Just a laugh

Hi everyone

I know a few of you read Johns blog over at going gently and if you're reading this and don't then you really should. He is so so funny and makes me smile mst days. His post today maybe shouldn't be funny but it is. I've added a comment on his blog about a similar situation that happened to me once. 

Jules x

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Call off the search parties!

Hi everyone

Just a quick post tonight to let you all know that I will be back to normal blogging again tomorrow but have had a hectic few days. Saturday I had a really long day at a friends wedding that involved quite a bit of travelling. I had a few disasters before I actually got there which took up more time that I had anticipated - more details to follow tomorrow. I had a lie in on what I had planned to be a relaxing Sunday but turned out to be busier than ever then yesterday I had a trip to Wales to meet friends who were on holiday there from London and didn't get home till late. Today has involved catching up with family and a bit of shopping for our Grandaughters 9th birthday tomorrow. I feel like I'm going to meet myself coming back. 

Hope everyone is well. I look forward to resuming normal service tomorrow. Thanks for reading. 

Jules x

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Wedding preparations and emergency parcels

Evening everyone

Just a few lines tonight as I've had a busy busy day. We are going to an all day wedding tomorrow which is quite a drive and an early start. Today its been about ironing outfits, cleaning shoes, getting hair and nails done ( a rare treat nowadays for me) and generally preparing as much as we can for an easier start in the morning. We will still have to walk the dog before we leave and then we will be coming back in between the afternoon and evening to feed him and let him out again. My brother will pop in midday to check on him too.

We also had a phone call from one of the children to say that there had been a mix up with her partners wages and they would struggle to get shopping this week so we popped over with some essential items and will no doubt be lending them cash later this week until its sorted. Bank of mum and dad again! 

I'm really looking forward to the wedding tomorrow as it's sure to be a lovely day.

I did go to the local Coop tonight to get some cash out to put in the wedding card as requested but got side tracked by blueberries for 20p and nectarines also for 20p and got home without the cash. Senior moment. So it will be a trip back up in the morning, perhaps I can incorporate it into the dog walk. My head will never save my legs.

Have a good weekend

Jules x

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Childminding the Grandkids over the Summer Holidays

Afternoon everyone.

We have 5 grandchildren, 4 girls (sugar and spice and all things nice) and one boy (slugs and snails and puppy dogs tails).

We do try to see each of the grandkids every week. Sometimes we see more of one than the others if we are called upon to mind them, or if they're off school for any reason (I draw the line if its a tummy bug!) or if we are called upon to do the school run. When we retired, we told our children that we would be happy to help out if needed, from time to time, but would not commit to anything on a permanent basis as we had both retired early from education and wanted to spend the time doing things that we had always wanted to do. This may seem a bit mean (perhaps even a little selfish) but we retired early and gave up good salaries while we were still young enough to get out and enjoy life and, while we love our grandkids dearly, we didn't want to become the default option for childcare. When we do have them, we want to spend quality time doing things like going to the park, seaside, swimming, baking, playing football, arts and crafts, fruit picking etc. We don't want to ever become somewhere that the kids get dumped when mum or dad is busy - we are here to do fun things and are always happy to see them. This is our choice and others may do things differently. The only problem with this, in the 6 week holidays, is finding things to do that are relatively cheap or even better free. 

We have picnics in the park, we visit the museum which is free to enter, we visit the wildlife park that is only small and run by volunteers who raise funds and is really cheap to enter, we bake cakes and make pretty boxes to put them in. 

I get to do the weighing and whisking because I am 8 and sensible

And I get to put in the cake cases because I am 4 and not!

An empty cereal box transformed to put our cakes in.

A few on the cake and a few in my mouth!

A little bit of overkill on the sprinkles but not a bad effort :)

We go fruit picking (strawberries when they're in season from our garden and blackberries later in the year from the fields opposite our house which are free), they do a free breakfast for kids and adults are £1 at our local Salvation Army followed by free arts and crafts every Thursday during the holidays which is a real bargain. 

We go swimming and are lucky enough to get occasional free passes for a local hotel pool from a friend. We go to the theatre and again get either free or reduced price tickets via a friend and we also have a family caravan in Wales that we all contribute to that we can take them for a few days holiday at the seaside. 

