Bramble and Clover

Here's a photo I took today of my two beautiful rabbits - aren't they lovely? That's Bramble on the left and Clover on the right.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to anyone who drops by here. I don't know if I have many readers, (probably not) but apologies for the long silence. I find December a bit stressful with family birthdays and Christmas preparations, but that's all behind us now (though the credit card bills will be rolling in shortly!).


My main aim for 2008 is to declutter and simplify both my home and my life. I have made a really good start - in fact I started before Christmas. While we were putting up the Christmas tree and a few other decorations I was amazed at how much Christmas stuff we have accumulated over the years. I'm not particularly fashion conscious about colours etc, but our excess was mainly due to the transition over the years from Christmas decorations for young children (the unbreakable type) to more fragile items. I sorted out everything that I couldn't bear to part with (some things have a sentimental value, such as some pieces my Dad bought us the year before he died). The rest I boxed up and posted on Freecycle and I am happy to say everything found a new home.


That got me started and over the past couple of weeks I have been Freecycling and Charity Shopping everything in sight! I even put up some old games and toys etc on EBay and amazingly almost everything sold. I am in the process of clearing out my attic and hope to have everything organised and sorted by next weekend. It's cold up there and space is limited so I can only manage brief sessions, but I have been bringing down assorted boxes of accumulated junk and finding new homes for most of it. I am trying really hard not to send anything to landfill and equally resisting the urge to keep things for sentimental reasons, but it's very difficult. I used to watch the TV series "The Life Laundry" and although I'm not as obsessive as most of the people they helped, I do have a problem with throwing things away. I always think "someone else could use this" but invariably it gets stuffed in a cupboard, in the attic or out in the shed and gets forgotten about until things are rediscovered when I'm looking for something else.


I don't have a list of new year resolutions as resolutions are notoriously hard to keep but these are the main issues I want to concentrate on in 2008:



- Finish clearing all the junk out of the attic.

- Dejunk the shed and the garage.

- Reorganise the way I clean my house so I spend less time doing housework and more time relaxing.

- I want to change the way I shop for food so as to reduce the amount of unnecessary packaging and also buying only the amount of food we need so I never end up throwing away any food at all. I'd also like to change the way I cook to include making extra portions that can be frozen or refridgerated to be eaten on another day so I use less fuel for cooking.


Speaking of extra portions, I have used this recipe for Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagne several times, but I have adapted it by using fresh spinach (stirfried for a minute in a little olive oil) and topped it with bechamel sauce with a little strong flavoured grated cheese stirred in instead of the parmesan. I also substituted pine nuts for the walnuts. When I made this recipe I found I had too much to fill our dish and made two individual portions as well which were popped in the freezer for another day.

I didn't take a photo of the lasagne, but I did take some of my mincemeat and mince pies. I used Delia Smith's recipe for mincemeat that I cut out of a magazine about 15 years ago, but I split it into two batches. One has suet in (I use the vegetarian sort) and one has no suet. The suet batch keeps for a few months but the non suet batch was used straight away (and has slightly fewer calories!). A couple of extra tablespoons of brandy in the no-suet batch made up for the lack of maturing time! I haven't given the recipe for the mincemeat as it's really a Christmas thing, but if anyone reading this wants the recipe I could type it up for you. PS: For any non-UK readers, mincemeat doesn't contain meat, it's just dried fruit, apples, sugar and spices - though originally the recipes did contain ground up meat and animal fat.

This is how the mincemeat looks before it goes into the oven for three hours

If you look closely you can see the suet mincemeat at the back and the "fat free" version at the front.

Here's the first batch just out of the oven - I think I made about 5 dozen all together, some with "open" lids cut out with different shaped cookie cutters; we had stars and Christmas trees as well as these playing card cut outs. There's nothing like a homemade mince pie!

About work and cycling

I recently changed my job - although I am still based in the same office and surrounded by the same people, I now work with a different manager with different responsibilities and a different role. I am really enjoying my new job - though I had quite a steep learning curve as my new boss went on holiday two weeks after I started (it had been arranged long ago so I didn't take it personally!).

