My living room.

I have finally got some photos to share of my living room as it is now.

This is a photo from the original estate agent:

Quite plain and very much a blank canvas.

This next is my own photo on the day I moved in:

And here is when I had stripped all the embossed wallpaper off the walls.

Here is how it looks now:

I have spent very little on it as all the furniture was mine already, I am lucky that I have collected nice furniture over the years, almost all second hand, with the exception of the sofa really. The curtains were a moving in present from my parents. I still have not had the windows and front door done (as you can see from the paint splattered front door) but that will be fairly soon. I would like a rug, because the floor is very cold (badly fitted carpet onto concrete with no underlay) but I will just keep my eyes open for a second hand one somewhere, sometime.

So approximately £40 on paint, £20 on a curtain pole (got discounted because it is missing a finial which I will have to add at a later date) and £29 for central light fitting and bulbs.

Total cost to me: £89 although £20 of that paint was woodwork paint which has done every room in the house, not just this one.


Here are a couple of pictures of my hall, very difficult to photograph well because it is very small and my camera is very crap, also had no before pictures, but like everything else, the walls were pale with embossed wallpaper and the woodwork was painted dark brown.

I have gone for the bold red because it makes a small, dull room a bit interesting and looks nice with my old black and white family photos and art deco lamp.
Total cost, £14 for paint.

Bad news and good news

I won't go into the bad news, because I will just go off on one and be cross and sound like a curmudgeon. Suffice to say, that sometimes other peoples complete and utter unreliability makes me furious. I am the sort of person that if I say that I will do something, then I will do it, no changing my mind, no wriggling out of it at a later date. Why can other people not stick to what they say? Not sticking to what this particular person in question said has just cost me £300 that I could ill afford, in fact, can't afford at all and all because of their complete and utter unreliability. I wouldn't mind if it were just once, but this has happened time and time again.
Rant over.

Good news now, so that I can end feeling uplifted.

My totally free cavity wall insulation has just been installed successfully this afternoon and I painted the bathroom its first coat. This is the final room needing painting, so nearly finished all decorating. I know I Haven't done photos of any of the rooms yet, this is because they are still all lacking some of the finishing touches. But soon, soon.
Is it my imagination or does it already feel warmer than it did in here? I have heard great things about Cavity Wall insulation so I am looking forward to testing it out for myself.

See, ending on positve things has had a good effect on me, I am feeling good and balanced again.

Can I live on £100 a month? and the ultimate frugal painting. AGAIN.

Hello all and welcome to my new followers, there has been a sudden influx of them.

I wrote this post the other day and some of you (I know at least one did) may have briefly seen the title appearing and then disappearing. For some reason my post was 'eaten' and I was fed up and so left it a few days to re-write it. Here goes.

I have been inspired by fellow blogger Scarlet to try an experiment. To see if I can live on £100 a month for the next couple of months. I am treating it as an experiment but underlying this there is a serious reason. As some of you may know, I am in desperate need of some new windows and doors, not just because they are ugly and falling apart (I could certainly live with that) but because they are a security risk. 2 of the back windows are rotten and falling to pieces, the patio doors can be lifted out with a spade and the front door would give way with a good hard shove from my shoulder. So quotes are in and doors are ordered leaving me with the very unpleasant task of paying for them. Now the last thing I want to do is to get in debt, moving here was to get away from those sorts of problems and to make my life simpler, easier and debt free. If I can live on the bare essentials for a couple of months then I can pay for the doors and windows and job done.

The upshot is that if I can hone all my basic needs and necessities down to £100 a month for a while then I can pay all of this off. Now there are a few people out there at the moment I notice who have recently named blog entries in a similar way to this, give or take a few pounds, I have seen living on £150 a month, living on £100 a month etc (you get the picture) and one thing these people seem to have in common is that they are feeding more than one mouth. Now I, on the other hand, have only myself to feed, so really this should be a doddle!

So the first of February came and I took out my first £50 to do a good stock piling shop. Did a little research on the net for the best prices for things and then went shopping, Aldi won the day for most things but was just beaten by ASDA for strong white bread flour which is only 60p there, so I popped in and bought 4 bags. Now I have a menu plan for 2 weeks, a fully stocked larder and freezer (still don't own a fridge, but watch this space) and £10 left in my wallet. So feeding myself is easy.

The challenge is set and the windows and doors are on their way.

Frugal Painting.

I have been painting away for a few weeks now, most is done and I just had the kitchen and bathroom left and a few coats of woodwork here and there to do. Basically I had put a hold on it, because I didn't really want to spend any more money on paint for a while so I was just going to live with the kitchen as it was.

