Coffee and chocolate

MissShoes

miggy wrote: »

Well, I have a story and a half to tell, but first let me note that I've saved £1.10 over the past three days on breads and apples, to be added to my signature.

The story: as you may recall, I had a text from Mum's cleaner yesterday to say that she thought someone had been in the house - things were moved and there were white marks on the floor. I called the Police and neighbours while she and her husband assessed the damage. It turned out everyone had been away over the Easter weekend but there was no sign of a break in although things had been moved in various places - odd things, like some glass ornaments on the landing that had been blue-tacked so they wouldn't fall were off their blue tack, and a box of newspaper cuttings had been tipped out. Nothing appeared to be missing. Oddly, it looked as though things had been cleared to make a quick exit through a back window, but the window has a metal grill and it didn't seem to have been used.

The only conclusion I could come to was that someone had broken in to the adjacent house (owners still away) and got in through the loft - hence dust - or that someone had a copy of the key. There's no money and very little an opportunist thief would be looking for so I wondered if kids had got in and just been noseying about.

Today the cleaner went back in with the Police to have a look in full daylight and they searched the place.

DH came to see me at work to say he'd had a phone call. As they looked around they had eventually found the culprit... a very large crow! Sadly, it had been trapped and died. I don't know for sure how it got in (unless it had the duplicate key) but I'm guessing it fell down the chimney and was strong enough to force aside the screen in the grate and fly round the house.

I'm vastly relieved (though sorry for the crow: they are intelligent creatures and there's a chance other crows are wondering where it went). In a strange way it has made me feel a lot more relaxed about going back there. I can see clearly that I need to go through the security system and make sure it's all doing what it should do, I need to check for any remaining valuables and take them away, I need to install the mobile phone I bought for the house a while ago, I have to ask the builder to check the cowl on the chimney and I have to empty and unplug the freezer. If I am really organised I might get the chimney sweep in, but that might be pushing things a bit.

How nice to have a list.

what a relief someone hadn't been in, poor crow xx

Hovel_lady

Very glad it wasn't a burgler but very sad about the crow

A list from miggy? :eek:
How unusual :rotfl:

miggy

Hovel_lady wrote: »

A list from miggy? :eek:
How unusual :rotfl:

I know. I think I'd better go and lie down till I get over it.

miggy

Talking of lists, I still have the following left over from the other day:

Look out the papers for F - no idea where they went and I can't leave it forever.
make an inventory of another kitchen shelf
check my tax code

I have sorted through lots of papers which is useful - though I can't get to my piano yet! Papers grow on it.

I have the usual laundry, care of animals, visit to Mum to do today, also ring the builder about the cowl and his work schedule, and try to get hold of Mum's neighbours to tell them there are no burglars evident but the work on the house is planned to start soon.

DH is going to his colleague's funeral soon. I didn't know them so I'm not going.

The laundry mountain is growing again, and the ironing mountain even more so. I'm working over the weekend and on Monday night so I need to get those sorted today.

Nothing much financial though I still have the savings from three receipts (if I can find them) and one mortgage overpayment to add to my savings total. By the way, for those on the weight loss challenge, mine is steady so I need to kick it back into action and lose another pound. (One at a time). I've had a chat with Personal Training friend and he's started me off with an easy plan which is mostly walking. I have to earn 6 points in a week and so far I've got 1.5 and I'm already half way through the week.

Okay, that's it for now. No more browsing diaries, computer goes off for a while and I do some jobs.

ETA - I've managed to finish up a few bits from the kitchen - now I have to try to keep the spaces empty while we finish up some more.

miggy

I think lists are the best ever way of ensuring I don't get things done.

I did two loads of washing, emailed my BiL and got a phone call from my sister by return (we've not been in touch for weeks so obviously the email did the trick!) visited Mum which went pretty well (her memory was fine today but oh boy that place is understaffed), lifted the papers off the piano and played some music. Other than that - I defrosted the chest freezer!

Now I have to see what's fit to go back. I've thrown out the remains of a tub of icecream (out of date and melted), served up a forgotten chicken pie for dinner and dumped everything in the fridge freezer or on the kitchen counter. There is now a pool of what looks like blood on the washing machine but it isn't. I suspect blackberries... jam making tomorrow?

Ah well, back to the coal face... I mean ice face.

miggy

I'm happy to say I have got this far through the week and still have a fifth of the week's food money left. However, the weekend is always expensive so I'm not sure how well it will stretch because we 'have to' have chip shop chips on Saturday and a roast on Sunday.

However we are also very low on tea, coffee and dishwasher tablets and I will need sugar if I make jam.

I think DH and I will forego the chips tomorrow (and have soup from freezer), DD is at work and DS1 may well be out, so that will cut back quite nicely, allowing us a chicken for Sunday. Plenty of veg and, following my freezer-diving, soft fruit too so we could have a crumble for pudding.

Food is undoubtedly getting more expensive. We used to get all the cleaning materials and quite a few toiletries in with the 'food' money but the toiletries have somehow become a separate category, while we still have to take care to make it all stretch properly.

And one more thing - I now have an eight-week training schedule to make me fit and healthy! Nothing too hard but I have a goal of a pound a week weight loss (only lost 2lbs since Christmas but at least I've kept them off). That means I have to resist the remains of the Easter Eggs, or at least make them last. PT advised I have three 'good' weeks food wise then relax for a week. As I don't start till Monday I think this must be my relaxing week!

miggy

The freezer's now repacked and is only about half full. I threw out quite a lot from near the top that had ice all over it from when the lid was loose and it was defrosting. On one level it's a waste but on another I'm quite relieved not to have to find a use for it!

Now to bed.

miggy

I had an amazing lie-in this morning - went back to sleep after DH went to work and didn't wake till 20 to 11!

Savings today = carrots 67p, cotton wool 20p (buy from baby aisle not beauty and save VAT ) and shampoo £1.90. Total £2.77.

Lemon_Tree

hi Miggy, glad your mum's house hadn't been hit by an intruder, but sorry to hear about the crow.

sounds like you're keeping yourself busy, is it today that you hear about OH's job? fingers crossed for you.

miggy

Lemon_Tree wrote: »

is it today that you hear about OH's job? fingers crossed for you.

Thanks LT, it may be today but we haven't heard anything yet!