I work in local government and everything is driven it seems by the ubiquitous "target". Some targets are good - to achieve more or to get better are good goals to strive for. However, we have been working towards a really unpleasant and negative target that makes me feel quite uncomfortable. We have been counting down to the end of the year the numbers of people killed and seriously injured on the roads of Essex. The aim was for the number to be lower than last year - and although we did manage to reduce the overall numbers from last year, unfortunately we didn't quite achieve the figure set for us by central government. It's been horrible to see the number posted on the office wall, gradually rising every day. Christmas and New Year are both very bad times for road casualties, and the most dreadful ones are those that involve young people or children. I have always loved that song by Chris Rea, "Driving Home for Christmas" but it is always tinged with a horrible thought that nowadays we make so many more car journeys at this time of the year, and at at the same time there will be lots of people on the roads who are on the way home from a drinks party or a night out. The floral tributes that you see on the roadsides are a dreadful reminder of the lives that have been wrecked and so often drink driving is responsible. I personally believe we should adopt a zero tolerance to drink driving in this country as they do in some other European countries.

I'm also very conscious of safety as a cyclist. I always wear a cycle helmet, reflective/fluorescent gear and have lights front and back (as well as assorted reflectors). You wouldn't believe the number of drivers who still don't see me (or perhaps choose not to!). I don't cycle on the pavement, and always stop at traffic lights, yet the number of times I get abuse, both from pedestrians and drivers, is unbelievable. My worst problem is with the dog walkers. Part of my route to work is along a shared cycle/footpath which is wide enough to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists but the problem is the dogs - I don't dislike dogs, but the dog owners who walk on one side of the footpath with their dog on the other side with the lead across the width of the footpath really take the biscuit. Oops this has turned into a rant - sorry! Pedestrians who step into the road just because they haven't heard a car coming are also a real hazard. I don't set out on my journey to mow anyone down, but pedestrians are always astonished that cyclists can't stop dead. In the Highway Code they give the stopping times for cars travelling at different speeds, and most people are aware that the faster you are going the longer it takes to stop but a cyclist travelling even at 3 or 4 miles an hour (which is slow) will need a few yards of stopping distance.



This is one of the government's Think campaign posters - it is aimed at drivers to make them more aware of motorcyclists, but cyclists are also very vulnerable. I have only been involved in one accident as a cyclist when a driver opened their car door as I drew alongside - I was very bruised and shaken but it was lucky that it was on a quiet road as I was thrown across the road - if anything had been travelling in the other direction it would have been much worse.

PS - the posting date for this is showing as 7 December - I started it then, but didn't get round to posting until today - 5 January 2008!

Jumble sale bargains

Here are the things I bought at the jumble sale last week - total expenditure £4!


A pine beveled mirror, three books, a ball of wool - and for the rabbits, a blanket and a wicker basket to play with.









The blanket will be something to keep the bunnies warm in the winter - and I've painted the frame of the mirror and hope to hang it up later this weekend.

...~~~...

Autumn

I love this time of year, leaves falling from trees, crisp frosty mornings, and lovely early sunsets. For some reason, I manage to find more time for crafty activities in the autumn and winter. I've just finished my apron for Rhonda Jean's apron swap and hope to post it shortly. This is another work in progress:

a knitted patchwork blanket from Woman's Weekly's Knitting & Cross Stitch Special magazine 2000. In fact it is the simplest idea - 4 inch squares knitting on the diagonal with a single bold unifying colour - the rest of the colour scheme can be pot luck (like mine) or you could plan it geometrically to create a repeating pattern. My main colour (as in the original pattern) is dark blue/navy, but I bet it would look lovely in pastel colours too. I've knitted about 30 squares so far - the pattern suggests 9 squares for a cushion cover, 24 for a cot blanket, 36 for a throw, but I'm aiming for 60 to make it single bedspread size (though I may keep going for the double!). I keep a few scraps of wool and needles with me wherever I go and can dash off a few rows if I've got a few minutes to fill.

