Small World

I was enjoying a leisurely breakfast on Saturday when Bob said "There's a Yard Sale on Etling Green today, I passed a sign yesterday"  EG is 2½ miles south of Cornerstones. It was 9.30am. So I got out of my pjs and dressed quickly. And off we went. It was the farm next door to the house where my best friend used to live. The guy is moving house this week, selling off bits and bobs. He was very friendly, and remembered Chris and her family. "We moved here from Swanton Morley just before they left" he told us. 
We said we were from Swanton - it turns out he used to live in the Close, in the bungalow next-door-but-two! He asked after some of the neighbours and we had a good chat - mostly reminiscing about older residents of the Close no longer with us. He didn't have any tools for sale - and Bob resisted buying an old tractor and a beer fridge. I went through a biscuit tin of cottons and took out the four spools I felt were the best quality, and most useful. "How much?" I asked "Oh you can have them for nothing!" he said. 

We were home by 10.30. Fastest Yard Sale ever, I think. Definitely the cheapest. In the afternoon I was chatting to some neighbours who did remember him. "We saw he had a Yard Sale because he's moving out" they said "anything good?" They laughed about the old tractor. This couple sell regularly at Boot Fairs. I asked about the Boot Fair held weekly in another local village, which I keep meaning to visit. "Pensioners, with the same stuff every week" they told me. I decided these OAPs were probably selling the sort of stuff I downsized 5 years ago! I shan't bother to go and look after that helpful heads-up.

This is a surprisingly busy week, lots of different things happening. But I am getting increasingly excited about next Tuesday - the British Museum Visit. I must just "possess my soul in patience" for a few more days...

Holiday Habits

I have a strange holiday habit - I like wandering round foreign supermarkets, and buying interesting packets to bring home. I think that I may have passed this on to Liz, who brought back some Speculoos Pancake Mix, so the girls could recreate their Dutch holiday breakfasts once back in England.
Bob and I had a happy meander round the Supermarket in Paphos on Wednesday. 

Wendy's favourite shop is Sklavenitis, which she always refers to as 'ScabbyKnees' - its slogan is "As cheap as anywhere else"
Here is what we purchased

1. A jar of tahini, a basic ingredient which I shall use for dips and salad dressings, as well as in sweet dishes.
2. A large tin of Royal Baking Powder. Just because I love these tins*. Now produced in Spain where Royal is a synonym for baking powder, this brand began in Longhorsley near Newcastle, in the factory of Thomas Bell. He called his brand Bell's Royal and shortened it to Be-Ro. 
3. Some Cyprus Delight. Similar to the Turkish stuff, but a little denser, with different flavours. Some varieties have PG status [protected geographical] 
4. White beans.Because I ate a bowl of fasolia . I loved it and want to make some more at home
5. Olive Oil. Bob's choice. Agios Georgios [St George] is a very popular premium brand. And Bob liked the cool cuboid tin!
6. "Premium Nuts" We are not convinced everything in the bag is a nut, there are some rectangular biscuit looking pieces. But it will be portioned out as a TV snack [so someone does not eat the entire bag at one sitting!]

Finally a pot of salt. I know, you can buy salt easily in the UK, and it is not especially Cypriot. But every place where we had a meal had these cute little sailor pots standing on the table. I splurged 30p on this jolly little chap.

Today [August 15th] is celebrated in Cyprus by the Greek Orthodox believers as the Feast of the Domition Of The Virgin Mary  [In the Roman Catholic church it is called The Assumption, and marked on 28th August]  Traditionally it is the day when they eat Arkanata Bread Rolls. 

I did not know about the feasting when I picked a up a bag of these rusks in the supermarket, just that they were uniquely Cypriot. The name comes from the Greek word for labour because their overnight production is very laborious, using ground fermented chickpeas and ginger in boiling water . And they are baked twice- once as soft round roll, and then a second time to make the roll into a dry, long lasting rusk.  Unfortunately despite very careful packing, we got home to find our pack has been reduced to chunks and crumbs! Never mind. We can consume them with dips and dunk them in soups.
Do you ever buy interesting foods in foreign supermarkets?

