Advent 5 and A Day Out.........

..........House Hunting.

 As you know, we are selling the smallholding and campsite because of Col's health problems, we've been here 23 years, we want less responsibility and a chance to visit some places in the UK we've not been to before........... and we had a plan............
 Plan A was to buy something cheap in our old home town of Stowmarket in Mid Suffolk, prepare it for renting out while living in it and having a year doing some travelling with the caravan and then decide where to live after that.
Plan B - after Cols newest health problems and the horrible journey into Ipswich was to buy something closer to Ipswich hospital even though it would cost a bit more more. The problem with this plan is the only thing available at the moment at the right price was a small semi-detached bungalow needing a lot of work and would Col be fit enough to do it?
Plan C was to go and have a look at a couple of places In Stowmarket - in other words going back to plan A! The problem with plan C/A is that there isn't much for sale in Stowmarket either. We looked at a two bedroom detached bungalow in a quiet area, but with no garden, that needs some work and a semi-detached 3 bed house on a newer estate that was actually smaller than the 2 bed bungalow.
Plan D - heavens knows!

Anyway while we were in Stowmarket  I wanted to go and look at the Christmas tree festival in the church.
There were over a hundred trees all decorated in different ways by groups,organisations and individuals and it was brilliant. I hadn't got my big camera with me so just a couple of photos that aren't very good, but you can get a glimpse of what we saw

On the end of each pew was a Christmas tree decoration and the church were selling kits to make these but they were £10 each. So when I came home I googled"Christmas Tree decoration from milk bottle top"s and found with THIS 
plus loads of photos like this one below, they looked very good on the church pews

The strangest thing about being back in Stow - 44 years after I was at school there - was that we were shown round one of the houses by a man who turned out to be the nephew of someone who was in the same class as me all through Grammar school.
Apart from making me feel incredibly ancient it was a very odd coincidence.

It seems we are in for a stormy weekend, the sky here this morning was pink/red so shepherds take warning! and it's already very windy. I thought about biking to Leiston for a Christmas fair but don't fancy the up-hill head wind journey home again.

Thanks for comments yesterday, I hope if you try the veg pie you think it's OK.

Back Tomorrow
Sue

Advent Photo Day 4 - Vegetable Christmas pie.

Our Daughter-in-law to be ( Dec 2016) is vegetarian so at Christmas I like to find something interesting for her while all around are tucking into a traditional meal. She's told me about some of the awful meals she's been offered on Christmas meals out, when for some reason restaurants think that just because a person is vegetarian they don't want the roast potatoes, parsnips and all the other tasty Christmas things, and dish up some weird pasta meal or worse, an omlette!

Last year I made individual veg and nut layered  roasts ( the recipe is on the separate page) this year mini pies using Puff pastry,squash,chard and Mascarpone cheese. The recipe is adapted from 2 I found online and really should be made in one of those 4-on-a-tray Yorkshire pudding tins, but I don't have one so did them in my deepest bun tray tin.

Christmas Veggie Pies

Half a pack of puff pastry ( when I buy these I always cut them in quarters before putting them in the freezer)
The narrow end of 1 small squash
Colander of chard (or equivalent bought spinach leaves), wilted, chopped and drained really well.
Half Tub of mascarpone cheese.
Ground black pepper
Squirts of tomato puree ( or mustard)

I rolled out the pastry as thin as possible and cut large circles,fitted them carefully into the bun tin and put a squirt of tomato puree in the bottom of each (one recipe said mustard ). Slicing the narrow end of the squash into very thin rounds - after peeling of course. I then layered squash slices, spinach and cheese finishing with squash-  ground pepper on each layer, brush the edges with water and cut circles to fit. Slide the tray into a big freezer bag and freeze. If only I had thought of it I could have cut some holly leaves from the pastry off cuts.

 I made these for the first time last week to check they were going to be OK. After taking out of the freezer I cut a couple of slits in the top of each pie and brushed with egg.
They were cooked on a medium oven temp for about 30mins I think ( I'm a bit vague about temps and times sorry.) Anyway we ate them with roast potatoes and parsnips and Brussels sprouts and they were very tasty. I've made them again today and added a few snips of dried tomato with the cheese.
When these are served on Christmas day, I'm going to warm some cranberry sauce to spoon over the top.

I'm always worried when I pass on home concocted recipes in case people try them and think they are awful because me and Col eat almost everything home made with great enjoyment! We had 1 and a half each and that was enough but reheated the other 3 in the microwave next day and they were good too. You could make half this amount, but it seemed silly to fiddle about for just 3 pies. I shall keep R company on Christmas day and join her with eating these and I expect some the other family members will want to try a bit too.

