£1 well spent

Hello. Thought I would show you what you get in a £1 pack of  seeds and bulbs. I planted them in five storage boxes, I had already drilled the holes in the bottom because I've been using them for growing veg. There are lots of little pink flowers with two colour leaves, and some pink flowers on long stalks. Quite a good show for £1, think I will get some more next year. 

Can you talk among yourselves while I pop out, won't be long. Turn the light out when you leave.
Toodle pip

Hey big spender !

Hello, back again. Oh Lordy, I've spent some money today, stocked up on pet food mainly. Heidi will only eat the small pouches of Sheba, six for £1.50. Bugsy has taken a liking to Gourmet Gold, three small tins for £1. Mayze likes her sliced chicken or turkey or ham, around a pound a packet. All the cats like the Ultima dried food, can get it from the £1 shop. And Rocky likes the Chicken Jerky and the Frolics. Me, what do I get? Anything that's reduced from Tesco, or cheap from the cash and carry. 

Here's the breakdown of spends.

Wilco £4.10. cat and dog food.

Poundland £10. Ultima dried and cooked meats. 

B & M discount store £9.93. Sheba cat food, deli dog treats.

Home Bargains £11.05. jerky fillets, vinegar, bleach, body lotion, Nivea soft.

Poundworld £5. Gourmet Gold cat food, chicken dog treats.

Cash and Carry £8. Tripe dog treats, wet dog food, muesli, linseeds, malt loaf. 

Market £4. Frolics and dog treats.

Tesco £9.81. Cat litter, cat food, milk, bread, pasta salad, salad leaves, yogurts. 

Tesco filling station £40.31. Petrol fill up. 

Good grief, £82.20. 

Ooops, nearly forgot, add one more pound to that for this skirt from Age UK charity shop. It would look lovely on someone of a more senior disposition, 75 or 80 perhaps. Lovely fabric and it looks brand new. Fabulous vibrant colours, not for me to wear, I can see cushion covers. 

Time to clock off. Thanks for popping in and thanks for all the teef stories, seems I am not the only one who was scared out of her pants at the school dentist. At some point I will be doing a disappearing act, but do not despair, I will be back with lots of pics. Catch you tomorrow. Toodle pip

For those with a sweet toof

Hello. Here's something to be going on with while I get on with house and holiday prepping stuff. I really must get off my backside and get some practicalities done, so to keep you amused for a few hours have a look at this. If you love sweets it will make your mouth water, if you love colour you will instantly feel refreshed and happy, and if you love innovation and ideas you will feel inspired. See what you think.

Candy Anatomy, Delicious Diagrams

Catch you later.

A stitch in time saves loads of money

Hello. This post is for all shoppers in England. Are you ready for the new carrier bag charge that will come in on October 5th? All retailers who have more than 250 employees must charge a minimum of 5p for every single use plastic carrier bag they hand over to a customer. So, if you don't want to pay for your bags what are the options? 

You can purchase a bag for life, they are plastic and around 10p. When they are worn out you take them back to the shop and they exchange it for a new one free of charge. You can buy thick heavy duty bags that supermarkets sell from around £1 and upwards, or you can make your own, like these. I ran them up in a couple of hours on the machine this afternoon. They are made from heavy blackout curtain fabric which I got from the Scrapstore. You could use any curtain fabric you have.   

If you want to have a go, here are the links to a couple of pages I wrote about how to make them.
Make your own shopping bag, from October 2013.
Shopping bags and food, from February 2015

If anyone wants to know more about the new rules, here is an article on the Gov.uk web site.

There's only a month to go, but you can start preparing now. It's a good idea to get into the habit of putting your shopping bags back in the car as soon as you have emptied them, that way you won't forget them next time you need them. If you don't go shopping by car, maybe a bus, or bicycle, or walk, find a place to keep your bags close to the front door, so you remember to pick them up before you go. Have you got a cupboard or a shelf, or hang them on the coat rack by the handles. What you could also do is stick a post it note on the inside of your front door to remind you to take them, until you get into the routine of always picking them up before you leave.

