Big Boat, Big Money

Sailing Yacht A, the largest sailing boat in the world is currently in Douglas Bay. It's a wee bit big. Here's what it looks like against the Tower of Refuge, and also with a smaller yacht.This boat cost over £300 million to buy.

One of the games the Beloved and I play is 'What would you do if someone gave you X amount of money?" My first purchases are almost always the same, 3 pairs of shoes made to fit me perfectly. Then I stray into such areas as paying off the mortgage, buying houses for our children, and renovating our house.

Currently my next impulse would be to choose some Manx charities, and top up their incomes to compensate for the dip caused by Covid. Then look at local businesses that have been hit hard.

I'd also like to look at buying larger commercial premises - somewhere with good parking, on the major bus routes. It would have a much larger shop floor, a space for lessons and tutorials, a huge storage area.

There are many other things I would do with that amount of money. But, it ain't mine, and it isn't likely to ever be mine.

No Buy March

 

At the start of March, I decided not to buy anything except for consumables, and presents. I would not worry about emergencies. If one came along, it would be dealt with. 

My No Buy March was great success. Nothing bar consumables and presents were bought. This, along with lockdown, resulted in £500 less being spent in that month. To help keep track of things, I kept a record of things I wanted to buy... 'wanted' is not the right word.... things I was considering buying. The items I decided to buy are new socks, a fitted sheet, a glass jug (to replace one that broke), and a leak-proof bowl (so I can pack my breakfast and eat it at work). After chatting with the Beloved, we decided to buy a new mattress.

On my last birthday, I decided not to buy any new clothes (unless it was an emergency), apart from underwear. There was a wibble at Christmas, and I bought a dress and wrap. Two items in nine months, not bad.

Covid Update

We are starting to make tentative steps out of lockdown. At the weekend, we were able to meet with friends and family outside. Garden centres have now been allowed to open, and there has been easing on the restrictions builders face. Little by little, we are edging out way out. 

Next week, schools will re-open for students who are taking assessments for grades, and for the children of key workers. It is hoped all children will be able to return the week after that, and also that shops will be able to re-open.

Some interesting vaccination statistics have come to light. 90% of the 45,000 people in the Phase One group have had at least one vaccination, with 15,000 having had both. By the end of April, almost every adult who wants will have had their first vaccination. By the end of June, everyone (who wants) in Phase One group will have had both injections, and July for the rest of the population. Hopefully by that point the vaccines will have been deemed safe for use with children toon.

Caramelised Onion and Camembert Pastry

 

A very simple recipe. Take some home made gravy, and add it to some sliced onions. Caramelise over a low heat until the onions are beautifully brown and delicious. Set to one side and allow to cool a little. Cut the Camembert into cubes, and unroll the pastry onto a baking sheet.  Spread the onions onto the pastry and top with cheese. Bake at 200C until the cheese has melted and the pastry has been cooked.

It was good, very good. 

However, it could be better. The pastry puffed up at the corners and sent the cheese running into the middle. I'm going to make this again, but instead of putting toppings on a sheet of pastry, I'm going to first make vol-au-vent cases. The hot onions will be added to the cases, and topped with cheese.

"Leftovers" Blanket

 

Way, way back in the mists of time, I was making loads of hats from chunky yarn, I decided to crochet a blanket to use up the ends of balls. It sounded such a great idea, and an excellent way to force myself into random. But the problem is, I don't actually like random. I like pseudo-random.

I was crocheting away, using the hook I had on hand. Some questionable yarns were included in the blanket, and well, I wasn't liking it. I decided to restrict it to cream-white through to dark grey, greens and purples. This was way better. However, there was a problem with my tension, caused by using the wrong hook.

Boring story cut short, I'm frogging the blanket and re-working on a better hook, and eliminating a few yarns that crept in.  It's looking so much better!

Afternoon Tea in the Garden

 

The Covid restrictions have been eased slightly, and up to ten people are able to gather outside, provided  people from different households remain at a distance. This afternoon, Cat came round, and we had tea in the garden. 

It was blissful, utterly blissful. We haven't had anyone round for three months, and it's been wonderful to sit and chat.  We were wrapped in blankets as it was a little chilly. But, I'm looking forward to Tea in the Garden many other times this year. 

Bye Bye DVDs

 

More DVDs have been decluttered. One of the cupboard in the sideboard is now free of DVDs. This is going to be used for jigsaws instead.

As I was choosing which DVDs to keep, I started thinking about the last time I played them.  I know we haven't used the television and DVD player this year. Part of me is thinking that if we don't use them in the next year, then perhaps we don't need the television, DVD player, or the DVDs. But that's a bit too advanced thinking for the rest of the family.

There's one section of DVDs we haven't yet looked at, the box sets. Many of the films and television program DVD we have said goodbye to are readily available online. I wonder about the box set ones, are these available. If they are, do we need to keep the physical copies if we can use download them as needed.

A Spring Declutter

 

The Spring Declutter has begun!  And I'm feeling great.

