Making Good Use

Keeping the Winter Chills At Bay (Hopefully)

With the weather definitely getting a lot cooler now I've been thinking of ways to cut down the chilly winds which blow in under the badly fitting and rather ancient french windows.  Last year I tried this method of cutting down on the draughts.  It wasn't a great success as the pipe wrap stuff kept coming away from where I'd stuck it down to the floor and doors and by mid-winter it looked dreadful. 

This year I thought I'd try a more elegant solution and make a custom-made draught excluder.  I'd been chewing this particular idea over for ages and had been keeping my eye open for cheap polyester pillows that I could scavenge the stuffing out of.  I had no success whatsoever, either second-hand or new, and kept thinking what have I got or what could I get hold of that would work as stuffing on such a large draught-excluder.  As if by magic, when I looked in the cupboard under the stairs I came across a large carrier bag full of huge black hanks of thick coarse wool.  I'd paid £1.00 for the lot a couple of years back in the charity shop and they had labelled it as craft wool.  I had tried knitting a few experimental squares with it but the stuff was so hard and coarse and the black dye got all over my hands that I soon bunged it in the cupboard.  Well, long story short, it turned out to be just the ticket for stuffing a draught excluder.  I tied two skeins together with cord to make it nice and thick and then cut out some fairly cheerful fabric from an old tablecloth.

 
I'm pretty pleased with the result and it sure looks a lot better than last years effort.  P was very impressed with the fact that it fitted the french windows exactly, I think he thought that had happened by pure chance until I pointed out that I had, in fact, measured the windows before I started making it and had then cut the fabric to size!  Simples, as the meerkat would say.

Not Your Usual Charity Shop Bargain

The local charity shop was rather quiet this morning, only me, one other customer and the lady behind the counter.  I was busy perusing the book shelves when I heard someone being asked if they liked beetroot or marrows.  It turned out that the other customer didn't like fresh veg at all - 'everything I eat comes out of a packet' was the actual answer.  So, when I went to the counter to pay for a book, I asked how much the bag of beetroot were.  The answer, 50p for the whole bagful.  Sold to the woman who likes beetroot soup very much.

 
These are proper good old-fashioned home-grown beetroots, still with a covering of mud.  I'll cook up maybe half of them for soup this weekend and will keep the other half for a later batch of soup.  Apparently they had only just been brought in - presumably by the person who'd grown them.  

 
They quite often have home-grown produce in this charity shop, and a good selection of home-made jams and chutneys too.  The jams, and especially the Seville Marmalade, are delicious but they seem to be very heavy on the plum jam at the moment - no surprise there really as plums have been so prolific this year.  I do wonder what the good old 'Health and Safety' would have to say about a charity shop selling jams, chutneys and veg but they've got to catch them doing it first.  And I can't imagine anyone is going to complain to the H & S Executive, I would hope our 'nanny state' has not gone quite as far as that yet.

Ebay Sales Update

Lately, I've been really making a huge effort to list as much crap (sorry, stuff) as possible on Ebay.  And it seems to be paying off - I've had some hearteningly good sales.  Most of the really good sellers in the last few weeks have been from this summer's haul of vintage Christmas bits and bobs.

This aluminium Christmas tree which I found for £1.00 at the car boot sale when my sister and nephew were staying sold on Sunday for £22.50.  Woohoo, nice result.  And, amazingly enough, I'd pretty much got the postage right for it too.  I do struggle a bit with working out unusual size / weight postage rates and have been known to be wildly inaccurate at times.  If I've over-charged waaaay too much I refund the difference to the buyer via Paypal.  Sometimes though I've wildly under charged, like the £9.00 postage for a book to the US for which I'd only charged £5.00 P&P.  Luckily for me the book had cost pennies to buy and had fetched a really good price on Ebay so I still made a good profit.  But it was a salutory lesson for me.

Still on the vintage Christmas decorations theme - these paper chains, in very good condition, sold for £15.07, a fabulous result.

