A Trip to the Local Library

A couple of days ago I had to head up to our local library to return a book, and yes it was unfortunately overdue, but only by 1 day, costing the huge sum of 18p.  Whilst there I thought I would have a look around and see if there were any interesting books on the shelves to take out.  I was first of all attracted by The Allotment Diaries, about a memorable year in the life of an allotment site.  I've read a few books about allotments and they are usually good for a giggle.

The second book I picked up was this book on Dressmaking - 200 questions answered.  I had a quick flick through and it looked a very easy book to pick up, dip into and put down at your leisure, which is always a good quality I think, and it actually might help me too which is even better.

Always a sucker for a book about glamour, my next choice was this book about Grown Up Glamour - How to age fabulously - by the women who got it right.  I think it was the photos of Rita Hayworth and Katherine Hepburn that won me over.

Finally, my last choice was an autobiography of Mary Quant.  I've seen this on the shelves there before and have been tempted but already been in the midst of reading something so the timing wasn't right.  Hopefully I will be able to read it before it is due back.

Consequently, I left the library feeling pretty happy.  Don't you just love the feeling of coming out of the library with books you can't wait to either flick through or read that have cost you absolutely nothing.  I do.  Long live libraries.

Bring on the Sunshine

Well, after a couple of bitterly cold days I have got to admit that I was getting a little tired of wintry weather and was longing desperately for some lovely spring sunshine again. 

 

As I went off to my bed last night, which incidentally, is covered by two quilts and two woollen Witney blankets, with a hot water bottle in hand, and had a lovely cosy night's sleep, I was expecting to wake up to more snow.

 

What  a lovely surprise then, to look out of the window and see blue sky and sunshine.  What a tonic.

 

My walk with the dog this morning was heavenly.  There was a strong but fresh breeze blowing the leaves (and my hair) about.   With her ears back because of the wind, the puppy and I marched onwards through the park and along the canal.  It was lovely to smell the woodsmoke from the canal boats and see the sun glinting on the water.  I just wish I'd taken my camera to take a few photographs but sadly, I hadn't.

 

On a day like today it is so wonderful to have a dog to walk, a great excuse to get out there and get some fresh air and exercise.  I've even managed to shift a couple of pounds that previously seemed immovable, since we've had her.  So its all good.

 

Once home, she likes to sit in the sun that comes streaming into the kitchen.  I can't wait until it is really sunny and warm.  She will just love it and so will I.

A Tribute to John Clappison

I received a very sad email last week from the Hornsea Pottery Society, which informed me that the prolific and renowned designer John Clappison had died, aged 75 years.  In this post I would just like to pay tribute to him and of course pay my respects and send my condolences to his family at this very sad time.  He was a very talented man whose designs have brought joy, happiness and humour into this world and particularly my own household.

If you were around in the 1960's and 1970's you may be familiar with much of John's work for Hornsea Pottery, some of which is very well collected and sought after today.  Being brought up in a place not far from Hornsea, the name Hornsea Pottery to me, takes me straight back to my childhood.  There was always Hornsea Pottery items in the cupboard that we used on a daily basis and I'm sure it was the same for many of you out there in blogland.

In the last few years, fuelled by a sense of nostalgia, I started collecting quite a bit of John Clappison's work, but particularly his muramic pin dishes and wall plaques, plus a few other items.  They are not always easy to come by and some fetch quite large sums on eBay and other sites.  I don't have a huge collection but I love every item I have that he designed.  His ideas were so fresh, vibrant and humorous and were synonymous with the era.  I have a few books on his work and I visited the museum in Hornsea only last year which has a wonderful gallery devoted to the products produced by Hornea Pottery over the decades, before it sadly closed some years ago.

I believe these vases in my workroom are John Clappison designs,

as are the muramic pin dishes pictured below.

Only the other day I accidentally broke a small item designed by John Clappison. It was a sage pot and I was so angry at myself for knocking it out of the cupboard. Maybe it was an omen of the sad news to come. The majority of my collection are currently boxed up and put away due to the builders being in our house last year and not wanting them to get damaged. I must pull them out again and put them somewhere they can be truly enjoyed and appreciated.

Do you remember Hornsea Pottery?  Do you like vintage ceramics and have some somewhere in your home?  I believe that John later worked for Ravenshead Glass  and Royal Doulton so you may have some of his subsequent work in your cupboard. His legacy of beautiful designs will live on in my heart and home at least.

