On Toilets, Knitting and Turkey

Firstly, a big welcome to Sooze, my new follower, thanks for clicking!
Thank you too to everyone who commented on my last post re composting toilets.  I think Pam hit the nail on the head when she referred to 'Public' versions of the same.  A private, personal, family toilet would not be so daunting and the view of the countryside whilst sitting would be quite pleasant eliminating the need to whistle as one's head would be visible at the window!  Anyway, I did look at blacksheepinwales blogspot and found the photos...very interesting.....Another thought struck me about the practicalities.  If there is no flush how do you clean the loo? It would be against the Eco principle to clean the bowl with chemicals or some kind of spray cleaner so...how?  And if there's no water what about hand washing? Hmmmm...another dilemma.....thoughts on a postcard per..lease...

Well what a washout weatherwise these last few days have been.  Not at all like summer weather.  Yesterday dawned wet, a bit windy and very dull.  We were due to go to DD for tea as little GS will have his 8th birthday next week when they are on holiday so a family tea was planned.  We took the opportunity to have a quiet day so I sorted the washing into piles, loaded the first into the machine and whilst OH read the paper I did a bit of knitting......

Marianna's lazy daisy days blogspot has some fabulous free patterns for babies.  She is so clever!  Lots of them are knitted from the top down so there are few seams, just the sleeve seam to sew.  The yarn I am using has a slight sparkle to it so it should look very sweet for a baby boy...

This is the pattern I am using, it's very easy for a moderate knitter...

After a jacket potato and cheese lunch we tootled off to DD's and spent an enjoyable 4 hours helping prepare then eat the food, and socialising with people we only usually see at family gatherings :)  As usual, I forgot my flippin' camera....

DD and family are off on holiday today...to Turkey...and to say that I am worried about them would be a massive understatement.  Not only is the happenings in Tunisia on my mind but Turkey is having a heatwave at the moment. It has been 40 degrees at times and I worry about the children.  I know DD is sensible but I know I would hate the heat and wouldn't be able to sleep at night.  You never cease being a mum do you?  Has anyone been to Turkey recently? Do you enjoy the heat?

These lovely flowers were given to me by a neighbour on Wednesday.  She and her husband were due to move into rented accommodation and the agent failed to tell them that they needed to provide more proof of savings before they would be allowed the keys.  This was 2 days before the planned move.  What! 2 days before!  So I helped them by scanning and emailing various bits of information and luckily we managed to sort it out.  The flowers were a thank you for helping.  I didn't need a gift for helping but was very touched that she had thought to do it.  They moved as planned on Thursday....phew!....

  It's raining again here but it's a lovely gentle rain and the sun is trying to break through.  I am having a quiet start to the day then going food shopping.  I have some coupons so will donate as much as I can to the food bank too.  Sadly, with the changes announced in the Budget FB's will be needed more than ever..

Have a lovely day whatever you have planned x

A Toilet Dilemma

photo from Google

Something happened yesterday which completely threw me.  OH was browsing the internet to find a destination for our next little jaunt (what's new you might ask?) anyway he found a gorgeous site in South Devon which he was booking for a few days in September.  It looked a lovely clean and attractive site with good reviews but then he slipped into the conversation the fact that they have composting toilets! 
The moment he mentioned that the sun went in on the idea and my immediate reaction was NO WAY, JOSE!  I had visions of this sort of scenario...

And, yes, this sketch is a true representation of how composting toilets work (courtesy of Google, of course)  I like to think that I am a bit of an Eco Warrior so this idea should have sent thrills of excitement through my very core. It didn't. Perhaps if it was just the two of us using one at home it might have been different.  But I'm sure I would be unable to 'go' on one of these as the very thought puts me off.

Has anyone ever used a composting toilet?  Perhaps you are a true Eco Warrior and put me to shame by actually having one at home? How on earth do you 'go' in comfort?  Please tell if you have experience of using one, I am absolutely intrigued.....

Welcome to Simple Living, my new follower, If you are who I think you are, then welcome back x

Thanks everso for popping in x

Earth Treasures and Wildlife

First, a big welcome to my new follower, Sue.  Thanks for joining the crew.

Yesterday dawned bright but damp after a night of heavy rain and I decided to have a rummage in my potato tub as the leaves have mostly yellowed and gone.  I found these.....woohoo!