We do visit restaurants and indoor play facilities if the weather is poor or for a treat but try not to go too often as it can be costly. 

What things do you do to entertain the kids/grandkids? What other idea's for cheap days out or in do you have? A fellow blogger Eileen suggested Treasure Trails to me the other day and I am going to look into this too, thanks Eileen. 

Jules x

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Upcycling and make do and mend.

Hi everyone.

We took a trip today to Dagfields Antiques Centre.  Dagfields is a weird and wonderful place where you can find all sorts of things with prices ranging from really reasonable to the downright outrageous. I suppose some items are only worth what a customer is prepared to pay. I personally wouldn't waste £1800 on a table made of concrete slabs. I kid you not!!! It amazes me just what people will actually spend money on. I wasn't buying today, just looking for inspiration. I want to give our bedroom a make over, it is going to have to be on a tight budget and also something that is in keeping with the cottage theme. We currently have horrible built in wardrobes that were here when we moved in and have seen better days. I'm hoping to rip these out but then the problem is I will need to get 2 other wardrobes to replace them. I'm thinking that if I can buy two solid wood wardrobes fairly cheaply, I can paint them, put new handles on and generally give them a new lease of life. Hopefully the shabby-chic/vintage look should work well in our cottage without costing a fortune. The idea being that I can buy other pieces that don't have to match and then paint them the same. I'm undecided whether or not to try to buy a Victorian cast iron bedroom fireplace and put it on the chimney breast (just as a feature) then have a wardrobe either side. Other than that I will get my son who is a plumber to move the radiator from one wall to another and put the wardrobes there. After that I am going to attempt to make a Roman blind, paint an old ottoman and re-cover it. I have never made a blind or indeed ever really done any sewing before but I have a lovely spare duvet cover and curtains to match that I am going to use. That way if I do make a hash of it I've not wasted money on fabric. 

Is anyone else good at home improvements on a budget? Do you try to reuse items instead of buying new? What ideas have you got for doing up old furniture ( any tips would be most appreciated)? Here are a few photo's that I took today at Dagfields. Have you upcycled anything or have a project on the go? I'd love to see them.

This dressing table was at Dagfields and had already been upcycled and for sale at £95

This old pine table and chairs was upcycled and for sale at £140 which I thought was quite reasonable. It's a pale grey colour and the photo doesn't do it justice.

This old Lloyd Loom chair was a bit battered on the paintwork but no visible damage to the weaving so could be repainted and a lovely new cushion added. It was £15 and would make a nice addition to a bedroom.

Jules x

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Creature Comforts

Hi Everyone.

Thought I'd let you into the wonderful world of wildlife that inhabits our cottage at any given time! What prompted this post was a knock at the door at teatime tonight by a couple of teenagers asking if we had a box. It's the joys of living in a semi rural area that you see lots of wildlife. The teenagers had found an injured bird (a pigeon) and, as teenagers do, wanted to save it. Hubby tried to gently say that maybe the bird wouldn't make it (he's lost count of the number of birds our own children have "rescued" over the years only to be found dead in their shoe box the next morning) but they were determined to try to save it. In the end, they agreed to put it into a box and leave it under a bush close to where it was found. I worried that it was one of 2 birds nesting in our oak tree at the moment (fortunately it wasn't). Maybe it had been hit by a car?
Our cottage is over 200 years old and we have had plenty of encounters/issues with all sort of creatures over the past ten years that we have lived here. Firstly, there was the ant infestation that we had and now seem to get every May time, there were the field mice under the floorboards (twice), the frogs that somehow managed to appear under our dining table one day,  the sparrows nesting in the roof space, the blue tits nesting in the rear garden, the pigeons nesting in the oak tree, the slugs that sneak into the lounge and kitchen during the night, the bats in either ours or the neighbours' roof space, the bees in the guttering and their extended family of bees that have set up home in a hole in our lawn and then, just for good measure, we have had a family of rats that have been using our garden as a run to get from one house to another!
When I lived in my previous property, I only ever had the occasional woodlouse or moth so didn't know what had hit me when I moved here. It seems it is the joys of living in the countryside! Add to the mix our own mad Cocker Spaniel and we are well blessed. But you know what, I wouldn't change a thing. I love our little cottage with all its guests (well maybe not all) and feel blessed to be here. 

