Cautiously Optimistic!!!

At last we have had a proper engineer turn up to look at the boiler.
It isn't fixed yet as he is having to order a part so we will probably be without the heating and hot water for another weekend which is a bit of a bummer as we have Ruby here...... but as there is light now at the end of the tunnel I think we will cope.

Have a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

Not Quite Done!!!

DD and I had a good go at trying to finish the Christmas shopping yesterday but we didn't quite manage it.
It was very busy in Derby for a Tuesday so I definitely won't be revisiting on a Saturday. Local and online will have to do for the rest.
I was exhausted by the time we got home so nothing much got done in the house. I shall have to get myself into gear and get things done today as I have a basket full of laundry and I need to cook a nice meal as Ruby is here for tea tonight.
She will be back on Friday for her Christmas sleepover weekend and we have a very packed weekend for her including a cinema trip and Sunday lunch out. Hopefully she will have a good time.

Right I will go and crack on with some chores.
Have a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

Sick To Death Of The Whole Thing!!!

Another weekend without proper heating and hot water.
We have given up with the engineer they kept sending from the insurance company. He was a lovely man but I don't think he knew anything about our boiler and he was coming at ridiculous hours of the night, poking about by torchlight, getting it going in about ten minutes flat and it he couldn't have even got to the end of the road before the boiler went again. The last time he came we found he had turned the boiler up so high that the water coming out of the taps was almost boiling and we thought the radiators were going to burst.
The next engineer can't fit us in until Thursday and if that doesn't work out then I will contact the makers of our boiler to see if they can help. It is just out of warranty but less than three years old.

This morning DD and I have had a good turf out on the landing and there are several bags for burning, charity shop, and the recycling centre.
All the Christmas boxes will be bought down from the attic ready for Ruby coming to decorate the tree this weekend.

Tomorrow we are going out to finish the Christmas shopping and if I can find Santa anywhere I shall be sitting on his knee and telling him that all I want for Christmas is a warm house and some hot water.

Have a wonderful day.
Sheila-x-

A Little Bit Of Sunshine On A Rainy Day!!!

The Doodles have found a beautiful house and they move in on December 16th. Big sighs of relief all round with that sorted out.
They are having to move out of the little town to a village but they are fine with that.
There is a possibility that Ruby could move to the school there but that is something they will have to talk to her about.

The boiler saga continues although we did manage to have a bath last night. I could have stayed in there for a week...lol.
We are back to no heating or hot water this morning and the engineer has been called yet again.....sigh!!!

We are so fed up that we are treating ourselves to fish and chips from the chip shop for tea tonight.

Hope you all have a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

Back To Square One!!!

Thank you all so much for your very lovely comments on our heating predicament.

Well an engineer finally appeared last night at around 11pm.....diagnosed low pressure.....bought the pressure up and lo and behold hot water and heating.
Got up this morning and it had gone again but luckily he had shown Andy what to do. Heating for all of ten minutes and then off again so Andy redid it and hot water shot up from the back of the boiler like a geyser.
We have now switched everything off and once again wait for a visit from the engineer but only between 4pm and midnight.
Why the hell they can't come in the day time I don't know.
I think we'll have to ask DS if we can nip down in turns and have a bath at their house.
I hope we don't end up having to buy a new boiler.

Things just don't seem to be very nice at the moment what with The Doodles having to move house unexpectedly, our boiler problems and then Ruby coming home from school in a right state about one of her lessons. She is terrified of the teacher so I think DS will try and have a word with someone today.

They say things can only get better so I will hold on to that.

A bit late....but I am off to have some breakfast and then I think I'll make a good old beef stew for tea to warm us up.

Hope you're all having a fabulous day.
Sheila-x-

Getting Really P****d Off Now!!!

Andy had forgotten that we have an emergency household policy with his bank but remembered it when the plumber let us down on Monday.
We phoned them and they told us to go out and buy a heater of some kind immediately and they would reimburse us and they arranged for a heating engineer to come yesterday between 4pm and midnight. 8pm he phoned to say that he wouldn't be able to make it and would rearrange for today between the same hours.
I've really had enough now. No heating I can just about cope with although we do now have a little electric fire for the living room....it's the lack of hot water that is getting me down. Carrying kettles of water up to the bathroom for strip washes doesn't in any way compare to being able to run a hot bath.

The house DS and DDIL went to look at on Monday was a disappointment. In fact DDIL said it was disgusting.
They have another one to look at tomorrow so fingers crossed for that one.

