the heating front, but we are planning to have electric wet heating installed very soon - and excitment to a point (parting with money isn't that exciting), but I went shopping today to buy the new radiators and electric boilers. 

After all our bad luck with tradesmen in years gone by, I can at least say I have a great Heating Engineer now, and I can't wait til he gets started.  Hopefully we will be warmer this winter and many winters to come.  More update on this project soon.

Photo a Day Challenge - 13th April - Something I found

Well today is a lucky day for me - twice!  The connection between camera and computer started working again.  And secondly "Something I found" for the Photo challenge only happened today.  For months now I had lost my hair brush.  No big deal as my hair is very very short, about quarter of an inch, but it is growing and eventually I will need that brush. 

It could only be in the bedroom, because I don't take it out of the bedroom, but for the life of me, I could not find it anywhere.  I even moved the chest of drawers, and looked under the bed, but no sign of it.

Then just this afternoon, I was looking for something in the top drawer of my chest (where I do keep the brush usually) and there at the back I found it!.  Some fairy must of put it there!  Cos it wasn't me, well I don't think so anyway.

One place I don't have the brush is in the kitchen - but it was a special treat just for the photo, and now it is back in the drawer

Photo a Day Challenge - Sorry no more.....

until I either replace the lead from camera to computer, or buy a new Camera.  I don't know what the fault is.  Last time this happened to me with my old camera, I bought a lead and it still did not work, so I am thinking it might be the Camera this time too.  Nothing is made to last is it?

It feels like I have severed a limb, I have relied on a camera for all sorts of things.  Luckily I don't need it so much now for my job, but to capture those prescious moments - lately I have carried it around in my pocket, waiting for the moment and of course for the Photo a Day Challenge.

Well, I am off to change my broken vacuum cleaner on the insurance - maybe I could give the cleaning a miss and buy a camera instead.....then maybe not.  Mmmm worth a thought - I would rather take pictures than clean the floor, wouldn't you?

Hopefully I won't miss too many days, and be back again soon.  Of course I still have the projects I want to do this year.......better get started on those too.  Be back soon.

Photo a Day Challenge - 10th April 2012 - Cold

My freezer......brrrr......not much in there now - I had loads of apples on the trees last year and peeled, cooked and put in freezer - so for the past few months I look for recipes that includes "apple". 

Last night I made a lovely pudding which was adapted from one I saw on the internet.  It had lemon, ginger , dates and apple in it - it was delicious with custard.  The recipe asked for a chopped Bramley apple, but all I had was stewed apple so I used that instead.

It was unique - I probably wouldn't remember how I made it, as I varied the measurements of the ingredients to what I had left in the cupboard.  But the combination was just right......and I have enough to put back into the freezer for another week.

Photo a Day Challenge - Younger me!

Ah....there I am ready for school!  I am five or six years old here. I had my photo taken with my brother, but I don't think he would be happy if I added his photo as well, so I cut him off!

Photo a Day Challenge - 8th April - Inside your Wallet

The picture of my wallet looks awful!  This is actually a lovely yellow purse which I bought off ebay, and I also know the person I bought it off.

Look....nothing in it, except for a bus pass peeking out - oh and the one on the right is a store card which I thought I would use as the store has the clothes I like, and I can collect points, but I never use it.  Nor do I carry bank cards and usually forget to even take money.

Well I have a Bus Pass - and when I go out I always take a book to read - so what do you want money for?  .

Plenty of slots but nothing to put in them......I love the purse, so soft (I presume its leather), even if it isn't I still like it.

Photo a Day Challenge - 7th April - Shadow

No sunshine today, so could not photograph a shadow outside, so I turned the light on this evening and took this.  No its not an Emu, its my arm and hand. A little difficult trying to make something of the shadow and take the photograph at the same time..... 

Do you remember as children when you made all these shapes with your hands with the light behind.  It used to be a lot of fun.  I loved the one of a butterfly, where you put your thumbs together and pretended with the shadow on the wall that it was flying........aaah many memories of imaginary play.

Photo a Day Challenge - 6th April - Lunch

Oh dear.....

I didn't have any lunch, so had nothing to photograph.  We always get up at 6.00 - 6.30 a.m., but today, being a holiday, we decided to sleep in  - to 10.30 a.m. I didn't wake up til then!  Couldn't believe it!  So it was 11 a.m. before I had breakfast - and I could not face anything to eat by lunch time. 

I do like to wake early and in the summer I like to sit in the garden and watch the sun rise.  It is a bit chilly to do that yet.  Sleeping in always spoils my whole day - I have lost several hours sleeping when I could be doing something else and I have so many plans for the coming months.

