22 Foxhole East 12 August 2016 at 1:55PM edited 30 November -1 at 1:00AM in Mortgage-Free Wannabe 3.1K replies 370.8K views

f0xh0les

Just received this from the council:

Right now, the numbers in Leicester are amongst the highest in the country. They have stopped falling, even though we are still in lockdown. Our infection rate is over twice the national average and our over 60s rate is very worrying indeed.
We need to make sure that we are not singled out again for restrictions if our numbers do not come down.

It might be worrying, but I can give you a flippin' good explanation for it !!  We are back up to 3rd in the Covid league table for the rate of  new infections in the last month.

I do have two new planters now, all finished and ready for planting (when I buy some compost).  I have another double divan to strip down and cannibalise for more bits to make planters out of tomorrow.  I have re-found  a few more packets of seeds as well, so they can get planted  as soon as I have finished. That is a job for tomorrow. Plenty of lobelia - who knew? I will have to buy some more Nigella seed in the supermarket spice aisle.   I adore Love in a Mist, and it pops up year after year.  It also needs no care whatsover. My kind of plant!  Also all my rose campion seem to have survived and need splitting, so they should be a fab free plant.

Pizza dough is in the airing cupboard doing its thing.   Easy supper tonight,  Dr Mr FH is gaming  so I can please myself again, and nurse my poor bruised thumb, I hit it with a hammer.  I have never hit my thumb before, I have smacked myself on the nose with the claw bit on the upswing before, but I have never actually hit my own hand!  But it did not stop me from getting on with  the rest of the woodwork though. I still sawed, and hammered  until the jobs were complete.  I'd started, so I finished.

She thought she could, so she did. She just needed a plaster first.

apple_muncher

Did you draw blood?

f0xh0les

Stupidly I hit just above my knuckle and caught the very bottom of my nail. It did bleed a tiny bit because of compression just on the start of the nail, not because it was cut or anything, anyway it is sore but hardly any swelling and only a 2mm dark line on the cuticle.   Don't think I need a tetanus shot!

apple_muncher

Shame it isn't more spectacular! (but also good that it isn't twice its size and all purple...)

f0xh0les

No, barely any swelling, but since I have sat down after supper it is making itself noticed. Throbbing away like mad.

I still made 3 individual pizzas for 3  fussy kids, and a big pizza for the 3 of us who are not fussy... and it was gorgeous even if I do say so myself.  I do like pizza, but DS1 looks so pained, even if I make him a cheeseless one - that I do not make them as often as I would like.  DS1  is quite happy eating bread,  and a ridiculous quantity at that, but not toast, or a pizza base, but oddly is happy with a spinach fatayer, which is basically a spinach pizza.  I despair of pleasing them all, but I am not going down the route of making separate meals for each.  5 out of 6 is a win.

savingmore

deep breath, and coming out of lurkdom!   It has been a highlight finding your thread foxholes, and have read it all.  It’s like reading a brilliant book...so love catching up with you and your antics, and the reality of family life.  I too had boys who have now flown the nest.  turned out as lovely men in the end...I too am fed up totally with the covidiots, sorry to hear it’s getting bad in Leicester again.  what is wrong with people?  sooner we can all follow the guidelines, sooner this will all be over....duh.

f0xh0les

Hello @savingmore ! Welcome aboard, grab a seat and I'll make you a cuppa in a bit.

I have been busy today, made another planter for the yard with the divan wood. I still have enough wood left to make another small one, but I have run out of nails. I have used up every single bit part of packets that have been cluttering up the shed, and I now have an empty metal 16 drawer cabinet box thing now that I can fill with DH's crafty bits.  Go me!

Possessed by an evil spirit, I was up at 6, had hoovered and mopped the kitchen, diner, and laundry room floors, had one load of laundry on the line and the second in the machine, and had started broken down the divan bases before DH got up and Marr started - see, told you the devil was in me.

DH made a gorgeous Ghanaian style butternut squash and black bean stew for lunch, creamy and coconutty - he left Ghana when he was 5 and loves the flavours.  Lucky me!  I was otherwise occupied taking the staples out of the wood.  Then we won the football (yay!) and I went back out to hammer stuff.  It has been lovely and warm inside with the sun streaming in through the back of the house, but very cold when not in the sunshine.  Still, I have been outside for ,most of the day, and I was not wearing a coat, and it is still February! 

Supper tonight is baked potatoes and stuff. One portion of chilli  left in the fridge, or baked beans, or the stew, or cheese.

Yesterday I made them pasties which they all decimated, but I had some pastry left, so I got some chocolate flakes for hot choc that were a bit 'meh' made a custard, and lobbed them in.  The chocolate pie is much nicer than it was as hot choc. It would actually have made a really nice chocolate pot dessert with a teaspoon of amaretto.  So that is one to remember.  I did not put any sugar in at all, so it is quite dark and lush.

Everything is on hold until the money is in the bank tomorrow. This month has flown by.  Plenty saved. A few things off the list. Nearly time to be able to sit outside  at the table and drink coffee in the morning.  Cafe F0xh0les will return again!

crazy_cat_lady

Well please can you send the devil up to me please? I feel as though I need to get some serious housework done before I'm back actually in work in 9 days...

f0xh0les

One room per day CCL if you have to.  I have been known to just lob all their cr4p on to their beds and then hoover the carpet.  My job is the cleaning, it is their tat to tidy up.  Mess I can live with, not dirt. I give them 24 hours notice of the Saturday morning cleaning session, then 12 hours notice, then 1 hour's notice, then 15 minutes notice.  It is the same every week. 

They get bored of having to pick up their stuff so they are slowly making less mess every week, and now at least 2 have a clean and clear room  every single week,  and sometimes 3.  On a good day I can do it in an hour (the kitchen is a Sunday morning job).  The bathroom gets a wipe somewhere every day. 

DH thinks I am a nut. Nevermind !   The routine helps. 

f0xh0les

Oh dear! Drama at work, can't say much, but literally felt like pulling up a chair and opening the popcorn.

Numbers!

The mortgage this morning was £86,996.97.   So £120.07 in interest.  Daily rate of £4.29 - still not sub £4.25 (boo!)

DH made an overpayment (yes, you read that right, DH MADE AN OVERPAYMENT!!!) before I came back from work because the £96.97 was annoying him and looked messy (I have contaminated his brain!!!!), so it was £86,900 by the time I got my eyes on it, and I made an overpayment of £150 to bring it down to a nice tidy   £86,750.00  Will aim for something starting £85k next month.   That is my micro target.   So there!  On target to be at £80k for Xmas.

Should get the yearly statement  this month.   Can't wait!!!!!!

Been to work,  confirmed DS4s school place, paid off all the cc bill, and the £270 from the car servicing that went on last Friday.  Shunted £310 to savings - now have £16,450 in the EF. It is going up nicely.

I have kept an extra £100 in the budget this month.  Poor DS4 tried on his school shorts, managed to do them up but he looked like Gemma C0llins.  School Shorts are on the shopping list.   Will do the shopping tonight after work.  Also need to think about what will go into their lunchboxes. At least it is only 1day with two lunchboxes, 3 days with three and  11 days with 4 lunchboxes.    I have made the 2 smallest try on their shoes, DS4 moved  into the next size up of hand-me-down shoes and trainers.  All his old things are in a bag for the c/s.

We have no birthdays this month, no trips away, I do have house insurance to buy though, Mothers day on 14th, and St Patrick's on 17th, Easter Hols from 26th and our 5th houseversary celebration on 30th.