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

themadvix

Morning all,

Another hot one today! Have been out and watered this morning and then have been cracking on with work before it gets too hot for my brain to function. The remaining small bits of work are now out the way and I'm back on the big project. It's going well and I'm confident we'll be able to return it to the client ahead of schedule, and DH and I may get away for a few days at the beginning of September.

Didn't do much of anything yesterday - it was just too hot. However, we resisted the temptation of a 50% off Uber eats voucher and had easy freezer food. I also made these healthy brownies, which came out pretty well and I'm resisting scoffing the lot! We're off out for dinner this evening to support local business Harvested some runner beans, patty pan squashes, spring onion, rhubarb and a couple of chillis yesterday - all still sitting on the side waiting for me to do something with. Also need to buy and cook the cats' chicken - it's too hot though (it's a melting-in-the-kitchen job at the best of times!)

I have my first postings on this round of the RM survey later today, which will be a good excuse for a short walk. 

MS things:
* Using Ethical Superstore loyalty vouchers for a couple of bits I need (will get cashback too)
* No takeaway!
* RM survey
* Clicks
* NV survey

Gratitudes:
* Yummy brownies
* DH cooked last night 
* Nice virtual catch-up with family

Have a good day all, stay cool!

themadvix

Morning all,

Didn't go out for dinner in the end last night as couldn't get through to book at one restaurant and the other isn't open on Mondays! Will try again tonight, although it's definitely busy out there - have eventually booked a pub for Mum and I to have lunch at today (issues with pubs not opening for food on Tuesdays, menu choices, inclusion on EO2HO - so complicated!) and we were their last booking, which for a Tuesday lunch time is mad! In some respects it was good we didn't go out - I used up a whole load of bits that needed using in our dinner. DH has got the remains of yesterday's potato salad for lunch.

Dropped the signed contract off at the estate agent today and am hoping to have an update about the open house (I sent an email separately). Still nothing new of note on the market.

MS things:
* Clicks
* Use-up dinner
* Decided we don't need a veg box this week (but this is offset by ordering a fruit box instead - but we (I) are eating a lot of fruit recently and it's healthier than the baking!)

Gratitudes:
* Cats were well behaved and enjoyed bonus garden time last night - it was lovely to sit with the French doors open and eat our dinner while they chilled out in the garden
* Lunch out with Mum
* Visit from Mum and Niece yesterday afternoon - Niece wanted to see the crickets in our front garden... we also spent a lot of time watching pond skaters... a budding naturalist!

Have a good day all!

South_coast

It's definitely busy trying to get a table. BF and I are out for dinner tonight (so exciting!!!) - it was meant to be lunch, but nothing was available until 9.00pm! Hopefully that should mean it's cooler though - currently 26 degrees here 😓

Lovely that you're able to spend time with your niece again ❤

themadvix

Afternoon all,

Thanks SC, it is good to see her Hope you enjoyed your dinner. We couldn't get through to two of the restaurants (no answer, which was very odd), another favourite was fully booked again, so in the end we ordered takeaway from the latter, with an Ubereats 50% off voucher, so it was £11.50 Probably won't bother trying to go out tonight. I have £50 of Leisure Vouchers from S&S stashed away from Before, so we could be rash and splash out at the weekend if we fancied it (and I'd quite like to use the vouchers up before any more of the companies who accept them go bust - Casual Dining Group was one of them).

Lunch with Mum was good too - a local pub and they accepted Amex and are part of the shop small scheme - so the main bit of our lunch cost me £6.80! (£5 off a £10 spend with shop small!). I did then order some chips as an extra which the waitress forgot to take the 50% off of (and at £3.50 they were expensive chips!). They were late coming out too and were fries instead of fat chips, after I'd specified fat ones, so I grumpily ate some of those until another waitress brought out a bowl of fat chips that were actually meant for us (think first waitress just realised we'd not got any and brought us what was ready) - so we had two bowls of chips in the end! Needless to say, I didn't go and ask for my 50% off

Today I'm trying to balance work with some gentle, slow housework as the house is getting progressively untidier and we have the open house on Saturday  . I don't want to spend Friday dashing around in the heat to get everything done, so have made a start today. Also need to bake some scones to use up some milk on the turn (annoyingly it was when we opened it), blanch and freeze some runner beans and pop to see Dad later. DH has requested the smell of freshly baked biscuits for Saturday morning (we'll see), but I've also ordered some Scilly scented pinks for the hall (it's an excuse to have flowers )

MS things:
* 1P surveys - at £17.40 now, slowly, slowly....
* 50% off takeaway and eliminated the starter as we didn't need it in the heat
* Rhubarb crumble using hm rhubarb (really didn't want to put oven on, but the rhubarb needed pulling, cooking etc. - and the freezer is full - to some extent with rhubarb! Have given some to Mum's friend and taking Dad some later!)
* Amex shop small!
* Chucked 2 brown nanas in the freezer - scones a priority, will bake banana bread later

Gratitudes
* 4 viewings booked for Saturday
* The pub had aviaries - enjoyed watching the birds
* A lazy morning this morning (naughty, I know!)

Have a good afternoon all!

Hazelnutty

Good luck with the open house! I've never had one of those but they sound ideal in that you get all sorted for one day and get a load of viewings done. I hated being on constant tidy duty when viewings are drip-drip

themadvix

Our thoughts exactly Hazelnutty - and with the cats too (liable to wreck the joint at a moment's notice, hiss at unknown visitors and with their litter trays), we decided it would be easier (credit to my Mum for suggesting it is due). The cats are having a day out at the cattery, we're viewing a house and we might do something fun after that.

Hazelnutty

that sounds smart - nothing like eau de merde du chat to get a viewing off to a good start

themadvix

Hazelnutty said:

that sounds smart - nothing like eau de merde du chat to get a viewing off to a good start

Quite! 

themadvix

Oh, I am melting! We have thunder at the moment, but no rain. The cats are currently outside cats, as they kept escaping where DH had the French doors open (he had the dining room door shut, but B&W kitty can open it)! Both are chilling in the shade in the garden, so it's all good.

Scones have been baked and enjoyed for lunch. Rang up about another property we'd been considering, only to find that it is under offer and off the market. Ho hum... The house is looking a bit tidier - just the odd thing moved every time I get up, it works!

Cheery_Daff

Good luck with your viewings on Saturday! We didn't officially have an open house event, but ours went on the market on the Thursday and they booked us seven viewings on the Saturday (!) and then another nine I think throughout the week. It was quite overwhelming, but at least all done within a week. We sold to the second people to see it - we'd dithered about them as their house wasn't even on the market at that point but they offered £17k over the asking price so we ended up waiting and it all worked out.

Sorry, reliving some of the madness! Fingers crossed yours all goes cheerfully and someone loves it! Xx