22 Foxhole East

£5 Amazon voucher for silly football question once a week. Easy £20 a year. sometimes more. Starting to think about the 'C word, which is daft as DS2's birthday is next week, DH's birthday is the week after, DS1's birthday is the week after that and then DS4's birthday is Christmas Eve eve. So really I should be thinking about that first.

Neighbour gave me a hedge trimmer he found in the street. It is a bit rusty but still looks better than the one I am struggling with. Will clean it up and give it a go. Then he sidles up to me and says 'personal question. What exactly is it that you do for money?' Now am sorely tempted to put a big sign in the window saying SAILORS HALF PRICE ON WEDNESDAYS.

In other news, there is an exhaust from a car which gambled and lost on the speedbump outside my house. People are going to have to get used to not speeding on this road. All the side roads were bumped down to 20s over the summer, and ours got left at 30, although the other end of the road under the railway bridge is a 20. I can't see us staying at 30 for much longer.

The double glazing really cancels out the noise, so much so that I can no longer hear the traffic tempo change on the nearby main road at around 6am, so I slept in til 6.30 this morning. Will have to start setting the alarm clock!

So now it is officially autumn, and I am wearing short skirts and tights. I have a huge collection of tights I am trying to work my way through. Laddered a pair today and was so happy. I actually have tights which are older than my children. I am talking 9 years old. Not buying any more until this lot are gone. Even the red ones, and that pair of green ones that makes me laugh.

Scaffolders came and took the scaffold away, so I trimmed the privet bush on the front and swept up all the bits and pieces and weeded. Wonder if Mr F0x will notice?

Didn't make it to the gym.

I should be take out and shot for crimes against scones. They were truly awful. Dreadful. Did not rise at all. More like a miniature shotput. I think I must have forgotten to use any baking powder - I was using up plain flour, I remembered for the chocolate cake and that was fine so I can't even blame it on the flour being cheap and nasty.

Had a lovely hour and a half with DS3 and 4 in the local country park, they played together and with other kids and scrumped apples in the community orchard and then came home, had lunch and did their homework without snot or tears. No tantrums, no drama, just sat down and did it. Maybe they are finally getting the message. It has to be done, so just do it.

Mr F0x did not snore much last night either. Huzzah!

All food from stores and no extra curricular spending. DS3 tried it on while we were out, country park has a cafe, but I deliberately left my bag at home and so no way to buy anything. But they got an Eve's pudding out of it, they have an iced chocolate cake with tayberry filling for tomorrow, and will probably end up with a crumble by end of play (bedtime) as well. They won't starve. I don't feel bad about it.

Granola made and in a jar in the pantry.
They want porridge for breakfast now the mornings are darker so that should be a saving on the cereal front. Unless I have to take out a bank loan to keep them in golden syrup.


Another weekend over, but this one was quite a nice one.

Will see what the new week brings.

Thanks, I make scones nearly every week and for the first time in years it simply didn't work.


Today was a spendy day. DS 3 & 4 asked for fluffy blankets like their big brothers had (the last house was cold in their bedrooms so they got fluffy throws) and Mr Ald1 had some nice ones for £7.99. So this morning after dropping them at school I went off and bought a dark blue one and a duck egg one, then went to the gym, 20km on the bike (500cals) and came home for a nice hot bath. Of course the phone rang as soon as I got in, so had to hop out just in case it was one of the schools.

It wasn't, step-gran just wanted to witter on for a bit, she is to be without electricity between 11 - 8pm tomorrow. So wanted to chat about how much water she should have in a thermos, how many thermos' she should fill, to make sure she had a battery lamp and a torch, what she was going to have for her supper. It is a long time for her to be without power, but needs must. Hopefully the power will come on long before that. She will be bored out of her brain by lunchtime.

Tomorrow will be spendy too, I need some fizzy caterpillars (Colins) from M&S for DS2s birthday cake. He wants a mud pie. So, a choc biscuit base, chocolate ganache middle, 'soil' from blitzed oreos and marshmallow mushrooms and worms (colin). It is disgusting, a proper mudslide mess but the kids love a mudcake and as he is going to be 13 I assume he will grow up at some point.

DS1 does not like chocolate, so I will have to have another Eve's pudding or something up my sleeve or he will sulk. Even though it is not his birthday.
Anyway, DS3 decided to give me his ransom demand birthday list, finally, this morning (his birthday is on Wednesday) and he wants a replacement 3DS for his broken one. So I am off to all the robbers's shops for a second hand console and a few bits and bobs. With not having family in the country, his grandparents tend to send money, and his great-aunt sends money, and my step- gran always sends him £20-£30, so he ends up with masses of money plus whatever I get him, and he can easily finish the day with £100+ as well as whatever it was he actually wanted. I have to be really careful or he will be properly spoilt, and the more money he has to wave about, the worse his behaviour becomes. On the plus side, there are two games coming out soon he really wants, so he should hopefully not spend it all on pringles and doritos, and will save it or pre-order the games.
He also wants to go to P1zza 3xpre55. I only have £4 of Tesco vouchers I can boost, so I think it is going to have to be on the credit card, as I am getting a refund of £135 in the next week or so, and I don't want to be sitting on a large credit that I can't touch.

Right, off to put kids to bed.