The End of the Week

 Eldest Daughter and the two Grandsons in Surrey were due on Tuesday for a three night stay. We were planning to get all the cousins together for a couple of trips out, to the seaside and RSPB Minsmere maybe.

She rang me Easter Sunday to say both boys had picked up tummy bugs. Oh Dear. The nearly 10 year old recovered in a day but the 4 year old wasn't so lucky. No chance of them travelling up on Tuesday after all.

Luckily YGS recovered and so they were able to come on Wednesday. We soon got the two Surrey boys  meeting up with their three Suffolk cousins in my bungalow = chaos.

 

Just one trip out, meeting up at Aldeburgh for a picnic, sailing boats on the boating pond, loading the beach stones into toy dumper trucks for the two youngest while the three eldest zoomed up and down a slope on two - much too small balance bikes - belonging to the two youngest - weird, but it kept them amused for ages.

Ice creams for all!  By chance they are sitting here in age order, Eldest Granddaughter is still taller than Eldest Grandson, but he's catching up.

After much too short a time they were off back to Surrey.

Now it will be a quiet weekend, car boot sales of course - weather permitting. Plus I must get the electric propagator onto the windowsill in the spare room and get some seeds started. 

And reading..............

Several people said they'd enjoyed reading 'The Eights' by Joanna Miller when it was in my library book photo and I did too. I'd  found details of it on a blog and a vlog and it had good reports.

It is the first book by this author and on a blog someone commented they hoped there was a sequel and it certainly sets itself up for more of the story.

Oxford, 1920. For the first time in its 1,000 year history, the world's most famous university has admitted female students.

This is the story of four women, all very different, who find themselves in adjoining rooms in their first weeks at university. It follows them through their first year, their secrets, fears and hopes for the future - just two years after the war which still casts a long shadow. 

 

Have a good weekend folks, I'll be back Monday 

 

Cleaning.

In the list of things I don't buy on yesterdays post I mentioned that I don't buy many branded cleaning products. 

My cleaning things are these below.

 For the few bits of washing up that I do in the sink I still have some Ecover Washing up liquid - in the 5 litre container  that's very well travelled as it's lasted years. I decant into a small bottle for the kitchen windowsill. The spray bottle is window cleaner which is white vinegar, washing up liquid and filtered water. 

Beside the spray bottle is Ecover general purpose cleaner which I use on the floors. Only a little is needed so it lasts ages.

The big tub back right is soda washing crystals that I use in the washing machine along with a Smol capsule. The soda gets rid of any smells and keeps the machine clean too. I've now cancelled my Smol subscription as they've started charging for packaging and delivery. I'll be trying another eco-friendly manufacturer next time I need some.

In front of the tub of soda crystals is my kitchen salt, used to scrub my wooden chopping board and to put down the kitchen  sink plughole sometimes -  with boiling water. 

The dishwasher tabs are in the box in the centre, again I've just cancelled my subscription and will be trying Ocean Saver company or going back to Ecover.

In the pottery tub standing on the Smol laundry tab box is bicarb (bought in bulk) which I use as a mild abrasive for cleaning sink and wash basins.

The other things that I use are dishwasher salt as it's such a hard water area, Harpic loo cleaner ditto the hard water - nothing else I've tried works. Sometimes I use Oust limescale remover stuff recommended  for cleaning the coffee machine.  (You know you live in a hard-water area when water left in a glass leaves a ring of scale after just a couple of days!)

Now and again I have to buy some vicious drain un-clogger for the en-suite basin as the builders used a right angle drain to take the waste out through the wall and I don't think it slopes enough. Too complicated and too late to do anything about it now - the company are no longer in business!

I'm sure some will think this is still too many bought products, but it suits me. 

Thanks everyone for comments - family here - so apologies for not replying to comments....bit busy.

Things I don't Buy At All or Not Very Often

Pinched this idea from a vlogger........

Things I don't buy at all or not very often. 

Not buying some things leaves money for buying others - like books!

• Lottery Tickets 
• Hair stuff or any products other than shampoo.
• Make up and beauty products
• Ready Meals that just need heating in the microwave
• Multi-buys - they tend to be branded products and Aldi don't do BOGOFs anyway
• Pre-cut fruit and veg.
• Bottled water
• Fruit juices
• Fizzy Drinks
• Alcohol
• Fabric softener and scent boosters
• Scented candles
• New ornament type things
• A huge variety of branded cleaning products
• Meal deliveries - like Just Eat and Deliveroo - not even sure if they would deliver here anyway
• Magazines and Newspapers
• Manicures
• New gadgets that do different things in the kitchen - I have all the things I need.
• Jewellery
• Air Fresheners or plug in scented things

There are some of that list that might be useful with age - I can see how ordering meals from a company like Wiltshire Farm Foods could be handy and better than supermarkets. And preprepared fruit and veg for anyone with arthritis etc.

Back Tomorrow