Carpe Diem

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin. ~ Mother Teresa

This morning,  from where I stood....

 Psalm 57:7-11 New International Version (NIV) 

⁷ My heart, O God, is steadfast,
   my heart is steadfast;
   I will sing and make music.
⁸ Awake, my soul!
   Awake, harp and lyre!
   I will awaken the dawn.

 ⁹ I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
   I will sing of you among the peoples.
¹⁰ For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
   your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
 ¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
   let your glory be over all the earth.

Each new day is a gift, how quick we are to just launch into it without a thought. So how shall we begin? Being thankful is always a good start. We are alive, we get to live the adventure today! So...the challenge in this fast-paced world is to s-l-o-w   d-ow-n and look and see and appreciate each other as well as practice "living in the moment"  and savouring it instead of a cursory glance as we whizz by. We can learn more than we realise from the difficult situations we face if we ask ourselves some searching questions, nothing is ever wasted.

Let's walk into our days with eyes wide open, with minds alert, hearts softened and hands ready to help.  Let's see what the day holds...and then as the sky darkens through its various shades of deepening blue, let's end as we began, by being thankful.


"You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this."

— Henry David Thoreau

Home to Roost, chicken at the Christmas Fayre!

So she comes up to me, giggling in only the way she can when something has amused her greatly. From behind her back, she thrusts the item in my direction. "Something", she grins, "that couldn't be more perfect, an ideal gift made just for you!"

I have to say, I absolutely LOVED it! The chicken, the knitting needles with ball of wool, the vintage apron. It HAD to be bought, hardly a hesitation and now it perches (!) on my shelf for all to see, the feathers moving with the heat of the radiator below.

Of course, we have to view her from both angles! Absolutely brilliant purchase, I'm sure you will agree!

And the response from dh? "For goodness sake!" followed by a nod of approval. He likes it, so all is well and she stays on the shelf to be admired by some and despaired of by others!

No such thing as a free lunch? Sign up to the challenge!

The Challenge

To prepare and eat a free three course meal followed by coffee, for 6 people without spending any money!

So how does it work?

Choose a date 4-6 weeks in advance (this is because you need time to watch for special offers)

Find 3 couples (or 6 people who will work in pairs!)


The Rules

Each couple is responsible for 1 course and either wine, coffee or milk

Only free food can be used

eg BOGOF (buy one get one free, you can only use the free one!)

40% free, eg in a jar of coffee

Buy 2 get 3rd free

Anything homegrown is allowed

Anything previously given as a gift is allowed eg a bottle of wine

NO NICKING SUGAR OR MILK FROM MOTORWAY SERVICE STATIONS!

NO USING SUPERMARKET POINTS


It's a lot of fun rising to the challenge!

In the past we've managed roast turkey (BOGOF would you believe!) and even got milk sugar and coffee sorted too!


So we've got our couples sorted, just need to arrange the date and start looking for dessert ingredients (which could include eggs of course!)

Anyone else up for the challenge?! I'd like to hear what you made!

Little Red Hen

My little red hen, I shall be sad to see her go, but she is going to a Preschool where she will help enhance the story to its full potential! Take care of her Lorraine and co, I couldn't resist the challenge when you asked! She sits in the palm of your hand, you can't really see the size from this photo.

Now do I start on the other knitted sock, or finish the knitted pin cushion or knit something for me..... Have you seen the NORO yarn....it is AMAZING.....sigh....

http://www.laughinghens.com/knitting-supplies.asp?name=Noro


Well here we have my 3rd attempt to get some homemade ginger beer started! I omitted the optional pinch of yeast for the first two attempts, but nothing happened, so I thought I'd give it one last try and it is looking promising after just 36 hours! It is actually beginning to ferment, those are small bubbles forming, I promise!




Here is the recipe:

GINGER BEER PLANT

In a glass bowl add:

1 dessertspoon of raw (or white) sugar. Raw sugar gives it a better colour

1 dessertspoon ground ginger - you can use 1 tablespoon of diced fresh ginger.

