Our phone line has been dodgy for nearly two weeks - some days it works and others it doesn't. I reported a fault on Thursday 24th October, and by the Sunday it seemed to be working again OK, so I thought they had fixed it......then it went weird again - whistling, noisy, no dial tone, telling callers we were engaged - a terrible palaver. The internet still worked but it kept losing the signal.....until today - and it has now gone. Dead as a dodo.
So today I have had to wrestle with the dongle to get it back in credit and on line - and I am here! The fault has been re-reported and we are hoping to have an engineer visiting on Tuesday morning sometime, but I shall believe it when I see it, after the trouble we had with the visit arrangements in July. The poor dongle hasn't got great connectivity here either, as it seems to rely on mobile phone signals [does it? Is that how they work?] The phone signals here are decidedly dodgy on some networks but my phone usually works, which is why I picked a Three dongle, as well as it being about the only one I could find in Peterborough that day that would let me pay-as-you -go.
So if I seem a bit quiet, it may just be that I can't on the old interweb - it is not that I'm not thinking of you all and wishing I could read your blogs! Thanks for all the comments last week - lots of people came out of "lurkdom" and let us know that they read - good to hear from you all xx
Friday, 1 November 2013
Thursday, 31 October 2013
A ghost story for you
When asked whether I believe in ghosts, I have had to say that I do, at least since 1998, when we bought a haunted house. I didn't realise until after we moved in, and the FH always refused to believe, but my gut feeling was corroborated by some one else later on....
We bought a three storey house, just two doors away from the house we lived in. With the help of a loan from my dad and a mortgage, we bought the new house before we actually sold the one we owned, in which all our money was tied up. We bought the new house on 1st August, and it was the autumn before we agreed a sale on the other house, with an entry date in January. In Scotland, the entry date was part of the offer process, so we knew we had a definite deadline to make the other house habitable. It was an old house, over 200 years old, built for the Tullis Russell papermaking family of Glenrothes.
Now, the other house, Lynwood, had indeed been inhabited by a family with several [four or even five] daughters but they had all grown up and moved away, and the couple had split up, so the lady of the house was there on her own. They had lived there for over 40 years, and a lot of work was needed to bring it up to what we expect today, or even expected in 2000!
Since we and two boys lodging with us would be moving in, we needed to focus on the kitchen/dining arrangements in the basement, and the bedrooms under the eaves. In the basement, the FH ripped everything out and took the house back to bare stone walls, replasterboarding everything, installing a new central heating system, new cooker, a new kitchen, the works! He worked long hours on it, with only amateur help from local "old boys" both well into their seventies, but both very hard working. My dad came up from England and spent time helping too, encouraged by my mother, who was worried to death by the enormity of the restoration project we had taken on.
In the attic space, we created a master en-suite bedroom, two single bedrooms and a family bathroom from a space which had previously just been two large bedrooms and a boxroom. We had to install a fireman's window in one of the rooms which was a Velux in which a fireman wearing breathing apparatus could enter, such were the building regs. It gave us amazing views across the town , taking in the spires of the churches.
We just about got all this done in time to move, and we just left the middle floor, where there was a big sitting room, a study, a smaller sitting room and a family bathroom. We moved in and piled boxes and building equipment into those rooms, as there was no outside storage sheds or garage at all. The FH would build a garage in the months ahead but for now, it was all stored inside the house!
That middle floor was where I felt incredibly uneasy. I would scoot around the corner from the stairs up from the basement and breath a sigh of relief when I gained the top landing where the bedrooms were, because it was usually on the corner that I would glimpse her, out of the corner of my eye. As one came up from the basement, the big sitting room was to the right, and there was a window in one's eyeline, to the right of the fireplace. Glancing into the room as one went past, it was there that I would "see" her, an old woman, sitting in a rocking chair, shawl about her shoulders, patiently rocking herself.
