Another couple of weeks have passed since my last post. I don’t do very well in the cold and it was so cold.

We ran out of wood. As I lost my job and a tight budget is now needed, we thought we’d have to wait until after some money came in at the end of the month. We could light one of our wood burners after 5 pm and keep it going until bedtime although, if possible, we lit it later to eke out the wood a little bit longer.

The temperature in my bedroom was 6 degrees which actually represents a big gain after putting the insulation panels on my ceiling and getting my windows replaced, as the temperature would have been about 1 degree after heating the appropriate wood burner. I was still freezing though. To get me through until stove lighting time, I was in a t-shirt, sweater, thin fleece and thick fleece with thermal trousers. I also went under a thick fake fur blanket and a home crochet one. My feet still hurt and my nose was numb but there was no other way, or so we thought, until, I wondered if we asked the wood guy, who went to school with both my daughters, to let us pay a half on delivery then the rest after our money had arrived. He agreed, what joy! Warmth, light at the end of the tunnel. He said that he’d come when the weather was fine. My last post gives a bit of information about our wood pile.

Well. the weather turned rainy and windy and set in for a week but after the it fine and sunny. He still didn’t come. Pressure had to be applied, well, a mild nudge. We asked him to come as soon as possible as we were freezing, and if not just to tell us he couldn’t do it. He said his tractor was broken as was the ape he some times uses and can use for a small wood delivery.

At least we could find some wood from another source. I have a couple of back up sources but at this time of year, wood is hard to find because the wood men are all getting next years ready.and it isn’t dry enough. My friend gave me a couple of phone numbers so I set to work to get the wood in. With no reply from those phone numbers , another was working on the wood for next year I had my normal back up supply. Why didn’t I go to this one first? I hear you ask, well, he comes within a day or so and is reliable but, he is more expensive and his wood just doesn’t burn as well as the other guy. Also, over the years we have bought the cheapest wood, acacia. I was hoping he’d have some beech and a hard wood but he had none. Although we’re on a budget, the other woods burn hotter and longer so I thought I’d get that if he had it, but, he didn’t. We decided that we had no choice but to get the acacia, from my back up. His acacia is more expensive than the better wood, if available, that the other guys sell. Needs must and so I sent the message. As usual, expensive but he said he could deliver and a couple of days later, the low rumble of a tractor laden with fire wood could be heard approaching. TIme to spring into action, result, fires lit just after the delivery, before it was put away, it was going to blaze in my house for a couple of days.

By the way, at the time of writing, some three days after our wood delivery, our normal guy was seen riding in his tracktor, loaded with wood, and with his father in the supposedly broken ape. I’m feeling rather let down.

With the wood put away just under four hours later, I decided to have a relaxed rest of day. I must tell you the news though, my spinning wheel arrived! I’m so pleased and I can do it! I have been spinning for around two years with a drop spindle, which I love, but I’ve been looking to work faster to get more yarn to knit. I’ve been so excited about getting a spinning wheel. I thought I couldn’t get one after losing my job but, I’ll be spinning not only to knit, but to sell and I bought one with half the budget I’d have used if I hadn’t lost my job. I love it!

I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

I have also been looking at ways to economise in our day to day living. I have wanted a small counter top oven for some time now as it would consume less than my regular one. After doing more research though, microwave ovens were shown to consume less again so, although I’ve never really wanted a microwave oven, I decided that it would probably save us money in the long term so I bought a wonderful Whirlpool one big enough for us and with a crisping function. So far, I’ve been very pleased with it as I’m a complete novice!

I’ve been finishing a cardigan I had on my needles and it looks lovely. I just need to sew the buttons onto it and I’m away. I have had an idea to use some polished stone beads from a broken necklace to do the job but, they may be too heavy. I’ll try and see. They will look beautiful though and expensive!

I’m just at the end of the day in that time to relax and unwind just a bit more before going to bed and I’m eyeing up my spinning wheel. I think I’ll just have a little go to finish the fibre that I wanted to.

Just a quick painting update on my room renovations, my walls are done and I need to do my ceiling. It was too cold to paint so after buying more paint, I’m hoping to finish mine next week and start my son’s room!