300mls tap water that has stood for 24 hours

A large pinch of dried yeast

Stir this together. During the day let this mixture sit on the kitchen worktop with the cover off. Cover it with a loosely woven cloth at night. After about 2 or 3 days, depending on the temperatures in your house, it will begin to bubble and ferment. That is good, fermentation is a healthy process.

Every day for 7 days, feed the plant 1 dessert spoon ginger and 1 dessert spoon of sugar, and stir.
TO MAKE THE GINGER BEER

After 7 days take a clean piece of loosely woven cotton cloth, place it over a bowl. Pour the ginger plant into the fabric and twist the top of the cloth to make it into a ball. Squeeze out as much of the liquid as you can in to the bowl.

Dissolve 3 cups of sugar in 20 cups of water. Add juice of 2 lemons and the ginger mix. Stir and bottle in plastic bottles leaving 2-3 inches at the top. Place the caps on the bottles but don't screw them on. Leave the ginger beer on the kitchen bench for a couple of days to ferment a little more, then tighten the caps and place the bottles in the fridge. Placing it in the fridge will slow the fermentation process to almost zero.
Don't throw the dregs of the culture out. Like other live cultures it can be used again to start up your next batch. Just add it to your jar and start feeding it as usual.
WARNING
Ginger beer can explode. It's wise to bottle in plastic and not glass until you know what you're doing.

A NON WARNING

Don't be afraid of making this delicious drink. You really can't tell how fizzy it will be because you'll have different wild yeasts in your home at different times of the year. Some will help the fermentation along, some won't.
If you notice the bottles puffing out, slowly release the lid to let the pressure off.
Serve your ginger beer when it's cold. It will be fizzy, gingery and very refreshing.


I will keep you informed of the developments!!!

The day began early...again...seems to be a regular occurrence at the moment, so I decided to be productive and up I got, it was 05.10....In went the washing,on went the kettle, out came the small pile of "stuff I need to read before shredding/filing". It was dark, very dark still, but it was quiet and peaceful. I did the ironing then I wandered down the garden,let the chickens out, well, opened the doors, no one appeared..too early even for them! At 06.30 I was hanging out my washing, it all seemed a bit bizarre!

I had two plans for the day: pick blackberries and go to Stacey and Lydia's housewarming, armed with a few homemade goodies.

Plan 1 Armed with camera and Tupperware I ventured forth to find the hedgerow covered with blackberries, somewhere behind the field behind my house. I didn't find it.....but I did find the source of the "Can't you hear geese, I'm sure I heard honking, listen!" mystery, that Dick repeats most days... and I have remained unconvinced...until now...and I have photographic evidence and yes, he is right (he didn't say, I told you say, for which I am grateful...)




The man on his ride on mower didn't seem perturbed that I was walking on his land, (wondering if I was still on the public footpath)I fought the desire to ask him if he was thinking of selling up anytime as I had great plans for the farmhouse and land he owned...and that most mornings I stared out at it all whilst cleaning my teeth,from my bedroom window. Instead I ambled down his driveway secretly dreaming of community smallholding and found my way back out on to the road where blackberries were to be found.


Oh I forgot to mention that I met these friendly creatures too, before the geese encounter.






I ended up spending 2 1/2 hours walking the circuit that usually takes me 35 minutes on my weekly walk with Jane and Sue! I spotted Sloes, Rosehips and picked loads of Blackberries. I met an aquaintance who was taking her baby out for a walk, a baby who had only been a bump last time I met her in passing!



I dodged tractors and listened to farm machinery unseen behind hedges and houses. I got stung by nettles and eyeballed by cows and I had a wonderful morning!




