Sleaford & Rugs

Today my daughter had a blinding idea , lets go to Sleaford !! Its somewhere i havent been for years , but we needed a trip to Lidl and a little bit of Charity shopping would kill an hour , so heres my mystery shopper report .
The Christians , complete with cafe . Lots of stock reasonably priced but nothing for me , good selection of books and the cafe was cooking something that smelled divine .
On to the high street , and its the first of the Age UK shops , a sea of blah and nothing . The Red Cross shop , are they turning into the overpriced vintage shop of the high street ? This was even worse than the one in Barton on Humber last week , theyd got lots of nice 50s china cabinets that theyd locked any stock you might actually want to see into and the price tags were enough to make you faint . They had some nice stock but they were priced at the level of a high end vintage fair . £100 for a box of teddies and magazines that were a part work a few years ago !! Bit of sparkly costume jewellery £10 and upwards, an Indian Tree bonbon dish '£38 .
Hospice shop had nothing interesting but it was reasonable , there was also another blah
age UK . A Scope with nothing that seemed even worth a glance and finally A Cancer Research shop that redeemed the day , it was pricy but the women on the till was just wrinkling her lip at having to put this big bag of Readicut wool out . So i scrounged off my daughter and got it . Into the Ebay shop it has gone already    http://stores.ebay.co.uk/katiesrecycle
Now dont get me wrong there may be loads of other really good charity shops in Sleaford , its a very nook and cranny kind of place and if anyone knows of any let me know , but you have to pay to park and theres not a lot there .. So a bit of a wasted trip really if it wasnt for Cancer Research

Weddings

Last night I got to go to the wedding reception occasion of the year....at least in my small world . 22 years together and ive known them for all of those and then some . Sometimes things that effect the world dont seem of any importance to you or yours . but ive never seem people more happy . So good luck to Kev and Alvin

Thrift shop Bonanza

Ok I lied , Im still struggling to find anything worth buying in the thrift shops , I toddled round bonny Barton upon Humber  yesterday , my favourite Salvation Army was closed but i had an hour to kill and my I must walk for miles just for the illusion of exercise mind set .
  Red Cross Shop. Once upon a time it was brilliant now its so damned expensive its worth a chuckle when you pick things up .  I think theyre doing the look it up on ebay pricing , theyre furniture isnt  to bad a price and they do reduce eventually just for stock rotation i think . So I was getting the nutty old lady stares from the staff for chuckling to myself . There was a gentlemen and his wife doing the same thing as well . didnt see any buyers in there though .
Hospice Shop, lots of clothing reasonably priced , but im not buying clothing for more than a £1 at the moment ...im so mean
It was that cold , I forced myself into the new Age UK, didnt have my hopes up because they tend to have become house of overpriced horrors . Surprise this was a £2 for all clothing and bedding shop , plus most bits and bobs were for pennies , 10p books etc. a few bric a brac shockers , maybe it was an opening sale?
for 30p I managed to pick a small but tatty vintage case to add to the project pile . Plus these 2 lovelies , tablecloth has cleaned up beautifully , probably a keeper as it is a little faded .

Then theres Ginger girlie , she is gorgeous 60s or 70s retro , cheap wood frame and glazed . think she may go to ebay , you just dont see much with ginger children on at all  ............sharing at . http://www.frommyfrontporchtoyours.com/

Big Pants

I can spend a happy hour at the Moorlands Methodist Thrift Shop in Lincoln , theres something very old school about it .Its in the actual church which is very 60s brown wood and brown light , its rather like rooting in a cave. The prices are so cheap its scary and its run by a bunch of very cheery venerable ladies who always seem to be having a giggle and a natter . Plus theyre actually friendly , a rarity in this day and age .
Please dont tell my daughter , because she would be so appalled. I bought some knickers today , they were brand new and sealed in a pack but in her eyes it would still be grounds for hanging a bell round my neck and making me roam the streets shouting "unclean, unclean "
 The best though is yet to come ..when i got to the till , the rather hard of hearing  elderly lady manning it , shouts to the whole place "why are these pants so expensive? is it because theyre so large? The whole place went silent .
I was trying to keep a straight face , the lady pastor scuttles up apologises , tries to vanish up her own cassock etc. by now theres a whole gaggle of elderly ladies at the till all inspecting the pack of pants and gossiping about the current price of underwear. The pastor was so embarrassed she let me have them for a stuning £2 a bargain, as they actually originally cost £12.99 .
I have to say its a bit of a drastic way to get a bargain

la la la la ebay

do you ever have one of those days ?  Today has been  a never ending series of trivial annoyances . woken up at 1am by OH wanting antacids because hed chicken kieved himself half to death , then followed it with a tuna and sweetcorn pizza that only he likes , so guess what, he ate the whole thing .  Then  he goes back to sleep and im left sat there with hot flushes for company and him snoring ...grrrrr

Work has just been tedious in the extreme, then i have one of those conversations that leaves you wanting to throttle someone      
Who deals with wages these days?
"Not to sure I will ask
 Err there not at their desk "
I have no wage slip are we getting paid ?
"We dont deal with wageslips theyre outsourced to Scotland , of course youre getting paid "
You forgot to pay me at Xmas , remember ?
(deathly silence)
Could you check if im getting paid and how much ?
"Wages are dealt with by scotland "
Who do I speak to in Scotland?
"Only we can speak to Scotland"
Could you speak to Scotland?
"Only Laura can speak to Scotland , shes not at her desk"
Could you ring me back once youve solved the mystery of my wages please?
IM STILL WAITING

Then you get home to a reminder of why you dont sell clothes on ebay , sold shirt on ebay , polite email from buyer its not the size stated , could they have a refund . Yes if they return it first . Bear in mind they asked for a photo of the size label and all the measurements before they bought it . I await with interest the reply !!!

