Greenwich Meantime…

No not horology but brewing.

One of our Christmas presents from SonnyHen was a tour around Meantime Brewery in Greenwich.  I’m not a drinker but DaddyHen has already sampled one or two of their products, actually he’s quite partial to an India Pale Ale or a Yakima Red

 

Our host for the tour was Alex – a rather rounded Londoner – actually during the tour he told us he was born in Ireland –but you’d never know me old china.  He was wonderful - a cross between Del Boy, Arthur Daley, a London Barrow boy; a real diamond geezer.  His knowledge of artisan or craft beers was excellent.

The ingredients – water, barley, yeast, hops; the different types of barley from pale to dark chocolate malt,

the different types of hops most from Kent, some from Yakima in USA, some from the continent,

the wort, the mash, the different filters, the unpasteurised process – my mind was full -  used at Meantime.  The coppers actually they use stainless steel where huge

All the different pipes wheels, knobs, taps its was a real maze.

The bottling section

 

 

Sampling the products was part of the tour – I had a sip and passed my glass on to a very grateful DaddyHen - London Lager, London Pale Ale, Saison De Nuit, Wheat, Yakima Red

 

 Thankyou SonnyHen we both had a lovely couple of hours.

 

MummyHen

 

Snail mail and email…

Went to the post office today – had a couple of parcels to post one to JuliaB and one to JulieD;  I really hope I put the correct label on the parcels !?!?! Both are of a yarnie / woolie nature so fingers crossed they receive the correct parcel.

Change from the post office netted a £2 coin and £5 note – all for the tin

Sue from Our New Life in the Country posted a few weeks ago on ‘A year of Less – Emails’ this struck accord here in the Hen house – I receive too many, far too many, emails.  I get so many that I setup rules on outlook to move or delete emails from different organisation but this only works to a limited degree.  So for the past few days I have been diligently reviewing all the emails and unsubscribing - some organisation are much easier than others ie just one click and you’re removed, others require email address and to tick various boxes giving reasons as to why; ok it might take a few minutes but it will stop the never ending amount of emails.

I have already noticed a reduction in the number of emails 

A cheery photo – still snow on the ground here

 

MummyHen

 

Sealed pot challenge…

This is my sealed pot – well it’s more of a tin really.  It’s an old pantone tin from a few Christmases ago that had been relegated to the shed for ‘boys stuff’.  Well it’s now come in from the cold (and snow), cleaned up and sealed and used for my challenge.  I wasn’t going to buy anything new that would defeat the object of the challenge!!

 

I have been saving £2 coins and £5 notes since May 2012 and low denomination change has been going into the Pig for a while. All the coins, fivers and shrapnel has gone into the tin and the tin has been sealed. 

I have been sorting out stuff which will be put on ebay next weekend and the proceeds will be added to the tin.

Sold some yarn on Ravelry today - £7, DaddyHen came home with some change - £2 coin and £5 note; all for the tin.
 

MummyHen

Bloggy Blanket…

Will be on its way to a new home tomorrow.

JuliaB from Peacock Blue has offered to add a few squares to the Bloggers blanket.  Looking at the crochet Julia has on her blog I can’t wait to see what lovely squares get added.

If you want to get involved let Mum know at Mums Simple Living Blog

Like with most places in South East of England we have snow – my five hens still need to be cleaned out, fed and watered but they are not happy.  They have the option of free ranging in the garden but in this weather they just say in their run which is dry.

 

 

This robin seems to be happy and are even braving the cold for a dip in the waterfall. I need to work out how to take photos through the snow!!

MummyHen

AWOL…

Sorry I’ve not posted for a couple of week but work has been hectic and I’ve needed to keep away from the computer once I finished work.

So what’s been happening …

Two more power cuts which resulted in hours without power and more digging up of the pavement in the middle of the night. I’m no electrician but I don’t think they know what the problem is and how to fix it.  We now have candles and matches at the ready in the lounge, torches on our bedside cabinets.  To be fair these cuts have been at just before 10pm so we’ve not been that inconvenienced but when they insist on digging the pavement from midnight (always seems to start then – umm may be they are on quadruple time from midnight) until 2.30am that really annoys me.  I don’t function very well without at least 7 hours. Ahhh.

My amaryllis came out yesterday – not a great picture – hope that the other two trumpets will open during this coming week.