Hope you are all having a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

Colder Than A Witches Doo Dah!!!

Thank you all so much for your comments and sympathy on the loss of our heating and hot water over the weekend.
It has been a fairly uncomfortable couple of days especially the lack of hot water for baths.
I had made plans to do a bit of crafting but my hands have been so cold that I couldn't actually do any fine work so that was scuppered.
We have mostly watched DVD's buried under piles of blankets and been drinking hot drinks.
Someone is supposed to be coming this afternoon to sort out the boiler. He fitted the boiler originally but was the first plumber to let us down when we needed our first year service so I am not holding my breath. Andy had contacted him before I had a chance to persuade him not to so we'll see.

I avoided doing a roast dinner yesterday as I couldn't bear the thought of boiling all the kettles of water to wash up after it so I made a lovely cottage pie instead. We really enjoyed it for a change and as it won't be long now before we are having Christmas dinner I probably won't do any more roast dinners between now and then.

While I am waiting for this man to turn up I am going to make myself yet another hot drink and watch the pair of Coal Tits that have been frequent visitors to our garden over the last couple of weeks. They are so tiny and very cute.

Hope you all have a good week.
Sheila-x-

History Repeats Itself!!!

Almost exactly thirteen months ago I wrote a post titled....The Weekend and it started like this..........

......can be summed up in very few words......it rained, I cooked, we ate and the heating packed up.
How boring is that?

Today I could write that exact same opening. The heating has packed up again but this time we have also lost the hot water and I am beyond annoyed. The damn thing was only just serviced a few months ago.
I'm beginning to wish we had never had it put in and I feel like taking a hammer to it.
I think it's going to be a long week 😞

Hope you are all having a good weekend.
Sheila-x-

Just Another Day!!!

What started out as a dry a fairly sunny day has now turned into another wet one.
I shouldn't moan about the rain as we are very lucky that there isn't much chance of us getting flooded at home although the roads can be a little challenging at times.
Watching the news last night there were some dreadful stories of people affected by the floods.
My heart goes out to them.

Today I am home alone for a while as Andy has gone out to meet some ex work colleagues for a drink at the pub. I had all sorts of ideas for this precious time and what am I doing.....absolutely bugger all apart from sitting here typing and enjoying the fact that the tv is not on.
I will have to make a start on some veg prep for tea and whip up some Yorkshire pudding batter but for now just listening to the quiet is awesome.

No firm plans for going out this weekend although I may nip out and do a freezer shop at I*****d tomorrow afternoon as I have almost run out of frozen peas and chicken breasts.....which is a crime in this house......lol.

There is no news from DS as to how the house search is going. I am hoping that means that no news is good news.

Have a wonderful weekend.
Sheila-x-

Meeting Myself Coming Back!!!

For saying I had nothing in particular planned for yesterday it turned out to be a really busy day.
Lots of time in the kitchen preparing the chicken fajitas that Ruby had requested for tea so slicing up chicken for marinating, chopping peppers and onions and making Ruby's favourite coleslaw of red cabbage and shredded carrot in lime juice.....plus I cooked a small ham for our tea today to have with some salad.
Tidying and organising in the sewing room, tidying the rest of downstairs and running the hoover through. By the time we got back from dropping Ruby off I was ready to collapse in a heap.

Today has been a little gentler and despite the foul weather Andy and I have been for a ride into the big town for a quick visit to Dunelm to have a look at their Christmas displays which turned out to be very disappointing although I did pick up some more Christmas foliage for my collection.
We then swung by Morrisons to buy a Pyrex bowl to replace mine that Andy broke yesterday....such an exciting life we lead.....lol.

DS and DDIL have been dropped an awful bombshell. Their landlord has decide to sell the house they rent and they need to find a new rental property quickly.....within the next couple of months. They need to stay in the area they live now and looking at the rental lists online....there isn't much available in their price range. I do hope they can find somewhere soon.

Well....I am off for a cuppa and five minutes with my feet up before I have to sort the evening meal out.

I hope your weather has been better than ours today.
Sheila-x-

Another Filthy Day!!!

It is absolutely foul outside today. Heavy rain, a strong wind and cold.
My usual t shirt has been swapped for a long sleeved top and a rib sticker meal is being made for tea......homemade meatballs in an onion gravy to have with some steamed cabbage and a swede and carrot mash. That should warm us up.

