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

themadvix

Morning all,

Thanks SL, yes I was thrilled with the roofing result. DH has had a look in the loft but until it rains we can't really tell if it's sorted. As he's someone we know through someone though (and not just professionally), I can't see he'd have ripped us off. Good call on the clementine zest for the cake - I still haven't made any progress - totally uninspired tbh, mainly because neither of us like it and I'm not really sure what's happening for Christmas... although I suppose now we can start to plan a bit better.

It's a good job the roof is sorted, as work is still really quiet. Have looked at SEISS 3, but not sure I'd pass the eligibility criteria - no mention is made of the pandemic's impact on the global economy, which is what is causing my significantly reduced demand (and it's probably been OK this month as first half was okayish - would have to see how things pan out going forward). I don't want to get into trouble. Normally I'd have to weather a recession on my own anyway, but it's hard not to be tempted if the money's being offered and I am being impacted, it's just not as cut and dried as some of the examples.

Meeting a friend later for a walk, although it looks like it may get wet then. Hmm... maybe I should get out now before it's too wet as she's a bit of a fair weather type and we may end up cutting it short. Meeting another friend at an NT place tomorrow - that will be a 'proper' walk and we'll enjoy a takeaway hot drink too, I expect.

Have snagged a TGTG bakery bag later, so looking forward to collecting that (we even have a decent amount of room in the freezer!) and will probably get our BOGOF Costa drinks while we're in town. 

MS things:
* New-to-me jeans arrived from Ebay - £1 + P&P and they look in excellent condition
* 2 x PA surveys
* Clicks done
* NV survey done
* Eating from cupboards (when aren't we?) and freezer - but aware that Friday will be a splurge day for DH's birthday

Gratitudes:
* Saw Sis and Niece briefly (and Mum - although obviously that's not technically allowed) - they were dropping off DH's birthday present and going for a tour of the Christmas lights in the town (with packed tea! )
* Royal Mail - they're delivering super-fast at the moment it seems, I guess to get ahead and hopefully stay ahead. Really appreciate their efforts!
* Fresh air and lovely sunshine on my walk yesterday - makes such a difference to my mood.

Have a good day all!

Karmacat

That roofing really does sound great - and through a not-just-professional contact is also great.  My neighbour across the fence horrified me the other day, he said when he went up to the loft he could see sky through the holes.  And yet he got his gutters fixed in two days when there was a problem.  Crazy.  Anyway, you're watertight again, thats the main thing  
It sounds like you're really managing to get out and about, thats lovely - and you've got a celebration for OH's birthday coming up too.   Have a good day today too  

themadvix

Morning all,

Not sure about the daylight thing Karma, we can still see daylight, but it might be the angles, the ways the tiles sit (and there's the issue with the ridge tiles that's still to be sorted).

Had a lovely walk with friend yesterday - it was chucking it down when she arrived and she wasn't sure about it, but by the time I got there it had stopped and we didn't get wet at all. Did in excess of 13,000 steps overall, which was great (currently on MFP doing a bit of calorie counting - mainly because DH doesn't get enough! I don't need it generally, but have a few lockdown pounds I'd like to shift. On the whole, our diet is pretty good for me in terms of calories, although lacking in protein. ). Picked up the TGTG bag and got our hot chocolates from C0sta.  Have a falafel wrap to take with me for lunch on my outing with another friend today and DH is catered for for lunch too. A soda bread and a big loaf in the freezer and doughnuts for dessert last night (definitely needed those 13,000 steps!).

Going to NT place with free car charging today, so will take the hybrid and take advantage of that. Just doing a little bit of work before I go - for Americans, so no rush as they're not back until Monday, but would like DH's birthday off tomorrow. Not sure what the plan is - lazy day I think, maybe with a walk to contribute to the takeaway feast in the evening!

Have a good day all!

Karmacat

themadvix said:

Not sure about the daylight thing Karma, we can still see daylight, but it might be the angles, the ways the tiles sit (and there's the issue with the ridge tiles that's still to be sorted).
I hope so, madvix!  I had some tiles blow off in a storm soon after I moved here, and I was very uneasy until I found a roofer to replace them - probably just me  
Going to NT place with free car charging today, so will take the hybrid and take advantage of that. Just doing a little bit of work before I go - for Americans, so no rush as they're not back until Monday, but would like DH's birthday off tomorrow. Not sure what the plan is - lazy day I think, maybe with a walk to contribute to the takeaway feast in the evening!