Going Back Up North

Although I now call London my home, after more than 15 years living here, it is still a kind of homecoming when we head up north to Yorkshire to see family and friends.  We don't do it as often as we used to, but we still try to go for most big holidays such as Easter and Christmas and a few other weekends in between.  As a consequence, when we do go we usually live quite a nomadic existence moving from one relative to the next to make sure we see everyone.  I'm sure it's the same for a lot of people.

This weekend we have been up north for a special birthday celebration, but fortunately we didn't need to travel around as we just stayed in one place and saw everyone there which made for a nice change and a more relaxing weekend.

The suprise family gathering was very well received by the recipient and was very enjoyable.  There was a new baby to meet who was just a week old and adorable, a teenager attending that I'd not seen for several years so it was nice to see them again and our puppy to introduce to everyone, who behaved pretty well considering that there were 20 or so people there plus various chickens,  a cat, horses and dogs.  (She did chase the cockerel this morning and cause the cat to stay well out of the way, but no harm was done, thankfully.)

Mother's Day started early at 6.30 am with the offer of a cup of tea and toast in bed made by my lovely daughter.  Very nice it was too.  Followed by a lovely card, some seeds, chocolates and a book as a gift, a walk with the puppy over the fields (culminating in the cockerel fiasco),  some wonderful play in the garden with the puppy and children, goodbyes all around and a long journey back to London, ready for the week ahead.

It was a lovely weekend, but after the long journey it was also nice to get back to our house, get unpacked, watch the last day of Crufts and catch up with blogging and other tasks.  I hope you enjoyed your Mother's Day.

A Bit of Spring Pruning

I ventured into the garden again one afternoon last week, ostensibly to do a bit of pruning.  I don't know what made me think about doing it, maybe seeing the growth on the fruit trees through the patio door windows, but I got a sudden urge to prune them.  I always forget the best times so I googled the best time and it said autumn or late winter/early spring so off I went with my Felcos in hand.

Our current neighbours are moving out shortly, as the house which they were renting is being sold, so with this in mind I began on that particular side of the garden and made sure no branches were hanging over the fence.  I don't want to upset any new neighbours we might get.  I moved around the garden one tree at a time.  The last tree, a peach tree, was a bit tricky as the growth it has put on in the last year has been phenomenal and I had to get quite brutal as it is quite close to the house.

In between the pruning I decided to make some minor adjustments to the greenhouse I'd put up the other weekend, as I hadn't got it quite right according to the instructions, which finally came through.  It didn't take long to put it right though, no more than 10 minutes, so it is now as it should be.

In addition, I had a sort through the shed to get a few gardening bits out to aid the pruning.  I had to pull everything out as it was rammed full of things we'd stored in our basement before the building work, that I still can't face throwing out.  I did throw a couple of small things out and made use of a few others.  I moved a few things into the greenhouse or the house and then put everything else back in, giving careful consideration to whether we would need to use them in the near future, and any we did I put to the front where we could reach them easily.

It felt good to tackle the shed, even if I didn't get rid of anything.  I know exactly what is in there so it is not some huge onerous task awaiting me, if that makes sense.  It was all put in there in a bit of a rush so the builders could start work and I lost track.  It all seems to have weathered the winter okay though.

With the pruning done, I felt a real sense of satisfaction and can now start the rest of the garden clean up at some point when I get the time and inclination.  I also ended up with a bundle of pea sticks to use on the garden or allotment, which should come in handy.

An Evening Vintage Market

The other evening, I had the unusual pleasure of attending an Evening Vintage Market which was being held in some community rooms not far from where I live.  It was interesting.  There were approximately 20 or so vintage stalls at the event, selling all manor of vintage paraphenalia from clothes, jewellery, bags, etc  to books, fabric, furniture, lighting, bric a brac, etc.  A dream for someone like me who is a bit of a magpie.

I took a limited amount of money with me (£10 approx.) as I'd had an expensive day, due to a trip to the hairdressers, and this helped to prevent me going too mad or buying too many things, but I was happy to spend it all, as it was a new event and it is good to support new initiatives in your local area, in however small a way.  It was pretty exciting, not knowing what I was going to find there and what might tempt me.

