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Vegan BBQ...

Just in case you were wondering what vegans BBQ!!

Linda McCartney Sausage, Morrison's own brand falafel and spinach burger, veggie kebab (made with the sad selection of veg in my fridge - onion and pepper, with a sprinkling of paprika) and potato waffles...

Sunshine in time for the bank holiday!  Hope it lasts!

Garden Update...

Everything is very green in our garden, it's full of lovely flowers, but the rain has seen off most of our veggies...apart from these killer cucumbers, bought in a sale from a garden centre, 10p for a tray of 5 plants,  they're growing very happily in hanging baskets...we're overrun! 

Everything is green and pretty!

This year's pumpkin...there's only one on the plant so we're praying the slugs don't get it before we do!

Our apples are unhappy...this is the apple tree's first year, it has about 7 fruits on it, but they all look like this...Mr Next-Doors apples all look lovely...sigh...

Veggie garden...featuring massive lettuce!

My very own bit of the garden...I've just put in some little lettuce plants...another 10p purchse, I wanted them  in a pot for my balcony at my new flat, but as I haven't moved in yet I would have to go everyday to water them, so they're in the ground (for now!).  I'm still waiting for a courgette..still no sign of one, very sad.

I'm leaving this enormous broad bean pod on, as it's on the biggest, strongest plant and I want to save seed from it for next year...

I'm beyond proud of my nasturtium tower, it had a slow start, but it now covered in obnoxiously orange flowers!  Also, look at my mini sweet-corns, they're giants! 

A view of the garden, looking from the bottom, up towards the house...

This pretty little pink flower is a verbena, another 20p purchase, I bought loads for my balcony and have them all in pots waiting to move... 

What are you growing?

Butterfly Day...

Every time I've moved in the garden today a butterfly or a bee has whooshed past me....I guess they were enjoying the sunshine too!

Hope you've had some nice weather to enjoy too!

from here

Charity Shop Treasure...Retro Mugs, Jugs and Tea Cups...

It's mugs and jugs this week!  I've actually had some of these for a while, just haven't got round to showing you them yet...

I saw this mug, looked at the bottom, looked at the price tag and ran to the till!

It was 25p!

These were £1.75 for the set of 3...I have a matching jug somewhere too!

I got these for something like £1.50 for a set of 4...this one makes a nice plant pot!

And this cute little jug for 75p too!

Have you bought any treasures recently?

Linking up with Lakota's  Ta-Dah Tuesday!

My Zero Waste's National Zero Waste Week...

In about a month's time it will be National Zero Waste Week.  This years theme is 'One More Thing', the idea being that you find one more thing you can recycle or one more habit you can adopt to reduce your waste.

I think I will have moved into my new home by then, so I'm planning on investigating the recycling options available to me at the flats and then finding out what to do with everything else!  I'd really like to find somewhere to recycle my tetra pack cartons and plastic bags...I don't use many of either but it pains me to put them in the bin.  I believe there may be recycling receptacles at the supermarket in town, I shall find that one out when I have to start doing my own food shopping!

Click on the image and you will magically be sent to the information page!

Are you joining in this year?

A Nest of my Own...

I've been keeping a secret from you!  About 6 weeks ago I put an offer on in on a teeny, tiny, unbelievably cheap top floor one bedroom flat...and it was accepted!  I've been waiting for all the paperwork and solicitor-y bits to go through, but now....it's mine!  So, may I introduce you to my new Susie-nest...

You come in through the front door (actually you come through the front door on the bottom floor, the up 5 flights of narrow stairs wondering how you'll ever get any furniture up them!), which is the one with the letter box (does the post man climb all the stairs to deliver your mail??) into a little hall with 3 cupboards!  This is most exciting as I am a girl of many possessions! 

Above is a photo of the airing cupboard, also in the hall, but it backs onto the boiler cupboard in the bathroom to keep it toasty warm.  Speaking of bathrooms, the first door you come to takes you to the little bathroom.  I'm soo pleased it has a bath (Lush - here I come!).  The plan is to clean it A LOT, then put in a shower and try to remove the black tiles and huge mirror without damaging the white ones, then tiling with white all the way up to the ceiling and painting the remaining walls (either lilac or blue)...

Next you come to the bedroom, which is bedroom-y and will be given some carpet and painted white (I HATE magnolia!)

Ahh the kitchen, which is disgusting and will be removed and replaced with a nice white wickes kitchen,  spotty door handles and sugar pink paint!  I shall also have to get all the practical things like a cooker and a fridge, but mostly I'm dreaming of the pink paint!

This is the living/dining room...I'm going to paint it white and have a sofa one end and a table the other and put up some shelves on the walls for my books...

And you can see my balcony!  Just big enough for a couple of chairs and a few pots, but lovely to have some  outside space and a big window to let in lots of light and see a bit of greenery (unfortunately there's not much of a view, so I shall have to watch the road and the church across the road!).

Apparently the flat was rented out before to a lady who had a breakdown, which is why it's in quite a state...I think it was very dirty before the seller painted it all magnolia...she was just about to put in a new kitchen and carpets when I put in my offer, and I managed to stop her which I'm pleased about...if she'd chosen something I hated (like the magnolia walls and the shiny shiny white gloss woodwork she's already done in there) then I'd have been stuck with it!

I'm lucky that I have lots of furniture to take with me (I'm that person that gets given all the random all stuff other people find in their garages cos they know I'll 'find a use for it'...currently all that stuff is in my mums garage!) I only need to buy a sofa, kitchen-y electric stuff and a TV stand and I'm sorted...as well as paying for paint, tiles, carpet, an electrician (it has original 60's light switches, which makes me worry about what's behind them!) and a man to do the kitchen and I can be in!  Hurrah!

Any tips for a first time home owner/renovator?  I'd be especially interested in hearing about any eco-friendly tips or products you recommend, I'd like to do this as green-ly as possible but so far everything I've looked at that has the word eco in front of it seems to have a humongus price tag!