A day of bargains and much cheapness......

Today began with a visit from our chum Jeremy.

He is the Electrickery Wizard of choice round these parts.

A while ago, we had to have a new hot water tank fitted (see previous nonsense). The spiffy new stainless steel job not only has a heating element from our Alde gas boiler and a calorifier off the engine, it also has an electrical immersion element.

No provision for supplying power to the latter existed aboard, hence Jeremy's visit.

He's wired the immersion element directly into our 5.9kva generator's live feed to the inverter. This way, whenever we run the genny to do a wash or charge up the batteries, we are getting bonus hot water. There's also no risk of draining the battery bank by inadvertant mis-switching, as the power to the immersion element runs straight from the generator.

Bargain result!!!!!!!!

Also, we do love a triple-redundant system aboard Pippin.

And the bargains didn't stop there.

I went up to Emmaus and bought a John Lewis 'Stowaway' coffee table/storage trunk for the Highgate flat for £40. Okay, it's not brand spanking new, but is perfectly serviceable. Jackie went to JL later today and found out they cost £400......

EEK!!

While there, The Sainted Wife went a bit mad with the JL vouchers we got for Christmas from the lovely Bernard and Hazel (Many thanks again!!XXX).

She repaired aboard with six placemats that match the ones we got from Laura Ashley in a sale three years ago (which on closer inspection sported the legend 'Keep Away from Heat'.....needless to say they are now mostly knackered....)

Jackie also bought us a v. stylish measuring jug, a belated Christmas present for Auntie Jan, a lovely collander for our kitchen and a birthday card and wrapping paper for my Mum's present......

Total? £20.00!

Mum's birthday present came from Emmaus. It was a bargain, though not quite in the realm of the Royal Worcester tea-plate I got her as one of her presents for Christmas. (For a solitary quid:- the cheapness was part of the present as Mum loves a bargain every bit as much as I do....)

However, I can't actually blog about the birthday present itself, as we are off to Bournemouth on Saturday morning to see my Mum and Dad and join a big party to celebrate Mum's mumble mumble birthday.

They both read this rubbish, so you'll have to forgive me for not giving the game away!

Suffice to say, it's fragile......

Oh, also, I flogged our lovely neighbour, Jude, a really good bike for £25!

Bargains all round!!!!