I took the tape off yesterday for what should have been the last time, but as I suspected, the two weeks where I couldn’t get the duct tape to seal properly around the wart have left the wart hanging on, by a thread, but it is still there, very small now, but still alive and kicking.
Two weeks ago I found a fantastic plaster/bandaid in the pound shop, which acts very similar to cling film with a sticky side, and that finally enabled me to seal the duct tape down over the knuckle, and the resultant shrinkage is amazing. So although I should be finishing now, I have decided to carry on for another week or two, just to get rid of the thing by Christmas, for once and for all!
So watch this space for further up dates. Either I am right, and the failure to seal the air from the wart has allowed it to hang on, or in another two weeks time it will be gone. I know which one I am hoping for!
Wednesday 26 November 2008
Saturday 22 November 2008
When life gets in the way.
I had every intention of posting at least two to three times a week, but as the old saying goes, the path to hell is paved with good intentions.
My poor Father in Law is back in hospital, and is very ill, and my husband isn’t taking it well. I am having server issues which have been preventing me from getting online as much as I would like, and health issues yet again that have meant my whole day feels as if I’m wading through treacle and can only get a tenth done of what I could normally. Not that I’m moaning, just making excuses really.
The poor allotment has been sorely neglected since the clocks went back to daylight saving, as my day runs out of light long before I have a chance to think about gardening. My plans of making many Christmas presents have had to be greatly reduced just because of my time constrictions and lack of energy.
So for anyone who has been reading my blog and thinking “How does she do it all?” you now know the sad truth of the matter; I am not the Martha Stewart you all thought I was! I’m just as human as the next woman, even if I do hate to admit it myself.
I really need to sit down and re-arrange my daily schedule, so I can get down to the allotment before 4pm when it gets dark, and still get online before the kids come home from school and slow down my internet connection until gone midnight.
So what got me thinking like this? Well I watched a program on telly tonight where a couple were looking for a new home, it’s called ‘Relocate, Relocate’ and the experts show the couple how to set up a shopping list for the sort of new home they are looking for, and then help them find it within their budget. I was watching it with only half an eye as I prepared dinner (boy do I hate having to do that every day! Life would be so much easier if hubby took turns with me at that!). Anyway, the couple that were featured today were ‘Do everything by the numbers’ people. You know the sort of people I’m talking about; they actually had a life plan! 1. Move to London, get good jobs, and earn lots of money. 2. Move back to the sticks and have children. 3. Send kids to college, move to a smaller home and get old, and all that sort of thing.
They were at the second stage for this program. But it got me thinking, I don’t have a life plan, I don’t have a yearly plan or even a daily plan some days. Maybe that is where I’m going wrong with my life!
I just bumble along, grab at opportunities (or husbands ;-) ) when they amble my way, and try, in general, to go with the flow. Now don’t get me wrong, I think being laid back is a wonderful way to be, but I don’t want to be so laid back I’m virtually comatose, which is what I am feeling like at the moment!
I am at that couple’s third life stage, my kids have left home with college under their belts, but somewhere along the line I skipped the first stage, I live in London, but I’ve never earned a reasonable wage, let alone bucket loads of money to enable me to move to the sticks to raise my kids and grow old gracefully! And I suspect that is the case for the majority of people, and I got to wondering why that is?
In my case I think it was because, as a child I chose to be a writer when I grew up, and was told that I would never make a living at it and would be better off learning to type. Hmmm, not quite the thing to tell a five year old I think. At the grand old age of eight I came up with the idea of being a medicinal botanist, (David Bellamy and Florence Nightingale are to blame for that one I think!) I even knew which exams I had to take at 16 to get in to college to start on that career! (See! I had a life plan forming there!) Again I was told to concentrate on learning my three ‘R’s and typing, as they would make a woman employable.
I still hadn’t forgotten wanting to be a writer though, and at 13 I had a short story published in a fantasy magazine. I thought I had made a break through with my family, and they would let me follow the writer’s career, but no, the money I earned went towards my new school uniform, and I was forced to take typing and short hand in school. My parent’s life plan for me was finally revealed; I was to work in a typing pool until I found a nice young man, then settle down to have children. I didn’t need an expensive education, and any fanciful thoughts of writing in a garret were to be forgotten right away. I rebelled quite violently, but eventually I settled down to the life that had been mapped out so carefully for me.
So I fell at the first stumbling block. I allowed others to take away my ambition, and without ambition there is no call for a life plan, and I suspect that is what happens to a lot of people.
After the children left home, I tried again. I entered two short stories in a competition, and won first and third prizes! Whoo Hoo! Ambition was restored, and I set to with a will and wrote a book and sent it off to a publisher, only to be rejected. My Husband seemed to loose interest and I lost the will to pursue it further. Oh well, stumbling block number two.
As you get older, ambition seems to get in short supply as well. How can you have ambition when you’re trying to put food on the table, and cloths on the kid’s backs? I know that is an ambition in its own right, but it is not a life ambition, is it? Boy I hope not!
So I have been distracted for way too long, and now I’m looking into the sunset of my life, with a long path of regrets behind me, and very little time to right those regrets. Can you make a life plan at my age? I don’t know, but I think I’m going to try.
My poor Father in Law is back in hospital, and is very ill, and my husband isn’t taking it well. I am having server issues which have been preventing me from getting online as much as I would like, and health issues yet again that have meant my whole day feels as if I’m wading through treacle and can only get a tenth done of what I could normally. Not that I’m moaning, just making excuses really.
The poor allotment has been sorely neglected since the clocks went back to daylight saving, as my day runs out of light long before I have a chance to think about gardening. My plans of making many Christmas presents have had to be greatly reduced just because of my time constrictions and lack of energy.
So for anyone who has been reading my blog and thinking “How does she do it all?” you now know the sad truth of the matter; I am not the Martha Stewart you all thought I was! I’m just as human as the next woman, even if I do hate to admit it myself.
I really need to sit down and re-arrange my daily schedule, so I can get down to the allotment before 4pm when it gets dark, and still get online before the kids come home from school and slow down my internet connection until gone midnight.
So what got me thinking like this? Well I watched a program on telly tonight where a couple were looking for a new home, it’s called ‘Relocate, Relocate’ and the experts show the couple how to set up a shopping list for the sort of new home they are looking for, and then help them find it within their budget. I was watching it with only half an eye as I prepared dinner (boy do I hate having to do that every day! Life would be so much easier if hubby took turns with me at that!). Anyway, the couple that were featured today were ‘Do everything by the numbers’ people. You know the sort of people I’m talking about; they actually had a life plan! 1. Move to London, get good jobs, and earn lots of money. 2. Move back to the sticks and have children. 3. Send kids to college, move to a smaller home and get old, and all that sort of thing.
They were at the second stage for this program. But it got me thinking, I don’t have a life plan, I don’t have a yearly plan or even a daily plan some days. Maybe that is where I’m going wrong with my life!
I just bumble along, grab at opportunities (or husbands ;-) ) when they amble my way, and try, in general, to go with the flow. Now don’t get me wrong, I think being laid back is a wonderful way to be, but I don’t want to be so laid back I’m virtually comatose, which is what I am feeling like at the moment!
I am at that couple’s third life stage, my kids have left home with college under their belts, but somewhere along the line I skipped the first stage, I live in London, but I’ve never earned a reasonable wage, let alone bucket loads of money to enable me to move to the sticks to raise my kids and grow old gracefully! And I suspect that is the case for the majority of people, and I got to wondering why that is?
In my case I think it was because, as a child I chose to be a writer when I grew up, and was told that I would never make a living at it and would be better off learning to type. Hmmm, not quite the thing to tell a five year old I think. At the grand old age of eight I came up with the idea of being a medicinal botanist, (David Bellamy and Florence Nightingale are to blame for that one I think!) I even knew which exams I had to take at 16 to get in to college to start on that career! (See! I had a life plan forming there!) Again I was told to concentrate on learning my three ‘R’s and typing, as they would make a woman employable.
I still hadn’t forgotten wanting to be a writer though, and at 13 I had a short story published in a fantasy magazine. I thought I had made a break through with my family, and they would let me follow the writer’s career, but no, the money I earned went towards my new school uniform, and I was forced to take typing and short hand in school. My parent’s life plan for me was finally revealed; I was to work in a typing pool until I found a nice young man, then settle down to have children. I didn’t need an expensive education, and any fanciful thoughts of writing in a garret were to be forgotten right away. I rebelled quite violently, but eventually I settled down to the life that had been mapped out so carefully for me.
So I fell at the first stumbling block. I allowed others to take away my ambition, and without ambition there is no call for a life plan, and I suspect that is what happens to a lot of people.
After the children left home, I tried again. I entered two short stories in a competition, and won first and third prizes! Whoo Hoo! Ambition was restored, and I set to with a will and wrote a book and sent it off to a publisher, only to be rejected. My Husband seemed to loose interest and I lost the will to pursue it further. Oh well, stumbling block number two.
As you get older, ambition seems to get in short supply as well. How can you have ambition when you’re trying to put food on the table, and cloths on the kid’s backs? I know that is an ambition in its own right, but it is not a life ambition, is it? Boy I hope not!
So I have been distracted for way too long, and now I’m looking into the sunset of my life, with a long path of regrets behind me, and very little time to right those regrets. Can you make a life plan at my age? I don’t know, but I think I’m going to try.
Thursday 13 November 2008
Week 4 of duct tape versus wart
The tape came off yesterday to give the wart its 24 hours of freedom. I had got the taping right this week, and the wart had been deprived of fresh air, though it was difficult getting it in the proper position as the wart is on my right index finger, and if you have ever tried cutting duct tape to a specific size, I’m sure you can imagine how hard it is to do left handed to boot, add to that how hard it is to put a plaster on a knuckle that will stay there without cutting off the circulation, and I think you will get the idea! LOL
The wart is softer, and the centre seems to be smaller, and over the 24 hours of freedom it didn’t regain its original hardness, so I am hoping that this is working, but as they say in the films, “Its early days yet”, as I have at least another two weeks of this, if not four because the first two weeks I didn’t manage to get a proper seal on it.
The wart is softer, and the centre seems to be smaller, and over the 24 hours of freedom it didn’t regain its original hardness, so I am hoping that this is working, but as they say in the films, “Its early days yet”, as I have at least another two weeks of this, if not four because the first two weeks I didn’t manage to get a proper seal on it.
Wednesday 12 November 2008
Front Loader versus Top Loader Washing Machines
I'm having one of 'those' days
I really am going to have to write all my favourite recipes down properly, and then keep them all in one place! I was going to post that curry sauce recipe I promised tonight, but guess what, I have hunted high and low for it, and I cannot, for the life of me, find it. My Grandmother used to say to me; “Look in the first place you looked, but look properly this time!” Well Grandma, I’ve looked in the first place three times now, and have worked my way down the list each time before repeating, and still I can’t find it!
I know what will happen, when I finally give up and stop looking for it, I will find it when I start looking for something else! It always works that way with me! Have I mentioned before I’m a ‘scatter-brain’?
Anyway, on to the Front Loader versus the Top Loader debate I promised.
As I have had one of each I feel qualified to highlight the pro’s and cons’s for both of them, but keep in mind that it is only my point of view. The fact I haven’t had a top loader for many years now, and they must have had some technological advancements in that time, also has to be remembered. I live in the UK where front loading machines are a lot more popular, and so there is a larger selection here, I am aware that in the US the top loading machines are more popular so there is a larger selection of them there.
First up I should explain that I make my own washing powder and use vinegar as a fabric conditioner, whether that makes a difference to the performance of the machine I don’t know, I do know my machines last longer than anyone I know.
So here goes;
Top Loader Pro’s;
• You have more control over the amount of washing your clothing gets. You can choose when enough is enough.
• They don’t need to be plumbed in anywhere, you can put pipes into your sink or water butt if you so wish, without there being a problem.
• I haven’t seen any graphs or anything, but I should imagine a top loader could be more economical on the electric, as long as you don’t use it to heat the water, then this would turn in to a con.
Top Loader Con’s;
• They are very labour intensive. I’m a lazy woman, so I didn’t appreciate this. With the machine I had, you had to pull the soaking wet clothes out of the wash drum and dump them in to the spinner drum. It did nothing for my back I can tell you, as the machine was the wrong height for little old me!