Tomorrow will be different, I will be up at the crack of dawn and I will have lunch at the proper time, but tomorrow is a day for another photo challenge......

Photo a Day Challenge - 5th April - Tiny

I seem to have the shakes today.....could not hold the camera steady to take this picture for my Challenge - "Tiny". 

This is a tiny book my mother gave to me a few years ago - a memento of Australia after one of my visits there.  The book is bound in a red plastic cover and says "Lilliput - Aboriginal Words of Australia".  It is 4 cms x 5 cms x 1.5 cms thick.  Neat tiny book with illustrations and lots of words.

A lovely memento from Mum who is not with us any more.....

Photo a Day Challenge - 4th April - Someone who makes you happy

It has to be Murphy - here she is when she was a bit younger.  Can't take a photo now as she is asleep, and anyway she is a bit fed up with me taking her photograph.  I think it is the flash in her eyes.  I am pretty sure she now has cataracts as she hates going for a walk in the dark.  After all she is getting older, just like me.

She is a great companion - never complains and is always happy so I am happy too. 

Photo a Day Challenge - 3rd April - Mail

Junk mail - loads of it.  To think our lovely Postman has hundreds of these to put through your door and all we do is read it briefly and throw it in the recycling bin....what a waste of ink and paper. 

Photo a Day Challenge - 2nd April - Colour

No colour in my garden! Just pine trees, shrubs, fruit trees, grass, weeds - all one colour - green! 

Hey wait a minute I did find in the corner of the garden near the patio, one solitary colourful Primula (is that what its called?) and some bluebelly things dotted around it. Now I know I did not plant it, so no idea how it got there.  It is quite pretty though.

Jottings for March - wow what a busy month

Lots done this month - sold lots on Ebay, although some things gone for a bargain.....already forgotten!  Also bought from Ebay a Ikea Peong Chair so that my husband can sit in front of the TV in comfort, not that he wasn't comfortable before, he just fancied a Ikea Peong for a change.  I also bought a lovely white bedside cupboard at a bargain too.

Picked up books from Freecycle - took out what I wanted and sent the better ones to Charity and the rest to another Freecycler.  Also two bedside cabinets - one for a young girl who has moved into a flat and one for me.  Mine is in our room temporarily til I have renovated my old wooden one.  I didn't know I was going to win the bid on Ebay, so have two now.

The washing machine broke down - again - and the engineer has been to "fix" it three times this month!

Vacuum cleaner let out a whine, puffs of smoke and died - it had been sounding rough for a few days, so I am not surprised.

Hubby planted some beans in the garden and that night we lost all of them due to the frost (24) - so now a further batch have germinated ready to put in the ground again.  Just to eager and too early this year.

Been to coffee with two friends and one friend to me this month - whipped up a few fairy cakes for us.

Instead of milk in the mixture I used Mango and Orange juice and added melted cooking plain chocolate on the top.  Delicious....I think I ate most of them!

Never feel right without a tin of paint and brush in my hand - so painted the garden table, except the table is really a kitchen table I bought from a jumble sale about 15 years ago, so for its first coat of paint since being outside all that time isn't bad. 

I also painted two steps of the stairs - yes those same stairs are now turning to a wholemeal colour all over.  Not a good idea to paint it now.  The guys who live here are shift workers and the timing has to be just right to have the stairs dry by the time one or both arrive home.  Except this new paint decided to take over 12 hours to dry.......I left notes on the stairs and the light on all night just in case!

Not many hours of work this month which suited me fine....I can feel myself getting into the swing of being home all day and doing what retirees do best.

Spent the shopping vouchers at long last - bought some more clothes summer - before I have had a chance to bring the bags down from the loft - which could mean I have more clothes than days to wear them. 

At last no more dentists for a while - two appointments this month were bad enough.

Read three books - or was it two.  Broken by Karin Slaughter, Bone Deep by Darian North and Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin.  Not much of a bite into my massive "To be Read" pile.  I enjoyed them all.

I wonder what treats I have in store for April.......

Photo a Day Challenge - 1st April - Your reflection

I done it!  All of March....now to look forward to April's Challenge. 

Your reflection?  So so difficult to take yourself, with the camera getting in the way.  I tried....and I got something.  This is a metal tape measure and if you look carefully that is me on the righthand side.  Thats as best its going to get - I have tried photographing it at least ten times! 

Ummmm wonder what tomorrow's challenge is - just going to have a look on FatMumSlim's blog.