The top I started crocheting a couple of weeks ago I had to abandon because I ran out of yellow yarn and couldn’t find any in the same colour anywhere. I think they must have stopped making it. It was one I had in my stash for a little while so it’s not surprising. I started again from scratch and now have a green jumper instead.
Victoria approves.
We got this grass-growing kit for Victoria as apparently cats need to eat grass from time to time. The fibre is good for them and helps them get rid of fur balls. She seems to quite like it.
I also got a couple of scratching panels to put against an armchair she’s been clawing but now she claws at the bit of armchair between the scratching panels. I’m not quite sure what to do about that. Someone suggested a water gun so we may give that a try. Has anyone got any suggestions?
We helped keep the economy afloat this week by purchasing a made-in-Britain toaster. Whenever an appliance dies I try very hard to find a locally made replacement, giving preference to Scottish, British, European made goods in that order. It’s not just that I want to support local industry but more to do with having something that is well-made and lasts. I’m sick of appliances that break after a few years. It used to be that you’d get a toaster as a wedding present and 40 years later it would still be going strong. How many people can say they have a 40-year-old toaster these days? I don’t know whether our new toaster will last that long but the parts can be replaced which means if it does break down it can be repaired. It’s a Dualit.
It was made by Michael. Thank you, Michael.
I really like the design. The top dial lets you control how many slots heat up so if you only want one slice of toast then you don’t have to have all elements switched on. The bottom dial is the timer. The feature I love most about it is the lever that lets you pop the toast up whenever you want to check progress. I hope it lasts!
rachel.blog 
Your Dualit should last, I bought mine as a reconditioned unit and it is great, has lasted ages. It seems very sturdy and I’ve not had to get it mended yet. In the past toasters would break sometimes when someone put a slice of bread from the freezer in it.
We got so excited buying our cat some cat grass and she totally ignored it.
Shame about the yellow, that is annoying, but the green crochet is very pretty.
That’s great to hear about the Dualit. I didn’t know you could buy reconditioned ones. We’d have done that instead. Do you still grow the cat grass or did you get rid of it when you saw her disinterest? Apparently they also like catnip and you can get these as plants. Have ever tried that?
Some cats are scratchers and some aren’t. My cat – who I inherited from my mother when she went into the rest home – has made mincemeat of my couches, in spite of all the threats and promises of an untimely end if he keeps doing it. The trouble is that we’re not always around when they do it, so a water pistol has some effect, but not entirely. I think the fabric of the couch has a lot to do with it – i.e. if it’s a loose weave, cats like that. I have noticed that my cat’s not so bad since I bought a tall scratching post, and keep it covered with fresh carpet. I realised that once he has shredded the carpet on the scratching post, he’s more likely to go back to the couches if I don’t replace it. A tall scratching post seemed to be more preferred than a small one, too.
Oh I like the made locally choice, I agree, things used to last but not anymore, fingers crossed it works with buying locally. The top looks great!