And the vintage Christmas fairy sold for £12.00 too.  Both of these items, along with quite a few others, were picked up months ago at the 'Coffee and Jumble' for something crazy like £1.00 for the lot.  (You can see more of the original 'haul' here.)

In previous years I've held on until mid-November before listing any vintage Christmas bits for sale but, having checked the 'completed listings' prices for similar items recently, I decided to try selling much earlier in the autumn. It seemed to be the right tactic which was good as last year I did woefully badly with my vintage decoration sales.  I've pretty much come to the bottom of the bag of the Christmas stuff now so I'll have to concentrate on the other crap (sorry, stuff) that is still lurking around the house.  Yesterday I found a rather spiffy 'Boden' linen and silk cardigan at the 'Coffee and Jumble', it was 50p and will definitely be being listed on Ebay this Thursday.

Oh, and even better, I sold one of my wool-felt Waldorf-type birthday crowns as a buy-it-now.  That was the best Ebay sale of the lot - I always feel really chuffed when someone wants to buy something I've made.

Thrifting in Orange and Lemon

This is the second time recently I've come back from the car boot sale and realised my finds were colour co-ordinated - last time it was pink and blue, this time it's orange and lemon.

The background fabric is a couple of bright orange serviettes that have a bandana-like pattern on them.  I got three of those for £1.00 and they're just the right size for turning into a bag or a cushion cover.  Judging by the label I think they're originally from the States and I've certainly never come across anything as large or as cheerful as these serviettes in the UK.  I could, of course, just use them as serviettes but somehow they're too nice to be used to wipe our chops with whilst eating. 

Carrying right along with the orange-coloured theme is the Action Man frisbee - brand new and in its original packaging - 20p.  I'm pretty sure my nephew doesn't have a frisbee and he's just recently discovered Action Man so, hopefully, he'll like this.  It also goes very nicely with the bright orange Action Man T-shirt I picked up for him in a charity shop on Friday. 

Then there's a Body Shop Orange and Chocolate Shower Creme - 50p and two bottle of lemon Carex Hand Wash - 50p each.  These were from a trader and are just as cheap as Aldi's hand wash which, unfortunately, has a very unpleasant perfume.  The Aldi stuff pongs so badly that it can give me a headache - yuk.  The Carex will make a nice change.

At yesterday's car boot sale I also found an unopened Polo Ralph Lauren pure cotton pillowcase in a rather nice powder-blue colour.  It's supposed to be ultra high quality cotton with over 200 thread counts per inch.  I'll put that aside for Mum as she does like a really soft cotton pillowcase.  Amazingly, I also managed to find two good books for re-sale on Amazon.  TWO, that just never normally happens these days.

Although the car boot season is definitely drawing to a close, and there were considerably less sellers yesterday than a couple of weeks ago, it was still worth going and, fingers crossed, there'll be a couple more weeks of car boots to go to before autumn really closes in.

This and That

:: The weather forecasters weren't joking when they said the weather would become more autumnal at the end of the week.  Whilst not exactly cold, today has been a tad chillier than we've been used to.  Hence, I was very very pleased to find two winter woolies in the charity shops this morning which have already been washed and hung out to dry.  And do please note how close to the patio the rotary washing line is now - oh yes, still VERY pleased with that.

:: Still with thoughts of cooler weather I went to Evans (for those outside of the UK this is a shop for plus-size women) whilst I was in Basildon this morning, and bought myself three new long-sleeved T-shirts - one black, one white and one grey.  I had a couple of these last winter and they are marvellous for layering under all sorts of tops, and they really do help to keep you warmer.  They are pure cotton and were only £8.00 each which considering the price of many of Evans items (£30.00 for a top would by no means be out of the question) I thought they were a relative bargain.  I did have to laugh when I heard one customer in there being asked what size she was looking for, 'big fat girl's size' was the answer.  I know just how she feels!

