22 August 2014

Six Nice Things









1.  Sunshine in a vase.  Two generous bunches of gerberas for £2 each from Aldi*.  Perched on my mantelpiece, they are giving off the most gloriously happy glow.

*I gave my middle class self a good talking-to and lost my Aldi virginity this week.  Let's face it, there's no room for snobbery values when it comes to juggling soaring food bills.  (For those who don't know, Aldi is a discount supermarket which used to have a reputation for selling low quality items.  It has recently won several 'Supermarket Of The Year' awards in the UK and is fast becoming more popular and well thought-of.)  I have to say I was pretty impressed.  My favourites were the free range chicken, the cold meats, the fresh juice, the wine (Alison, you're right, the Chilean Merlot is very quaffable indeed!) and the flowers of course - all were considerably cheaper than I'm used to paying and super quality.

I'll gloss politely over some of the other clientele but will just say that there were a few characters I definitely wouldn't like to meet down a dark alley!

2.  Not having to get up early!  Six more days of school holidays and counting.

3.  My linen crops.  They're so comfortable I have to keep doing a double take just to reassure myself that I haven't left my pyjama bottoms on!

4.  This yarn.  Debbie Bliss Rialto Chunky.  I am head over heels in love with it.  It's super soft and super smooshy and heavenly to crochet (and knit) with.

5.  Hot garlic pickle.  I bought it from a stall at the St Ewe Country Fair in Cornwall last weekend.  It's amazing and completely transforms a simple supper of cold meats (particularly scrumptious with pork pie), jacket potatoes and salad.  Not so great if you're fancying a snog with your loved one but absolutely fine if your snoggee has also indulged.  ;-)

6.  The nicest of my nice things?  My son's triple science GCSE result, taken a year early.  I'm so proud of him I could burst.

Hope your weekend is full of nice things.

xxx

23 comments:

  1. Congratulations to your son on his Science result - that's fantastic!! Lovely positive post as always. I've never got on well with Aldi but I do about 90% of our shopping in Lidl and I think it's great. Such a bargain and a bit like being abroad!!

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    1. I've only ever heard good things about Lidl but I can't find one near me, Cathy! x

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  2. Very nice things indeed. Especially that last. The hugest well done to your boy x

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  3. Gorgeous post Heather. I love Aldi, I get most of my groceries there now and think the quality is really good. I love their flowers and also have two bunches of Aldi gerberas in a jug on the windowsill, pink ones though! Well done to your boy, you must be so proud of him.
    Marianne x

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    1. Great minds think alike! Thanks Marianne. x

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  4. Also the Aldi Pinot Noir is good!! I think it's sensible for everyone to shop here, there and anywhere to get a good deal. I think Aldi clientele is a mix...lots of students at the one in York! I love Debbie Bliss wool, wondering what you are crocheting?

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    1. I think I must have been unlucky and visited on 'scary people day'. Pinot Noir recommendation duly noted, thank you! x

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  5. Well done to your son!!! His results are brilliant and you must be very pleased - and so must he!! I met quite a few characters in Sainsbugs today that I wouldn't want to meet down a dark alley, or even in a brightly lit supermarket, so I suspect that your fellow shoppers in Aldi were just the usual bunch of people out and about! xx

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    1. You're absolutely right Amy, I shouldn't be so quick to judge. My car was keyed in Sainsburys a couple of years ago and I had a small confrontation with a surly chap in Asda just a couple of weeks ago! X

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  6. Wish I had an Aldi near me! Love those flowers in your vase. Kx

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  7. Another vote for Aldi here too! We were amazingly lucky to get a bottle of Chateau Lafite when they got some in just before Christmas, it was fantastic! We also like Rockstone Ridge Merlot which is about a third of the price!

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  8. Love post. Massive congratulations to your son. Amazing achievement. I love those cherry tree jams and chutneys. They come to my local shopping centre one week a month. Their passion fruit curd is one of my staple foods! X

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  9. Very well done Heather to your son - what a clever lad! My daughter got her results and has done well, such a relief as she was so worried and nearly had a panic attack on the way to the school! I love Aldi - well I love their products. The Manuka honey at £4.29 (or there a bouts) is delicious! Shame they throw your shopping at you as they scan at top speed through the checkout! Hope you're well, Sam xx

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  10. Great pictures Heather!! The gerberas are gorgeous! I don´t buy them often as I find that they die or go down very quickly but they are amongst my favourite flowers!! I have also enjoyed looking at your previous post´s pictures of Cornwall . We discovered Cornwall in July and loved it! Congrats to your son for gaining such a great mark!! I´m nearly at the end of my holidays and now feel like going back home, to the routine and to homely things.... Have a great bank holiday! Pati x

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  11. Well done to your son! I'm a big fan of aldi, I'm fed up of being ripped off by the supermarkets.....just wish there was an aldi of the energy world too! :) xxx

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  12. Well done to your Son, epic results! You raised a good 'un there ;) I love Aldi and Lidl but as they are both about 30 miles or more from mine the money I saved was used on fuel for the car... But I do adore Aldi's Cherry Jam. It is the bomb. Very Black forest kind of taste.
    What gorgeous flowers too, they really are smile inducing
    x

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  13. Huge huge congrats to your son on his triple science, and to do that a year early and get such fab results is fantastic! No wonder you are bursting! My son is starting his triple Science this year and takes it in a couple of years ..... any tips ? :-) x

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  14. Hi,Congratulations to your son.We have a Fantastic Aldi in Truro,very good quality food.Love the beautiful flowers.Happy Day.x

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  15. Six very nice things indeed! Yes, I like Aldi very much. I haven't yet had a bad bottle of wine from there. :-) You say the clientele are interesting...well, my "other" supermarket, my nearest one, is Asda, and the clientele can be pretty interesting in there too. ;-) Not like Waitrose. Incidentally, I once saw this hilarious thing going around FB where Waitrose staff had supposedly written a list of the things they'd overheard customers saying. I found a link to it. You've probably already seen it but it made me laugh out loud. xx

    http://www.buzzfeed.com/scottybryan/the-overheard-in-waitrose-facebook-page-is-the-poshest-page#4cqjcy6

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  16. Oh well done to your son! I bet you are proud beyond belief. An Aldi opened up in our town a few days ago, so we checked it out. I think it takes a bit of getting used to, but I did a shop in it to a) see what I could save and b) see if the quality was just as good. I was amazed actually. Seeing as our food bills seemed to have tripled in the last year, seriously, the kids just eat and eat and eat. It sickens me that they can stuff their faces and just shoot up and not out. I look at a apple turnover and I gain 8 lbs. I was quite shocked by the saving when I did a comparative shop online.So I might be in there more than I thought I ever would. xxx

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  17. Hi there, just discovered your blog via ladybird diaries. Lovely photos of lovely things! Well done to your son! What annoys me about Aldi & Lidl is the fact that they don't stock everything I need so I have to then gone lsewhere, they don't take credit cards and you have to pay for bags (for some reason I always remember my bags if going to Tesco but forget if going to Aldi & then either try and stuff as much shopping as I can in my handbag or pay for some bags!)

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Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. Anyone ever told you that you're a peach? xx

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