Day What Must It Be?

This is me, crawling back.  I am very very sorry.  Work suddenly exploded with busy-ness, and I was so tired at the end of the day that blogging just felt like more work.  Then, once things calmed down, I was embarrassed by the gap.  But I think I just have to leap back in, and hope for forgiveness.  As a peace offering, I have posted below a very wonderful recipe for Lemon Drizzle Cake.  :)

What to report in the meantime?  I shall gloss over some of the Downs, and concentrate instead on the major Up that was a very successful foraging expedition.  I put out a little call on facebook for anyone who knew of a bramble patch near to Edinburgh, and Friend Sharon from East Lothian replied that there were a whole lot down her way.  So one sunny Saturday afternoon in September, Friend Claire and I got the First Bus out to the highways and byways around Haddington.  Sure enough, the hedgerows were laden.

We spent a very happy couple of hours filling our tubs with brambles, and with some rosehips as well.  These are all currently in my freezer. Scottish brambles are not the lovely big juicy blackberries of the south of England, and the harvest is a little gritty and prickly, which makes them difficult to sort out and use fresh.  Rather, our intention is to make bramble jelly.  Friend Claire is sourcing some free apples from a neighbour's tree, and we plan having a jam-making day sometime soon.  We also need to track down a jelly bag, ideally, though some muslin could also do the job.  I have been on the phone to Mother, and she will keep us right.

It wasn't exactly a frugal day - the bus alone cost over £6 each - but in terms of getting out of the city to some glorious countryside, and time spent with a good friend, it beat a trip to the cinema.  The hedgerow harvest was almost a bonus, and the severely scratched hands but a badge of our righteousness.

Day 20: A Birthday and a Great Day Out

Home on the Farm

Home to Mum!

I am very very lucky, because whenever I need out of the big city, my mother lives only an hour and a half away.  What's more, she still lives on the family farm, way out in the beautiful countryside of southern Scotland.  I had to go there late yesterday night after handing in the keys, because apart from anything else, I had to return to her sheds the garden tools that I don't need this year in the flat. Having a parent with a farm is a great advantage in the storage department!  It is also a great place for a relaxing break, which will be very valuable this year.

But the main reason for coming home is that my nephews and nieces are all there this week.  And today is the oldest's birthday!  So what can you buy a 15 year old boy for £5?

To be frank, he is at the age where he would prefer just the money.  He is into sports and computer games, and that is about it.  But I dislike giving cash or tokens.  With careful shopping, one can make a £5 gift seem like a £10 one.  But there is no disguising a mere £5 note.

Amazon to the rescue!   I managed to track down a wallet for his darts for £5.76, which is a slight overspend, but not too bad.  Add a 50p card from Tesco's, and the total comes to £6.26.

Today I also joined in with his birthday treat, which was a day out with all six children to Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfriesshire.  This is a rather gorgeous privately-owned stately home, which I have been coming to all my life.  It is not a cheap option - entry into the grounds alone cost me £5 - but once there, you can spend the entire day walking or cycling the grounds, wandering around the gardens, or playing in the huge and wonderful adventure playground, which doesn't seem to have any age restrictions!  We took a packed lunch with us, and so no cost to me in the food department.  So all in all, though the day cost my mother (as doting grandmother) a great deal, it cost me my £5 entry fee and nothing more.  But it has been a lovely day, and I don't regret that £5 one bit!

So I am home again, among my boxes and crates of books, and have just cleared my bed so that I can actually sleep.  Good night xx


Total Expenditure: £12.56 (gift + card + entrance fee + one bus fare)