:: Apparently there is going to be a feature on tonight's Newsnight about Britain's newfound enthusiasm for 'Make Do and Mend'.  It's not the sort of topic the ever-serious Newsnight usually covers (I'm assuming Paxo won't be involved in this one) but it looks like it will be a pretty interesting piece.

:: I also want to say 'Hi and thanks' to Pam over at White O'Morn Cottage who has just read back through my blog to the very first post and has left some lovely comments en route.  Thanks for those Pam, I really appreciate them, and I'll try and get my act together and post the Beanie Hat pattern in the next week or two. 

Good Grief, It's October Tomorrow

I can't believe it's going to be October tomorrow. 

There are still tomatoes to be picked in - albeit a little under-ripe as yet.  And still there are some sizeable green ones hanging on the vine.  Plus a small-but-definitely-still-growing cucumber out there too.

The fuschia is still in full flower, with lots of little buds all over it as well.

I know it is due to get a tad cooler over the next few days but still there seems to be no need to even think about putting the central heating on just yet - hurrah!  I was hoping to get a zero gas bill for this quarter but P did insist on putting the heating on for a couple of hours the other week so that's the end of that goal.  It was most astonishing the next morning to actually have some hot (well, warmish) water in the hot tap.  I'd almost forgotten what it's like to have running hot water.  Not that it's a problem in the summer as I simply boil a kettle for the washing up and we use the electric shower all year round anyway.

And, for the first time in over 30 years, I don't feel the crushing weight of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) bearing down on me this autumn.  I usually start beginning to feel glum as the nights really draw in at the end of August.  It's taken me a few weeks this year to realise I feel completely blase about the coming months of darkness.  I have no idea why I feel so much better about it, but I sure as heck am grateful.

Easily Pleased

I'm sure I'm badly mis-quoting Bill Bryson in his book 'Notes from a Small Island', when he says something about the British being so easily pleased that a Saturday afternoon spent choosing wallpaper becomes a really exciting outing.  If that's not exactly what he said, that is certainly the gist of it.  Now, I'm not a massive fan of wallpaper so I can't say an afternoon spent choosing it would float my boat, but I am British, and I am easily pleased.

Yesterday afternoon we had a local handyman come to put in another post hole for our rotary washing line.  A small job which only took him an hour or so (the post has to be cemented in to the earth) and which cost us a mere £20.00.  I can't tell you how happy that new post hole makes me.  This coming winter there will be no more sliding around on the muddy grass (with the result that come the spring our lawn looks more like the Battle of the Somme) when I hang out the washing as the new post hole means the rotary line is near enough for me to stand on the patio whilst pegging things out.  And the winter sun actually makes it high enough in the sky to hit the patch of garden where the new post hole is, hopefully meaning the washing will dry better and there will be less steaming washing draped over the radiators. 

As a totally unexpected and added bonus, the garden looks so much nicer from the living and dining rooms without the view of our smalls (or in my case, not-so-smalls) hanging out to dry.

Bill Bryson, you're right - the British really are very easily pleased, and I, for one, think that's a very good thing indeed.

Sometimes I Really Don't Like Supermarkets

We only have two supermarkets where I live - Aldi (wonderfully good food at cheap prices but VERY limited choice) and Somerfield (great offers, free home delivery but can be HIDEOUSLY expensive.)  I discovered this morning that although it still says Somerfield over the door and the staff still wear Somerfield uniforms apparently it is now a Co-op supermarket. 

I've always liked the ethos of the Co-op - very left-wing and 'for the people' - and have very fond memories of Co-op shops when I was a child.  (For those of a certain age and from the Bristol area I'll just say Santa's Grotto in 'Fairfax House' and leave it at that.)  Soooo, I was somewhat put out to discover that as Somerfield is now Co-op (even if there is no sign of that change apart from a few Co-op products on the shelf) they will no longer be stocking 4 pint cartons of organic milk.  Yes, you can  buy 2 pint cartons at £1.03 each (making it £2.06 for 4 pints - I think not!!) but 4 pints is no longer available.

