Interesting weather for August!

Outside my back door

Outside the front door

The rain brings out all sorts of creatures
Can you see the tiny snail just about to fall off the leaf.
The caterpiller was less than two inches long!

This snail I think wanted to come inside!
He was climbing up the front window.


The reuslts of watering the hanging basket everyday
I eat two between gathering them and photographing them!


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Quick Chicken Pie


can Condensed Mushroom Soup
Just Rol puff pastry (I always buy puff pastry!)
Cooked Chicken
Mushrooms thinly sliced or quatered

Roll out enough pastry for base and top
Line a dish/tin with pastry
(I use the lids to my casseroles to make pies)
Put in chicken, mushroom and soup
Put the top pastry on

cook until golden brown at 180 degrees centigrade

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Last Saturday we went here there was a craft fair on and we also went to the museum

Whilst there purchased these

Cheese Toastie!

This is just an ordinary Cheese Toastie! I don't own a sandwich toaster anymore. We have had two in the past years but never really got on with them! This is how I make Cheese Toasties........

Take four slices of bread - wholemeal or white it doesn't matter!

Place two slices on the grill pan

Grate any cheese, whatever you prefer

Grate a little pepper, and sprinkle with a few Italian Herbs

Not too much Pepper and Herbs just enough to taste

Add a couple of slices of tomato on each (optional)

Grill until the cheese has melted but try not to let it go brown

Needs to be sticky

Place the other two slices of bread on the top

and carefully brown under the grill on both sides

ENJOY!

At the moment I am listening to my charity shop find. I remember I was first introduced to this when I was in music lessons in school in about 1970. We were taught the different types of music, like Country, Rock n' Roll, a Jazz piece and the piece with a French theme. I have always enjoyed this musical ever since. I have never seen it in on stage in London, but have always seen travelling productions last time about ten years ago in the theatre in Plymouth. Even the travelling shows are spectacular. I even introduced it to my husband to it who enjoys it too. We also have the DVD with Donny Osmond.

I also found this pretty book for Caitlin

This and That........again!

I haven't really looked at the computer for a few days, I don't know why I haven't really done much since my last post. That post made me feel like the oldest blogger on the blogs! All of my four and fifty and a half years! I don't feel it though I do actually feel much younger! But, with that blog I would like to say that you all may have heard one of the Manfreds songs in recent years! "Handbags and Gladrags" The Stereophonics sang it as did Rod Stewart and it was used for the signature tune to Ricky Gervais' "The Office".

First of all I would like to thank Michela for my PIF gift.

I finished this cross stitch for a birthday present

for my boss Janet, she always said she liked it so I thought

I would surprise her - now I have to make it into a cushion!
It was taken from this book

Got my lamp from out of summer "hibernation" to help

me work on these dark nights.

It looks rather like "Pixar" don't you think

bought this material for my PIF gifts
I would also like to thank Gillian for being my third person

Started an Enid Blyton collection for Caitlin, I even

found my Noddy book "Noddy Goes to the Fair"

Found this book of Angels in a charity shop

Another charity shop find!

Something else for Caitlin -

for when we do messy things

at nanny's house!

They don't do things like they use to..................

Whenever my friend Meg and her family go on holiday she leaves me with a key to go into her house and feed the Cats............, the Gerbils.................... and the African Land Snails........quite yuckky! The Snails that is!

Meg always brings me a thank you pressie, this pressie was a lovely surprise as I often look at this book whenever I see them on it book shelf, but the funny thing is Meg has never seen me look at this particular book so it was a lovely surprise. For a long time now I have been very interested in the Art Deco of the 30's, the straight lines the angular patterns, and the life during the war, in fact sometimes I read old wartime cookery books for inspiration and something healthy to eat that is slightly different!

No-one wears hats like this any more

Doing the laundry is a task in itself

These look fiddly to make but they look fun

I thought this way of exercising was really funny - does anyone do this?

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I thought I would have go at The Further Adventures of the Thrifty Mrs Menu Challenge. I go to Tesco with a comprehensive shopping list. I have an item listed "Fruit & Veg"! Tescos often have a three for two off or a buy one get on free, these offers I tend to go for, I also try and buy my fruit and veg without wrapping and a sell by date, my theory with fruit and veg is if its gone mouldy then its gone off, and I try not to let it get that far! We are not vegetarians but we do eat a lot of fruit and veg. There is only two of us in the house now so sometimes I make something last two days.

My menu for this week is:-

Saturday - Ploughmans to eat up last weeks salad
Sunday - Salmon with potatoes and salad or peas - £3 Tescos
Monday - Sausages (Half Packet) Potatoes & Peas
Tuesday - Sausages (Half Packet) Stir Fry & Potatoes (Forgot to buy noodles) (Stir Fry, Sauce and Noodles/Potatoes were on offer - buy any three items for £2.50)
Wednesday - Egg and Chips Alex goes out this evening
Thursday - Ratatouille and Lamb chops and Potatoes
Friday - Ratatouille Chicken/Pork chops or whatever is at the Farmers Market

I probably won't go to Tescos now till about three weeks time, I'll buy locally for anything I need like lettuce etc. - I expect I will buy whatever the Farmers Market has to offer till then.

BARGAIN!

I have always wanted a copy of this book and now I have one for the grand cost of 50 pence from the boot fair this morning. I am so pleased. I already have Mary Thomas's Embroidery Book.

Nearly every page has a sweet little cartoon.

I was in two minds whether to go to the boot fair this morning and I am glad I did now. But, I think I will give them a miss for a couple of weeks - if I can that is I sometimes get up on a Sunday morning and feel the pull......... and wait for our annual extra large boot fair on August Bank Holiday Monday at Carhampton, Minehead. So I hope this weather doesn't change to Wet between now and then!

Boot Fair!

Although looking a bit grey we decided we would go to the Boot Fair. We shouldn't go really over the years going to Boot Fairs, Charity Shops, Jumble Sales this has been our downfall! We now have too much STUFF! Not all Vintage and not all Junk! We keep saying we must do a Boot Fair, but when the weather is right we are not ready or visa verse - one day............. However this morning was just right, and I bought yet more stuff!

Taken as we were leaving - we arrived at the allotted time,

but there were loads of cars in the car park to buy!

Sellers set up at 9am, buyers arrive at 9.30!

Two large Tray Cloths £1

Ladybird book 50 pence

Rosie & Jim £2.
When the boys were younger we used to
sit and watch this together.

Two large Tablecloths £4.
Not embroidered yet!
So something I will enjoy doing!

Sunday Afternoon

We do many exciting things, or should I say not so exciting things on a Sunday. We cut the grass and make an outing of taking it to the recycling centre for disposal. We stop at the station, and although it is a actually a "Mixed Traffic" weekend, i.e. the diesels are in town I think we missed the trains and the hustle of the people stepping on to and stepping off the train.

Even the beach was quiet for 3pm on a Sunday afternoon!

I found these books on the station book stall

Now perhaps I can get my garden to grow properly!

These books looked interesting

I saw these books on the book stall

and thought of my son

he is trying to be an actor!