by Kate on February 10, 2010
Well, I never thought for one minute that some of my Mum’s 40 year old wool would get used up but the reality is I have enjoyed making this.
Of course Max thought it was a huge game, running off with my current ball of wool and beating it up in a corner!
Even Hippie thought it was wonderful – I found all my knitting in her bed twice!!
But, I finally got it finished!
You saw the early pic:
Where I had started to put different colours in ‘cos there was never going to be enough main colour.
It grew very quickly and soon I could see how I wanted it to look – I only followed the pattern for the size so this is true designer wear….
And soon I was ready to sew it up, but with what? None of my needles would take the chunky wool, so it was back to Mum’s sewing box..
Just look – a needle for all occasions!!!
Max just loved it – I’m sure he thought it was a soft new blanket just for him.
Hippie decided just to lay on the settee and watch from a distance… if Max was involved she didn’t want to play..
So I now have a new designer wear jumper!
Just the thing – instead of a coat for this time of year!
Thanks Mum!
by Kate on January 24, 2010
I received my first on line electricity bill from Southern Electric this week and yesterday was the first chance I had to check it over..
I was unprepared for the shock of seeing that my quarterly bill including VAT was for £448.49! Just for electricity! Well I know I like my fairy lights but how could it be that much? I read on….
My monthly direct debit had paid off £120 already so the final bill was £300 ish and at the bottom of the PDF file Southern Electric had the audacity to put the statement – ‘you’ve chosen our cheapest payment methods’. I don’t think so!!
Frantically I went back to my email – this is a dual fuel account and I wanted to see the gas bill. It wasn’t there, it hadn’t been set up!
I printed the PDF and made coffee – this just couldn’t be right..
Looking at the bill it showed that they had estimated my electricity reading – goodness knows why, I haven’t been with them long enough for them to know my usage over the winter and a meter reader hadn’t even tried to call…
I read my meter – my reading was a world away from theirs… I read my gas meter too and got in touch with Southern Electric.
I can’t fault their customer service guy – he was wonderful, he looked at my bill and took my readings. then he said I would receive a new bill in a few days. I asked him about the gas bill – he said that hadn’t been set up for online yet and was in the post to me, but that he could take my reading.
He looked at the account for gas – and literally gasped in amazement another £400 plus!!! He advised me not to open the bill when it comes!
When he had applied the actual meter readings for both accounts he told me what I really owe: £30.92 Electric and £21.84 Gas!
Not nearly £1000 pounds like they had billed me for!
Today I will be looking for a new provider because, quite frankly I don’t need the hassle or the nasty shocks!
Any suggestions anyone?
by Kate on January 17, 2010
Well at least the snow has melted (for now) and I can walk normally again. I really don’t like the stuff and even though my new snow boots stop me from slipping over, they make me walk differently and I now have a problem with my knee – so today is a rest day and a chance to catch up with my blog.
Hippie is taking full advantage of a quiet Sunday.
Just chillin with her favourite Hippo!
I am taking advantage of these dark days by using up some of the tea lights I have been given and enjoying the effect
Isn’t this lamp lovely? My daughter brought it back from Turkey for me – I have so many different holders and I love candlelight!
I have also started to knit again – not easy with my hand problems but I have always loved a challenge.
It started with a cleaning session on the things in my glass cabinet..
Most of the things in there are treasures from my late Mum’s childhood – my Grandmother’s tea service, and many very pretty hand painted plates and bowls that my Mum won at local fetes when she was a small child in the 1920’s – her collection of Siamese cats is in there too, plus some very pretty glass fronted greetings cards from the 1930’s and 40’s – mostly anniversary cards from my Dad….. I treasure these memories and I hope that one day someone else will too..
But, do you see on the right hand side on the middle shelf? That little doll is from my childhood – I played with her over fifty years ago so that makes her a treasure too.
When I first got her she was dressed in a complete baby outfit – she also had a wicker cradle but that got broken a very long time ago..
I decided that if she was worth keeping i would dress her again the way she looked when I first got her – she is only 6 inches tall so it was definitely going to be a challenge.
First I had to find the patterns. I knew they were from ‘Womans Weekly’ magazine in the 50’s and I was so lucky to find people selling PDF and laminated copies of the patterns online so I ordered them and the very fine 2 ply wool needed to knit the outfit.
It took quite some time to make the whole outfit but determination won and now my Rosebud 6 inch doll looks very presentable in her dress, matinee jacket, shoes and carrying cape – i really thought the elastic bands holding her arms and legs in place would have perished but no – her limbs stayed in place while I dressed her…
So now its back into the cupboard for her..
