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.

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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.

Cake sale

Once a month in my office we hold a cake sale in aid of a friend at work's fund raising for a local hospice. Her husband was diagnosed with cancer shortly after they got married and he died not long after. She is going on a 10 day trek to South Africa in memory of her husband - it will involve walking for up to eight hours a day across rough terrain, in 30+ degree heat, camping with very basic facilities and finishing with a white water raft ride on the Orange river on the last day. She is trying to raise £3,000 for the hospice. She's very brave - in more ways than one, and I like to contribute to her sale by rolling up my sleeves and getting the mixing bowl out. The only down side is the amount of washing up!

This month's cakes were Banana Nut Loaf (my old standby), Spiced Apple Cake which was delicious but a bit crumbly, Jam and Coconut Sponge, Coffee and Walnut Squares, Anzac Biscuits and Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Next month, instead of the cake sale, there will be a stall at the hospice and I've volunteered to make jam. I'm going to pick blackberries and crab apples and another work colleague has offered to bring in plums. The only problem is where to get enough jars! I've put up a post on Freecycle and hope I get some responses (hopefully before the blackberries are all gone).

I may also knit some items for sale - I don't know what to make though. I thought hot water bottle covers, cotton dishclothes, or little toys. Maybe some of these little animals from this month's Simply Knitting. I'd welcome any suggestions... I have quite a large stash of knitting wool, and it would help to make a dent. Looking back on my blog, I realise I haven't really shown much of my knitting - when I see what other bloggers do, my attempts look feeble. This is a knitted Arnold the Pig I made a few years ago for my daughter. I wonder if it's the sort of thing that would sell at the fundraising day?

I've never been fond of knitting complicated lacy patterns - I prefer patterns that I can unpick when I make a mistake! I used to knit all the time when my children were young, school jumpers and cardigans, toys for school fetes, but I very rarely knit things for myself. I don't often wear knitted things, though when I see some of the knitted socks other knitters are turning out I'm tempted to try my hand at a pair - these look very cosy.

Finding new homes for things

I was busy over the weekend having a big sort out and found lots of things that are no longer of any use to me , but I thought someone out there might find them useful so I listed quite a few things on Freecycle - buckets and spades and sand toys, an inflatable shark (yes a shark!) and fun tyre, bats and balls, a child's bike seat, a couple of hideous brass plant pots, etc etc, as well as a lawnmower and garden roller for my next door neighbour.

Our local Freecycle has lots of members and most things were snapped up very quickly. I'm always in a quandry who to give things to, though I prefer to give things to people who are friendly and polite. If I list an item and get two replies, and one says "Yes please, when would be convenient for you, here is my phone number", and one just says "I'll take it" I have no problem choosing. Some of the replies do make you laugh - sometimes you get a long sob story, other times people email with their complicated reasons why they want it badly but can't pick up for a week, and others are just plain rude. I usually pick the one that causes the least amount of hassle. My daughter answered the door to one man who came to collect a stack of children's videos and he asked her out. We hadn't bargained for that! (In case you're wondering, she turned him down, very tactfully).

I still have a nightmare garage that needs to be sorted out and I can't imagine what is lurking in my attic. Rest assured, as little as possible will end up in landfill! If it can't be Freecycled, recycled, sent to the jumble sale, charity shop or sold on EBay (if I'm very lucky) only then will it end up being thrown away.

The important thing is, I have made some space in my shed and cupboards and even helped my neighbour shift a few items too. However, I have a confession, I took a bag of things to the local RSPCA shop today, and came away with a couple of little baskets and some holiday reading!

Living with Autism

I have mentioned before that my son is autistic. He's now 18 and attends a foundation course at a local college. He has very long hair, dresses like a goth, enjoys heavy metal and power metal music, adores Transformers and Japanese anime. He doesn't think he has autism - he thinks he is perfectly normal. In fact he thinks everyone is trying to pigeonhole him into being a person with special needs when he feels he is just fine. This can be a problem as he shrugs off help of any kind and will not accept that he is a bit different.

I knew before he was two that something wasn't quite right but I didn't know exactly what was wrong, it just seemed strange that he didn't have any interest in talking. I actually thought he might be deaf but he was checked and found to have normal hearing at around 20 months. It was a real struggle to get anyone to take any notice - the health visitor said he was "a late developer" and the GP wasn't really interested.

Sadly, worry about my son's development took a back seat as just before his 2nd birthday he was scalded on his chest and upper arm which involved weeks in hospital and months of dressings and eventually pressure garments. In addition, around the same time my 4 year old daughter was diagnosed with a blood disorder that we battled with for the next 7 or 8 years. On top of everything, we also moved house, but at last I found a new health visitor who was more inclined to listen to my concerns about my son's development, and we were referred to a paediatric consultant who tried in vain to assess him. My son either couldn't or wouldn't co-operate, but finally there was recognition that something was not right. He was referred to a children's centre where he had weekly speech therapy sessions; there was very limited progress, and eventually at age 4 he was referred to an educational psychologist. She told me then that he had an Autistic Spectrum Disorder and decided that he would need to go to a special school where they would be able to carry out further assessment.

He was so difficult in those years, constant tantrums, impossible to communicate with, but so beautiful he could make your heart melt. He spoke in "echolalia", repeating parrot fashion whole episodes of Thomas the Tank Engine, but couldn't ask for food or drink, he had to be buttoned up tight and covered from neck to toe, couldn't bear to wear a tshirt or shorts in the summer and never went anywhere without a hat on. He would never try anything new - food, games, TV programmes, activities - even hated wearing new clothes. He lived in a little world of his own, almost as if he was a cartoon character - I'm sure he wished he was Toby the Tram.

To cut a long story short, I never imagined the little boy who lived entirely in the world of Thomas, Toby and James, would ever grow up to have any kind of independent life. It may be some years yet before he'll be able to live on his own, but he can travel to Colchester on the train by himself, can cook his own meals (a limited menu at the moment, but he's learning) and shops for his own clothes and music. Admittedly, he doesn't have good social skills but he has lots of online friends that share the same interests as him and most of the time he's happy. He loves shopping but is absolutely hopeless with understanding money though he functions well enough with a bit of help (he can always phone me on his mobile to ask if a £10 note is enough to buy something for £7.50!). And he is now one of the most talkative people you can imagine (admittedly, he loves to talk almost exclusively about things that interest him) but what an enormous change from that silent little 2 year old.

We didn't have a great experience with education; the local provision didn't really meet my son's needs at the time, but I'd like to hope things are improving. The National Autistic Society's campaign Make School Make Sense asks for improved training for teachers and better provision of schools. I hope that in time there will be more support for people with autism and their families. As the song goes: things can only get better!