Building The Burrow!

Pearla*Merle

Oh dear, I start again by saying I've been rather tired the last few days! Feeling more myself again now, thank heavens!

Got through the work days - on Sunday I wanted to just have a short walk out to a museum then come back and watch the tennis but we somehow ended up going to Ikea (which I survived quite well, and it was nice to have an adventure as it's quite a jaunt to get there).

£4 spent on these side plates - they're huge and will serve as smaller dinner plates for moi. It saves me buying a whole new set that I was leaning towards (though, I confess, still tempting as all our crockery is too big) but will do for now.

I maybe also found a cute bowl on our travels - it looks like a huge carved across with a squirrel perched on the edge. Since I'm now not spending any of my Christmas budget on chocolates, alcohol or anything else fun I figured I could divert some of the monies to this so I can at least eat some nuts in style! Mr Nutkin cheers me up every time I see him, and could be used all year, so pennies well spent I reckon.

I'm finally catching up with my online course. It can be a bit overwhelming at times (it's a literature course so you can imagine what actual learned people are chattering about in there!) and as I've not analysed texts in over 15 years it's taking some getting used to. All fun stuff though, so I shall persevere! I'm noticing my old 'get too involved and exhaust myself' head rising up from the depths though, must keep at watch on that.

Haven't ticked much off the list over the past few days. Monday I was in a zombie-like state, but on Tuesday I pottered around the house (doing those silly 20 second to two minute jobs that have been sitting there for six months) and managed to do an epic batch cooking session.

I rescued the kale before it turned and blitzed it with sunflower seeds and almonds to make pesto (now in ice cube tray in the freezer); roasted veg for today's lunch; baked two sweet potatoes - now in separate bags in the freezer (both destined to be experiments - one will be sweet potato pancakes and the other sweet potato & carrot pat!).

Huge vat of sweet potato (& carrot & lentil & onion with nutmeg, turmeric with dash of cinnamon) soup. Very random and looked a bit funny (due to my not bothering to blend it but use a handheld masher) but tasted flipping lovely. Four tubs in the freezer which will no doubt be liberated soon!

Another few days off now (yay!). Hoping to get a lot more done on this side of the week. A trip to the library is on the cards, along with sorting out That Blinking Credit Card (will probably put this off til Friday ). Though a good portion of time is going to go into reading Otter Country (am so glad the library had this book - I've wanted to read it for an age. It's utterly wonderful!).

:www: MFW Wonderment: entered loads of competitions. Can't wait to win them all! Found shiny 1p on the walk to work - it'll be in Kitty Bank's tummy soon. OnePolled. Omg - tried to join the Royal Mail testing thing and was finally accepted! Think it's helped that I moved to a totally different area of the country. :rotfl:

Contemplating joining YouGov (does anyone want to refer me? ). And *cough* would also like to join Pinecone & Consumer Pulse if anyone has any invites

:coffee: Simple Pleasures: sunlight after days of fog; watching a patchwork of gold leaves drift down the river; looking at my no-longer-dishevelled bookcases!

:heartsmil Burrow Building: eating dinner at the table continues apace. Had much fun on Halloween: Mr M bought a few daft spider & bat decorations to surprise me upon my return home from work so I dashed off to put on some mad, spooky makeup - cue hilarious photoshoot. I ended the evening in the early hours, bopping about (sort of - am still in midst of malaise!) to the Rocky Horror soundtrack and ditzy 80s pop. And no alcohol required for such shenanigans... can't decide if that more worrying? :rotfl:

Pearla*Merle

Forgot the major news! £24 refund (3 months it took!) from NoPower. So finally I can forget about them. :dance:

Petal88

Oh I do loathe nopower! Am in the process of switching over to €on and I can't wait to leave nopower behind :mad:

apple_muncher

Hope the days off regenerate you!

Pearla*Merle

Hope you manage to escape them soon, Petal! I used to be with them years ago and they were fab - goodness knows what's happened since! They kept threatening to fine me a couple of hundred pounds for not letting them see my gas meter - even though I have no access to it myself (apartment building) and the person they supposedly sent round several times never did leave any sort of calling card even though they could easily have done so. Not impressed!

Apple, I'm feeling much more bouncy today, huzzah! Slightly got distracted from any proper tidying up by The Million Pound Note being on the tellybox, but have made the most of sitting around watching Gregory Peck by doing lots of self-employment bits and bobs. :j

Hollyboll

Hello P*M :wave::wave:

First, sorry to hear you have been so poorly and roll on the recovery … … These things are slow and frustrating and however much more clement the air down sarf, the dark and cold and damp of this time of year can't help.

Yesterday and this morning I have read through your entire diary which I lurved :lovethoug

So inspiring, so many changes over the last 52 pages, and all related in a fab entertaining way. I particularly love the purpling of lists, am in awe of your bargainous food finds, and the simple pleasures / mf wonderment / burrow building - great title and concept by the way, until only a few pages ago I was thinking oooooo how exciting, they must now be in spitting distance of the HP studio tour … and now you've done it! I haven't yet, definitely on my list. Sorry 'twas so expensive though but I'm sure you have some fab memories from the day to sustain you.

I can't wait to read along in realtime :T:T:T:T Thanks to you over the last couple of days I've not only been walking round piles of leaves but also scouring the pavement for gold-finds I love the way you are using your diary as a positive space to breed more positive in amongst challenges :j:j:j:j:j

Couple of thoughts from a longtime Londinium-mer which occurred to me on reading since your move ….
- Theatres - you probably know it but theatremonkey.com has quite good feedback / info about seats …
- also oooooh great time of year, getintolondontheatre.co.uk does fantastic reductions on seats in the 'quiet depths' of Jan-mid Feb. (Note to self, must mark opening date) … I've on occasion seen several things over that few weeks for the total cost of one theatre outing in normal times.
- haircut … I've gone for 15 odd years to a great academy, you'd need to do it on a non-office day (and take your themed book of the day), but sooooo good and mse :A. Will PM you ...

Hope to see you back on here soon and meantime thanks for sharing your journey of wonderment

xx

PS Also sorry to hear about the insurance / holiday shenanigans. Which airline are you booked? It might be worth calling their press office and telling them your sad story and asking for some mercy and let you change dates - I'd give it a go, nothing to lose ... but maybe that's just me being overly naive / stroppy …

Pearla*Merle

Holly - oh my, thank you for such a lovely post!

I've had my first proper week back at work this week and I am utterly spent, boo! I miss posting I keep opening up MSE hoping to start chattering away but then realised I was in too much of a zombie-like state to even read much argh.

Anyhoo, I'm off tomorrow, hurrah! Crossing all my fingers and toes I'll be able to catch up and reply properly then! xx

apple_muncher

Or you could simply rest up and re-energise! Take care x

Pearla*Merle

Fear not, dear apple, I had a long lie this morning and spent all of today tucked up on the sofa watching films. I finally feel a bit more human now!

Alas, I can hardly remember any of my moneysaving news from this week, so that may have to keep until tomorrow. And Holly, I've not forgotten you either

But... a highlight was the bus being five minutes late one morning and the bus driver letting me on for free. :T

Also, we popped down to Costko one evening and I bought another of their Sherpa fleecey blankets (just under £12 - bargain). These are literally the COSIEST blankets ever to grace this good earth. I already have one, but had planned to buy another so I could sit on one and cover myself with another. I can't remember why I didn't buy it last year as planned, but anyway, that's something ticked off the list now. It's a beautiful burgundy - I'm going to keep it until December as a Christmassy treat.

Anyway - the reason why it's such a great buy is that you can wrap up in it, and not need to put the heating on until you notice icicles forming at the end of your nose. I've probably already saved £££'s with my other blanket - looking forward to saving even more with two. :T (Mr M has one as well, and we got one for my mum last year. I think my dad keeps stealing it though so that might be his Christmas present this year. :rotfl:)

And also - I've done super well with lunches to work this week. The best was leftover rice mixed with leftover which I mixed together with soy sauce, German honey mustard and a little oil. Stuck it in a box in the fridge and it was a super deli-like treat for lunch the next day. Must do that more often.

:coffee: Simple Pleasures: candles burning merrily away on a cold night; crazy downpours of hail when you can watch from safety indoors; recordable TV (watching Mapp & Lucia for the zillionth time); finding new music to bop about to; reading in bed.

Pearla*Merle

Before I forget - London people (or those that visit!) a walking tube map: click here!

So flipping handy :T

I always get caught into the transfer lines game and forget how easy it is to walk between places.