What else happened yesterday?
Ah yes, I spent nearly 2 hours searching for one of the sets of car keys, I'd locked the car up Wednesday  but where the heck had I put them. I went up and down the garden around all the sheds, in the freezer, amongst all the shoes and coats in the utility room, every drawer and cupboard in the kitchen, dirty laundry basket, in the garden shed, in the wood shed. All round the field ( even though I'd walked round the field in the morning and lost the keys in the afternoon!). Eventually after I'd been everywhere three times I found them........in the peg bag hanging on the back of the utility room door! How? Then I remembered, on the way back from locking up the car I'd got the washing in, didn't have a pocket for the keys so laid them on top of the peg bag on top of the laundry.
Phew. Hate losing things.

I keep forgetting to say that the advent photos are linked to Julie's Scrapbook where you can find several other people's advent pictures or on Julies blog some wonderful old cartoons.

 Back Tomorrow
Sue

3rd photo for Advent and other stuff

Our first Christmas cards arrived in the post yesterday. One from Col's manager from County Council days and then one that's really unsolicited junk mail - from The Salvation Army. It says on the back of the Sallie Army one that it's painted by a lady of 94 who lives in a Salvation Army home in Southend. Clever lady as it's a lovely picture - my favourite Christmas cards are always snowy scenes.

So here is Advent photo 3 - The first two cards ( and the real advent calendar again)

We actually had some decent weather yesterday and a load of washing dried in just a couple of hours. Col took the tractor down to our farmer friends and brought our grass topper back. We've sold the topper and tractor to the people who are buying the house - handy- so it needs to be back here.
 I did my usual 3 loaves of bread, a bit more clearing of unwanted things into the charity shop bag and caught up on last weeks Ben Fogle - Living in the wilds UK. He was with Amanda Owen - The Dales Shepherdess and as I watched I thought "I'm sure I had her book from the library but I can't remember reading it". I looked on-line at my borrowers history and yes I did have it but it's not written down in my Book Of Books Read, so I think it was wanted by someone else and I returned it without finishing it. In the book she had 7 children, on TV she had 8!! ...................and 1000 sheep. She was out with her husband shearing sheep 5 weeks after having the baby - Fit Lady!

Thanks for encouraging comments about driving yesterday.

Back Tomorrow
Sue

A BIG shop and Advent photo 2

Those of you who have been reading a while might remember when Col had the first heart problems back in 2013 and was stuck for a fortnight in Ipswich hospital waiting to go to Papworth for stents. Do you remember  how terrified I was driving the 25 miles up to hospital? I'd done very little driving since moving here because I either biked everywhere locally or got a lift to Ipswich when Col was at work. Well .... things have changed a bit since then. He's been in hospital several times and I've been forced to get behind the wheel more often, I still don't enjoy driving and I've still never had the chance of driving on a motorway but yesterday I nipped up to the big Tescos on the outside of Ipswich - All By Myself! I know that sounds pretty pathetic to everyone who is used to driving all the time and practically  everyone else under the age of 80!, but when I learned to drive in 1973 Suffolk there were no by-passes, no duel-carriageways, very few roundabouts and about half as much traffic.......not quite the time when men walked in front of cars waving a flag......but almost!

Anyway - I did the BIG shop for December for  8 of us here mid month, 6 Christmas day and 2 the rest of the time. I got all the things that they don't have in our local Tesco and went to Poundland  where I bought a 2016 diary and some things for Father-in-laws hamper. I'm always astonished at the prices of diaries in other places, because if you just want somewhere to write down dentist appointments and birthdays then £1 will do the job perfectly adequately.


I found some comments back on old posts that I'd not read  so I need to explain that although we are living on savings we do have a good amount of savings thanks to an inheritance several years ago. We also have this smallholding that we've  accepted an offer on of £495,000( not bad considering we bought it as a wreck for £85,000 back in 1992)  We can buy something for less than half that, either to rent out or to live in, so we will be OK until pension time. We had many, many years living on a low income when Col was a council road-man and we had 3 small children. That was when we started growing food to stretch the housekeeping. We've never been extravagant, never had debts except the mortgage and have always been ingenious at earning a little extra and stretching what we had. I've always kept my eye on what we spend and know what we can afford, if we needed to cut back further then we could and would.


Thank you for comments about the advent calendar, I was pleased to find it as I don't like chocolate ones or branded  ones ...... when the children were small I was the mean mother who refused to let them have chocolate advent calendars!

So here's advent photo 2

My Christmas cup and saucer. I bought this from a charity shop a few years back to fill with chocolate things to make a gift. But I liked it so much I decided to keep it. I use it all through December.


Welcome to mchild  a new follower over there on the right.


Back Tomorrow
Sue

So November has gone, what's coming in December?

I like lists and at this time of year there are several lists on the go.

One of my lists was ideas for my December blog posts now I'm back to daily posting and it's going to be a Christmas photo every day for 24 days. For people who say "Bah Humbug to Christmas" ....... you'll just have to shut your eyes when you read my blog!!

