What a Carfuffle

I received a letter  a few days ago about renewing my car insurance with Hastings, I phoned & explained that I didn't want to renew as I no longer had the car. Well what a kerfuffle ensued. 
First of all I was told there would be a cancellation fee. What! I explained that I wasn't cancelling, merely 'not renewing' so I didn't see how they could charge me a fee. 
Then I was accused of lying about the date when I 'sold' the car, I was told it was 'unlikely' that I had managed to sell the car on the day the insurance was due and therefore I'd committed fraud!
I patiently explained that I had sold my car to a family member therefore the date of sale was arranged to suit me. I was then accused of allowing that family member to drive the car without valid insurance.
I explained that my policy had covered myself & said family member and also that the car was in for repairs for a few days, so had been off the road & therefor no-one had been driving it for the last few days of the policy. 
Finally realising that they couldn't charge me for anything or keep me as a customer I suddenly started to get the spiel about how they'd love to help me if I I ever bought another car. 
At this point I let rip & explained that I would never use them to insure anything ever again after the appalling way I had been treated, I said if all their calls were recorded as they claimed then I suggested that our conversation should be used as an example of how not to treat a customer!

Ye gods & little fishes

My daughter visited a local attraction recently & whilst there she saw something that upset her, a mother treating a child very badly.

My daughter tried to intervene & was sworn & spat at, she called on-site security, they were reluctant to get involved.

My daughter then rang her social worker who got in contact with social services in the area she was visiting, and explained that my daughter was more than capable of telling the difference between a frazzled mum at the end of her tether & actual child abuse.

My daughter phoned the police.

Social services phoned the local attraction & requested that the on-site security did get involved.

Social services also phoned the police in case they hadn't taken my daughters call seriously.

The mother was arrested & the child taken to a place of safety.

My daughter may have to go to court as a witness.
My daughter had 7 children with her, but couldn't ignore a child in need.

Today's haul

I went foraging again this morning & this time I got some field mushrooms, I got more but ate some before I took the photo. Please don't pick mushrooms unless you know what you are doing, I have picked these from the same place for a while now & was shown them by an experienced picker.

  Loads of elderberries, I have a recipe for a cordial that uses cloves & nutmeg, it's lovely in hot water if you have a cough or cold.

 And finally, more black berries, so today I will be making, bramble jam, apple & blackberry crumble & also blackberry vodka, hic! I did get strange looks in the local shop going in & just buying sugar & vodka!

Cheap & cheerful

It was chilly today & as I walked passed the butchers I noticed they had some oxtail, I bought some, it was £3.60. I used my pressure cooker as it saves simmering the oxtail for ages.  I started with a chopped onion & 2 sliced carrots, these were from the garden. I softened these in a little butter & browned the oxtail chunks & then  I added a couple of pints of water & a basics stock cube. 
Once it was cooked & the meat was falling off the bone, I discarded the bone & gristle, added some of the meat back to the pan & whizzed it 'til it was smooth to make soup. The rest of the meat I added to more veg & some gravy to make oxtail stew, it's in the freezer ready for a night when I get home late & tired.

Busy in the kitchen

We planned to have a lazy day on Sunday, but things didn't go to plan. all in a good way though.

Firstly our SIL turned up to take some stuff to the tip for us, we got rid of a huge old TV, a broken table & a toilet & cistern, I'm so glad to have got rid of it all.

Secondly my L&M was changing the filters on the fish tank when part of the pump broke, so we had to drive to the nearest aquatic centre to buy a replacement part.

Lastly some friends arrived with a bag of damsons, along with some gin, sugar & the recipe to make some damson gin, I tried some of theirs last time we visited them & it was delicious.

The damsons then reminded my L&M that he'd seen loads of ripe blackberries in a nearby field.

So today I started of some damson gin & then I went to pick blackberries, I picked a couple of lbs & I'll probably pick the same tomorrow, I will still have picked less than a tenth of whats there so plenty left for other people.

Later I went round the local charity shops & found a gravy boat the goes with some of my china, a shirt that I have cut up to use in a quilt, a tall plastic jug & a doll, DGD has mentioned that she wished I had some Barbie dolls, I found the next best thing, I think it's Ariel, the little mermaid, so all in all a very successful couple of days.

Weekend, garden & kitchen

 I should really have spent  today dressmaking, but after spending yesterday babysitting 3 month old twins I decided to do something that required less brain power. The twins were lovely, so smiley but they were like a tag wrestling team, we couldn't get both of them to sleep at the same time. So instead of dressmaking

I've been busy in the kitchen & made 6 jars of marmalade.

Meanwhile, my L&M has been busy in the garden

We are cutting 3 or 4 cucumbers a day

he emptied another tub of potatoes

and we're still getting lots of tomatoes, including one that was particularly pleased to see me!

Work, money, food & other crap

I went to work yesterday, as arranged to do a job that can't be done until next week, hey ho, I'll go back next week & do it then! I got another job done instead so it wasn't a totally wasted day.

We have the twins today & then I'm hoping for a few child free days to get some sewing done.

As I'm now drawing my pension I have been given a new tax code, I wonder how well our payroll provider will cock it up, I've worked out approximately what my take home will be, I certainly don't expect it to be correct to start with.

Hubby is celebrating his birthday next month & suggested another buffet with the same group of friends, I then discovered that there was nothing on the table that another of the guests would eat. There were 4 types of meat, 7 different cheeses, 3 vegetarian options, 3 dips, 2 types of bread, crackers, crisps, salads & crudites. If we do it again, I might as well go to Maccy D's & buy 8 kids meals & have done with it!

I managed to use up the last of the beetroot to make some beetroot chutney, it is a beautiful colour.