Have a lovely evening,
Jules x

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Keeping Hubby Happy!

Afternoon everyone.

Yesterday we had a very full day out. I was with my eldest daughter for most of the day as she is getting married next August so we have lots to organise and plan. My daughter and her fiancee are the last of their circle of friends to get wed. The weddings, hen parties and stag nights just seem to get more and more extravagant, its such a lot to sort out. More about that as we go along, today is about visiting wedding venue dressers - I never even knew they existed till yesterday!!

Hubby went walking with his best friend as he does usually every other weekend. This weekend they visited Delamere Forest which is in Cheshire. The reason that they chose to go there this time was because of the very hot weather, the theory being that there would be plenty of shade. He said that it was very busy so everyone must of had the same idea!

After Hubby returned form his walk yesterday, he picked me up from daughters and then suggested going for a beer as the sun was still shining. We went to another craft beer bar called Kraftworks. It has been open for just over a year and was really popular when it first opened but trade seems to have dropped off. It will be a pity if it closes as it has a really good range of craft ales for sale both on tap and in bottles and cans. 

We were chatting to the barman yesterday and he explained that, while they are doing well with the beers on draught, the bottled beers aren't selling really. This could be a combination of things but I suspect its mostly due to the price. Most of the beers start at around the £3.50 mark for a 330ml bottle and go up to over £10. He told Hubby that they are having a change of plan and are getting rid of the shelves of beers that line the back wall and just having two large double fronted fridges with cold beers in instead, plus a couple of extra pumps with draught beer on. In the space where the shelves were they are going to put more seats. Hopefully these little changes will be enough to keep them going. Good luck to them. 

Anyway the up side of this is that they are selling off a lot of stock as they don't have room for it. A sale in a craft beer shop is music to Hubby,s ears and so we had to pop back this afternoon. He managed to get 10 bottles for £13 which is a real bargain. They are going to be marking the beers down and some will be just £1 each which from £3.50 at the very least is a bargain. Hubby prefers to have a couple of really nice beers than lots of cheap cans of beer. 

This little lot will keep a smile on Hubby's face all week. He's easily pleased!

Has anyone else got any good bargains lately? Do you prefer to have less of something in favour of quality? 

Have a lovely evening everyone,

Jules

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Food Bargains and Artisan Bars

Afternoon everyone.

I popped into Tesco this morning on the way home from the second hand book shop (I know! I know!!!) just to get a prescription from the pharmacy there. I find that the pharmacy next to our doctors surgery is always really busy and have been known to wait 45 minutes to get a prescription processed. The only downside of going into Tesco to get it is that you have ten minutes to fill while they sort it so naturally you start wandering around the store, well what else are you meant to do??

Anyway, whilst looking around, I noticed that they have some really good deals on their fruit and vegetables at the moment. Tesco Seasonal Fruit  I did actually need bananas so, at 49p for a pack. I got three packets, I didn't need the two galia melons that I bought or, indeed, the packet of flat peaches but again at 49p each I know we will use them. Our daughter will really enjoy taking the melon and peach to work next week for lunch and hubby has asked that I don't bake cake or biscuits this week as he wants to lose a few pounds so that's all three of us who will be snacking on fruit. I won't now bother to call in our local Co-op to check for fruit as we now have enough to last at least till mid week as I already had nectarines and apples in. I may, just may nip in once to check for blueberries and strawberries but they will have to be an absolute bargain for me to buy them as we can, honestly just manage with the fruit we have.

Sometimes you just have to grab the bargains when you see them but remember that they're only a bargain if you will use them and will actually save you money in the long run.
On a different note, we went to pick up our son after work today and he wanted to go for a pint. We decided  to go to a craft beer and gin bar, one of several that have opened locally in the last few years. It is called The Artisan Tap and is a fantastic quirky little bar that is tucked between a traditional pub and a cafe.

Inside the bar there are no windows, the front doors open out wide into the outside seating area but it is very dark inside. It is lit by a vast collection of lamps and hanging bulbs from the ceiling. There is an eclectic mix of furniture, ornaments and art work. All very interesting!

