Dear Diary

This week has been what some may call, you know the kind I’m on about, every little thing you try thwarts you in every way possible. I tried in vain to clean off the top of the freezer only for a bottle of dried parsley to tumble to it death, by leaping off it’s shelf not to be content with this, covering all over the freshly washed freezer top, plus the once clean,but still wet floor, myself, and everywhere else within its radius, leaving my tiny kitchen looking as if it has had an attack of the H bomb(herbal bomb), who knew those tiny pots held so much?😁,

This was just one of many many incidents to befall me, I went out while Jesse slept, to cut back the massive waving vine like BlackBerry branches, that I swear were gradually winding their way over to where I hang out the laundry, some had grown as thick as ropes, each menacing hanging branch covered in sharp pointy evil looking thorns, ready to impale any and all comers, I didn’t fancy becoming one of their victims, So my hands incased into two thick pairs of gauntlets, pruning shears sharpened to their utmost lethalness, fuelled with strong coffee, I walked out into the wilderness to lay siege on the thorny undergrowth, . I stood back regrouped, planning my attack, these vines almost sensing their impending doom, waved their arms about in the breeze, using their best threatening manner, banging against the fence, almost drumming out a battle cry… I waged war bravely for half an hour, before admitting to a somewhat bloody defeat, my arms covered in scratches, thorns embedded through both sets of gloves and into my fingers, my t shirt ripped, I had cleared what I thought a goodly patch, but gave in before another vine smacked my face just missing my eye….

Strimmer…..

If I couldn’t Savage the briar patch into submission, I was going to whack these weeds into next week come what may..I had had the strimmers battery plugged in for 12 hours now, the knee length grass, nettles and forestry had better watch out im in no mood to be messed with, adding the battery to the strimmer, I match out to hack down a patch of grass that has been soaking my feet and legs for weeks…I push the button and the strimmer vibrates into life, I rev it a few times to show my intention, I’m ready, in fact I’m more than ready…I face the grass aim my implementation at it with some vehemence, ..it cut a measly two blades of grass and died, ..I pressed the button again, again it fired up, I put it to the grass, another two blades meet their doom and stop…I do this several times, several times the same thing…I have managed to cut down an inch maximum, . Now either I’m going to be out here till next month covering a six foot stretch of grass, get down on my knees with a pair of scissors or something has to give here…I recharged the battery, checked the cutting blade, washed it off with a damp cloth because that always makes things work right?, I polished the blooming thing, it sparkled like new…either it then didn’t want to get dirty again or something was seriously adrift as it still refused to cut more than two blades of grass before cutting out…I had the only go slow strimmer in the country, and I had barely used it..Jesse emailed the company that very afternoon, and in all fairness to them they sent out not only a brand new strimmer but battery pack too.😁

Monday …

Monday I had put in my usual carefully gone over and budgeted shopping order..I meticulously had gone over my that weeks grocery order, until it came to under £50 pounds, mainly by putting things in the trolley, taking them back out again..weighing up what I could and couldn’t live without basically… I checked then rechecked the order, before finally pushing that little check out button thingy.. This was infact Friday, the shop was due around Monday lunchtime,. I Gave it no more thought all over that weekend, . Monday morning came and i set about my usual routine, washing done and blowing out upon the line, I had swept the floor vigorously with the carpet sweeper, beat the rugs half to death out in the front garden(I dread to think what my neighbours make of all this 😁😳), then I sit over coffee, checking my phone for substitutes on my shopping list, great nothing!!!!!, Well that’s nothing until an hour before it was due to be delivered…then I look down at my phone in horror to see half my shop wasn’t coming😳, all the frozen items were now amiss. And that was all my meat, fish and veggies for throughout the week…too late to cancel though as it was on its way …sighs

Rations anyone..

I couldn’t even reorder another shop, because this would mean I would have to spend yet another £40 to £50 pounds, blowing not only a whole weeks budgeting out the water, but throw out the rest of the month also…so I begin looking into my meagre box freezer, there and then i decide to make do with whatever is in the house, you can call it madness, call it canny, whatever you like, but im this far in and I’m doing ok, it’s meant getting somewhat creative with the ingredients I have here in store, but like the true war time spirit us Brits are known for, I’m doing it, in fact not only am I doing it, but I’m enjoying the challenge of it, it’s going to work because I will make it…throughout this frugality lifestyle I’m learning less is indeed more, just by cutting portions, eating some very odd concoction or another I’ve nearly made it through the week, I know for a fact I couldn’t get by next week without doing a shop, as my cupboards are dwindling fast, but this has been no hardship,. And another plus side to this experience is ive met some wonderful like minded folks on some brilliant frugal forums, full of ideas and recipes to stretch food further..this may just have to become a regular occurrence in my new lifestyle. ( just to keep you up to date, the reason half my shop was missing in the first place was because the shops freezers had broken down, wasn’t their fault at all, but could and would only happen to me lol) well my mother didn’t call me calamity Jane for nothing 😁, until next time good folks, take good care of yourselves out there ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