The moral of the story is , if the fat bird doesnt get much sleep her patience level is zero !!!

Recipe for Ebay

I think ive wasted most of the afternoon reading the recipes , in this tatty recipe file . It looks like one womens collection of clippings receipts and scribbled notes

  

. Its been lurking for a few months and it had to go into http://stores.ebay.co.uk/katiesrecycle. I have a bad cookery book habit and i really dont need more
I remember my mother had the same book with recipes tucked into it , ancient aunties offerings and at least half a dozen different Lincolnshire Plum Loaf recipes it was always cake recipes , none of my lot really eat cake so im parting with this book full . Its signed inside Mrs Freeman Grimsby and the recipes date from the 50s to the 70s . I love the Pyrex souffle dish label stuck inside, theres even a letter about applying to spillers for free cake decorations.
Linking to the HOST

Politically Incorrect Vintage Sewing Machine

In my bid to spring clean a bit , i dug this love out of my bedroom today , she needs a really good wax and polish as shes all dried out over the winter due to the heat .
If your wondering why shes politically incorrect its the fact that shes made in Germany , no badges no names just model 339 as an identification ,  although shes very 1890s  she will have had a revamp in 1914
Very much made by Frister and Rossman in Berlin , everything made in germany had to be rebranded  and retransferred during and after  WWI  and this is  quite a comman shape of machine, though this is unusual because of the mother of pearl inlay . Sews OK hardly any wear to the bed transfers , but I think shes sadly redundent in this household which is a shame , dont have anyone female in the family to pass her on to . My daughter has her own vintage baby already

Its Grim Up North

March and april are usually the grimmest months of my financial year . This year its never got better since xmas when they forgot to pay us . My employers are the scum of the earth in more ways than one .
So weve lived off foodstores and £20 a week for bread and milk and consumables , me and the kids are used to this , Mr Bah Humbug finds it a little harder...lol
So heres a few of my favorite blog's on the food subject  http://www.frugalqueen.co.uk/2014/03/no-need-to-feel-guilty-if.html  I will never be as motivated as this lady in a million years , but i do like the recipes, they are thrift based all the time.
http://meanqueen-lifeaftermoney.blogspot.co.uk/  Eats well on a budget , but if i ate as much broccoli as she did , the consequences would be dire...lol
An American poverty site that chucks up some good recipe ideas from time to time http://poorasfolk.wordpress.com/
Now youre wondering where this is leading ?
I want to sing the praises of these guys

Derek Meeds Canned Food

Hill House Farm, Ferry Lane
PE20 3SS Brothertoft
Lincolnshire

Phone:

01205 280338

Fax:

01205 280338

They have a little portacabin factory shop in the middle of nowhere that sells de labelled branded products and this weeks major bargain buy is 24 tins of decent quality delabelled beans 2015 date   for £2.40 . I also got 24 tins of spaghetti in tomato sauce for £3.40 . Sadly they dont have a website . As i now have to rebuild my foodstore these are a great addition and when i get paid i plan a major raid 

Dig for Victory ...The garden rant

So today the big plan is to venture into the back garden and start sizing up for veg production . We have always grown veg where we have the space . This house has space , small grandson and the football of doom have the big grass front garden . Mr Bah Humbug has his scrapyard  (sorry his recreation and hobby area ) to the rear and beyond that its all mine .
Last year it was a total washout most of the garden was under water and we wont even mention the half built greenhouse .
The truth of the matter is that you dont need huge amounts of space to grow a lot of food , I have a huge strawberry bed , raspberries, rhubarb and dwarf rootstock apples pears and plums dotted around .
the big descision is not to grow potatoes , if the rain does the usual they just rot . so apart from half a dozen Orkney blues just because i love them. I just wont bother .
Its the cabbages, i love all manner of strange ones if i can get them, kale, red and savoy . Beans is the biggest crop ,starting with broad then on to all the others .
I do like the heritage varieties best dreadnought broad beans that are taller than me . alderman peas that grow at least 6 feet , so much easier to pick . all the ground hugging varieties were bred for mechanical harvesting . Tomato plants i generally buy for pennies from the car boot along with a couple of courgette plants.
You really cant fault Lidl for cheap seeds , salad types are great and so cheap , Poundland does good mixes of bean seed , you dont have to have acres of land to put a bit of variety into your diet . Or tons of money , even a few herbs in pots are good .
dont forget rainbow chard either , kids will munch it just for the colour and you just pick and it comes again right through the winter with a bit of shelter