 It serves a really good range of bottled craft beers, real ales on tap and ciders from small independent breweries. They also sell a vast range of gins which seem very popular at the moment. Hubby had a pint, son had two pints and I had a coffee (guess who was the designated driver!) The gins looked fabulous, served in a huge bowl of a glass with weird and wonderful accompaniments. You need plenty of cash to buy one though, they started at £6.50 each and some were into double figures. It doesn't seem to put the customers off though and gets really really busy. How the other half live, from 49p fruit to £6.50 drinks all in the same day.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend, the weather here today isn't as sunny but it's still warm. 

Until tomorrow

Jules x

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Healthy Start

Afternoon Everyone.

I got thinking this morning about it being a fine balance between saving money and eating healthily. For breakfast, we always have fresh fruit, yoghurt and nuts. We like to start the day healthily but this is by no means a cheap meal. Toast or cereal would be much cheaper but we try to eat as healthily as we can. As I have said previously, we pick up some fruit in the evenings from our local coop because they do some fabulous reductions in the evening. We also try to grow a little fruit to save money and, if all else fails, we do buy from the supermarket but tend to buy whichever fruit is on offer. Luckily we will eat pretty much any type of fruit. The only fruit that I buy even if its not on offer is bananas as all three of us have at least one a day. Bananas have lots of health benefits, the main one being a rich source of potassium. We also have nuts on our breakfast for the health benefits too. Hubby has almonds but I prefer walnuts. 

Buried under the greek yoghurt are what will probably be the last of the raspberries from our garden. They have been prolific this year, I think its the good weather.

What meal or foods will you not compromise on? Do you try to eat healthily? Do you think about what health benefits your food has?
Until tomorrow
Jules x




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Apologies

Evening everyone.

Firstly, I'd like to apologise for not posting anything yesterday. I fully intended to but the day was, mostly, beyond my control. It was my birthday yesterday and also my mum's and her twin sister's. From the moment I got up it was a busy, busy day!

Firstly, my youngest daughter, who lives with us, had bought me gifts and wanted me to open them before she went to work. Hubby had bought me a much needed laptop and a beautiful birthday card too. Eldest daughter then popped in on her way to work with a gift. I had various phone calls and text messages to answer which was lovely then it was quick shower and out. Firstly, we visited my aunt with a card and bunch of flowers to wish her a happy birthday. Next, it was on to mum's house to to take cards and gifts. Hubby had suggested taking mum out to the local garden centre for breakfast so off we went. My middle daughter works here so it was lovely to see her too. By the time we got mum home safely it was almost lunch time. I just thought that we were going home but hubby had hatched a very nice birthday surprise with youngest daughter. She had bought me gift vouchers for Joules which is a shop I love but tend to only buy in the sales as it can be quite expensive and hubby had arranged to take me to the Peak District for a run out, coffee and cake and to spend my vouchers and birthday money. It's lovely having money to spend as we only tend to have spare cash to spend on ourselves at birthdays and Christmas. I bought a lovely purse which was £14.95 instead of £39.95 and a scarf that was £7.95 instead of £19.95. I also bought a brand new white stuff blouse from the cancer research charity shop for £7 that I spotted while waiting for Hubby as he looked for yet more books! 

After this, we went for a drive through the very picturesque countryside and stopped off in a little village called Longnor (made famous in the TV series Peak Practice) for coffee and cake. 

stormy skies but it didn't rain

The winking man rock. As you drive past there is an eclipse of a hole in the rock that's shaped like a face so it looks like its winking.

You can see for miles on a clear day 

We have often stopped here over the years and usually it is very nice. Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed with it this time. There were only two other customers in there and the two young waitresses were sitting chatting and looking at their phones on a table. When a couple came in, the man had to ask them to be served and one nudged the other to get up! Also, my cake which is usually really good was dry and virtually inedible. Such a disappointment. We then popped into Leek and had a walk around the market and a few shops then stopped for a whippy ice cream. After this I went into my favourite little boutique which had a sale on. I bought a lovely jumper that was £16 instead of £26. 

Once we got home it was a steady stream of family and friends which was so nice, youngest daughter treated us to a take away which was a real treat not having to cook. By the time the last visitors had left it was almost 11pm. Far too late to start blogging. 

Today we have been to the New Vic Theatre which is a theatre in the round. I have never been before and my son's friend offered us some complimentary tickets as he works there to see the story of Philip Astley who is regarded as the father of the modern day circus and was born here in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. 

