Monthly Archives: August 2015

Thrifty Renovations and preparations

Uncategorized
Hello Dear Reader,
Back home until next year. It’s left me really determined to squeeze every pound until it cries. I shall be meal planning, having as many no spend weeks as possible and keep renovating the house with what we have, or bought at bargain prices from eBay, from free ads, or homemade.
I have lots of odds and ends of upholstery and curtain material. I shall freshen up rooms with a coat of white paint, laundering the curtains and adding cushions. Here’s my cushion today, I have some cushion pads in the post from eBay that cost under £1 each. Some of the cushions will be Christmas gifts as well.
We are yet to buy carpet but we’ll delay that for as long as possible, we don’t miss it. It’s so hard to keep clean too.
Here’s the frugal plan for the weeks ahead: meal plans, top up savings by another 5% each month, reduce water consumption, make the most of every outdoor drying day, cook ever other day to use less energy, collect pallets from the industrial estate and build up kindling supply, pull some newspapers out of the recycling bin to use for fire starting, collect pine cones on dog walks to burn in the fire, check on sloes for making sloe gin gifts, check on damsons for making damson jelly. The latter should be ready to pick mid to late September.
I’m already thinking of a trip next year and want to put money aside for that too.
If I’m thrifty, we’ll do it.
What are your thrifty plans for the weeks ahead? Are you planning now for the colder months?
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxx

Quimper and Pont L’Abbe

Uncategorized

Hello Dear Reader,
We visited Quimper today, pronounced camp-air, as usual the emphasis is on the last syllable, not the first. We mooched about to get our bearings and found the ‘halle’ - a covered market where individual traders have their stalls. There were four fish traders. All busy with customers. Britain! Wake up and eat more fish!! It’s wonderful food, people risk their lives for it and most British fish goes to France and Spain. At this rate, I could become a fish blogger.
They prepared fish, even my bad French got some gurnard filleted for our supper. I cooked it with a bit of olive oil outside on the barbecue.
These are my favourite, but no langoustine today.
Sorry about the odd colour, no massive strip lights, just the filtered light coming through the glass roof. A plate of fruit de mer, people have this on special occasions and a family share this for a Sunday lunch.
I liked the curved cross beams.
Some small producers just sold a few items. If you wanted something else, you wander to another stall. This man mainly sold radish.
Vegetables, no packets, with dirt on them. You wash them when you get home. Fish are entire, heads, eyes, the lot. They just wrap it in paper and even give you the carcass even if you’ve asked them to fillet it. (Boil up the carcass and head, with celery, carrots and onion to make fish stock)
Squid, another favourite, just slice and cook lightly in oil, add garlic and tomatoes.
Timber framed buildings.
Sad miniature pony and donkey, I didn’t have the French to tell the owner that I thought he was the ass for tethering them for ages until children want a ride. It’s what I wanted to say though. They don’t deserve a little life like this.
If you want to sight see and not walk, you can ride the little train. We did for €6/£4.38 each for a thirty minute ride. The guide was obviously in French, I understood enough to look in the right direction, at a church, theatres, public gardens, monuments which in the main seemed dedicated to someone, I’d never heard of who had done something in the Revolution.
Old buildings, lots of old mill workings along the rivers that criss cross the city. England has so many of these that sadly were covered and became tunnels……progress they called it. I prefer the water on sight.
The river, or estuary as it’s tidal runs through the centre as is behind that row of trees.
One of so many shabby buildings. I wonder, if you’ve that much history if you just take it for granted. A lot of the town is shabby but I thought it added to the charm. Faded glory?
We sat a while in the Cathedral. I love the painted walls, the frescos and statues. So brightly coloured unlike the post reformation cathedrals in the UK that have bare walls. And yes, photos were allowed.
We walked back to the car, this time the tide was rising and the river was full of fish, surface feeding. This is a close up, in some places the amount of fish was thicker than this.
The photo above is in Pont L’Abbee. Not as pretty as Pont Aven. Lots of derelict buildings. The facade of the crumbling cinema, those modernist 1930 lines. Here? Kevin Mc Cloud and some restorers would have been all over this. The outskirts of the town had new housing developments springing up whilst the town had river front houses with shutters hanging off their hinges. New houses are expensive, old houses are expensive to restore. Poor old towns suffer, it’s a sign of the times.
A wedding took place when we were there. Cars with ribbons, bows and flowers. A small party of around a dozen people who formed a parade of cars, driving around cheering and hooting their car horns.
The church roof was amazing. If Darth Vader had his own church, he’d have a roof like this bell tower.
Some houses are so grand…..can you imagine the dusting in this place!
This sad stature was on the quayside, they are fishermen’s wives, praying for their safe return. Can you see their clogs?
I liove their old houses, the doors, shutters, ornate gates, balconies and if you’ve got the price of a family car, you can buy one. It will need plumbing, electrics and major repairs but if you had the skill, time and strength you could renovate one. I don’t think French people want a building project and it looks like they prefer new houses.
Last day tomorrow, we’ll fit in some more of our tour of Finistere before we get on the ferry just before five in the evening.
Until then,
Love Froogs xxxc