*this tin has bolos fofos printed on it. I have no idea what it means. I tried various Spanish Translation programmes and got "Flabby Bowling Balls" can anyone out there explain???

Fit For A Queen?

 A couple of weeks ago we were at a Village Yard Sale. I picked up a spare Pyrex Bowl for 10p and a second melamine bowl for 20p. The first a simple 1litre pudding bowl - I have one already - this is a useful size for steamed puds etc. The second is an iconic bowl I have admired since we first married...

In 2009, my SIL gave me these two melamine bowls from M&S, 2.5 litre and 1.5 litre sizes. I use them all the time. I love them, and their cherry red brightness enlivens the kitchen.

Here's my new orange bowl - it is 2 litres in size - halfway between the other two.  And although different in shape, I can still stack the three so they go in the cupboard. 

But why is so special about this new bowl? Simply that it is a Danish design, from the Rosti Company, and called The Margrethe Bowl. It has the most wonderful history, it was first made in 1950...

The designer was a guy called Sigvard Bernadotte, and his dad was King of Sweden. His niece was Princess Margrethe of Denmark, daughter of King Frederik IX. When the forward thinking Danes changed the rules of succession so that the teenage princess became next in line. S got permission to name this design "The Margrethe Bowl". The design was so good, most Danish women wanted one for their kitchen. In 1972. Margarethe became Queen, reigning for 52 years, till her abdication in 2024. She was a gifted, and popular monarch.

Over the last 70+ years, more than 25 million Margrethe Bowls have been sold. It features in design museums, and even got onto a postage stamp. Its useful handle, efficient pouring lip, and high sides, make it useful for batter and cake making. It is now available in 15 colours, plus a steel version. Mine is about 35 years old, I think. Like my two M&S melamine bowls, it has lost its rubber non-slip ring at the base [but that hasn't proved a problem with the other two]  I do like Scandi design, and I think this will prove a useful addition to my kitchen. Yes, IKEA do make a similar shape bowl in cheaper plastic, but I love the retro orange colour and 'Rosti' printed on the base of mine! Now I am even more determined to visit Copenhagen! 

Can you imagine a British designer producing a  piece of kitchenware called Camilla?

What item would it be, do you think?

Bargain Buy

Blogfriends will know how much I love words, their meanings and their history
In Greek. lego means I say
In Latin, it can be mean I collect or I assemble
And in Danish 'leg godt' means play well

All the grandchildren enjoy Lego, George especially [I am convinced he has more Lego people than there are people living in this village!] So I was interested in a Lego storage unit which I saw at the Yard Sale. I took a photo, and put it in the family WhatsApp group. Steph responded positively so I bought it. The seller apologised that the front bottom bar was missing. I said I that was no problem, I was married to a guy from the Men's Shed!
We brought it home. I put the bins in the bath [they were not very dirty. just a bit dusty] and Bob added a front bar, a backbar, and a back panel to stop the drawers pushing right through. All scrap wood from his Stash. The pink baseplate on the top reveals this is actually a Strictly Briks piece which is Lego compatible. So I tried out a Duplo Cowboy from the Toybox and he seemed quite happy. Now all we have to do is plan a trip to Manchester [not sure |I could manage this on the train!] 
What a bargain for £4!

A Bit Of A Puzzle

I love puzzles, and do a daily killer sudoku each morning - a 3 x 3 grid into which I have to fit numbers. But this week I have done a different sudoku challenge- one for packing my suitcase! We are going on holiday to Cyprus. I needed to pack the minimal number of garments for the week. Following the example of my daughters I've used the sudoku method. You choose 9 garments which will combine to make 27 outfits. 3 tops, 3 bottoms, 3 pairs of shoes = 3 x 3 x 3 =27