• I’m also a messy puppy and I was always landing up with as much water on the floor as was in the machine.
• Remembering not to overload the machine can a problem and I often landed up with a bucket full of wet clothes that had to be pulled out after the wash had started.
• Top Loaders use a lot more water, so if you are on a meter, then they can work out very expensive, and if you then use the machine to heat the water – well you get the drift.
• Hoses can, (and frequently did for me), come away from their designated positions, often causing small floods, but the floods were kept to a minimum because I was standing over the machine, though it often made me go and get changed into some dry clothes!
Front Loader Pro’s;
• You can put your washing in and walk away; the machine will wash, rinse, add conditioner and spin the clothes without your supervision.
• There is no heavy lifting of soaking wet clothes; they come out spun and ready to hang.
• New machines are economical to run and can do half loads, cool washes etc.
• There are no hoses to contend with, they get plumbed in and then you forget about them! The only time you will have a flood is when the machine breaks down, and that has not happened to me with the three front loaders I have owned.
Front Loader Con’s;
• There is little control over the wash, once the door is shut and the machine turned on, the machine is in control, so you can’t spot a stain, pull the garment out and give it an extra rub.
• Pre-soaking is difficult, unless you use a separate bucket for the job.
• Learning the different controls can be confusing.
• Remembering not to overload the machine can a problem, I just try to think about how heavy the clothes will be once wet.
So to sum up;
If you like to be in control of the wash from start to finish, and have the time to hover over the machine, then a top loader may be the one for you.
If, on the other hand, you are like me, short in stature and short of time, then a front loader may be just what you are looking for.
I really am going to have to write all my favourite recipes down properly, and then keep them all in one place! I was going to post that curry sauce recipe I promised tonight, but guess what, I have hunted high and low for it, and I cannot, for the life of me, find it. My Grandmother used to say to me; “Look in the first place you looked, but look properly this time!” Well Grandma, I’ve looked in the first place three times now, and have worked my way down the list each time before repeating, and still I can’t find it!
I know what will happen, when I finally give up and stop looking for it, I will find it when I start looking for something else! It always works that way with me! Have I mentioned before I’m a ‘scatter-brain’?
Anyway, on to the Front Loader versus the Top Loader debate I promised.
As I have had one of each I feel qualified to highlight the pro’s and cons’s for both of them, but keep in mind that it is only my point of view. The fact I haven’t had a top loader for many years now, and they must have had some technological advancements in that time, also has to be remembered. I live in the UK where front loading machines are a lot more popular, and so there is a larger selection here, I am aware that in the US the top loading machines are more popular so there is a larger selection of them there.
First up I should explain that I make my own washing powder and use vinegar as a fabric conditioner, whether that makes a difference to the performance of the machine I don’t know, I do know my machines last longer than anyone I know.
So here goes;
Top Loader Pro’s;
• You have more control over the amount of washing your clothing gets. You can choose when enough is enough.
• They don’t need to be plumbed in anywhere, you can put pipes into your sink or water butt if you so wish, without there being a problem.
• I haven’t seen any graphs or anything, but I should imagine a top loader could be more economical on the electric, as long as you don’t use it to heat the water, then this would turn in to a con.
Top Loader Con’s;
• They are very labour intensive. I’m a lazy woman, so I didn’t appreciate this. With the machine I had, you had to pull the soaking wet clothes out of the wash drum and dump them in to the spinner drum. It did nothing for my back I can tell you, as the machine was the wrong height for little old me!
• I’m also a messy puppy and I was always landing up with as much water on the floor as was in the machine.
• Remembering not to overload the machine can a problem and I often landed up with a bucket full of wet clothes that had to be pulled out after the wash had started.
• Top Loaders use a lot more water, so if you are on a meter, then they can work out very expensive, and if you then use the machine to heat the water – well you get the drift.
• Hoses can, (and frequently did for me), come away from their designated positions, often causing small floods, but the floods were kept to a minimum because I was standing over the machine, though it often made me go and get changed into some dry clothes!
Front Loader Pro’s;
• You can put your washing in and walk away; the machine will wash, rinse, add conditioner and spin the clothes without your supervision.
• There is no heavy lifting of soaking wet clothes; they come out spun and ready to hang.
• New machines are economical to run and can do half loads, cool washes etc.
• There are no hoses to contend with, they get plumbed in and then you forget about them! The only time you will have a flood is when the machine breaks down, and that has not happened to me with the three front loaders I have owned.
Front Loader Con’s;
• There is little control over the wash, once the door is shut and the machine turned on, the machine is in control, so you can’t spot a stain, pull the garment out and give it an extra rub.
• Pre-soaking is difficult, unless you use a separate bucket for the job.
• Learning the different controls can be confusing.
• Remembering not to overload the machine can a problem, I just try to think about how heavy the clothes will be once wet.
So to sum up;
If you like to be in control of the wash from start to finish, and have the time to hover over the machine, then a top loader may be the one for you.
If, on the other hand, you are like me, short in stature and short of time, then a front loader may be just what you are looking for.
You guys HAVE to go and watch this
Watch this video all the way through and let me know what you think, and then I'll tell you what I thought when I first saw it! You have to watch it to the end though, no cheating!
Wooo-Hooo!
My first post at Frugal Zeitgeist has been published, and reading it now it feels bitty and all over the place. Perhaps I shouldn’t have tried to fit so much into a 500 word piece?
Well whats done is done, I can’t do anything about it now, except learn from my mistakes and use my new knowledge in future posts.
I’m now thinking about future posts and wondering what to write about, I thought I might do a bit on the pro’s and con’s of front loading and top loading washing machines, seeing as I’ve had both, and I was also thinking about a piece about cutting your grocery bill and still eating healthily. What do you guys think? Do you have any suggestions? Either for posts here or over at Frugal Zeitgeist?
After a conversation with my friend I thought I’d better look up Zeitgeist as we both were a little bit cloudy on the meaning; so for those of you who are also a little bemused…
Zeitgeist; the meaning of the age –German origin
Well whats done is done, I can’t do anything about it now, except learn from my mistakes and use my new knowledge in future posts.
I’m now thinking about future posts and wondering what to write about, I thought I might do a bit on the pro’s and con’s of front loading and top loading washing machines, seeing as I’ve had both, and I was also thinking about a piece about cutting your grocery bill and still eating healthily. What do you guys think? Do you have any suggestions? Either for posts here or over at Frugal Zeitgeist?
After a conversation with my friend I thought I’d better look up Zeitgeist as we both were a little bit cloudy on the meaning; so for those of you who are also a little bemused…
Zeitgeist; the meaning of the age –German origin
Sunday 9 November 2008
I am so excited!
Three days ago I got a post from a newsletter I receive from frugal zeitgeist asking for people to contribute to the blog, and very impulsively I replied straight away asking to be considered. Imagine my shock when I opened my emails the next day to discover I had been accepted! Yes, ‘little old me’ is going to be adding my quirky touch to all things frugal!
Okay, it is still early days, and we have to see how well Forest likes my writing on a regular basis, but this is a real boost for me, and I am very enthusiastic about getting ‘stuck in’!
The down side is this comes at a time when I am already struggling fitting everything in, but hey, we make our own priorities, and this is very high on my list, so it will get done, even if poor Hubby has to make his own dinners!
Of course, cuddling the cat, working the allotment, making my own winter clothes and presents, and finding new frugal/green/self-sufficient-ish ways are still high on my list of priorities, so have no fear!
Which reminds me, keep your eyes open for a hot/cold Christmas Curry Sauce recipe I’ll be posting in the next few days, it is cheap, delicious, AND dead easy to make! It sounds too good to be true, but trust me, it really does live up to the build-up I'm giving it!
Okay, it is still early days, and we have to see how well Forest likes my writing on a regular basis, but this is a real boost for me, and I am very enthusiastic about getting ‘stuck in’!
The down side is this comes at a time when I am already struggling fitting everything in, but hey, we make our own priorities, and this is very high on my list, so it will get done, even if poor Hubby has to make his own dinners!
Of course, cuddling the cat, working the allotment, making my own winter clothes and presents, and finding new frugal/green/self-sufficient-ish ways are still high on my list of priorities, so have no fear!
Which reminds me, keep your eyes open for a hot/cold Christmas Curry Sauce recipe I’ll be posting in the next few days, it is cheap, delicious, AND dead easy to make! It sounds too good to be true, but trust me, it really does live up to the build-up I'm giving it!
Saturday 8 November 2008
It has been brought to my attention…
That I have been sorely neglecting my allotment as of late, I have still been going down there, but not as often as I should, and the plants are still growing happily without my attention, including the weeds, despite the frosts we have had!
One of the reasons for my neglect has been my Father in Law, three weeks ago he was admitted back in to hospital, suffering from dehydration and (dare I say it?) starvation, despite the fact he has FOUR carers visit him a day!
I know they can’t force him to eat or drink if he doesn’t want to, but they don’t even try! They just walk in, asks him if he wants anything, and when he says no, they go away again! Surely it is common sense to put the food in front of him, and possibly help him eat it (as he has had two strokes, feeding himself is difficult).
Even in the hospital he is lucky if a nurse has time to feed him, there are so many other patients who are more vocal in their needs, and so few nurses to go around. I just hope, if I am ever in that situation, I will still have the power of my voice, and still have the desire to use it.
The drawing in of the days is also causing a problem, as I didn’t even think to re-arrange my daily schedule to take the shortage of daylight hours in to consideration, so often by the time I have my chores done, it is already getting dark, and so the allotment has to have a miss. What doesn’t help is the fact I am very definitely not a morning person, and much prefer to have a few hours pottering around the house before venturing out in to the wet autumn weather. But all that has to change! There are things that need to be done, and nobody is going to do them if I don’t get around to them!
So a new leaf has to be turned in my attitude to winter living, and the only person who can do that, is me!
One of the reasons for my neglect has been my Father in Law, three weeks ago he was admitted back in to hospital, suffering from dehydration and (dare I say it?) starvation, despite the fact he has FOUR carers visit him a day!
I know they can’t force him to eat or drink if he doesn’t want to, but they don’t even try! They just walk in, asks him if he wants anything, and when he says no, they go away again! Surely it is common sense to put the food in front of him, and possibly help him eat it (as he has had two strokes, feeding himself is difficult).
Even in the hospital he is lucky if a nurse has time to feed him, there are so many other patients who are more vocal in their needs, and so few nurses to go around. I just hope, if I am ever in that situation, I will still have the power of my voice, and still have the desire to use it.
The drawing in of the days is also causing a problem, as I didn’t even think to re-arrange my daily schedule to take the shortage of daylight hours in to consideration, so often by the time I have my chores done, it is already getting dark, and so the allotment has to have a miss. What doesn’t help is the fact I am very definitely not a morning person, and much prefer to have a few hours pottering around the house before venturing out in to the wet autumn weather. But all that has to change! There are things that need to be done, and nobody is going to do them if I don’t get around to them!
So a new leaf has to be turned in my attitude to winter living, and the only person who can do that, is me!
Friday 7 November 2008
Another free sock pattern
I have just found another free sock pattern, and I think I am going to have to try this one. My initial intention is to make them in just one colour, but I have always had a secret yearning for a red and white striped 'Wicked Witch of the West' pair, so that may well happen too if the pattern works out for me!
Thursday 6 November 2008
Crochet socks update
My crochet socks endeavours, (which are really slipper socks), are so successful I am now ploughing ahead and making a pair for each day of the week!
The slipper sock pattern, which I posted a link to previously, is perfect for the job, and the only adjustment I make is to the length of the leg, which in the pattern is an increase of 11 stitches, and I do 31 to get them that little bit longer in the leg.
Even time wise they are great, as one sock can be made in a couple of hours while watching TV!
The socks are ultra warm, really comfortable, and use up those spare balls of wool you always land up with, so are ultra cheap to make too! (Though I do have to admit to buying four balls of wool from the hospital charity shop yesterday while visiting my Father in Law, but only because they were a price I couldn’t resist!) And last but not least, they wash well with no shrinkage! What more can a girl ask of a sock pattern?