You might want to have a few different types of bags for different types of shopping. If you take a handbag to work you could have a thin nylon bag which folds up very small and fits into your handbag. You could have different sizes of bags, the smaller ones fitting inside the largest bag so you only have one to carry to the shop. A mesh type bag would be useful to carry your veg in then if it has any dirt on it won't contaminate any of your other shopping. You might need a smaller box type bag which is very strong to take the weight of the tinned food. Or a large lightweight bag for the cereal boxes and bread.

Start collecting your bags now so you are ready, and get in the habit of always taking them with you. Then you will never be caught out and have to pay for carrier bags.

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip

Thumbs up for the teef ;o)

Hello. Good news on the toothy peg front, me gnashers are good, don't need any treatment, £18.80 paid for checkup, don't need to go for another year. Brushing and flossing is good for teeth, it saves you money, and pain. Clean teeth every morning and every night. Don't go to bed with dirty teeth, even if you are dead tired. Don't have a mug of cocoa in bed then go to sleep. Get up and go to the bathroom and brush. Don't drink that first cuppa of the day before you have brushed your teeth. Get up and brush first, then go downstairs and make a drink. Or get someone else to make it for you. These are the rules ;o)

My dentist is very nice, she is called Emma. She gives me a thorough check up around my whole mouth, sticks her fingers in, put your tongue to the left, and to the right, stick your tongue out. She prods and pokes about. Today she didn't have to say anything to her assistant who takes the notes, there was nothing to write down.

I had a terrible fear of dentists as a child. I remember going to the school dentist when I was at junior school. A big man came to the school once in a while, we all had to go and see him. It was an old building, there was a coal fire in the grate, and his sausage dog lay next to it. There wasn't a chair to sit in, you had to stand in front of the dentist with your mouth wide open. I remember having a tooth out, he dabbed some foul tasting brown liquid on it with cotton wool, then took a pair of pliers and yanked it out. He was horrible, I hated it.

When I was a bit older mum took me to a dentist in town, he worked from home, it was a big house and his front room was his surgery. His name was Mr Brown, everyone called him Butcher Brown. Another horrible man, more bad experiences.I was scared to death of him. Mum only took us if we were in pain, we never had regular check ups because my mum was scared of dentists herself. Eventually when I left school and started working, I found another dentist, Mr Stone in New Street was much better, though I only went when I had to.

When I went to live in Blackpool I went with my friend to the dentist, she was happy to go. I remember I had toothache on one particular occasion and she said come in with me and see the dentist. I said no, and stood outside waiting for her. I was in agony but wouldn't go in. Then some children came and happily skipped in through the door. I felt ashamed that I was too much of a coward to go in. Eventually the pain got so bad, and I thought of the children going in, and thought if they can do it I can do it. So I plucked up courage to go, and after that went more regularly. After three years living in Blackpool I went back home, and picked up with Mr Stone again. I stayed with him for many years until I moved away again.

When I came to live here I went to a dentist that someone recommended. I didn't like him though, he didn't say much and I like to be kept informed about what is going to happen. I don't like surprises, I want them to be nice to me. I mentioned it to my next door neighbour, who luckily enough was a dentist practice manager. She said come to our surgery, ring up and make an appointment, so I did. And that's how I met Emma. I will stick with her. Everyone at the practice is nice as well, the receptionists, and assistants, it's even nice sitting in the waiting room. It's a bit further for me to drive there, as it's the other side of town, but worth it so I'll keep going.

Anyway, that's my teef, now share your teef stories.

Tomorrow I will start getting a few things together for the holiday. Looking forward to that. Three blog readers have said they might be able to meet up, if they can spare the time. That would be nice, but if you can't ladies, don't worry. I don't expect people to drop what they are doing if you have commitments elsewhere. I have added an extra day to the holiday, a friend who used to live here in the village now lives near Great Yarmouth, so I'm going over there to visit. That will be nice.