For the first time yesterday I tried knitting using dpns but I was an utter failure and had to give up after about two hours. My daughter wants some fingerless gloves but I can't get the hang of the technique. I will try again, but I think I'll start on something simpler first.

Bargain buys

On my way home from the hairdresser this morning, I paid a visit to the Salvation Army shop - principally to drop off a bag of shoes and clothes - and found myself a couple of bargains.

First was this butter dish for £1. I've been wanting to get a butter dish for a while as I've felt guilty about buying butter or margarine in plastic tubs for a long time as we have no recycling for any plastics other than plastic bottles (shampoo, milk etc). I have returned to buying block butter which is only wrapped in paper - and this can be folded very small before throwing away. I'm trying to reduce our household waste, and part of the exercise is to reduce the volume as well as the weight, so everything that can't be recycled or composted is squashed flat, folded down or crushed. In an average week, we don't have more than two carrier bags full of rubbish, in good weeks only one. OK, you spotted the immediate problem - carrier bags. I won't buy black sacks for rubbish and never get supermarket carrier bags as I always take plenty of shopping bags with me - but occasionally we do end up with bags from other types of shopping and these do get used for rubbish. I am sure the day will come when there are no carrier bags at all in our house, and I'm not sure I like the idea of putting loose household rubbish in the dustbin as this will mean more frequent dustbin cleaning. While I have carrier bags I will continue to use them to throw away rubbish, but eventually I'll need to find a hygenic solution - wrapping in newspaper maybe? Hmm; I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

See how small a butter wrapper is when it's folded up!

My other bargains were these two plates at 15p each. I love topiary (a long time ago I trained a bay tree into a lollipop shape, and it lasted for about 6 years, but sadly it died a couple of years back due to an infestation of some kind) and I just liked these plates. I don't really need plates, but these would be nice as cake plates don't you think?




I also got a couple of other items which might be suitable as Christmas gifts (so I won't post photos here).



There's a jumble sale at the local scout hall this week end. I may take a stroll round there this afternoon and see what I can find.

Blog Action Day - 15 October 2007

This post is part of Blog Action Day : thousands of blogs talking about the environment on 15 October.


I am trying to do my little bit to make a difference. Every year on World Environment Day I struggle to find a new pledge to agree to as I do everything I can to reduce, reduce, recycle, etc. We have facilities locally to recycle paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, metals, wood, textiles. I compost vegetable and garden waste, I cycle to work and have replaced light bulbs with energy savings bulbs. I try to dispose of unwanted items to charity shops or through Freecycle rather than sending them to landfill.


But having read so many amazing blogs by people who are really making big changes in their lives, I realise that I have a long way to go. I so admire those who spin and weave, keep chickens and have allotments, growing a wide range of fruit and vegetables. I can't do all of these things (at least not while I have to work full time to keep up the mortgage payments), but I am going to keep on trying to do more.

Let's hope that Blog Action Day increases awareness of environmental concerns.

What did I just say????

Exactly this (only not quite so eloquently perhaps).

The Lovely World of Blogging

Or not so lovely it seems...

I read a broad range of (what I think are) very interesting blogs - my favourites are crafty and creative like Julie and Simmy or "green" and frugal living like Rhonda Jean, Meredith and Willow. I'm not religious, but I do read a lot of Christian blogs (because they have interesting things to say or are just very nice people) such as Marie and Jess. I like knitters, weavers and spinners, people who make bags and embroider, people who bake from scratch (is there any other way?) and I love to read foodie blogs such as Tea and get lots of ideas and recipes from so many different places. I like to hear about the ups and downs of people's lives and family situations, marvel at their creativity and learn so very many useful things. I even recently discovered Google Reader and saved myself hours (I know, I'm a bit slow on the uptake...), and I'm adding new feeds every day.