The slipper sock pattern, which I posted a link to previously, is perfect for the job, and the only adjustment I make is to the length of the leg, which in the pattern is an increase of 11 stitches, and I do 31 to get them that little bit longer in the leg.
Even time wise they are great, as one sock can be made in a couple of hours while watching TV!
The socks are ultra warm, really comfortable, and use up those spare balls of wool you always land up with, so are ultra cheap to make too! (Though I do have to admit to buying four balls of wool from the hospital charity shop yesterday while visiting my Father in Law, but only because they were a price I couldn’t resist!) And last but not least, they wash well with no shrinkage! What more can a girl ask of a sock pattern?
Wednesday 5 November 2008
Update on wart versus duct tape
I have just taken the duct tape off the wart for the third week of the six weeks cure and I thought I’d give you all an update.
The first week I tried it, I put a smallish piece of duct tape over the wart and then covered that with a plaster the next day as it started falling off. Unfortunately the position of the wart is right above the second joint, on the palm side of my index finger, and duct tape and plaster rolled back, allowing air to the wart without me realising it, and I suspect that the week’s coverage was ineffective, though the wart did seem a little smaller on the day I left the covering off.
The second week I tried a smaller piece of duct tape, covered by a larger piece of plaster. Again the plaster and tape seemed to roll back, and I could see no visible change in the wart on its day of freedom.
The third week, I covered the whole finger from just below first joint to just above knuckle with duct tape. Because the tape was over lapping itself I didn’t need to cover it with a plaster, and I really did think I had the problem solved. But when I took the tape off this evening to give the wart its day of freedom, I discovered that although a lot of my finger was that horrible dead white you get when you have had a plaster on for too long, the wart and its surrounding area appeared to have had enough freedom from the bending of the knuckle to not be effected! I am beginning to feel as if I am loosing the battle here, but I will persevere, for the next three weeks, and may be a bit longer if I can figure out a way to solve this problem.
The first week I tried it, I put a smallish piece of duct tape over the wart and then covered that with a plaster the next day as it started falling off. Unfortunately the position of the wart is right above the second joint, on the palm side of my index finger, and duct tape and plaster rolled back, allowing air to the wart without me realising it, and I suspect that the week’s coverage was ineffective, though the wart did seem a little smaller on the day I left the covering off.
The second week I tried a smaller piece of duct tape, covered by a larger piece of plaster. Again the plaster and tape seemed to roll back, and I could see no visible change in the wart on its day of freedom.
The third week, I covered the whole finger from just below first joint to just above knuckle with duct tape. Because the tape was over lapping itself I didn’t need to cover it with a plaster, and I really did think I had the problem solved. But when I took the tape off this evening to give the wart its day of freedom, I discovered that although a lot of my finger was that horrible dead white you get when you have had a plaster on for too long, the wart and its surrounding area appeared to have had enough freedom from the bending of the knuckle to not be effected! I am beginning to feel as if I am loosing the battle here, but I will persevere, for the next three weeks, and may be a bit longer if I can figure out a way to solve this problem.
When life gets on top of you.
I like to think I am not the only person in this world who sometimes feels as if they can’t cope with everything happening in their life, and that is where I am at the moment.
My poor Father in Law has been in hospital for the last four weeks, and I have wanted desperately to visit him a lot more often than I have, but there is just so much to do at the moment.
On Monday the hospital phoned to say he would be coming home on Thursday, so I arranged my week around that, and the need to go to his house to warm it up for him, and do his shopping etc. Yesterday they phoned to say he wouldn’t be home until next Tuesday! So what’s happened? Well I again have to postpone the things I had planned to do while doing Father in Laws shopping, (the area he lives in has some handy shops, and my bank is there too!)
The allotment, I had hoped, would have scaled down a bit by now, seeing as we have had our first frosts of the year, but I still have peas, carrots, kale, cabbages, onions, garlic, leeks and potatoes going strong! And that’s not including what is growing in the greenhouse and shed! (Mushrooms in the shed, melons, aubergines, coriander, basil, and lettuce and cat grass in the greenhouse!). On top of all that, we are still less than half way to getting the beds made for next years planting, and we still have to choose and order the seeds….and I’m not even going to mention the building plans we have! The wildlife area still needs a lot of work, and the ponds need regular clearing of dead leaves, and a new leaf compost has just been built and needs to be filled, and there sure isn’t a shortage of leaves to do it with, it is just so time consuming crawling around the beds gathering the things!
Winter is coming and I am desperately trying to make myself some nice comfy clothing, from socks to jumpers and everything in between, but the shop I buy my yarn from is where my Father in Law lives, (see above), besides I’m finding it hard to find the time to make them.
Christmas is also coming, (faster than ever this year!) and I usually make a lot of my own cards and presents. This year I am so behind on all of that, because I have spent my time learning and doing the allotment, and learning how to make butter, cheese and jam, none of which I am good enough at yet to present as presents!
Then there are my health problems, which have over the last four or five weeks raised their ugly heads again. Five weeks ago I had a giddy spell down the allotment and walked into a piece of angle iron which my husband was using as a boundary marker. It cut and bruised my leg quite badly, and the last of the scab is only just coming off now. Then four days ago I had another giddy spell, which made me slip and fall on my butt with a bit of a thump, so you can just guess where the bruise is, but I also hurt my right shoulder and wrist and left elbow, effectively putting both arms on restricted movement.
Three weeks ago my doctor said he suspected my thyroid meds weren’t at the right level again and asked me to have my bloods checked, but I have difficulty getting to the hospital on my own, so have to wait for a time when hubby fit it around his work, and I’m still waiting, so I’m still struggling with being just that little bit slower, both mentally and physically.
They say time is money, and it’s true. This Christmas is going to cost a bit more this year, just because I don’t have the time to do everything I normally do!
My poor Father in Law has been in hospital for the last four weeks, and I have wanted desperately to visit him a lot more often than I have, but there is just so much to do at the moment.
On Monday the hospital phoned to say he would be coming home on Thursday, so I arranged my week around that, and the need to go to his house to warm it up for him, and do his shopping etc. Yesterday they phoned to say he wouldn’t be home until next Tuesday! So what’s happened? Well I again have to postpone the things I had planned to do while doing Father in Laws shopping, (the area he lives in has some handy shops, and my bank is there too!)
The allotment, I had hoped, would have scaled down a bit by now, seeing as we have had our first frosts of the year, but I still have peas, carrots, kale, cabbages, onions, garlic, leeks and potatoes going strong! And that’s not including what is growing in the greenhouse and shed! (Mushrooms in the shed, melons, aubergines, coriander, basil, and lettuce and cat grass in the greenhouse!). On top of all that, we are still less than half way to getting the beds made for next years planting, and we still have to choose and order the seeds….and I’m not even going to mention the building plans we have! The wildlife area still needs a lot of work, and the ponds need regular clearing of dead leaves, and a new leaf compost has just been built and needs to be filled, and there sure isn’t a shortage of leaves to do it with, it is just so time consuming crawling around the beds gathering the things!
Winter is coming and I am desperately trying to make myself some nice comfy clothing, from socks to jumpers and everything in between, but the shop I buy my yarn from is where my Father in Law lives, (see above), besides I’m finding it hard to find the time to make them.
Christmas is also coming, (faster than ever this year!) and I usually make a lot of my own cards and presents. This year I am so behind on all of that, because I have spent my time learning and doing the allotment, and learning how to make butter, cheese and jam, none of which I am good enough at yet to present as presents!
Then there are my health problems, which have over the last four or five weeks raised their ugly heads again. Five weeks ago I had a giddy spell down the allotment and walked into a piece of angle iron which my husband was using as a boundary marker. It cut and bruised my leg quite badly, and the last of the scab is only just coming off now. Then four days ago I had another giddy spell, which made me slip and fall on my butt with a bit of a thump, so you can just guess where the bruise is, but I also hurt my right shoulder and wrist and left elbow, effectively putting both arms on restricted movement.
Three weeks ago my doctor said he suspected my thyroid meds weren’t at the right level again and asked me to have my bloods checked, but I have difficulty getting to the hospital on my own, so have to wait for a time when hubby fit it around his work, and I’m still waiting, so I’m still struggling with being just that little bit slower, both mentally and physically.
They say time is money, and it’s true. This Christmas is going to cost a bit more this year, just because I don’t have the time to do everything I normally do!
Wednesday 29 October 2008
Have a head cold? Try this....
If you have the blocked nose, sneezing and sinus congestion of a winter bug, try sucking on a hard coated chewing gum tablet. You know the ones, they come in a little packet with about eight tabs in them, that ARE NOT medicated!
The mint/menthol in the flavouring will blast that mucus into submission, working like a decongestant, and you will be able to get on with your life. You don't even have to chew the gum to get the effect, though personally, once that hard coating has gone, I can't resist a little chew. I now keep those gums in the medicine cabinet because they are so effective.
Why pay more when the sweetie type will do the trick?
The mint/menthol in the flavouring will blast that mucus into submission, working like a decongestant, and you will be able to get on with your life. You don't even have to chew the gum to get the effect, though personally, once that hard coating has gone, I can't resist a little chew. I now keep those gums in the medicine cabinet because they are so effective.
Why pay more when the sweetie type will do the trick?
Tuesday 28 October 2008
Monday 27 October 2008
Saving in the bathroom.
• Toothpaste.
1. Don’t get suckered by the ads that have a whole toothbrush head full of toothpaste, you only need a squirt the size of a pea to get your mouth clean, anything more is just rinsed down the plug hole.
2. Make your own tooth powder with three parts baking soda and one part salt. It doesn’t taste like commercial toothpaste but it will leave your mouth tasting fresh and clean, and it will kill germs just as effectively!
• Soap.
1. Let the liquid soap run out, and forget about replacing it. Use a solid soap instead; it does exactly the same job, at a fraction of the cost. Don’t forget to save the soap dispenser though, you will see why under shampoo’s.
2. Save the little stubs of soap and mould them in to a fresh bar.
3. Make your own; there is a lovely tutorial at Tipnut.com.
• Shampoo.
1. Pour your shampoo in to a liquid soap dispenser, it will prevent too much being used at one time, which can strip the hair of its natural oil protection.
• Deodorant/antiperspirant
1. Invest in a deodorant crystal, they last for years, really do deodorise, and work out at a fraction of the cost of a normal deodorant. An added bonus is they have no perfume so you can wear what ever you like, without fear of the scents clashing. Another added bonus is the crystal doesn’t have any of the nasty harmful chemicals in it that normal deodorants have, so you and your family will be healthier too!
• Shower gels, bubble baths
1. Again a dispenser will reduce the amount of wastage, you only need a small squirt of shower gel, any more and it dries out your skin! Okay you will need a few squirts to get a foamy bath, but even there you are less likely to land up using half a bottle to get the desired effect.
2. Don’t use ordinary dish soap for bathing purposes. Dish soap is very drying to the skin, and some people may even find it causes skin problems. Sure buy the cheap stuff, but not the wrong stuff!
1. Don’t get suckered by the ads that have a whole toothbrush head full of toothpaste, you only need a squirt the size of a pea to get your mouth clean, anything more is just rinsed down the plug hole.
2. Make your own tooth powder with three parts baking soda and one part salt. It doesn’t taste like commercial toothpaste but it will leave your mouth tasting fresh and clean, and it will kill germs just as effectively!
• Soap.
1. Let the liquid soap run out, and forget about replacing it. Use a solid soap instead; it does exactly the same job, at a fraction of the cost. Don’t forget to save the soap dispenser though, you will see why under shampoo’s.
2. Save the little stubs of soap and mould them in to a fresh bar.
3. Make your own; there is a lovely tutorial at Tipnut.com.
• Shampoo.
1. Pour your shampoo in to a liquid soap dispenser, it will prevent too much being used at one time, which can strip the hair of its natural oil protection.
• Deodorant/antiperspirant
1. Invest in a deodorant crystal, they last for years, really do deodorise, and work out at a fraction of the cost of a normal deodorant. An added bonus is they have no perfume so you can wear what ever you like, without fear of the scents clashing. Another added bonus is the crystal doesn’t have any of the nasty harmful chemicals in it that normal deodorants have, so you and your family will be healthier too!