Off to bed now. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip

A very useful hippy bag

Hello, as promised, the latest bag. It's a sort of multi purpose, patchwork type colourful hippy bag. It's got loads of room and can be used as a work bag, with the option of picking a few items up at the supermarket on the way home. It could be a beach bag, or a day out bag, or an overnight bag. It's strong and sturdy, some machine stitching and mostly hand stitching. 

The handles are attached onto the outside with cross stitch, and are long enough to go over the shoulder. 

It's quite thick, each side has four layers, an inside and an outside and two layers of hessian in the middle. 

The back is just one piece of colourful fabric. I love the vibrancy of this, and I have plenty more left.

This close up pic makes it look slightly pink, but it is more red, as above.

The lining is plain red cotton.

I'm chuffed with it. It was a bit of an experiment after I did the book cover in a similar style, I wanted to make something bigger.

Kitty news....a pregnant mum came into the rescue and she has given birth to three adorable kittens. Mum is grey short haired and so are the kittens. She lived before with an elderly gentleman who went into care and the family couldn't take her in.

A letter has arrived from the NHS, my poo test is clear, says she heaving a sigh of relief  :o))  Dentist annual check up tomorrow, wish me luck. There will be extra scrubbing and flossing of teeth tonight and tomorrow morning.

The car is booked in for it's MOT. If anyone is looking for a cheapie place to take their car, check out the Halfords Autocentre web site. An MOT costs £30 if you book online. They also do deals on servicing as well. Worth a look if you don't already have your own local reliable garage services.

The sun has come out and I am off outside for an hour or two, so I'll say tatty byes and toodle pip. Catch you soon.

A stitch in time, takes all day

Hello. I'm a bit late tonight. I have been sewing like crazy all day, working on the bag of many colours. I was hoping to put the pics on here tonight, the bag is finished, but the photo's do not take well with a flash, so I'll have to take more tomorrow in the daylight. I took it with me to Crafty Club and worked on it, then sat all day at the computer watching catch up while I stitched. 

There were some interesting programmes on iplayer. First Dragons Den which I like, some crazy business ideas are pitched in the hope that the Dragons will back them. One woman was offered the full amount by Peter Jones but he wanted 30% of her posh drinks business. She wouldn't go more that 25% so the silly woman turned him down. Big mistake, she had a good product and he could have done wonders with getting it out there in the stores. Then I watched a documentary about Anthony Hopkins, what a nice man, and very talented, and another about Omar Sharif. After that I watched two episodes of the Bake Off programme, not the whole programme but the Extra Slice follow up programme. I like Jo Brand, she makes me laugh. And after that I watched a documentary about Frank Sinatra, I never knew he sang a duet with Elvis Presley, then followed by a Doris Day documentary. I stopped that half way through it because that was when I finished the bag, and had to make a phone call. Next I have to clean Heidi's litter box out, and walk Rocky, and feed Bugsy, then maybe I will go to bed. 

A house is not a home without a cat. This is Mayze waiting for me to come home. She is a sweetheart mostly, but she has bullied Heidi in the past. I wondered if that was what made Heidi poorly. Heidi is much happier now she has her own territory in the living room, and Mayze is keeping out of her way. 

We've had some smashing sunsets over the last few days. As usual I rushed to the back of the church to take some snaps overlooking the river.

Love the reflections in the river. There are some houses which overlook this view, wish I could afford one, they are much more expensive than mine. Wouldn't it be lovely to be able to sit on a balcony and watch the sun go down.

Walking back up the street, I turned to see if it was still there, and it was.

Got lots to do this week, dog walks, dentist, and getting ready for the holiday, and cleaning house for the cat sitter. Rocky is by my side, tail wagging, he wants to go out, so I'll say toodle pip for now. Thanks for popping in.

