A bit of a bargain

I’d like to say that the last few days have been riveting, with lots of exciting news! But I would be telling porky pies, haha!

I enjoyed my day of crafting at my friend’s house on Thursday. No cardmaking for me, I was personalising some ‘pooch party bags’ for a birthday party my daughter is putting on (More of that on another post) But here is a sample of the finished bags. The Bumble bees representing her lovely dog.....

Blue Cross baking for Friday was an iced vanilla traybake, nothing fancy, but it disappeared very quickly nonetheless. It’s been very quiet in the cattery in the past few weeks, but we are expecting some in from another branch during this week. I love finding out what little characters we have in.

On Saturday, we had breakfast at our favourite farm shop and later went to Exeter City. It was a very uninspiring game 0-0 and I got so cold, the damp really ‘got into my bones’ even though I was wrapped up well.

Hubby left for work early on Sunday, so he saw to Karma and I had a bit of a lie-in! But not too much of one, I was at the gym by 8.20. It’s a nice feeling to have the day stretched out in front of you, knowing you’ve already been to the gym. I took a little trip to a country store to get some more bird food, as I wanted to lay on a fab feast for my feathered friends later in the afternoon for the RSPB Birdwatch. I walked in and was amazed by the amount of people in the store! It turns out they were having a flash sale on the clothing, amongst other things. Expensive brand clothing too. The flash sale was 50% off the last marked price. I saw a Barbour fairisle jumper I liked. Barbour is a make I never look at, as it is so expensive. However this jumper, originally £75(!!) had been marked down several times and I ended up paying £16.83 for it!......

Later in the afternoon, I sat down at my dining room table with a coffee and notepad, ready to count the birds for an hour. This year was a strange one. Although I have loads of sparrows in my garden, none ventured in yesterday. But for my hour, I did see starlings, blackbirds, goldfinches, collared doves, magpies, jackdaws, wood pigeons and a couple of herring gulls.

Today, I spent the morning in town with my friend and the afternoon doing my household chores. It’s still cold and damp here and the forecast is for snow on higher ground ie. Dartmoor and icy cold rain here... joy! Hubby won’t be home until about 1 am, so I’m hoping the weather holds off until he gets home.

So I’m off to get my jim jams on in a mo and settle down to watch Foyles War. Thanks for popping by, cheerio for now, Ann x

A dismal yesterday

What is it with this weather? Three days of lovely cold, frosty and sunny weather and now it’s foggy, cold, dismal and dank. There isn’t going to be any change for a few days either apparently and then the change is to rain!

Anyway, ignoring the weather, coming out of my house yesterday, I was greeted by a little patch of sunshine yellow in the front garden. It lifted my heart!....

I had already got 1 1/2 hours of ironing under my belt and I was now off to dog sit at my daughter’s for a little while. I was greeted with a waggy tail, made myself a cuppa and settled down on the sofa with my book. Bumble, my daughter’s dog, came up for a cuddle. I tried to get a selfie, but she’s a big dog and I’ve got short arms!.....

After my dog sitting duties were over, it was back home via the farm shop. I had a nice quiet evening, steak cooked by my son and a catch up of my magazines. Hubby arrived home from work well after I was in the land of nod.

Today, I’m meeting up with my friend, at her house and we’ll be doing some crafting, as well as putting the world to rights, haha! Oh, and did I mention cream cakes? There will some of those too :)

Hope you all have a great day, no matter the weather, cheerio for now, Ann x

This and that

A few pics of what has been going on in the last few days......

A vanilla sponge with chocolate filling for the peeps at Blue Cross. We had some sad news in the week, that one of the other Friday volunteers had passed away. The majority of the staff and some volunteers will be going to his funeral and my daughter & another colleague will speaking. He was a lovely man.

We’ve had some very cold icy weather, with a lot of fog on occasion. On Saturday morning, the ice on the windscreen took an age to melt away, even with the air con on. But the patterns of the ice were so pretty!

