15 Small Acts of Rebellion

I decided to do a little post entitled as above, as it occurred to me that many of the things I do on a regular basis, could be considered small acts of rebellion against the onslaught of consumerism that we now face on a daily basis, so here goes:

1. If I don't splash out and pay full price for everything I buy, I consider this an act of rebellion. Frugality and being careful how I spend my money helps me live within my means and even be able to put some money into savings.
2. If I refuse to buy the latest gadget or thing that everyone is raving about on social media, this too is a form of rebellion. I don't let paid influencers persuade me that I need a Stanley cup or the latest dodad to live a happy, fulfilled life.
3. If I stay home, repair, make or sew things using the fabric stash I have at home, keep out of the shops and spend less money (although not lately), this is an act of rebellion to me.
4. If I avoid other people's drama, trying to live a peaceful and contented life, as much as I can, this is another act of rebellion. Life is way too short.
5. If I feel confident enough in myself to say no and not to be sucked into overconsumption to line the pockets of large corporations, buying the things they try to persuade us we need, this is an act of rebellion. There will always be something new that they try to flog us, by making us feel inadequate as we are.
6. If I use the same washing machine, TV, hair dryer, or drive the same car for 10 or more years and refuse to replace it with newer technology the minute it comes out, this is a form of rebellion. The world is full enough of discarded electricals/technology.
7. If I'm resourceful, partly self-sufficient (via an allotment), enjoy my life and indulge my creativity without venturing to big box stores on a regular basis or making demands of the powers that be, this is another act of rebellion.
8. If I go to a car boot sale or charity shop and buy clothing that I need, crafting/gifting supplies, plants to grow food from, and give my money to individuals/charities rather than 'the man', this is also an act of rebellion. Not everyone wants to hoard wealth for themselves or destroy our planet overproducing and selling unnecessary items.  Many people just want to earn a little more to get by or do something positive in the world.
9. Renting an allotment to grow our own food and foraging for free fruit or plants to fertilise the allotment with is another from of rebellion we engage in and it brings us a lot of pleasure.  Knowing where some of our food comes from, watching it grow, without chemical intervention, preserving it or freezing it, making the most of it and having the audacity not to solely rely on corporations for our food, fosters a feeling of independence and autonomy, and that feels good.
10. Growing a garden, filled with plants I love outside my back door and where I can feed the birds and squirrels and create a beautiful space (eventually) that is a joy to sit in, this is another act of rebellion. It's also an escape from the constant doom mongering on social media and by the powers that be, designed to grind us down on a daily basis.
11. If I put money aside for a rainy day, so that I'm not solely reliant on an employer or the government, this is also an act of rebellion. So much so, that the government now want to make this more difficult for me and make me pay more tax on it, but it won't stop me. I'll continue to find ways to secure my future, despite their efforts to prevent me doing so.
12. If I refuse to give up my car, despite the efforts of my local council to make driving at all where I live, even when necessary and reasonable, as difficult as possible, this is another form of rebellion I engage in. We have to hang on to our personal freedoms for as long as we possibly can.
13. When I choose to go to the gym and exercise regularly to try to keep myself healthy and fit and out of the doctor's surgery, this too is an act of rebellion. Taking control of my own health and wellbeing for as long as I can is something that I will continue to do on a daily basis.
14. If, when I do my weekly shop, I sometimes buy a few things for the foodbank, because I'm lucky enough to be able to afford to, that is also an act of rebellion. I'm rebelling against those who never seem to have enough wealth, whilst ordinary people struggle to pay for the basics on a weekly basis. If I can help them, I'm happy to, for as long as I can afford to.
15. When I read a book or watch a video that educates me about the real state of the world or the economy, that to me is rebellion. I'm refusing to be manipulated and bottlefed bogus ideology and fake news that don't actually benefit me or anyone save the richest minorities in our society.

We all need little acts of rebellion in our lives. They are what keep us humble and human. They make life worth living and we must continue to engage in them for as long as we can. If nothing else, in a world that feels chaotic, they give us something to strive for and a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Besides, if we didn't bother to rebel, we would just be like robots and soon there will be enough of these taking over jobs and activities that were previously done by humans, if we let them, that is.

