Next week's challenge

Hello, dedicated blog-watchers. I thought you might like advance notice of next week's challenge. It's going to be all about 'Keeping clean, keeping green': housework, the eco-friendly way. If you have any tips to share, please do send them in! I'm hoping Wise-Egg will share her '101 Uses of Borax', at the very least.

Of course, I may have missed the point a little...

...with my 'list of things I have thus far refrained from purchasing'. For the most part, they are things I will buy at some point, just not while the challenge is on. (I know, I know!) Still, I have discovered that one can live without buying all that much and that a lot of the stuff I buy is not strictly necessary. Plus, I have got more enthusiastic about charity shops. TR and the Mouse are clad mostly in hand-me-downs and charity shop gear, because they look cute in the kind of clothes we find that way, but I didn't used to shop that way much for myself. I never thought I could find much that I liked, but I now realise I was just being lazy and did not want to search through the racks. (I'm like that in 'new' clothes shops too - if it's not facing out, I can't be bothered to find it.)

Anyway, although I'm not promising never to buy new again (and I really do want to buy a new washing-up bowl!), doing this week's 'challenge' has made a difference to my outlook, I think. How about you?

Not buying new stuff in Alton

On Wednesday, TR, Mr and Mrs Gramps and I ventured to the self-proclaimed 'friendliest town in the Hampshire countryside,' Alton. And what a pleasant little place it is! We travelled there by train. This was TR's idea and he was richly rewarded with a glimpse of some steam engines at Alton Station. From there we walked to Lantern Foods; in part because Mrs Gramps and I are suckers for nice little organic-type shops, but also because both she and TR have to follow a gluten-free diet and Lantern Foods has a good selection of suitable foods. I think whoever came up with the 'friendliest town' tagline might have been here, as its proprietors, John and Mary-Anne Barber, are two of the friendliest shop-keepers around. Not only that, but they are just about the south-east's only stockists of Teff flour, with which I am hoping to make TR some gluten-free breadsticks.

After stocking up on food (and Ecover dishwasher rinse aid, but Mrs Gramps says that's OK because it is a consumable), we went for coffee in the excellent Botega dei Sapori, Italian shop and delicatessen, where Mrs Gramps enjoyed a generous slice of gluten-free polenta cake. Unfortunately for TR, he fell asleep in Lantern Foods (he has a man's approach to shopping) and so missed out on the cake.

We then made our way up the High Street to explore the charity shops. Alton seems to be a good place to do this, as it has enough reasonably wealthy people to ensure that the goods passed onto to charity shops are of pretty good quality in the first place. I emerged with a T-shirt, a long-sleeved top and a pair of curtains for TR's bedroom. TR did well, having fleeced Mrs Gramps for a Buckaroo-style Bob the Builder game ('Barrow Up Bob', which sounds a tad uncomfortable for Bob, now I come to think of it) and a Thomas the Tank Engine book.

I am very pleased with my not-new purchases and TR and the Mouse are delighted with Bob and his unfortunately placed barrow.

Among the things I have thus far refrained from purchasing are...

1. New bedding for TR.

2. Black-out linings for TR's bedroom curtains (see next post)

3. A new slotted spoon for the kitchen

4. A new washing-up bowl

5. Knee-high brown boots for me (OK, I'm not going to buy them, anyway - I just fancy a pair)

On the downside, I did forget my mission and bought a wedding anniversary card. I could have made one really, couldn't I? We are awash with craft materials in this house, which just goes to illustrate my point about not buying new stuff. Or would do, had I remembered.

Hurrah! Mrs MacGregor is back!

Welcome back, Mrs MacGregor! I am overjoyed to know that I now have an audience of three! So pleased, in fact, that I gave you your very own post.