Health and Wellbeing

Growing Tomatos – tips to ripen green tomato’s

August 12, 2020

Growing tomato’s in a pot is one of the things I decided to try when I started my square foot gardening plot. You may have read that during the early part of lockdown when we were staying home Mr Fitz and myself spent a lot of time catching up with jobs in the garden. I decided to create a small vegetable patch using one small flower bed using the square foot gardening technique plus I used pots for herbs, potato’s and tomato’s.

I have never grown vegetables before but soon became hooked. I love inspecting my little patch of crops daily looking for my seeds sprouting and then increasing in size. The thrill of seeing my crops turn into recognisable vegetables is fascinating. I have savoy cabbage, beetroot, peas, mangetout, peppers, shallots, radishes and lettuce as well as herbs growing.

PIN FOR LATER!

My pride though have been my tomato plants. We bought them from a local small garden centre when it reopened. We planted 2 types Gardeners Delight and Moneymaker. We had a large pot that had been tucked away at the back of the garden waiting to be used for something. It was perfect for the job along with an obelisk trellis that we discovered in the bushes in the back flower bed. A remnant from the previous owner. Mr Fitz had a good chop down of shrubs climbers when he discovered it. It was oxidising and I revamped it with some metallic paint left over from when I repainted our metal gates – another lockdown task.

When the plants were first planted in a tub on the patio

The tomato plants have been thriving and now I have a healthy crop, however they are still green with little or no sign of ripening. It has to be said that I live in Manchester and we have had a terrible summer – no sunshine for weeks just rain and grey skies. Far from ideal for growing tomato’s. This made me research tips to promote ripening.

I looked at a few gardening sites on line and of course my beloved Youtube. A couple of tips to be used when all else fails is to cut into the root, cut off the branches and hang upside down in a garage or shed – being upside down the nutrients would travel down from the root end into the tomato. Or the the green tomatoes could be picked and placed in a cardboard box in newspaper or a paper bag with an apple or a bananas, as these fruits release ethylene which would enhance ripening.

These were a little extreme for me at this point as its still only the start of August and I’m still clinging on to the hope that we will hit a heatwave with lots of sun!

Yellow tomato flowers promising new fruit

The simplest solution that I found was to cut down all the excess foliage and branches to encourage all the nutrients to go to the growing tomato’s and to also allow more sunlight onto the fruit. This seemed my best option at this stage. Before doing this I had huge bushy plants almost as tall as myself. By the time I had finished I was left with thin straggly looking ones! But the beauty was that all the tomato’s were visible. I’ve counted around 50!

I set to with my secateurs and cut off all branches without any flowers or tomato’s. The small clusters of yellow flowers are the start of new fruit. Although my research has taught me that flowers that are not turning into tomato’s at this stage could also be removed as they may not grow or ripen before the temperatures drop – however being an eternal optimist I have left them for now in the hope of increasing my yield of growing tomato’s.

Pruning lots of foliage

I have posted photographs of my plants before and after pruning – a total contrast and I now wait and watch in gleeful anticipation for my green tomato’s to turn into plump red ones.

My straggly plants post pruning to allow ripening

I will update you in a future post as to what happens next.

Are you a dab hand at growing tomato’s? If so do you have any advice to offer? What do you do at this stage – I do not have a greenhouse.

Thanks for popping by today

Turning 60 – celebrating with Covid 19 Restrictions

July 31, 2020

Turning 60 makes me sound really old and I cannot believe I am this age. Last week I reached this milestone and celebrated turning 60. How I celebrated was very different to how I had planned.

After I retired from nursing and we moved into this house we inherited a fabulous large garden. It has a big lawn space and a large patio space, perfect for entertaining. My initial plan was to hold an afternoon garden party for my immediate family, my husbands and few close friends. The guest list would have been around 35 and would fit comfortably in the area with room for the little ones to run around and play. However these plans were obviously curtailed by the Governments Guidelines to help control and contain the spread of Covid19.

I may earn money from the companies mentioned in this post as I am an affiliate. This does not incur any cost to you and I only recommend companies and products that I use and trust

Turning 60

My plans for celebrating then meant I could just have my immediate family around in the garden. This then posed it’s own problem as the weather in Manchester has been dreadful for most of the month – grey skies and so much rain, in fact leading up to my birthday it rained every day.

Mr Fitz and myself usually have a holiday or trip away to celebrate a BIG birthday. I have wanted to visit Oxford for ages and we had booked a stay in a Hotel for this month much earlier in the year. However we had cancelled this due to the uncertainty and because we planned to travel by Rail and this was not something we were ready to do yet.

Therefore we decided to have a mini break much closer to home and Mr Fitz treated us to a night’s stay at Hotel Gotham Manchester and a meal in the hotel’s Honey Restaurant. I’ll write a full review of this in my next post. All I will say here is that we had a wonderful time and is something we are considering doing again for our 35th Wedding Anniversary at the end of September.

Hotel Gotham

British Weather

As you may know I live in Manchester UK and I love living here. However this summer we seem to be getting more rainy days then other area’s. Despite me posting that it’s a myth about it always raining in Manchester, conditions are making me doubt this! I see social media photographs from friends and fellow bloggers around the country and they look to be enjoying being outside in sunshine. I have been looking forward to turning 60 and enjoying muted celebrations but have been so anxious that the rain would stay away.