What are your small acts of rebellion in this crazy world?

A Very Chilled Week - W/E 5th October 2025

This week has been a super chilled one. It felt a bit strange once our visitors had left. I'd spent so much time last week preparing for their visit getting the house clean, I almost didn't know what to do with myself for a couple of days at the beginning of the week.

I didn't go to the gym or classes this week, as my hip wasn't 100% and I didn't want to make it worse, so I just took myself off for a walk on a couple of days, to get plenty of steps in and get moving. It was nice to get outside while the weather was good and just get some fresh air.

By mid week, I finally got back to doing some sewing. I brought my sewing machine downstairs to the kitchen table and continued working on the quilted gilet I'd started a couple of months ago. I managed to get it finished this week.  All the materials for this make were already in my stash, so I didn't need to buy anything, making it a very frugal make. I'll post a picture in a separate sewing post.

On Friday, we had more scaffolding put up, ready for OH to paint the outside of the house at the back. Unfortunately, the weather turned very rainy and windy on Friday with Storm Amy sweeping in. I spent the day at my sewing machine, which was lovely. I decided to make a couple of scrappy rolls using up lots of fabric scraps. I've got a plan to use them in a project, but I probably need to make a few more before I put it all together. I'll post about it when I do.

On Friday evening, OH and I headed out to pick up some DIY materials for painting the outside of the house and then we went on to our local mall. I needed to pick up a parcel from M&S that I'd ordered (some slippers for OH), which I'd promised his mum I'd buy him from her, for his birthday back in May, but I hadn't been able to get them in his size until now.

In addition, we needed to go to John Lewis for OH to buy an overlocker for my birthday/Christmas present. I decided that it was the only thing I really needed this year and it should come in very useful now that I've started making my own clothes again. It will give things a much better finish. I'm excited to start using it, which won't be for another week or so. I mananged to get 5% off, using My John Lewis membership, which saved OH around £12 and is not to be sniffed at.

We had supper out whilst at the mall, but were glad to come home and chill afterwards, as it is just too overwhelming when we go there. Too many people, too much noise and too much stuff waiting to be bought. I sound old and cranky, perhaps I am, but it's my idea of torture these days.

On Saturday, I finally ventured back into the gym with OH, for the free over 50's gym session. My hip was almost better, but I took it easy, so as not to aggravate it. The rest of the day was spent sorting through fabric scraps, one of my favourite occupations, sifting out more pieces for my latest scrappy project.

OH spent the afternoon on the scaffolding and on the roof, doing some repairs before he starts painting the outside of the house. There's always more to do than you think, but at least we should be watertight now before winter sets in.

We've started watching a couple of new series on both Netflix and Paramount+. The House of Guinness is on Netflix and is definitely worth a watch, as is Landman on Paramount+, another Taylor Sheridan series about the Oil industry in Texas, USA.

Sunday morning, I had a lie in and read a couple of chapters of my current book, which is always a win for me, as I rarely pick up a book these days, despite having more time. I then spent an hour getting all of my winter clothes out of storage. We still get the odd warm day here and there, but stormy season has begun and the weather is definitely much cooler. A couple of items got donated, but not many.

I spent Sunday finally finishing off the gilet and tidying up the scraps from the project, ready to move onto the next one. Not sure what it is going to be yet, possibly another dungaree dress, once I've recreated the paper pattern for it. I also made some more scrappy rolls.

Later, OH and I went down to the allotment to harvest the last of the raspberries and beetroot. I also deadheaded the dahlias that are still flowering well. The plot now just needs weeding and digging over and the soil needs conditioning over the winter. I'll enjoy going down there to do this over the next few weeks.

Our week ended with us all watching the third of the Hunger Games films on Paramount+ with snacks! It was a nice way to end the week.

I hope your week has been a chilled one too.

Monthly Clothing Purchases - September 2025

I didn't really expect to continue with these posts after leaving work, but the habit of buying second hand clothes hasn't really abated, as it is too ingrained a habit. I paid a visit to my favouite out of town charity shop at the beginning of the month and bought this 100% cotton dress for £5.  I  subsequently made a post about how I turned this into a tiered skirt and I'm very happy with it's transformation.

