November 2nd

The October weather here in Suffolk was so mild that it's almost a surprise to be in November already, we missed both the named storms and although there was some wet weather it didn't cause any problems and hopefully has helped fill reservoirs and replenish ground water.

So now into November and the local long range weather forecast says mainly settled and dry in the first half of the month but with some foggy days that won't be very warm. More unsettled in the second half of the month....... but will we have really cold weather or ice?..............

   If there's ice in November to bear a duck

The rest of the winter is just mud and muck.

  

I googled November paintings and this come up, by Fidelia Bridges an American artist 1834-1923

Very atmospheric 

Autumn by John Clare (1793-1864)

 I love the fitful gust that shakes

The casement all the day,

And from the mossy elm-tree takes

The faded leaf away,

Twirling it by the window pane

With thousand others down the lane.

I love to see the shaking twig

Dance till the shut of eve

The sparrow on the cottage rig

Whose chirp would make believe

That spring was just now flirting by

In summer lap with flowers to lie

I love to see the cottage smoke

Curl upwards through the trees,

The pigeons nestled round the cote

On November days like these,

The cock upon the dunghill crowing,

The mill sails on the heath agoing

The feather from the ravens breast

Falls on the stubble lea

The acorns near the old crows nest

Fall pattering down the tree

The grunting pigs that wait for all

Scramble and hurry where they fall

November can be a grey month with fog and rain which is probably why Thomas Hood (1799 - 1845) wrote his well known November poem which starts

No sun, no moon,

No morn, no noon

No dawn, no dusk, no proper time of day;

No sky, no earthly view,

No distance looking blue.

And ends with

No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,

No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no trees.

November!

Thomas Hood was at that time a well known poet, publisher and humourist so I think his November poem was written very tongue-in-cheek, as surely November isn't that bad!

Spending Money ..............

 and then spending more money, it's been a very spendy month. (understatement!)

Income was the usual State pension and County council spouses pension and interest on savings (something that will more or less vanish after I move as I'm up-sizing after regretting downsizing for the last five years. At least I'll be paying less tax on savings interest!) The known outgoings were for direct debits for phones, broadband, council tax and charity, diesel for the car and birthday gifts for the family birthdays and the monthly electric bill, they all added up to £455.

Apart from paying some of the solicitors fees I also got around to getting a new mattress although it's not being delivered for 4 weeks. Blimey, decent mattresses are expensive now - the equivalent of two months state pension!! When I was in Ipswich for dentist back in June I went to the bed shop but it was the day after Ipswich had suffered from a torrential downpour and all the stores on that trading estate were flooded. Four months later the Dreams bed store still has part of their area roped off, waiting for replacement carpeting and ceiling. He said Halfords next door had their whole ceiling collapse.  That was the one rain event of the whole summer! My mattress in use is ten years old and getting a bit uncomfortable in places so I really needed new to see me out.

Another chunk of money went for getting the wood-burner flue swept and a new carbon monoxide detector to get certificates for new owner. The chimney sweep man put the new sensor in a completely different place to the other one which the wood burner installer said was the right place. Sweep man said "No! wrong place and anyway it's too old!" Ho Hum.

There were many, many other expenses this month but thankfully some were small and I even got new underwear cheap. The bra type I've been buying online for years are no longer available I discovered, and anyway had gone up in price a lot since the time they used to be available in the Co-op clothes department - something that hasn't existed for about 25 years! I found something suitable/comfortable for half the price of the other design and knickers from Morrisons are only £5 for 4 pairs - I'm sorted!

Food shopping - see yesterday, and apologies to those people who Hate With A Vengeance pictures of shopping! but I'm just not doing much here .......except tidying and packing........ to write about. I suppose it would be better to just blog less!

All in all it was an expensive month and November and December will be even more expensive in the house move column of the accounts book. In fact I'd better not spend on anything other than what I really have to for the rest of the year. 

Christmas is cancelled!! - That will shock the family! 😀

 

October Food Shopping Photos

Shopping was a bit different this month, not too much bought, so I could eat mainly from the freezer and cupboards.

First week of the month and an Aldi shop. Pears 99p, 4 Pints milk £1.65, 2 packs ground coffee £5.18, tender-stem broccoli £1.45, 6 pk crumpets 45p, 400g extra mature cheddar £2.45, and hoops snacks £1.09.

Total £13.26

Second week  - Aldi again

Pears 99p, cauliflower £1.18, 'Shreddies' cereal 95p, 2 packets peanuts £1.18, peanut butter £3.99, 1 can each of potatoes - 89p, carrots 45p  and peas 28p (for the emergency box!), Salt and pepper crackers 99p, fig roll biscuits 59p, soft cheese 89p, and half a dozen eggs £1.49 also got 4 pints of milk £1.65 and some frozen fish £4.74 which went in the freezer.

Total £20.26

Then there was that not-so-good cheese and the local made sausages from the Co-op totalling £9.24.

Small shop while doing something else and without a list - Morrisons bread flour £1.30, lemon meringue mixes (they are the only place I know that stock these now so I got two) £1.70 and carrots 44p

Total £3.44

Aldi on my way home from boot sale again without a list ......Bag of Purple sprouting broccoli (including caterpillars!)came from the boot sale for £1, coleslaw 79p, yeast 65p, pack 6 hoop snacks £1.09, 2 peanuts £1.18.

£4.71 total

Asda is blinkin' expensive compared to Aldi for some things but I needed to spend £5 to get my parking fee back (and they seem to be the only supermarket I visit doing own brand wholemeal flour now) and I couldn't be bothered to go to Aldi as well just for a couple of items.

Pears £1.60,  1 leek 84p, 2 figgy biscuits £1.18, cheese £3.20, 6 small bread rolls 45p, wholemeal flour £1.45

. 

Total £8.72

£59.63 so far

Plus then there was about £7 on somethings I can't remember and didn't photograph and lost the receipt and birthday meals out with YD and EGD.

I've written a list of what's still in the freezers for main part of meals and there's enough for most of November. I'd better find out if anyone in the local family has room in their freezers for a few things that I won't eat before moving but don't want to chuck  - like a big bag of this years sliced peppers.

So despite being advised to stock up on food for emergencies I shall be moving with not a lot of extras! Ho Hum.