Sweden, Pont Aven and armed police.

Uncategorized

Hello Dear Reader,
We set off this morning, at a leisurely late pace and went to Brest. We were there and back within four hours and our destination? Ikea! It might sound bizarre but it was the most pleasant Ikea experience I’ve ever had. It was three times the size of the Bristol ikea, no queuing to get from the M5 to the M4, no queuing on the M32, just an easy drive and then no-queuing to park, no queuing and shuffling around the shop, no queues in the restaurant. No screaming families who’d driven from either Penzance or the middle of Wales and an easy shopping experience. We’ve wanted to order some bedroom furniture and wanted to see it for real. Travelling around France is easy as the country has more roads than users instead of the opposite in the UK. Lunch as cheap, €12.80 for both our lunches and drink refills didn’t cost extra, although we just had a carafe of water. Normally, ikea leaves me feeling shaken but I loved it. France, you have great roads and your shops are vast! I’m now saving for bedroom sliding storage too. Originally, we aimed to go into Brest itself but changed our mind and had left by 12.30.
Then, instead of heading straight back to La Foret Fousnant, we went to Pont Aven. I’ve always wanted to go to this little town that sits either side of the river Aven. I’m always stunned, coming from Cornwall, that so many houses, even in tourist areas are left almost derelict. Space, land, property in Cornwall and the UK in general is at a premium and everything gets developed, or sold or let out to someone who will rent it. Everything is worth something to someone.
I’m also stunned with public spending here. Parking is mostly free, I haven’t paid anywhere yet at all. Streets are clean, public places are beautiful and I haven’t seen a piece of litter…..lots of public workers keeping towns and villages in good order. Public loos are open, free and everywhere.
Here’s some of the gorgeous flowers. We kept sitting and looking and ooooing and aaaahing at the lovely sights.
All down the river is evidence of old mills and their mill workings.
Then, there were many many boats, kayaks, paddle boarders and as we stood there boats went out on the tide.
Another mention of public services, this morning I heard the old fashioned sirens, like a childhood memory of nee, nar, nee, nar…..and when we left the gendarmerie were at a local house. When we returned there were ten or more gendarmes (never noticed until today that they are armed with hand guns strapped to their belts) and attending to something, not sure what, at a house nearby. It’s a quiet seaside village and had access to a lot of police. Our small town at home, like so many have nothing more than token officers who seem to drive by on the day that my town is on the rota.
Sorry to mention all that, I hope no one was hurt, nor a family member found left alone in a ‘bad way’ but I have a feeling it was very serious. I was fascinated to see so many gendarmes in one place.
Now, I’m sat in the decking with a mug of tea in lovely sunshine at seven thirty in the evening. There’s cauliflower cheese in the oven, a salad ready and we’ll go for an evening stroll to the port after supper.