The weather was dry when we travelled to Manchester and I didn’t take a coat but the minute we had checked in Hotel Gotham then ventured outside for a bit of shopping it started raining. My freshly styled hair started to flop. My fine menopausal hair does not tolerate any moisture well at all.

For my garden celebration I had my poor family on standby as to whether my little gathering would go ahead. I had to hold it outside for Social Distancing reasons and for enjoyment. I have 5 boisterous great nieces and nephews who love to run around and play. More so at the moment as they have been apart during lockdown. Anyway thankfully the forecast was dry and I decided to proceed.

We had a gazebo on standby and is probably an essential for any UK garden

I bought a selection of inexpensive garden games to lay out on the lawn for the little ones to play with and keep them entertained

Garden Games Snakes and Ladders

Flamingo Ringo Garden Games

Snakes and Ladders

Flamingo Ringo

A Twister style game

We also had a few other games that we all enjoyed

Rory’s Story Cubes by Asmodee Games

Rory’s Story Cubes Asmodee Gamesj

Dobble Card Game

And no get together would be complete without a Pinata – as adults we love watching them squeal with delight trying to release the sweeties

The rain stayed away and we had a lovely afternoon, a much needed get together as we had suffered the loss of my brother only about 6 weeks before lockdown and we had been apart since then.

Even though it was to celebrate me turning 60 I made the emphasis for my great niece and nephews as we are all happy to watch them play and be happy.

I put on a simple spread to meet everyone’s needs, my Sister in Law follows a Gluten Free diet and some of the little ones can be a bit picky but also love nothing more than cucumber and tomatoes! So there was finger food and hot food selection of chilli or chicken curry, in case it was a bit chilly and something warm was required.

I made an activity out of serving ice cream – I made an ice cream station and everyone got to have a vanilla ice cream in a dish or a cone and could decorate it themselves. I provided an assortment of sprinkles and toppings including fabulous sauce, including unicorn shimmer and bubblegum flavour and other fantastic flavours from the Skinny Sauce Company. This was a big it with the little ones and the adults!

Ice cream fun

So here I am at 60 , and all my working life I expected on turning 60 to collect my Pension and bus pass at this age, but sadly due to changes in legislation and local authority guidelines that was bot to be. I can however receive free prescriptions, which thankfully I don’t need regularly and I look forward to a Bowel Cancer screening kit in the post! Happy Days!

Have you had a celebration or milestone occasion during lockdown, what did you do to celebrate? Did you still manage to have a great time?

Anyway thanks for popping by today and come back to see my full review of our night in Hotel Gotham Manchester.

Plus size celebrity style – Get the look

July 9, 2020

Plus size celebrity styles

Plus size Celebrity styles are photographed and published regularly as examples of how to dress. As a woman fast approaching 60 I do still like to look my best and be on trend as much as is realistic for my age and body shape. I have discussed many times how the menopause has not been kind to me, weight gain around the middle, anxiety and thinning hair being the main culprits. In my early career as a nurse I was a UK size 8 and am now buying size 16-18 tops! I think there’s a genetic factor in the size of my boobs. I’ve recently acquired some old photo’s of my grandmother and great aunts -yes you guessed it – all blessed with ample bosoms!

Many of the celebrities are youthful skinny minnies, and fabulous to see. However there are some more plus size celebrity styles who are larger sized and manage to look fabulous. Style is not determined by your dress size!

I thought I’d share with you some of the larger fashionistas I admire and how to replicate their looks. Get the plus size celebrity style.

I may earn money from the companies mentioned in this post as I am an affiliate. This does not incur any cost to you and I only recommend companies and products that I use and trust

Dawn French her plus size celebrity style

Dawn French

Dawn always looks stunning – her biggest assets are her stunning smile and fabulous glossy hair – the best accessories for any outfit.

For a red carpet look similar to Dawn’s Evans have a dress to achieve a similar look – click here for more details

She wears a lot of black but also adds colour pop to break it up like in this photo. Teamed with a black leather look jacket it gives a younger more contemporary look – a fabulous plus size celebrity.

Dawn French casual look

This look can be put together with this top from Roman Originals

Roman Originals tunic top

Or this one from Lovedrobe

Lovedrobe Tunic Top

Evans have a suitable black biker style jacket which is suitable for ladies with bigger boobs – I know because I can wear this style

Melissa McCarthy

Melissa McCarthy can have so many different looks, you’ve only got to compare her character in Bridesmaids to her red carpet look. She is not scared to try colours and quirky styles. She is another plus size celebrity who has a dazzling smile – with dimples and glossy hair. Melissa even has her own clothing range called Melissa McCarthy Seven7

Here are some of her different looks

A casual look – with jeans, trainers. sunglasses and an oversize crossbody bag

Melissa McCarthy casual look

There is a fabulous pair of jeans in her own range – although a little on the expensive side

This blush lace blouse from Lovedrobe is a lovely feminine addition

Hotter shoes have some fabulous Leanne trainers to match

Leanne Hotter shoes

Who can resist a Kipling bag

These oversize sunglasses can have you completing the look on a budget

Here is her red carpet look wearing dazzling metallic silver – check out how to do this yourself from Wallis

Melissa McCarthy Red carpet look

Melissa is not afraid to rock a pencil skirt and heel

Melissa McCarthy rocks a pencil skirt

Roman Originals has a super smart knot fronted pencil skirt

Roman Original Knot fronted pencil skirt

Pair it with this Evans blouse

Evans swirl blouse

Finish it with a pop of colour with your heels and bag

This outfit is quite conservative – give it a real wow with these fabulous Irregular choice heels in pink

Dame Judi Dench

Dame Judi isn’t a classic plus size celebrity after losing weight over the years but she is my style idol in many ways – her demeanour and understated elegance. She is growing old gracefully and naturally.