My next project is a sweater, again the wool is a legacy from my Mum – some brushed chunky yarn and it must be about 40 years old but with a little more yarn added there will be enough to make myself a warm sweater with nice stripey sleeves to keep the February chill away….Its half done and I will post a picture when its finished!!!!
Well, please excuse me I must get on with the second sleeve……
by Kate on December 30, 2009
I have had the best Christmas!!
My friend came up from Essex on Christmas Eve and the fun started there…
Christmas Day dawned and look what Santa brought Hippie….
Pink pj’s and she loved them…
My new oven worked perfectly which was just as well as my 92 year old uncle and his wife came for lunch.
Bless him – he cleaned his plate..
As did my two little helpers
The Christmas cake was lit and photographed and admired – it did look good though
Take a good look
‘cos three quarters of it has gone…. I have never had a cake eaten so quickly
On Boxing Day my friend and I chilled out… we chatted to her son in Singapore on webcam and during the conversation I was invited to join my friend on her trip to Singapore in March and, guess what….. I am going to go… me, the scared of flying lady is going to do a 14 hour flight to the Far East! Fortunately I don’t think I’ve got my head around it yet or I‘d be panic stricken already.
Later that day we threw the Christmas dinner leftovers into a pie dish and made Christmas Dinner Pie which we ate whilst slobbing in front of the TV
It even had holly leaves!!!
She left for home on Sunday morning and I cooked another turkey because my lovely son and daughter in law were coming for Christmas Day revisited. More presents, good food, wine and party games – a good time was had by all!
But now its the end of another year – its been eventful with highs and lows as usual but 2010 looks promising – not only have I been invited to Singapore but also to Tenerife and Spain – better start saving now I think!!
I’d like to wish everyone who reads this a very Happy New Year – wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, keep safe!
Oh and one last thing …. yes, its another picture of that cake
But this time with yours truly!!!!
by Kate on December 23, 2009
Well, the new oven is in, after a mild panic when it arrived without a cable ….. but it is in now and working perfectly..
and its cooking a piece of gammon as I type!
And, at last I have found the time to finish our Christmas Cake – the mini ones from my earlier post have all been given away and the big round cake was my next mission.
I wanted to make icicles out of clear mint sweets but wasn’t sure if it would work – so I had piped some royal icing on just in case I had to think of a new design.
It did work though and here it is…
So, another thing finished …..I’m making mince pies tomorrow!
by Kate on December 12, 2009
The tree is trimmed, there are fairylights everywhere…
In the lounge..
In my bedroom window..
Even a snowy village scene in the dining room..
The cards are arriving…
my Christmas Cactus that I resurrected from the near death experience it had when I forgot to water it and its leaves turned paper thin and fell off, is now…. flowering!!!!!
It was all going so well until yesterday when the Ghost of Christmas Past paid a visit.
Five years ago to the day – my Stoves fan oven died and yesterday so did its Baumatic replacement….
And having weighed up the cost of a call out plus parts against a new one – I have decided to buy a new one – after all I’ve got mince pies to make!!!!!
by Kate on December 8, 2009
A couple of weeks ago when I made my Christmas cake I had a lot of mix left over – well my tin size was smaller than the recipe stated and, rather than adjust the mix I thought I would bake the extra in loaf tins and make mini Christmas cakes, here they all are fresh from the oven…
The round one is still waiting for marzipan and has a little drizzle of almond rum over the top each week – it smells amazing!!
But the two loaf size ones had to be dealt with early. I had planned to give one to my Spanish teacher on my last lesson before we broke up for Christmas and the others – well they would be presents too..
I managed to get some 4 inch boards while I was staying with my son and his wife in Swindon – there was a superb cake shop there..
Then I cut the cakes down to size and covered them in marzipan and icing – the results were lovely even for someone with shaky hands….
Aren’t they sweet? And I loved piping the royal icing on them – its been a while since I did that.
I especially like this one
I just love those little penguins!!!!
So now I need to get the big one finished – this weekend I think!!!!
by Kate on November 24, 2009
Remember Max, my stunning eight year old puss cat? His picture graces the first page of this site, along with photos of our crazy greyhound.
He is a sweetie and very loving but has been having a very bad time lately.
Another cat, a stray I think has been trying to move in, and Max has been defending his property with a vengeance. The fights have been ferocious and completely unstoppable – eventually my boy had to go to hospital with broken teeth and abcesses. After surgery I decided to keep him in, which drove him mad but I could think of no other way of protecting my boy.
