The Annual Looking Back Post

The last day of 2016 and could it be the weirdest year ever?

Odd unexpected happenings here and abroad....................but I have no intention of writing about those!

For us it meant serious illness, giving up the smallholding after 23 years and a house move into town with Colin in hospital for long periods. Then 2 grandchildren, a wedding and another house move planned and the shock of finding  that we've got to go through the hospital stuff all over again........just further away.......


Here are some of the photos that make up the story of this year

Leaving our smallholding behind wasn't easy, this photo is from the summer of 2013

 and leaving  all my bookshelves wasn't good either.

Town Life - so different to living in the country

Buying a beach hut has been a wonderful idea, although if the council bring in plans to change the way they charge people we may be priced out, yet unable to sell.


 

Four generations when our first grandchild baby Jacob Rhys arrived in May

An interesting afternoon at this book festival finding out about British Library Crime Classics

A break in hospital treatment allowed us to have a few days away, this is Hereford Cathedral

Lots of sunny days at the beach hut

Brass band concert in Christchurch Park Ipswich

One of the nice things about town life is being able to buy cheap flowers from Aldi just a short walk away

One of the many second-hand book sales I've been to this year

Just a few of the library books that have been borrowed this year, in total 115 books have been read! and I've found many bookish blogs to read and enjoy which has opened up a whole new world of reading.

Baby Florence May arriving in October

Glimpse of our new home for 2017, we'll get there once the solicitor returns from her prolonged holiday and gets on with the paperwork. Pity none of our children wanted to be solicitors!

 Making chutneys for Christmas hampers

A visit to see Jacob in November

Holly on a walk in December

Son's wedding in December

One of my favourite photos from 2016, our daughters with the next generation

Celebrating the winter season without breaking the bank

The year has ended on a odd note too as Col picked up the winter Yuck virus from somewhere and has spent the last 36 hours in bed or in the loo! ...........but feeling slightly better today, thank goodness.

Anyway a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who reads and comments. Without you all this would just be a diary written in a notebook and lost.

Back Tomorrow..........looking forward.........it's the only way to go

Sue

Trying

I've spent an hour trying to remember how to add another page for books I shall read next year to the top of the blog. As usual I got there in the end without really knowing how.
Is it just me?

Then I tried to bike to get milk and to the Post Office to check the size and post some letters, decided the roads were too icy so shouted back indoors that I was going to walk and went off leaving said letters in bike basket.
Surely it's not just me?

Otherwise all is quiet here, nothing of note to blog about except our youngest, OH and Florence came for a visit yesterday.

 Dressed in her Christmas dress and stripey leggings she looked so cute but too wriggly to lay still for good photos

I think I have  new followers - Margaret,Rita and Pam - Hello to you all from Suffolk
Thank you for ideas for Christmas hampers for next year

Ideas for next years presents

Now Christmas is over here is a picture of one of the hampers I made for my sister and OH and Col's sister and OH. They were both the same except for the other basket I found at a car boot was square.

They had  home made Mango and Pepper Chutney, Cranberry Chutney, Orange and Whisky Marmalade and Lemon and Grapefruit Marmalade. Then a Tub of Drinking Chocolate, Mini Marshmallows and  White Chocolate sticks. Plus home made Rum Truffles, Mini Dundee Cake and last but not least - Chocolate spoons (mould from Lakeland several years ago) to stir and melt into the drinking chocolate.

Now I've given away my this year idea I need ideas for 2017's hampers please!

Thank you for many comments yesterday.
 For other frugal posts scroll down the blog until you come to Labels, click on Frugal Ways and you will find lots of posts from the past about our way of thrifty-ness. Of course most of these are from our life on the smallholding and things are different now, but being careful then is how we have savings ( The remainder of the smallholding sale money) and explains how we have survived the year here living on Col's Employment Support Allowance and the interest from the savings without actually having to dip into those savings very much at all.


Back Soon
Sue

Gifts without breaking the bank

This blog started off to be all about frugal living but because it's just our way of life I hardly ever mention it now. Anyway, here's a frugal type post today

Way back in the past, on one low (council roadman's ) wages and 2 small children we could never afford to give each other the sort of presents that we heard other wives and husbands swapped at Christmas.
Then later with three children and a big mortgage on the smallholding we still couldn't splash out on "top of the range" anything. And of course we didn't want to......... keeping the smallholding, feeding ourselves, paying the bills and treating the children were much more important.

Now years later we still don't bother with exchanging pricey gifts.
So I found Col two sweaters/jumpers from charity shops, (including a Christmas one that he'll be able to bring out every year!) and my presents were the Autumn Edition of The Scribbler


 - paid for using money in the Paypal account and my big box of Lindt - bought off the reduced shelf  from Morrisons using one of their Morrisons More £5 vouchers.
Do we feel hard done by........... with no Personalised Number plates, Coffee Machines, Perfumes or the latest electronic gizmo?
No of course not.
There's no point exchanging expensive gifts in December only to find you can't afford the electric bill in January.


I noticed yesterday that I have some new followers including Heron's View, Kelli and JE A, and possibly others who've not been welcomed. So hello folks and thank you for reading.

Back Very Soon
Sue

The morning after the day before

I hope your Christmas Day went well.

We were invited to Col's sister house where we enjoyed a lovely day with their family and Col's Dad and brother. Then our son, new daughter in law and daughter-in-law's sister joined us for tea and evening.

I took my camera but didn't take a single photo....Duh!

 The highlights of the day were the very strange present H had received from her other sister in law which kept us entertained and puzzling for ages and the Very Weird Game son brought with him...... Which involved trying to make your team guess what you were saying while you had a plastic mouth piece thing in your mouth. Nephew said he'd seen it advertised on TV and wondered who on earth would be daft enough to buy it ....obviously our son! It was a bit too reminiscent of going to the dentist but literally had tears rolling down everyone's faces.........Laughter or Horror ?............we weren't sure!

We then had a more sensible session of the LOGO game but decided we must have used the same cards last time we played as we kept getting all the answers right.

Col's sister and OH are off away for a few days so as there seemed to be enough food left for an army, she sent us home with today's dinner! I'd contributed savouries and the trifle for tea so the remains of those also came home......that's the rest of our days eating sorted.

Today? Books to enjoy and a ready made lunch and dinner.........what could be better.

Back in a trice
Sue

Season's Greetings

 

Best Wishes And Thank You To Everyone Who Reads This Blog 

Enjoy Your Day

Christmas Eve

Sausage Rolls today (cheating with ready made puff pastry)

and the base of the trifle, ready to finish tomorrow.
Our son and new wife, recently back from the mini-honeymoon called in yesterday with some wedding photos on a memory stick.

There was actually a photo of me that didn't make me cringe!
 and look what Col did on his facebook page after a bit of photo-editing (NOT airbrushing!)

Colin Cuthbert with Sue Cuthbert.·

A privilege to be married to this lady. Happy Christmas

Oldest daughter commented "Soppy!!"









Anyway, here I am, a 61 year old Mum of 3, Grandmother of 2, wishing you all a

Happy Christmas

Back Soon
Sue