Judi Dench has her own graceful style

Dame Judi’s best accessory is her wicked sense of humour. She often wears neutral top and slimleg trousers with a longline jacket.

This pink sparkly longline kimono can add a finishing touch over a plain black cami and trousers – making you evening ready at home or on holiday

I hope I have provided you with some inspiration and plus size celebrity looks.

Do you have a favourite celebrity who’s style you love – I’d love to know. Please comment below. I love a nosey at photo’s of clothes and accessories for my own inspiration.

Menopausal hair loss – 5 simple tips to help

June 17, 2020

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Menopausal hair loss and thinning is a problem myself and many women encounter. It is something I have suffered with. I became very hung up on it at one point as my hair became thin and lost body and texture. It has now plateaued and does not appear to be thinning further.

My hair dresser, who is also a close friend, was a great help as she is a similar age to me and her clients are too. Therefore she was experienced in this area of hairdressing and was able to reassure me that menopausal hair loss happens to most women to a degree and my hair loss wasn’t as bad as some of her other clients.

I have always had fine hair but lots of it and it held its shape very well and could be styled easily.

There are a lot of treatments out there for combating menopausal hair loss but often they involve expensive supplements and treatments. There are 2 reasons why I didn’t resort to these; 1) Cost – As I am now retired and trying to think carefully where I spend my lovely pennies and 2) I am hopeless at taking regular medicines or supplements – I usually manage a week at most!

Here are 5 simple tips I adopted to deal with my menopausal hair loss

Appearance – my hair used to be brunette but is now blonde with highlights. This minimises the look of scalp areas where my hair is very thin. A patch of scalp is much more noticeable amongst a head of dark hair.
I wash my hair less, it is less greasy anyway and I can do this. This reduces the need for harsh hair and styling products. My hair looks a mess if left to dry naturally and needs help to stay in place. The action of drying and styling with a brush leads to breakage and hair loss.
I towel dry my hair by simply dabbing gently, then comb through with a wide tooth comb, before styling with a paddle brush. All of these actions help reduce dragging on the hair again minimising menopausal hair loss. I have only recently used a paddle brush and find it has really helped.
I use a dry shampoo between washes, this has a double action, keeps my hair fresh and also adds some body at the roots. There are many products out there but I love Batiste, especially the coconut one as I love the scent, and if my roots are beginning to show before my next appointment and I am going somewhere special I use Batiste for brunette hair – it helps cover my scalp and grey roots.
I keep it in a jaw length layered bob. I tried it shorter but found it needed more teasing and products to stay in shape. I struggled to get any lift at the roots on the crown so I let it have its own way and lay reasonable flat. For added body after drying I use self grip hair rollers to avoid over working and therefore causing more hair loss.

All these tender handling strategies have helped prevent further thinning and shedding.

If you have this problem what strategies do you use I’m always eager to learn more. Let me know in the comments below I’d love to hear from you.

5 Life lessons learned during lockdown

June 10, 2020

I thought I would share with you 5 life lessons I have learned during lockdown due to the Coronovirus Pandemic.

UK Lockdown 2020

I am a mature blogger approaching 60 next month – where did those years go????? I learned many years ago that you never know everything and that there are always new things to be learned and new challenges to be met.

As you grow older there are many life lessons that have been learned along the way but these can be changed and relearned differently again.

These have been strange times for us all. We are now in our 12th week and I have been reflecting on my time staying home. I thought I would share with you 5 lessons I have learned during this time.

Life lessons learned

1 Toilet Roll became the symbol of the pandemic. Shopping for food was initially very difficult as we all now, what was interesting to me after following my favourite youtube vloggers overseas is that the search and stockpiling of toilet rolls was a worldwide issue. It was a source of frustration but also humour. I learned some facts about why the humble loo roll became so important. Firstly toilet paper flows from paper mills to retail stores through a tight, efficient supply chain. Toilet paper is bulky and not very profitable, so retailers don’t keep a lot of inventory on hand; they just get frequent shipments and restock their shelves. Once people started to buy in bulk, which in fact first started in China in February and rapidly spread to Australia, USA, Canada and here in the UK. Shelves started to look empty panic set it and the supply chains initially struggled to keep up supplies. Secondly the psychology of it set in the FOMO instict or Fear Of Missing Out .”They think if this person is buying it, if my neighbour is buying there’s got to be a reason and I need to get in too,”

One consumer expert, Dr Rohan Miller from the University of Sydney, believes it is a reflection of an urbanised society and lifestyle where modern convenience reigns supreme.