Sunday, we all did something a bit different, an escape room! Hubby had a voucher given to him for his birthday a couple of years ago! Fortunately it was still valid. We hadn’t done an escape room before, although hubby and I have watched the Crystal Maze many a time and it was very similar. It was great fun, but we were novices and didn’t do very well. We needed a lot of hints, but we worked well together and we all enjoyed ourselves which is the main thing. At one point, the clue was in a  small tunnel linking the rooms. Who went in the tunnel? Yours truly, the oldest member of the party, haha! We built up an appetite and had a lovely lunch at a restaurant on Exeter Quay. It was a fantastic day, lots of memories made.

The past couple of days have been spent doing the normal household chores, going to Aqua, skittles, going to the vet (Karma’s routine diabetic check) and spending an evening at my daughter’s. We do crosswords together, while her dog snoozes.

There are no recipe experiments this week, although I may try something different baking-wise for Blue Cross. Tomorrow, I’m hoping to go to the gym after spending a bit of time dog sitting at my daughter’s. The rest of my afternoon will be spent ironing.

I’m hoping the cold sunny weather will continue, we will see! Hope you all have a good day tomorrow, cheerio for now, Ann x

A popular dish!

Just a quick post, as yesterday was very run of the mill, so not a lot to write about. However, I tried a another new recipe. If hubby said how tasty/delicious it was once, he must have said it a dozen times! When our son had it later in the evening, he said the same.

A simple to make pasta dish, which I shall definitely serve up again, from a old Sainsbury’s cookbook......

No more new recipes for this week and hubby is away for the majority of next, so will experiment on him again the week after, haha.  So that’s it, a short and sweet post. I’m off to Blue Cross later, cheerio for now, Ann x

A sunny day!

Storm Brendan has blown through and today the sun has made an appearance! Still a chilly wind, but what a nice change. 

I got up at 7am to feed Karma and give her her insulin. Then I very decadently went back to bed and back to sleep until 9.25am! I did feel a lot better for the extra sleep. But then of course, it was a bit of catch up. But I got my chores done and then hubby and I went to the gym. I booked a Bodybalance-flexibility class. Basically a bit of Tai Chi and then some yoga. So he decided to come too now his back is a lot better. I really enjoyed it and as it was only 30 mins long, I did a bit of gym too. Think it was beneficial for hubby too.

After the gym, we popped into Ikea. The other day they had a day bed in the bargain corner which our daughter wanted for her spare room the other day, but she just missed out. However they did say there would be another one coming in, so we checked today, but no luck. So we made do with a free coffee (thanks to the Family and Friends card) and a piece of their apple cake. Well, I had been to the gym!

Today’s evening meal was taken from this little book....

I’ve had it years, but it had been overlooked, being quite a small book. I chose Sausage and Leek Hash.....

This is how it turned out, not too far from the pic....

Have to say, we both really enjoyed it. When our son came back from work this evening, he heated his up and had it with a fried egg which he really enjoyed. So another recipe with a big tick. I’m quite enjoying picking up my recipe books and doing something different a few times a week. Tomorrow is an easy pasta dis, so watch this space.

I’m off to bed now, so thanks for popping by, cheerio for now, Ann x

My weekend

My weekend should have started with a lie in, as hubby was up early to go to work. However I heard him let Karma out the front door and within a couple of minutes, a huge cat fight ensued! I rushed down and went out to see what was what. I saw the big tabby skulk off with a bit of a swagger and Karma crept out from under a neighbour’s car, a bit fluffed up and quite distressed.

I gave her a quick once over. She had a slight little cut in front of her ear, but other than that, I couldn’t see anything else. She was still wearing her collar (in past attacks, she’s had that one ripped off) She was just a bit quiet for the rest of the day and wanted cuddles in the evening.