Today, I'm in the sitting room. Half of the DVDs stored in the coffee table have been checked, and the ones we no longer want to keep have been boxed up ready for donation once the charity shops re-open. One (of four) drawers in the sideboard have been decluttered. 

A Holiday!

 

I am so looking forward to my Easter holidays!  Some of us as still working during lockdown, and having time off is incredibly important.

There's grand, high, wonderful plans. There's decluttering to be done, cleaning and tidying.  There's craft stuff, and baking.  It's going to be great.

An Unsatisfactory Day

It feels like I have spent time flitting from one thing to another, and haven't settled on anything. Consequently, very little has been achieved today.

There have been to little 'wins'. I made a couple of face masks, and received two deliveries for the shop. I 'finished' at 3pm, and it feels like I have an afternoon off!

Tomorrow, I shall make a list, and choose the top three items that must be done, and make a start on some of the rest. (It's so weird being in the shop by myself!)

The Day Before Lockdown 2.0

 

It has been a crazy 24 hours! The Isle of Man is returning to lockdown at midnight. We had so many people coming to the shop to buy supplies for masks, and just to keep themselves busy over the next 3 weeks. 

We haven't been asked to engage in social distancing prior to the lockdown, but many business have already started doing so. I was in the shop at 8am, putting up signs moving some things around so could make it as safe as possible for the staff and customers.  We were only allowing 2-3 customers in the shop at any one time, and using a one-way system. The first customers arrived at 8.45. I rang the Beloved for help at 9.45 (to deal with the telephone), and it wasn't until almost midday I was able to stop to draw breath. The Beloved and the staff are all most fantastically wonderful!

Due to the very robust border policies put in place by our government, we have enjoyed unparalled levels of freedom over the last 6 months. The island had been Covid-free for months. When the border were softened a little, and Manx residents were allowed to leave and return, people required to self-isolate for 14 days. This has worked so well for quite some time. People were returning to the island with Covid, but they were keeping it to themselves. Only a couple of people needed hospital treatment, the rest were able to remain at home.

At the end of December, it was found that 14 days wasn't enough, and on the 23rd of December, new measures were put in place. Testing was required on the 1st, and 13th day, or people could isolate for 21 days. Since then testing on the 6th day has been introduced too.

But despite these measures, this nasty virus has escaped into the community. The borders have been closed, apart form dire need, and from midnight we enter lockdown.

The former owner was not able to offer a collection/delivery service during the pervious lockdown, but I hope to be able to provide on, just to keep things ticking over.

Dog Biscuits

One of Sue's friends makes rather fantastic dog biscuits. Ava loves them. I've asked a few times for the recipe, but as yet nothing has been forthcoming. The label had a list of ingredients, and I've searched for a suitable recipe. This is one that seemed to be almost there, and I've tweaked it a bit.

Ava has declared the spiced treats are very acceptable.

Ingredients
310g flour (I used gluten-free) (plus 3 rounded tablespoons)
60g porridge oats (plus 4 rounded tablespoons)
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

good pinch of black pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder
175g treacle
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water (if needed)

Method
Preheat oven to 170C. Lightly grease baking trays.

Place all the dry ingredients in to a large mixing bowl and stir. Add the eggs, treacle and oil to the dry ingredients, mix until well blended. Add the water if needed. Mix until smooth.

Either roll the dough to 5mm thickness, and cut into shapes, or form into balls, and squish them flat (about 5mm). If rolling, used a very well-floured board, if making squished balls, dampen your hands with water to help the balls not to stick.

Bake for 30 minutes. Thurn off the oven, but leave the biscuits in to crisp up for a further 30 minutes.

Notes

The dough created was far, far, far too wet! I added 4 rounded tablespoons of oats and 3 of flour.  I couldn't give the weight in grams as my kitchen scales were wet.

Good Habits - A Small Beginning

One of my tendencies is to leap in with both feet, both hands, well.. everything. This is not the way to create good, long-lasting habits. 

There's a couple of ways to make new habits, and to get them to stick. 

1. Make small changes.

2. Tie the new habit into something you already do.

3. Don't make it a matter of will power.

On Christmas Day, I decided the small table beside my chair was far too cluttered. I cleared it off, apart from  some herbal tea, a coaster, and my laptop. I've been doing it now for 9 days. This prevents the table becoming too great a mess during the day, and it reverts to its 'base state' each evening. 

I've also been laying out my clothes for the morning too. It's felt good waking and not having to think about clothes. It will make work mornings especially easy.  To help with creating easy mornings, I've added in a new habit: remove soup/lunch from freezer the night before. This will give the food a decent time to defrost, ready either for heating, or to be packed in our lunch boxes. 

Decluttering - Hot Drinks

 

In a previous round of decluttering and re-organising, we decluttered, and transferred the remaining items from the kitchen junk drawers (yes, there were two) into the top drawer of the set of drawers where I keep my candle and soap making supplies. This left two empty drawers in the kitchen. These were then turned into storage for teas, coffees and hot chocolate. It's right beside the kettle, the teapot, mugs, and an arm's reach from the fridge. These two drawers have now been decluttered, cleaned and tidied.