This afternoon I have pureed blackberries and frozen them,awaiting inspiration. I have whole ones frozen too. Made up a blackberry yogurt and created a spicy blackberry drink with brandy, for the winter. I had just enough for one bottle, plus a little left over to taste.....then I accidently rinsed out the pan with the "tasting " leftovers...so now I'll have to wait to open the bottle....or pick and make some more...hmmmm!



Then it was off to the housewarming armed with a few bits and pieces to inspire Simple Living. We packed up eggs (of course..from the Hog hens!)1 Josterberry jelly, 1 Damson jam, cooking apples , eating apples, dried apple rings, homemade washing powder and instructions of how to make their own if they decide they like it and the necessary ingredients to do so if they wish! Oh and the knitted dishcloth which has become the must have housewarming present as far as I am concerned! It was great fun getting everything together and they seemed to enjoy receiving it!

Now it is dark again and my day has gone full circle, so I will retire to my bed, listen to the owl for whom the day is just beginning, and wonder whether it will be another 5am tomorrow....

I am a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come!

Have wanted to "do something" with this chair for ages! It was given to me by someone who no longer had need or use for it, a few years ago. It has been my ironing chair where I have pondered many a thought whilst ironing my tea towels....and yes, tea towels AND pillowcases HAVE to be ironed and anyway it's therapeutic....







I set to work with some hot air blower contraption that Dick had unearthed from the garage, and a scraper. Soon gave up on that idea, instead grabbed some sandpaper and set about sanding by hand. A slow process, I know, but it gives you time to think and mull and sand it bit more. I did this in stages over a few days, little by little.

The dilemma was, do I sand the old painted bits that no one can see or just leave them hidden? I had to sand them because I knew they were there even if they were hidden to everyone else....and I wanted the chair to be beautiful inside and out...



I was pleased with the remnant I found for sale outside a shop in Lyme Regis a few months ago. £2 bargain, and some left over!! I am learning that you have to buy these things when you see them.



The finished result! Everything I needed, apart from the fabric, I already had, I just needed to find it in my home! I love it when I can give something a new lease of life! I think the phrase is "repurposing" or "refashioning"...

"A Crop Palace" Open for business!

A perfect little sign reduced to 25p in "Age Concern" that matches perfectly with the heart shape design on the hen house!




There had to be a ceremony to capture the moment...two grown adults... might even submit the photo and the story to the Battery Hen Welfare Trust...wonder if they would put it in their newsletter! I'll think on that one, could be quite entertaining with the Greek storyline.



Dick had the job of "chicken grabber" from old residence and plonking them down into 5 star luxury whilst I was doorkeeper in new establishment to stop them from running out to explore the great outdoors! There were plenty of contented little clucking sounds and they all went straight into the house for a look around, not sure what to make of perches...will they lay in the nesting boxes, I wonder?










New experiences of feathers being ruffled in the breeze. Blades of grass to tug at outside the wiremesh. They were in their element!



Looks as if they have all gone into the house to sleep, I have yet to creep in and bolt the door as earlier one heard me coming and popped out to say hello! It is going to be fun being able to move around and touch them more. The litter is so deep that it is soft to sit in and they have all come over and pecked at the sequins on my top, which reflect the light!


Ramzi and Dick have both assured me that the wiremesh is plenty strong enough to withstand the jaws of a certain predator, so I will have to chill out and accept that! I still feel very protective of them though!

Prudence eyeballing me!




This shows A Crop Palace in all its glory!




It took 24 hours for them to learn to lay in the nest box!

Sewing and Sowing!

The task for the morning was to sew the duvet cover and make two pillowcases out of the remaining material. I inherited my sewing machine when my Nana died in the late 70's and as it hasn't been serviced for years, it is a little temperamental, so I have to treat it with much respect...chuntering along rather than breaking the speed record for sewing in a straight line! The results were very pleasing and it also means that we have a fairly "girlie" duvet cover to offer rather than Sonic the Hedgehog!