“We’re not used to shortages and scarcity, we’re used to being able to pick and choose what we want, when we want. So the rush to get toilet paper is just this sheep mentality to maintain that status,” he says.

Soft, white squares of toilet roll – marketed with pictures of puppies and pure snow – are a daily “luxury” that Australians and others just aren’t willing to mentally part with.

“I think people want to make sure they have some comforts in their lives if they’re going to be shacked up with their family for a long time,” he says.

“Toilet paper doesn’t really matter – it’s just so far down the survival list compared to other things like food or water – but it’s just something people cling to as a minimum standard.” The thought of no loo roll filled people with dread!

2. I realised very early on how thankful I was to own a house with a garden. I’m fortunate to have always lived in a home with a garden even as a child. Neither my parents or Mr Fitz have been keen gardeners but have dabbled and enjoy having their own outdoor space. When we moved into this house nearly 5 years ago the aspect of the garden, south facing, was fairly important on our wishlist. We knew nothing about this feature when we bought our first home, but having lived in a house with a sunny aspect we felt it important to have the same again. This was only important to us so that we could sit out and enjoy time reading, contemplating whilst enjoying a beer or a glass of wine. During lockdown it was so important to have our own outdoor space whilst staying home. We caught up on a few maintenance jobs like repainting our fence and metal gates. Then we caught the gardening bug! We started to dig out flower beds and replant them. I even started my own veg patch using the square foot gardening technique. I am now the proud owner of blooming seedlings, tomato plants and potato plants! The other reason we have loved our garden is that we have been so entertained by the birds who inhabit the garden too. A family of Robins have been so fascinating to watch, they have become tame and now have us very well trained. They know when they appear in the morning and the evening we will go out and feed them! We adore them and have seen their juvenile off spring hopping around the lawn.

Enjoying time in the garden

3 How to cut my fringe! Oh how I miss my hairdresser who is also one of my closest friends. I have discussed before that my hair has taken a hit during the menopause, losing body and texture. It is also thinning. I need her talents to keep it in check and looking the best it can. My roots are emerging but I have been able to touch them up due to some great products, but like loo roll they too have been in short supply. However my fringe has become a nuisance, as it grew it became lank and lifeless. I have watched youtube videos and learned how to cut it myself. I now possess a budget pair of hairdressing scissors!

4 Cooking our own ‘treat’ meals are better than takeaways. This is something I’ve discussed before but how to reduce food waste and be creative when meal planning. As we have been social distancing we haven’t been able to indulge in old habits where if we fancy a particular meal or need an ingredient for a recipe. I have continued to reduce food waste and use up leftover produce and meals again. We used to regularly have at least 2 takeaways per week and this is something we have stopped doing now. We have had a couple of curries delivered from our favourite Indian Restaurant but his works out around £30 with delivery. We have now started buying some nice ingredients to cook ourselves and enjoy. This weekend Mr Fitz bought a leg of lamb which was around £11, before lockdown we would have thought that a lot to spend on one meal. However reflecting on the money we spent on takeaways we now don’t think it is. Add in some new potatoes, carrots from Morrisons wonky veg range and a cabbage we enjoyed a fabulous Roast dinner on Saturday evening, enjoyed with homemade mint sauce from our newly made herb garden. Sunday morning I used the leftover potatoes and vegetables to make a Bubble and Squeak for breakfast. It was truly delicious, if you’ve never tried it I suggest you do. As we are not as active everyday we don’t always want a full meal in the evening, so Sunday evening we had lamb sandwiches. Then on Monday with the remaining meat we enjoyed it with salad and pitta breads, making a kebab style dinner. All meals for much less than the price of a takeaway and all delicious. This is a life lesson learned that I will continue to follow.

5 I do not need all the clothes and accessories that I own. I have a self confessed obsession with clothes, shoes, handbags and jewellery. Last count just before lockdown was that I possess around 60 pairs of shoes, 35 handbags and a huge stash of costume jewellery. They have been no use to me whatever during these times of crisis. I have lived in the same 3 pairs of trainers and fitflops. Used 2 bags only, which are 1 handbag and a rucksack if calling at a shop on my daily walk. These items take up so much space in the house. That isn’t even without my vast collection of clothes. I have started to declutter and minimise what I own. There is an old adage that you only need 3 sets of clothing – 1 to wear, I clean to change into and 1 in the wash! Extreme I know but a reality during our time at home. My life lesson learned here is that I truly have too much stuff that has no real value in my life.

Have you learned any new life lessons during lockdown, I’m sure we all have to be honest.

Stay safe lovelies.

Pet Bereavement and a lasting keepsake

June 3, 2020

Pet Bereavement hits as hard as the loss of a loved one. This is how I coped with the loss of my Border Terrier and the lasting keepsake I had made. I have been married for 30 years and for 29 of those years I have owned dogs. Firstly a lovable Westie, Paddy, who lived until he was 15. And until a month ago a beautiful Border Terrier called Murphy who died aged 14.

On both occasions we had to make the agonising decision to ‘put them to sleep’ or euthanasia. With Paddy, we had to make the decision in an emergency and the end of his life was fraught, a crisis. I remember just standing sobbing, I never held him in his final moments. Following his death and whilst preparing for my next puppy I read a chapter on Pet Bereavement in a breed book which said that when it came to the final goodbye, it was better a day too soon than a day too late. Those words have always stuck with me.

