I keep track of spending in my diary - which is just an A4 writing pad. Each month I write down all the things we spend on. Car, Household, Electric/Gas, Clothes, Phone, Food, Water etc etc. There is a new column for Grandchildren and then there is the column called Sue. In my column are books and craft stuff (that's all I buy for myself on the whole) and it's very obvious I'm spending too much every month, especially as Col's column is empty! So I've decided that books and other bits bought from charity shops should be listed under CHARITY ......................There, that looks much better!
Here's a surprise ..............I went to a car boot sale and didn't buy any books!
It was the first-Saturday-in-the-month boot sale at Melton near Woodbridge and I headed out of town just after 7am.
Mostly just the same old car-boots there but I found some Grandchildren stuff; Baby bath and big pack of first size Pampers nappies total £4 and wooden breakdown crane truck for £1. Other than that just a mini clay chimenea which could be used for planting also for £1.
(As you can see I still haven't got around to hiring a skip to get rid of the awful crazy paving patio! Mainly because it then means buying in some topsoil to fill the huge low bit that will be left and also not having anything dry to stand on when hanging out the washing)
On Friday I biked to a recently opened charity shop that I've just found out about. It's run by Emmaus, the charity that helps homeless people get back into accommodation and employment. I knew it was somewhere in the road on the other side of the railway line from us which gave me a choice of biking all down hill to the path under the railway or up, then down and then level to the road bridge over the railway. I choose down hill, only to find the shop was right at the top of the road so that I had to walk all the way up...... it would have been much easier to have gone the other way! Oh well, it's all good exercise.
I found these cross stitch bits for £2 (which has been entered in the Charity column of course!)
And with regard to cross stitch, this part-started picture of a standard fuchsia
has been staring at me every time I've looked through my box-file of charts and kits to decide what to do next. I don't remember when I started it but I do know it must have been several years ago and I know why I stopped - it was too difficult - too many shades of pinks and greens. Now I'm better at sorting out how to work this type of chart I'm determined to finish it.
I found these cross stitch bits for £2 (which has been entered in the Charity column of course!)
And with regard to cross stitch, this part-started picture of a standard fuchsia
On the left is the chart I'm following. On the right is one of the mini kits from the charity shop - but it has no chart so if any cross-stitchers out there have this very old copy of Cross Stitch Collection Magazine with the Gardeners Notebook kit I'd love a photocopy of the chart ......please, or any other chart with a flower that will look OK using the flower pot button.
Looking out of the kitchen window at dusk on Saturday I spotted a hedgehog snuffling about under the bird table. Lovely to see one in town as we rarely spotted them out in the country. I rushed for the camera but then couldn't remember how to get the flash to work, clicked quickly so all I got was this and then he/she snuffled off under the shrubs.
.
Another couple of library books finished, both historical crime fiction. First Robin Blake - Skin and Bones, these are set in Preston in the mid 18th century. The 4th in a series - featuring a lawyer and coroner and his doctor friend.
Secondly the latest Anne Perry - Revenge in a Cold River. An extremely prolific author as there are 32 books in her Inspector Pitt series and 22 in her Thomas Monk series, plus she also write Christmas Novellas featuring both these characters or other people from the series and other novels too. Both Pitt and Monk books are set in Victorian London and quite compelling. If you've not come across these then it's best to start from the beginning although the earlier books were written in the 1980's and 90's so not so easy to find.
Well Done to our future daughter-in-law who did the 5K Cancer Research Race for Life. She had planned to do it at the organised event in Bury St Edmunds a couple of weeks back, which was cancelled due to flooding. She couldn't do the new arranged date so opted to do it on her own and has raised around £400 for Cancer Research - Brilliant.
Many Thanks for comments on the last post and welcome to The 3 Year Challenge- a new blog. This lady is in France but luckily her blog is in English.
Back in a day or 3
Sue
Another couple of library books finished, both historical crime fiction. First Robin Blake - Skin and Bones, these are set in Preston in the mid 18th century. The 4th in a series - featuring a lawyer and coroner and his doctor friend.
Secondly the latest Anne Perry - Revenge in a Cold River. An extremely prolific author as there are 32 books in her Inspector Pitt series and 22 in her Thomas Monk series, plus she also write Christmas Novellas featuring both these characters or other people from the series and other novels too. Both Pitt and Monk books are set in Victorian London and quite compelling. If you've not come across these then it's best to start from the beginning although the earlier books were written in the 1980's and 90's so not so easy to find.
Well Done to our future daughter-in-law who did the 5K Cancer Research Race for Life. She had planned to do it at the organised event in Bury St Edmunds a couple of weeks back, which was cancelled due to flooding. She couldn't do the new arranged date so opted to do it on her own and has raised around £400 for Cancer Research - Brilliant.
Many Thanks for comments on the last post and welcome to The 3 Year Challenge- a new blog. This lady is in France but luckily her blog is in English.
Back in a day or 3
Sue