My other little project has been to grow basil. Why I used the entire packet, I'll never know, I shall be giving plants away with my eggs at this rate! Perhaps I should attach a recipe card :) I am very protective of these seedlings as I am a beginner really, having left planting seeds to Dick. I am the weeder and harvester normally!




These are some of the seedlings which are up in the Craft Room (South facing) and as I now spend more time up there I will be able to keep an eye on them.



This one of the reasons I could never have nail extensions, I just have to get my hands in the soil!!!!




Following on from yesterday's "jeans decision day", I took a long hard look in my wardrobe and mending box. This has resulted in various items taking up residence in the "repurposing" box to be made into bags, wreaths who knows! My clothes mending box is now empty as a result. A strange thought came into my mind as I was sorting through these clothes....a new day...a new set of clothes...but then nothing surprises me about these sorts of thoughts anymore.

Julie went to see a farm e i e i o..and on that farm...

Today I got to go to a farm, a real farm, a farm with cowpats and country smells. My friend Ava, "determined to make a farmer of you" took me with her whilst she inspected the cow's eyes....apparently, they can jab themselves in the eye whilst eating grass and it can cause injury, so regular inspection is necessary. So armed with wellies (not green ones) I strode alongside her whilst we climbed the hill across her land to find them. Most were Aberdeen Angus, she informed me....I just saw wary eyes and much wee and poo coming out in fountains from rear ends....which held a strange fascination if only for a short while....

The calves were cute, especially the sucking on udder one, and I wished I had brought my camera. I did however have my mobile,and it was, as I was looking for the camera setting, that I trod in the cowpat which apparently Ava has never done despite having a field full of the stuff!

The most amazing sight of all, for me was the farmhouse....oh my word, okay, the words "Money Pit" come to mind, but the personality of the place, the wide windowsills that you could sit on like a benchseat, the leaded windows, the Arga, the woodburning stove, the farmhouse kitchen....lots of interesting little cupboards and shelves for jams and jellies. I would be in my absolute element...so dream a little, I did and then came away praying that her vision for the place would one day come into being, God willing and all that!

It has been a good start to the Bank Holiday w/e. I am hoping to put my Craft room to good use and finish repurposing (a new word I have learned from other Simple Living blogs!) a torn kingsize duvet cover into a single one with two pillow cases. I have measured and cut and plan to complete that in the next day or two. Another item from the mending pile out of the way!

Yesterday, I bought a wicker basket for my knitting projects, a bargain at £2.95! I am learning that you have to get these items when you see them in Charity shops as they don't stay long. I have been getting frustrated with my knitting bag as it has so many pockets that I spend ages trying to find my scissors, sewing needles etc delving about in its deep recesses! So the bag will be used for transporting in case of w/es away and the basket can stay at home where can see eveything at a glance...and it has a sort of sentimental charm about it.





On yet another trivial note, and this is going to sound absolutely mind numbing information, I made the momentous decision today (no really it's pathetic...)to throw away my "second skin"... my old thin worn out jeans that I love so much because they are so comfortable whatever weight I am. They feel like part of me and I wear them a lot, okay partly because they are one of the few items that actually fit me at the moment, but also because they move with me and well, I don't know what else to say...anyway...this week I noticed a tear, not huge, but a tear in the upper thigh area where thigh is herniating out is not pleasant...even if I have lost 2lb this week (yay!) Added to this, I had tried on a pair of jeans in a charity shop yesterday which were in better condition than the ones I was wearing (the fact that they were size 14 and I couldn't do them up was another issue to deal with) So the decision had to be made...this morning I wrestled with the "should I keep them for gardening?" NO, remember herniating thigh, not good...could tear more and that would really put the chickens off laying...So now, here I sit in my low slung (not a good style on me!)black jeans with my belly resembling Eglon King of Moab after the sword ordeal....

So if you have lost the will to live, at this point, I apologise, my next blog will show manly men doing stuff with bricks and cement...A crop palace Part 2. In the meantime I am going to learn how to weave on a cardboard frame...bye for now!!!!