Andy and I didn't go far yesterday. A quick trip to Derby for a visit to Hobbycraft and TK Maxx/Home Sense. On the way back we called in at Aldi. I have not been to Aldi for years as we don't have one in the little town where I do most of my shopping. I was very impressed and I will be going back as it's not too far away.
For the first time ever I walked out of Hobbycraft with a no spend as they didn't have what I wanted but I did have a bit of a splurge in Home Sense on Christmas ribbons and foliage for some of my cross stitch finishes.
The magnets they didn't have at Hobbycraft have been ordered online this morning and Andy has just gone to buy me some metal washers so by the end of the day I shall be all kitted up.
Before I can start on anything though I need to have a good tidy up and put away all the stuff from making the rag garlands so I am glad it's a day for staying home.

Hope you are all having a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

A Good Weekend!!!

It's been a lovely peaceful weekend.
The weather was foul on Saturday so we didn't go out Christmas shopping as such.......a few clicks on the computer to reserve some items for the girls and a quick nip into the little town to pick them up. A good amount of money saved with a discount code and the Christmas list is a good halfway ticked off.
Just a couple of gift cards to pick up and a few bits and bobs now and I will have it all done by the end of November as I promised myself I would.

Today I have had an invitation to a Christmas meal out with DIL and her Mum in December. We did it last year and it was lovely so I am looking forward to that.

I'm still tying away on the rag garland. I have to do a few sections and then leave it for half an hour as it makes my hands ache something wicked but I am enjoying it.
I'm thinking I might cut some extra strips when I have done and let Ruby make one for her bedroom when she comes for her sleepover at the end of the month.

Andy and I are going out for a wander tomorrow. I don't know where but I'm sure it will be somewhere nice.

Hope you have all had a lovely weekend.
Sheila-x-

A Happy Day!!!

Thanks for the comments yesterday.

I had a happy start to the day today....a visit to the doctor for results of my blood test and my blood sugars are down. My hard work is paying off now.

We went into town after my appointment as I needed a light bulb and it was quite pleasant walking up the high street....a little windy and chilly but nice enough. Almost as soon as we got home it started raining and it's been dark and dreary all afternoon. I have cheered things up a bit by cutting more strips of fabric and ribbon for another rag garland.....and now the tying begins. Could be here for a while as it will be a lot longer than the mini one.

No specific plans for the weekend but I am thinking that if DD hasn't got anything on I may go out and make a proper start on the gift shopping for Christmas. It will depend on the weather as I don't fancy trudging about in the rain.

As it's turned into such a miserable day I have put potatoes to bake in the oven and pulled out a pot of chilli from the freezer for a nice tasty and warming tea.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend.
Sheila-x-

A Little Bit Of Crafty Shopping!!!

Well it was a bit miserable yesterday when Andy and I went out for a while but at least we got out.
A quick visit to the garden centre. Andy waited in the car while I nipped in as I only wanted a couple of things and we had decided we wouldn't have lunch there. Instead we went to Morrison's....a sandwich and a tea each which cost what it would have done for one sandwich at the garden centre and it was really nice.
Then we went to The Range as Andy loves Christmas lights and all the novelty musical, light up whirly things. Gosh there is some tacky stuff out there....lol.
I had a little crafty spend..........

The tinsel garland is huge and was only £5.99 from the garden centre.
Gorgeous ribbons from The Range....£2.39 each for 3 meters.
The Little box of decorations was just over £2....also from The Range.
Then last night from Asda I picked up three of the bottle brush trees after seeing them on someone's blog. They are for my Winter village scene on the dresser and were only £1 each.
I came back a very happy bunny and have lots of Christmas craft ideas......just need the time to get crafting now.

It's another miserable and murky day here. I'm waiting in for a parcel so we won't be going out in it.

I hope you have a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

Mini Rag Garland!!!

Good morning 😁

Crikey it's chilly here this morning. I've only just been brave enough to take my dressing gown off which I was wearing over my clothes.

Yesterday I actually got to do some crafting....yay!!!
I wanted to make something which I could start and finish in one day so decided on a mini rag garland for kitchen dresser.

From loop to loop it is twenty two inches long and is made from a mixture of 5"x 1" fabric strips and narrow ribbon.

It will go here at Christmas.....

Clicking on the pics will bring up a larger version if you want to take a closer look.