BUT, I feel so sad that people feel they have the right to criticise other bloggers. I have seen some very hurt feelings being expressed following some nasty comments and sadly some wonderful people have stopped blogging altogether (Natalie at Isabella in the 21st Century for one - and missed so very much).

I've seen some unbelievably evil comments made to people who've expressed horror at the war in Iraq (by Americans who presumably believe it is patriotic to send young men and women away to die for a conflict none of us should be involved in). If people want to "home-school" or be a stay at home mum, or make jam or conserve energy or buy exclusively from charity shops and boot sales (and blog about it) they should be allowed to do so.

It isn't the criticism itself that is the issue, but the sheer unpleasantness. I have been lucky and not received any negative comments (maybe because I don't say much and hardly anyone reads my little blog!) - but some people out there are making extremely hurtful comments, and causing a great deal of unhappiness. All I want to say to them is IF YOU DON'T AGREE WITH IT, DON'T READ IT. Just as you can turn off your television or radio if you don't like what you hear or see, you can also turn off your computer (or do something else like play online games or shop on EBay).

On the positive side of blogging, it warmed my heart to see how much support Jane received from her readers after the vitriolic article in the Telegraph, and the enormous outpouring of sympathy when Alicia's dog died (and the hundreds of welcome comments when her new puppy arrived) was truly amazing and the unbelievable generosity towards Rachael when her cat Digit came back from the dead!

So it's not all bad...

If people do feel motivated to make critical comments, they should first consider what damage they might be inflicting. Here is an interesting item about how to give kind criticism - I also love all the useful tips I can pick up here about how to declutter and simplify my life (though I don't know if I can manage this , only 100 personal possessions? - I could manage to get down to 1,000 maybe!).

On a happy note - it was my birthday on Monday and these are just some of the lovely presents I received from my two wonderful, generous and amazing children:

But best of all was a lovely day out with my daughter - we went to the RSPB reserve on the Stour Estuary near Wrabness, followed by a lovely pub lunch. I love autumn, and crunching through the leaves underfoot was just heavenly.

What I've been up to lately

I haven't been near my home computer much lately. I have missed reading all the lovely blogs I usually visit and hope to catch up in the next couple of days.

Meanwhile, here are some of the things I've been doing:

• Making jam - for my friend who is fund raising for the hospice

Lovely Victoria Plum Jam

• Blackberry Jam and Apple & Blackberry Jam (my favourite). These are the few I kept for me - about 20 pots of jam went off for the sale.

Spare blackberries were used to make crumble and stewed apple and blackberries - haven't the blackberries been amazing this year?

• Making lavender bags - another fund raising idea
  
  
  

• Taking two very cross rabbits to the vet for their Myxamatosis jabs. No photos of them I'm afraid - since their visit to the vet they are staying very firmly out of my way. Little do they know they're going back in two weeks for their VHD jabs. I expect after that I won't see them again till spring!




• Making Bunny Manor fox proof in preparation for the long dark nights - it's turning into Colditz - photos to follow when all is complete.




• Covering old box files to store magazines and knitting patterns in:
  
  
  

Before

After

• Painting my newly acquired EBay bargain - I got two of these basket stacks for a very reasonable £13. The other one has two drawers and they will be very useful for storing sewing, knitting and other such crafty things, plus all those odds and ends that we all have lurking in drawers! Also I've got a few charity shop bargains. I want to paint or decorate this little jug but need some inspiration first - any ideas?

Yesterday I had a flying visit to my mum and sister in Bristol - and to collect all the stuff my daughter left behind at the end of last term. When she came home from university in May the car was absolutely packed to the gills and we had to leave bulky things like her bike, bookcase, duvet and pillows behind. Now she's going to be at Cambridge for the next year doing a placement with the Autism Research Centre she will definitely be needing the bike! What a wonderful bike-friendly place Cambridge is (and much nearer home so we will be able to see her more often than when she was at Bath). I'm really looking forward to visiting lots of interesting places in and around Cambridge.