As we began to work on that floor, we changed things, we took up floorboards and we moved out forty years of accumulated dust and cobwebs, and the amazing thing was that as we disturbed the settled energy of forty years, we seem to have dislodged her. As the house was renewed, revitalised and refreshed, she went, completely went.
And to prove that I was not totally daft, later in 1999, after I had given birth to the YFG and the FH had had his transplant, a neighbour brought round a young lady who had known the previous family and had spent many summers staying there with them. The neighbour wanted to show the lady the transformation that we had wrought on the house, but I sat breastfeeding the YFG and the FH was asleep one afternoon, so I asked the neighbour to show the woman around herself, before they came back to the room where we were. The young lady was pleased with what we had done and marvelled at the transformation, and then she said, "And the ghost has gone!" to which I calmly replied that I thought we had moved her on, quite unintentionally and unwittingly, with all the renovation work - that the house had changed so much that there was no energy left for her to cling on to any longer.
I talked to that house, quite the most sentimental thing I have ever felt, but on the morning we left it in 2000, I walked around and told it how much it meant to me, how sorry I was to be leaving it, and how I wished it well. It seemed to thank us for revitalising it, and I confess that leaving that house destroyed any feeling for houses that I had - a house to me now is just somewhere to live, and I haven't yet found another one I have loved with that kind of passion.
We bought a three storey house, just two doors away from the house we lived in. With the help of a loan from my dad and a mortgage, we bought the new house before we actually sold the one we owned, in which all our money was tied up. We bought the new house on 1st August, and it was the autumn before we agreed a sale on the other house, with an entry date in January. In Scotland, the entry date was part of the offer process, so we knew we had a definite deadline to make the other house habitable. It was an old house, over 200 years old, built for the Tullis Russell papermaking family of Glenrothes.
Now, the other house, Lynwood, had indeed been inhabited by a family with several [four or even five] daughters but they had all grown up and moved away, and the couple had split up, so the lady of the house was there on her own. They had lived there for over 40 years, and a lot of work was needed to bring it up to what we expect today, or even expected in 2000!
Since we and two boys lodging with us would be moving in, we needed to focus on the kitchen/dining arrangements in the basement, and the bedrooms under the eaves. In the basement, the FH ripped everything out and took the house back to bare stone walls, replasterboarding everything, installing a new central heating system, new cooker, a new kitchen, the works! He worked long hours on it, with only amateur help from local "old boys" both well into their seventies, but both very hard working. My dad came up from England and spent time helping too, encouraged by my mother, who was worried to death by the enormity of the restoration project we had taken on.
In the attic space, we created a master en-suite bedroom, two single bedrooms and a family bathroom from a space which had previously just been two large bedrooms and a boxroom. We had to install a fireman's window in one of the rooms which was a Velux in which a fireman wearing breathing apparatus could enter, such were the building regs. It gave us amazing views across the town , taking in the spires of the churches.
We just about got all this done in time to move, and we just left the middle floor, where there was a big sitting room, a study, a smaller sitting room and a family bathroom. We moved in and piled boxes and building equipment into those rooms, as there was no outside storage sheds or garage at all. The FH would build a garage in the months ahead but for now, it was all stored inside the house!
That middle floor was where I felt incredibly uneasy. I would scoot around the corner from the stairs up from the basement and breath a sigh of relief when I gained the top landing where the bedrooms were, because it was usually on the corner that I would glimpse her, out of the corner of my eye. As one came up from the basement, the big sitting room was to the right, and there was a window in one's eyeline, to the right of the fireplace. Glancing into the room as one went past, it was there that I would "see" her, an old woman, sitting in a rocking chair, shawl about her shoulders, patiently rocking herself.
As we began to work on that floor, we changed things, we took up floorboards and we moved out forty years of accumulated dust and cobwebs, and the amazing thing was that as we disturbed the settled energy of forty years, we seem to have dislodged her. As the house was renewed, revitalised and refreshed, she went, completely went.