I looked at what was in my wardrobe, and decided that I did not need 3 pairs of shoes - trainers and sandals would be fine. I also wanted to avoid strappy tops- it may be hot, but if we visit local churches, it is respectful to have covered shoulders. I'm definitely 'coastal grandmother' looking at the stuff in my wardrobe

Blues and whites abound. But I am not taking jeans. They are currently way too snug for hot weather. I don't want shorts. This was what I've ended up with-
4 tops - white linen, white cotton tee, blue cotton tee, striped tee

3 bottoms - blue linen trousers, pale blue/white stripe linen trousers, cotton pattern skirt,

2 shoes - sandals and trainers [the latter for clambering over ruins etc]
This should be 4 x 3 x 2 = 24.

Plenty for a week [not that I'd wear the stripes with the floral skirt] 

But I did add an extra outfit for fancy evenings out, a new black cotton maxi dress with heeled blue shoes, and silver accessories [chosen by Liz and Rosie] and a blue cardi in case it gets breezy [ suggested by Steph] 

Plus of course sunhat, pjs, and swimsuit [and underwear] 

The only item specially purchased for this trip was the dress- and that was paid for with my M&S reward vouchers. 

Have you ever used the Sudoku packing method?
Do you buy new clothes for your holiday?

A Case In Point

I remember many years ago reading an article in a magazine about packing to go on holiday. It said this:
Put EVERY thing you think you need on the bed
[clothes, toiletries, personal stuff etc]
Now put HALF of it away again.
You only need 50% of what you first thought.

I think I must have taken this to heart down the years, because when I begin my packing these days, I am thinking minimally from the get-go. I try to pack as little as possible.

Another 'tip' I came across was this :
If you are holidaying in the UK, wear trousers for travel, pack underwear for the remaining days and use a small case. Then pop into a charity shop and buy a dress and a couple of tops. Swap these around through your stay. On the last day, put all but your underwear and travel outfit into a bag, and give it back to the CS

That tip may make for very minimal luggage - but raises too many questions - do you give back the stuff unwashed? What if the top is now damaged? If you fall in love with the dress, how do you fit it into your small bag?

In the past few years, we've rarely had holidays 'away' - we just came to Cornerstones. Since retirement, our trips have been in the UK by car [plenty of luggage room] and our one Paris trip [by train]  was brief and we had minimal packing [as we did in the days of motorbike holidays - three pairs of knickers and a tin of soap, and not much more] But this year, now Bob's back has been treated, and we are flying abroad. So what's essential in my luggage? 
Passport and tickets [keep copies of all important info on my phone as well]
Prescription medications [so many pills...] which should be kept in the original boxes. Customs may refuse plastic bags with strips of meds which have been trimmed to just the 7 days worth, as they cannot be identified. 
Technology - phones, tablets, headphones, charging leads, travel plugs. 
Toiletries -toothbrush, hairbrush, suncream etc [I have treated myself to some little bottles for decanting shampoo etc] 
Random useful bits pen, bite-zapper, tweezers, mini-sewing kit, lightweight fold-up tote
Clothes and shoes - a hat, underwear, swimwear, and a 'capsule' wardrobe
And not much else!

Bob has never quite got over the shock of seeing me unpack teabags, mugs and a flask on our honeymoon in Yorkshire [I was so thrifty, I wasn't paying for cups of tea in Betty's!] These days when I pack, he will watch me and say something like  "They do sell tea in Kent, you know..."
My Son In Law Gaz gave me a very useful tip - if you are staying in a hotel, [especially abroad, or in an unfamiliar city] grab one of the cards from the reception desk and tuck it in your bag or pocket. That way if you go out for the evening and want to get a cab back, you can easily show the driver the correct details. 

What are the essentials in your suitcase? 
What have I forgotten in my list?

CBBBQ

Not a new kid's TV channel, this means Cornerstones Before BBQ! Bob thought it was about time we did another BBQ for all the neighbours, as so many have moved into the Close in the last couple of years. He produced an invite and I went round delivering them. 