On the same visit, I also bought this 100% cotton khaki blouse for £3. This will be good to wear under a dungaree dress now the weather is gettting cooler. I do prefer it buttoned to the top, so it will possibly also look good worn under a sweater vest . In any case, it was too nice to leave behind for the quality and price and I've got quite a few khaki items in my wardrobe that I can wear it with.

I then bought an item at an Essex car boot sale I went to in September. Almost as soon as I bought it, I regretted it, as I hadn't tried it on and I was convinced it might be too tight and unflattering, despite it being one size fits all. Anyway, when I got back to the car I tried it on and was pleasantly surprised to find that it fitted reasonably loosely and wasn't as unflattering as I imagined. 

It was new and cost £5 and is made of a soft cotton sweatshirt material, so I think it will be comfortable to wear, even if only for around the house. It combines two of my favourite styles: animal prints and dungarees. What's not to love. Also, when out and about in Whitby whilst we were away in September, I saw the exact same item priced at £24.99, so maybe I did get a bargain here.

Talking of our visit to Yorkshire this month, I did indulge in a bit of thrifting whilst there, which was a bit self-indulgent, but I had some time to kill when OH was cycling and used it to explore the charity shops in Malton, near where we were staying one night.

I bought three items in the charity shops there. 

The first was this denim style blouse for £6.50, which is from M&S originally. I like the frilly collar and cuffs and will enjoy wearing this under a sweater or knitted vest this autumn. 

The second item was this red leopard print layered skirt by George at ASDA. It is 100% cotton, was new with tags and cost £5. I really like it though. I didn't actually spend money on this, as I used a gift voucher I got from work to pay for it, which helped the budget. 

The third item I bought was this long denim skirt by Nutmeg at Morrison's for £3. I found it hard to leave it behind at this price. This will look great with long chunky sweaters and boots this winter and I've wanted one for a while, so I was happy to bring this home with me at such a good price.

I made another clothing purchase at a car boot sale in Yorkshire, before we came back to London. It was a black cotton vest for £1. I wear these a lot in the summer under dresses and with other outfits, so I'm always happy to add another one to my wardrobe if it's a good price.

Finally, I spent £6 at the Jumble trail the other week on two items. One was this cotton summer dress for £3 which is nice and flowy and I'll hopefully get some wear out of it next year.

The other was this cotton Zara top, which I also paid £3 for, but have since altered it by removing the sleeves, so I'm using a picture of the transformed version here.

In total then, I spent £34.50 on clothes this month, which is more than I expected to, but it is an improvement on recent monthly spending totals, so I'm slowly making progress.

Another Garden Project - The Side Return

After completing the patio in our garden earlier this year, OH had one more garden project that he wanted to complete by the end of the year. This was to tidy up the side return that runs alongside our kitchen windows. It is into this space on his side, that our neighbour has built onto his property this year and with that project coming close to completion and him having donated some York stone slabs to us from his side return paving that he no longer needed, OH decided to start work on laying the slabs and making this long neglected area more presentable. It is probably the last major job we need to do in our garden.

Here's a picture of the side return taken quite a while ago before the building work started next door:  

The decking was rotten and needed replacing, and initially, OH intended to re-deck this area after having replaced the decking outside the back door. However, upon receiving the York stone, he decided instead to pave the area.

He started this job a few weeks ago using some bags of sand left over from constructing the patio. Almost immediately, it was starting to look so much better. When we returned from Yorkshire, he continued and finished laying the majority of the pavers, leaving just a few small gaps to either fill with gravel or cut down pavers. He mainly did this to enable some scaffolding to go up to assist the building work next door and to aide him in repainting the back and side of the house.

Here's a current picture of progress with this project:

It will, of course, be finished properly once the scaffolding comes down, but already it looks so much better and it was a good choice that will have cost us nothing but the price of a bag or two of gravel and also afforded us the priviledge of recycling some beautiful stone pavers.

