Thursday 8 July 2010

Bit of This 'an That ~ Thrifty Snippet, Shabby Chic!!

A little bit of everything tonight - just what I've been up to the last couple of days!
First of all my harvest - just look at these glorious little gems!
Its the first time I have had red currants to pick - the birds usually beat me to it, and last year the bush was stripped of leaves and fruit by ants. It seems to have recovered, although the other bush (I planted two ) is a poor scraggy thing.




I just have the two red currant bushes, I have them in the border with all the pretty flowers - they don't really get any attention, I just had a fancy, at the time, to grow red currants then I could make red currant jelly to have with roast lamb.
I don't have the garden space for a fruit garden, so I just make do -



although I don't think there is enough here to bother with jelly - all of 6 ounces!
I put them in the freezer - they will be used in something or other. They are a fabulous colour - Mother Nature has a wonderful sense of fun.
Playing about with my door again!
I put a little collection of Shabby stuff together in a boring sort of corner -its where we sit, so I wanted something to look at - if you know what I mean!


I dragged the old step ladder out of the shed - I had painted it up a while ago, a nice gentle green-y colour.



And nestled my little collection of vintage fish tank and cloche on the top. I have a little dish planted up with a teeny tiny fern, and some Navel wort - a fascinating little plant that grows like crazy on the walls, and in our hedgerows. I hadn't seen it before we moved to Anglesey - its called navel wort because it just looks like - well a navel - its round like a penny with a dip in the centre (I think its other name is Penny - something). It grows quite large in the wild, depending on conditions - mine is confined to the small dish - so is a dainty - fairy size!



I found this old shabby chair at the carboot - Hubby P was going to do it up - but I quite like it as it is. The old enamel potty is there to act as a sort of repository for Hubby P's cigarette butts, and other unsavory things - quite apt really, considering what it once perhaps used for!

We went shopping - we I couldn't put it off for much longer!
I managed a couple of Thrifty buys - some fruit and veg was on offer, so that was good, I bought quite a bit. Peppers were a mixed bag of 3 peppers for 50p - cheap and cheerful so I bought 2 bags. Now there is no way we will eat 6 peppers in a week or so, so I chopped 4 of them and lay them on trays and put them in the freezer.


They should be ok tomorrow to bag up and stay loose, so that I can just grab a handful for stir fries and the like - bit like I do with the frozen peas - everything gets peas in it here.

Hubby P does like his Shepherds pie, so we have to have minced beef, I like to buy British or Welsh - even more local, if I can. They had these big packs for about £2.80 I think, far too much for just Hubby P and I (Both Richard and William are veggies) - so I split the pack into three.
I think it said 400gms on the box/pack - it doesn't mean any thing to me, I know its shameful, but I cant get a grip on this metrication! My formative years I grew up with pounds and ounces - so that's how I think - so anyway - back to the mince - it madeapprox 8oz per pack and three packs, thats 4oz of meat per person which is plenty - it all gets padded out with lots of veg, or baked beans in the case of Shepherds pie.
A good deal there, and mince always gives good flavour to a dish - very versatile and quick to cook.




At the moment I am all for quick and easy - I have so much to do and not enough hours in the day - I've just noticed its after 11pm now - I should have been in bed ages ago - Ahhhh the things I do for you lot! hehe!
Lots going on here, big project ????



Here is a hint of things to come.
It must be said the 'Men' of the house are not too thrilled -but Hey! sometimes a Girl just Has to have her own way!
Show you some pic's next time - if the sun shines for me!
xxx Take care xxx