We got the garden ready. The 'grass' is brown and crispy, like everyone else's. We borrowed the Shed Gazebo which will give plenty of shelter from bright sunshine or rain, whichever we have to deal with, and there's the summerhouse too...

Neighbours offered to bring food and drink - and Brian sent some of his humungous tomatoes - some were 7cm across! These have been sliced to go on top of burgers, along with slices of cheese. I made a salad, and some rainbow veg kebabs.

We seem to have plenty of garden chairs these days*. Some years back, we went to a Band Concert at Blickling and beforehand purchased some fancy blue folding chairs. They were not cheap, but Bob wanted ones which were comfortable for 3 hours of sitting, and would take his weight. We have been very pleased with them, and used them a lot [especially at the beach with the family as well as in the garden] On Monday we were at the 'recycle shop' at our local tip, and found this similar tan pair, for £5 only each

Like the blue ones, they have carrybags with useful shoulder straps, and can holders on the right hand side. One is slightly faded, but the do not look like they have been used very much. They have strong well designed frames. And their recommended max weight is 200kg! We are not expecting any 30stone visitors!

* 14 plus lounger, plus 3-seater bench, and if we get more than that, Gloria will pass some of her chairs over the fence. 

And then it was time for the event...

The 4 nearest neighbours arrived on the dot of 6:30, then the heavens opened and for 10 minutes we had rain and thunder. We sheltered in the summerhouse. Then it all stopped, I dried off all the chairs.  10 more people arrived and we had a lovely evening together... Guests brought some great salads and a selection of drinks. Hard work, but worth doing.

So different from last Wednesday's Eclipse Party

Hot Topics Q&A #1

 Still hot here. I have an answer for one question, and then a question for which I'd really appreciate your answers. Thank you.

[1] What Are Chafeguards?

Safeguards are things which guard us from anything unsafe. Chafeguards is my word for things which guard us from painful chafing in hot, sticky, sweaty weather. First up, baby powder

Baby powder these days is no longer talcum. In the UK/EU the rules are very strict about the purity of traditional talc. In the USA, there have been cases of cheaper talc containing carcinogenic asbestos. But Boots and major supermarkets are all using cornstarch. A dusting on your skin helps all those areas which get sweaty and maybe sore. Rub it on your sandy feet and it will leave them clean, soft and comfortable when you put your shoes on. 

Chub-Rub shorts are fabulous. In hot sticky weather I find it really uncomfortable wearing a dress, my thighs rub and chafe. A pair of these under my skirt makes such a difference. I use Snag. They are light and fit perfectly. Liz recommends Primark cotton cycling shorts. As Carole King [almost] sang, Can I believe the magic of your thighs? Will you still love me tomorrow? 

[2] Are you a [S]crimper?
I keep being sent links to this offer - a free mini crimpit wrap. I can see the potential usefulness of this gadget for making quick snacks in the airfryer.  I read a few reviews which went from 5* genius, use it everyday to 1* useless, I could get the same result with beaten egg and a fork. Have any of you out there got one, and how would you rate it? Crimp and Rave, or Scrimp and Save?

Pearl's A Singer

Occasionally when I was a child, my Mum would make a stew and put pearl barley in it. Every time, my Dad would make a joke about Pearl Barley and Pearl Bailey. That gifted American singer was born in 1918 at the end of WW1, she died in 1990. She had a long and varied career - on Broadway, on TV, providing voices for Disney animations. She was a personal friend of many US Presidents and their wives. Gerald Ford made her a Special Ambassador to the UN, Richard Nixon appointed her as an "Ambassador of Love", Ronald Reagan gave her the Presidential medal of Freedom. She won many awards, and was friends with politicians and performers. 

Pearl Barley, on the other hand is processed barley which has been polished to remove its outer coating. It is also known as pot barley and Scotch Barley. It is hearty and filling, a good source of fibre. I bought a pack in the supermarket the other day. It takes an hour to cook on the hob, but only 30minutes in my rice cooker in the microwave. I sometimes put it in a casserole. We both enjoy this as an alternative to rice, it works out around 6p a serving - and it is produced in the UK. And it works well cooked and cold in a salad too. Healthy and thrifty and tasty!
I think few people remember Pearl Bailey now, but here's Elkie Brooks with her debut chart single from 1977,  about another singing Pearl. Elkie is 81 now, and currently doing her farewell tour this year!