What a day, an easy drive, a taste of Sweden, a beautiful town and police armed to the teeth at the seaside.
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxx

Concarneau

Uncategorized
Hello Dear Reader,
It’s been ten years since we’ve been to Concarneau. It’s an old walled town on the southern coast of Finistere. I’ve avoided it as its so full of people but I’m so glad we went back. I’ll leave you with the photos.
Gate to the old town.
Warm days and flowers blooming every where. The French have a real sense of civic pride.
Timber framed houses.
I love the French post boxes.
There’s lots of shops and places to eat.
Water fountain.
It was magical to return. We walked around modern Concarneau too, had a coffee and watched the world go by. We are so tired today after a stormy crossing and driving through torrential rain it was joyous to get out and walk in the warm afternoon sun.
We found a supermarket on our way home, bought presents for my mum’s birthday and for the house sitter. We also bought some prawns and a melon so we’ve added a starter and dessert to our evening meal. We’re staying in our friends’ lovely mobile home which is surrounded by woodland and already, this feels like it’s going to be an anniversary trip to remember.
We’re going some where else tomorrow…..promise I’ll share it.
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxx

Celebrating another year together

Uncategorized
We’re off.
It’s wonderfully quiet on the ferry and we’re having a bottle of wine to celebrate our anniversary. I used to dislike the journey but I’ve done it so often that I relax the moment I’m on the ferry.
As I’ve said before, we can’t take money with us and there’s no point in being thrifty for the sake of it.
Now, I’m off to gaze at my gorgeous others half.
Until I get 3G again,
Love Froogs xxxxx

How to save time and money in the kitchen

money saving
Hello Dear Reader,
I’m off to France tomorrow. No beach and lazing this time but a bit of a French bucket list trip to visit places I’ve always wanted to see. We’re staying in a friend’s accommodation and we’ve got a bit of work to do there to pay for our stay. Then, after that….we are off out. We’ve put stickers on the map and intend getting out and about every day.
I’ve cooked to put ‘ready meals’ in my freezer and we’ll take some frozen with us and we’ll pick up easy food when we get such as sliced meat and bags of salad.
I don’t just do this for trips but whenever I have to stretch time and money. There’s a lot of chicken here as I bought a kilo of frozen chicken breasts and I’ve defrosted the lot and cooked them all into meals. I also defrosted a kilo of minced beef and cooked it all into a variety of recipes in one go. It took me all morning and yes, there was a whole tonne of washing up and I’m shattered but it saves me time and money. The freezer dishes were 10 for 99p (99p store) and I recycle them a couple of times before they go in the recycle bin.
I made 16 meals in total and they’ve filled one drawer in the fridge freezer. Often, people get tired, have busy lives and just don’t feel like cooking. I know I need a night off cooking here and there and a ready meal in the freezer saves me time and money. For most households, food is the biggest expense next to rent or mortgage and if any of us can save money on that massive bill then it makes a genuine difference to a family’s budget.
You won’t hear from me tomorrow and I don’t know how good 3G wherever we go but you can keep up to date with me on Instagram where I’ll be snapping away at all the lovely sights that I see.
Until I get a signal again,
Love Froogs xxxxx

Using leftovers and cooking bargains.

frugal food

Hello Dear Reader,
I had half a jar of chickpeas in the fridge, drained them and popped them on a baking tray with spray oil, salt and pepper and some curry powder. I baked them, with the occasional shake of the baking tray for 15 mins at 180. I don’t often eat salty snacks but these are great even if a bit filling. It saved wasting them.
Last night, I popped to Morrisons and couldn’t resist the sausage casserole for 55p! I cooked some mini baked potatoes and it fed DB and son ( I couldn’t eat the gluten). I don’t often find bargains as good as this and I wasn’t going to leave it there. I picked up bags of salad for 9p and packs of sliced chicken for 19p, so chicken and salad for me.
Over to you Dear a Reader, whose picked up some supermarket bargains recently?
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxx

