Bye Bye to Buy! Buy!

 

I’ve thought long and hard about committing to this. Basically for all of 2014 I will not be buying stuff, at all, nothing, nada – gulp!

 

 

I’ll be afflicted with empty trolley syndrome. There’ll be repercussions though,  Amazon’s profits will drop drastically, Ikea will have to lay off some of their lorry drivers and Appliances Online will be sending me a get well card. On the other hand my postie’s bad back should improve loads and I look forward to seeing him happily skipping down our road with a virtually empty bag.

 

Painting by Karen Hollingsworth

 

There are rules and exceptions to them -

Food and drink for me and pussycats and local wildlife – allowed.

Petrol and cut price rail travel – allowed.

The odd cup of coffee when I’m writing in internet cafe – allowed

I’m allowed to buy craft supplies for my business and if my laptop blows up I can get a replacement as it’s needed for my writing.

I’m not allowed to buy craft supplies for personal use though and if I want to make something I have to delve into my sizeable stash. The exception to this is my crochet flower afghan, I’m using up odds and ends of wool for the flowers part but I need white DK wool for the background so that’s on my permitted list.

 

All books will be borrowed from the library in person (no paying 60p a time in online reservation fees).

No clothes buying either as I have loads in my wardrobe and if I get a little bit more exercise in 2014 I can drag out the ‘one day I’ll fit into this’ clothes box from under the bed for even more choice!

Definitely no more buying of vintage sewing patterns – this is going to be a hard one to keep and there may be tears (lots). I’ll just have to make stuff from the patterns I already have.

 

 

No sweets, packets of biscuits or great big door step sized scones oozing thick melting butter and fruity jams. No I will simply turn my back on them (who am I kidding?).

A bit of a stern year ahead, but I do plan to have fun on the cheap in my own weird and wonderful way. And the reason for this adopted frugal lifestyle? I’m building my own beautiful little eco house, off the grid and as self sufficient as I can humanly make it!!

 

Slainte

 

Linda xx

An Indie Christmas

This year I’ve resolved to stay away from the High Street and not do any Christmas shopping in big name stores like M&S, Debenhams etc. Instead all my Chrissie pressies will either be handmade by me or bought from independent craft artists and sellers. I’d rather support a small business where the goods are well made and unique in style. For instance I’ve just bought something via a fellow Brit crafter – (can’t say at the moment what it is as the recipient of the pressie reads this blog and it’ll spoil the surprise). It arrived beautifully wrapped with a lovely little card. A small business owner who obviously takes pride in her work. Beats the pants off a cardboard box and miles of paper stuffed inside from Amazon, who I am sure will be sending me a get well card this year as I haven’t spent a single penny with them.

 

 

As a recipient of handmade gifts I love that the maker has thought enough of me to make something that he or she knows I will like. You can’t get that on the High Street. Actually you can’t even get parking on the High Street these days. My local council’s parking charges are so ridiculously high that they are doing real damage to small trader businesses.

 

So many family owned shops have disappeared over the last year. All those unusual quirky little shops gone for good and what we have left are the stores selling uniformity. Yuck, what a nightmare! As Ray Davies once sang “Here come the people in grey”

 

From the film “Metropolis - 1927”

So why give your local little one man or woman band business a try this Christmas and support someone’s dream. It’ll be a much more rewarding experience than filling the coffers of the Fat Cat Factory owners who don’t give a damn about products or people.

 

Slainte

 

Linda xxx

Watch the Birdie

Yesterday I took myself off to our local RSPB reserve for a bit of a wander with my bins. I’m impressed with myself cos I normally forget them and leave them on the kitchen counter. I think I might have picked the wrong day to go a visiting as there were hordes of people on the reserve – could have been a club outing. Probably about 5% of them were actually interested in the wildlife. I cannot for the life of me work out how groups of people all walking around a wildlife sensitive area with all the latest scopes and bins hanging off their bodies and gabbling at the tops of their voices expect to see any birds at all.
Or going to the other extreme when you are on your own and about to pass another single person when that person will put their head down or look into the distance and totally ignore you (I was dressed normally and wasn’t wearing anything scary – honest). Weird – I always give a cheery hello to everyone I pass. Had two of those yesterday.
Anyway despite the gabblers I managed to see some beautiful Teal wildfowl, loads of Canada Geese and Lapwing.

Pic Courtesy of UK Nature Blog

The deer were out in full force as well

But the icing on the cake was the sighting of a Peregrine falcon sitting high up in a tree overlooking the wetlands. She’s been a resident at the reserve for a couple of years now and this is her favourite spot. Sadly I didn’t have my long lens with me, so had to be content with looking at her with my bins.

Of all the birds of prey photos I’ve taken over the years this Peregrine pic is my favourite. That hooked beak is lethal!

Off now to make the tea and get cleared up before Amazing Spaces comes on – steady now Ilona!!!!

Slainte

Linda xx