De cluttering, sharks, cake recipe, blogging, and Scottish mountains

Hello and Good Morning.
I have been meaning to write this post for the last week, now I am ready. Last Saturday I did something a bit silly, I spent wasted some money on two Saturday newspapers. It was a spur of the moment thing, I thought it might be quite exciting to re visit the past when I used to buy a mega size newspaper every weekend which would then last the whole week. I religiously read it from cover to cover to get my moneys worth. Now, of course I don't buy newspapers at all, and it saves me a fortune in time and money.

Anyway, I thought I would share my review of last Saturdays Guardian, cost £2.70, and a cheapie version of the Independent called 1 on Saturday,  cost 50p, apparently it's the essential weekend briefing, in their words. When I first opened these papers my initial thought was crikey, it's all a bit above my intelligence level, but I stuck with it and found to my surprise that there was a lot of interesting stuff to devour and hopefully store in my little brain.

I'm not one to stick with a lot of long drawn out waffling, my interest quickly subsides and I move on to the next thing. You might be like me and give up on this waffly post, I wouldn't blame you. However if you wish to stick with it I will tell you what caught my eye in these papers, and if you read this you won't have to go out and buy a paper, thus saving you money.

Starting with the Guardian, I have included links to the articles by the way. Tim Lott writes about chucking out the lovingly crafted detritus created by his children, from lolly sticks, papier-mache  and suchlike. He laments the fact that adults no longer make home made gifts for their friends and family but would rather go to a gift shop and spend on tat. Yes, sad indeed. The article is an interesting take on the topic of de cluttering, and gives food for thought on what you actually need to keep or what you should throw away. The article is here.

Another Guardian article, this time from the Travel Supplement. There is a new North Coast 500 mile drive around Scotland, in answer to America's Route 66. Kapla Kassabova checks this out over a four day drive in an old Landrover with partner and dog, starting at Inverness. It highlights lots of stopping places, interesting sights to see, places to eat and sleep. I almost wish I was there, but I would be walking of course, such a shame to whizz past that wonderful scenery in a set of motorized wheels. For more details on the route here is the full article.  For even more details go to the North Coast 500 web site. Some great pictures on there. 

Are you still with me or have you buggered off somewhere else, ha ha.

What's next? Let's move over to The Independent. This next article makes me quite angry, me being an animal lover and all that. Kathy Marks writes a piece about the shark attacks in New South Wales which have killed quite a few surfers in recent months. Whenever this happens a public meeting is called and last week 200 surfers and business people have voted for a cull of Great Whites. They say the uncertainty of surfer safety is deterring people from going into the water, which is affecting local business because people are cancelling their holidays. Well chuffin bad luck is all I say. One simple solution, keep out of the water. Ok I have never been there so I don't know how important surfing is to the residents and holiday makers, but bloodshed is not the answer. Kill a few and there will be more to take their place. My view is that the oceans belong to the marine life that live in their waters, it is their territory, and we encroach on that at our peril. Find another activity for people to do, on land. Read the article here.

Another one from the Independent, this made me laugh. Emma Lunn writes, Can bloggers be legitimate critics if they are taking money or getting free produce? Apparently there was a spat between a blogger and a cake shop owner, which went viral after the cake shop owner felt they had been bullied by a blogger, or blagger as she liked to put it. They both put their side of the story on their own blogs, the cake shop also has a blog. The social media spat opened up a whole can of worms, with the biggest question being, can you trust a food review when the writer got the grub for nothing? My own personal view is no you can't. Read the story here.  And through the power of the internet, here is the story on the cake shop blog. Remember this is a business. And to balance it out, the story from the blogger, also a business. You can form your own opinion.

If you fancy a bit more cake, this caught my eye in the Food section of the Guardian. I don't use my oven because it costs so much in gas, and cooking for one is much simpler on the hob or in the microwave, with the occasional grill being brought into use, so a cake which doesn't need baking seems appealing. Ruby Tandoh presents this recipe which I won't go into here, but burnt honey and vanilla cake looks lipsmacking gorjuss. I doubt very much that I will be trying it though, I don't have any vanilla bean paste, raspberries, or home made caramelized biscuits, and I try and steer clear of double cream and runny honey. But if you fancy giving it a go the recipe is here. It serves 4 - 6, another reason why I would not make it, I would pig out on the whole lot in one go. I can't be trusted.