I decided to cut the fabric with my rotary cutter instead of tearing it as I remember too well the horrendous mess when I tore fabric for Ruby's fairy skirt. With cutting it first you get just the right amount of fraying without having huge piles of loose threads to cut off.
It does make your fingers ache but I really enjoyed doing it and I will be making another longer one to hang on the bookcase in the living room.

Today I just have a little laundry to finish  and tea is already made.....a huge pan of veggie soup which I shall serve with cheese croutons.....so Andy and I can go for a ride out this afternoon if we feel like it. Probably only a walk round the garden centre and a pot of tea in the tea room but when I think that for a long time I couldn't get out in the daytime I am quite content with that.

It's just started raining and is looking quite murky outside and I am so glad that DD isn't out in it. 
She is loving her new job in her nice cosy office.

Hope you all manage to stay warm and dry today.
Sheila-x-

Ruby's Pie!!!

Lovely evening with Ruby and she thought her pie was hilarious........

I had to take this very quickly when it came out of the oven as my lot were doing all but bang their knives and forks on the table....lol.

I did extra veg which I am going to make into a pan of soup today for our tea tomorrow. Tonight will be salad after that very hearty pie last night....have to keep a sense of balance ya know.....lol.

Laundry to tackle today and in between loads I'll be making a start on my rag garland....or at least choosing and tearing fabric ready for it. It will be good to whittle down the Christmas fabric stash.

Well I had best go and crank up the washing machine.

Hope you have a wonderful day.
Sheila-x-

Monday's Doings!!!

I was up early and into the little town this morning.
The 20p's have all gone into the bank.
Remembered to get an anniversary card for DS and DDIL.
Top up shop done.
Outdoor lights bought ready for the end of the month.
Crafty bits bought from Poundland.

Back home and I have made the filling for Ruby's chicken pie as she will be here today. Just need to make the pastry. I'm going to do the pumpkin face pie top she missed out on last week. 
I've cut Andy's hair.....he's been nagging me for a week so I thought I had best get it done.
A load of tea towels put in to wash as the drawer is nearly empty.

The quilt I am working on is going to be put away today for now. I have not felt like sewing since Andy retired and if I force myself to do it I know mistakes will be made and I will hate myself. I will clear the table and make room to do some Christmas crafting as I am now in the mood for that.
On my list is....a rag garland and some cross stitch finishes which I hope to start on tomorrow.

It's a fairly decent day here today. Not too cold and there is some blue sky and little peeks at the sun now and again.

Hope it's fine where you are.
Have a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

A Quiet Saturday!!!

The weather men were right and we sure do have some rain today. It's been thrashing down all morning but has now slowed to a miserable drizzle.
The heating is on, the house is all warm and cosy and we are all doing our own thing. Andy is still fiddling with his Mechano type Lancaster Bomber, DD is reading until she goes out later to pick up Ruby for a cinema trip with tea out afterwards and I am chalk painting some pieces I want to use for mounting cross stitch on. It's all very peaceful.

Andy has been up to the butchers for sausages this morning and we'll be having some as hot dogs for our tea with slow cooked onions. It's one of the things we love most.....hot dogs and a film.
Not a film as such tonight though as DD has managed at last to find part two of season five of Vikings. I can't wait to sit down and watch that.

The 20p tin has been opened this morning and yielded £157.20. The £150 will go in the bank and the £7.20 has gone into a new tin so that is a good start for next year.

I hope that you are all having a good weekend despite the weather.
Sheila-x-

Wet!!!

After a few nice days we are back to rain today and for the weekend. Looks like it's going to be pretty nasty. I've not made any plans to go anywhere but by the time I decide I do want to go out the roads will be flooded and I won't be able to.

Today I was going to be giving the cooker a good clean but I have done something to my knee so I am going to shift that job down the list a bit until it stops hurting.

The girls had great fun Trick or Treating last night.
We took them a little bucket down filled with goodies but the biggest hit were the little torches I found with interchangeable screens to go over the lights. Marlowe was absolutely enchanted with hers and had great fun shining spiders onto Ganma's feet......lol.

Didn't really enjoy part two of The Accident last night. Only two more to go so I will stick with it as I want to know what happens.

Any day now I will be emptying the 20p tin and Christmas shopping can start in earnest. It feels very heavy so hopefully it will give me enough to get most of the gifts I need to buy.
I'd like to be done by the end of this month if I can.

For now I am going to hobble around and get a few tidying jobs done and then I may go and snuggle on the sofa to rest my knee.

Have a good weekend.
Sheila-x-