Fast forward to yesterday morning. She ate her breakfast ok, so no worries there, but she was flicking her ear quite a bit. It was obviously very sore and very difficult to get a good look into it. I did try with my phone light and saw it was very red and a bit bloody. I got my daughter to come over and see if she could help. She did get a slightly better look, while I was holding Karma in a towel. Infection had already started in there from some lacerations. So it was a trip to the emergency vets! Two injections of anti bs and anti inflammatory, a bottle of Metacam and a £103 bill later, we left the vets. Hopefully in the next couple of days, she’ll be feeling a lot better!

What else have I been up to? Well, Saturday afternoon I went to watch Exeter City. We won 2-0, although it wasn’t a good game and it got very cold! I was glad of a quiet evening, having cuddles with Karma.

Apart from the vet visit yesterday, I fed the washing machine regularly and popped over to my daughter’s house in the evening and had a cuddle with this one while we watched tv......

Today it was my meet up day with my friend (alternate Thursdays and Mondays) and we went to another garden centre for breakfast and a meander. The weather has been gradually deteriorating throughout the day, thanks to Storm Brendan and it’s blowing a hooley out there!

This evening I’ve got skittles and then I’ll be battening down the hatches. Hope you’re all keeping safe where you are, cheerio for now, Ann x

That naughty cat of ours!

Yesterday was my Blue Cross volunteer day. As usual, I bring some baked treats with me. I didn’t have any time on Thursday evening to bake, so it was a quick cheats bake in the morning using my trusty Wrights cake mixes I keep in for occasions like this......

So I quickly whipped up some toffee cupcakes, plonked some icing and a white chocolate button on each and made my way to the centre.....

It was a busy day, setting up a lot of empty pens with comfy, thick blanketed beds/scratch posts/toys and playing with kittens......

You have to be very time conscious when playing with kittens, you would be there all day otherwise!
While I was at the centre, I had a text from my hubby with an accompanying photo. I had left 2 plain cupcakes on the worktop, in case he wanted one with a cuppa on his return from playing golf. He had got home, put Karma’s afternoon snack in her food bowl, popped upstairs to his his office for half an hour and came down to this.......

Our diabetic cat had decided to have a dessert after her snack! Naughty puss! She didn’t seem to have any repercussions, but we kept a close eye on her for the rest of the day. Today, she was in a scuffle with a neighbouring tabby cat (who is a bit of a bully to say the least) so she’s feeling a bit sorry for herself. She’s got a couple of marks on her which I shall keep an eye on, as she is prone to abscesses.

I have a few days to myself now. Hubby is away working until Tuesday evening and our son is on another City break with a mate to Milan. So it’s just me and Karma! I have Exeter City this afternoon, but apart from that, things are pretty fluid as to what I’ll be up to. But they will include the gym, decluttering, doing a jigsaw and laundry....and after receiving a text while writing this, helping my daughter with a ‘big shop’ as in her words ‘ you’re good at knowing good things to stock up on, haha!’

So looks like I’m off to have a coffee at Morrison’s! Hope you all have a good weekend, cheerio for now, Ann x

Today

My friend and I had a good catch up at the garden centre today. A lovely breakfast and a wander in around, looking at the craft, gifts and sales section. I was very restrained and only spent money in the cafe, which is very unusual for me! The heavens opened while we were in there. Are we ever going to have four days in a row without rain?

Today’s evening meal was Simple Roast Chicken & Red Pepper Traybake from The Roasting Tin....

These on tin recipes are great if you’re pushed for time or want low prep. I couldn’t get chicken breasts with skin on, so 10 minutes before end of cooking, I put a bacon medallion on the chicken and served with tiger baguette to soak up the juices....

We spent this evening at our daughter’s new house with my father in law and his partner, as they hadn’t seen it yet. They couldn’t believe how spacious it was. Now that all the furniture is in, it definitely feels like a home now.

Well I’m off to bed now, I didn’t sleep well last night as it was very stormy. Cheerio for now, Ann x

A treat or two for myself and some bees!

For a long time I have wanted a new dab radio (my old one only works on mw and fm now) and not any old dab radio! I love all things retro and really wanted a Roberts Revival radio. I did look in the sales, but nothing doing. So yesterday I went in and bought a lovely red one.....