Well I think that's a mixed bag of stuff in today's post. I won't be buying another newspaper, if I want to read a real one I can go to the library and it will cost me nowt.

Thanks a lot for popping in. It's Saturday, Heidi is looking quite good, she is a lot brighter, has a healthy appetite, and is very playful in the mornings. She still sleeps a lot, right next to me, in her bed on the table, so things are looking good. Rocky is waiting for a walk, and I want to go to town, so I'll sign off. Enjoy your weekend.
Toodle pip

PS. Disclaimer. I wasn't given these papers, I bought them  ;o))

A visit to Tattershall and Coningsby

Hello. I started this post last night, but tiredness overcame me and I went to bed. So this morning, fully refreshed, I resume. 

It was a lovely sunny morning so me and the pooch went out today. I am running out of local places to visit so each trip is a little further afield from the one before. This time I headed south through Lincoln and along a 'B' road through Metheringham and Billinghay, and made a stop at a picnic area for lunch. On then to Tattershall. I have been past many times but never had time to stop. The castle is visible from the road, so now is my chance to have a look around. I went in the church first.

The Collegiate Holy Trinity Church is 180 feet long. All the windows are clear glass, except for the large coloured glass one in the Great Eastern Window.

There is a warm welcome inside. Ladies serving cups of tea and cakes, and lots of bricabrac stalls. It looked a bit like lots of charity shops selling donated goods, all clustered together at one end. It was free to go in so I bought a packet of scrumptious home made oaty biscuits.

If you look at the map the castle is only a short walk away. The trouble is that once you pass the entrance at the Gatehouse it is hard to push the buggy through the deep shingle surface. Rocky had already had a walk up to this point, and he was struggling to walk through the loose stones, but I persevered and pushed him along on the grass where I could. 

The castle is a National Trust property, access is free to the grounds but there is a charge to go inside. The Gatehouse has a shop where they would like you to spend your money, either buying goods or joining up. I didn't want to do either so I bypassed that and took a path to the side. Besides there wasn't room for a buggy inside there. 

There is a moat around the castle and to get to it you have to cross this small wooden bridge. I don't like the look of those supports underneath it, the whole thing looks a bit dilapidated and could do with replacing. Parts of the moat are also full of reeds.

Aaahhh, I can see water there. Apparently the view is very good from the top if you want to climb the stairs. There are six floors, 149 steps.

The castle is built of red bricks, by Patrick Cromwell, between 1434 and 1447, as a display of his wealth and power in unstable times. For more information you can look at the web site.  It was a warm sunny day, and nice to see the families out with their children. Lots of space for them to run around in.

View of the castle from the churchyard. 

Next I thought we would take a look at the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight  exhibition at nearby Coningsby. Oh dear, I forgot to check that, no dogs. I went in and asked if they could make an exception for an elderly dog in a buggy, but the computer said no, so we had to be content to walk along the outer perimeter for a short distance and peer through the wire fence.

This little gnat was buzzing around, landing and taking off several times, I think they were rookie pilots practicing. 

Then it came down and landed, taxiing to it's parking slot.

The pilots climbed out and left it in the capable hands of the ground crew for inspection and maintenance.

I reckon this plane is strategically placed to block the view from the many enthusiasts poised with their zoom lens cameras along the fence. I spoke to a man and he said it was the same one in this exact spot he had seen on his previous visit, weeks before. 

The man told me that these two planes are kitted out with radar, the dishes on the top pick up signals from other aircraft while patrolling the skies. Like an early warning system.

Here is a link to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

After half an hour of standing and watching, and not much else happening, I decided to go back to the car. Earlier I had heard the boom of several Spitfies taking off, and hoped there would be more, but no luck. Plane spotting needs a lot of patience, maybe it's not for me, ha ha.

Time for a nice steady ride back through the Lincolnshire countryside, with the usual battle through the traffic at Lincoln. A nice relaxing day out, it's good to get out of the house now and again.

