Project Mortgage Neutral Begins

Mrs_Money_Penny

Happy Birthday xx

ajmoney

My day has been ok considering, it helps that it has been sunny with blue skies.  The afternoon tea was lovely and I still have some cakes to have as it came with 4 each!  I have no wish to repeat the last year and not really even because of lockdown although that obviously hasn't helped, the year has tested me in more ways than I like to think about.  I have to believe that better times are ahead.  My lockdown birthday has complied fully with our restrictions, none of these doorstep visits that I see so many people talk about.  I shared my afternoon tea with my bubble, the irony is not lost on me that the only person I have seen on my birthday is my ex!

savingholmes

Happy birthday

ajmoney

It turns out I share my birthday with MSE

I had a restless night's sleep last night, the first one for a while.  I had a chinese for dinner later than I have been eating so I suspect that has something to do with it.  I am popping into work this morning but other than that I am going to pick an easy task for today, I am going to make a list of life goals and then do some more psychology study.  It is meant to be raining but if it is light some time this afternoon I am going to try and cut back one of my shrubs, not exactly an easy task but it is garden bin day tomorrow and I suspect I will be generating a fair amount of garden rubbish now I am trying to get on top of my garden so hopefully this will help.  I am not going out if it is really heavy though.

ajmoney

I didn't do all that much in the end yesterday.  I started the life goals exercise for yesterday but got distracted looking at new flute music so ended up substituting that as I was really enjoying looking and listening at different things.  I do still want to do it though so am doubling up today, I started the day with a cup of tea in the garden and will complete my life goals list later.  I didn't do any psychology work and the rain and strong winds were too strong to do anything in the garden yesterday, today looks a little better so I might go and do a short stint out there as I feel I need more fresh air. 

I felt I had let myself down and wasted my day when I went to bed last night but I also didn't feel I could give anymore.  I think listening to our roadmap (or lack of) out of lockdown yesterday really got me down as we are expected to have the stay at home message for another 6 weeks at least.  I wrote in my journal last night that I know I can't control the situation and there is nothing I can do about it to try and relieve myself of some of the burden but it doesn't make it any easier.  I guess I just need to keep doing different things I enjoy to try and change my perspective and also not miss going out and about but for someone that really enjoys travelling and getting out and about this is really tough.

I enjoyed my walk around the garden deciding what to tackle next but all I can see is the enormity of what I need to do.  I guess I just need to continue systematically working around it, I finished by standing by the pots I planted up on Monday to remind myself it is not all about cutting everything back.

ajmoney

I have a meeting at 1030 this morning so decided to go into the garden first thing and start tackling some of my shrubs.  With 2 of them I haven't got a clue if I have cut them back correctly but they now have their own space.  I haven't finished with the 3rd yet but it already looks a lot better.  Started by cutting each brach/stem back to 2 flowering buds so I could see what I was working with and then cut out some of the branches that are crossing.  The garden bin was getting full so I finished with getting some of the leaves and fallen twigs up from that area and now I am definitely done until the bin has been emptied.  I need to go back through with the same approach again next time and then will work my way along that border with the same approach.  I have two shrubs that aren't the same structure as these so I have no idea how I will tackle those. 

I am going to treat myself to 15 minutes of sudoku before my meeting.

ajmoney

I suspect I might end up spending quite a bit of money on bedding plants.  I have quite a bit of bare ground and I would rather put plants in so they cover more ground which will hopefully suppress the weeds.  For next year I already have a plan though, if I can get organised enough at the right time I plan to have a sea of snowdrops and then bluebells before the shrubs start taking over.  I would love to time things correctly so I have things growing up all the time but I have no idea how to actually get that organised and plan it.  I guess that is something to go away and read up on.

savingholmes

Gardens can be really rewarding when they kind of burst into life in spring and summer or even with winter flowers. Bedding plants - and especially perennials (ones that come back each year) are a great investment

Suffolk_lass

Our garden is predominantly a spring garden - when you look at your bulbs (hellebores and snowdrops, then crocuses, narcissus next, then tulips, hyacinths and camassia), maybe consider lupins, aquilega, delphiniums, campanula and cosmos (cosmos is an annual here) - great succession plants you can buy seed for now. We have grape hyacinths and ajuga here that are early too (great for ground cover)

ajmoney

Potentially exciting times ahead.  I want to take my mental health first aid qualifications further and would love to become an instructor so I can deliver training through all our sites at work but they require a formally recognised teaching qualification before you can apply.  I have been doing a lot of research and have found a provider who supplies the course I need and also one for the instructor course.  I have been in touch with education provider this morning to ask if they can transfer courses for free if my work means I can't make one I am booked onto and I have confirmation of this in writing.  I am just waiting to find out if the work funding will also cover a change of dates and then I will apply for the funding and a place on the first course.  Unfortunately due to where they all fall around the financial year I can only get one of the courses partially funded but I am more than happy to fund myself towards something I am very passionate about.  If all the courses go ahead I should have completed the courses by early July.  The guy who ran my course the other week has been very helpful recommending courses and providers to allow me to get these qualifications.  He also suggested me being able to cover some of his courses if he gets really busy with applicants through his company.  That certainly wasn't my intention but it would be great for experience.  Who knows this could be a part of my next career.

I do need to put some focus back to my psychology work though before I get too carried away!