Monday 15 December 2014

Thrifty Boots .. Boot Boy!



 Hello there ...
Well its been a day of assessing the footwear situation .. in readiness for the bad weather..
By that I mean Hubby P has managed to wear out all his work boots .. they all had some hole or other in them!

We got them all out and .. and the ones deemed useful and sturdy.. Hubby P then gave a good polish  ..
just look what a good job he has made of my pink boots ..
I shall feel rather festive wearing them!

So ... what to do .. good leather boots are so expensive.

Luckily .. the other week we had a clearance and one box was full of outdoor/walking stuff...
including some good old fashioned walking boots.


What a find ... two pairs in Hubby P's size .. and one pair in my size.
Hardly worn at all .. still that 'new leather' stiffness to them.
I think someone had bought all the gear .. all good intentions of a new hobby .. 
but didn't really get into it .. for whatever reason.
 

I always keep a good stock of polish and whatnot ... any bits and pieces .. 
shoe laces etc .. that I come across .. you never know what you are going to need. 
Hubby P gave his 'new' boots a good old Dubbing .. to waterproof them.


 They must have sat in the cupboard a good whiley .. they are fairly vintage .. nowadays walking boots are more kind nylon-y.
But they will do us for roughing it at work and around the garden.

People may turn their nose up at wearing 'secondhand' shoes ... but I bet the Charity Shops do a roaring trade in shoes .. good ones are so expensive.
At least our feet will be warm and dry this winter ... and I for one am grateful for anything passed my way.

Thank you for all your comments on the mushrooms.

I made a big pan of soup .. Chicken and Mushroom .... I had just a handful of cooked chicken left from tea .. so we had soup for lunch .. and very nice it was too. 
There is some left for me to take to work tomorrow in my soup flask.


And something a bit exotic for me ... this was Pam's (My New Life In Wales) idea .. 
Mushrooms, can of chickpeas, bit of onion, cumin and curry powder mixed with some oil and roasted .. I added a bit of red pepper ...
I must say it was lip smacking good ... really tasty.
As you can see I did a bit of plain rice ... I had used hot curry powder .. 
so it had a kick and the rice toned it down a bit .. and a dollop of sweet chili sauce .. lovely.
And some left .. nice cold I thought with a few fresh tomatoes .. yum.

Plus two big bags of mushrooms in the freezer for another day.

That's me for today .. not really exciting .. but we live a quiet life ...
and March To Our Own Drum .. as they say.

Take care xx bye for now x


10 comments:

  1. Just love those boots - what a find.

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  2. I used to own a pair of walking boots like the one on the right side of the photo. In 1982 they cost about £80 from the mountaineering shop in the Lakes, apparently they used to get mail from all around the world, simply addressed, 'The mountaineering shop, aThe Lakes England'! Probably still do!
    Love your pink boots too.

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  3. Nothing better than good leather boots! The nylons and plastic ones just don't do it...
    So nice to have dry , warm feet when you are standing outside in the cold all day...

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  4. Good for you, I can never find good used boots for me,
    Once in a blue moon, I do for my Mr.
    The food looked delicious!

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  5. I adore your pink boots, I would certainly buy footwear from the CS, if I could find my size. Like me O think that most women who wear a size 9 hang on to their shoes until they are beyond repair. My favourite black ankle bots are nearly 20 years old, as soft as chamois and fit like a glove. I am glad that you enjoyed my recipe, I make it when ever I get cheap mushrooms.

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  6. I was a charity shop manager for years and shoes did not sell well the best selling things wre ladies tops , Shoes sold really well if they were new or designer /good quality or like you have bought practical winter boots , One yaer we had bad snow so i filled the big window with wellingtons and boots we had about 100 pair i had been saving, we sold them all in two days , thats in the days when the managers were able to have a say in how the shops were run , then along came the rules of what you could do or not do and the takings plummeted , Glad you are now sorted for the winter xxx

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  7. Your supper sounds lovely. Did you roast your ingredients on a tray in the oven? what a great idea. I eat a lot of chickpeas as I am a veggie, so your meal made my mouth water!

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  8. Pink boots! How fab are they!! I would buy good leather shoes in the charity shop if I found any. My boots are over 15 years old, well cared for, mended and polished and ready for winter. My hubby loves polishing shoes on a Sunday morning, he lines them up on the garage bench and gives them a jolly good polish, it helps to keep the leather conditioned and waterproof as well as looking nice. My mum had a saying about boyfriends, " if they have short hair and clean shoes you can bring them home" luckily my now hubby fitted the bill perfectly and 44 years later he still has short hair and clean shoes!

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  9. Those are cracking walking boots - made when leather was King for boots. They will last years I reckon. Your pink ones say a lot about your personality : ) Nice and warm too. I've just got a pair of fleecy lined ones from Cotton Traders but they aren't as warm as they look so I have got some Lidl footwarmer gel pads to try out at the Christmas Fleamarket. Hope they work!

    Pam's mushroom dinner looks and sounds great. I have gone off mushrooms rather down the years, but that sounds tasty enough to lure me back, as I know they are good for you.

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  10. My husband has just won a pair of boots for my Christmas present on ebay. I don't mind them being secondhand because they look like new they're and expensive make and the last pair I had like them lasted me ten years!.

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