The stray continued to visit and to be very fair I could only think that he was a monster, the vets bill had been £200 and Max was a mess.
Last Saturday I decided to let Max out for short periods in the day and it went quite well. He went back to sitting on the roof, viewing his garden, and there was no sign of the stray …. until last night.
I was sorting out the recycling for our refuse collection today and was in and out of the car port with plastics and paper when I noticed Max behaving strangely near to our indoor dog kennel which is kept in the car port until we have to leave Hippie alone in the house.
On closer inspection I saw that the stray cat was inside the kennel and Max was growling at him from outside.
The kennel is a thick wire construction and obviously large enough for a greyhound….
I leaned forward and shut the kennel door, effectively trapping the stray inside …. sorry no photos here, I was thunderstruck, and Max was now spitting and hissing while the stray just looked at him!
On closer inspection this cat was in a sorry state, broken teeth, nicked ears and abcesses – he was also very thin and unkempt.
I rang the local animal hospital for advice, after all they had dealt with Max’s problems. They were brilliant and asked me to call the RSPCA and get a log number, then I could take the stray to them for treatment. I did this and was then left with the problem of getting this cat out of the kennel and into Max’s travel box.
But there was no problem – he went straight in after I put a dish of cat food in there. Then all I heard was frantic eating followed by the noisy licking out of the dish.
Suddenly he wasn’t a monster just a misguided cat looking for help and food.
I took him to our vet’s hospital and they booked him in – I also took a can of Max’s food which they said they would give him.
They will treat him and if they cannot find his owner, they will send him to the RSPCA where he will be re-homed. If they do find his owners I hope they give them the bill for his care.
Anyway, back home and at first Max was scared to go out, walking very gingerly and checking out each area of his domain.
But, today he is back to his normal self – a little battle scarred but as loving as ever.
Until the next time!!!!
by Kate on November 21, 2009
Last month I treated myself to a copy of Good Housekeeping magazine and in it was a new recipe for Christmas Cake.
The recipe looked lovely and, as its been a good few years since I have made one I decided to give it a go.
To be fair, in the past I have only ever made my Grandma Harriet’s Christmas Cake and this recipe was quite different to that…
… Dried figs, prunes and apricots as well as the usual sultanas and raisins were all soaked for 3 days in orange juice and a nut liqueur before adding to the spiced cake mixture today… it smelled amazing:-
It might be the last time I use my late Mum’s mixing bowl, however, as I noticed a crack in it. Well it is over 50 years old!
The recipe called for a larger cake tin than I own, so rather than go out and buy another I decided to put any left over mixture in a loaf tin. But there was still some mixture left, so after filling my house with the lovely smell of baking for four hours while the larger cakes cooked I then poured the last of the mix into the loaf tin and cooked that too
.
The result was amazing and I now have three cakes to cover with almond paste and icing. The two smaller ones will make nice presents for people I think!!!
by Kate on November 18, 2009
Firstly, my apologies to Mavis who I told that she would be able to see this weeks ago when I was staying with my friend in Essex for the weekend (more on that later) – trouble was my mobile phone stopped talking to my computer and it has taken until now for me to be able to get the photo’s off my moby and onto here.
My lovely friend Elizabeth and I visited the Pipps Hill Retail Park in Basildon where we both saw a book on Slow Cooking. I was immediately determined to buy as I like to experiment with my Slow Cooker – my friend bought one too and then the search for a slow cooker began.
We had to go to Comet anyway as she need a new lead for her television but having found that we decided to look at the slow cookers.
While we were looking at them and trying to find the best value model (and there was quite a selection!) we became aware of a little lady at the side of us stacking the shelves. She was more than helpful but when my friend had decided which one she wanted we discovered that model was not available in the store and would have to be ordered.
We discussed this and decided to look in Argos which was only next door to see if they had this model – so we paid for the TV lead and left.
While we were in Argos, the lady from Comet suddenly appeared at our side and told us she had found the very slow cooker in the storeroom. I think we were so surprised that someone cared enough about what we wanted to follow us into another shop that we immediately left the store and went back to Comet with our new friend.
There it was, the very slow cooker and at the right price:
It was beautiful and matched my friend’s kitchen perfectly!
So this post is dedicated to Mavis who has worked for Comet for over 20 years and should be praised for the way she, not only took an interest, but also had the determination to go and look for what we wanted – that is the sort of customer service that in this day and age is usually sadly lacking.
Well done Mavis – you are wonderful! And well done Comet for employing somebody so very special!
