Price Rises 1 Year On.

  The book I read recently 'Across a Waking Land; A 1,000 Mile Walk Through a British Spring' (it's been very useful for blog posts!) begins

 just as Russia invades Ukraine and the author says he thinks this will have a really serious affect on food supplies and prices. It certainly has, coupled with the long term effects of Covid (higher costs after the slowdown of manufacturing etc ) and Brexit (difficulty in getting foreign workers for harvesting and packing). 

Luckily I could check out how much prices had changed because last year in March I was doing  the 'Eating Basics Challenge' and had photos of shopping with prices. This is just one week - an average sort-of shop.

What I wrote a year ago and the prices then. New prices at the end of March 2024 in RED . 

Milk down 10p, chicken thighs the same. Everything else is up in price, fruit and vegetables by more.

AL Bread 39p (20 slices and 2 crusts) I divided these into 5 x 4 slices and the two crusts and popped all but one in the freezer. Now 45p

AL British Chicken Thighs 1kg = 7 = £2.85 Wrapped individually and frozen .SAME

AL Pears 97p (They were on offer at 30% off) NOW £1.69

AS Back Bacon 300g =£1.40 ( I wanted to buy their cheaper 'Cooking Bacon Pieces' at 90p but not in stock) NO ESSENTIALS RANGE  ANYMORE so 300g now £2.25

AS Pineapple pieces 49p  NOW 71p

AL 2 Pints milk £1.30 (Makes up to 4 pints when mixed half and half with water) £1.20

AS Grated Cheese 500g = £2.60 I have NEVER EVER bought grated cheese before - lazy - except the crazy thing is that this is cheaper than a block of cheese at the moment so for this experiment it works. NOW £2.99 

AS Head of Broccoli 34p NOW 79p

AL 1kg Carrots 50p NOW 65p

AL 500g Parsnips 50p  NOW 65p

AL 6 Mini Apples 59p NOW 99p

A year ago the total was £11.93 - NOW £15.22

We certainly are paying the price for all the things that have happened in the last 7 years. 

I wish I knew for sure that farmers are benefitting from the price increases - but I doubt they are .

Back Tomorrow

Sue

First Saturday in April

 The vegetable seedlings are out in the greenhouse now with fleece to cover them every night. The only benefit of cloudy days is the overnight temperatures are well above freezing. I looked at the weather forecast last Sunday and every single day this week had rain spots under the cloud symbol at some time during the day or night. And they were correct, including a torrential downpour for several minutes on Thursday morning. Luckily Friday was very windy and by late afternoon the grass was just about dry enough to do a quick run around with the mower.

I spent a while  searching the shed and behind it for a couple of clay flower pots that I thought I had but no luck, then I remembered one is upside down in the sink-pond to make a step in and out for frogs (no sign of any yet) and the others must have got broken when the plant stand fell over 2 years ago. There are always plenty at boot sales. I just need two for the two new plants picked up from boot sales this year. I'll take a photo after I've found suitable pots.

"Nanna will do it!"

Badges to sew on for Rainbows for the YGD and for Brownies for EGD. No hurry - it's the Easter break and Nanna has plenty of time!

Didn't realise I'd be doing this job 35 years on from my own children!

This week I am grateful for..............

• Having plenty of different coloured cottons in my sewing box to match the badges.
• The knowledge gained over 68 years that there WILL be sunshine and warmth at sometime this spring and summer however hopeless it looks.
• Vegetable seedlings looking healthy. Fingers crossed.
• Finding things to write about for the blog everyday .
• Some good crime fiction to read this month.
• Phone call from my cousin to tell me his Mum- my one remaining Aunt - is now in a care home - she'll be 100 this year-  pretty amazing - all her five siblings - including my Mum died well before old age.

When it was raining I watched the three programmes in the first series of Signora Volpe. It's on the free UKTV Play now after first being on Acorn - a pay to view channel. Starring Emilia Fox as an exMI6 agent it is set in the beautiful countryside of  Italy. It's well written and very understated. According to news online a season two was commissioned but doesn't seem to have appeared yet.

So it's the weekend again and the Saturday boot-sale if I can get up early enough. The Sunday one was all set to start this week but heavy rain will have turned it back into a quagmire again so I doubt it will.

Hope rain doesn't spoil your weekend plans, I shall be back Monday.

Sue

The April Library Book Photo

 Not many books brought home from the library van this month. All six are books I'd reserved.  Four are crime fiction by authors I know will be OK. Alexandra Benedict is new to me as is the one on top - Miss Mole by E.H.Young.

Last month I had this much bigger collection. I've hung onto four - all non-fiction, returned two unread - I forgot that I'd given up on reading the  Nicola Upson Josephine Tey books and didn't fancy 'Stealing the Crown'. Those that I did read are all on the books read 2024 page.

Back Tomorrow

Sue