This and that but not much of it at all

 Well, here I am with not a lot to say because I have not done a lot in the last couple of weeks. I have been for walks when it is neither raining or snowing and admired all the snowmen in the gardens I walked past. I have done quite well in not spending much this month. My tooth that had a piece broken off is not hurting nor is it sensitive so I have decided to wait and contact the dentist later. The car needed its MOT and service and also had to be taxed for tomorrow. It sailed through its MOT, which was great because it is 10 years old now. The brakes had been worrying me because of the noise they were making but the garage decided that the noise was probably because the car has been used so little over the last 10 months. So I have no need to worry as they could find no reason at all for the noise. 

Apart from car related bills, we have only spent £34 this month on food. No other things were bought. We had plenty in the cupboards and there is still some veg at the allotment so I have been trying to stay away from shops. This new strain of the coronavirus is worrying since it is so easily transmitted. A friend of ours is a nurse and has just gone back to work this past week after having the coronavirus for the second time. So I am keeping away from people as much as I can!

Another blogger

 As well as Jack Monroe and Thrifty Lesley, who have been mentioned here before, I would like to mention another blogger who has some great recipes on her blog:

ACT YOUR WAGE! (70kchallenge.blogspot.com)

This blog is well worth a visit.

DIY liquid hand soap

 I was looking on the internet for something else and came across this article. A happy chance. I decided to give it a go and as a result will not be buying any more liquid hand soap! It is so easy and you make enough to do a long time with just one bar of soap. If you look at the link then please remember that the article is American and their pints are 16 fluid ounces whereas our pints are 20 fluid ounces. The only thing that is more awkward is that when you press the plunger on your recycled liquid soap bottle, you do not get just a dollop on your hand. Instead you have a little trail attached to your dollop which you need to "knock" off the spout of the bottle. It takes a lot longer to say it then it takes to do it and I am now so used to doing it that it has ceased annoying me. Besides, I think of the savings and it is fine : )

The article I happened across is at:

https://originalhomesteading.com/diy-homemade-liquid-hand-soap/

1 bar of hand soap at least 100g- any kind but I used just plain because I wanted to add teatree oil

3 1/4 pints of boiling water (the Americans use half a gallon but this is 3 1/4 British pints)

That is it. Just two ingredients for the basic recipe.

Grate the soap into a large saucepan. Pour over 3 1/4 pints boiling water. Stir until all the soap has dissolved. Cover with a tea towel or piece of newspaper to keep dust out and set aside overnight. The article warned that the mixture can take from 12 to 24 hours to congeal but mine had set to a jelly like consistency within two hours. 

Now is the time to add any extras. I added 2 tablespoons of glycerine and 1 teaspoon of teatree oil to make may soap antibacterial. You can add whatever essential oils you have on hand or just leave it plain.

Mix it well to turn it back to a liquid. I started with a wooden spoon but decided it would be easier to use my hand blender. It took a very short time to turn it into a pleasant smelling liquid which then remains as a liquid. Pour into a container for storage using a funnel. I used a well washed 4 pint milk bottle.

So that is almost 3 1/2 pints of liquid hand soap made from just one bar of soap and some ancient glycerine from the kitchen cupboard and some tea tree oil that I found in the back of the bathroom cupboard. I am finding that the homemade liquid soap makes one bar of soap last a lot longer than usual so it is definitely a winner : )

More oops.

 So much for being careful in January with the finances. A chunk of tooth has come away. I hope our dentist is seeing some patients......

Oops

 I had to go out to the shop today for milk as we were getting rather low. I bought some fresh and got some UHT to postpone the next shopping trip for a bit longer. On my way home, I was driving along a road which is wide enough for a row of parked cars on one side and one lane of cars going each way. I was well over to the kerb but the idiot coming the other way knocked my wing mirror. Really shook me but I was glad it was nothing worse. I could not move over any more to get out of his way as I was right by the kerb so he needed to drive a little closer to the parked cars. 

At least by not going out much because of the lockdown , we are all less likely to meet idiots like the one I met today.

Treats for Mum

 There was a knock at the door this afternoon. When I opened it, my son was stood on the pavement and on my doorstep was a little pile of boxes. They had a curry night last night and knowing how much I like curry but never make it because my husband won't touch anything spicy, my son had made extra so that I could have a treat dinner tonight. All home made: chicken curry, a dish with homemade paneer, cauliflower (gobi?? or something like that) and dahl. Oh but it was lovely. A lovely surprise and a lovely treat from my nice son : )

Happy New Year

 Wishing you all a happy and healthy new year in 2021!

We had a very peaceful Christmas and the trend has continued. It has been a peaceful week and we have have only been out to the shops once for some shopping. We have had lots of video/zoom chats and phone calls with friends and family. 

It is so cold at the moment and I think our energy bills will be going up. The cats are staying in a lot more instead of going gallivanting and sleeping close to the woodburner. We are getting through such a lot of wood right now. And the cold weather is getting to the hens now too because we only had two eggs today from the 13 of them. At least it is no longer snowing. My littlest grandson made his first snowman and loved it. We did not have a lot of snow and that snowman used up just about every flake that fell in my daughter's garden. We had lots of photos of the event which was lovely.