Palinpome?

Let's go where the river meets the sea.

No need to talk.

Waves lap the shore,

Together we walk

Side by side.

Listen to the birds sing in the trees and marvel at bushes, clothed in their autumnal leaves and fruits.

Sit and watch the world go by and wonder at nature, 

clouds, sea and sky.

Listen to the birds sing in the trees and marvel at bushes clothed in their autumnal leaves and fruits.

Side by side

Together we walk.

Waves lap the shore,

No need to talk.

Let's go where the river meets the sea.

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Let's go where the river meets the sea.

No need to talk.

Waves lap the shore,

Together we walk

Side by side.

Listen to the birds sing in the trees and marvel at bushes, clothed in their autumnal leaves and fruits.

Sit and watch the world go by and wonder at nature, clouds, sea and sky.

Listen to the birds sing in the trees and marvel at bushes clothed in their autumnal leaves and fruits.

Side by side

Together we walk.

Waves lap the shore,

No need to talk.

Let's go where the river meets the sea.

It was dirty ...

... behind the cooker. Here's 'behind the cooker' - cleaned up a bit.

The cooker needed cleaning. DH does a thorough job. It wasn't just a quick wipe but a major overhaul that took up much of the day.

My fingernails are very clean now ...

... and so is the cooker. 

Yeah! I am not going to cook on or in it ever again so that it will remain pristine. Yeah! Yeah?

xx

PS Thank you to the bloggers who've signed up for the Tea Party. Yeah!

Who, where, when, what for?

Welcome to my new and recent followers and here's an invitation to you and indeed all followers and viewers to join in with our Virtual Tea Party at the end of October. Details can be found by clicking on the Tea Party button to the right of your screen. We already have some contributors for the day with promises of visits from others. No great effort is involved - just treat it as a virtual playtime with the opportunity for others, old and new, to view your blog.

Joy

Frugal in Bucks

Johnny jumps up

Jane and Chris

Hope to see you there, Bloggy Bloggers, with your cake, sandwiches, scones, teapots, china, witty conversation, best clothes, floral decorations and whatever else or whoever else you might like to bring along!

xx

Everything but the kitchen sink

There are not many times that I can clean the kitchen sink and leave it pristine. There's too much going on around, on and in it. I've only taken pics of a few activities but the list is endless. Here we have the breadmaking utensils to wash,

the veg to peel.

the lights to take down and clean,

the cat sick to wash out (cat lovers will understand this one) ...

and the sandwiches to make.

I use the sink as a bucket for when the floor is mopped, to soak pots and pans so they will scrub clean easily, to wash clothes, to water plants, to bath the baby, to ...

what else?

As soon as I've cleaned the sink another task arises which necessitates mucking it up again. Hey ho!

xx

Musings

When we're old (I don't classify myself as there yet) and grey (I'm there underneath the colour) and unable to look after ourselves (debatable) do you think that the staff in the old folks' home will supply us with iPods, laptops, mobile phones (internet devices) so we can read our blogs?

xx

Done ...

... all the squares.

Now I've just got to crochet them all together and crochet an edge.

I should have 22 rows of 16 squares. There are some squares that haven't been done correctly. Can you spot any? One's got 3 clusters on one corner. Silly me. (I can't spot it now!)

Click on the 2012 label to see the story of this blanket.

xx

PS A very warm welcome to my new follower who is also enjoying her retirement. Yeah!

View of life in the 60s

More moments in time in the 60s rather than a story with a plot, but very readable.

xx

Quick snack

Choose the ripe tomatoes.

Red ones ...

and yellow ones.

Pick and carry back to the kitchen.

Cut up and fry up (I used chip pan lard - tut, tut) or ding in the microwave until soft. Eat on toast or with toast. Yummy, yummy says my tummy!

xx

No time at all

The corn has been harvested and most frozen (some kept back to eat today). The plants were shredded and composted.

Only about 30 minutes from start to finish. Fresh veg. quickly frozen and fresh veg. quickly eaten - zero food miles. Can't be bad!

xx

Heritage Tour - 2

There was a lot going on at North Pier during Heritage Open Day as it is also celebrating its 150th anniversary. We toured the pier, watched 2 free performances, one a chat with Charlie Cairoli Jr and one a variety show. The weather for the tour was sunny but on the performance days it was gale force and chucking it down so the turn out was low - such a shame. Here are a few old pics of the pier.

And here is an old projector from when the theatre showed films.

The theatre was larger inside than out - very strange.

We were allowed onto the stage, backstage and ...

and around the dressing rooms which were sumptuously decorated with deco wallpaper, chandeliers, pictures and flowers.

The dressing rooms were like hotel rooms with coffee making facilities and drinks fridges.

Couches and ensuites were in the main dressing rooms.

Mirrors were everywhere so we artistes could check our make-up and clothes.

The even had a sea view!

In the office there was one vital document on show. Two previous theatres went up in flames and the third was saved from burning by one of the artistes - Vince Hill.

