'Wear an extra cardi and fingerless gloves, Harold, we're skint.'

We've just converted our tea house to those everlasting bulbs. You know, the ones that take ages to turn on after you've flicked the switch to on. On! It's ON now! I tend to moan when, after I have fully obluted, and I'm half way out of the door of the bathroom and it has finally given up the ghost and switched to 'Bright' mode.

Honestly! It's like living in the dark ages. I think 'they' do it on purpose, to make us feel smug that we're doing our bit to save the world, by living by bloody candlelight. This is no fun when I'm on spider-watch while on my way out of my bed, across the landing and using the bathroom. Harrumph.

I think we are now needing to go onto living as if we are on a pension already. Our oil and electricity bills at the moment are horrendous. Mainly, I suppose, because I have been indoors over most of the winter, due to my back and sciatica problem. So, I have finally succumbed to turning off radiators and closing the doors of unused bedrooms (all two of them); buying cheap, but dead fashionable glasses off the shelf from Boots; using up the stuff from way down the bottom of the freezer; religiously using up leftovers from the fridge instead of throwing away the salad as most of us are said to do; making sure my 24 mile round trip into town is 'necessary'; having a shopping list; using any and all coupons kindly given by T£scow (spit) and from magazines. All this as well as the middle-aged-going-on-old, habit I seem to have gotten into of collecting string and elastic bands!

And, we spent our Friday evening this week scrupulously checking through the £628 bill for the 32,000 mile service on my car. Oh yes, it was, madam! I think I am deffo in, and always have been, the wrong kind of business. At 61 whole pound coins of this realm, Per Hour the garage have charged for labour, we think we have paid someone's wages for a whole week somewhere. Either that or they are just taking the piss.

Weather watch at 6.22 am: It is snowing heavily outside, and it looks beautiful.

Love, Karen x