Edinburgher's balancing act

edinburgher

Typical! I get a long weekend and develop a cold right in the middle of it

This has been an interesting week - I've started making strawberry wine in the basement, the stone for GF's engagement ring has shipped and I've re-joined a gym!

The gym looks much more consumer friendly than others I've been a member of - £12.99 a month for the first year, no contract tie-in (just need to pay two DD payments and then I'm free to cancel when I like) and it's served by a bus route that I can take from just down the road. I am hoping to get a few sessions with a personal trainer as well and shift some of the weight that has been creeping back on

GF and I have decided that we're going to stay with her parents a bit longer and save up for a flat deposit. Her parents (bless 'em) seemed to welcome the idea and said that they're enjoying the extra company. It's great that they're being so welcoming and we'll do our bit by saving up, getting out of their hair as soon as we can and by actually paying some rent from now on in

Other than that, just feeling sorry for myself on the couch and looking forward to my sore throat sorting itself out.

InaPickle

Wow - that's ALL sounding great, Ed!

I sympathise about the cold as I've got one as well. I didn't pass it to you by sneezing all over your thread, did I? *ATICHOO*

I am dying of envy for a gym membership like that, but there is nothing round here like this. Local Picklgyms, pay attention, please!

As for the saving up for a deposit, it seems most prudent: do your worst, oh Scottish iceberg!

edinburgher

Cheers Pickle

The cold continues unabated this morning and before anyone comes up with 'man 'flu' jokes, I'm in work I woke up at 4am as my general inability to breathe properly and temperature weren't really conducive to sleep!

We have now got our London flat deposit back and the stone for the engagement ring arrived in the UK in the small hours of this morning, so I should be good to go in a few short hours! Thinking about taking tomorrow off to visit the jewellers' - GF wouldn't be expecting it and it might help me regain some of the element of surprise with this project?

Also, now the deposit is back we've hit our emergency fund target of £3000 (just over our combined wages for a month). I know most people suggest 3-6 months, but I haven't got another couple of years to wait before we save up the flat deposit/get married. The emergency fund will be going into whatever 'instant access' account we can get the highest rate on (think the 2.75% for a year ING offer is still the best?) Also hoping to stick another £500 or so into my ISA on payday to get the deposit fund started properly.

Right - quickly back to work - we're a man down and I don't have much time for footling

edinburgher

I'm now one engagement ring comission richer and quite a bit cash poorer

Very friendly shop, with courteous, imaginative staff: James Brown Jewellers, Glasgow

Still feeling crook, but at least I was off today. Comfort dinner of scampi, onion rings and red wine awaits.

InaPickle

edinburgher wrote: »

I'm now one engagement ring comission richer and quite a bit cash poorer

Very friendly shop, with courteous, imaginative staff: James Brown Jewellers, Glasgow

Still feeling crook, but at least I was off today. Comfort dinner of scampi, onion rings and red wine awaits.

Oooh...exciting! Does GF have an inkling or is she still totally oblivious?

Next question: where are you going to propose?

edinburgher

Does GF have an inkling or is she still totally oblivious?

She's aware that it's in the works - don't think she's aware of the timeframe tho!

Next question: where are you going to propose?

That's a good one - I was thinking maybe the Witchery or another fancy Edinburgh hotel?

InaPickle

edinburgher wrote: »

She's aware that it's in the works - don't think she's aware of the timeframe tho!



That's a good one - I was thinking maybe the Witchery or another fancy Edinburgh hotel?

I know next to nothing about beautiful Edinburgh, and even I know that is a good one!

If she's half as keen on food as you are, go for it, if not, you could choose somewhere that has a good memory for you guys? That way, it would be even more personal. If you go to the Witchery, you will be making more of them. It's a win-win situation!

edinburgher

Over a month without an update?! That indicates that I've been:

a) Very busy and
b) Spending less time on the forum

Pleased to announce that I proposed last weekend and was accepted GF was a little surprised (as we'd only just finished breakfast), but I was determined to break up the fun day of ironing and cleaning the bathroom that she had planned for herself! She loved her ring (a marquise cut violet sapphire set in platinum) and it fit perfectly. We had a lovely meal out at a restaurant in Glasgow on the Saturday night and were only slightly hungover the next day despite our heroic intake of champagne.