And to prove that I was not totally daft, later in 1999, after I had given birth to the YFG and the FH had had his transplant, a neighbour brought round a young lady who had known the previous family and had spent many summers staying there with them. The neighbour wanted to show the lady the transformation that we had wrought on the house, but I sat breastfeeding the YFG and the FH was asleep one afternoon, so I asked the neighbour to show the woman around herself, before they came back to the room where we were. The young lady was pleased with what we had done and marvelled at the transformation, and then she said, "And the ghost has gone!" to which I calmly replied that I thought we had moved her on, quite unintentionally and unwittingly, with all the renovation work - that the house had changed so much that there was no energy left for her to cling on to any longer.
I talked to that house, quite the most sentimental thing I have ever felt, but on the morning we left it in 2000, I walked around and told it how much it meant to me, how sorry I was to be leaving it, and how I wished it well. It seemed to thank us for revitalising it, and I confess that leaving that house destroyed any feeling for houses that I had - a house to me now is just somewhere to live, and I haven't yet found another one I have loved with that kind of passion.
Parliamentary wisdom
I confess that I had forgotten what one calls a group of owls - it isn't a flock or a flight, but a parliament - something to do with a collection of wisdom, I think that the intention was once!
However, in my experience, we don't often see a lot of owls together in the Fens - we occasionally see a beautiful barn owl swooping low along the ditches at dusk when we are in the car, and it is a quite spectacular sight so we feel very blessed to see it.
This little gang has just appeared over the past few days - I just finished a couple in the top row tonight, and the EFG has been busy making the wee pals in the bottom row. One is not a Christmassy one, but still looks great.
I have an idea for a better photograph once I have made a few more, so watch this space - I shall need a few more owls, and a sunny day, so don't hold your breath, given the weather forecast tonight....
Wednesday, 30 October 2013
Quick kitchen tip
I thought I would share this as I have just done it in my kitchen, and although many of you may already know this handy tip, it might help someone out there!
Several times a year, I buy two or three 1kg bags of supermarket value table salt, and at the moment, it would cost you 25p/kg in either Tesco or Sainsbury's. I use it very simply to keep my drains running clear, and the method is a breeze.
First, snip off a corner of the bag and carefully pour enough salt in to the plug hole so that it stands there like a little mountain of salt. It will begin to slump into the holes, so I keep pouring until it stands still. Then I go and fill the kettle with as much water as it will take. The salt does seem to need to sit there for a few minutes, so don't try to be efficient and boil the kettle first! When the kettle is boiling, grab it and pour it onto the heap of salt. It will bubble a bit, glug a bit sometimes, but your drain will run clear within minutes. If it is really bunged up, I have done this a couple of times, maybe using half the bag of salt altogether, but I have never failed to clear a drain with this method.
Even if your drains aren't blocked, I like to do this once a month to keep them fresh. It costs pennies, and is much better than using a bottle of something stinking and chemical-based. [OK, I have a daughter doing A level chemistry and I know salt has a chemical name, but you know what I mean ;)] It is heaps cheaper too!
Several times a year, I buy two or three 1kg bags of supermarket value table salt, and at the moment, it would cost you 25p/kg in either Tesco or Sainsbury's. I use it very simply to keep my drains running clear, and the method is a breeze.
(image from mysupermarket.co.uk)
First, snip off a corner of the bag and carefully pour enough salt in to the plug hole so that it stands there like a little mountain of salt. It will begin to slump into the holes, so I keep pouring until it stands still. Then I go and fill the kettle with as much water as it will take. The salt does seem to need to sit there for a few minutes, so don't try to be efficient and boil the kettle first! When the kettle is boiling, grab it and pour it onto the heap of salt. It will bubble a bit, glug a bit sometimes, but your drain will run clear within minutes. If it is really bunged up, I have done this a couple of times, maybe using half the bag of salt altogether, but I have never failed to clear a drain with this method.
Even if your drains aren't blocked, I like to do this once a month to keep them fresh. It costs pennies, and is much better than using a bottle of something stinking and chemical-based. [OK, I have a daughter doing A level chemistry and I know salt has a chemical name, but you know what I mean ;)] It is heaps cheaper too!