Thrift Shop Tat

I had great plans to go to the car boot sale today then i opened the curtains , thick freezing fog my number one driving hate , so instead i sat around watching the council builders trying to put in our super duper designated parking spot , practicality hasnt come into it as usual , theyve made the gateway smaller , so i can see what will happen one dark night , if i have to put the van on it ..lol its big enough for one vehicle we have 3 sometimes 4 and theyve left a great drop so that we wont be able to use the existing drive .I did query this , only to be told there is a one car per household rule, on green grounds we should be using public transport and cycling . We live in the middle of nowhere we have one bus a day and i dont think cycling 100 miles a day to and from work is very practical somehow , I didnt dignify this with a reply....good job he cant read minds .
We did eventually get sunshine so my daughter took me to Horncastle on mission charity shop .  We spent an hour or so toddling round . Horncastle has a lot of second hand stores and antique centers plus a couple of half decent bookshops , so the pickings are slim , my daughter got a couple of tops and books . I was recovering from the shock of the ever greedy Age UK having made their £1 rail a £2 rail , come on guys the stuff you put on the rail has all seen better days it needs a stitch or has a mark or is just deformed , you havent improved the quality any . I used to buy bits to cut up , or for the trimmings and buttons , shant bother now youve doubled the price .
 But they still put the stuff theyre embarrassed to sell near the door ,and I couldnt resist this pair of Chinese dolls very modern bright and cheerful and the stunning sum of 45p .
I also played the guilt trip on my daughter , the little monster has smashed a lot of my pots by the front door kicking his football and among the rejects was a victorian handleless potty for a whole £1 , so she bought me it ..lol
I will apologise for the top of the dustbin photo i was being plagued by a small ball with a football , the joy of granny duties

Hartrox & Jean Plaidy

Ive scoured the coast Mablethorpe, Sutton on Sea & Alford visited at least 15 charity shops and spent a whole 40p . the shops are brimming with stock and nothing leapt out and said buy me ..lol
I think I was just to psyched up after a week stuck at home , I may raid the penny jar tomorrow and toddle off to a car boot sale if the weather keeps sunny.
So laugh at my vintage purchases today.  1968 1st edition Jean Plaidy , sadly a dud, its one of the few that doesnt sell, but i read it back in the day so i may read it and then donate.
Hatrox of Castleford  little beige glazed boat , I like Hartrox, ive a couple of the big vases, in beige of course so now I have a little boat , it needs a good clean it has lots of paint spots and plaster splatter . Im sure it can stick around , worthless but cute

Return of the Blogger

Im back!!!! Having done a week of tea and sympathy for Mr Bah Humbug , I finally have a bit of me time , back to work and thrifting tomorrow .
Sometimes I think im like an Old Lady in Sons of Anarchy only with scooters instead of Harleys , if I hear once more that his life is over if he cant ride im going to scream , yesterday he had his cohorts round offering sympathy and swapping rusty parts. All that is required is copious trays of tea and to keep out of the way ..lol
Being as it could be months till he finds another consultant and months till they decide if they can help him , I will have to polish my halo and keep making tea..lol
Meanwhile in the real world ive been trying to figure out why i have so much strange stuff in my wardrobe , I dont open it often but found a boxed pair of new shoes that never fitted me in there that ive put on ebay today , did I think my feet would grow ?

 Loads of Jeans that never fitted me , did i buy them for a project or was i kidding myself that my backside would shrink? Ive been a yoyo dieter all my life but even in my skinny days i must have been delusional to buy these . Oh and by skinny days i mean size18  thats as good as it ever gets .
Bags of shirts from  the charity shop , because once you get to a large size you just buy everything that fits because theres so little that fits, then you take it all home and see what works .
The one redeeming feature is that i didnt find any beige , so im not that old yet !!!

Womens Problems

Sometimes real world problems intrude on my blogging . work, home, work home all problems ..lol
we just start to see the end of the financial problem tunnel and we get dropped yet another bombshell.
Now all of you in the States and some other countries dont get point of need healthcare , or the good old NHS . Mr Bah Humbug was sent back to see a spinal consultant 9 months ago , he never examined him and was very dismissive but booked a scan just in case . It took 5 months to get the scan and then he waited and waited , his doctor kept chasing it up and they then sent a discharge letter from the consultant to his doctor saying he hadnt turned up for the scan and written in latin that he was a bullshitter  , hed had to travel to Birmingham for it and i had gone with him . they have now found his scan and have discharged him to another specialist as he may need yet more surgery . We will now wait weeks for another different consultant appointment . Meanwhile his GP is taking it further and putting in an official complaint about the consultant involved , they forwarded the letter on to us and we are having a meeting with the GP tomorrow .
Mr Bah Humbug isnt taking this well , his last surgery was risky he knows that more surgery carries the risk of quadraplegia , waiting 9 months hasnt helped the situation .
So if im not around much this week its because im being a good partner , Mr Bah Humbug takes priority over everything else at the moment