Save some.....spend some....

I spent some of today sorting out the months supermarket receipts and found online I had saved over £17.00!!  So I am off to spend those vouchers next week. 

I will probably treat myself to a bar of chocolate as well as the fruit I adore - grapes, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries....yum.  Hubby will probably add a cake or two into the trolley.  The rest will be put towards whats on the shopping list for this week.

And I have at last found a sideboard I actually love.  I have been hunting for one for over five years!   I like to buy "loved" furniture, not new modern furniture, and the price has to be right and it has to be in good condition.

I am well pleased with this acquisition.   Now I need to decide what I am going to put in it.  I do have a lot of crockery and glasses that I would like to keep and use.  There is also a lot that needs to go to a new home.  So lots of fun now in what to keep and what to get rid of.....

Its morning......

Well today was someones birthday, so I awoke early in order to start the making of his favourite fruit cake.  A boiled fruit cake. Yes I know I have made one before, but that was a long time ago.

I decided today to use an old 1970s enamel stew pot to melt the butter, water, sugar and fruit.

a little stirring....

and a couple minutes boiling, I then take off the stove and leave on the side to cool.

 

 

While that is cooling, my friend across the road and I decide to hit the Jumble sale, see what bargains we come back with this time. 

I am pleased to say I did not look at the books....at 20pence each you cannot really resist them, but I was already laden with goodies, so could not even fit them in the bag. 

What did I get....well you remember I said way back that I was collecting yarns to crochet into my winter blanket.  Well I have still a long way to go and still need more yarn.

I intend to unpick all these garments.  They are not home hand knitted so are a little bit tricky.  On that long scarf they seem to have "locked" each end stitch, which means you have to pull through the whole length of yarn.  Of course this isn't very good yarn, it is all nylon and the fibres get everywhere including up your nose, but hopefully when crocheted into the blanket, the fibres will stay in place.

Then it is lunch time - hubby bought a nice piece of fresh boneless/skinlees salmon from the supermarket.  I grilled this and added a few vegetables and potato.

I certainly won't win any competition for presentation. 

Then after lunch we went for a long drive.......with the dog in the back.  To a nice pub for a glass of cold beer.

We actually sat in the car to drink it and watch the traffic go by.  Why?  Because we don't leave our dog in the car by herself.   I found it very very relaxing, that I almost fell asleep.  Thank goodness I was not the driver.

And so we head for home.....

And I finish off the cake.....

Burnt it as usual......

and now its time for bed........another sleep, another day.....



One, two, three....

pumpkins from the garden.  This is after the one I showed a few weeks ago.  So far I have cut one up and froze it. 

Those are my shoes for comparison, arn't they lovely...(no no not the shoes - the pumpkins).  I just love cutting through the pumpkin and all those lovely seeds all in rows in the middle.  To look at them gives me the shivers, but I pull them all out carefully and lay on a piece of kitchen towel to dry and we use again next year. 

Now what can we make?  Pumpkin pie, that sounds delicious.  Never made it before.  Nor have I made pumpkin soup.

I remember when I was in Australia, a few years ago now.  My friend bought this enormous pumpkin and set out to make the pumpkin soup.  As she was beating the cooked pumpkin in a plastic bowl, the bowl slipped out of her hand and the pumpkin mash flew up in the air, and landed with a plop on the kitchen floor.

She managed to save such a small amount from  the bowl, and we divided it amongst the three of us - I can still taste it - it was delicious.  Now I have my own pumpkins I must try some recipes.....

Had her toe nails clipped today...

for the first time ever. 

We have had dogs since we were married and not once have we ever had to have their claws clipped.  Then all the dogs did walk for miles on pathways, so I guess they just wore down themselves.

For the last few months we have found our beloved Boxer not wanting to walk far, sometimes just to the top of the drive.  Always eager to get home.  We thought it was arthritis setting in.  Then just yesterday, while making a fuss of her, we found two claws on one of her back legs was longer than the rest, and slightly curling over. 

So onto the internet I go to find instructions on how to clip claws, since I have never done it before, I was a bit worried that I might hurt her, or she wouldn't let us do it.  Then on Amazon and Ebay to find a pair of clippers.

Since I was off to the Post Office this morning, I decided to call into the Pet Shop, where I found out for just a few pounds, the Pet shop owner will do it for you.  Music to my ears. 

When I got home, I told our dog (yes I talk to her all the time) that I was taking her for a ride in the car (talk about dance around the room with excitement!!!) to get her claws clipped. 

Into the shop we go, and there is no need to tell our Boxer to sit quietly on the floor, while the Shop Owner was waving about a large pair of clippers.  She seemed to know exactly what was going to happen and every time the shop owner asked her to show the other paw, she did so without any hesitation.

All done and back home we go.  This evening our Boxer takes my husband for a walk - well no she doesn't pull ahead, she isn't allowed to, but when my husband tried to head home after a short walk, the Boxer was having nothing to do with it.  Both dog and husband walked for over a mile......and now I have one contented but very tired Boxer all ready for a good nights sleep....and just maybe looking forward to more walks tomorrow.