Use it up Challenge for April

Now I know you can buy frozen peppers fairly cheaply, but this one was an organic pepper, left over and forgotten about, languishing at the back of the fridge. I almost threw it away as it was starting to get soft but thought better of it, chopped it up and popped it into the freezer. It will a great little extra for adding to a quiche or a stew later on. A whole organic pepper would cost about 70p so half an organic pepper must have saved 35p being thrown into the bin!

It got me thinking about all the "stuff" we just take for granted and throw into the bin and add to our over full landfills. I don't know about you but I am feeling very ashamed of all I have thrown out in the past. We have been so very lucky in this country but we cannot afford to take that for granted.

So to get me into a new and more thankful state of mind, I am starting a "Use it Up challenge" for April and am going to list (and hopefully post photos)of all the "stuff" I will save from landfill. Anyone want to join me? Just post a comment about what you are doing or blog about it if you have a blog. I know a lot of you are already doing this but together we can start to make changes and maybe raise awareness.
Use it up savings - 35p

Hello! I'm still here, just getting used to the new prescription. All is ok, in fact better than I have been for a long while! I do hope I never have to take beta blockers again though! I managed just over a week and had to come off them as I felt so ill!

In the meantime, in order to keep focused, I have been knitting more of Elizabeths pattern for fingerless gloves. I took a pair into the MS centre for a friend, she suffers pain in her hands and warmth helps to relieve the pain, as a result I am now on my 10th set! lol! All I ask is a donation to the MS charity. It is doing me good too as I feel I'm helping, all be it in a small way, and it keeps me occupied and less likely to get worried and stressed. Above are a few of the sets that now have new homes. I am trying to find some bright and funky wool for the next set.

Penny has been great company, hardly leaving my side during the day and very cuddly. I am managing small walks with her again and Mr C gives her longer walks when he is home.

Today I managed to clean the bathroom thoroughly and also the kitchen, so I have achieved something. The rest of the house will have to wait, small cleaning sessions work best. Dinner is slow cooked beef stew, mash potatoes and runner beans (from last years crop) followed by apple crumble (using a healthier whole meal flour and oats topping) and soya ice cream - yum! Then I will be back off to bed to knit and rest some more!

Thank you for your messages, it was very kind of you and I promise to catch up on your blogs very soon. Hope you are all keeping well

Catz x

A haircut, a rest and wateraid

Finally we got Penny to the groomers, now she looks a bit like a lamb!lol! but is a lot easier to look after and no more tangles!

I've been resting up again and adjusting to a different medication so life has been a tad quiet around here. One constant source of amusement is daytime tv and while flicking through the many channels available these days, I caught a couple of programmes on wateraid projects. Now here in the UK we have for most of the year anyway, a ready and available supply of water, we often take it for granted and that is to our shame! I am becoming more aware and have a bucket in the shower and for placing under the dripping bath tap (a bucketful will do as one flush) the tap is due to be fixed soon. I decided I needed to know more and clicked on the Wateraid site to find out all I could. I soon found this page and with Mothering sunday on the 22nd March this year, and although My Mum passed on 14 years ago (round about Mothers day) I decided to order 2 taps in memory of her, After a childhood of depending on a well in the garden and many years of living abroad with sometimes limited supplies of water, I think My Mum would have appreciated this. Please check it out, there are lots of gift ideas there and World Water Day 2009 is on Mothering Sunday.

World Water Day 2009 22 March 2009
World Water Day is a global day to highlight the importance of clean, safe drinking water, and highlight the fact that almost a billion people worldwide do not have access to it. WaterAid supporters mark the day with a series of events up and down the country. Why not contact your nearest WaterAid group to find out what they've got planned? Find out more at www.wateraid.org/wwd

Water butt progress!

A sea of mud but at least the sheds are now where they are meant to be, as is the greenhouse!
The veg beds need feeding with compost and edging, the paths need sorting out. I think what we need most of all is a drop of sunshine! Our garden, although long is also very narrow at the end. Our new fencing is on the left hand side, our neighbour will be replacing the right hand side with similar fencing soon, which is good but will make the garden look even narrower. At least we can't yet see the building works at the end of the back fence, that could all change by the end of the week!



For any water butt geeks out there (I blame Gavin's posts for encouraging my water butt geekiness! lol)The larger water butt is linked up to guttering on one side of the larger shed and all of the small shed at the back. The smaller water butt (at the front)is linked up to guttering on one side of the bigger shed.

Birds of a feather

How pleased I am that these trees were saved from the developers and their building plans! I think the pigeons are happy too! A good tree comes in pretty handy on a soggy day. This was taken a couple of days ago and the builders are now back, the brick level is going up and soon the walls will be visable above our fence :(

Now our sheds are moved to the bottom of the garden, with the water butts connected, I don't mind so much, yet! I have the vegetables and fruit planting to plan. Today I found fruit bushes in Aldi and have bought 3 gooseberry, 5 blackcurrant, 5 raspberry and 2 tayberry bushes. That should fill up some of the spaces. I must get my seed potatoes soon and begin chitting them in empty egg cases in the shed. First I need some more compost delivered, to dig in to get the soil ready. So much to do and I need to slow down and pace again, so the knitting is out as I have had a couple of requests for some fingerless gloves from my friends at the ms centre.

Valentines Day Cookies

I've had some fun, I've made a mess! lol! and then I took these cookies out to share with my friends at the ms centre. Fun all round and less calories for us! I did make a couple for Mr C though!

Lemon Kisses
ingredients:-
4 oz (100g) butter or margarine
3oz (75g) caster sugar
1 egg
1 tsp lemon juice
8 oz (200g) plain flour
method:-
Cream the butter and sugar.
Beat in the egg with the lemon juice.
Fold in the flour and form into a soft dough.
Roll out the dough on a floured board and cut into shapes.
Bake for 10 - 15 minutes at 375F/190C/Gas mark 5
Leave until cool and then ice and decorate. We make a glace icing using lemon juice instead of water and it is delicious!


Off now for a proud mummy moment - my son is going to be on tv!!!! mind you it is about football lol! Tomorrow I am going out with my future daughter in law (I love saying that) and my daughter to look at wedding dresses! Very exciting!

We have water butts!

Yes they have yet to be connected, although I think the recent deluge would have overwhelmed them! That reminds me I must check the state of the existing water butt near the house!

I am so pleased to have these water butts, once they are connected to the recently moved sheds at the far end of the garden, watering the new veg patch will be much easier.



A recent photo of the state of play at the bottom of the garden! I know it doesn't look pretty at the moment (at least we can see it now the snow and puddles have receded!) but the sheds are now in their permanent position on hard standing bases, the new fencing is finished, the rotovating will be finished today and soon the greenhouse will be moved onto it's new base behind the old summerhouse. One bonus with having a sort out, we found an old window down there and, with some old breeze blocks, will hopefully make a cold frame with it.

I went to a "potato day" with a friend at our local garden centre but there was nobody about, no talks, just one leaflet and lots of bags of seed potatoes! :( Never mind I have my gardening books, the internet and determination - I will have lots of home grown potatoes this year! Now what else can I grow down there?