It was fabulous and would definitely recommend it to anyone. My sister had bought me a bar of chocolate and some jelly beans as part of my birthday gift so we took them with us to save buying snacks at the Theatre which can work out expensive not to mention the huge queue to purchase them! 

What do you enjoy doing for entertainment? Do you prefer gifts or money to spend for your birthday?  

Jules x

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Stretching the housekeeping

Afternoon everyone,

I'm experimenting, at the moment, with the cheapest way to shop for groceries. I cook everything from scratch and don't buy any processed or ready-made foods. This is personal choice as I love to cook using fresh ingredients. I've tried buying all my fruit and veg from the local farm shop but found that choice was limited on the fruit side and, also bizarrely, some of the fruit looked past it's best. This sort of defeated the object of buying from source to get better quality products. The veg was good quality though, and a little bit cheaper, but after weighing up the fuel to fetch it and the fact that I still had to buy fruit elsewhere I decided it wasn't working out. I tried two other farm shops but found the same problem here and they were quite a bit more expensive, plus even further to travel. I've wondered about having veg boxes delivered but never got round to trying that as of yet. We have red meat once a week and the rest of the meals are either chicken or vegetarian. I only buy chicken breasts as hubby and daughter don't like thighs, whole chicken or chicken on the bone. This works out expensive so I try to do a couple of meatless meals a week to keep costs down. We have two supermarkets in the next town, Tesco and Aldi. I like Aldi and find their products good value and good quality, the only problem is the middle aisles which hold some sort of magical attraction for hubby causing the shopping bill to rise with unnecessary purchases. Zero willpower!! We have Tesco here, too, which is slightly more expensive but does have some good offers. The problem with going to both supermarkets is that you tend to overspend. For the past month I've tried a different approach. When we get paid I go to Aldi and buy enough of the  non perishable items from there that we either prefer or are better value/quality, these include washing powder, toilet rolls, baby wipes. I then go to the discount store Home Bargains and again buy items for the month that I know are cheaper from here than Tesco, this is usually Lenor fabric softener, toilet cleaner, food bags, shower gel, teabags.  I don't go again till next payday.
Then I've taken out a delivery saver pass with Tesco for 6 months which is £3.49 a month and I have my fresh shopping and any offers that are worth getting delivered each week. At the moment, I would honestly say this seems to be working. The home delivery is very good and if there are any items not available they always substitute with an item of equal or higher value. Last week I had extra chicken breasts as the size ordered wasn't available so they sent two slightly smaller ones which equated to more for the same price. They often swap items for the Tesco finest range too. If an item that I would normally buy from Aldi or Home Bargains comes on offer at Tesco and works out cheaper I will buy a few from there and then knock these off next times shop. Like I have said in a previous post I also pop into the local coop some evenings and check out the reduced fruit and veg. Last night I got fine beans for 20p, 3 large punnets of strawberries for 40p each and 3 punnets of cherries for 33p each.This is really helpful as we do eat a lot of fresh fruit, especially our daughter who is on a diet permanently as girls are!

Time will tell but I'm happy with how things are working out so far.
What little tricks do you have for stretching the housekeeping? Do you find avoiding visiting the supermarket helps cut spending? Do you visit various shops to get the best prices?

Until tomorrow
Jules x













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A little kindness goes a long way.

Morning everyone,

I had a lovely surprise this morning as I was sat eating breakfast. I had left the back door open and heard a voice shouting " Is anyone at home?" I wasn't expecting any visitors so wondered who it could be. Access to the rear of our property and, indeed, the 10 other properties in the row, is via a private road so we rarely get anyone using this entrance. It was my neighbour bearing a dozen red roses for me. It made my day! My neighbours are elderly but self sufficient. It was his birthday last week so I baked him a birthday cake and hubby took it round to him. He has mentioned, a couple of times since when I've bumped into him, that he really enjoyed it. I know that he likes cake because if hubby is out doing jobs in the garden and I make him a cuppa with a slice of cake said neighbour seems to miraculously appear and so I usually offer him some too. He once told me that his wife doesn't bake so, now and again, I do send them a slice or two of cake round. It just goes to show that if you are kind then it really is appreciated. 

Brings a smile to my face every time I walk past.