The baking cupboard, and the herbs & spices have also been done.

It's great walking into the kitchen and seeing the difference. It is so much tidier! I love it.

Decluttering - Old Kitchen Cupboard

 

An old, heavy, wooden wall cupboard has been removed, and it has been replaced by a set of metal wire shelves. There is more usable space, AND I can reach everything!

Another decluttering task have been ridding the fridge of unmentionables. Decluttering, cleaning and tidying has happened in the sink area, the pantry, the cutlery drawer, and the wooden implements drawer. The kitchen is looking a great deal tidier, cleaner, and also a bit bigger. I'm delighted by how little food had to be thrown out.

New Year Goals and Aims

Goals

1. Lose 50lbs this year

2. Declutter

3. Adopt good habits

Aims

1. Find a good work/life balance

I'm not too sure what a good work/life balance is, but I'm sure it has something to do with being able to spend more time crafting, and having a tidier house.

What's New?

 

Life suddenly became a little more exciting and complicated. My boss asked me if I might be interested in buying the business! The answer was 'Yes!' The second answer was 'Let me try to get the funds sorted'.

There was (and is) so much to learn! I've gone from working 20 hours each week to 45-50. It's not surprising the blog has suffered. But there are plans.

Happy Hop Tu Naa!

I saw this last year, and wanted to save it.

A friend told me, "It is important to eat locals." When I asked "Is it?" She answered, "Yes, it cuts down on the food miles. … Unless you chomp on a tourist by accident."

So there you go. Eat locals. Be wary of tourists masquerading as locals as it will bump up your food miles.

Project Clean Up

My role is changing at work, and my hours are slowly getting longer. With this in mind, we (as a family) have chatted about changed needed at home. 

We're trialing a system where we all do one hour of cleaning and tidying at the weekend, and 15 minutes each days. The people who don't make dinner are responsible for washing up, drying the dishes and tidying the kitchen. Thankfully none of us are terribly messy cooks. 

The sitting room is looking so much better. The windows have been cleaned, the floor vacuumed/swept, everything dusted, my crafting stuff sorted, chairs cleaned of dog hairs, and the bin emptied. 

In the kitchen all appliances, apart from the kettle, microwave and coffee maker have been put away. The cooker cleaned, and also the work surfaces.  Dishes have been wash, dried and put away.

No area is perfect, but there is a significant improvement.

50 Character Building Questions

My poor little blog has been neglected very badly. I've been focusing my attention on writing "Jenny and The Bobs", and also on work. 

Yesterday, I came across this fabulous list from Ginny Di on youtube. I've been using it to flesh out various characters. It feels like the novel has taken a huge leap forward, and the characters feel real! Several new scenes popped into being as I was answering the questions.

1. Are you a morning person or more of a night owl?
2. What’s the first thing you notice about a person when you meet them?
3. You see a huge spider in your room. What do you do?
4. If you could go back and change one decision you made in the past, what would you change?
5. Tell me about your first kiss.
6. Do you give people second chances?
7. Are you a cat person or a dog person?
8. Do you think you’re attractive?
9. What’s your worst habit?
10. When was the last time you cried?
11. Are you a good liar?
12. What’s your biggest pet peeve?
13. Have you ever had your heart broken?
14. Are you more likely to use your fists or your words in an argument?
15. What’s something you’re naturally good at?
16. What’s something you had to work hard to be good at?
17. Can you tell when someone is flirting with you?
18. Do you think money can buy happiness?
19. Do you believe in destiny?
20. Are you a good cook?
21. What do you think happens after you die?
22. Did you have to grow up fast?
23. Who do you look up to?
24. When you go to a tavern, what do you order?
25. What do you like most about yourself?
26. What do you like least about yourself?
27. Do you want kids someday?
28. Are you a planner, or more spontaneous?
29. Can you keep a secret?
30. Do you like being the center of attention?
31. If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do today?
32. Do you enjoy getting all dressed up for a special occasion?
33. Where do you feel safe?
34. Do you love or hate being alone?
35. What’s the last nightmare you remember having?
36. Do you admit to mistakes when you make them?
37. Do you want to grow up to be like your parents?
38. How do you deal with being sick? Are you stoic, or super whiny?
39. What did your parents expect from you when you were born?
40. Do you have a strong sense of style?
41. Would you rather camp outdoors or stay the night in an inn?
42. Is there a food that most people like that you absolutely hate?
43. Are you more of a hoarder or a minimalist?
44. Are you superstitious?
45. Are you the kind of person who remembers people’s birthdays and pets’ names and stuff?
46. What do you do to feel better when you’re sad?
47. Is it hard for you to trust someone?
48. Are you susceptible to peer pressure?
49. If you decided to stop adventuring and settle down, what kind of job would you take?
50. As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?