• Shower gels, bubble baths
1. Again a dispenser will reduce the amount of wastage, you only need a small squirt of shower gel, any more and it dries out your skin! Okay you will need a few squirts to get a foamy bath, but even there you are less likely to land up using half a bottle to get the desired effect.
2. Don’t use ordinary dish soap for bathing purposes. Dish soap is very drying to the skin, and some people may even find it causes skin problems. Sure buy the cheap stuff, but not the wrong stuff!
Sunday 26 October 2008
Okay, I'll try the links again...
slipper socks
and
Soccasins
Thanks Riohnna! Now all I have to do is figure out how you manage to link to peoples blogs!
and
Soccasins
Thanks Riohnna! Now all I have to do is figure out how you manage to link to peoples blogs!
As Halloween approaches…
I’m thinking Witches, and as I think Witches, I think of warts. Now my experience of warts was zero until recently. I had this vague idea they were bobble like and hard, and if they were sitting on a Witches chin they had to have a hair or two sprouting out of them, that was the sum total of my knowledge. Not much I think you will agree.
So when I noticed a hard lump of skin on my index finger that was smooth, I thought it might be a wart, but felt I ought to make sure, just in case. So on my next visit to my doctor I showed it to him, but he was more interested in getting my breathing sorted, which was a little shaky at that time, so he gave it a cursory glance as he reached for the breath pump that measures your lung capacity, and said, “Haven’t got a clue what that is.” And he left it at that, and I let him because he distracted me with the lung capacity tests he was doing.
I left it for a while, but the lump kept growing and getting in my way, until it got to the point where I was filing down the lump more often than I was my nails!
So I bought one of those wart freezing preparations, but when I read the instructions, it described a wart very clearly, and I was right, warts look like cauliflowers made of dead skin, mine looked more like an insect bite made of dead skin, it even has a black centre to it, which makes it more like a verrucca than a wart, and to add insult to injury you can’t freeze off a fungal infection like that if you have bad circulation, the surrounding skin wouldn’t recover quickly enough from the freezing, and you’d land up with frost bite! I wish they’d said that on the outside of the packet, before I’d spent £9 on the product!
Well and truly fed up I phoned the doctors to make an appointment with the nurse to get this lump thing identified for once and for all, and to discuss what steps should be taken to remove it from my life, it kept catching on my yarn for heavens sakes! Anything that interferes with my crafting has to be sorted out ASAP! Only the receptionist wouldn’t make the appointment with the nurse, after I’d explained my need to see her, she said a doctor had to diagnose it first and decide what treatment would be best. So I make an appointment with a doctor, not my normal doctor, but a new one to the practice who I hadn’t met before.
Well in I waltz, and the doctor instantly picks up on some tell-tale signs that my thyroid isn’t functioning as it should be, even with the meds I’m on, and tries to distract me again, but I wasn’t having any of it! I wanted this thing, what ever it was, gone!
Reluctantly he looked at it and confirmed it was a wart! Hooray! “Now how do I get rid of it?” I managed to ask calmly.
“Just a simple freeze spray…” He starts. I shake my head, “I’ve got Reynolds, bad circulation, can’t freeze it out.”
“Then you have one of two choices.” I nod. “You could have minor surgery to remove it.” I nod again, as I was willing even to go through that if it got rid of this bane of my life! “Or you could try something my dermatologist friend told me about, I’ve not tried it before, but he says it works and it’s non-invasive, with no drugs involved.”
Now it being near Halloween must have been what made me think it, but I had images of me dancing under the full moon, sky-clad, rubbing a toad on my finger, while the doctor watched and stirred a cauldron. Not a pretty thought! Me dancing naked that is.
I think the poor man must have read my mind, as he quickly rushed on to explain it involved one of my favourite crafting materials, duct tape!
Yep that’s right, DUCT TAPE!
Apparently you cover the wart with the tape for six days, and on the seventh leave the wart uncovered and open to the air. Do this for six weeks and wart should be gone.
Guess which one I decided to do…
I go back in just over five weeks to let him record the results.
I had a few comments yesterday from people, and I have tried to reply in the comments, but I just had to make these two again here.
Riohnna said she has gone out and bought anti-slip soles for her home made slippers. I didn’t even know they made anti-slip soles for homemade slippers; I just use my glue gun and dot bits of glue over the sole if I feel they need them, I’ll bet it’s a lot cheaper my way! Having said that, I have worn the slipper sock pattern I said about yesterday for the best part of a year, without anti-slip, on wood floors, and not slipped once yet, I think it’s the pattern.
(And thanks for the tip about linking, I’ll try that the next time I want to link to something, and then come back and find out what I did wrong!!!)
Posh and Trendy, we are on the same wave length regarding banks, not to be trusted Shylocks, each and every one of them!
So when I noticed a hard lump of skin on my index finger that was smooth, I thought it might be a wart, but felt I ought to make sure, just in case. So on my next visit to my doctor I showed it to him, but he was more interested in getting my breathing sorted, which was a little shaky at that time, so he gave it a cursory glance as he reached for the breath pump that measures your lung capacity, and said, “Haven’t got a clue what that is.” And he left it at that, and I let him because he distracted me with the lung capacity tests he was doing.
I left it for a while, but the lump kept growing and getting in my way, until it got to the point where I was filing down the lump more often than I was my nails!
So I bought one of those wart freezing preparations, but when I read the instructions, it described a wart very clearly, and I was right, warts look like cauliflowers made of dead skin, mine looked more like an insect bite made of dead skin, it even has a black centre to it, which makes it more like a verrucca than a wart, and to add insult to injury you can’t freeze off a fungal infection like that if you have bad circulation, the surrounding skin wouldn’t recover quickly enough from the freezing, and you’d land up with frost bite! I wish they’d said that on the outside of the packet, before I’d spent £9 on the product!
Well and truly fed up I phoned the doctors to make an appointment with the nurse to get this lump thing identified for once and for all, and to discuss what steps should be taken to remove it from my life, it kept catching on my yarn for heavens sakes! Anything that interferes with my crafting has to be sorted out ASAP! Only the receptionist wouldn’t make the appointment with the nurse, after I’d explained my need to see her, she said a doctor had to diagnose it first and decide what treatment would be best. So I make an appointment with a doctor, not my normal doctor, but a new one to the practice who I hadn’t met before.
Well in I waltz, and the doctor instantly picks up on some tell-tale signs that my thyroid isn’t functioning as it should be, even with the meds I’m on, and tries to distract me again, but I wasn’t having any of it! I wanted this thing, what ever it was, gone!
Reluctantly he looked at it and confirmed it was a wart! Hooray! “Now how do I get rid of it?” I managed to ask calmly.
“Just a simple freeze spray…” He starts. I shake my head, “I’ve got Reynolds, bad circulation, can’t freeze it out.”
“Then you have one of two choices.” I nod. “You could have minor surgery to remove it.” I nod again, as I was willing even to go through that if it got rid of this bane of my life! “Or you could try something my dermatologist friend told me about, I’ve not tried it before, but he says it works and it’s non-invasive, with no drugs involved.”
Now it being near Halloween must have been what made me think it, but I had images of me dancing under the full moon, sky-clad, rubbing a toad on my finger, while the doctor watched and stirred a cauldron. Not a pretty thought! Me dancing naked that is.
I think the poor man must have read my mind, as he quickly rushed on to explain it involved one of my favourite crafting materials, duct tape!
Yep that’s right, DUCT TAPE!
Apparently you cover the wart with the tape for six days, and on the seventh leave the wart uncovered and open to the air. Do this for six weeks and wart should be gone.
Guess which one I decided to do…
I go back in just over five weeks to let him record the results.
I had a few comments yesterday from people, and I have tried to reply in the comments, but I just had to make these two again here.
Riohnna said she has gone out and bought anti-slip soles for her home made slippers. I didn’t even know they made anti-slip soles for homemade slippers; I just use my glue gun and dot bits of glue over the sole if I feel they need them, I’ll bet it’s a lot cheaper my way! Having said that, I have worn the slipper sock pattern I said about yesterday for the best part of a year, without anti-slip, on wood floors, and not slipped once yet, I think it’s the pattern.
(And thanks for the tip about linking, I’ll try that the next time I want to link to something, and then come back and find out what I did wrong!!!)
Posh and Trendy, we are on the same wave length regarding banks, not to be trusted Shylocks, each and every one of them!
Saturday 25 October 2008
Bits and bobs
Today I’m in a funny mood, can’t settle down to very much of one thing, so I figure if that’s the way I feel, that’s the way my blog should read too!
So first off, a message for Riohanna, the slipper sock pattern I used is here; http://knitting-crochet.com/crochet/slisoc.html
It took a little hunting, but my tenacious personality wouldn’t let me stop until I’d tracked it down. Actually it took me all of about three minutes, after I’d thought about it for a while. I also came across this pattern today, which I think will be next on my list, as I’m sure I can size it up enough for my small cold feet. http://megan.cc/Soccasins/
Not sure why the links didn't come out properly, perhaps you can give me some tips on how to get them to work?
Earlier today I heard some more news about the trouble the banks are in, and it sort of got me thinking. Now I know my attitude towards banks is pretty simple as I’ve never had enough money to have a mortgage, and I’ve never had a business, but basically I think their job is to look after our money and invest it wisely for us, or loan us money and make sure we return it with enough payment for the service to pay them for their time and the investors for their money. The bank is basically a go-between, or a Shylock, as my mind keeps calling them, because isn’t that what Shylock did?
Anyway, so when did being a money lender get to be such a respected profession? I’m not a Christian, but I respect many of their laws/ sayings as they make sense even today, and one of them is “Neither a lender nor borrower be.” Yet Christian countries have let the banks flourish and gain such power that they touch every single adults life, even the jobless have to have a bank account to get their benefits, no one institution, with possibly the exception of Government, should have that sort of power.
When and who gave the banks permission to lend our money so irresponsibly? When did the banks suddenly take control and have the power to tell you if and when you can have your money back? It’s our money, not theirs! Is it any wonder more and more people are reluctant to trust banks? I know I don’t, but then I haven’t for quite some time, the whole set-up seems iffy to me.
Okay, rant over for the day.
So first off, a message for Riohanna, the slipper sock pattern I used is here; http://knitting-crochet.com/crochet/slisoc.html
It took a little hunting, but my tenacious personality wouldn’t let me stop until I’d tracked it down. Actually it took me all of about three minutes, after I’d thought about it for a while. I also came across this pattern today, which I think will be next on my list, as I’m sure I can size it up enough for my small cold feet. http://megan.cc/Soccasins/
Not sure why the links didn't come out properly, perhaps you can give me some tips on how to get them to work?
Earlier today I heard some more news about the trouble the banks are in, and it sort of got me thinking. Now I know my attitude towards banks is pretty simple as I’ve never had enough money to have a mortgage, and I’ve never had a business, but basically I think their job is to look after our money and invest it wisely for us, or loan us money and make sure we return it with enough payment for the service to pay them for their time and the investors for their money. The bank is basically a go-between, or a Shylock, as my mind keeps calling them, because isn’t that what Shylock did?
Anyway, so when did being a money lender get to be such a respected profession? I’m not a Christian, but I respect many of their laws/ sayings as they make sense even today, and one of them is “Neither a lender nor borrower be.” Yet Christian countries have let the banks flourish and gain such power that they touch every single adults life, even the jobless have to have a bank account to get their benefits, no one institution, with possibly the exception of Government, should have that sort of power.
When and who gave the banks permission to lend our money so irresponsibly? When did the banks suddenly take control and have the power to tell you if and when you can have your money back? It’s our money, not theirs! Is it any wonder more and more people are reluctant to trust banks? I know I don’t, but then I haven’t for quite some time, the whole set-up seems iffy to me.
Okay, rant over for the day.
Thursday 23 October 2008
New socks
Three weeks ago I had a little accident down the allotment and cut my leg, nothing too serious just a deep graze, but it left my leg sore for a while, and it helped me realise that it isn’t just my joints that are getting older, my whole body is!
With my leg sore I noticed that both legs actually swell through the day, not something I had paid any attention to until then, especially round the ankles. Now if I was working I don’t think the level of swelling would be as much because I would be wearing tights, but I spend most days down the allotment so I’m in the toughest pair of trousers I own, and socks, and those socks have strong elastic round the tops to hold them up, and make the swelling worse.