This morning we went for a walk around Astbury Mere Country Park .While we were there, we went to look at the small pond they have with a view to taking our grandchildren there over the summer for a free morning out. ( It gets quite costly to take five of them on outings ) When we were working, we used to take groups of pupils with special needs to pond dip and they always enjoyed it - it was great fun. Over the years, we have got to know Matt (the park ranger) who has always been really kind and lent us nets, trays and identification charts. Unfortunately, it is not to be as the hot weather has completely dried out the pond and Matt told us he feared that the creatures in there had almost certainly died. He also pointed out a huge tree (silver birch, I think) that had brown, shrivelled leaves and looked like it might not survive. It makes you stop and think that while we are enjoying this lovely summer, it's not great for everything. 

This is all that's left of the pond. So sad.

Here are a few photos that I took while we walked at Astbury. It's such a lovely place and has the added advantage of a cafe that does excellent whippy ice creams! 

First thing this morning and not so sunny today.

Where do you go for free or inexpensive days out? How do you keep the children/grandchildren entertained over the long summer holidays? Have a lovely evening, until tomorrow,

Jules x

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Read and Buried

Hello everyone, I hope you're all well and having a relaxing weekend.

Last night was a resounding success and hopefully the first of many such get togethers. The adults sat outside and chatted and the kids played on the field, all in the shadow of The Roaches in the Peak District. Hubby organised a game with a football and the dogs portable crate which had been turned on its end. The idea was to take turns to 'chip' the ball into the crate. It seemed to keep the kids and a couple of adults amused for ages.
Everyone brought food and drink and placed it onto a table to share. Mum was thrilled to have everyone together and said we should do it more often. It just shows that you don't have to spend a fortune on expensive meals out to have a good time. In fact I'd say we had a much more relaxed and enjoyable evening by default. Can't wait for the next one!

Today we went for our usual morning walk. As we were walking and chatted we remembered that a few years ago we had visited Brereton Country Park https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/leisure,_culture_and_tourism/ranger_service/countryside_sites/brereton_heath_nature_reserve/brereton_heath_nature_reserve.aspx which is about 12 miles away and thought it would be a nice idea to visit again. We had showers and brunch then headed off. It so long since we last went that we almost drove right past the turning causing Hubby to do a very dodgy manoeuvre that saw my phone launched from my knee. I'ts a good job it wasn't a tray of eggs!
They have built a visitor centre and toilets too which are a nice addition. With it being a sunny day, it was really busy. They also have installed a pay and display machine on the car park which is probably what is paying for the visitor centre.
Its a lovely place though and lots of families were walking around, having picnics, walking dogs and eating ice creams. We are so lucky to have so many lovely places to walk close to where we live. It's nice to see them being used by families too and kids out kicking a ball and laughing instead of stuck indoors on game stations or social media. Lets hope this spell of good weather lasts if only for that reason.

By the way, I took the advice of a couple of followers and downloaded Ziffit onto my phone. I scanned a huge pile of books and had lots that they didn't want which says a lot about my choice in reading material (haha!) but ended up with half  a box full for £14.97. I'm happy with that as its still almost £15 and it has made a very, very small dent in the mountain of books in the garage. I swear one day there will be a huge avalanche when I open that garage door!

It won't be so much a case of dead and buried but read and buried!

Thanks so much for reading my ramblings and taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it.