Scrapping around in my sewing room

quilting

Hello Dear Reader,
I just can’t part with fabric. I love using every last scrap of it. I’m in the middle of making a quilt……for me! I’ll share that with you when it’s finished.
I’ve spent the day cleaning. I’ve had a thorough clean today and have cleaned with white vinegar. It doesn’t leave a smell but whilst I’m cleaning, the love the acidity that cuts through any dirt. My windows, hard surfaces, wall and floor tiles are gleaming. I usually use ecover, but I missed the local store that closes for the weekend on Saturday lunchtime. I’d almost forgotten what an amazing cleaner vinegar is.
The floors are swept and washed, the beds are freshly changed, everything has had a deep clean as we prepare for a short break. We’re off to Finisterre in Brittany, staying in our friends’ home and it’s very kind of them. We have a list of places we’d like to visit from Pont Aven, Quimper, Pontivy and little villages here and there.
The quilt above, now known as our holiday quilt, is coming with us. Below? That’s the making of a new quilt made entirely of scraps. I’ve made 11″ squares and used 1.5″ strips to join the blocks.
I’m off to visit friends tomorrow and get the door key. We go somewhere every August bank holiday to celebrate our wedding aniversary. I’ll cook on Monday to take food with us so we have evening meals ready after days out. A few cheap lunches in cafes and picnics (weather permitting) and lots of walking and cycling. We’ll be back again on Sunday night.
DB has an odd request of something to see in Brest…..I hope we find it as he’s looking forward to it. Anyone want a guess? We’ll be staying in La Foret Fousnant, pronounced la foraay fwee non. We’ll have fun for a short break discovering new places.
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxx

Cornish crab risotto

Uncategorized

Hello Dear Reader,
Bit of a posh recipe day. I went off to the fishmongers really wanting scallops but crab took my fancy today.
I thought I’d share our local little shop. Pengelly’s deserve some promotion and my favourite local greengrocers Beddoe’s is just next door.
It’s all from Looe fish market right in the quay.
There’s always something on offer.
I picked up a couple of free fish, after the other customers had bought the fillets to boil up for fish stock for my risotto.
My luxury item, a dressed Cornish crab. The risotto would easily serve four and we really over did it. It is a rare treat!
I served the risotto with spinach and lettuce.
Dressing
2 tbsp of olive oil
Squeeze lemon juice
Finely chopped parsley
Shake in a jam jar and drizzle onto the salad.
To make the risotto
Litre of fish stock - your local fishmonger will give you a carcass or two.
1 diced cougette
1 small diced onion
1 cup of arborio rice
1 large clove of garlic, diced
Handful of diced parsley - I used some for the salad dressing
40g butter
1 tbsp of olive oil
Lemon juice
Heat the olive oil and butter
Sauté the courgette and onion
After three minutes add the garlic for just thirty seconds.
Add the rice and coat well in the butter and oil.
Add the fish stock, I add the lot, keep stirring until absorbed, when the rice still has some bite but is cooked. Add lemon juice to taste.
Add the crab, leave a little to pop on top.

It was totally luxurious. I’ve seen this on restaurant menus but never stepped through the door to pay the £18 or more to eat it!! For us, this was expensive at £3.50 each but it was really worth it. However, this would have easily served four.
Over to you Dear Reader, if you were going to push the boat out, what would you go for?
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxx

Who’s still eating salad?

frugal food

Hello Dear Reader,
As I no longer eat sandwiches and anyone who’s tried to eat gluten free bread will understand why; I tend to eat mainly salad for lunch. In the winter it will be soup but whilst it’s still warm, then a quick salad is just perfect.
I called into our greengrocers this morning to pick up salad and brought some reduced spinach too.
Here’s what went into my salad today
Bed of lettuce, with tomatoes and cucumber - all Cornish, I try and buy local when ever I can.
Wilted spinach with chickpeas and pink onion - I’ve a few left I brought back from Roscoff.
Sprinkle of feta cheese on top. It’s only 50g of cheese but crumbling it makes it go further. The chickpeas are really filling and the spinach is a real favourite of ours. If I’m feeling tired or ‘under the weather’, I start craving dark green vegetables. I also added a few sun dried tomatoes that I sliced and added to.
Dinner is roast lamb with kale, carrots and beans. I’m cooking tonight for tomorrow as well as it saves energy, mine and the energy we pay for. In case you wonder what I eat between, I usually need an apple around 4.30, again, if you’ve ever tried gluten free biscuits or cakes, you’ll know why I steer clear of them.
Over to you Dear Reader, what do you crave if you feel tired?
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxxx