our forever patch challenge

sammy70

its been a wet and windy weekend here, hubby and i spent 2-3 soggy hours on sunday tidying up all the cuttings/brambles/branches left by the fencing people. We came in after soaked to the skin, but after a hot bath and dry clothes we felt better for getting this task sorted

First day of spring today, we seem to have aqquired a small pack of pheasants which spend most of the day under the birdtable pecking seeds etc which fall as the wild small birds munch. We have at least 7 different breeds of wild bird on the table and hanging seed and peanut holders most of the day, its lovely to see them so close

try_harder

Have loved reading your diary over the last week,you have such a positive attitude and have done amazingly well at keeping to all your goals .

sammy70

thankyou for your lovely comments try harder, its nice to know someone enjoys reading my little rambles

i think a lot of the secret to getting what you want in life is hard work, positivity, and a goal you feel passionate about to work towards.. you only have to read a few diaries on here to see this in action too !:rotfl:

Today the workshop stonework is looking really good, the guys doing the work should be finished tommorow or thursday, and the door people are coming friday to measure and order the new workshop door..

We had the roofer out to quote sunday morning for the new roof, we agreed a reasonable price , and he thinks he can fit the job in June, so this gives us 3 monthsto save up :eek:
I may have to use some of my horse savings, but this will be paid back in a loan fashion, i wont be using the money till spring 2018, so its not a major issue

sammy70

what a wonderful spring weekend!
we managed to get a lot done, another area cleared of undergrowth, overgrown branches chopped, and the last of the three maoosive xmas trees chopped down and also chopped into logs, and stored away in a dry corner of the workshop for future use as fuel for the range

Daughter and son came to help, which was great, we all worked really hard, all aching today though! I bought us all a takeaway curry after, seeing as it was mothersday i gave myself a night off cooking (thats my excuse anyway lol ):rotfl:

I was spoiled with loads of mothers day gifts, a fancy coffee/latte etc maker and loads of pods to go with it, chocolate vodka, wine, flowers, loads of packs of different flavour hotel chocolat chocolates, cute little teddy, and son has a surprise , he said it was still being made, so thats something to look forward to.. they have really spoilt me, i am lucky

on money news, its payday tommorow, as ive already done all budget/savings etc for this month, will just be a matter of account tidy for anything above hubbys salary that i calculated , may be a few pounds more than my estimate, this can go to savings account for now, may make overpayment after direct debit has gone out on the 1st of april, i do like to round the mortgage balance down so it ends in 00s

sammy70

quote came in at £2400 for roller door for hubbys workshop, a little more than expected :eek: so all this months cash on payday except bill money is going on this, alongside the £2000 already saved for this. The door is being fitted mid April, one more step towards workshop upgrade, just roof to go

sammy70

Hubby and i have a week off together coming up, we break up from work next friday, a whole 9 days off then to get out on our little patch and get stuck into land clearing/sorting :j

The other expense this month, along with the workshop door, is hire of a mini digger, which we have hired for our week off ( romantic time together digging out track to our field, levelling some hillocks, filling in uneven land etc, lovely! ):rotfl:

We also plan to continue with the blackberry bush clearing, and jungle of undergrowth strimming, and we need to buy and plant quite a lot of hawthorn and blackthorn to build a hedge secure enough to keep future animals safe inside our land, and intruders out

sammy70

another lovely sunny weekend spent clearing blackberry bushes/ivy/ other undergrowth. Beside the fact my arms look like ive been dancing with freddy kruger thanks to blackberry thorns, ive loved every backbreaking moment :rotfl:
We can really see the benefit of our hard work, it was lovely sitting with a cold beverage on the top of what will be our field, looking down over our lovely cottage and the fields below, full of lambs and their mothers grazing happily, listening and watching the birds making their spring preparations

After this months standard payment the mortgage balance was £239,778.47

Today made an overpayment of £78.47, well it would be untidy without 00s at the end :rotfl:

new balance £239,700

try_harder

The image of your cottage and gardens made me think of The Darling Buds of May ,how lovely ,i would so love a little flint cottage with a beautiful cottage garden and the thought of my little cottage keeps me motivated .How good to see the number in the 30s ,you are doing really well.

sammy70

Thankyou tryharder, the thought of living in the countryside kept me going through the last few years saving and working hard too i must say, though i never dreamed we would end up with this gorgeous perfect cottage and land, i feel really lucky, and thankful every day for what we have now

chumpy45

Hi Sammy70, just caught up with your diary, you have done so well and are really inspirational. Your new home sound idyllic and you sound so happy with all your plans. You have given me a real boost to stay focused - thank you.