When I got my beloved Border Terrier my heart melted, he was the most adorable, loving puppy and I always vowed that his beautiful, sweet life would not end in a crisis.

Murphy was a ‘people’dog – this term was described to me by one of the Vets we saw through his lifetime. He developed digestive problems around the age of one and used to have attacks of severe abdominal pain and then blood in his stools. This was finally diagnosed as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), after a history was taken about his habits and personality. Where, Paddy would happily play and roam around the garden on his own for hours, Murphy just wanted to be with me or my husband and attacks were brought on by separation anxiety or by some stressful occurrence. He was scared of cats! and one attack followed a cat hissing and scratching him when out walking. He could be a real drama queen! He always had to eat a prescription diet and occasional steroid treatment. I never though for a while that he would live to an old age, but he did! Once myself and my husband were at home a lot more due to changes in jobs, this settled down. The relationship between you and your dog is priceless. Sue has written a piece about how dogs communicate with us which is a really good read.

However,in the past 12 months he started to decline gradually with lack of mobility and change of habits -he began to slowly lose his spark. I took him for regular Veterinary check up’s and I chose to take him to the same vet in the practice, a wonderful caring lady called Lynne. In June when it seemed clear to me that time really was catching up with him, we had a chat and came to a mutual agreement that once he was not able to manage the stairs and was living mostly in one room of the house e.g. he had no quality in his life we would say goodbye. Murphy always followed us everywhere and slept with us,if he couldn’t do any of these things he was just existing.

Finally at the end of September we knew the time had come – he was looking unhappy and his bones and joints looked to be really troubling him.

Leading up to this I knew I wanted a keepsake to remember him by. I didn’t have anything like that from Paddy, I wasn’t an internet user when he passed over so had no awareness of what was available, if anything in 2001. I searched for Pet Bereavement keepsakes as well as consider his sensitive disposal. Paddy was buried in our garden by my husband, as I have said earlier, somewhere he loved. This time around this was not going to be an option, aside from the fact he didn’t like to be alone outside, we are in the process of selling our home and moving.

Pet keepsake

The particular company I used does not appear to still be trading but this one is very similar and provides the same service. I had a silver charm made of Murphy’s paw print which I now have attached by a jump ring to a Links of London bracelet. You are sent a kit which comprises of a special cloth and paper, with which you take a paw print. Once you return it a rubber stamp is made that then stamps into the charm. I had this made in advance once I knew he was ailing as I didn’t want to have to do this in a crisis.

My finished charm is beautiful – the print looks so like Murphy’s paw -I know those pads anywhere! I received the original stamp back in case I should lose the charm and need to have a new one made. Now that he has gone, I am so glad I had this done. I treasure it.

Rossendale Pet Crematorium

As Murphy’s condition was declining I planned what I would do with his body. I rang the Crematorium office and discussed options. Again, I received great understanding and advice, when my voice was cracking with emotion, they were very empathetic. My husband and myself decided we would have him cremated and have his ashes to return to us to take to our new home. I was informed that collection days at our vets were early on a Tuesday and a Friday morning. This then meant if I was planning the end of his life I wanted it to be on a Monday or a Thursday afternoon, so that he would not be lying alone in the Vets for too long.

When the fateful day came, it was on a Monday, in fact our 30th Wedding Anniversary! Not the way we planned to spend the day, but on that day it was all about his needs not ours. I won’t go in to too much detail, apart from the fact that this time I hugged and kissed him till the end, as it’s still very painful to us. I still shed a tear every day. However, the service from my Veterinary practice, particularly Lynne and Rossendale Pet Crematorium was excellent. His ashes were delivered back to the surgery on Friday and I brought his remains back home. Inside the box was a printed copy of a beautiful and apt poem that is displayed on their website.

If it should be

If it should be I grow frail and weak,
And pain should wake me from my sleep,
Then you must do what must be done,
For this last battle can’t be won.
You will be sad, I understand,
Don’t let your grief then stay your hand,
For this day more than all the rest
Your love and friendship stand the test.
We’ve had so many happy years,
What is to come will hold no fears,
You’ll not want me to suffer, so,
When the time comes, please let me go,
I know in time you too will see,
It is kindness you do to me,
Although my tail it’s last has waved,
From pain and suffering I’ve been saved,
Do not grieve that it should be you,
Who has to decide this thing to do,
We’ve been so close, we two, these years,
Don’t let your heart hold any tears.

Anyone who has been through the loss of a much loved pet knows how raw and painful this is. It’s losing a member of the family, in fact I lost my best, most loyal friend.

http://www.rossendalepetcrem.co.uk

Also if you wish to contact me about anything in this post or share memories of your beloved pet I would love to hear from you

Book recommendations – What’s on my kindle May 2020

May 26, 2020

I have been reading so much during lockdown and I thought I would share with you what’s on my kindle, what I have read recently and maybe inspire you with some choices and make some book recommendations.

I used to spend hours as a child reading, friends and family always commented that I was never seen without a book in my hand.

