An Optimistic Pair's MFW Journey

StuartGMC

Optimisticpair wrote: »

Is it MSE to make pets of four sparrrows instead of getting a dog and a cat? Bird seed is cheep. We had four sparrows to start with but after this breeding season we now have eight of them.

Good to hear of your update and remember sparrows have been declining so it is not only MSE, it's positively eco-friendly too!

Optimisticpair

StuartGMC wrote: »

Good to hear of your update and remember sparrows have been declining so it is not only MSE, it's positively eco-friendly too!

Real nice to be back and converse with you again.

I have to admit to having sparrow envy. A friend of mine here has a flock of 20 on his smallholding. The cottage also helped increase the "black squawking g*t" population after one used the bedroom chimney as her nest. She was an excellent mother feeding at 5am, 6am and 7am, or thereabouts, after which I gave up all attempts at trying to sleep.

Current work in progress is clearing the small wilderness, aka the garden, and laying it out for the next growing season. I'm a big fan of fresh, organic veg outside my door. We have stacked rocks to one side to make a fair sized rock garden which will also contain thyme for cooking and for making a herb raised bed.

Optimisticpair

setmefree2 wrote: »

Hi OP,

Good to hear your news. Good news about your OH.

Anyhoo,

Best Wishes

SMF2

Thank you very much for the lovely welcome back. I'll catch up with what you have been doing after I get a couple of little jobs out of the way. The washing machine calls me.

Optimisticpair

We had a hasty 1st clearout at the weekend. I took half a stall at our local market / boot fair with a friend and converted bits and bobs including books and dvd's into cash. I made £18 which went towards three cans of paint, one of which was on special offer.

I also have a bag of things destined for a charity shop.

Today's job is making space in the back bedroom ready for painting it. Shifting boxes into the loft and everything else I can move on my own into the front bedroom. On the plus side there is no wallpaper to remove first.

Optimisticpair

Ceiling and walls of spare bedroom are now all painted. The change from a light absorbing dark blue on the walls to a warm neutral shade has made the room, which will be OH's 'office', much brighter and warmer looking. Just window to do now and he can set up his PC.

Its been a bit cool here so have had heating on in the living room from about 7pm.

After 3 weeks I'm still waiting for a quote from a guy for removing tree stumps and redundant concrete steps. It is usual to be kept waiting around here for a quote. Same goes with quote for installing a stove. I may be sharing a mini digger with someone else now. I want to get a move on to turn part of the garden over to fruit and veg and need to prepare the ground before frost starts. Its an old gardening trick to dig then let frost break a surface down.

evab_2

Sounds like you are doing well, I hope you are enjoying your new home inbetween the hard work!

Optimisticpair

HANDY LINKS
I find I am getting lost so here are/will be links for getting me back to helpful pages.

Food
Nutrition and diet [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]thread [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Complete (MSE) cooking collection[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - Recipes and meal ideas.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Menu Planning[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - hundreds of options and suggestions[/FONT]

Gardening Growing and storing food
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Greenfingered money saving[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - Gardening & growing our own food[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Old Style indexed collection[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - links, hints and tips for anything old style, moneysaving and frugal.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Electricity & Gas savings[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - monitoring electricity & the MoneySaving Carbon Club[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]i-Measure[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - to log meter readings & reduce our carbon footprint[/FONT]

Preparing for winter thread
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Recipes part 1[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Recipes part 2[/FONT]

Optimisticpair

evab wrote: »

Sounds like you are doing well, I hope you are enjoying your new home inbetween the hard work!

Cheers,

It is very easy to put your head down and forget to smell the roses. Yes, we appreciate it. Even though we pay the price of being a bit remote one of the best things is being surrounded by the countryside.

After getting the washing outside I've been back out there digging up weeds and shifting rocks this morning. No roses yet but we have been admiring Red Admirals butterflies and a Painted Lady slurping on the Sedum spectabile.

Optimisticpair

I am frustrated and uptight today. I'd be the first person to suggest to someone that they organise themselves to be able to see how they are doing so that they stay well motivated but doing that has been impossible with split households. I am at a low point due to that and it feels like I've been muddling along for 9 months rather than dynamic action.

Over the last year I have been doing plenty of MS things, OH has got savvy, and there's more in the pipeline but I don't have all the financial info at my fingertips so I can't check how we are doing. I need to put in place a system so that I can see results.

Optimisticpair

Thank you Setmefree2. Cheered me up.

On the figures I had and some estimates, which is all I have to go on, the spare cash is more like sparse cash. At least there is something left over to offset with.

WATER - We will be much better off monthly when the DD is altered.:j While having the heating and kitchen done we went through 28 units in the 6 months from 3 November 08 to 23 March 09. :mad:
The reading was 1 unit in the 6 months 24 March 09 to today 16th Sept.

My luxury is having a weekly bath :eek: but I've been good and cut back on the volume per bath and I have used it twice over. Some went on the garden plants, some went for flushing the loo, washing paintbrushes etc, floorcloths, paintwork, tools, cement buckets and the floor. Can we improve on that?

FOOD - It is rare that I get to the local supermarket when there are reduced packets as its a student town. Bargains go as soon as they are put out. Sometimes I can't even get a packet of fresh mince

TREATS - We used to have something from the mobile van on Saturday night but now it is the odd Wednesday.

ELECTRICITY - Obviously using the minimum and getting free light when we have the coal fire lit.

HEATING - Already had a monumental weep over the cost of anthracite for the Rayburn and the old inefficient system. Oil and a really efficient boiler is much cheaper to run but I've not just been satisfied with that. I have been using the coal fire whenever I have needed heat in the living room only.


Part 2 to follow