Looks like another sunny day today so I'll say Toodle pip and thanks for popping in. A bit more hedge trimming to do, and playing in the summerhouse. Catch you soon.

JUST DO IT

Hello. Apologies if you are eating, maybe read this after you have finished your meal. A question. What is the most important thing in your life. Most people would say their kids and their family, their other half, followed by pets perhaps. What is at the top of the list for you? I admire those that love other people more than themselves, it shows a compassion for their fellow human beings, and should be applauded. I admire those people who go through traumatic experiences, and somehow come out the other end to pick up the pieces and carry on with their life. It is very important to build up a resilience to all the unpleasantness that might come our way.

So what am I waffling on about? For me, the most important thing in my life is trying to maintain my reasonably good health. If I were to fall ill I would be the worlds worst patient, I would moan and groan that I can't do this or do that. I would sit around and become a right miserable and crabby old witch. I would feel sorry for myself, I would be depressed saying why me, why has this happened to me. I don't want to become that person, so I try hard to look after myself.

Our NHS offers free healthchecks, eye tests, tests for breast cancer, cervical cancer, and bowel cancer. And if we have any other concerns about something which is not quite right with our bodies we can make an appointment to see a doctor. We are lucky to have this service.

I was reading in the newspaper that people ignore the test for bowel cancer because it is too much faff. I don't like faffing too much because it wastes time, but this is one faff I am happy to put up with. It could save my life.

Here are some figures.
Cervical screening has 79% take up, breast cancer screening 72%, on average only 54% of the target population accept an invitation for bowel cancer screening, with only four out of ten taking up the offer, according to the charity Beating Bowel Cancer.

My test is ready to put in the post. If you get one of these, don't bin it, don't leave it lying around to think about it, don't moan that it's too much faff.  Ok, it's not very nice to mess about with your own poo, it stinks, you might feel sick, but for goodness sake, it's only the waste matter from all the food you have noshed. Put a face mask on, open the window, spray some perfume around, it only takes a minute or two. If  your health is the most important thing to you, JUST DO IT. If not for yourself, do it for your loved ones who will be left behind if you die.

Thank you for reading. Come back soon.
Toodle pip

Adding a new page

Hello. I hope you'll forgive me for not writing a lengthy post tonight, but I've been busy. Most of the day was spent on the computer creating a new page, if you look at the list below the header you will see
How I built my Summerhouse. I have collated all the photo's and written the captions, and it's taken ages to do. I didn't want it all to be lost in the blog, it's worthy of a page of it's own.

I did take an hour or two out to go to the vet to pick up some tablets for Heidi. The result of the blood test is through and it's given us more to go on, the tablets will help. She is still a bit fragile, sleeps a lot, but we are not giving up yet, where there's hope and all that.

Off to take the dog out, thanks for popping in.
Toodle pip

Survivor by Fatima Whitbread. Book review

Hello. My book reviews never get a lot of comments. I suppose that's understandable because everyone has different tastes in what they like reading. What I read may not be your cup of tea, but it helps me to remember what I've read if I record it here, and if you fancy giving it a go you might find my review helpful. 

I'm not a sporty person and I wouldn't normally pick up a book about a sports person, but the blurb on the back ignited my interest in the woman behind the gold medalist. 

Fatima Whitbread had a terrible start in life, at three months old she was abandoned in a council flat in London by her birth mother. Alone for two days she began to cry, she had nothing to eat or drink, she was filthy, and she was ill. A neighbour called the police and they broke the door down to discover her, any longer and she could have died.

After being taken into care she was sent to a childrens home, where the regime was cold and uncaring. Fatima desperately needed to be loved but for many years no love came. She always refers to her birth mother as the woman who gave birth to her, and her father was a passing boyfriend.

She became a bit of a rebel at school, she had a disruptive streak to her, and was often in trouble. But then she discovered a passion for sport, which eventually helped her to turn her life around. Eventually she found her loving family and was adopted by Margaret Whitbread who was to become her coach.