 They weigh 2.12 kilos.  I'm quite pleased with that because I was unable to empty out the tub completely with it being far too heavy and I'm sure there will be more at the bottom of the tub. I got fed up with bailing the compost out with a flowerpot!  I will have to wait for OH to help me up-end it and find the last few little earth treasures.

OH spotted these on sale at work. They look a bit feeble but I will pop them into the pot afterwards and hope for some tender leeks later on. At this price it would be rude not to :-)

Well, you can't buy a single leek for 50p these days, can you......

I do have a crop failure...again...  :(
OH sowed some salad leaves seed for me a couple of weeks ago and they were coming up nicely but after our 3 days away I have come home to... zilch...virtually an empty pot.  Possibly due to being dry? Possibly due to cold nights? I really don't know as my gardening skills are, as I have said on many occasions, absolutely rubbish.  I will just have to try again, so that is my task for today.

I have no photos for you of the Cotswold trip because, numpty that I am, I forgot my camera.  Anyway, it was mostly rain and then more rain. The only nice day we had was last Wednesday when we took the opportunity to visit the Cotswold Wildlife Park which was right opposite the caravan park where we were staying.  It was lovely!  Take a look here:  www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk
The park is pristine with a varied collection of animals and birds who all look in perfect health and perfectly happy to boot.  The grounds and gardens are immaculate; a real joy to wander through and we spent a whole day there. The highlight for me was seeing Rhinos really close up. A baby was born in March this year and I got to see the whole family sleeping in the sun.  The enclosure is arranged so that you can see the animals from above and as they were within a few feet of the perimeter we got a really good look. Superb! Do try it if you are in the area....

Well, I must get a wriggle on.  I have eBay packages to wrap and seeds to sow :)

Thanks everso for popping in x

Lovely Mail and a Keyring

It's so frustrating when you pay for something up front and the company fails to deliver. Last year I paid an annual subscription for WiFi access when staying on Caravan Club sites.  The last 3 days we spent in the Cotswolds we had access for just a couple of hours then the system failed... nothing for three whole days.  Now I can normally live without the internet but, on this occasion, I needed to keep an eye on some eBay listings.  It wasn't just me either, as a long queue formed at the site office asking for help with the same problem.  One woman was trying to do some work.  The system was still not working when we left yesterday.  Now, do I write to complain? Or do I accept that problems will inevitably occur?  What would you do?  I hate complaining but feel short changed.....

When we have been away I love coming home to a nice big pile of post, not junk you understand, but proper post.  I opened one envelope to find this.....

It was the refund for a 'Try Me Free' offer from Birds Eye which I wrote about a few weeks ago.  They refunded my money plus the postage which I didn't expect...£2.03.... :)  Well done BE!

In addition, I have been sent this voucher from Debenhams.  Now I don't suppose I will beat my 7p T. shirt purchase but this will be put to good use for something.....I'll let you know when I spend it....


                                    

OH decided he needed a new keyring so I left him in the shop to choose one and he came out with this one.....

He had no idea what the letters stood for, he thought it was a brand name! Men....now I'm LMAO!

I'll be back soon with a more interesting post, I promise :)

Thanks everso for popping in x

Pause for Thought

photo from Google

This is just a quick post to explain that I will be offline for a few days.  We have the chance for a few days in the Cotswolds so we have taken it.  I didn't want anyone to think we have jumped ship!

Take care and I'll be back soon x

Budget Gripes And More Crafting

I have been mulling over yesterday's Budget statement and although I don't want to get into a political post I was quite cross with some of the news coverage when at least one person mentioned that the elderly 'had done alright' in the Budget.  For a start, I don't consider myself elderly at 65 years old just because I get a state pension! AND I paid 37 years of contributions to get it!  Other points were these:

1. The Personal Allowance for tax will increase from £10,600 to £11,000 next year.  As my income is less than £7,000 I will not benefit....

2. Inheritance tax will increase to a million £'s.  Our modest home is worth around £100,000 and we have modest savings so we will not benefit and anyway it would be the younger generation who will benefit, not the elderly.  You can't take it with you!

3. Free TV licences will remain but you still have to be over 75 years old to get one. Do they begrudge people of that age a free licence?

All pensioners have paid for their State pensions over the years with deductions from their pay. They are not handouts.  Give us a break Media people.......


Whilst listening to the Budget statement (and sometimes swearing at the TV...lol...)  I produced a veritable explosion of crafting.  Cards just appeared with hardly any effort it seemed....

 

One for my Nephew's 4th wedding anniversary....

And one for my Sister's 56th anniversary.....