Jules x

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Bake and Take

Afternoon everyone, It's another lovely sunny day here.
I've been baking this morning, all very last minute as we are going to a family party. My sister is away in her caravan in the Peak District and has taken my mum with her. Its mum's birthday on Wednesday, coincidentally the same day as my own. Last night my brother came up with the bright idea that we should all travel to the Peaks and meet up for a surprise meal at a local pub. Unfortunately, as this was 10 pm last night and there will be 9 adults and 4 children going, my sister rang to book a very large table but there was no room at the inn! Not to be put off, my brother then suggested that we all turn up at sister's caravan bearing food and have our own buffet/surprise party there. So at daft o'clock last night there was a flurry of messages on the family group text about who was bringing what food, reminders to bring folding chairs and extra plastic plates and cutlery. I was taxed with the job of baking cakes which is usual.
So, with no time to mess about shopping this morning, I had to look in the cupboards and see what I could knock up. The other problem with this is that it has to withstand a 40 minute journey over the moors in hot weather and also my sister has only got a small fridge in the caravan which I know from past experience will be commandeered by the men for beer and wine! So nothing with fresh cream.
After a quick scout round the cupboard, fridge, fruit bowl and garden, I decided on a rhubarb and ginger crumble and lemon drizzle cake for the adults which will be served either on their own or with custard. For the kids I've made ice cream cupcakes. I happen to know that my sis in law has also bought a chocolate fudge traybake that I am going to jazz up with a few sprinkles and a "Happy Birthday" topper which will be the birthday cake. 
First, I made the cupcakes so that they would have enough time to go cold so that I could decorate them.
Recipe: - 180g each of caster sugar, butter (I use stork in my baking),self raining flour and three eggs.
Method: - Whisk the sugar and butter until light in colour, add one egg at a time with a spoon of flour and whisk, repeat until all eggs are in and then sieve in the flour and stir in a figure of eight with a metal spoon until mixed so as not to knock out all of the air you've put in. Divide equally into 12 cupcake cases and bake in a preheated oven gas mark 7, 220c, 425f for 20 mins.
Allow to cool completely then ice as you wish, I made butter icing using 400g of sieved icing sugar, 200g of butter and a teaspoon of vanilla essence. Put in mixer and whisk until light in colour and holding it's shape. 

While the cupcakes were actually in the oven I started to mix the lemon drizzle ready to go straight in when the cupcakes came out as the oven temperature was the same. I use a timer for the cakes as I'm the master of doing too many things at once and forgetting that they're in there until its too late!

Trusty wind up timer that I've had forever. Nothing fancy but it does the job.

Recipe is exactly as above for the cupcakes but with the addition of the rind of a large lemon, stirred through the mix right at the end before popping into a greased and lined loaf tin. Cooking time for this is 35 minutes in the centre of the oven gas 7, 220c, 425f. Keep checking after 30 minutes by putting a skewer into the centre of the cake until it comes out clean. When the cake is in the oven cut the lemon in half and squeeze into a bowl, add 50g of caster sugar and keep stirring until the sugar melts into the lemon juice. Put this on one side. While the cake is still hot take your skewer and make small holes in the cake all over the top and then slowly, a teaspoon at a time spoon over your lemon mixture until it is all absorbed into your cake. Leave to cool in the tin.

This cake looks well done but in fact it is perfect. You can see from the crack in the cake that the inside is cooked perfectly.

While the oven was hot I washed and sliced the rhubarb that hubby had picked from the garden and put into an oven proof dish with a tablespoon of boiled water and two tablespoons of caster sugar. I covered with foil and baked for 20 minutes (still gas mark 7, 220C, 425F). While this was cooking I made a crumble topping by rubbing together 400g of plain flour and 200g of butter. After 20 minutes, I took the rhubarb from the oven and drained off a little of the juice. I then sprinkled  the crumble mix onto the top of the rhubarb, sprinkled 2 tablespoons of sugar on the top and returned to the oven uncovered for another 20 minutes or until it is brown on the top. This is now ready to eat but I will be letting mine cool so that I can transport it more easily. It will be reheated a portion at a time in the microwave just for 1 minute then served with ready made custard.

 I usually make my own custard but again, because of the limited cooking facilities at the caravan and the fact that I can't really make it in advance and transport, it I will use ready made. 

All in all I'm glad that we couldn't get into the pub for a meal as this is much more fun and a damn sight cheaper! Cupcakes cost approximately £3 for 12, Lemon drizzle cake £1.50 and Rhubarb crumble best of all because the rhubarb was free from our garden cost 50p. With a triple pack of custard at £1 it comes to a grand total of £6. I'm pretty certain that a 2 course meal for the two of us at a very nice pub would of cost considerably more than that. As we as a family are pooling our resources, it will be just as cheap for us all. It means that each family can make or take exactly what they want, costing what they can afford and we will all share and enjoy. Best of all my mum will be thrilled to have all the chicks in the nest. 

Does anyone else ever share with others to reduce the costs? What are your ways of having fun as a family without it being expensive? Has anyone got any recipes for family favourite food to share that transports easily? 

