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Progress, lichen and paint
Hello Dear Reader,What's that red stuff? It's lichen, like a moss that grows over the house. It's because the air is so clean that the lichen thrives. It looks like rust. If you look at the...
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Batten down the hatches
Hello Dear Reader,We've shut up shop and headed back to the rented gite early. Poor DB bashed his head on a low door and we're both shattered. We've liaised with the artisans who...
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Uniquely French
Hello Dear Reader,A little share of something I love that is uniquely French.Bins. When i say bins, I thought I'd mention rubbish in general. The UK is a throw away society, France is so much more...
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Rescue dogs
Hello Dear Reader,I remember well, when my children were young and out of sorts, they'd just spend all day on my lap and everything else would be put on hold. My four legged friends have...
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Welcome 2016
Hello Dear Reader,I love new, a new day, a new week, a new term, a new coffee jar and especially a new year. I like change, I like different and I like fresh new starts. No matter what goes...
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Handy household hints. Pots and pans.
Hello Dear Reader,I'm one of those few people for whom order in my home equals calm in my head. I also work full time as well as having an hour and a half commute a day. I have a little and...
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Affordable recipes for coeliacs?
Hello Dear Reader,I'm moaning, feel free walk away. Having a medical diagnosis of being coeliac has been tough to balance a healthy but thrifty food budget. Most gluten free alternative are five...
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Pasta bake and frittata
Hello Dear Reader,Yesterday, we had a tiny free range roast chicken and there wasn't enough left to make another meal for us both tonight. I did have plenty of veggies and cooked for a couple of...
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Chickpea and butternut squash curry
Hello Dear Reader,Cheats quick supper. You know how it goes, a drive home in the dark, a ferry trip and another dark drive. £1.72 in total and 43p per portion as there's enough for four meals....
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Efficiently, effectively and with economy.
Hello Dear Reader,It's that time of year again. It's the time of year when people take stock of finances. Some people might repeatedly ask the question, where does my salary go? Whereas a more...
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Streeeeeeeetching Meals
Hello Dear Reader,Nothing fantastic about my cooking of late. Our dark drive at either end of our day is tiring and with the poor visibility and constant rain it's miserable too. Food just needs...
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Gluten free Lasagne
Hello Dear Reader,Nothing styled here! My oven is on its last legs and most thing 'catch' but here's my gluten free lasagne. I've cooked tonight and there's enough for me to have a night off...
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Does it make financial sense?
Hello Dear Reader,I think I've cracked it. I think I've got a balance of doing what I want to do, when I want to do it and making sure I can afford it when I do. It's not been easy and at one stage the...
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Less cooking, money saving
Hello Dear Reader,I'm into my stride now my work pattern is back to normal. Weekends have a rhythm to them of giving the house a deep clean, get the laundry done and cooking for a few days....
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Stocked up with plenty in store?
Hello Dear Reader,If you've ever been really skint at any time in your life, then you'll get this. I grew up with no money and as a family we were always skint and there was never enough. I left home...
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French kitchen
Hello Dear Reader,You'll have to use some imagination. The sideboard is work top height and will be a kitchen base. The pine shelves will be kitchen 'units'. Both bought locally via eBay...
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Cowboy potatoes and beans
Hello Dear Reader,Cowboy potatoes? It's any potatoes, cooked with onions in a skillet. It's not the healthiest recipe but once in a while it's a big hit. We've always loved this since we used to...
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Thrifty French renovations
Hello Dear Reader,Thrifty renovations are underway in our absence. Our back door was rotten, didn't close properly and had no window. As with many French houses,...
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Helping others to avoid debt.
Hello Dear Reader,The biggest difficulty of having either debt or a low income is access to ready cash. It puts people in a debt cycle as there will always be a time when the washing machine...
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Liver and Bacon Casserole
Hello Dear Reader,I noticed when I was in France that there lots of cuts of offal for sale and it was relatively expensive. We saw everything from tripe to pigs heads and trotters which some...
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