I had a look around whilst my daughter was having her weekly swimming lesson at our local baths just around the corner, so I was limited timewise which was probably a good thing really, as I might have been tempted to spend more had I not been, especially as some of the stallholders took card payments.

In the end I bought only 3 things with my £10.  The first was a lovely scarf for £3, followed by a striped hat pin (which I intend to wear it as a brooch on my lapel) for £5 and a striped tie (don't ask me why - a bit of an impulse buy) for £2.

There were a couple of other things I saw which if I'd had more money with me I would have been sorely tempted to buy, but maybe they'll still be there for the next market.

In addition to the stalls, there was also a swishing event going on where you could bring some of your unwanted clothes and swap them for some equivalent clothes brought in by other people.  It's quite a good idea providing you actually find things you want to take away with you that fit.  I definitely might consider taking part in the next one, as I do have a few things that I would like to swap if I can.

They are holding another of these events in a month's time so I may return and actually take part in the swishing event as well as having a look around the stalls, funds allowing of course.  Fortunately, they seem to take place at the beginning of the month when it is more likely that I and others have some money in the bank, which is quite well thought out on the part of the organisers.

Shopping Habits and a Truly Frugal Blog

I was reading in the weekend newspapers that apparently many people are changing the way they shop and splitting their weekly shop between various stores to get the best deals.  As a consequence, the notion of the weekly shop is becoming obsolete.  Whilst I can relate to this in a way, I still do do a weekly shop, but also supplement it with the a couple of orders per month from Approved Food for treats and non-food items and also with occasional shopping trips to other stores for extras I couldn't get from Lidl where I do my usual shop. 

I always do my weekly food shop on a Monday morning after attending a Brazilian dance class as there is a Lidl store just down the road from the gym and it usually tends to be reasonably quiet, although I have noticed that in recent years it has got much busier.  I usually take a list so that I don't end up buying lots of things I already have or don't need.  This week when I got there I had lost my list, but it didn't really matter as I'm a creature of habit and tend to buy the same tried and tested things week in week out.   In the absence of a list and as the store isn't huge, I tend to walk the whole length of each aisle and usually am reminded of what I need by seeing it on the shelf.

When I got to the till this week I had spent £47, which for a weekly shop for 3 of us, I don't think is too bad, although I'm sure there may be some people who might think it is a lot. In all honesty, there wasn't much meat in my trolley save some mince and some ham for sandwiches, as I'm trying to use up what I have in the freezer.  Neither was there too much in the way of non-food items, as I tend to buy a lot of things from Approved Food and have a cupboard full of cleaning products and toiletries so don't need to add any to the weekly shop for a good while.

I had one large reusable bag full of fruit and vegetables and one full of other food products.  Mainly tins, condiments, dairy products, juices, a few frozen food items and meat etc.  As I was on the way home I got to thinking how much the shop might have cost me if I'd gone to one of the big supermarkets.  Why is it that it seems all too easy to spend £100 upwards in their stores on a weekly shop?   I think I would struggle to spend over £100 in Lidl.  In fact in the five years or more that I've been shopping there, I don't think I've ever spent that much on a weekly shop.  Perhaps I should challenge myself to actually spending £100 in Lidl and see how much I could buy and how long it would last.  I'm sure I would end up with a freezer full of meat, cupboards full of dry and tinned foods and would need a few more reusable bags to carry it all home in.

If you've never shopped at Lidl, are feeling the pinch in the current financial climate, and there is a Lidl store near you, why don't you give it a go.  You might even be pleasantly suprised by the quality of the food they sell and the prices they sell it at.

Alternatively, you could take a look at a blog that was mentioned in an article in the same weekend newspaper this weekend, by a young mum called Jack who lives a truly frugal lifestyle. Unable to find a job since having to give up her job with the fire service after the birth of her son, she has had to live on a food budget of £10 per week for herself and her toddler son.  As a consequence of reading the article, I checked out her blog and found her truly inspirational. 

If you are looking for some seriously frugal but amazing recipes, many vegetarian due to the cost of meat, take a look at her blog at AGirlCalledJack.com.  Have a read around it too, especially the recent post about her finding a job.  It is truly heartwarming. She so deserves a chance as she is so resourceful, courageous and selfless in a very unassuming way.