Once I started this book I found it hard to put down. This inspirational woman has had a traumatic and shocking life, but she went on to become a world champion. The first part is about her life in various childrens homes, and her search for love. After many years of hard work she triumphs on the athletics field, but  after her retirement there were more tragedies to come. One good thing did come out of it was having her son. I won't tell you any more, but just to say, this book is well worth reading. It will sadden you, but you will also share her joy as she wins her medals and becomes world champion. It's an easy read written with sensitivity and passion.

Here she is winning her gold medal.


Thanks for popping in.
Toodle pip

Is everything to your liking, Madam?

Tightwad Towers offers Five Star accommodation to much loved kitties, especially those who are a wee bit off colour. We serve a four course meal, with world class tasty food to suite every palate. Dining takes place on the veranda outside the sleeping accommodation, so removes the need to go to the dining kitchen. Bowls are washed and refilled throughout the day, should Kitty wish to graze. Note the one bowl of cereal in the background that the proprietor gets.  

After filling up the tummy, Kitty has the option of chilling out in the fully enclosed and private accommodation pod. The top canopy has been put on to ensure no prying eyes can peer in and unsettle a sensitive cat.

Should Kitty wish to take advantage of the panoramic views from her penthouse she can relax and sunbathe on the balcony. Access to this exclusive suite is via a strategically placed chair which enables her to come and go as she pleases.

The toilet facilities are placed in a discreet corner near the sideboard, and is accessed via the same chair from the living quarters. It is far enough away from the rest of the accommodation so no pungent smells can permeate to the bedroom. This Kitty is not allowed conventional cat litter and so shredded paper is used for her own health and well being. The cleaner comes twice a day to refresh the toilet, remove soiled material, scrub the box with water, dry it thoroughly, and refill with clean paper. The cleaner gets paid nothing for this work ;o))

Tightwad Towers regrets that due to being fully booked, no further accommodation is available, sorry, we are full up. Thank you for visiting, please come back another day.
Enjoy your Sunday. It's sunny and I have a dog waiting to go out.
Toodle pip

The bag of many colours

Hello peoples, there's thunder in the air on this hot and humid night. The last dog walk is done and we are snug indoors. It's been a sweltering day. I ventured into the garden for about an hour, to tidy up and have a firkle in the potato beds. The weeks spuds are washed and ready. It was too darn hot to stay out any longer. All week I have been sewing, this is what I've been doing. I'm making a bag. 

First off get a piece of hessian type sackcloth, fold it in half so it's double thickness, I don't want a floppy bag. Then cut strips of colourful fabric and machine them on, starting at the bottom. Right sides facing then fold it over and iron. Carry on with the next piece of fabric the same way until the whole piece is covered. Doesn't matter about the edges being uneven, they will be trimmed. 

This is one side almost finished. I have cross stitched all the seams, and put random embellishments on with more cross stitching. I have put two darts on the top edge to bring it in a bit. 

This is the back of it which will be covered by the lining.

Next I cut a piece of red cotton fabric from a bed sheet I got from a charity shop, especially for the purpose of lining bags. I pinned them together and machined them leaving the top edge open. Then I turned it the right way and ironed it. I am making the front and back of the bag separately, then the two pieces will be hand sewn together because it will be too thick to go through the machine. That's the front completed, more on this later. 

Hey, how do you like my new shirt, super isn't it. I was in the Age UK charity shop yesterday, everything £1, and I couldn't resist this shirt. It's 100% cotton and brand new. Aha, another cushion cover I thought, sort of matching the others I have made with stripey shirts. I've got plenty of stuffing to make the cushion. 

An amazing bargain, why bother going to a real shop when prices are this cheap.

My dinner tonight, steamed potatoes, carrots, onions, peas, and spinach, with a quarter slice of quiche. A couple of dollops of tartar sauce went down well with this. I am stuffed.

Thanks for popping in, glad you could make it. Have a nice Sunday. Toodle pip