For a supermarket who claim to be 'Good with Food' I consider only selling titchy little cartons of organic milk a highly retrograde step - although very lucrative for them.  A strongly-worded e-mail has been sent to Co-op customer services with the plea to reconsider their stance on organic milk and, whilst they're at it, could they please consider selling organic meat too.  Surely I can't be the only person in my area who would like to be able to buy organic milk, eggs and meat without having to travel to the nearest branch of one of the 'big four' UK supermarket chains.

Grrr - it does make me cross!!

So, That Was a Bonus

I only shop in Sainsbury's on a seasonal basis, ie when the Thursday car boot sales are on.  I have nothing against Sainsbury's per se (a tad expensive sometimes but with some excellent offers on at the moment), but I do object to having to pay £3.30 in bus fare to get to my local store.  During the car-boot-less season I make do with the Aldi and Somerfield that my little town can offer, and sometimes wander into Waitrose when I've visiting Billericay - because, after all, there is a limit to what is available in Aldi, and Somerfield can be HIDEOUSLY expensive at times (and they don't sell organic meat.)

Even though I'm hardly a regular Sainsbury's shopper, I do have a Nectar card (a store loyalty card).  I don't know what made me ask the checkout lady in Sainsbury's yesterday if I had any points that I could redeem against the bill.  It was probably the idea that this could be the last time I get to go there this 'season', or just the idea of saving a bit of money.  Whatever the reason, I nearly fell over when she happily announced that I had enough points to get £7.50 off my bill.  What the !!, how did I manage to accrue those many points when I hardly ever shop there??   Anyway, that was a nice bonus.

I happily accepted the £7.50 off and she then explained that she shouldn't really tell customers how much value they had on the points they'd collected????  Which seems a tad odd.  I can only assume that Sainsbury's like to keep these things secret in the hope that people don't ever 'cash in' their points, even though you get a running total of your Nectar points at the end of the till receipt.  I knew they'd changed the rules at some point but didn't realise that 500 points = £2.50 off your bill.  The checkout lady then told me that last Christmas she had a couple who happened to ask about their Nectar points and then found they had £300.00 worth of points.  She said she saw them leaving the store later with a flat-screen TV!

I had another small shopping bonus this morning too.  Long story short, I'd perused the shelves in Superdrug looking for baby talcum powder and could only find a titchy, teeny, tiny one by Johnsons which cost 90p.  I don't think so.  So, in high dudgeon, I take myself across the precinct and go into Boots.  Ah, that was better, a humungous size baby powder - Boots own - for £1.26.  When I got to the till I was asked if I knew it was a buy-one-get-one-free on those.  Nope, I didn't but I certainly went back and got the second one for free.  So, that was a bonus too.

I Can Resist All But Temptation

I thought I'd pretty much given up on going to the Thursday Car Boot Sale after last week's disappointing visit, but the temptation of a lovely sunny morning and the you-never-know-what-you'll-find thrill of any car boot, lured me there once again.

I'm so pleased I went as there was somebody selling lots of flower-bedecked items - items that I didn't know you could get with flowers on them.  Lovely practical things like trowels, forks, scissors and screwdrivers.  Everything was £1.00 each, except the scissors - they were only 50p.  As I needed a fork and trowel I was really happy to buy one each of those.  The scissors are a bit of a luxury as I don't really need them but they'll no doubt come in handy.  As for the screwdriver - well, I just could not resist having such a flowery one.  It's got two different-sized Philips heads and although I've already got a couple of Philips screwdrivers I have to admit they are rather damaged and worn - probably because I can get VERY frustrated when I can't get a screw undone!!  This new one will be a welcome addition to the tool box and certainly won't get lost with it's bright pink handle.

I also found a brand-new Cotton Traders top which I hope will be useful for my sister (S let me know if you like it and also if you'd like me to post it down to you).  It was only £2.00 and is a pretty shade of grey-blue with winter-friendly long sleeves.  It was so warm walking around this morning that I can't imagine it ever being cold enough for long sleeves again - but it will be, and all too soon.