As Christmas is coming I thought I’d do some research and tell hubby what socks to buy me and where, that don’t have elastic ribbing. Was I in for a shock! £10 for one pair of socks of dubious quality! Hmm, that needed a re-think.
So I looked through my collection of sock patterns, (those who know me, know I am an avid pattern collector, so I had to search through quite a few!), and decided to make myself some instead. I chose to crochet them as the cuff would be stiffer and stand up on its own. The choice of yarn was easy, my friend Linda had given me some lovely scarlet wool and enough to make several pairs of socks if I so chose.
After starting and discarding several patterns because they weren’t working up the way I wanted, I finally settled on a free slipper sock pattern I found on line some time ago and had already made in to the best pair of slippers I have ever owned! They are warm, thick and have a cuff that can easily be made longer or shorter to my hearts desire, which is thick enough never to slip down and bunch around my ankles.
The pattern calls for worsted weight yarn, (which is double knitting to us here in the UK) but I had originally made the slippers in chunky as I feared they wouldn’t keep my forever cold feet warm enough with double knitting, so I knew they would work up a little smaller in the double knitting.
The feel of the socks in the shoe is totally different from a normal bought sock; there is actually some degree of friction due to the stitches being bigger, but this brought an unexpected bonus, it increased the circulation in my feet so even though the last few days have been a bit cold around here, my feet, and hence the rest of my body, have been toasty warm, and I haven’t had to turn the central heating on!
The pattern is super easy to make, so I have whipped up a couple more pairs, and to be honest I don’t think I am ever going to go back to shop bought socks again!
Another added bonus to these socks that only appeared after wearing them for several days is the increased circulation has reduced the hard skin around my heels and toes markedly, to the point where I suspect I won’t have any hard skin in another two or three weeks!
So last night, as I settled down to sleep, I did my usual thing of thinking what I had done that saved me money during the day, and my mind instantly went to my new socks. I have saved the cost of buying socks, at £10 a pair, (and I now have three pairs so that’s a saving of £30!). I used a free, online pattern, so saved about £2.00 there. I used yarn that I had been given, so saved £4.00 there. And since wearing them I haven’t had to turn the central heating on, so who knows how much I have saved there! So in all I have saved £36 plus for only four hours work, that’s better wages than I could earn out in the labour market, after tax, so I’m a very happy bunny!
Lucy, the flour used to make pasta is plain if you want to go cheapskate. There are some fancy ones you can buy to make it special, but you’d have to look at the packets to see which ones are specific, because I really am a cheapskate, and don’t have a clue!
Angela, Linda, Lucy and Posh and Trendy, thank you for your kind words about the fox. My head knows there are many foxes out there, and they are a problem in urban areas, I also know I did as much as I could for her under the circumstances, (the RSPCA doesn’t like coming out for foxes as they consider them vermin). But my heart tells me I had formed a bond with a wild animal, which is a rare thing to happen and that I should treasure it, and I will for the rest of my life. My consolation is the foxes injuries were such that she must have died instantly with little or no pain, and at least I gave her the time to experience some of her life. I am grateful she didn’t have time to give birth to a litter of pups, which would have really torn me apart emotionally.
With my leg sore I noticed that both legs actually swell through the day, not something I had paid any attention to until then, especially round the ankles. Now if I was working I don’t think the level of swelling would be as much because I would be wearing tights, but I spend most days down the allotment so I’m in the toughest pair of trousers I own, and socks, and those socks have strong elastic round the tops to hold them up, and make the swelling worse.
As Christmas is coming I thought I’d do some research and tell hubby what socks to buy me and where, that don’t have elastic ribbing. Was I in for a shock! £10 for one pair of socks of dubious quality! Hmm, that needed a re-think.
So I looked through my collection of sock patterns, (those who know me, know I am an avid pattern collector, so I had to search through quite a few!), and decided to make myself some instead. I chose to crochet them as the cuff would be stiffer and stand up on its own. The choice of yarn was easy, my friend Linda had given me some lovely scarlet wool and enough to make several pairs of socks if I so chose.
After starting and discarding several patterns because they weren’t working up the way I wanted, I finally settled on a free slipper sock pattern I found on line some time ago and had already made in to the best pair of slippers I have ever owned! They are warm, thick and have a cuff that can easily be made longer or shorter to my hearts desire, which is thick enough never to slip down and bunch around my ankles.
The pattern calls for worsted weight yarn, (which is double knitting to us here in the UK) but I had originally made the slippers in chunky as I feared they wouldn’t keep my forever cold feet warm enough with double knitting, so I knew they would work up a little smaller in the double knitting.
The feel of the socks in the shoe is totally different from a normal bought sock; there is actually some degree of friction due to the stitches being bigger, but this brought an unexpected bonus, it increased the circulation in my feet so even though the last few days have been a bit cold around here, my feet, and hence the rest of my body, have been toasty warm, and I haven’t had to turn the central heating on!
The pattern is super easy to make, so I have whipped up a couple more pairs, and to be honest I don’t think I am ever going to go back to shop bought socks again!
Another added bonus to these socks that only appeared after wearing them for several days is the increased circulation has reduced the hard skin around my heels and toes markedly, to the point where I suspect I won’t have any hard skin in another two or three weeks!
So last night, as I settled down to sleep, I did my usual thing of thinking what I had done that saved me money during the day, and my mind instantly went to my new socks. I have saved the cost of buying socks, at £10 a pair, (and I now have three pairs so that’s a saving of £30!). I used a free, online pattern, so saved about £2.00 there. I used yarn that I had been given, so saved £4.00 there. And since wearing them I haven’t had to turn the central heating on, so who knows how much I have saved there! So in all I have saved £36 plus for only four hours work, that’s better wages than I could earn out in the labour market, after tax, so I’m a very happy bunny!
Lucy, the flour used to make pasta is plain if you want to go cheapskate. There are some fancy ones you can buy to make it special, but you’d have to look at the packets to see which ones are specific, because I really am a cheapskate, and don’t have a clue!
Angela, Linda, Lucy and Posh and Trendy, thank you for your kind words about the fox. My head knows there are many foxes out there, and they are a problem in urban areas, I also know I did as much as I could for her under the circumstances, (the RSPCA doesn’t like coming out for foxes as they consider them vermin). But my heart tells me I had formed a bond with a wild animal, which is a rare thing to happen and that I should treasure it, and I will for the rest of my life. My consolation is the foxes injuries were such that she must have died instantly with little or no pain, and at least I gave her the time to experience some of her life. I am grateful she didn’t have time to give birth to a litter of pups, which would have really torn me apart emotionally.
Wednesday 22 October 2008
A very sad day for me
Or The life of one urban fox
We got our allotment in the middle of April this year; it was a mass of bramble bushes over seven foot high, so the first two weeks were spent cutting and hacking to clear not even half of the ground in our spare time.
A couple of times while we were working through the early spring evenings we disturbed a fox who had taken up residence in the jungle of thorns that was to become our garden, but we thought as the environment it had chosen dwindled it would move on, what we didn’t realise was that it was a vixen and she was about to have, or had just had a litter, there was little chance of her moving on at that time.
Soon enough I was planting beds of produce and then the war began. The fox would nightly dig up areas I had planted that day, destroying young plants I had started at home on the window sill, or worse, digging up beds I had planted with seeds, the plants of which I had never seen the leaves of, so when something sprouted, because it was no longer in a straight line, I had no idea if it was weed or seed that was growing.
I tried everything to discourage the fox, from garlic powder to cayenne pepper, to the husband’s urine. I balked at anything violent though, as I respected the animal’s right to life, despite what it was doing to my garden. I did lots of research in to the habits of foxes, to see if I could find a way to get it to move on that way, and then I made a discovery. Aside from the fox there were other creatures out there eating my crops as soon as I could plant them, slugs, pigeons and mice to name but a few, but these three were a major problem, and guess what animal finds all three a bit of a delicacy, yes my fox, so a sort of truce was called. Beds I had freshly planted were netted with strong tent pegs all round until plants became established, and bird seed was set out for the pigeons. Often I would arrive at the plot to see signs of a fox kill of a pigeon, and I felt I had, to a small degree, returned the natural balance of things.
Then one evening I was working late on my own, and the bushes in the over grown plot next door started rattling, and suddenly I could hear the excited little yaps of small foxes at play. I looked up to see my fox sitting watching me near the bushes, but she was also watching the pups, which were out of my sight, and I suddenly felt as if we had finally reached an understanding. From there on in, every evening I was allowed to be present at the cubs play time, though I seldom got more than a glimpse of their tiny bodies, but that was more than enough for me. Mum looked exhausted and thin, so I started taking up my cats left over dinners (the bits my cat didn’t eat the day before) and leaving it out for her in the hope it would offer her some respite. Hey don’t criticize me, I brought up two children on my own, I know how tiring it can be, and how little time you have left to look after yourself, and this fox had three babies to protect and feed, not two!
About four weeks later I arrived on the plot, cat food in hand, to discover the decapitated head of one of the pups in the middle of my potato bed. A male fox had attacked the litter so the mother would mate with him. Apparently this is a common occurrence, and happens a lot in nature, but understanding this didn’t help my emotional reaction to it, nor did it stop my grieving on behalf of the mother, who was gone, where I don’t know. My evenings at the plot were now silent apart from the sound of distant traffic and bird song, and felt exceptionally silent to me.
Roughly a week later I was working on a bed during the day this time, when I heard a noise behind me, when I turned there was a small fox crawling on its belly towards me, it had a nasty gash on its left shoulder, its fur was matted and dirty with blood and mud, and it was as thin as a rake. When I stood up it tried to back away, but it just didn’t have the strength to move far, and I knew I had to do something, but at the same time, I knew I didn’t want the fox, if it survived, to become too friendly with humans, we are not a nice species as a whole in inner cities. So I rushed round the allotment hunting out all the slugs I could find, (the only thing I knew it could eat that I was capable of catching for it.) I had stopped taking my cats left over food down when the rest of the litter died, how I wished at that moment that I hadn’t done that! I threw the slugs towards the pup, never going too near myself, and the pup ate them up as fast as I could find them. Then I got a plant pot dish from the greenhouse and filled it with water and put that down close by. Satisfied that I had done all that I could do for the day, I left the fox to live or die, for the night.
The next day I returned, half expecting to find a body, but still carrying the cat food, just in case, and don’t tell my husband, but I may have taken down a little extra that had never gotten to see the cats bowl first. To my relief there was no body to be found, so I left the food in the same place where I used to leave it for the mother, and after doing a quick check around the allotment, I left to let the cub eat.
After that we sort of fell in to a routine, I’d leave the cat food, and the next day it would be gone. I had no idea if it was the cub that was eating it, or if it was another creature of the night, but I carried on leaving my little offerings, just in case. I’d like to add at this point, just in case my husband reads this, that I haven’t added any extra food since that first day! (It is always good to hedge your bets!)
Then three weeks ago I was down the allotment late, dusk was well and truly falling, and the light was almost gone, and suddenly my fox cub appeared, all grown up! She had a nasty scar on her left shoulder, and the unmistakeable white mask, legs and tail tip. She knew I was there, and walked within ten feet of me, sat down and watched me for a few minutes. I, of course, was grinning like the proverbial Cheshire Cat, even though I didn’t move any other muscles. Then a male fox appeared and she stood up and they walked round to where I’d left the cat food, ate together and then departed. My heart was singing for days at that sight, I can tell you!
Today I walked down to the allotment, and at the entrance to the car park that I have to walk through to get to the plots, was the body of my fox. She had been hit by a car, going at speed by the looks of it, as she had been almost torn in half. I could still see the scar on her shoulder, despite her injuries, so I knew it was her.
Once again, my heart bleeds.
We got our allotment in the middle of April this year; it was a mass of bramble bushes over seven foot high, so the first two weeks were spent cutting and hacking to clear not even half of the ground in our spare time.
A couple of times while we were working through the early spring evenings we disturbed a fox who had taken up residence in the jungle of thorns that was to become our garden, but we thought as the environment it had chosen dwindled it would move on, what we didn’t realise was that it was a vixen and she was about to have, or had just had a litter, there was little chance of her moving on at that time.
