lionheartedgirl... moving on

lionheartedgirl

Morning,

another crazy couple of weeks but things are a bit more chilled now. I've got 2 weeks til my final exam, and LOADS of practice to do for that, but that can mostly be done at home. I'm playing in a concert on Wednesday which has meant lots of rehearsing with another musician but it's been great fun and I hope it will be a good partnership for the future.

Things with the man are going really well now.

It's been a week of good and bad news on the money front.

On Thursday I met another harpist for coffee, we'd chatted lots over twitter but never met in person. She's fabulously well connected and as we play different types of music and harps, we won't steal work from each other so she has been a great contact to make. She's bike racing mad too so it was a good natter! A few hours after meeting her, an email landed with a potential gig which I managed to get, so that's a healthy fee (although a lot of travelling) and also a good practice run for my exam. She's also given me lots of ideas for places to approach to get some more gigs, and some great ideas for the future.

Unfortunately though, yesterday I finally had confirmation that my house buyers have pulled out. After 8 weeks with no explanation whatsoever, let alone an apology. This wasn't a massive surprise but it hit pretty hard and I was very down last night. Today I'm feeling a bit more revved up to get on with things.

I feel more confident of picking up some harp work as a result of Thursday's events but I will need to get my CV off this weekend to get some temp work for the summer.

My website is almost done and ready to do some mailshots to agencies, event planners and hotels.

I rang the tax office and have a bit of a rebate to come as I overpaid tax last year (taxed at the higher rate for half the year but didn't meet the threshold as I didn't work the full year). I won't see it until at least July but it's good to know it will be on the way.

I'm just in the process of doing another mammoth credit card shuffle - if the house had gone through I would have had them paid off and just had my loan left. But it was not to be. Once it's done it should be done for a few months, and again when the house is sold they will be cleared.

Scary times but no one said this was going to be easy, and it will be worth it :j

lionheartedgirl

morning :j

well, my last exam is done and apart from one more lesson next Friday, I am free until October! :eek: :eek:

I have another couple of offers on the table for my house which is great news. Really hoping this comes together, and quickly!

So I'm now planning my summer. I have enough money to pay my bills for 1st June and 1st July but currently the money runs out after that.

The tax rebate should make a healthy contribution to the bills for 1st August but my next loan instalment won't come in until the last week of September so I am covered for 2 months from 1st October.

I had two gigs over the weekend and hope to get more this month but I need to get networking for this.

I'm also starting the great temp job hunt today, I have a few places to try via friends and agencies.

So I feel very scared but very optimistic at least in the short term. I now have loads of time on my hands so no excuses not to get things on ebay and Amazon :rotfl:

The last couple of weeks have been really stressful and I started to feel the unwelcome black dog sniffing around my heels (my two dogs are black so I can't be nasty about black dogs ) which really surprised me. I've had a few days with my family over the weekend and this has lifted my spirits, and now I have time and energy to get out and get the balance back again.

I've just seen on LittleBoots' diary "still here, still fat" and that struck a chord :rotfl: but I'm going to get back into my running again and that should see off the wobbly bits that have crept back on.

Catch you later X

hypno06

*whispers*

Hello :hello:

LittleBoots

lionheartedgirl wrote: »

I've just seen on LittleBoots' diary "still here, still fat" and that struck a chord :rotfl: but I'm going to get back into my running again and that should see off the wobbly bits that have crept back on

:rotfl::rotfl:

cazmanian_minx

I didn't realise you had a new thread, I thought you'd been a bit quiet!

*subscribes*

Nice to catch up with your news and fingers crossed that the house sells

lionheartedgirl

*whispers hello back at hypno* :j I drove past you (almost) last Sunday night, was going to message you but knew I'd be useless after the wedding so settled for a cheery wave instead :hello:

caz - yes still here, not been posting much but will be doing so more! I've been lurking on your thread and goggling at your pretty things! sigh!

So. Today is another beautifully sunny one. Wednesday I was very productive, Thursday I did nothing except play in the sun and today I have a mixture of both. My productive bits can mostly be done in the garden now i've retrieved my garden furniture from the shed of doom at my old house :T

Tomorrow is the start of a new month, and although my incomings don't follow any monthly structure any more, my outgoings still do so I still budget monthly.

I'll be heading to Sparta with NinjaSavingKat's monthly challenge, need to decide on my numbers today.

I've also set myself a musical challenge to start from tomorrow (well kind of started it already) and have lots of blog posts up my sleeve too. Job hunting is happening behind the scenes so fingers crossed.

It's beautifully sunny up here, which won't last forever so I will be making the most of it! :j

hypno06

lionheartedgirl wrote: »

*whispers hello back at hypno* :j I drove past you (almost) last Sunday night, was going to message you but knew I'd be useless after the wedding so settled for a cheery wave instead :hello:

One of these days........!! :rotfl:

lionheartedgirl

indeed Ms H!!

So as of this week I'm meant to not be lazing about being on holiday...but....ermmmm... not quite sure what tbh. But the TT is on this week so life is being organised around that.

Some thoughts...

I've got an appointment with an agency in the city on Wednesday, so after that I should have more of an idea what the lie of the land is regarding temp/contract work.

I've applied to go on an agency website that I've had a couple of bits of work through before.

I had a lovely day out in the sun with my dogs yesterday, having met some rescue greyhounds while I was out running last week.

I am running again regularly.

I have a harp challenge for this month.

I have lots of lovely lists of things to do and am cracking on through them.

I am !!!!!!!! myself about money. But trying not to panic at the same time. Ho hum! I feel like it will all come out OK, but also that I have to worry about it loads in order for it to be so. Which is ridiculous :rotfl:

I am off to shake my booty :dance: with LittleBoots tonight (on the cheap :money:)

My food budget is £50 this month.

I managed to resist adopting another greyhound at the weekend, despite someone offering to pay the bills for him.

lionheartedgirl

morning all

So it's balance transfer time yet again *shudder* just moved one over which was worrying me a bit so glad that's done for another 9 months.

I sorted one a couple of weeks ago and I have another 2 to do in another couple of weeks.

I'm a bit sad about it as I'd truly hoped the house would be done and dusted by now and so I would have had them all gone, but it's not happened yet.

Waiting to hear on a planning decision which if agreed, means I have an offer on the house which I will accept. I should know in a couple of weeks.

I get my exam result tomorrow, there are rumours someone has failed so I'm really hoping it's not me. I'm trying not to think about it too much but it's not working very well :rotfl:

Today was meant to be a busy day but I really am feeling the pressure at the moment, all self-applied, so am trying to have a feelgood cheery uppy day instead. This normally involves food but I can't really go there at the moment so am thinking of some other things instead

lionheartedgirl

morning

good news:

food spends are tiny but I am eating lovely food so :j

found a brilliant new place to try salsa dancing on Saturday :j

I found an amazing job to apply for and sent this off last night :j

I passed my exam with a good mark :j

another interested buyer on the house :j

found lots of places to send my contact details to for harp work up here :j

got 2 bumper harp gigs down south in August :j

I've made a big list of things to ebay :j

My phone contract is up and they rang me to tell me in time. So I've now gone sim only which is £20 cheaper per month :j

less good news:

still feeling scared about money

nothing from the agency yet

mojo is waxing and waning

I have yet to get anything crossed off the ebay list and actually onto ebay