We have now got plans for this side return space, which is little used, save as a dumping ground for garden items.  OH wants to build a lean to greenhouse into this space, possibly a bit like this one above, that I found on Pinterest, so that we can grow seedlings outside and house all of our garden equipment away from the decking, giving us more space to sit out and use the garden in the warmer weather. 

We're both really excited by this project and it will probably complete our plans for the garden, save for just building up the borders with plants and maintaining it. I'm not sure when it will get built or to what exact design, but hopefully it will be finished before the spring, so that we can put it to good use.

OH has worked hard to completely transform our garden in the last two years, as can be seen from the above photograph; from building the garden room, replacing the decking and fencing on one side, constructing a new patio and paving the side return. It is a completely different space now and one we can really enjoy going forward. I can't wait for this last project to make it the tidy, functional, low maintenance space we've always dreamed of.

I'll keep you posted with future progress, but it might be a while, as the house maintenance will be given precedence and will preoccupy OH for the coming weeks. It's very exciting though.

Tough Decisions

Last week, marked a month since I left my job and I have to say that I'm not missing it one bit. I'm loving my new found freedom of being able to do exactly as I please and live a more balanced life. However, it's been tough week too, mainly for reasons of a financial nature. In all honesty, as you have probably already noticed, I have been finding it hard to rein in my spending this last month and this resulted in my budget running out with a week still left of the month.

I did the weekly shop as usual last Monday, with a strict budget in mind, namely £120 max, as that was all that was left in the budget for the month. I wasn't spendthrift and didn't buy lots of extras, save a couple of bits for Xmas (which I promised myself I would buy every week to spread the cost) and some beef mince, which I hardly ever buy these days. As we had guests coming over the weekend, I thought I might make a chilli one evening whilst they were here. I also needed some mouthwashes for my dental routine, but other than these items, it was just our regular weekly shop. Could I keep within budget? No, I couldn't. 

I'm not blaming the cost of living and rising grocery prices, although everything is more expensive these days. The fault lies directly at my own door. I have just not been able to rein in my spending on unnecessary items this month.  Too many visits to charity shops, car boot sales, jumble trails.  Any excuse not to rein it in and the consequence has been to go over budget by a few pounds and face an even more challenging month financially next month.

I'm not trying to garner sympathy, I'm just annoyed at myself for continuing to spend like I've still got a job. I'm not destitute, I do have savings I can use if I need to, but I really don't want to start delving into those within the first month of finishing work. I just need to grow up and spend less.

Hence, I have given myself a good talking to, knuckled down and cleaned the house, taken care of what we already have and made a promise to myself to minimise unnecessary spending from now on. It just can't be accommodated in my new post-work budget any more. I need to get real and start living according to my new means.

October will be a challenge, as I do have a few extra bills to pay next month, i.e. allotment fees of £35 are due, renewal of my gym membership at £40 (yearly fee) is due and a birthday gift of £30. Luckily, it is also my birthday next month, so that will provide me with the odd treat in an otherwise super low budget month. 

I am planning to start my Xmas shopping in October, as buying for others might replace the urge to spend money on myself and on unnecessary things and I have a budget put aside for this. Besides, I like to get my Xmas shopping done before the end of November, so it's good to start early.

Life and budgets have suddenly got very real and I need to put on my big girl pants and make some tough decisions going forward. If I get through the next month, I've done okay and can maybe get back on track.

Just as I was writing this post, I got some post through the letterbox, namely my P45 and a surprise payslip that I wasn't expecting. I was apparently still owed some overtime and holiday pay from my previous employer, so I'll be receiving £700 or so that I didn't know I was owed this month, which will very much help me over the next few months. This was a lovely surprise and came just at the right time, but I still need the financial reset to help make it last as long as possible.

 I'll keep you posted with my progress.

More Sewing and Alterations

I've been doing a bit more sewing lately, trying to get my project basket down a bit, as it was looking a bit piled high.

Firstly, I altered this Zara blouse that I bought from a car boot sale for £1. I didn't like the sleeves, or more specifically the piece of fabric between the bodice and the embroidered sleeve. It wasn't comfortable when I tried it on and looked very odd, so I cut these extra pieces of fabric out and restitched the embroidered part of the sleeve onto the bodice. A small alteration, but I was much happier with the result and I will be much more likely to wear it as a consequence.

