There's talk of snow

Already we are hearing that the snow is on its way - rather early, I thought! However, the temperatures here are well below average for the time of year, and I think that ukweathergeek hasn't got it all far wrong! I think that I have said before that I think he is talking a lot of sense, so I am taking notice of what he thinks about the coming winter - that it will probably be as bad as last winter, if not worse - and that he believes that the winter of 2011/12 may be even worse still. His blog makes interesting reading, so I check back there now and again to see if he has posted updates.

Today I have given the chooks some straw in their runs and they have had a grand time, scratching through it to look for tasty tidbits. It helps to keep their feet a little drier for a time, at least until they have pushed it all down into the mud.

The kitchen has also been in production today again - I found a recipe for chocolate fudge on an Australian savings website that I visit occasionally. I thought that it would be an excellent choice to make for gifts, but never having attempted anything quite like it before, I decided that it would be wise to try it out first. It was easy enough to make, but since I can't eat it, I will have to canvass opinions on it - the YFG thinks it tastes like thick icing but the EFG and the FH both said that they liked it. I may have to look for more independent opinions before I go into production. I will share it if the general thoughts are positive!!

The lunchbox tins also needed refilling, so I made some Weetabix Brownies and some cheese scones too. Several of the cheese scones mysteriously disappeared rather quickly, and I was only out of the room for a moment.........can't imagine where they went!

Tonight the EFG and the YFG have had trouble at their respective band practises. The YFG had ear-ache and said she couldn't play, but had to go along with the FH anyway. The teacher seems to have been a little disappointed that she couldn't take part, so she gave her a pencil and taught her to conduct a little!! The EFG has a huge "thing" on the inside of her lip where she has bitten it whilst she has been asleep, and it was too painful for her to play her cornet so we abandoned her band and went to the supermarket. In true stockpiling spirit in that I looked for all the bargains, the 3 for 2s and suchlike, I parted with rather a lot of dosh and filled the cupboards in anticipation of the snow and bad weather coming. The bargain hunting knocked nearly £18 off the final bill!! There is no point in the supermarkets being stocked if I can't get there to buy what I need, so I thought it was an opportune moment to stock up a little. I know that I have a little leeway in the budget this month as the FH's credit card has gone astray so he hasn't spent anything, so I know there will be no bill coming from that direction this month (hurray!), not that he spends a lot on it, mostly just for his petrol!

Lakeland received an order from me this morning in an attempt to get some of my Christmas shopping done! I managed to find an obscure little site to order a couple of "Gorjuss" items that the EFG had asked for, but the YFG's list has had to be revised as she had gone drastically over budget. When she gets round to finalising exactly what she wants, Amazon will be getting some business as well, as I spent sometime investigating best prices on the internet for the items on their lists, and Amazon consistently comes out the cheapest, and with free delivery and Nectar points too, it's hard to beat!

Tonight I have been assessing our income and wondering. I want to kill two birds with one stone and do some decluttering so it seems like a plan to sort out the "good" stuff and try to sell it on eBay or Amazon (sold a book on there last week!) at a time of year when people will be looking for bargains. I will have to have a good look at what I want to discard and see if any of it is fit to sell. Half of me would like to sell the Playmobil we have, but the other half thinks that it may still have a home here for a while yet. Someone still likes to play with it now and again.