Do you remember Pearl Bailey?
Do you ever cook with Pearl Barley?

To Coin A Word

The words “to coin” can be used as a verb with a literal meaning to mint a coin, but in 14th century Europe, the term “coining” was associated with inventing words. By the late 16th century, “coining a phrase” implied the invention of a series of words used to complete a sentence. There's also a Greek word koinē, meaning "common" or "shared".  It is used for common language or lingua franca used by speakers of different original dialects or languages. The New Testament was originally written in Koinē Greek, which was the common language, accessible to all, rather than the formal Classical Greek.
I love discovering the history of words, how and when they were first coined, and how their meaning has changed down the centuries. In the study, we have a little paper cup. It is full of the odd coins we find in pockets and bags at the end of the day, or when we are tidying up the table...

What do you call such a collection?

Is it small change? Or loose change? 
I remember that when we had that huge mortgage, I used to say "We do not have loose change here, only tight budgets"

Have you come across the word

shrapnel?

I was thinking about this, and wondered who coined this term. It is an eponym, for Henry Shrapnel [1761-1842] who invented an artillery shell filled with lead musket balls, and a bursting charge, so it exploded in mid air.

The debris from exploding shells and bombs generally was called shrapnel. In WW1, metal and paper shortages meant they had problems at the Monnaie de Paris [the French Mint] and made cheap coins, and there were locally produced banknotes on cheap paper called billets de necessité. Troops fighting in France referred to the tattered notes as shrapnel - . By WW2, shrapnel  had become the slang term among the forces for any small coins. However it was not recognised in British dictionaries till 1984. 

Bob and I were talking about this - I first remember coming across the term in the 90s when I met my friend John [ex Forces] 

Whatever you call such a pot of dosh**,  it is useful to have some around, for charity pots, car park machines, and grandchildren who would like to buy their own treats. Many older people, and people managing debt issues, prefer to pay with real cash they can manage, rather than the credit card, which is 'virtual' money and sometimes hard to keep track of.

I for one do not want a cashless society, for lots of reasons.
What do you call shrapnel?

Are you happy to go 100% cashless?

 [they can't agree on the origin of dosh- it may be doss, the price of a bed for the night, dash, the Colonial African word for a bribe, or the Russian-Jewish word dosh meaning nose, as in pay-on-the-nose, i.e. pay in cash]

Skirting The Issue

Two cotton skirts, one navy and white fishes,  the other  a pretty leafy print on a golden background. Except this is the same skirt, it is reversible!

I bought this in a CS recently. I thought it was a yellow skirt and the blue was the lining, and didn't realise it was reversible. If you look at the zip, you can see the 'pull' can flip over to the other side. And between the two layers, you can find a "White Stuff" label. The CS price tag said "large" and it was within my "Cup of Coffee" budget [£3.50 or less] I am afraid I was in a hurry and did not try it on. I figured the fabric was lovely and I could remake it if it didn't fit.
I was pleased when I got home to find it was two-for-one, and being White Stuff, very well made. However it is definitely not Large - the tag has been cut out, but I think it is a 10. Certainly too tight for my waistline. At the moment it is just hanging in the wardrobe waiting for some sort of alteration.

Along with this one - a very pretty vintage Orvis brand ankle length skirt. This too is beautifully made, but rather too long for me. The waistband is elasticated, and again a bit tight. I shall probably undo the seam in the elastic and simply turn it to the inside. A quick and easy fix.
When you were at school, did you ever turn over the waistband of your school skirt to turn from prim uniform knee length, to a miniskirt?  I notice the teenagers round here still seem to do that!