We're looking at having a smallish ceremony next September for family on either Zakynthos or Kefalonia and it looks like being a lovely alternative to the 'traditional' British wedding, with infinitely better weather. My elder brother will be on best man duties, GF (is there an internet speak contraction of 'fiancee'?) has various bridesmaids selected and we're looking for a very relaxed day. No dress code, no speeches, just good fun and relaxation next to the sea.

Fiancee's parents have very kindly offered to bear all costs for the wedding (which is a massive help for which we're very grateful), although we will of course pay for our own outfits, travel to and from the wedding and wedding bands etc. I was a little wary of having a wedding abroad as it places a bit of a burden on family members, but we're compromising by asking them to treat their attendance as their gift to us instead of the usual list of household goods that we neither want or need.

So, plenty of planning to look forward to on that front, although the firm we're looking to use have sheaves of glowing testimonials which set my mind at ease.

As well as getting engaged we purchased a new laptop (our first shared computer) after the death of both of our old laptops The new one is a vast improvement, although somewhat regrettably we had to purchase it bundled with mobile broadband at an inflated price. Not the end of the world, but we'll be paying for mobile broadband we won't need for a while for the next 24 months... I've started a budget line to my savings account for £20/mth to cover the cost of the *next* laptop as I wouldn't want to buy one like this again. It could be worse and I did have to pass a credit check to get the laptop, which always makes me feel like my credit is getting reformed!

My strawberry wine (see a few posts back) is now ready to bottle and we should have a baker's dozen bottles ready to go by Christmas. It's nice to do something vaguely frugal once in a while as it's seemed a bit like we've been shelling out cash left right and centre of late

The weather is starting to get a tiny bit cooler here now and the slow cooker has debuted. Fiancee's mum was very impressed with my southern style pulled pork (soused in homemade barbeque sauce with 10+ ingredients) and we ate some wonderful pulled lamb with homemade triple cooked chips the other day. Is anyone else starting to feel autumnal?

My gym membership is up and running and I've made one visit in six days. Not the best I know, but I don't want to do my usual and burn out straight away. For this reason, I'm trying to stick to two visits a week and will build up the duration and intensity as I go. Got to look good for next September

Think that just about covers it for just now...

InaPickle

Hey Ed :wave:

I was wondering where you had gone...and now I see!

edinburgher wrote: »

Pleased to announce that I proposed last weekend and was accepted GF was a little surprised (as we'd only just finished breakfast)

First up, congratulations on getting engaged. :T Perhaps you can textify GF into OH2B?

edinburgher wrote: »

We're looking at having a smallish ceremony next September for family on either Zakynthos or Kefalonia and it looks like being a lovely alternative to the 'traditional' British wedding, with infinitely better weather.

A friend got married on the Greek isles a year ago, and she said it was beautiful: truly a day never to forget. And I think asking people to be there is nice, and I bet most people will look to book it as part of their summer holidays as well. Win-win!

And RIP Ed's laptop, hello the new one, and I know the deal you mean: having a seperate account for the laptop is no bad idea. Clever!

My strawberry wine (see a few posts back) is now ready to bottle and we should have a baker's dozen bottles ready to go by Christmas.

Ooh, can I have the recipie? And Life in Termoil (a newbie!) has been telling me about Skittles vodka and toffee vodka (stick a big bag on Skittles in a big bottle of vodka (but take the green ones out else it ends up a funny colour), and stick a big bag of Werthers Originals in another big bottle of vodka et voila!

The weather is starting to get a tiny bit cooler here now and the slow cooker has debuted. Fiancee's mum was very impressed with my southern style pulled pork (soused in homemade barbeque sauce with 10+ ingredients) and we ate some wonderful pulled lamb with homemade triple cooked chips the other day. Is anyone else starting to feel autumnal?

Mmm...sounds delish. Can I have that recipie, too?

And the other day, I was cooking a dinner party for some friends and my dog ate the main courses while we were eating the starter! :eek: :rotfl:

My gym membership is up and running and I've made one visit in six days.

I joined on a 6 week membership and I've only been once!

edinburgher

Perhaps you can textify GF into OH2B?

I like it!

And Life in Termoil (a newbie!) has been telling me about Skittles vodka and toffee vodka (stick a big bag on Skittles in a big bottle of vodka

I'm sure this is delicious, but I might give it a miss. Not the biggest vodka fan and it would remind me too much of my childhood habit of letting skittles dissolve in lemonade. Now that I think about it, what the heck was in that lemonade?