The price of groceries

 It's getting ridiculous.  I did my "main shop" - for just a few things too - in Aldi.  It came to £29.10, including £3.49 for a bag of compost.  The two priciest things were chicken fillets £3.99 and Cheddar cheese £2.49, oh and cling film £2.39. Strawberries £1.99, Filtered milk £1.75. I got two packs of Loratadine as it's now time to protect my body from various pollens. You are meant to start taking them a month or so before they occur.  Then Tesco - wait for it - £47.99!!!  Big items there were cat food £14.95 for sachets and biscuits; 5% steak mince (500g) £5.19 and my little Friday bottle of wine, £2.80.  Worcester Sauce - special offer, "only" £2.  Panadol Advance £2.15 - as Paracetamol are a waste of money and don't work at all for me.  Tesco's own Panadol are £1 but I prefer the branded for strength.  Tam tells me that Panadol is just Paracetamol under a fancy wrapper but hey, they work.  The final bill had £4.48 off for special promotions.  

The "little things" were a tin of Apricots, Tissues, Ravioli tins x 2, Peppercorn grinder (£2 on offer), fruit and veg, 4 Ancient Grains rolls for the freezer; Cadbury Caramel bars (on offer) and Diet Coke.  They soon add up though. The meat - I would say I would have perhaps 10 meals out of all of it - doesn't seem so expensive when I think it's about £1 a meal, and a bit extra allowing for other ingredients.  l have just forced down the other half of the sausage roll from Tuesday, and had the other half of the (lovely) Cornish Pasty for breakfast yesterday.  Gabby forgot the cheese, so I have that still in the fridge.  It comes to something when a cheap tin of Ravioli (the £1 Tesco ones have actually got tidy ingredients and no nasties) becomes a main meal . . .

I was especially cross as I had a weak moment (and no breakfast as I went out first thing) and bought myself 4 Hot Cross buns but I DID buy ones that were reduced to 84p, only to find them as stale as anything so if I eat them, I will have to toast them. The use by date was today.

I have just been out in the garden, as I went and bought another 5 Raspberry canes whilst they are still about.  I should have enough now.  I bought an American one, Glen Doll, which are meant to be prolific.  I came in to eat, and now it's raining.  May put a jacket on later and go and cut right back the shrub by the original compost bunker. There are compost bins behind it, completely covered by the shrub now.  The photo shows me digging and weeding around a Plum tree, which now has a nice blanket of aged muck heap.    You can see the "pathway" up to the Polytunnel, where I have weeded - and where I haven't got to yet!  To the left of it is where I am digging and weeding for the Glen Doll raspberries to be planted.  Challenging.

I could hear gunfire up on Sennybridge Ranges, where they train soldiers from around the world.  May hear a Chinook in the distance this week too, as there is Operation Agile Warrior 26 taking place over Herefordshire and it was noisy over Leominster last night apparently.  Needless to say its about testing our ability to defend the UK in the event of an attack . . .

Round 2 - find the compost bins!

Ta-dah!  I am now having an energy-boost with some cheap (59p) Aldi peanuts.  There is a LOT more to do there (everywhere, tbh).  Good for me though.