Advent picture 1 is, appropriately, an advent calendar.

Our last Advent calendar was found in a charity shop a couple of years ago but the little doors won't stay shut any more so when I saw this  in a National Trust shop when we were away on holiday I splashed out. Behind each number is a picture showing Christmas decorations from  NT Houses all round the country. I'm looking forward to opening each window.

Picture one was stockings hanging over a fireplace from Ingham Mote in Kent

What's happening this month?
Well quite a lot actually but It's OK  ..............I have a list!

Main supermarket shop

A trip to Ipswich to get a voucher for a present and other shopping
Finish the rest of Christmas present shopping
Wrap presents
Finish writing cards and get them posted
Col's doctor and hospital appointments
Get the Christmas tree up ready for mid month family get together 
Go to the Hyundai garage in Ipswich to get a switch for the reversing lights on the car

Make bread each week

Make a double batch of tomato and herb rolls

Chop kindling each week

Cut wood each week

Try out the little veggie pies ready for Christmas day

Decide on 2 deserts for mid month family gathering
Make 2 deserts and put in the freezer

Make breadcrumbs for bread sauce

 Wrap presents 

Marzipan cakes

Ice cakes

Make breadcrumbs ready for bread sauce
Order a ham and a chicken from the butchers for Christmas day
Visit 2 places for photos for my advent blog posts
Organise a meet up with friends for present swap
Visit relatives to deliver presents

That should keep us busy all month!

Back Tomorrow
Sue
P.S. Thanks for comments about November spending on yesterdays post

We made it to the end of the month

I must start by saying a big Welcome to Jane, who has a  new blog called The love of Nostalgia, it looks as if it will be a good blog to read.

The last day of November and what a month......

We accepted an offer on the house and changed our minds about where to move to - for the time being at least ( i.e the hospital side of Ipswich rather than of our old home town 12 miles the other side of the County town ........will we ever get to our hovel in the hills?).

Cols acute allergic reaction to the stuff  he had to take to prepare for the camera thing meant they were only able to do part of the investigation so he is still lacking in energy and anemic and waiting for more tests next month to find out why.

It was our first month living entirely on savings.
How glad we are that we paid off the mortgage many years ago and so grateful we were sensible with the money inherited from my mum and dad - we could have gone on crazy spending sprees, cruises, foreign holidays etc. Instead what we invested in extending the house will be repaid when we sell and what we invested into savings accounts is still there for us to live on.

 My low/no spend challenge went quite well I think judging by the number of times I avoided buying a magazine! I have nothing to compare our spending with as no one else I know has ever shared what a low spending month in their home would be.
This is how it went :-
Direct Debits for Council Tax, water, phone/broadband and charities plus a birthday gift for our youngest came to £250. Diesel, the cats, the smallholding total about £140, The chemist, hospital car park, post office, a watch battery, clothes, kitchen and laundry was roughly £30. Food just over £100. And a really good amount of the 18 ( will need to re-think next year) Christmas presents that we are giving this year:- just over £300 making a grand total of money spent this month of  around £830.

 Is that good, bad or indifferent? I'd love to know.

In December we have car insurance, an electric bill, a big food shop and the rest of the Christmas presents to buy but again I will be avoiding all magazines and unnecessary spending. 

The very final tip of the 30 ways to save £1 list first published in 2013 was- Drive wisely, accelerate and brake slowly and don't carry more weight than you have to and take off the roof rack.

Out of all 30 tips I think the most useful one if you are serious about living on less is to STOP before you rush out to buy something and think if there is a way to use something you already have. Is the thing you are going to buy a need or a want? Are you buying something in order to save money - really? Is there something more useful you could do with that money? Will you regret what you have bought later?

And finally to cheer up a wet, grey end of November day here are a few busy bird feeder pictures

Back Tomorrow
Sue

Another dull day- or perhaps not

Did anyone out there watch the doubles tennis in the Davis Cup Finals yesterday? It was a really good advert for tennis, well done to Andy and Jamie Murray. More this afternoon - fingers crossed for one more win which will mean GB win the Davis cup for the first time since the 1930's.

Yesterday started off sunny and cold but by not long after midday it was raining, blowing a hooley and freezing. Today is not quite so cold but exceedingly grey and drizzly. We've done 20 minutes wood cutting and soon Col is taking our youngest and her bloke to look at a car in Woodbridge. I shall make a batch of pizza topping this morning and watch the tennis this afternoon, Strictly results show this evening and then delve into my lovely heap of library books. So another riveting  day of excitement, part of our quiet life in Suffolk. At least I don't force him to go Christmas shopping!

The 29th tip for saving £1 is :- Chutney is easy to make, cheaper than buying, you know what goes into it and it makes good presents. So there's lots of reasons for making rather than buying. There are several recipes on my separate recipe page and dozens of chutney books out there.

Back Tomorrow
Sue