22 Foxhole East

apple_muncher

Do you think a trip to step Gran will really happen? Won't travel regs have seized up by then? You may get there and not be allowed back...

f0xh0les

Thank you Deni, that means a lot - I am a fixer, and I cannot fix from a distance, but I can certainly surprise him through the letterbox!

Oh apple, if we get shut down then that will just give her more ammunition.  Honestly, it was utterly selfish of me not to visit her before I was double vaxxed, then it was cruel of me not to travel to her when the rates here in Le Shire were so high, and then it was tantamount to genocide that I took a week of work without asking her permission.  I do not know what I was thinking!  All she keeps saying is that it is not going away and we have to learn to live with this thing - whilst she is being wrapped in cotton wool by everybody, and kept safe in her house.  I want to get it over with so I can get a job in January and get on with things without the guilt hanging over my head.  Selfish huh?

apple_muncher

Oh, absolutely. If it means you can tick that box for a bit, then you should buy a paddle boat and row over there! Hope you can squeeze a visit to her in x

But you're not expected to take the kids, are you?!?!

f0xh0les

Hell no! Not inflicting her on my kids anymore.

Bargainhunter30

I don't think you'd be unlucky enough to get stuck over here Foxholes. Travel hasn't really been restricted between NI and England since first lockdown. Even during other lockdowns my friend has been travelling for work with no questions asked at any airport/port/other. Checks have been severely lacking!

f0xh0les

I should be fine as long as I just do NI and do not go down to the south - which I can do if I leave the kids at home. See, there is method to my mad plan.   Just need to make sure there are no storms in the offing.  Slept in Holyhead ferry terminal too many times for it to be funny anymore.

kerri_gt

What a lovely thing for DS1. I'm sure he'll be chuffed to bits.
I had to double read the bit about the bill total when they went out, even as a working adult my little grey cells screamed 'how much!' (And on sushi, yuk! One thing I'm really not keen on, and I've even been fortunate enough to try the authentic stuff in Asia).

Could you not take step gran a dose of something contagious, mild enough not to finish her off (however tempting) but enough for her to stop pestering you for a bit? 

peb

Was popping by to see if you have been paid.......

f0xh0les

Nope, still not been paid.

f0xh0les

I have some numbers! 

The mortgage is currently at £79,499.99,

monthly interest was £117.70

and daily interest was £3.92.

Only made an overpayment of £57.16 this month as I have my car in for a service and mot on 10th, DS4s birthday on 23rd, the  C-word on 25th and  2 x car insurances due on 14th Jan, but the cheap day to search and buy is 22nd/23rd.  Most of this will go onto the S&M CC for the S&M vouchers, and then I will pay it off when I get home.  So it is just annoying now that I have still not been paid, but the regular workers did warn me that they would be surprised if I got paid this month, and to expect it in December.

Will fire off an email in the morning as nothing can be done tonight.

Today was all about the DRAMA! Got up to a dripping ceiling in the kitchen (we still have a bare channel in the plaster where the electricians made a mistake), and we feared the boiler was leaking, but it was not, it was the pipe that went into the defunct pump, so DH ordered some valves, as none of the 3 plumbers merchants within spitting distance had the right size (no surprise there!) so he bought some bendy flexible aluminium pipe things and bypassed the pump and the dripping stopped.  I was his third hand.  But... and it is an annoying but..... it had dripped all over half of the nicely folded bedding in the airing cupboard.  So all that is out, and being washed again. The other half is out and destined for the beds tomorrow.  One new fluffy duvet cover has arrived. The new hot water bottles have all been tested. The weather has turned milder.  Typical.

The top two floors have been  hoovered, the trees are in the kitchen along with the lights and baubles.  The pantry has been organised and everything is in neat lines.  I just chucked some more booze on my fruit, as I have not got round to making the cakes yet.  The fruit should be fine, I mean there is SOOOOOO much booze in it. It is just having a lovely bath - will bake the cakes tomorrow night. Everything is getting away from me at the minute.

The advent calendars were hung on the bannister with care, and today's offering was Buttermilk (brand) chocolate covered peanut butter crunch wrapped in some red foil sweetie papers that I have had for yonks = Rudolf noses. 

Buttermilk is a stupid name for a company that makes d/f g/f chocolate sweets. I think they might have a dairy range somewhere, but honestly?   It is like calling a gluten free company WHEATY.  They do make rather nice chocolates though... and good old 'Mum's Run off with an Icelander' frozen food emporium is selling Whittackers coffee chocolates and minty chocolates (g/f d/f) boxes for £1 for 15 creams.  Lush! They got wrapped in silver foil, and red foil, and are going straight in the calendars as soon as I buy another box of NOMO caramels (they come ready wrapped in gold foil).  Then they can fight it out between them on the landing in the morning. I will just have to make sure the items match up with the numbers so they get the same thing on the same day.   Isn't life complicated ??

If I do not get paid this week, then I have £400 floating ambient cash for MOT/London daytrip /Birthday /Xmas /Car Insurances.  If I do get paid then I should have closer to £900.  Either way, once the school run is over on the 17th, there is hardly any costs involved, most of what we get up to we will walk to,  I am nearly £400 in credit with the Energy company until the meters are read on 7th.  DH is on strike again.