More recently I found that reading got pushed further back in my priorities and I only read on holiday. Whilst on holiday with friends in 2015 my roommate had a newer version of Kindle than I had. It was slimmer and lighter and just dropped into her handbag. When I retired from my nursing career a few months later I treated myself to the latest version. Since then I do tend to carry it when travelling and using public transport. I created a Whattsapp group for friends who have similar likes to me and we share book recommendations

But still the number of books I was reading was much less than I would have liked. In 2018 I think I read around 6 books in total. Last year I decided to set myself a target of reading 30 books. I failed to keep records of the books I read but even though I had read many more than 6 I know I did not read 30 – maybe 15. But still an improvement.

This year I again set the target of 30 and I’ve been keeping track! The lockdown scenario has really helped me due to the enforced Stay Home message.

Where do I find Book recommendations?

A few years ago I was fortunate to be invited by a woman’s magazine to be on a panel reviewing the book recommendations from The Richard and Judy Book Club. We were provided with a full set of that seasons book recommendations and I really enjoyed most of them. As I had a positive experience I use that as a starting point. Before lockdown I will browse the shelves in WH Smith who host the Richard and Judy Book Club initiative and select a few that I fancy. To be honest I take a snapshot of the front with my phone so that I can remember and research in the Kindle Store later.

Anyway that’s the background to my reading habits lets get on with what I have read during lockdown.

I have read 10 novels since lockdown began in March and have enjoyed them all.

I will list them and at the end recommend my top 5 from the list:

For Reasons Unknown the 1st in DCI Matilda Burke series – Michael Wood
The Husband’s Secret – Liane Moriarty
The Perfectly Imperfect Woman – Milly Johnson
The Girlfriend – Michelle Frances
Blood Orange – Harriet Tyce
The Magnificent Mrs Mayhew – Milly Johnson
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd – Agatha Christie
The Strangers Wife – Anna-Lou Weatherley
It’s Raining Men – Milly Johnson
How to Keep a Secret – Sarah Morgan

My Top 5 book Recommendations from this list are:

The Husband’s Secret – Liane Moriarty

–

I have become a big fan of this author. I have watched Big Little Lies on Sky which I didn’t initailly like but I revisited it and loved it, even though the storyline was dark in places. I have since read another books by Liane – Nine Perfect Strangers. Her signature themes are female friendship, duplicity, the darkness lurking beneath lucky, ordinary suburban lives…The last twist, though, is worth the wait. I found The Husband’s Secret to be the best I’ve read so far. It was fast moving and I was able to quickly build a picture of the characters. I did have a little suspicion of the outcome as the story progressed but could not guess the full ending. Without giving anything away all I will say is that I loved the way she outlined alternative outcomes to the characters lives at the end was a fabulous touch.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd – Agatha Christie

I am a huge Agatha Christie fan and in fact I attended a talk about her life and works during a sea day on last years cruise holiday – (if you are planning a cruise you may like to read an example of what we did on another sea day) Her stories are very cleverly crafted and much more intricate in the written form than TV dramatisations portray. Whilst listening to the talk about her works I discovered that this novel had been voted by the British Crime Writers’ Association as the “Best Crime Novel of all Time” Therefore I was intrigued to see why. If you are a seasoned Agatha Christie reader with many of her books you can sometimes speculate to whodunnit before the end. I have to say that I only managed to guess immediately before the killer was revealed. A good read if you like the genre.

- It’s Raining Men – Milly Johnson.

If I don’t want to read anything heavy Milly Johnson has become my go to author. I first discovered her when she was a contestant on Come Dine With Me! This again is my favourite of those I have read. Such a delightful story of 3 work colleagues who decide to holiday in a high class Spa in Yorkshire. There is a mix up with the booking and things don’t quite go to plan. They have all got a secret about their current love life. The story is a lovely piece of chic lit with a splashing of fantasy. I didn’t want it to end.

For Reasons Unknown – Michael Wood

This book was recommended to me as I enjoy a good piece of Crime fiction. It introduces DCI Matilda Darke for the first time. A detective with a recent troubled past. She has suffered a couple of trauma’s and feels she has to prove herself to colleagues. It is set in Sheffield. A murder takes place which begins to interlink with a previous cold crime. I love a good whodunnit and this keeps you guessing to the end. If you enjoyed watching the TV drama Happy Valley then I think you will enjoy this.

Blood Orange – Harriet Tyce

This was one of the book recommendations from the current Richard and Judy Book Club choices. Obsession, revenge, lust and murder play out on the pages as a female barrister tries to hold her life together while her personality tries to tear it apart. This is a dark thriller with many twists and turns. I couldn’t put it down and Harriet’s next novel is already on my reading list.

I hope you enjoy a taster of what I have been reading and like my book recommendations.

Do you have any book recommendations for me? I need some inspiration as I am mid book at the moment and love to get suggestions to add to me reading list.

I am on 14 books in this years challenge to read 30. I’m hopeful I’ll do it this year.

An emotional day – How I celebrated VE Day 75 –

May 10, 2020

An emotional day is my reaction to the VE Day 75 years celebration. This is how I celebrated and spent the day.

What is VE Day

May 8th 1945 was the date the Allies celebrated the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler’s Reich, formally recognising the end of the Second World War in Europe. This became known as VE (Victory in Europe) Day.