Knitting dishcloths is addictive!

I know,I know, I hear exclamations like "What's the point?!" and "You're knitting what?!" but I have to say... there is something very satisfying about washing up in hot bubbles with a soft absorbant cloth, somehow you want to slow down the pace of life whilst looking out at your washing blowing in the breeze...(you're not convinced are you?!) Well I'm happy in my little world where simplicity reigns...or at least "is coming to the fore!"

So here are my first attempts:












I bought this book at the Bath and West "Creative Crafts" show yesterday. I was really hoping that there might be some Peg Looms there, but looks like I shall be ordering one online as there weren't any to be seen. This book helps to further whet my appetite. I would to have a go at stick weaving too.




I found this child's loom in a charity shop recently. I still can't quite work out how to thread it correctly, but at some point I need to have a go! I have the designs in my head, I just need to get on with it (between dishcloths!!) The instructions (circa late 60's,70's) suggest that I may be able to find "small remnants out of your Mother's wool-box and make many pretty things"! So hey ho off I go to Mother's wool-box!




I have decided that I would like to organise all my Creative/Craft items in one place. So the Craft Room is born! It doesn't look much at the moment, but I couldn't resist taking some early photos! When it looks more "lived in" I will take more! It is going to be brilliant not to have to clear everything away when I have finished for the day! The pasteing table will appear for the photo album/scrapbooking at some point as well! As you can gather, I am just a little excited!




My ribbon Box




I love seeing my needles all sticking up like this! I've been wondering what use to put this tall vase to!

A crop palace Part 1!

Preparations are afoot! Our new exbatts have no idea that a few feet away from where they are being temporarily housed. a new structure is about to be erected, a palacial
residence, thanks in part to British Airways who paid us to catch a later flight whilst we were were staying in Athens recently. The name Acropalace (At-hens International) just seemed to fit somehow!








First Dick and Ramzi had to clear some branches. I was told that I "wasn't really being very helpful" because I would gasp audibly every time Ramzi ventured along a branch which creaked ominously...





Now I know why boys need men in their lives! Mothers want to protect and are always telling boys to "be careful", "don't do that you might fall" etc. Boys need to be daring and if they fall, they have to learn to pick themselves up and carry on. I do wonder what sort of boys we are raising when so many fathers are out of the equation. There is a whole lot more than can be said on that subject and I must not be drawn!

So anyway...I made myself scarce... That was a few weeks ago!

This next photo has been taken today and shows where Dick has measured and levelled the ground ready for the bricks and then, at some point in the future, they will mix up some cement and the base will be ready for Stage 2, building the Acropalace!

I went to the library and look what I came back with!

I just couldn't resist it...and then I realised that I hadn't brought a bag to carry them all back to the car in. The library have stopped giving out plastic bags for those of us who get carried away so I just had to go to Denners and buy some half price wool and ask for "the mother of all bags" to carry everything in! The lady was very obliging!


The "Country Rag Crafts" book (top right) had me diving into my recycling and retrieving an old red T shirt and some denin shorts of Chris' that he know longer needed. Out came the scissors and long strips of 1-2 cm wide strips, some cut on the bias (ooh err) which in no time were wound up into balls ready for use. "For what?" I hear you ask, well, the book is full of suggestions and I am inspired! It takes recycling to a new level..."oh no", I hear you groan.....

I won't go into what I am discovering in the other books, I will let the titles speak for themselves.......and no comments about the Vinegar one!!!!!

A good enough start?

I feel as if my mind is filled with so many ideas each one bouncing on to the next and then linking in with another and yet everything seems to be just that, ideas and not really anything much to show for it, it's exhausting and just a little frustrating! Yet I know that research is important and in the case of "Simple Living" there are loads of fascinating and inspiring blogs which I have just loved reading! I also know that sometimes I am hard on myself because when I look back through the last couple of months when all this "went up a gear", I can see that actually I have made a healthy start and have already made changes that have now become part of our life.