Tuesday, 29 October 2013
Another Approved Delivery
Last Thursday, I placed an order with Approved Food. I do this several times a year, and stock up on various items - it is a hit and miss affair at the best of times, and you can never guarantee that what you loved last time will still be for sale today. Brands change and items come and go quite rapidly. And it is not ALL past its "best before" date.
This little lot arrived just on noon today via City Link couriers. They used to be delivered by DPD around here, which I prefer because DPD text you with a one-hour delivery slot, but City Link are a "anytime between 7.30am and 5.30pm" kind of operation - not quite as handy but we manage!
Today, in an effort to convert the sceptics out there, I am going to share some prices and thoughts on what we bought this time. I am quite well aware that some of the things we buy other people wouldn't touch with a barge pole, but everyone is allowed free choice!
Astonish Toilet Bowl cleaner tabs 5 for 99p. I currently use some professional stuff from Hagesan Blue to do a deep clean each week, so I want to see if these are as effective. I have tried cheap coca cola that someone gave us, and it doesn't do the job.
Astonish Whites Booster 5 for 99p I have been using these for a while and find them useful for attempting to get the girls' white PE socks white again....
Bounty 5 bars for £1.00. One of the FH's rare treats.
Chocolate Malt Balls & Rainbow Choc Drops Clearly supposed to imitate other more well-known brands, these are a "I'm going to be doing more baking in the run-up to Christmas" store-cupboard item. There are going to be cake stalls happening and Coffee mornings, so it is good to be prepared. These are £1 a tub.
Carrot Cake Mix - Going up in the world. The last time we ordered "de-identified" carrot cake mix, it was actually from Morrison's and we used it to make muffins. This batch is from M&S no less. Four boxes for £1. Bargain.
Fox's Caramel 9 pack (75p) and Jacob's Oddities 15 for £3 - these are both items for the YFG's lunchbox. They will last her several weeks, for snacks at school and for energy at gymnastics.
Raspberry Jam 340g jar for 75p - this is lovely quality jam, much like we can get from Lidl's but a bit cheaper.
Heinz Red Cabbage in Vinegar (710g) and Sweet Silverskin Onions in Vinegar (440g) These are all for the FH. Since he came out of hospital in July, with a new tablet, his tastebuds are affected and he seems to crave vinegary foods all the time. The red cabbage is a particular favourite, and sells here for 60p a jar, compared to over £1.50 a jar at the supermarket. The silverskin onions are three jars for a pound.
Kellogg's Special K crackercrisps These are for the EFG as she likes them and they don't cost too many WW points as a treat.
Knorr Bake in a Bag Creamy Fish Herbs and White Wine sauce - this is cheap at 3 for £1, and quickly adds a touch of luxury to a frozen fish portion!
Mallow Snowballs and Teacakes - these are mis-shapes from Lees of Scotland, two packs of Snowballs for £1 and the teacakes at 40p a pack. The YFG will eat some of these, but I will also use them when I need to take a food donation to the Craft Club at the chapel, or to a coffee morning, if I haven't time to bake. I much prefer to bake something myself, but when push comes to shove, I would rather take something like this than go empty-handed - and the ladies love these teacakes!
Mooch Original chocolate milk - this was an AF gamble, and I do make them occasionally. The description wasn't quite enough to tell me exactly what I was getting when I ordered it, and I wondered if it was hot chocolate powder. It has turned out to be three cans of milkshake for 99p. I wouldn't buy them again.
Ocean Spray Raspberry and Cranberry juice drink 3 x 200ml - I got four of these three-packs for £3, and I think that they will be very handy to have in the cupboard for when one of us ladies gets a twinge of cystitis, as we occasionally do. Usually I have to buy big cartons, and it isn't all needed, so I am glad to have these available at a very reasonable price. They are UHT and will last for ages!