I also re-started work on a gilet that I cut out a while back. Having cut out the pieces and wadded them, I started to quilt the back panel. The print on the fabric had lines of polka dots, which did help me to keep the quilting lines relatively even, although I did veer off a little in places. I did probably make the quilting lines too close together, but for a first attempt it's coming along okay. I'll keep you posted on progress.

I did a couple of other small alterations, one being to repair some favourite vintage plaid woollen trousers. Moths had unfortunately got to them and created some holes near the crotch seams. Luckily, the trousers were a bit on the generous side fit wise, so I was able to sew inside the existing seam to exclude the holes. I then noticed a couple of very tiny holes outside of this repair line, which I reinforced with fusible webbing and stitched closed with matching thread, so they are hardly noticeable. I was lucky the moth damage was where it was with these and could be circumvented. I really need to take care to prevent moths getting at them again.

I then completed a third cross body bag, which just needed the straps sewing on. I've posted separately about these. They are a staunch favourite and have been so easy to make.

I also did another alteration to a Zara blouse/dress I bought at the Jumble Trail at the weekend. When I got it home and tried it on, there was something about the sleeves/shoulders that I didn't find flattering. It looks nice on the hanger, but not on me. In this instance, I decided to cut off the flouncy sleeve and hem them into cap sleeves. I also shortened it by a good six inches to make it a more flattering length.  I much prefer it in it's new guise. It did have tassles on it too, which I removed before I even took the first picture, as they are not really my thing and were looking a bit scraggly and worse for wear. More work than I expected, but I'm happy with the outcome. Here's a before and after picture:

Before

After

There's still lots more things in the basket to work on, but I'll keep you posted as and when I progress further with the various projects.

A Week of Spring Cleaning

This week I've been a bit absent from blogland as most of the week has been spent doing a much needed job at home, namely spring cleaning the whole house in readiness for some visitors that were coming to stay at the weekend. It's a job that's been on my to do list since the beginning of the year, but it never really got done for one reason or another. Whilst I was busy with work and other things, I just didn't really have the energy or the motivation and it just got worse as the year went on, especially when I got so busy over the summer months..

With visitors on the horizon, I was sufficiently motivated to make the house a nicer environment to visit, so starting on Tuesday I slowly worked my way right through the house, thinning everything out as much as I could, to make the rooms they'd be staying in more habitable for guests. It was a long and quite tiring week, but I just took my time and tried to enjoy the feeling of taking care of my home and having the luxury of time to do so.

I did go to a class at the gym on Tuesday morning and a gym session on Thursday morning, but otherwise, most of my time was spent cleaning. I did, however, sustain an injury this week, to my hip abductor muscle, which made the last day of cleaning painful and difficult. I'm a bit annoyed about it, as I've been very careful to do proper warmups and cool downs in the gym to avoid injury. I'm not sure how I managed to acquire this one, but it is limiting my movement quite a bit and it's painful. As a consequence, I had to skip the free gym session this morning, but I'm hoping it will improve soon.

For other reasons it was also a good time to tackle this task this week, as my budget had evapourated quickly this month. It served to keep me busy, whilst costing absolutely nothing, but my energy and time. It also made me realise how much stuff we have in the house and how I really do not need to bring in anything else for the time being. In fact, the next task will be to actually go through some of the stuff I've got stored in various places and get rid of some of it and try to condense it, but that is a task for another week.

Evenutally, the house cleaning got finished. OH and LB helped me as the visit got nearer. It does feel good to have the house reset. I was quite thorough, although it wasn't a deep clean. There was a lot of dust on surfaces, partly due to all the building work that's been going on next door this year and there were lots of cobwebs to brush down, but it's done now.

Today, I've finally got a day to myself. OH and our guests have all gone to the Women's Rugby Final at Twickenham and LB is going to work shortly, so I've got the whole day to myself to hobble around and do as I please. I might even do some sewing work on my quilted gilet, as it's simple enough to work on and I can do it at the kitchen table. I'm going to just enjoy myself, as a reward for a busy and productive week for once.

I hope you've had a good week.