Jules x

I will try to read all comments and reply. Please be polite and kind. Thanks :)

A welcome sight

Well, what a surprise this morning to hear the pitter patter of raindrops on the bedroom window on waking! It seems like forever since we had rain and it was a welcome sight. After running our daughter to work as her car has had to go into the garage for a repair, we decided to go for our usual morning walk. The rain had now stopped and it felt lovely and cool and fresh out there. Part way through the walk and just as we were at the furthest point from the car the heavens opened! By the time we got back to the car, across a very wet field, we were soaked! 

So, now what? Well plan B. When the weather is too bad to go out and we have to stay in then we like to read. We have a garage full of books that we have already read, 2 book cases full of books, books in boxes under the bed, books on shelves in the bathroom and cookery books in the kitchen! 

There are books in the dining room

There are more books in the lounge

And more books in the kitchen

And yet more books in the loo!

In fact, enough blooming books to open our own bookshop. And speaking of bookshops, here's where we went earlier today just in case we run out of books!

This is an old Methodist chapel that is now a second hand book shop.

It is, literally, wall to wall, floor to ceiling - books. Books of every description, in sections such as fiction, non fiction, cookery, travel, hobbies etc. They are even in alphabetical order, not a bad effort for a shop that is run completely by really lovely volunteers who even make you a cup of tea or coffee served with biscuits free of charge so that you can sit, relax and have a good look at the books. We never come away empty-handed!
The prices of the books are so reasonable too. £1 for hardbacks and 50p for paperbacks and very occasionally an odd one for £2 It's a real bargain! They started the shop originally to raise funds to keep The Englesea Brook museum open  engleseabrook.org.uk  and it has been a roaring success. They usually have a big sale over the August bank holiday where they are open extra days and have an even bigger selection out on display. Well worth a visit if you're in the area. They are very grateful for donations of books too. We also look in local charity shops for book bargains and buy second hand from Amazon and eBay too.

Does anyone else enjoy reading as we do? What are your favourite books? Where do you buy books from? Have you got any recommendations for books that you think are worth a read? I have just finished The Boy with the Topknot by Santham Sanghera which was excellent, Hubby has just finished Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer which he says was a fabulous read, so much so that I am going to read it next. Has anyone got any bright ideas where we could sell the books we have read (they are taking over our garage!)  Seriously, we do donate books to charity but have so many that if possible we would like to sell some to give us some spare cash to buy more (did i really just say that?!)
Have a great weekend everyone.
Jules x
I will try to read all comments and reply. Please be polite and kind. Thanks :)

Growing your own and the battle to pick it before the slugs get to it!

Morning everyone, just a quick post this morning as I've a busy, busy day ahead. Who'd of thought I'd have this problem in retirement! 

I've just popped out into the garden to pick raspberries to put on our breakfast as we have fruit and yoghurt every morning - look at me, all healthy! It usually goes downhill, rapidly, from this point I might add but I do try to start the day with good intentions. I was wondering if anyone else grows their own fruit or vegetables? We grow strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries and rhubarb. We have tomatoes growing in the greenhouse and also have a herb garden. We have just planted some runner beans that our neighbour has kindly given to us. He put six plants into the greenhouse for us and we have only been able to plant three as the others were stripped completely by snails in a day  - so annoying!!!

Strawberries and  baby tomatoes in the greenhouse

We started to grow a few things ourselves as we eat so much fresh fruit and veg and the prices just keep on going up and up and so our shopping bill was constantly rising. I intend to buy a couple of blueberry bushes this year too and give them a go. We grow the raspberries and beans in tubs to try to give them a fighting chance against the army of snails and slugs that inhabit our garden. 

The rhubarb patch

We also have a Co-op nearby and have found that if I pop in about eight in the evenings, they have really reduced their fruit and veg. Sometimes I go in and there is nothing but other times I have come out with a carrier bag full. It's hit and miss but definitely worth popping in if I'm passing.

Example of what I can get from the coop.
The reason I paid by card for such a small amount was because there was a huge queue and so I used the self serve which only takes card payments.

 Does anyone else look out for reduced items to help the housekeeping money go further? What other things do you do to try to stretch your cash?

I will miss having lazy breakfasts in the garden when summer ends. 

Have a great day everyone 

Jules x

I will try to read all comments and reply. Please be polite and kind. Thanks :)