Thursday and Friday

Thursday

Has been another get stuck in day, this time focused on cleaning the fridge out and then the kitchen.  Fridge has had a major clean out and overhaul and then been refilled with a lot of stuff which will be cleared in the next couple of days.  Well pleased I got that done.

I had used an old sweetie box (poly tub) for the Stinking Bishop cheese and it has worked remarkably well.  What is the bottom where the sweets were held is now the top, and the actual lid the cheese is sat on.  So a reverse use of the box but it has kept the fridge free from the pungent cheese aroma contained inside.

The new cheese i.e. the Baron Bigod and then the Half moon of Colston Bassett arrived yesterday. I tried to decant them into a large cheese carrier I have.  The cheese goes in there extremely well, it is just that I cannot close the fridge door with the carrier in.  So that's a no then.

Friday

Is mainly to be a shopping day so that I can get as much of the outstanding shopping sorted and done and dusted.  Then I can concentrate on the house and the baking.

As planned, it has been a shopping day.  I did not get out the house until 11:00am and then did not come home until about 5:30pm.  Very tired but very pleased with how well I did in the circumstances.

I started off in Peterborough City itself heading down Bridge Street going into a Charity shop and managing to buy a beautiful Wedgwood Mantlepiece vase for under £10.  I was very pleased with the purchase as had been looking for one of these for absolute ages.  I have a thing about vintage vases, I think because my Nan had such a beautiful set of vases from 1930s onwards and I grew up with them.  Aesthetically they are much more pleasing than some of today's offerings.  However, sadly it got broke on the way home.  Totally gutted.  Here is hoping that I find another one soon.  It was a creamy white colour with lots of pleats in it.

I then went into B & M.  I cannot carry as much as I used to these days and so I plan on going back here.  I bought a couple of things but there were a few more that I would very much like.  If I go back it will be just to here.

I then went into the Queensgate Shopping Centre.  Since John Lewis' moved out, Covid and then M & S moved out the centre looks very lack lustre, and the decorations this year were not the standard they have been thus far with the centre. It used to be very vibrant and the decorations were second to none. Quite disappointing.  Even the loos are in the bottom of the multi storey car park.  Waitrose and M & S had super ones; cannot say the car park ones are the best!  Apparently though the House of Fraser are to be taking over what was the John Lewis Store in the future.

However, Sostrene Grene have moved into the Centre.  Wow, wow and wow again.  Totally fell in love with this shop and the products.  Reasonably priced and lots of lovely pieces for crafting items.  To tell the truth because I was limited on time I did not manage to look at all the little stalls within the shop. Extremely cheap prices on long taper candles and in lots of lovely colours.  They are that little bit taller than normal candles. However their Christmas decorations were so lovely.  Some have come home with me, and I will do a post on these soon as really these have been bought to decorate next year and to go with some other items have managed to find.  I really am hoping to get back in here before Christmas itself as they had some beautiful green glass baubles which I have my eye on.  Not only have they lovely items, but had some beautiful Christmas fabrics as well, so you could potentially unleash your own creativity with this.  I did buy some Mistletoe napkins.  I have a couple of large pillar candles which I intend to decorate (Decoupage) with the outer layer of the napkin. One of the embroidery kits I bought features a Mistletoe image and is one of the reasons that I bought the kit.  This should all fit in nicely and blend together.

I first started off at The Pound Shop which has a big newer store twice the size of the other store and I was pleased to find several items there on the sweetie front, but also on the decorating front, but not as much as I had hoped. I did find a couple of pine cone candles though.  I have a thing about pine cones.

From there I went on to George at Asda.  I found a pair of ankle boots which I quite liked, however since having surgery on my feet, I tend to be in flatter shoes, even though I like the elevation of a heel, sometimes the walking in such items causes a lot of discomfort in my fee.  I did try them on and I did like them, but do not want to do myself a permanent mischief.  I therefore left them.  When I go back if they still have some in, I may buy them.  Just wasn't completely sure, so decided to err on the side of caution.  I actually came out without anything.

I then went to Hobbycraft.  This is a favourite shop to go to, and indeed when we go down to Cornwall we usually go to the shop in Truro.  I haven't been for a long while though, and today came out with some Christmas decorations, a couple of wooden block Christmas trees and a small sled for decorating one of the units.

I then went to the M & S shop in Peterborough now which is in a very big unit and with having the other store in town (now closed) you used to have plenty of space between everything.  Not now everything is cramped together, they have stopped selling a lot of their beautiful homewares and certainly do not have any furniture in there.  It was certainly not what you would expect from M & S.  Me thinks they have taken a side-track here.  Then looking through the Women's clothing I came across a couple of jumpers I quite liked the look of; my style of clothing.  However I gasped at the price tag £50 each, not even wool or hand-knitted.  No way can I afford those sort of prices.  Very disappointing.

The food section has some nice bits, but a lot of their special items for Christmas I just was not impressed with.  I collect biscuit tins, that sort of thing, but the musical tins this year - nope I just was not taken with them.  The fresh food and a lot of other items are always extremely good quality; the prices are often that bit more.

From M & S we then hit Morrisons and I came away with a trolley full of bits and bobs from there.  I was jiffled along though as G was with me this time and did not get what I was after.  However, I still have to go to Waitrose and also go back to B & M as well and Sostrene & Grene.  Might be tomorrow or even Monday at the latest.  Will see how things pan out.

That should do it on the shopping front for Christmas this year.  Still have not finished stocking the Pantry though.  That will happen before New Year.  However the Pantry is a lot healthier than it has been and will be even more so by the time we have finished.  I aim for January just to buy fresh items as needed rather than a big shop although sporadic through various shops rather than all in one place.  I very much "cherry pick" the items we want  these days rather than place all my eggs in one basket as it were.

Tea tonight was a combination of things.  I found a fresh Baguette at M & S Bakery section  and came out with one of those and some Chicken Liver Pate.  Whilst in Morrison's G found some Crevettes and so we had some of those cooked for tea and served with some slices of the Baguette.  We then finished off with the pate.  Went down very nicely and all washed down with a glass of Lager & Lime, which went down very nicely indeed.  And pudding, yes there was pudding a French Patisserie Tart each covered in pretty fruit. Very yummy it was too.

Hope everyone has had a lovely day, and is keeping warm and safe.

Back to the grind for me tomorrow trying to get the house back to square one.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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