The other day I was sorting out all the recycling bins (they had been left in a terrible state by the previous occupants, any old rubbish had been put in any old bin) and I discovered a half 10 litre can of trade magnolia in the bin. It seemed ok although I had to pick out a packet of antacids and a can of something unrecognisable but I found myself with an alright load of paint to use.

So cost to me doing the kitchen walls, £0.

It is done and I have just given the skirting boards and door the final coat of gloss.

I love getting something for nothing. (Speaking of which, my totally free cavity wall insulation comes on Tuesday and not a moment too soon considering the cold weather we are having).

I have put some pictures up in the kitchen now and once I have sorted everything out tomorrow it will be finished.

Getting seriously cross

In the last two days two of my blog entries has been corrupted between saving and posting. I have had to rewrite the first entirely and now it has just happened again. I almost can't be bothered to re-write it! What is going on here?

The Versatile Blogger

Thank you to Mum and Frugal in norfolk for nominating me for a 'Versatile Blogger Award'. It is always a pleasure to know that people enjoy my blog.

Here are the rules of the prize.

1. Thank the person who gave you this award.

2. Include a link to their blog.

3. Select blogs/bloggers that you've recently discovered and nominate them for this award.

4. Finally tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself.

I'm supposed to nominate new (to me) blogs that I find interesting and so I have chosen the following.

1 Two men and a little farm My top choice. I love this blog, always interesting and it kind of mirrors what I am attempting a little bit.

2.Mi Esquimal esta lleno de vino

3. A Journey to a Dream

4. The Frugal Graduate


7 things about me:

1. I studied piano and singing at the Royal Academy of Music and for the last 15 years since I have been a professional opera singer.

2. I love detective stories and series. Give me an Agatha Christie and I am happy for hours. Even much maligned series like Rosemary and Thyme hit the spot.

3. I read and re-read books all the time and if I had to name one indulgence it would be books. I can't get enough.

4. I have a slight phobia of crowds. (guess it partly explains my move from London)

5. My sister's nickname for me is Lambie (don't ask why)

6. I had a near death experience, twice.

7. I have only been able to drive since I was 35, three years ago.

I live in such a beautiful place

This is what I woke up to today.

I am a lucky man.

Slow cooker question

Hello all,

I have a question for those who have more experience with slow cookers than I do.

I have a whole free range chicken which I got from Lidl and I was planning on making a recipe from Nigellas kitchen book called Praised Chicken. Here is the recipe:


1 large chicken, preferably organic
2 teaspoons garlic oil
100ml white wine or dry white vermouth
2-3 leeks, cleaned, trimmed, and cut into approx. 7cm logs
2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into batons
1-2 sticks celery, sliced
approx. 2 litres cold water
1 bouquet garni or 1 teaspoon dried herbs
fresh parsley stalks or few sprigs, tied or banded together
2 teaspoons sea salt flakes or 1 teaspoon pouring salt
2 teaspoons red peppercorns, or good grinding pepper
chopped leaves, from parsley stalks above
chopped fresh dill
English mustard

Method
Serves: 4-8

Get out a large, flame-safe cooking pot (with a lid) in which the chicken can fit snugly: mine is about 28cm wide x 10cm deep.
On a washable board, un-truss the chicken, put it breast-side down and press down until you hear the breastbone crack. (As you may imagine, I like this.) Then press down again, so that the chicken is flattened slightly. Now cut off the ankle joints below the drumstick (but keep them); I find kitchen scissors up to the task.
Put the oil in the pan to heat, then brown the chicken for a few minutes breast-side down, and turn up the heat and turn over the chicken, tossing in the feet as you do so. Still over a vigorous heat add the wine or vermouth to the pan and let it bubble down a little before adding the leeks, carrots and celery.
Pour in enough cold water to cover the chicken, though the very top of it may poke out, then pop in the bouquet garni or your herbs of choice, and the parsley stalks (if I have a bunch, I cut the stalks off to use here, but leave them tied in the rubber band) or parsley sprigs
The chicken should be almost completely submerged by now and if not, do add some more cold water. You want it just about covered.
Bring to a bubble, clamp on the lid, turn the heat to very low and leave to cook for 1½–2 hours. I tend to give it 1½ hours, or 1 hour 40 minutes, then leave it to stand with the heat off, but the lid still on, for the remaining 20–30 minutes.
Serve the chicken and accompanying vegetables with brown basmati rice, adding a ladleful or two of liquid over each shallow bowl, as you go, and putting fresh dill and mustard on the table for the eaters to add as they wish. 




Now to the question.


I wonder how I would do the same recipe in a slow cooker or if it were possible, perhaps it would leave the chicken not cooked enough. Anyone ever tried a recipe like this in a slow cooker?