I absolutely love it! Also on my shopping list was a new and bigger slow cooker. The one I have at present is very small and spits quite a lot as there is probably too much liquid for the size. So I splashed out and bought a 6 litre one. It’s big enough to put half of what’s cooked in the freezer for another time.

Our evening meal was another from A Pinch of Nom book, Philly Cheesesteak. Very thin slices of steak with mushrooms, onion & peppers. Once all cooked, light Philadelphia cheese is stirred in before piling it all in a ciabatta roll. Mine doesn’t look quite like the picture, haha....

 

I had far too many sliced mushrooms. The recipes called for 4 mushrooms but mine were huge, so I could’ve just used 3. Still, it tasted really nice which is the main thing and at only 375 calories, even better!

I read in a recent gardening magazine, that it’s a good idea to put your old Christmas wreath at the back of the garden for the birds to take the greenery for nests. So today I took the holly out of the wreath and hung it behind my cherry blossom tree, which is a winter flowering one.....

As I tied up the wreath, I was stopped in my tracks by a huge amount of buzzing. The bees are back and taking what they need from the blossom. I’m so happy I can help them when there are very little flowers around at this time of year.

Just me for evening meal, so I’ve had a Spanish omelette. Nothing exciting, but a favourite nonetheless. Tomorrow, I’m meeting up with my friend and we’re having a mooch around a garden centre and a good old chinwag. So thanks for popping by, cheerio for now, Ann x

Getting back to normal....ish

Well, I say back to normal. Yes, the decorations are down, yes, all my presents have found their homes and yes, I’m back to the gym. But we still have a huge amount of goodies in the dining room! The majority were given to us for Christmas. So, as we are back to watching what we’re eating, I’ll organise everything into date order (we won’t get through them very quickly) and we’ll have a daily treat of a chocolate/posh biscuits. It’s all about being sensible and hubby & I normally have pretty good willpower (she says!)

Last night I did a meal plan for this week. I would love to do one each week, but I don’t always have time. So today we are having Potato, Onion and Bacon Bake from this book....

The prep was very quick, all ready for the oven......

Will it look like it should?....

Near enough and it was quite tasty, so I’ll do it again definitely.

On other blogs, I see quite a few people manage to get some fantastic bargains with yellow stickers etc. I don’t shop at the right times to come across these normally. However, when I popped into Sainsbury’s the other day, I came across large jars of mincemeat, with a best before of next November for 10p! So in my head, I did a little happy jig and picked up 4 jars...

I often bake an orange and fruit cake or rock cakes. Both of the recipes I follow use mincemeat and I had real trouble getting hold of some last summer.

Tonight I have skittles, but not until 9pm, so I have a bit of light reading beforehand...

Hope you all have a lovely evening, cheerio for now, Ann x

Happy New Year!

Just a quick post to wish you all a happy new year! I hope, however you decided to see it in, you had a good time.

 Hubby and I went to a friends’ house in Topsham. There was lots of delicious buffet food, glasses of bubbly and a game very similar to Articulate but on a phone app, which was handy as there were quite a few of us!  We had quite a few laughs playing it, I can tell you! As midnight approached, we all wandered down to the river and watched some fireworks. Hubby and I then toddled off back home, as he had to leave for work at 6.30 this morning!

I woke up feeling slightly hungover and I only had 4 flutes of bubbly and then drank water! To be fair, I think it’s more to do with the rich food I was nibbling on all evening. So today I’m back to my sensible eating, starting with my breakfast......

We still have a LOT of chocolates left but I will be rationing myself. It’s all about balance and I’m back to the gym tomorrow too.

Today, I’m having a lazy day. No hubby around and my son saw the new year in at his girlfriend’s, so goodness knows when he’ll pitch up! My daughter saw the new year in at her new house and will probably take her dog for a new year walk today. So I have the house to myself (and the cat!) and the peace and quiet that goes with it.

I hope you all have a lovely day today, whatever you’re doing and thank you for popping by, cheerio for now, Ann x