The Good Life...Ish.

Hi guys, Happy New Year :D Would you believe it'll be a year in late Feb since we moved here, where did that go? And what a year! I've made so many new friends, in real life and through blogging, and i was kept busier than i ever expected to be. For which i am eternally grateful. When i first started this blog i had a list of things that i wanted to learn and do throughout the year Some of them i have done, but a lot seem to have fallen by the wayside, so i am going to keep the list and add to it for this year The Old List Crafts and Home Master the knitting machine- nope, but in my defense i need 4ply yarn which i am still looking for a bargain on. Make jumpers/socks/blankets etc from said machine- As above Crochet more clothes and things for the home- Check- i am currently crocheting a blanket, and have made a few small things including Christmas decorations Spin yarn-  Check! Weave-not yet, i have the kit, but just need to find the right p

Hi guys! Did you all have a lovely Christmas? Ours was nice and peaceful, apart from when we got a little tipsy, but seeing as we barely drink through the rest of the year it was well deserved! We are still living off turkey,The Bearded Wonder has used up the last of it in some pies and they are in the freezer for when we fancy them. I got some lovely gifts, i got a few books from The Bearded Wonder-exactly what i asked for :)   I got the most beautiful notebook from a knit and natter friend - so beautiful i can't bear to use it haha I got a little money too so i treated myself to some new slippers from the charity shop for the grand sum of £1.79 I also found a gorgeous throw, with a pattern that makes it look quilted- a steal at £1.50 Apparently this is winter  I don't think our village got the message (yes, i know, i've probably jinxed it now) This was the view this morning coming back from the shop. Speaking of shops, i got a grea

Hi guys :) Just a rather quick post sharing my super quick non alcoholic mincemeat recipe YOU STILL HAVE TIME :) This is not a measurement specific recipe, it's very much a chuck-it-all-in and adjust to taste Recipe: 1 bag mixed dried fruit - you can buy own brand for about 85p (ish) half a carton of apple juice 4 heaped tablespoons muscovado sugar- helps make it lovely and gooey, or you can reduce to two/three if you don't want it too sweet half a grated bramley apple (or whatever apple you have to hand) zest of half a lemon juice of half a lemon (you can put the rest of the lemon to use too, slice thinly and dry it on low in the bottom of the oven for a few hours- et voila  -dried lemon peel- you can pop it in a cup of herbal tea or add to other recipes :) a handful of beef or vegetable suet-whichever you prefer Method Whack it all in an oven dish and give it a good stir Pop it in the bottom of the oven and bake on a very low heat for arou

Hi guys :)  Are you almost ready for Christmas?  Only five days left to go, and i can't wait  I adore Christmas, and i am always very laid back about the whole thing, i just don't see the point in stressing about it, but that's just me :) To be honest, we didn't even plan what we were going to eat until we finally went out shopping on Friday, we didn't buy a full turkey this year, as it's just the two of us, so we got a nice fat turkey leg and thigh joint for only £4.12, which will do us nicely and still make a few more meals out of it. I got one present early, a bread slicing guide, found in a charity shop and bought for the princely sum of £2 :D It's a bit of a funny present, for most people, but i really wanted it, as i'm terrible at slicing my home made bread and end up with a lot of half slices and crumbs  I've asked for a dehydrator for my birthday in January haha :)  I've been baking some doggy biscuits for the

Hi guys :) I was introduced to this delicious drink when we were peeling potatoes for the Christmas lunch last Sunday, and today i gave it a go and made my own.  It's soooo yummy, it will blow your head off if you gulp it down, like my poor unfortunate hubby did, before i could warn him, but if you sip it nicely it is really quite lovely. It's non alcoholic and it makes the perfect warming winter drink  (apart from mulled cranberry juice, of course!) All you need is ginger compound, 1.6kg of sugar and 5 pints of water Notice the chicken lurking in the background? The basic recipe is just stir in the sugar with 5 pints of hot water, let it cool then stir in the full bottle of the compound then pour into sterilized screw cap glass bottles :) Another chicken lurking, these guys get everywhere! A great tip i got from a friend was to stir in a cube or two of jelly, to give it a more fruity taste , i chose blackcurrant :) I got the extra hot ver

very quick post, just attempting to get to grips with Bloglovin :) <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/14127123/?claim=8anvcv2crae">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Hi guys! :)  I expect you are wondering how the Coffee Morning went?  It was amazing!  We raised a grand total of £447.00! We held it in aid of  Tabitha's Toys  (click the link for more info), a little girl who sadly had Edwards Syndrome, and her parents set up the charity to provide sensory toys for children with complex disabilities in the north east, free of charge. So the money we raised will go towards more sensory toys and equipment :) Irritatingly, i don't have a record of the day because i completely forgot to pick up my camera before i left :(  But i can say with great certainty it was a success! We sold lots of things we had made, and cakes and of course tea and coffee,  We held two raffles, the community businesses were wonderful and donated a lot of prizes,and first prize was a luxury hamper that the knit and natterers put together, and we raffled off the blanket we made, and guess what?  The winner was one of our own knit and natterers

Hi guys :) What a rotten last few days eh? We had two powercuts yesterday, one at midnight, lasting until 2:30am and we got home from Leeds to another at about 6:30pm lasting until about 8pm, so really only a few hours, but as they were both when it was dark outside it left me feeling really glad we had filled the flasks and had candles in the house! Amazingly our house didn't suffer much damage apart fro the power cut, another fence has fallen down, this time on the other side, not the one that had just been fixed (i would NOT have been happy!) and the wheelie bins decided they would like to go on an outing to the bottom of the garden, but that's it, thank goodness. The whole village has had rather a few broken fences, felled trees and lost roof tiles, but i don't think anyone has been hurt. As we are on a hill we are lucky we haven't been flooded out, unlike the poor souls in Cumbria I've made a  Pinterest  board with general hints and tips on preparin

Hi guys! :) God, isn't this weather terrible? I planned on going to find some pine cones and twiggy things to decorate the Christmas tree, but it's just too miserable to go anywhere unless necessary :/  One day this week i will be going to find some, whatever the weather! I've been busy making decorations to sell at the Coffee Morning next Thursday, i promise i shall put more details in a post next week  I've been making quite a few of these little angels, also to sell I've also crocheted some little Christmas puddings , but the photo has disappeared. I spent a very pleasant hour organizing the pantry/bookshelf and popped everything in jars that i had saved just for this :) i love re-using things :) and it all looks nice and neat and tidy (though it probably won't last!) I've also got some apple cider vinegar on the go, it smells delicious! I love it as it's a great natural cleaner We also finally got the fence

Hi guys :) (Yes, I've changed the blog again, it desperately needed a refresh- variety is the spice of life, right?) Well, the snow is here, in case you haven't guessed by looking out of your own windows ;) I had to dive out in the snow this morning to rescue my poor leeks!  As you can see from the photo these were the only ones I managed to save :( I think the  others had decided to go to seed as they hadn't grown any more. Never mind. At least I've grown something rather than nothing :) I really don't like snow that much. It looks pretty, but it's a pain to walk in, as we live at the bottom of a hill, and the shop is on the other side of it! Luckily, we went food shopping yesterday and got everything we'd need for the fortnight, and got last bits and pieces today, so we won't need to leave  the house at all :)   I'll admit it does look very pretty Yesterday i dug out the thick duvet and added an extra blanket as well a