Polos - people here do like Polos now and again and 12 rolls for £1.50 is a bargain. The storecupboard will smell dreadfully of mint if I put them in there, so they are on a shelf in the garage!
Apricot jam 2 x 370g jars for £1. It is the time of year to make the Christmas cake now, and I always, always forget to buy apricot jam to stick the marzipan on to the cake with! Not this year...
Walnut cake - we can't get enough walnuts in this house, one way or another, so I thought that those who can eat cake might try this. Cost 99p.
Toblerone - four little Toberones for £1, another little treat for the FH. Put away, he will forget about them and be chuffed when I fetch one out for him occasionally - they will last for ages as he won't ask for them!
Wagon Wheel original 6-pack - free for spending £30. Useful for lunchboxes and snacks at gym.
Walker's Shortbread - the YFG will inhale shortbread - she absolutely loves the stuff and I really should make it for her more often, but in the meantime, this is the next best thing to home-made. I shall hide this away or it won't last the week.......and I do recognise that this is one of the problems that people have with this kind of shopping - we do have to be disciplined with eeking the food out over a period of time.
Apparently the total RRP of that lot would have been £99.67 but that is academic because I wouldn't have bought some of those brands if I had been shopping in a supermarket for those items. I actually paid £36.32 and the £5.25 delivery charge, so a total of £41.57. I am unlikely to place another order now until at least the middle to end of January.
Monday, 28 October 2013
Creative day
We had a great start to the day when Ang and Rev Bob popped in on their way home from Norfolk so we had a lovely chat and a cuppa. It was great to meet them - my first blogland meeting - and they are lovely, as I thought they would be! Rev Bob is very tall! Thanks for the George Foreman grill, Ang - we are going to try it out this week!
This afternoon, I continued with my resting theme for the weekend, and watched Mamma Mia with the FH whilst the girls went for a walk in the late autumn sunshine which had broken through after the storm. Whilst I was watching the film, I made the little owl above - it's a Christmas tree decoration. I am going to seal the edges of the wings with some pva glue to stop them from fraying. I'm quite chuffed with my first one, and then I sat and cut out the felt and material for five more. We have run out of the appropriate coloured threads to actually make any more up today, so I turned my attention to knitting and finished off the last scarf for the Christmas boxes. We will be packing the OCC boxes this Friday, so it was just in the nick of time too.
And the storm? Yes, it passed over us without doing too much damage. The whole garden is sodden, so we must have had a lot of rain overnight, but the early morning about 7am apparently saw the strongest gusts of wind. The only actual damage we sustained here was where two fence panels became detached from their common fence post, so the FH went round to the neighbour's side and straightened the nails so he could bang them back in whilst I held the panels in position from our side. It was all rectified in about 20 minutes.
I've been watching the news and thinking about all those who have had serious damage to their homes and businesses, and the families of those who have lost their lives this weekend. Such terrible scenes on the television news reports today - it gives us a great deal to be thankful for here tonight.
Sunday, 27 October 2013
St Jude
Someone has called the storm which is approaching the UK after the patron saint of lost causes, which is probably less to do with the naming than the fact that tomorrow is the saint's day in the Catholic Church's calendar of saints' days. The Guardian explains more about it here.
We have done all we can to prepare for this storm, including finally getting batteries in the torch! The full Calor gas bottles had to be connected up yesterday as the last of the old ones had emptied, so we have plenty of gas for cooking and boiling water if we lose the electricity. Everything in the garden has been secured; the only thing I am slightly worried about is our metal chimney, but there's nothing I can do about that. We have firewood aplenty for keeping warm, and lots of food. There are also no trees in the vicinity so we should be safe from falling timber just here. That's not to say we may not be affected by flying debris, I suppose. The worst of the storm is predicted between 5am and 8am so I hope we get some sleep before then!
We are expecting visitors tomorrow but I shan't blame them one iota if they make a dash for home and postpone their visit!
I just pray that we are all safe and well, you in your homes and us here, by tomorrow evening when the storm has passed over. Keep safe x
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