 

My crochet blanket is coming on a treat –

 

Not been baking as we are trying to lose weight, not been spending as we are trying to save money, as a result not much money has been added to my sealed pot, although I did get a nice shiny £2 coin in my change today when I bought a new back door mat.

Why won’t blogger allow me to up load photos from my computer in compose mode – its annoying me

 

MummyHen X

 

A quiet and silent start to 2013

For some the start to the year brought an added bonus – MummyHen without a voice??!!

I’m usually never short of anything to say but I have had laryngitis – so being without a voice has been difficult; when I have been able to speak I either sounded like I’d been on the smokes or was about to start a new career as voice over artist specialising in deep husky female voice.  I now have a little voice but this coming week is full of meetings so it will take a hammering – fingers crossed I don’t take a step back.

The doctor said ‘rest your voice’ that not that easy; but I have been trying not to speak unless it was necessary.  So it was an ideal time to sort thru stuff, the same stuff that I mentioned in my previous post.  We have loads of stuff; DaddyHen says I am a hoarder but I’m not; I keep things which are either of use, of sentimental value, or have value which pretty much is anything.  There aren’t acres of space in the Hen house to keep all this stuff so some of it has to go.  My yarn stash could rival Mont Blanc; tower of magazines (crafty and poultry) is colossal, fabric collected for projects – not sure which project is huge.  At one point I collected silver spoons and butter knives (no longer) I came across this box last week; as with some of the other stuff they will be photographed and put on ebay but not just yet.  I think I will wait until people have got over Christmas and with January being a 5 week months it’s a long time until pay day.

I emptied my purse into my pot for my Sealed Pot Challenge; not even £1.  I have not needed to spend any cash so have not drawn any cash out so my purse as shrapnel free.  DaddyHen had a £2 in his change this week which was added. Many blogs talk about counting NSD (No Spend Days) well in this house I count spending days – much easier to count the days when we spend – as there are so few of them.

Didn’t go anywhere yesterday, SonnyHen and GF went away for the weekend – his birthday treat; so DaddyHen and I just spent a day pottering me clearing out stuff, watching films and crocheting.  I have now done 500 squares of my blanket which is about halfway - more hooky time to come.

 

MummyHen X

Happy Birthday SonnyHen…

 

Our little boy was born today, Thursday 3rd January 1991, 22 years ago at 21:50 weighing 10lb ½ oz.

 

You were a lovely child and have developed into a wonderful caring man in whom we are VERY proud

 

Happy Birthday

 

 

MummyHen X

 

Goals for 2013…

The last six months have been very revealing, challenging and something we should have done years ago.  I know this all sound like a cliché but it’s true; we should have done this years ago.

So what will 2013 hold - who knows - but we will be doing the following, 13 goals for 2013:

1.    Continue to spend less on food – we have now got into the habit of looking for bargains (DaddyHen says I’m obsessed with Yellow price reduction stickers).   Stock up on non-perishable items when they are on offer.

2.    Sealed Pot Challenge – see SFT SFT Sealed Pot Challenge for details;  I have been saving £2 coins and £5 notes (for some reason never get many of either of these) since May 2012, which will all go towards Sealed Pot Challenge.  I need to find a suitable pot as the jar I’m using is only small.

3.    No spending on credit cards.

4.    Finish CC#2 –  August.

5.    Start snowballing on CC#4 - September.

6.    Finish car loan – November.

7.    Finish CC#3 – December.

8.    Increase Emergency fund by £2,000 by year end.

9.    We will be losing weight - for me it’s been a battle for years, and is not helped by medication, but I am stone and half (21 pounds) lighter than I was this time last year. 

10.  Don’t start new knitting or crochet projects until the WIPs (Work in Progress) are finished – this is going to be tough.  I have a massive stash of yarn – I recently gave a huge bag to my mother and her sisters as they knit for charity and today sent over 2kgs of yarn to Frugal Mummy after her ask.

11.  Giving something back – Our local foodbank is based around the corner at the church and we’d like to volunteer, either in time, food or money.  DaddyHen & I went just before Christmas and spoke to the pastor to get an idea what involved. 

12.  Only buy what we need NOT what we want.

13.  Declutter & get rid of stuff – stuff we have so much stuff that we don’t use anymore or are unlikely to every use again, the house is full of it.  Sell it, if its saleable; or give to Charity Shop or freecycle.

OK there are Hens household goals for 2013

What will you be doing this year?

 

MummyHen X