In The Pink

Back in the 80s my friend invited me to go with her on a shopping trip to Bromley. Having dropped our daughters off at Primary School, we went in her car for what she described as a day of Retail Therapy. By lunchtime she had a few carrier bags, and I'd bought some new pants for the children. 

"You must get yourself something, Ang" she insisted. So we went into Laura Ashley, and at her suggestion I spent £5 on a lacy pink knitted scarf. She assured me I'd wear it a lot. 

Every so often I pull it out to finish off an outfit, perhaps half a dozen times a year. As I did a couple of weeks ago. Then I decided it should have a wash, so I put in a bowl of warm soapy water and swished it about a bit. I couldn't believe how much colour came out in the water! I felt like Macbeth with "the multitudinous seas incarnadine" I was so glad I'd not put it in the general wash inside a 'lingerie' bag. 

It dried quickly in the warm sunshine. Back in the day, I was quite unsure about the purchase, it seemed rather frivolous on our limited income . But when I look back and think about it in terms of cost-per-wear, at about tuppence a time, I have definitely had my money's worth. I see they are currently being advertised online at £25+. Good gracious!! 

Cockles And Mussels, Alive, Alive Oh!

We used to sing "Molly Malone" at school in music lessons. Did you?

When I was a child, we would visit the family in Leigh On Sea, and my Mum would treat herself to a pint cup of cockles down at the sea front. They were dressed in vinegar - and she loved them. I found the whole idea awful, and refused to taste them.

I never wanted to eat mussels either. Then I married Bob, and he is half Belgian. He loves "moules et frites" - somewhere in the last 40 years I finally tried them, and now I too really enjoy a bowl of mussels [with chips, and mayo, and a hunk of baguette to mop up the broth] 

I read that the Essex cockle fishers are trying to revive our interest in their shellfish. About 45% of their catch is exported to Spain - and the UK cockle industry is valued at about £10M annually, half of which comes from the Thames Estuary. Should we all be eating more of these? 80% of the fish we eat is from the "Big Five" - cod, haddock, tuna, prawns and salmon, says the Marine Stewardship Council. They want  to prioritise 'locally sourced' fish. They're putting blue 'ecolabels' on sustainably sourced products and running a campaign called "Buy Blue, Protect Dinner" This started last September apparently, and promoted Norfolk Brown Shrimps [sorry, MSC that one completely passed me by!] and other fishy dishes

Maybe I should ask the Bunnings Man on Dereham Market. They sell cockles caught off the Norfolk Coast. Mind you, this fish doesn't come cheap - cockles are £18 per kilo, twice the price of Scottish Mussels. 

If I stick to the Flemish speciality, which we both enjoy, am I being shelfish?

I've Got Some Nice Legs!

Said Bob. It was during the great pre-retirement downsize, I realised that one thing I did need at Cornerstones was a small table in the back bedroom. I had hoped it would be a worktable for my craft activities, and a place for visitors to put their stuff. That was why Bob mentioned his nice legs [!] and that he had a piece of wood, a short length of kitchen worktop retrieved from our neighbour's skip in Dorset when they had a refit. The legs were red metal [IKEA bargain basement, £5, years ago] and had remained in his stash, stuck together with parcel tape. He promptly screwed the legs to the wood and there was my table. It has been in use ever since. But he never actually finished it properly. I put a tablecloth on it when we had overnight guests.

Here it is, this time last year, stacked with food and jars during the kitchen refit. The top is grubby, it had sharp edges and corners, and the base of every leg [hidden in this shot] is a mess of half removed brown parcel tape. More recently my worklamp has been clamped to the edge, and the table has been covered with sewing projects.

On Thursday, I had been tidying the bedroom, the tabletop was clear. Bob leapt into action, and took the table outside. He removed the legs, and while I set to work with solvent to clean off the sticky tape and goo, he rounded the edges of the top. He sanded everything and finished it off with a coat of Osmo. It looks so much better now

Clean, shiny and no sharp corners! This will count as a restoration project, another of my #word365 activities. Thank you Bob. I shall refix  my lamp and I'm 'good to go' again

I Brought My Own Bag...