Soon enough I was planting beds of produce and then the war began. The fox would nightly dig up areas I had planted that day, destroying young plants I had started at home on the window sill, or worse, digging up beds I had planted with seeds, the plants of which I had never seen the leaves of, so when something sprouted, because it was no longer in a straight line, I had no idea if it was weed or seed that was growing.
I tried everything to discourage the fox, from garlic powder to cayenne pepper, to the husband’s urine. I balked at anything violent though, as I respected the animal’s right to life, despite what it was doing to my garden. I did lots of research in to the habits of foxes, to see if I could find a way to get it to move on that way, and then I made a discovery. Aside from the fox there were other creatures out there eating my crops as soon as I could plant them, slugs, pigeons and mice to name but a few, but these three were a major problem, and guess what animal finds all three a bit of a delicacy, yes my fox, so a sort of truce was called. Beds I had freshly planted were netted with strong tent pegs all round until plants became established, and bird seed was set out for the pigeons. Often I would arrive at the plot to see signs of a fox kill of a pigeon, and I felt I had, to a small degree, returned the natural balance of things.
Then one evening I was working late on my own, and the bushes in the over grown plot next door started rattling, and suddenly I could hear the excited little yaps of small foxes at play. I looked up to see my fox sitting watching me near the bushes, but she was also watching the pups, which were out of my sight, and I suddenly felt as if we had finally reached an understanding. From there on in, every evening I was allowed to be present at the cubs play time, though I seldom got more than a glimpse of their tiny bodies, but that was more than enough for me. Mum looked exhausted and thin, so I started taking up my cats left over dinners (the bits my cat didn’t eat the day before) and leaving it out for her in the hope it would offer her some respite. Hey don’t criticize me, I brought up two children on my own, I know how tiring it can be, and how little time you have left to look after yourself, and this fox had three babies to protect and feed, not two!
About four weeks later I arrived on the plot, cat food in hand, to discover the decapitated head of one of the pups in the middle of my potato bed. A male fox had attacked the litter so the mother would mate with him. Apparently this is a common occurrence, and happens a lot in nature, but understanding this didn’t help my emotional reaction to it, nor did it stop my grieving on behalf of the mother, who was gone, where I don’t know. My evenings at the plot were now silent apart from the sound of distant traffic and bird song, and felt exceptionally silent to me.
Roughly a week later I was working on a bed during the day this time, when I heard a noise behind me, when I turned there was a small fox crawling on its belly towards me, it had a nasty gash on its left shoulder, its fur was matted and dirty with blood and mud, and it was as thin as a rake. When I stood up it tried to back away, but it just didn’t have the strength to move far, and I knew I had to do something, but at the same time, I knew I didn’t want the fox, if it survived, to become too friendly with humans, we are not a nice species as a whole in inner cities. So I rushed round the allotment hunting out all the slugs I could find, (the only thing I knew it could eat that I was capable of catching for it.) I had stopped taking my cats left over food down when the rest of the litter died, how I wished at that moment that I hadn’t done that! I threw the slugs towards the pup, never going too near myself, and the pup ate them up as fast as I could find them. Then I got a plant pot dish from the greenhouse and filled it with water and put that down close by. Satisfied that I had done all that I could do for the day, I left the fox to live or die, for the night.
The next day I returned, half expecting to find a body, but still carrying the cat food, just in case, and don’t tell my husband, but I may have taken down a little extra that had never gotten to see the cats bowl first. To my relief there was no body to be found, so I left the food in the same place where I used to leave it for the mother, and after doing a quick check around the allotment, I left to let the cub eat.
After that we sort of fell in to a routine, I’d leave the cat food, and the next day it would be gone. I had no idea if it was the cub that was eating it, or if it was another creature of the night, but I carried on leaving my little offerings, just in case. I’d like to add at this point, just in case my husband reads this, that I haven’t added any extra food since that first day! (It is always good to hedge your bets!)
Then three weeks ago I was down the allotment late, dusk was well and truly falling, and the light was almost gone, and suddenly my fox cub appeared, all grown up! She had a nasty scar on her left shoulder, and the unmistakeable white mask, legs and tail tip. She knew I was there, and walked within ten feet of me, sat down and watched me for a few minutes. I, of course, was grinning like the proverbial Cheshire Cat, even though I didn’t move any other muscles. Then a male fox appeared and she stood up and they walked round to where I’d left the cat food, ate together and then departed. My heart was singing for days at that sight, I can tell you!
Today I walked down to the allotment, and at the entrance to the car park that I have to walk through to get to the plots, was the body of my fox. She had been hit by a car, going at speed by the looks of it, as she had been almost torn in half. I could still see the scar on her shoulder, despite her injuries, so I knew it was her.
Once again, my heart bleeds.
Tuesday 21 October 2008
When did things get so complicated?
Ever since I can remember I have loved pasta, right from my very first taste of spaghetti on toast. Of course my taste in pasta has grown up a little bit since then, but I still enjoy the odd ‘on toast’ experience too. But for some strange reason I have always thought pasta was something you had to buy because it was so complicated to make. In my mind I had images of Delia Smith rolling long thin strips of pastry through a machine and hanging the resultant strands on the backs of dining room chairs to dry for 24 hours. Don’t ask me where I got that idea from though, maybe an old program of hers?
Anyway, there I was tonight, sitting crocheting away like an old granny, with half an eye on the Jamie Oliver program, Ministry of Food, (Boy do I admire that man’s passion and common sense!) and he pops out with a recipe for pasta that even I could make on the busiest of days!
100grms (4oz) of flour and one egg. Mix to a dough, roll out thin, curl the edge over and roll in to a tube, then slice the tube, and hey presto, you have manageable lengths of pasta ready to go in the pan!
Guess what I’m having for dinner tomorrow….
If it is so easy to make, how did I get the idea it was so hard? The simple and obvious answer is I have fallen victim to clever marketing, yet again! They should teach consumer skills in schools I tell you! And you should be able to get a degree in the science of debunking advertising!
Any one who is interested in reducing their spending has read one of the many posts online about making your own washing powder, and that too is a lot simpler than marketers would have you believe, so I wonder how many other things that I now buy, thinking I can’t make a reasonable version myself, are on my shopping list.
Think about it, a 1.5 kilo bag of flour costs (if you buy the cheap stuff) £0. 46p, half a dozen eggs are £1.30, so that’s 3p for the flour and 21p for the egg, a total of 24p! Pasta if you buy it dried is 90p, and upwards of £1.90p if you buy it fresh!
Yes it takes a little longer to make your own than to buy it, IF you don’t add in the time it takes to go to the shop, find the pasta, wait in line to pay, and then transport it home, but if you do factor that in, then if you make your own, from things you already have in the kitchen, you are ahead monetarily and time wise BIG TIME!
I’m off to go through my shopping list again, just in case there is something there that I could be making myself for a fraction of the cost.
Anyway, there I was tonight, sitting crocheting away like an old granny, with half an eye on the Jamie Oliver program, Ministry of Food, (Boy do I admire that man’s passion and common sense!) and he pops out with a recipe for pasta that even I could make on the busiest of days!
100grms (4oz) of flour and one egg. Mix to a dough, roll out thin, curl the edge over and roll in to a tube, then slice the tube, and hey presto, you have manageable lengths of pasta ready to go in the pan!
Guess what I’m having for dinner tomorrow….
If it is so easy to make, how did I get the idea it was so hard? The simple and obvious answer is I have fallen victim to clever marketing, yet again! They should teach consumer skills in schools I tell you! And you should be able to get a degree in the science of debunking advertising!
Any one who is interested in reducing their spending has read one of the many posts online about making your own washing powder, and that too is a lot simpler than marketers would have you believe, so I wonder how many other things that I now buy, thinking I can’t make a reasonable version myself, are on my shopping list.
Think about it, a 1.5 kilo bag of flour costs (if you buy the cheap stuff) £0. 46p, half a dozen eggs are £1.30, so that’s 3p for the flour and 21p for the egg, a total of 24p! Pasta if you buy it dried is 90p, and upwards of £1.90p if you buy it fresh!
Yes it takes a little longer to make your own than to buy it, IF you don’t add in the time it takes to go to the shop, find the pasta, wait in line to pay, and then transport it home, but if you do factor that in, then if you make your own, from things you already have in the kitchen, you are ahead monetarily and time wise BIG TIME!
I’m off to go through my shopping list again, just in case there is something there that I could be making myself for a fraction of the cost.
Wednesday 8 October 2008
Saving money at the hairdressers
For a fella saving money at the barbers is easy, pop down to the local Argos and purchase a hair clipper, then use a number two all over once every six weeks. Lets say a guy spends ten pounds at the barbers each visit,that amounts to £80 a year, the cost of the clippers is around £20, thus saving £60 in one fell swoop!
For the ladies it is a little more complicated. We are expected to have well coiffured heads, preferably in the latest fashion, which at the moment I am told is the layered look. A visit to a hairdressers in London can set you back anything upwards of £30 per visit, and again, to keep that well groomed look, you HAVE to go once every six weeks - at least! Minimum cost per year £240 plus tips!
Now what would you say if I said I knew how to get away with only one or two, or even no visits to the hairdresser each year? Would that make you sit up and say "No way! You can't not go to the hairdressers?" Or would you be curious as to how to do it?
I will admit it takes a lot of courage to try my method for the first time, I mean you're cutting your own hair! What if it turns out like your worst nightmare? But look at it this way, if it goes wrong, you can grab a scarf/paper bag and run down to your hairdresser to get them to fix it, and you haven't wasted any more money, just a few minutes trying something that didn't work for you. If it works, you have saved £30 (plus tips) and have found a new skill in frugal living! Win-win situation.
So this is what you do;
1) Wash your hair, get it really soaking wet, DO NOT USE A TOWEL, you need it dripping to keep it weighted.
2) Drop your head so the crown is pointing as close to the floor as you can get it, and brush your hair forward over your face. Keep brushing until you are sure all your hair is smooth.
3) (Okay, this is the scary bit) Pick a line to cut and start cutting. Brush and cut until the line is even and straight.
4) When your satisfied the cut is as straight as you can get it, (gently, you don't want a giddy spell) throw your head back and brush your hair in to your preferred style, i.e left parting, centre parting, no parting, and dry as normal.
5) Hey presto, new hair style, easy to manage, lovely layers, all done by your own fair hand! Money saved £30 plus tips and the cost of the trip to the hairdresser! To me that is very frugal!
Sounds too easy to be true, doesn't it? Well all I can say is, you have to try it, and then tell me how hard or easy it was for you.
Enjoy.
For the ladies it is a little more complicated. We are expected to have well coiffured heads, preferably in the latest fashion, which at the moment I am told is the layered look. A visit to a hairdressers in London can set you back anything upwards of £30 per visit, and again, to keep that well groomed look, you HAVE to go once every six weeks - at least! Minimum cost per year £240 plus tips!
Now what would you say if I said I knew how to get away with only one or two, or even no visits to the hairdresser each year? Would that make you sit up and say "No way! You can't not go to the hairdressers?" Or would you be curious as to how to do it?
I will admit it takes a lot of courage to try my method for the first time, I mean you're cutting your own hair! What if it turns out like your worst nightmare? But look at it this way, if it goes wrong, you can grab a scarf/paper bag and run down to your hairdresser to get them to fix it, and you haven't wasted any more money, just a few minutes trying something that didn't work for you. If it works, you have saved £30 (plus tips) and have found a new skill in frugal living! Win-win situation.
So this is what you do;
1) Wash your hair, get it really soaking wet, DO NOT USE A TOWEL, you need it dripping to keep it weighted.
2) Drop your head so the crown is pointing as close to the floor as you can get it, and brush your hair forward over your face. Keep brushing until you are sure all your hair is smooth.
3) (Okay, this is the scary bit) Pick a line to cut and start cutting. Brush and cut until the line is even and straight.
4) When your satisfied the cut is as straight as you can get it, (gently, you don't want a giddy spell) throw your head back and brush your hair in to your preferred style, i.e left parting, centre parting, no parting, and dry as normal.