It was an emotional day for me for several reasons

My parents were very proud of their part in the War, my father saw active service as a soldier in the Army and was deployed overseas as part of the British Liberation army.
My mother was a volunteer fire warden and was a machinist sewing garments for the military.
They married during the war.
My parents, especially my mother loved to talk about life during the war and her experiences. She said it was horrible but the spirit of the nation and how everyone helped each other was amazing
My parents have passed away in 1976 and 2007.
I had one brother who was also very interested and proud in our family’s involvement, we also had uncles who proudly served in all the forces. Sadly my brother passed away in January this year, which is why my blog had been dormant for some time.
This means it was such an emotional day because I have none of my birth family unit left to share memories with. I felt a little lost, even though my husband is very supportive.

My parents Adeline and Norman

Throughout the day I would find myself weeping, many of the images and songs played reminded me of my family. My mother was a great singer and would often sing wartime songs.

How did I spend an emotional day in remembrance of VE Day 75

I had managed to obtain a string of Union Jack bunting from Amazon to string across the garage door and make a small display in our front bay window. Our avenue hadn’t planned any street celebrations and there was only our house and a couple of others that were decorated.

A garage door decorated with union jack bunting

Our garage door

In the morning I looked through old photographs of my parents taken during wartime, some I had not seen before after they had recently been passed to me from my late brothers possessions. I was amazed at the resemblance to my nephew and nieces.

A black and white photo of a Britih army soldier from WW2

My dad Norman

I dressed up in Red white and blue

We watched the 2 minute silence at 11 am and I sobbed throughout.

An afternoon tea box with VE Day cupcakes and a loaf cake for Mr Fitz was delivered to the doorstep obeying social distancing rules. This was from a local cafe, my first order from them but certainly not my last as it was all delicious. The Lotus Biscoff Loaf cake was really indulgent!

My afternoon tea and Lotis Biscoff cake

Mr Fitz and myself sat in the garden with some beer and a bottle of Champagne and I enjoyed my afternoon tea.

Champagne to celebrate

Churchill’s speech declaring the end of the war in Europe was shown on TV in the afternoon at 3pm – following this someone in the immediate area then played wartime tunes on a trumpet. We couldn’t see him or her but both of us and our surrounding neighbours all clapped and cheered at the end of each song and naturally and predictably I shed a tear and sobbed.

A truly emotional day but one I was glad to be part of. During the day I thought about one of my cousins from my mothers side. He has none of his original family unit left either.

Spookily he telephoned me the following day to see how I was – we are not normally in regular contact as he was my brothers age, around 11 years older and my brother was his contact – they were very close. It appears we had both had the same thoughts about each other and we had a lovely chat and shared memories together. Very uplifting for both of us.

I had started to trace my family tree a couple of years ago using Ancestry.com but found the monthly fee an unnecessary outgoing. This weekend I have resumed my search using free sources – one being FamilySearch.org which is organised and maintained by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints – it is a worldwide source.

I spent nearly 2 hours searching last night and am hooked. I will let you know my progress at a later date.

Thanks for popping by and reading my account of an emotional day. How did you spend Bank Holiday Friday? Also let me know if you have traced your family tree – any hints or tips are gratefully appreciated.

Reduce waste food – forming new habits during lockdown

May 5, 2020

The aim to reduce waste food is something we all should be mindful of. I try to form good habits but during our UK lock down I feel staying home has made me make an extra effort. After all you cannot just pop to the shops for an ingredient or something you fancy to eat that you don’t have at home.

You may have read an earlier post where I described my current favourite vloggers to watch. One of them Kerry Whelpdale shows how she batch cooks and makes tomato sauces as bases for pasta and soups out of leftover veg.

Also I am reminded of a demonstration I attended hosted by Hotpoint and Jamie Oliver in London in 2018 about reducing food waste. This was a competition prize won by my friend who invited me to go along as her guest. During our prize Jamie cooked some dishes for us to eat where he used up waste food.

So with both of these experiences in mind I decided to see what I could do personally to reduce food waste in our household. Also it has the double purpose of reducing our household spend something many people are looking to do during these difficult times.

Reduce Food Waste

As I said watching Kerry Whelpdale on Youtube I decided to follow her example and use up leftovers to make a pasta sauce. I have to explain that I have always cooked from scratch, even when I worked shifts as a busy nurse. We eat very little convenience foods. I have always found it easy to prepare and cook from scratch, dishes like bolognese, lasagne, curries etc are easily put together, especially with the help of my invaluable trust slow cooker. The base of my sauces are usually passatta and tin tomatoes with added herbs and spices.

My new method following Kerrys example is to cook any left over vegetables such as carrots, peppers, celery – including the leafy tops etc then add my tomato and passatta then use my hand blender to make a smoothish sauce. This helps reduce food waste and bulks out the sauce. By doing this I was able to make my usual amount of passatta and tin tomatoes make 3 portions of sauce instead of 1.

One of my usual habits to reduce food waste is to use every part of a roast chicken. I usually cook a roast chicken to eat as a traditional roast dinner, next day I use any leftover chicken meat to make a stir fry or a pasta and then use the carcass to make a stock for a soup.

So last week by using my new found method of making a pasta sauce and my habitual chicken habits this is what I created:

3 portions of Tomato sauce were turned into a chicken pasta meal, a base for a soup which I have frozen, and the base for my favourite meatball recipe which we ate yesterday.