Thank you to the bloggers who have signed up for the Tea Party. I've made a simple (can't do difficult) button to display on your blogs if you wish to invite more people to the 'do'.

xx

Welcome to another new follower. My numbers creep up slowly.

Virtual Tea Party Invite

Who is invited?

Anyone who reads this blog, whether they have their own blog or not.

When is it?

It's usually been near the end of October at the weekend so how's about Sunday 27th October. (Please put the date in your diary.) There's plenty of time to prepare a post if you have a blog and wish to join in. 

What do I have to do if I join in?

If you have a blog all you need to do is to prepare a post on something to do with a Tea Party on the day and I will link to your blog. If you haven't got a blog then all you need to do is visit participating blogs and leave a comment. Simple, no sweat.

We've had some great Tea Party hosts and I hope they will consider joining in again. Your post can be long or short, it doesn't matter. Here's a few suggestions.

Show off your favourite - teapot, china, tablecloth, cake stand ...

Take a picture between now and the day of - cake, sandwich, scone, party food, nibbles, drinks ...

Show off some favourite sandwich fillings.

Take a picture of favourite - dress, hat, shoes, gloves, fascinator, brooch, necklace ...

Converse on - weather, holiday, family, hobbies, books read, films seen ...

Take a picture of your garden, bunting, table layout, garden decorations, house decorations ...

If you have more ideas please say.

Dear Bloggy Bloggers,

Just a jingle from me,

How's about a meet

For a special cup of tea?

Tea, buns and cakes

With sarnies for your mam.

Scones with naughty cream

And a smear of strawberry jam.

Bring out your cake stands

Teapots, cloths 'n' that

Polish up your china

Choose your poshest hat

Wear your bestest frock

Bring your closest friend

To chat, laugh and giggle.

This invite to you I send.

Joy, it's just you and me at the moment. See you there!

Heritage Tour - 1

I really enjoyed visiting local places during Heritage Open Days last year and this year I opted for a tour of homes which were built for the 1906 Cottage Exhibition at Cleveleys in the Fylde.

All of the cottages are still standing but other homes have been built in between. Click on the links for more information. The house below was the one that has kept true to the original building.

PS Talking of this year and last year, would anyone like a Virtual Tea Party again this year? Just a yeah or nay will do at the moment. I'll post more detail later if we have a few responses. Look at our other Virtual Tea Parties if you've not joined in before.

PPS Welcome to my new follower.

xx

Calculating

One bucket of plums (given) plus a bowl of crumble mix (500g flour/oats, 250g butter, 200g brown sugar) equals ...

12 small crumbles plus 2 bowls of plums to eat.

The kitchen smells wonderful.

xx

PS Welcome to my new follower (who also enjoys cooking and baking).

Don't ...

... keep having chocolate/ice-cream lollies for afters. It's no good for your diet.

I made some cake instead. I know - it's no good for your diet but if I cut it into small enough pieces then you've got the taste and only a few calories. And I know how much fat and sugar has gone into each cake. My simple cake recipe is 4/2/2, an egg and some milk.

eg. 4 oz flour, 2 oz butter, 2 oz sugar

or

8 oz flour, 4 oz butter, 4 oz flour - the ratio is the same.

At the front is a lemon cake tray bake so I added the juice and zest of a lemon.

The second cake in the middle used some brown and muscavado sugar, a teaspoon of mixed spice and 4 oz sultanas. At the back you can see my experiment with crackers.

I used 1 cup of wholemeal bread flour, a knob of melted butter, a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar all mixed and kneaded together for 10 minutes. Who needs the gym to get muscles in your arms? I let the dough rest in the fridge for about 20 minutes then rolled it out very, very and more very thin. It was baked in the oven at 240 degrees C for about 5 minutes. I think I read about the recipe from the Keep it Simple blog (see the side bar). Frugal Queen also had a go at making crackers.

I shall make these again and experiment more with different flours and toppings. A couple of these will suffice for afters and I know what's in them!

xx

PS Welcome to my new follower.

To-de-loo

To the tune of Close Every Door To Me

Cleaned every bog loo today,
Chased all the germs away,
Under the rim and
Around the U bend.

Don’t do this everyday
The job never goes away
Leave the bowl sparkling
Seat clean for your end!

This job is important so
I clean where we have to go
And I know that now the loos
All smell divine.

Cleaned every bog loo today
Germs and dirt gone away
Wiped, brushed and polished
Just me alone.

And I know I did find (excuse the grammar)
Complete peace of mind
With a brush, cloth and cleaner
In a world of my own.

Also known as Bog Ballad, Doos Ditty, Water Closet Witterings, Rest Room Recitations or Privy Ponderings.

xx

Jolly nice

My friend and I had a mini jolly to Poulton last week just for a walk round and a pot of tea. She took me to see the railway station.

Very pretty. What a site to send you off on your journey ...

or to greet you when you arrive home.

xx