5) Hey presto, new hair style, easy to manage, lovely layers, all done by your own fair hand! Money saved £30 plus tips and the cost of the trip to the hairdresser! To me that is very frugal!
Sounds too easy to be true, doesn't it? Well all I can say is, you have to try it, and then tell me how hard or easy it was for you.
Enjoy.
Friday 3 October 2008
Damned thyroid
For years I have struggled with my sleep pattern, it never settles down to a routine for long, not even with three alarm clocks to wake me.
Take yesterday, I was up at 7.30, bright eyed and bushy tailed. No meds changed, and I took them all on time, and no alarm clocks were involved with my waking up. It was a good day.
Today I woke at 2pm, all three alarm clocks had gone off, and I'd slept through each of them, and again no meds had changed, but of course I didn't get to take them on time today.
I had so much planned, now I will be lucky if I manage to fit just my basic jobs in.
I just can't cope with no routine, and this is driving me mad!
Take yesterday, I was up at 7.30, bright eyed and bushy tailed. No meds changed, and I took them all on time, and no alarm clocks were involved with my waking up. It was a good day.
Today I woke at 2pm, all three alarm clocks had gone off, and I'd slept through each of them, and again no meds had changed, but of course I didn't get to take them on time today.
I had so much planned, now I will be lucky if I manage to fit just my basic jobs in.
I just can't cope with no routine, and this is driving me mad!
Thursday 2 October 2008
The golden rule of frugality.
All my life I have heard people say things like “My! How time flies!” or “Where did the year go?” and secretly thought to myself, ‘You have a calendar, you’ve crossed off the days, you know where it’s gone’. Not exactly a sympathetic point of view I admit, but then I just didn’t understand.
Then this morning I woke up, crossed another day off my calendar and suddenly realised it’s my birthday this weekend! It only feels like three months since I had my last one! It really is true, the older you get the faster time flies! And now I realise just how behind I am in my normal Christmas preparation schedule!
Normally by this point in the year, I have all my major Christmas presents sorted, I know what I am giving everyone, special Christmas foods have been made and are either maturing or frozen, and most of the major presents I have to make are made and now I’m concentrating on making the stocking fillers and cards, but not this year.
This year I have been so wrapped up in getting the allotment up and running, any thought of Christmas has completely escaped me! And now I’m panicking! There is no way I can get everything done in the time I have left!
I am going to have to do a complete re-think on the sort of gifts I give this year if I am to have any hope of getting them sorted in time, and stay frugally within in our reduced budget. You see there is a golden rule that over shadows everything about being frugal.
Being frugal is not so much about money, but about time. Or rather how much value you put on your time. Is it more economical to pay someone that little bit extra to make something you could make yourself, if you had the time to do it? And that is where the line is drawn for everyone. Everyone’s line is drawn at a different point, because everyone has different priorities, but most people do have a line which they will not cross. A point where they think to themselves ‘that is too expensive!’, and what they are really thinking is “That is not worth the time involved in creating that item.” Because time is money.
And now, because I have let my time slip away from me, I am going to have to re-draw my line in the sand.
Then this morning I woke up, crossed another day off my calendar and suddenly realised it’s my birthday this weekend! It only feels like three months since I had my last one! It really is true, the older you get the faster time flies! And now I realise just how behind I am in my normal Christmas preparation schedule!
Normally by this point in the year, I have all my major Christmas presents sorted, I know what I am giving everyone, special Christmas foods have been made and are either maturing or frozen, and most of the major presents I have to make are made and now I’m concentrating on making the stocking fillers and cards, but not this year.
This year I have been so wrapped up in getting the allotment up and running, any thought of Christmas has completely escaped me! And now I’m panicking! There is no way I can get everything done in the time I have left!
I am going to have to do a complete re-think on the sort of gifts I give this year if I am to have any hope of getting them sorted in time, and stay frugally within in our reduced budget. You see there is a golden rule that over shadows everything about being frugal.
Being frugal is not so much about money, but about time. Or rather how much value you put on your time. Is it more economical to pay someone that little bit extra to make something you could make yourself, if you had the time to do it? And that is where the line is drawn for everyone. Everyone’s line is drawn at a different point, because everyone has different priorities, but most people do have a line which they will not cross. A point where they think to themselves ‘that is too expensive!’, and what they are really thinking is “That is not worth the time involved in creating that item.” Because time is money.
And now, because I have let my time slip away from me, I am going to have to re-draw my line in the sand.
Wednesday 1 October 2008
Two hot topics
Now I have been told many times over the years that I have a ‘butterfly brain’, and I have never denied it, so please bare this in mind while reading my two offerings for today; night sweats during the menopause and the stock market crash. Yep two completely different subjects, which should, in reality, be put in two different postings, but I’m too lazy to do that...
So number one, the menopausal night sweats.
I read an excerpt from a biography yesterday by a well off, famous person (I mean, who else has the gall to write a biography about themselves?), where she described how her night sweats caused her problems where she would wake up with the sheets soaked and she had to move to another bed!
Now maybe I’m getting a little intolerant, what with old age AND the menopause, but…’move to another bed’? In my house the chance would be a fine thing! I’m just grateful I don’t sleep with the hubby any more (another story completely) so I don’t have to wake him up to change the sheets before I can get back to sleep!
And my heart goes out to all those poor women who do actually have to wake their husbands, haul them out of bed, and endure brainless comments like “Can’t you just put a towel under you?” change the sheets while hubby dozes in the armchair, then rouse him again to put him back to bed, then have to repeat the process a couple of hours later. It would literally drive me insane in a very short space of time in my present condition!
Then I got to thinking about what all that sweating must be doing to the rest of my body, I mean there is real fluid loss here, I even manage to soak the mattress on occasion, but seldom do I have enough brain cells awake to think I need to drink something, and when I wake up in the morning with a humdinger of a headache, I put it down to lack of sleep. But is it really? Could it really be dehydration? And could that also be the cause of the constipation I keep getting? I know that dehydration causes constipation, as do doctors, but has anyone ever seen advice for menopausal ladies telling them to keep a drink beside the bed to top up when they wake up all hot and sweaty?
And on to number two; the stock market crash.
I have an active imagination as well as a butterfly brain, and as I was reading about how the banks are dropping like flies after a good spraying, a thought popped in to my head and I just can’t shake it.
I don’t like banks, I consider them a necessary evil, but one that shouldn’t be necessary, I mean that’s why we have cash isn’t it? But over the years banks have carefully undermined our reliance on the solid feel of the coin in our pocket and replaced it with a dependence on the feel of plastic.
Now days, if you have a job, you can’t get paid unless you have a bank account, if you are unemployed, you can’t access your benefits unless you have a bank account, and this puts banks firmly in charge of everyone’s lives.
I have resented this for years. I have also resented the extortionate charges they impose for accessing my own money. I mean, here I am, kindly lending them my money to invest where they see fit until such time as I need it back, and what do they do? Refuse me access for 30 days, heap charges on my head for asking for it back, and to top it off, give me grief in the branch as if THEY are doing ME the favour! And don’t get me started on the idiotic attitude of their mortgage lenders and credit cards, they had to know that by giving people more money than they could reasonably pay back was asking for trouble, and woe betide the person who manages to pay off their loan or mortgage ahead of time, they are slapped with yet more charges for paying it back early! All this makes them no better than shylocks in my mind.
Okay, I know it is a bit of a simplistic view, but then I'm a simple woman.
Earlier this year, banks were legally told they charged far too much, and had to pay compensation to millions of people. They kicked and yelled a little bit, but over all they paid up like lambs, which instantly made me suspicious.
Now suddenly we have a reasonably well known bank go belly-up, which is then partly bought out by a Spanish bank (which already owns another well known Brit bank) and partly rescued by the British Government. I’ll bet my back teeth the British public got the chaff and the Spanish bank got the wheat, but I diverge.
What I am really thinking is, the Government slapped the wrists of all banks for going a step too far with their charges, and now, with the help of a sacrificial lamb or two, the banks are now firmly slapping the wrists of the Government, and sending out a warning to every Government around the world, "Don't mess with us or we will cripple you!".
Is this all an over active imagination on my part, or am I reading between the lines a little too well for an old lady?
So number one, the menopausal night sweats.
I read an excerpt from a biography yesterday by a well off, famous person (I mean, who else has the gall to write a biography about themselves?), where she described how her night sweats caused her problems where she would wake up with the sheets soaked and she had to move to another bed!
Now maybe I’m getting a little intolerant, what with old age AND the menopause, but…’move to another bed’? In my house the chance would be a fine thing! I’m just grateful I don’t sleep with the hubby any more (another story completely) so I don’t have to wake him up to change the sheets before I can get back to sleep!
And my heart goes out to all those poor women who do actually have to wake their husbands, haul them out of bed, and endure brainless comments like “Can’t you just put a towel under you?” change the sheets while hubby dozes in the armchair, then rouse him again to put him back to bed, then have to repeat the process a couple of hours later. It would literally drive me insane in a very short space of time in my present condition!
Then I got to thinking about what all that sweating must be doing to the rest of my body, I mean there is real fluid loss here, I even manage to soak the mattress on occasion, but seldom do I have enough brain cells awake to think I need to drink something, and when I wake up in the morning with a humdinger of a headache, I put it down to lack of sleep. But is it really? Could it really be dehydration? And could that also be the cause of the constipation I keep getting? I know that dehydration causes constipation, as do doctors, but has anyone ever seen advice for menopausal ladies telling them to keep a drink beside the bed to top up when they wake up all hot and sweaty?
And on to number two; the stock market crash.
I have an active imagination as well as a butterfly brain, and as I was reading about how the banks are dropping like flies after a good spraying, a thought popped in to my head and I just can’t shake it.
I don’t like banks, I consider them a necessary evil, but one that shouldn’t be necessary, I mean that’s why we have cash isn’t it? But over the years banks have carefully undermined our reliance on the solid feel of the coin in our pocket and replaced it with a dependence on the feel of plastic.
Now days, if you have a job, you can’t get paid unless you have a bank account, if you are unemployed, you can’t access your benefits unless you have a bank account, and this puts banks firmly in charge of everyone’s lives.
I have resented this for years. I have also resented the extortionate charges they impose for accessing my own money. I mean, here I am, kindly lending them my money to invest where they see fit until such time as I need it back, and what do they do? Refuse me access for 30 days, heap charges on my head for asking for it back, and to top it off, give me grief in the branch as if THEY are doing ME the favour! And don’t get me started on the idiotic attitude of their mortgage lenders and credit cards, they had to know that by giving people more money than they could reasonably pay back was asking for trouble, and woe betide the person who manages to pay off their loan or mortgage ahead of time, they are slapped with yet more charges for paying it back early! All this makes them no better than shylocks in my mind.
Okay, I know it is a bit of a simplistic view, but then I'm a simple woman.
Earlier this year, banks were legally told they charged far too much, and had to pay compensation to millions of people. They kicked and yelled a little bit, but over all they paid up like lambs, which instantly made me suspicious.
Now suddenly we have a reasonably well known bank go belly-up, which is then partly bought out by a Spanish bank (which already owns another well known Brit bank) and partly rescued by the British Government. I’ll bet my back teeth the British public got the chaff and the Spanish bank got the wheat, but I diverge.
What I am really thinking is, the Government slapped the wrists of all banks for going a step too far with their charges, and now, with the help of a sacrificial lamb or two, the banks are now firmly slapping the wrists of the Government, and sending out a warning to every Government around the world, "Don't mess with us or we will cripple you!".
Is this all an over active imagination on my part, or am I reading between the lines a little too well for an old lady?
Friday 26 September 2008
A daily money saving target
Every day, before I go to bed I like to try and think about how I have managed to save some money, that I would have, in a past life, spent without thinking.
Since finances became so tight with my illness and I had to give up work I have had to have a complete re-adjustment towards my attitude to life, money and the roll of advertisers.
Before I used to watch the adverts on TV, scour the flyer's that came through the door, read the ads in the magazines, just in case there may be something of interest to me.
Now that just doesn't happen, I have suddenly realised that advertisers are paid to part me from the few pennies I have.
For instance, do I really need that new anti-bacterial washing up liquid to keep my family healthy? My family has always been healthy before so what is different now that I have to change my spending habits and buy something that is a third again of the price of what I normally buy?