That sounds great - both the charging and the walkies.  I'm off for a walk myself right now, actually - my feet were freezing after the gardening, it doesn't get the blood circulating.  Enjoy your walk.

themadvix

Thanks Karma. With the roof, I also think we can only see daylight because where it's leaked the internal lining has come down - what you can't see you can't worry about and it's generally dry up there!

Had a lovely walk - they've put in a new boundary walk around the estate, so we did 5 miles, with new views and in beautiful sunshine, even if it was chilly! Queues were too long to wait for a hot drink (friend had a flask of coffee with her and I wasn't that bothered), so we just found a sunny spot to enjoy our picnic in. Friend is normally a very cheery soul, but pandemic life is getting to her - she's ex-nursing and doesn't believe the vaccines will work, doesn't believe the testing is accurate and lives on her own and isn't a fan of the rules. Which all makes it quite hard. I think part of the problem is that she (and her social group) would be relatively sensible, but she's blind to the fact that people generally can't be trusted to be sensible! It was quite hard going conversationally at times (and we normally meet as a three, where I have a bit more back up from the other person). I do see her point of view (that it's all much harder for singletons - three households is not so many when you're just one per household), but the negativity is hard to deal with - especially about the vaccines - she won't have one! She doesn't think they can be safe having been produced so quickly... blah, blah. Aaargh! Sorry... back to moneysaving...

MS things:
* Free day out
* 1P surveys done
* NV survey done
* Work done

Gratitudes:
* New views 
* Lovely weather
* Good to see friend on the whole!

Have a good evening all!

Suffolk_lass

There's so much anti-vaccine false news about too, it is targeted using AI at people with doubts so it reinforces what they might suspect. DH was explaining to DS that all the research students have been focussed at this one issue so rather than 1-2 teams working nationally on extracting a DNA sequence and then developing a vaccine, all the PHD students working on vaccine related research have been redirected to Covid 19. The Bee-keeping professor who delivered a Zoom-lecture to us three weeks ago was lamenting that his new graduate DRs and PHD students had all been redeployed - the net result is nine months instead of ten years because more than ten times the number of people have been working on it and the Chinese shared the DNA sequence in February, and all the tests have been started before the preceding one concluded so they have run concurrently.

Of course your friend won't believe it but our tiny bit of proof has helped us to do so.

themadvix

Useful info there SL. I did make the point that there would have been a huge amount more focus than normally and funding, although it didn’t occur to me that every PhD student would have been set on it. I have no concerns about having the vaccine and hope that everyone else has it too so we can get back to normal. She’s not someone prone to conspiracy theories normally (and usually puts her faith in God), so it’s rather strange. She’s also not one for social media or unreliable sources - I think it’s her training, but she’s been retired for 15 years now so hardly current. 

Just back and thawing from a lovely if foggy walk.

QueenJess

Been stupidly busy recently, but just popped in to say I made the veggie toad in the hole yesterday and it tasted amazing with the mushroom gravy.  I think I may be able to shoe horn that one into a regular rotation of veggie meals and I love that you can throw whatever root veg you like in there.

newgirly

Great news on the roof repair Vix, what a massive price difference 🙂 Totally get your frustration with the friend with differing views, my Aunt and her dh won’t have it as “they don’t need to” they don’t leave the house EVER and get shopping delivered, have no health conditions and he has just turned fifty very strange but they are terrified of getting it yet won’t have the vaccine! 

Interesting post Suffolk lass, it makes total sense 🙂

Suffolk_lass

I have just had a similar thing to your friend - one of the girls in my group that now meet online (one of our youngsters in her fifties!) was decrying the testing and extrapolating from a poor practice example by one of the private company providers (the one that just lost the prisons contracts early(!)) at a testing centre to say she "just didn't believe any of it and would not be risking having a vaccine" - two of us suggested in no uncertain terms which orifice she was talking out of, and the danger of conflating one example by a company with no track record, in it for the money, with the world leading research and testing that has gone into developing a vaccine. We shall have it, as soon as it is offered to us (groups 7 & 8) and personally, if the Pfizer one really is 95% effective I'm glad it's going to be given to the NHS workers first. 

Like you, I hope people have it when offered.