More Food (Not a Haul!) Shopping

 It seems this has become a regular thing...............unpack..............take photo........put away.

There was one purchase between the last shop and this one as I went to the nearest Co-op for the local 'Lane Farm' sausages .......but although they had their bacon they didn't have any sausages, so I got the other local pack 'Taste of Suffolk'...........which I could have got in the village shop although they would have cost me more. I divided into 4 x 2, wrapped and put in freezer without thinking about a photo. They were £3.29 for 400g.

 I'm odd because I buy the cheapest of cheap bacon (£1 bacon bits from Asda) but wouldn't dream of buying anything other than good local sausages.

Aldi had so many gaps and absences on their shelves that I had to go to Asda anyway even if  I'd not been going into town and needing to get my £1 parking fee back. 

Most noticeably missing at Aldi for the last two visits has been their decaf ground coffee and wholemeal bread flour.

From top to bottom. 4 Pints milk £1.65; rice £1.25; 400g extra mature cheddar £2.45; Asda Wholemeal flour £1.45; 2 x Asda decaf ground coffee @ £3.50 = £7; 6 white rolls 45p; 2 peanuts £1.18; Ham trimmings 400g £2.49; Carrots 37p; 1Kg nectarines £2.35; Head of calabrese 86p;

Total £21.50. 

Running total for month. £24.79 +£37.81 + £3.29 + £21.50 = £87.39

I very rarely buy meat but I do like ham but these packs of bargain ham trim don't often have a long date, but they did this time  so made me 4 main meals and, with the bread rolls, 4 other ham roll meals. (The bread from the bread-maker makes lovely toast but not so good for sandwiches)

That Asda coffee is £1.01p more than Aldi's when they last had some, I think it's something that has gone up in price a lot which is maybe why Aldi didn't have any. Last time Aldi had wholemeal flour it was 89p so the Asda is 56p more.

This shop was done last Saturday and I've done no food shop since but I may well make some scones today and buy myself  some clotted cream for a Bank Holiday weekend treat again......it's become a 'thing'!

Darning and Patching

 One of my library books that arrived last week  I saw mentioned on a blog and actually know whose blog it was, which makes a change.

Angela at Tracing Rainbows said it was interesting even if you weren't planning to do any darning.

The Art of Repair by Molly Martin was published in 2021 and is about the history of darning including in other countries like Japan which has many different names for different types of mending.

This is the description from online

'Part how-to guide, part manifesto - a gentle exhortation that encourages us to reconnect with our damaged belongings and ourselves.' TOAST magazine

For Molly Martin, it all started with a pair of socks. Her favourite pair. When the heels became threadbare, her mother got out her darning mushroom and showed her how to reinforce the thinning stitches and bring them back to life. She has been stitching and darning ever since.

In The Art of Repair, Molly explores the humble origins of repair and how the act of mending a cherished item carefully by hand offers not just a practical solution but nourishment for the soul. Using her own beautiful illustrations, she guides us through the basics of the craft - from piecing and patching to the ancient Japanese art of Sashiko.

This book will stay with you long after you put down your needle and thread. It offers an antidote to our increasingly disposable lifestyle, encouraging us to reconnect not just with the everyday objects in our environment but also with ourselves.

I used to do lots of  mending and darning - especially Col's  welly-boot socks, jeans and the cuffs of shirts. Now my darning mushrooms sit unused............not sure how I have two............. because very few things need repair  - I don't even remember the last time I sewed on a button.

Angela was right - it was an interesting little book.

It Was £24.99 ...............

At a recent Sunday car boot sale I picked up this book just to see what it was. Good Housekeeping was a magazine I sometimes bought back in the 1970s BC (Before Colin and Before Children)- in the days of newly-married and still earning. Looking inside I saw some lovely photos and several recipes.

 Turned it over to read the blurb on the back and saw it was £24.99 when bought new and when the guy selling said £1, I thought it was worth buying for a better look.

Not sure I agree with that final sentence "Because everything is housekeeping - and housekeeping is everything"! Really?

I'll let you know if there's anything useful inside and if it was ever worth £24.99, but somehow I doubt it because there are dozens of secondhand copies for sale on Abebooks and Amazon. So maybe everyone who was given a copy for Christmas soon gave them away!