Finally I have a mortgage I can start to pay off!

Karmacat

Sorry to hear your DH is lurgified, but everything else sounds great! NT life membership is a brilliant idea ... can I add "at your age"? :o:o so embarrassing to write that! You're going to get a massive amount of use out of it, whichever of the big organisations you join


Garden progress is good too - and I love the idea of chucking the defrosting ice into the watering can

themadvix

Haha, yes of course you can! Having discussed it with FIL, I recognised that it was a good buy 'at my age'! :rotfl: Although I think it is cheaper for the over 60s. A friend was given life membership at birth by her grandparents (a good idea when the first one arrived... I think they were feeling it by no. 4!). Her children have been saving for their 'farm card' (i.e. life membership, but they visit the farm at their nearest property) since birth - all birthday and Christmas money has gone towards it and at the ripe old age of 7 and 6, they'd got enough to get it - they really will get their money's worth!

Garden progress has been good.... since she died I think I've inherited my Nan's dislike of weeds.... She was a *very* keen gardener and had a beautiful garden. As the dementia (and old age) progressed she wasn't able to keep on top of it though (although we have gardeners in at her house at the moment, putting it somewhat to rights). However, this didn't stop her - if she'd been out for lunch on a Sunday with mum and uncle, they'd have to hide the weeds on the drive as she got out of the car (arms spread wide, coat over them, funnelling Nan to the front door!), so that they could get in the house - otherwise she'd exhort them (and bend double herself) to start weeding! I found myself attacking dandelions quite randomly yesterday - so I think I've got that from her (likewise, as her memory faded Mum seemed to acquire all the plant knowledge by osmosis - weird!).

Random, sorry, I digress

Better get back to work!

Karmacat

I love that about your nan! There *is* an osmosis about gardening knowledge, you're right :rotfl:

The senior life membership isn't a huge reduction, I'm afraid (I checked!, I'm interested) - it still costs, £1295 from memory. Not a good buy for me unless the million pound premium bond floats my way

Getting going here too: its 12.15, I can legitimately prepare lunch, I'm starving :rotfl:

themadvix

I'm glad it's not just me thinking about lunch (after a choc-chip cookie not too long ago!) :rotfl:

themadvix

Morning all,

After working until about 3.30 yesterday, I feel much more on top of things (that US Memorial Day holiday helps too as nothing arrived overnight!). Spent a couple of hours in the garden (planted peas and my freecycle bonus Brussels sprouts) and went for a walk in the woods with DH (much to his embarrassment I was collecting sticks for my peas! ). Back garden is looking lovely, so am very pleased about that. Front garden is getting there.... Navvying required though as there's a bramble in the corner.

Up early this morning and have got a batch of work out of the way, so that I can pop out now. Going to buy a pair of sandals from M&S - they are the same as a pair I bought last year, which are very comfy. Have vouchers from super-generous Brownie parent, so hopefully will be fairly cheap. Will also be buying a couple of bits needed to make elderflower cordial - I've got the bottle and the flowers are down the road, so just need some lemons, sugar and citric acid (thank you, BBC GF). Have a 5 pound L2S voucher so will get the citric acid in Wilkos.

MS things:
* Clicks done
* Peas and sprouts planted (foraged sticks look good too )
* Vouchers ready to spend (will be nice to get them out of my purse!)
* MS dinner out tonight

Gratitudes:
* DH is feeling better
* I haven't missed the elderflower season (every year I remember too late!)
* Day off(ish) tomorrow - going with Mum to the auction that has sold a lot of stuff of Nan's - there's a plate belonging to my great aunt going under the hammer - estimate 2-3k! :eek: It's also Nan's birthday tomorrow, so expect we'll have lunch out and raise a glass to her. I need the escape from the house!

Right, off now, see you later! Have a good day!

themadvix

Oh, spoke too soon - European client has just chirped up with some work Still going out, will get onto that later!

debtfreeoneday

I love alliums.. we are down to one this year after DH helpfully weeded them out of the way!!! Will plant more this autumn for sure!

themadvix

Oh no DFOD, what a pity! There's a front garden near us that's all alliums and irises - it looks gorgeous

My DVD prize arrived, along with a pack of branded playing cards and a calendar (???!). Will have a go at flogging them on Ebay.

Didn't get the sandals as they weren't exactly the same and neither of the similar pairs was right, iyswim. Did get the bits I need to make the elderflower cordial (minus the elderflowers, which I need to go and pick). Booked another MS for next week for dinner.

Sun is out now and it's very hard to stay focused on work.... I must continue for a bit longer though!

Karmacat

Hope you managed to pick the elderflowers I made a pancake one year, as I didn't want the sugar in a cordial - it was slightly weird, but very good

themadvix

Morning all,

Feeling very chipper this morning as I'm on the home stretch of the awful project! Still swamped by work, but know I'll feel *so* much better when this is out of the way. It won't be today - there's still quite a lot to do, but knowing that once it's done that's it (until they send me updates) is a huge relief.

I did pick the elderflowers yesterday (it was far too cold and wet on Weds) and they are steeping in the sugar water as I type. I'd read about elderflower fritters Karma - hadn't known about such uses until I was picking them. Maybe I'll have a try with pancakes/fritters at some point (there were plenty more heads there and now I know what I'm looking for a bit better I'm seeing them everywhere!). Have been out and planted up a second tumbling tomato (£1) that I bought on Weds from the garden centre next to the auction house.

Auction was interesting - the plate went for £2k, which I think my g. aunt is very pleased about. The quality of a lot of the stuff there wasn't what we expected (or what it looked in the catalogue - which makes all the online bidding an interesting matter). It was an interesting day out. I know we're relatively well off these days - when you do surveys and your household income is often in one of the top brackets, you realise that, even if it doesn't seem that way at times. So it was interesting to see the huge amounts of money people spent at the auction on 'trinkets'/antiques, things that I could never justify spending that sort of money on.... madness! (Even taking into consideration the fact that I'm fairly minimalist and not a person who likes 'things' - there were some lovely things there I'd've had, but not at those prices!!)

I digress.... but it was money related.

MS things:
* A couple of good days on SBs - lots of bonus points collected this month, hopefully
* Clicks etc. all done
* Dinner from freezers (and after defrosting, none of the iffy stuff seems to have come to harm)
* Took lawnmower blade, secateurs and hoe round to Dad's last night and he showed me how to sharpen them - cheaper than going to the hardware store and asking them to do it
* Acquired some toilet cleaner from Brownie stores - did inventory of what we've got to pass onto new leaders yesterday
* Plants all growing like mad! Beans have found their canes and sprouts are looking settled in the bed (how sad am I?!)

Gratitudes:
* The weather returned to what it should be for May yesterday
* Beautiful poppies out on the road sides - Nan's favourite flower
* Strawbs are a-ripening
* Was able to help Dad with some potting up as he's cut his hand - it felt good to be able to do something for him as we ask him for help/advice/loans of stuff so often

A quick trip round the diaries beckons and then back to work. Happy Friday everyone!