Nothing, that's what. They are using our fear of 'super bugs' to sell us something we do not need, and may in fact actually cause more damage in the long term.
Let me explain. Our bodies need to encounter both good and bad bacteria. The bad bacteria is just that, bad, but our bodies have an amazing thing called an immune system, that, if you are relatively healthy, will fight the bad bacteria in to a cocked hat. It only needs to do it once, and from there on in, you are protected forever from that particular bug!
So if you kill every single last germ in the house, wash your hands with anti bacterial hand wash, use anti bacterial hand wipes when you are out and about, how is your body supposed to encounter and build up an immunity to even the simplest bug? It can't, is the basic answer.
Admittedly, if your immune system is already compromised by illness, then it is a whole new ball game, but generally speaking, we don't need anti bacterial anything!
Now take that same basic idea and apply it to every single advert you see.
What is so different about that new car that makes it impossible to live without? Will that new shampoo do any more for your hair than your normal one, or will it just smell different and cost a few pence more? Does that new format newspaper have any more news in it than what you can get off the TV or the Internet? Sure if it has a DVD of a film you would like to see as a free gift, buy that edition, but why buy it every day? Do you see where I'm going here?
So what did I do today to save some money? I left the house without any money on me, and didn't even realise until I got home again. That would have been an impossible thing for me to do before, I would have HAD to of turned round and gone home to get my purse because there was always something else I had to buy.
It makes me shudder now, to think how much money I have, literally, wasted over the years, and I really wish I'd had this epiphany when my children were small.
Since finances became so tight with my illness and I had to give up work I have had to have a complete re-adjustment towards my attitude to life, money and the roll of advertisers.
Before I used to watch the adverts on TV, scour the flyer's that came through the door, read the ads in the magazines, just in case there may be something of interest to me.
Now that just doesn't happen, I have suddenly realised that advertisers are paid to part me from the few pennies I have.
For instance, do I really need that new anti-bacterial washing up liquid to keep my family healthy? My family has always been healthy before so what is different now that I have to change my spending habits and buy something that is a third again of the price of what I normally buy?
Nothing, that's what. They are using our fear of 'super bugs' to sell us something we do not need, and may in fact actually cause more damage in the long term.
Let me explain. Our bodies need to encounter both good and bad bacteria. The bad bacteria is just that, bad, but our bodies have an amazing thing called an immune system, that, if you are relatively healthy, will fight the bad bacteria in to a cocked hat. It only needs to do it once, and from there on in, you are protected forever from that particular bug!
So if you kill every single last germ in the house, wash your hands with anti bacterial hand wash, use anti bacterial hand wipes when you are out and about, how is your body supposed to encounter and build up an immunity to even the simplest bug? It can't, is the basic answer.
Admittedly, if your immune system is already compromised by illness, then it is a whole new ball game, but generally speaking, we don't need anti bacterial anything!
Now take that same basic idea and apply it to every single advert you see.
What is so different about that new car that makes it impossible to live without? Will that new shampoo do any more for your hair than your normal one, or will it just smell different and cost a few pence more? Does that new format newspaper have any more news in it than what you can get off the TV or the Internet? Sure if it has a DVD of a film you would like to see as a free gift, buy that edition, but why buy it every day? Do you see where I'm going here?
So what did I do today to save some money? I left the house without any money on me, and didn't even realise until I got home again. That would have been an impossible thing for me to do before, I would have HAD to of turned round and gone home to get my purse because there was always something else I had to buy.
It makes me shudder now, to think how much money I have, literally, wasted over the years, and I really wish I'd had this epiphany when my children were small.
Thursday 25 September 2008
Now I'm feeling guilty
After my first posting, where I went on about my families need to save money, what am I doing? Burning the midnight oil to write this! That's what!
Oh the shame of it! I've got a light on which, if I was posting during the day, wouldn't need to be on. How can I bear the shame? Okay, it's an energy saving bulb, but can that off set my wastage?
I think it can, because during daylight hours there are so many other ways I can be saving money!
Take today, I worked down the allotment for a few hours, brought home the last of the runner beans and froze them for use later on in the year.
Then I picked up a pair of trainers off Freecycle that will last me through the winter, which could well have set me back over £30 if I'd had to go out and buy them.
While all this was happening dinner was slowly bubbling away in the slow cooker, or crockpot as our American cousins call it, using the same amount of electricity as a light bulb to cook the whole meal. (Note to self, must try and find out if that is an energy saving light bulb or an old fashioned incandescent one!) So much cheaper than cooking in the oven or on the hob!
I got some more rows done on the top I'm crocheting myself for Christmas wear, a nice bright cheery red, well scarlet actually. The pattern is for a top and contrasting shrug, which I'm planning to do in black to tone down the scarlet a little.
Now the frugality behind this is really impressive.
The pattern was free off the Internet, the scarlet wool my friend gave me as she has had to give up knitting due to a whiplash injury, (thank you Linda!), the black wool for the shrug is left over from a skirt I am also crocheting for myself, so the only cost involved is that of my time, which I know I have said is in short supply at the moment, but as I am unable to work because of the combination of the COPD, under active thyroid and labyrinthitus, isn't worth that much to start with, and think about it, most ladies happily spend the best part of £50 or more on one Christmas outfit, mine is free, and probably unique in style/colour. I doubt if anyone else in the UK will be making the exact same top, with the exact same shrug, in those exact same colours, to wear with the exact same crochet skirt. What more can a girl ask for? lol
I also did a little more reading on making my own hard cheese, but am beginning to feel that maybe our little rented kitchen isn't going to be up to the task as we don't have a cool cupboard or larder for the cheese to mature in, but I will keep on reading the book manfully to the end, just in case I have misunderstood something. The book also covers making my own butter, yogurt and ice cream, all of which I can do in our kitchen, so it will still pay its way even if I land up not being able to make our own hard cheese. I will be disappointed though, if that is the case, I kinda had my heart set on it, seeing as hubby paid out a disgusting £3.56p for less than half a pound of the stuff today!
Oh and I read a tip somewhere about growing carrots.
Now bear with me, this may seem a little convoluted, but I am experimenting with using the same tip with parsnips too! Okay basically the tip said to cut off a bit more off the top of the carrot than you normally do, put it on a bit of kitchen towel and keep it wet until it starts to grow again, then put it back in the soil and the whole root will grow back again. Now the cost of carrot seed is not a bank breaker, nor is the cost of parsnip seed come to that, but, for every five seeds you sow, you may or may not get one plant. So far I have replanted four carrots and re started one parsnip which also seems to be taking, so at the moment I am five for five instead of one for five, I wonder why more people don't do this!
Oooo! Now I'm wondering if it can be done with beetroot, turnips and other similar root vegetables too! How sad am I? lol
Oh the shame of it! I've got a light on which, if I was posting during the day, wouldn't need to be on. How can I bear the shame? Okay, it's an energy saving bulb, but can that off set my wastage?
I think it can, because during daylight hours there are so many other ways I can be saving money!
Take today, I worked down the allotment for a few hours, brought home the last of the runner beans and froze them for use later on in the year.
Then I picked up a pair of trainers off Freecycle that will last me through the winter, which could well have set me back over £30 if I'd had to go out and buy them.
While all this was happening dinner was slowly bubbling away in the slow cooker, or crockpot as our American cousins call it, using the same amount of electricity as a light bulb to cook the whole meal. (Note to self, must try and find out if that is an energy saving light bulb or an old fashioned incandescent one!) So much cheaper than cooking in the oven or on the hob!
I got some more rows done on the top I'm crocheting myself for Christmas wear, a nice bright cheery red, well scarlet actually. The pattern is for a top and contrasting shrug, which I'm planning to do in black to tone down the scarlet a little.
Now the frugality behind this is really impressive.
The pattern was free off the Internet, the scarlet wool my friend gave me as she has had to give up knitting due to a whiplash injury, (thank you Linda!), the black wool for the shrug is left over from a skirt I am also crocheting for myself, so the only cost involved is that of my time, which I know I have said is in short supply at the moment, but as I am unable to work because of the combination of the COPD, under active thyroid and labyrinthitus, isn't worth that much to start with, and think about it, most ladies happily spend the best part of £50 or more on one Christmas outfit, mine is free, and probably unique in style/colour. I doubt if anyone else in the UK will be making the exact same top, with the exact same shrug, in those exact same colours, to wear with the exact same crochet skirt. What more can a girl ask for? lol
I also did a little more reading on making my own hard cheese, but am beginning to feel that maybe our little rented kitchen isn't going to be up to the task as we don't have a cool cupboard or larder for the cheese to mature in, but I will keep on reading the book manfully to the end, just in case I have misunderstood something. The book also covers making my own butter, yogurt and ice cream, all of which I can do in our kitchen, so it will still pay its way even if I land up not being able to make our own hard cheese. I will be disappointed though, if that is the case, I kinda had my heart set on it, seeing as hubby paid out a disgusting £3.56p for less than half a pound of the stuff today!
Oh and I read a tip somewhere about growing carrots.
Now bear with me, this may seem a little convoluted, but I am experimenting with using the same tip with parsnips too! Okay basically the tip said to cut off a bit more off the top of the carrot than you normally do, put it on a bit of kitchen towel and keep it wet until it starts to grow again, then put it back in the soil and the whole root will grow back again. Now the cost of carrot seed is not a bank breaker, nor is the cost of parsnip seed come to that, but, for every five seeds you sow, you may or may not get one plant. So far I have replanted four carrots and re started one parsnip which also seems to be taking, so at the moment I am five for five instead of one for five, I wonder why more people don't do this!
Oooo! Now I'm wondering if it can be done with beetroot, turnips and other similar root vegetables too! How sad am I? lol
Erm... Hi
I've set up this blog on the spur of the moment, with the vague idea of putting all my thoughts and ideas in to one place, but now I realise you need to have your thoughts organised to do that, and my mind is a complete jumble at the moment!
I have so much going on, and so much to do, I don't know where to start!
For instance, I have just become the proud owner of an allotment, but since I've never even owned a window box before it is a real learning curve for me, and I seem to be spending a major part of my waking day just looking up plants, pests and cheap alternatives to getting rid of said pests!
I am also a 'wannabe' fiction writer, and the urge is on me to start writing again, but when I write it also becomes a total obsession, and the allotment cant afford that at the moment. When I get a story in my head, I eat, sleep and breath it until the last word is written, leaving no time for anything else at all!
Add to those the fact that the credit crunch has really hit my family with a wham, and we have never even had a credit card to our names, and rent rather than own, so I'm trying very hard to save every single penny and become 'Super Frugal Woman', which also takes up time I am very short of, and I suddenly realise we have not been hit with just the 'credit crunch' but also the 'Time Crunch' too! Can I really be frugal and still have time to do everything else that needs to be done?
Yet here I am, playing with the idea of doing a blog?!?
Am I mad?
Probably, but, this could be a good way for me to document my daily little savings of both time and money, and the trials I go through on the allotment, and just maybe, when things calm down a little bit, a few hints about the next story I'm going to write. Time will tell.
I have so much going on, and so much to do, I don't know where to start!
For instance, I have just become the proud owner of an allotment, but since I've never even owned a window box before it is a real learning curve for me, and I seem to be spending a major part of my waking day just looking up plants, pests and cheap alternatives to getting rid of said pests!
I am also a 'wannabe' fiction writer, and the urge is on me to start writing again, but when I write it also becomes a total obsession, and the allotment cant afford that at the moment. When I get a story in my head, I eat, sleep and breath it until the last word is written, leaving no time for anything else at all!
Add to those the fact that the credit crunch has really hit my family with a wham, and we have never even had a credit card to our names, and rent rather than own, so I'm trying very hard to save every single penny and become 'Super Frugal Woman', which also takes up time I am very short of, and I suddenly realise we have not been hit with just the 'credit crunch' but also the 'Time Crunch' too! Can I really be frugal and still have time to do everything else that needs to be done?
Yet here I am, playing with the idea of doing a blog?!?
Am I mad?
Probably, but, this could be a good way for me to document my daily little savings of both time and money, and the trials I go through on the allotment, and just maybe, when things calm down a little bit, a few hints about the next story I'm going to write. Time will tell.
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