In fact let me try and get my head around what I have changed and am planning to change in the next few months:

I try to walk instead of taking the car where possible. If I need the car, I try and do a round trip of lots of little jobs!

I use the library more.

Before I throw anything away, I ask myself if it can serve another function. This sometimes clashes with my decluttering ideal...so presents the trickiest dilemma for me!

I have become a self confessed Charity shop fan!

I am trying to make presents instead of buying.

I am knitting again! This includes the face cloths/ dish cloths!

I have re varnished a footstool and a letter holder (charity shops!)

I am thinking about a Craft room in my house, which is mine all mine!!!

I now make liquid soap and washing powder.

I am beginning to clean without chemicals, it is just a start though as I gradually finish the old bottles.

I am trying to learn more about vegetables!

I now place a small rectangular bucket in the shower tray which collects enough grey water to flush the toilet a few times.

I try and take time to look around and notice things.

I am discovering beauty in creation.

I am trying to make more time for people.


This isn't a pat on the back exercise as I know I have a long way to go, but at least, I guess I can see I am on my way, even if there is a list inside my head which is churning over many possiblities! It is one step at a time and hopefully I will make lasting changes.

I feel so excited and challenged by it all and I know that some of you who read this blog would have had listen to me enthuse, please be kind and humour me...you never know, the next bath bomb or dusting powder,shampoo or bubble bath, cabbage, basil or new potatoes and of course the Hoghen eggs might find their way into your home!

For £3.50 a bargain, my new footstool!




The year I am determined that my sweetpeas are going to be an outstanding success!!!





The liquid soap experiment that worked!



The newly varnished footstool, yes, another one...

Knitted face cloths/flannels?

Well, here's a strange thing and it seems has an enthusiastic following...so I couldn't resist it to see what all the fuss was about! People across the globe are comparing patterns and knitting these squares to wash their dishes and their bodies...(ahem different cloths for different jobs...oh for goodness sake!)

So I did my research :) Off I went into town, returned with two balls of cream coloured 100% cotton which can be washed at 95°. (A few days later I also bought some organic cotton (wash at 40°) in an apricot shade as I remembered the health issues facing farm workers in some countries with the non organic cotton. As this was "Made in India" and even better, half price, I may just have to buy some more!)

The cream colour seems to knit up slighter thicker and may therefore make a more absorbant cloth (Gosh, I bet you guys are rivetted!!!) The pastel shades are obviously more attractive. My plan is to buy fragrant soaps and give them as presents. I may even use the idea to do some fundraising for Asha in the future.

The result? I am impressed! I have to say, I love my new flannel and no, I wouldn't go back to the old one, which incidentally resembles a board when dry, whereas I have to just keep stroking and squeezing my new one.....yep, I know, there are no words.....

I cannot bring myself to knit a dishcloth yet as I can't bear the idea of getting it dirty and the risk that the stains won't wash out and I am a sad woman who is obviously losing it bigtime!!!!!





The pattern I use says start decreasing about 45 stitches are on the needle, but I find 70 stitches is a good size for an adult flannel/dishcloth. The pattern is SO easy and the item can be completed in a few hours in front of the TV. I will try and get the link as I got it off some knitted dish cloth forum....and believe me they DO exist!!!!

This is the pattern:
http://www.groovy-mom.com/crafty/patterns/dishcloth.shtml

This is the ardent following they have!!!! LOL!

http://dishandwashclothmania.com/about/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/knitting/discuss/72157594270653708/




The Journal you can see above will be explained in another blog, it isn't a personal account of anything, just a snapshot into each day I decide to write in it....




This flannel and soap will be part of my mum's 70th birthday present when I visit her in a week or so!

So that's it for now...off to complete a few more rows and reflect on my day before I turn out the light!

Night night all!
xx