Usually when I go out to do a proper supermarket trip, it is planned in advance so I have the bags. But sometimes I am out, and buy something unexpectedly. More than 30 years ago, my SIL went to Oz to visit her family, and brought me back a nylon folding tote bag.

It packs up very small [credit card size] and so I carry it around in my handbag. But last week I realised it is really wearing out - all the seams are on the point of giving way. I have a couple of other folding bags, but they are nowhere near as compact as this one.
Barbara's son and his family are now living in Australia. She sent me this birthday gift

This cheerful kookaburra print bag is a few inches square when folded into itself, but opens up into a full size tote bag.

What perfect timing! I can discard the dodgy old one, and tuck the new one in my handbag for my Manchester trip today

And that means fewer plastic bags or bags-for-life being purchased. Good for my wallet, good for the planet. Thank you Barbara!

When you were at school, did you sing the song "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree" as a round in your music lessons? We did, but I don't think I had the faintest notion as to what a kookaburra looked like

SORRY ABOUT LATE PUBLISHING. Just realised it didn't post.  currently catching up whilst sat on a train which is held up outside Grantham!

A Lidl Of What You Fancy...

A new Lidl opened in Dereham last month. Excited shoppers queued in the rain [not me, I was in Manchester that week] It's a lovely big store, with good car parking, an instore bakery and lots of extra features [like a self scan checkout area]

I've been in there two or three times, and I like it. There's more space in the aisles, and a wider variety of products. Early on Monday I was in there getting eggs and milk, and also picked up one of the Too Good To Waste boxes. It cost me £2 and I am really pleased with what I got for my money.  I do not often post 'shopping basket' pictures on the blog, but decided this was worth sharing. I separated out the items and priced them up

These are the contents - 2kg potatoes, 500g leeks, 1kg carrots, 9 bananas, 6 easy peelers, 1 grapefruit and an apple. Bought individually in store, I would have paid nearly £5 more.

The bananas will need to be eaten up fairly promptly [or used in banana bread, smoothies or a pudding] but everything else will keep OK in the fridge for a few days,
🍌🍊🥔🥕🍎🍌🍊🥔🥕🍎🍌🍊
This strikes me as very good value.
The boxes are kept on the far side of the tills - so you inform the assistant that you would like one, she adds £2 to your bill, then you collect it as you leave the store. This is a good system. It stops people handling the produce or swapping out the contents of their boxes, exchanging leeks for more easy peelers!

Do you ever buy these bargain boxes?
What is the best thing you ever discovered in one?

🥔🥕🍎🍌🍊🥔🥕🍎🍌🍊🥔🥕

Noël Ou Pâques?

I found a mini kit to make a French Hen in the CS. Is it for Christmas or Easter? Corine Lapierre is a Frenchwoman living in Yorkshire, who produces fabulous felt kits [Liz gave me her Advent Picture which I completed for Christmas 2024] The label said "Has Been Started, 80p" I gave the guy £1 and came home and opened my little box. And checked the website [discovered the kit retails at £12.95]

The felt bits were all there [the stuffing is inside the box], and someone had made a start. Perhaps they realised that there was quite a lot of stitching involved and maybe they were not up to it. They'd marked out the pieces with black pen, and forgotten to turn the inked side to the inside. The paper patterns from the rhs of the instruction sheet were absent.

I carefully unpicked the stitching and sorted the pieces out [ink side underneath] The website  suggests buying felt and using the paper templates to make more hens. My plan is to use these pieces to recreate the templates before I sew up this hen, then maybe make some more in other colours. Aiming for Christmas, but maybe I'll get it done by Easter 

Fortunately I can zoom in on the website picture to get a clearer idea of the stitching. The body has detached brown chain stitches each filled with 2 blue straight stitches. 

Ooh La La! Watch this space...
I am wondering what other colourways would work for this Petite Poule
Maybe grey, black, red with vivid green stitching...