A collage of chopped vegetables and tomatoes to make a pasta sauce to reduce waste food

Making the pasta sauce t

The chicken made us a roast, then I added leftover meat to the pasta sauce and with the carcass I made a delicious chicken and sweetcorn soup – no recipe I just added things instinctively!

A bowl of chicken and sweetcorn soup from leftovers to reduce waste food

Homemade chicken and sweetcorn soup

Next meal I made using leftovers and to reduce waste food was using some previously cooked leftover new potatoes and the uneaten surplus were frozen. I added half of these into my soup.

The remaining potatoes from the freezer were used to make a curry on Friday, we had a fresh uneaten cauliflower that needed to be ate. I made my own basic curry sauce and added the potatoes, chopped cauliflower and a tin of chick peas to the slow cooker. Using up store cupboard basics and leftovers it was delicious.

I estimate that for around £10-£12 we ate 5 delicious meals. Added to that I made my own bread to eat with the soup using my bread maker, the following evening we used the leftover bread for toast and ate cheesy beans! A super fast supper.

My homemade loaf

As Mr Fitz has taken early retirement I’m looking to carry on these good habits to save money and to reduce food waste. And talking about our visit to the Jamie Oliver demonstration lunch we were gifted a couple of reuseable silicone food storage bags.

I love them and use then to store leftovers. They stand up independently and can be used in the microwave and dishwasher. If you haven’t tried them yet I highly recommend them.

What do you do to reduce waste and save money? I’d love to hear from you and learn some new ideas and recipes

Stay home stay safe and keep washing your hands

Who are the best Vloggers? My 5 to watch in Spring 2020

April 29, 2020

Best Vloggers Spring 2020

Who are the best Vloggers? I love youtube and subscribe to many Vloggers – I change my favourites around here are my 4 to watch in Spring 2020

So Who are the best vloggers in my opinion at the moment

Clutterbug

This is owned by Cassandra Aarnssen a canadian mother. Her niche is organisation and decluttering. She can also show how to revamp areas all on a budget.

She describes people as having 4 different organisational styles, Ladybugs, Crickets, Butterflies and Bees. I tend to be a Ladybug – everywhere looks tidy but inside cupboards and drawers things are untidy and I hoard things. Her personality is so bubbly and motivating. Her posts are humorous with great easy to follow practical tips.

She also has a blog to read if this is your preference.

The Minimal Mom

Dawn is also Canadian and her blog whilst also about hints and tips to be more organised and how to declutter. Her whole reason to do this is to live with less. Living with less means there is less to worry about and take care of. This is something I subscribe to – after all I know myself and my friends love nothing more than a good declutter and trip to the tip. Although Local Authority Refuse waste depots are currently closed at the moment, I cannot wait fro them to reopen. I have been clearing cupboards etc during my time at home. Again Dawn has a lovely bubbly personality and the big plus for me personally is that she has a daughter called Adeline – which was my mother and grandmothers name! A name I never hear in the UK.

In fact I have been watching them both and then found that they have produced content in collaboration with each other!

Lucy Wyndham Read

Lucy is a fitness vlogger and as we are all trying to keep moving whilst in lockdown I like her site. If you read my post about Life in Lockdown and what I’d been up to you will have seen her videos mentioned. For many of us it’s a bit of an effort so to find this lovely young lady producing short sharp sessions that are around 7 minutes long providing a good all over body hit! She demonstrates 2 levels of each movement depending on fitness. I’m rather ashamed to say that over the past 12 months whilst caring for my late brother my previous fitness regime had got lost by the wayside so I’m definitely trying the easier option but don’t be fooled you still get a good workout.

Kerry Whelpdale

Whilst staying home I’ve been cooking more, using up leftovers, being creative with the contents of the cupboards and baking. I found Kerry whilst looking for inspiration. We love our slow cooker, or crockpot if you are overseas.

Kerry is a lovely English mum with 2 boys and a husband and she shows you how she meal plans or meal preps, often batch cooking. Again she has a sunny personality and produces some simple no nonsense nutritious meals.

Rosie Henshaw

Rosie is a delightful bubbly mother from the South of England. She has the most fabulous home and decorates and accessorises it on a budget. She has some fabulous crafty and no fuss DIY ideas to keep you home on trend and looking its’s best. As I say she’s really bubbly and often just records at her dining table, she admits that her editing skills are minimal so videos are just produced on the go. Rosie also shows fashion hauls and is proud to be described as curvy, she has no hangups and is body confident. I always finish her videos smiling as she is so friendly and chatty.

So there we have it my current 5 favourites, the best vloggers for my needs at the moment, although they are not the only ones, I have posted previously about favourites, I can go down the rabbit hole of youtube daily. I often watch whilst I’m cooking, finding new vloggers to watch by following recommendations from YouTube itself.

If you are not someone who watched youtube but prefer to watch TV – click through for recommendations.

Let me know who you are watching I always love finding new vloggers to watch. Comment below with suggestions of your best vloggers to watch or what you think of my recommendations

Stay safe, stay home and keep washing those hands

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Dawn French her plus size celebrity style

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UK Lockdown 2020

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How did I spend an emotional day in remembrance of VE Day 75

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Best Vloggers Spring 2020

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