Monday, 20-11-23

A very good morning to everyone.  A new week starts as November races away.  Will this be the week the garden room is finished.  I have absolutely no idea but live in hope.

I've checked the milk, the coffee, the tea bags and the biscuits.  Yup, all prepared!  Bring it on again.

Yesterday turned out to be busier than I anticipated.

I went out to B&M and had a wonderful time wandering around.  When you don't go to these bargain shops very often, it's a lot of fun to see what stuff they have on the shelves - it can be so very random.
There was not a sniff of suitcases but I got a couple of gifts, a few grocery items, a very cute little angel decoration (no, I didn't NEED it) and when I looked around the flat pack area, new since the last time, I found a simple shoe rack (for the hall) and a five shelf corner unit for the garden room - cheap and cheerful (and reduced)!

Then I crossed the road to Aldi, still hunting for jars of roasted red peppers in brine.  No luck but they had some thin cut steak slices which will be perfect for steak sarnies, etc.  I think they used to be wrapped around a stuffing and called beef olives which has a nice Mediterranean vibe to it!  I can use them for all sorts of things and they weren't terribly expensive either.  Oh, and some little stollen bites for Christmas Tree Day next weekend.

I dithered about going on to Lidl.  It's very close but the roundabout (the Army and Navy for those who know the area) was a bit of a nightmare.  In the end I did and, as the traffic lights were on, it was more ordered on the roundabout than I expected.

Don't know why I bothered though.  I was reminded of why I never go to out local Lidl.  It was chaotic - stuff all over the place, piles of stuff on the floor - I know you can't expect Waitrose level displays in Lidl but if Aldi can manage a degree of organisation . . .
And no, they didn't have any roasted peppers either.  Nor did Farm Foods next door.  Looks like there's a genuine shortage around here.
To add insult to injury, when I watched a YouTube cooking haul vlog later, what did she flaunt?  Yup!  Huh!!!

When I got home, after unloading and putting away, I first put the shoe rack together.  Dead easy except that I needed to give it a few good bangs with the meat tenderiser to keep it together.  At £6, what can you expect and it's fine now.  

Then I set to with the corner unit.  It should have been easy if I had read the instructions more carefully!  Anyway, I mantled it (opposite of dismantled, you know . . .) - note to self - get an electric screwdriver kit - and it was all wonky.  Aaaarrrrgggghhhh.  So I sulked, had a splendid roast dinner, re-read the instructions, took it apart and started again.  And got it right.  It was easier second time, much less wearing on the wrists.

So here it is, looking right out of place out of the way in the living room next to one of the chairs that will also go into the garden room.

It's cheap and cheerful but I think it will be just right (for now) and, like the shoe rack, what more can you expect for £30?

The little angel is on the second shelf although she might not be that clear in the photo - she is also garden room bound..

By the time I had finished that and tidied up all the packaging, I was a bit done so the sorting and the washing have been deferred.  It's not urgent.

Today consists of coffee making, small group circuits and Matalan (looking at suitcases).  Actually, I only need one.  I remembered that I have a quite old but hardly used suitcase and when I popped it on the scales to weigh it, it was, surprisingly, very light.  That will do for one so I just need one more; fingers crossed for Matalan - several of you have said how good Matalan is for cases.

I might do sorting and I will do at least one load of washing because I'm going to get it in early.  Apart from that (and the usual stuff), that's my day.  Circuits will be great fun, I think, and I'm always up for a wander around a shop for a short while.  If I feel like a bit of kitchen creativity, there's always mince pies to make.   :-)

Happy Monday to you all.  xx