Grannymar

Week 14 of handy hints, where has the time gone?  Sometimes I sit to write a selection and the mind goes completely blank.  I wonder if anyone has a suggestion to help me overcome this problem?

If you bathing sponge has become stale-smelling, just soak it in a strong baking soda solution for an hour and then rinse in clean water.

To relieve skin irritations, add baking soda to a bath filled with warm and not hot water.  It will also sooth the itching from measles & chickenpox

A five minute shower uses about a third of the water of a bath.  But power showers can use more water than a bath in less than five minutes.

To clean copper use left over lemon halves together with salt; the acid together with the abrasiveness of the salt really does the trick.

To ease aching muscles after the flu mix 1 tablespoon of horseradish in 1 cup of olive oil.  Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then apply it as massage oil.

UPDATE:  This is week 14 of the hints,and there will be a Special 14 on Saturday, so I am adding a little extra tip that I have stolen directly from Kenju who knows all about flowers!

This suggestion should have been posted a week ago! GUYS: If you are planning to order flowers for Valentine’s Day, don’t wait until Friday to do it!! And please consider ordering something other than red roses. The red ones are so ordinary and overdone - and there are many other gorgeous colors of roses available and many other types of beautiful flowers to buy instead of roses. Mixed bouquets usually last longer, too, assuming the flowers are in good condition when you get them.

Go to your local flower shop - and don’t call 1-800 numbers or florists listed on the web, unless you know their shop and can vouch for them. So many places these days are simply call centers which transfer your order to shops that use low grade flowers and charge the same as good shops would, but for inferior products. Part of the money you pay them for the flowers actually goes to transferring the order, so you are not getting full value for your money!

If you are willing to take delivery before Sat., you may be able to get a discount on delivery, and if you are willing to pick up the flowers and deliver them yourself, you’ll save a bundle on delivery fees.

It is always nice to have a visitor.

This little fellow came to see me in October 2006

I am not sure he liked my garden, he only stayed a short time

Pray for my brother, his family  and all families in Melbourne.

I will never complain of being cold again

Latest message:

The toll is now 173 from Saturdays fires

The most amazing thing is when you see the pictures

While the fires are still raging  and changing direction without notice and townships are still under threat

The advice to people is

Be dressed in long natural clothing head to toe with glasses

If the fire and smoke is in your street or area it is too late

The safest place to be is in your home

Don’t expect any warning

Don’t expect any help

You are on your own

The final number of deaths for Saturday fires are now close

72 still missing (hopefully some will come home) as of 2.30 am this morning(Tuesday 10th Feb 09 local to him).

Celeriac and Almond Soup

2ozs flaked Almonds

1½ pints Chicken or Vegetable stock

1 medium Celeriac (1½ lbs)

5 fl ozs Single Cream

1oz Butter

1 small Onion

Salt & Pepper

Toast the Almonds until golden, reserve a few for garnish then grind the rest and set aside. Peel the Celeriac and cut into slices. Melt the Butter in a medium pan, add the Onion and cook until soft, add the Celeriac and Stock then bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the Celeriac is tender. Transfer to blender or food processor and puree, return to the pan, stir in the Cream and chopped Almonds and gently reheat, season if necessary. Serve the soup with a few flaked almonds on top.

I am busy with a Toyboy!

In the mean time why not call and welcome Magpie11 to the world of blogging.

Have fun.

Will I strike him off?

Should I defrock him of his Toyboy badge?

Honestly, young men nowadays!

Seriously now, Phil honoured me by asking for a photo to post on his blog.

I sent him one from the outside looking in…

This is the same place from the inside looking out.

St. Augustine’s Church, Ballyeaston, Co Antrim was built in 1786 and was once at the heart of the local community. The church closed for worship about 100 years ago when St John the Evangelist Church was built in nearby Ballyclare.  A recent local project has helped preserve St. Augustine’s heritage for future generations to enjoy.

Hails at Coffee Helps tagged me for a Photo-story.

The idea is to rummage around in your photo folders in the computer, dust them down and tidy up the shelf ready for inspection.  Then open folder number four and select the fourth photo. Insert said photo  here and tell the story behind it.

Since Today is not the fourth but the sixth of February, I cheated and chose the sixth folder.  It was still up there in the ‘B’ section.

Sixth folder… sixth photo… Voila!

I know some of you have seen it before.  It was taken post Irish Blog Awards in March of last year.  That is me - didn’t I look young?  The camera never lies! ;)  Now no rotten tomatoes please, you are supposed to be nice to old ladies!

On the table beside me are my computer hard-drive that George my Son-in-Law had updated for me, The Champagne I won at the Irish Blog Awards 2008 and some beautiful flowers that arrived the following morning - Mother’s Day.

Towards the end of February last year I wrote the post Flower Power, it was inspired by Eamonn of Flowers Made Easy who was hosting a bloggers competition with a prize for ‘the best blog post about your mum‘.  Since my mother was dead, I told the story of another mother’s great love.  My post was not a winner but I was!  Elly wrote a post about me and told dreadful lies said nice nice things about me.  Honest, I didn’t bribe her… I didn’t know she had written it.

Well you can imagine my surprise when on Wednesday last I had a new comment on Flower Power.  It was from Eamonn telling me about another competition, this time for St Valentine’s Day.  All the details are below.

So, on with the thinking caps, and out with the pencils… if you are not in then you can’t win!  Stop and think for a moment ,about when you first realised that you were truly madly deeply in love with the light of your life; then sit and write about it.  Wouldn’t it be worth it to win the 12 Red Roses, a Bottle of Bubbly and a box of Chocs!

Now if only I had a Truelove… well I might have had a go myself!

It was a long dark & dreary winter.

I hoped that with the beginning of February things might improve.

Did I say IMPROVE?

I wonder if that word has been excommunicated from the dictionary?  If not I think I’ll go cut the page out…

The boys in the banks have been playing Monopoly with my change, your change and everyone else’s change.  When they won, our change went into their pockets.  When we wanted money they gave us the Monopoly stuff.  Now that is all gone and we are told over and over, night noon and morning that the rules must change.

President Barack Obama said it.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said it.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen has said it.

Well I am verrrrry sorry,

but Holy Cow manure…..

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I’VE BEEN THRU “THE CHANGE” AND TRUST ME,

YOU DO NOT WANT TO GO THERE!!!!!

During the week I had another Twitter request for help, so I thought I would start today by sharing it with you

How to clean a washing machine and rid it of a fusty smell.   The best way to clean out soap scum and disenfect a washing machine is to pour in 2 cups (450mls) of white distilled vinegar and run the machine through a full cycle without any clothes or detergent.

Who has not washed a jumper and discovered it has shrunk?  All is not lost.  Shrunken woolen jumpers can usually be stretched back to their original size or shape after washing them in a solution of 1 part white vinegr to 2 parts water for 25 minutes.  Let the garment air dry after you’ve finished stretching it.

Toothpaste (non gel) works wonders as an ointment for skin relief.  It works on bee stings, bug bites, minor rashes, burns and cold sores.  Just dab a little on the painful/annoying area for quick relief.

When you reposition furniture, table or chair legs leave indents in carpet.  Set an ice cube in the indent and leave it to melt.  Next day vacuum the area and the indend will have disappeared.

When serving messy finger food like ribs or fried chicken, provide finger bowls.  Float lemon slices in small glass dishes so that guests can rinse their fingers.

Outside in, or inside out?  An image from my vist to Ballymena on 19th January.  It was taken in the Fairhill Shopping Centre.

‘Ballymena Haigh!’ is a phrase I have often heard over the years.  I am hoping that Nelly, Hannah or Hails might explain what exactly it means.