My little GS will be 8 this month (where do the years go?)  so where can I find a dinosaur image to get me started??   Google, Google....help!

Did you follow the Budget yesterday?  Will you be worse off or better off? I think there will be more losers than winners amongst 'ordinary' people. What do you feel about it?

Have a lovely day, whatever you plan to do x

Snails, Storms, Crafts and Bruises

When I woke this morning I found I had a little visitor! It was a good opportunity to take a closer look at how snails move, the answer being v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y :)  I had to remove him though because I didn't want snail slime even further up my window.  He lives to slime another day.....

Yesterday was very mixed weather wise; cool yet with sunny spells but it would suddenly go very dark and the rain would pelt down for a while only for the pattern to repeat.  We had thunder and lightning too in the afternoon.  As I had the house to myself, it was an opportunity to do a bit of crafting and relax.  I have so many birthday and other events coming up so I began card making.

A graduation card.....

 

 

A neighbour's birthday (male).....

These were made using Jane Shasky images which are printed on glossy paper and really beautiful......

And a get well card.....

Whilst I was crafting I sorted a bit of washing as I thought I could dry a load of thin stuff on the clothes horse. The lid on my linen bin has broken off so it was just resting on the top with a pile of OH's 'house clothes' on top :/   I lifted the lid off the bin with one hand whilst holding washing with the other and the lid just kind of flipped downwards bending my middle finger with it.  OUCHY!

 

As you might see, it bruised immediately despite putting Arnica on it and this morning it's an impressive shade of purple.  Fortunately, it doesn't really hurt which is great because I have food shopping to do and, as I have the stirring of arthritis in my hands anyway, I can do without them hurting more than usual.  I am just delicate!  I think the moral of the tale is fix the linen bin!  One just can't get good staff these days, can one....lol...

 

Anyway, thanks for popping in and have a great day whatever you're doing x

 

 

 

 



Relief With a Bang!



photo from Google

 

 



Wow, it has been hot here over the last few days. Wednesday evening/Thursday morning saw me up at 2.45am not having had a wink of sleep and wandering round in my shortie Pj's (not a pretty sight!)trying to find a cool spot.  Thankfully, Thursday and Friday were a bit cooler as the sun was hidden by banks of cloud, only breaking through periodically, and so not enough to give us the searing heat which I find so uncomfortable.  Last night we had a terrific thunderstorm which had me leaping out of bed in a panic when an enormous thunderclap woke me!  The storm seemed to rage on for quite a long time, at one point almost being overhead with just a second between flash and thunderclap.  I do hope no-one's home got struck....

This morning is fresh and cool, thank goodness, so I will do a little top up food shopping, run a few necessary errands and maybe finish the ironing before it's too hot again.  Currently, I'm enjoying a nice cup of tea :)  I just don't know what to drink when the heat gets too much, too hot for tea and boring but essential just drinking water. And all we seem to have eaten over the last few days is salad and sandwiches.  Does the heat take your appetite away too? Any suggestions for nutritious food in hot weather very welcome.....

Thanks to everyone for your comments on my last post, they are much appreciated.

Have a lovely weekend whatever you have planned x

On Quote Of The Month and Happiness

I turned over my calendar this morning and the quote of the month is this :

 

Happiness is not something ready made

 

It comes from our own actions

 

Dalai Lama

 

 

Now, although I  have great respect for this man, I am not sure that the above is the whole truth. Happiness can be affected by many things beyond our control, events in our lives and those of our families, for instance. We can't feel happy all of the time either, so I think a feeling of contentment is the feeling to aim for and then happiness will be a spontaneous reaction to something really special.

 

I have resisted posting about any world news, especially the horrific happenings in Tunisia because it makes me feel unhappy and very uneasy.  The news on TV makes me cry lately too so I watch just once a day to keep up and do not read newspapers.  Outside events are beyond my control so I have to just do my best for others and the planet in my own little space.  Personally, I think a better quote for me would be:

 

 

Happiness is a state of mind

 

 

 

Do you agree? Do you watch the news? or would you rather not know the worst?

 

 

On a lighter note, it seems that today will be a scorcher and, as you know, I don't do heat!  I thought I would leave you with an image to cool you off...

 



 photo from Google

 

 

Ahhh....that's better :)  How do you fare in the heat?  I know the lovely Pam from A New Life in Wales loves it, but not me.....

 

 

Have a wonderful day whatever you are doing, and thanks everso for popping in x