EH - Essex > Hebrides...the next step of the adventure?

Cheery_Daff

Glorious sunshine here too! 😊😊 so very nice 😊😊

Hope the memorial service goes well this afternoon xx

GeorgianaCavendish

Fuel prices are a nightmare here too, one local garage put them up 3p on Weds morning so I guess they’ll only reduce 2p from where they were on Tuesday night! 

Hope the memorial service goes well this afternoon. The weather is glorious here as well, it makes such a difference to everyone’s mood when it is like this. 

beanielou

Hope all goes well at the memorial service later. Xx

lucielle

Hope today went well
L

EssexHebridean

Blast - left the page to look at something and lost most post. 

Thanks all - the memorial service went really well, it genuinely was a lovely afternoon. My “childhood memories” piece went down well and I got through it with just a couple of minor wobbles. I also ended up being the one to actually place the ashes into the grave which was unexpected but I was delighted to do it. 

As we were home shortly after 4pm we took the chance to sort out next week’s meal plan, and put together a shopping list before ambling to Al’s to get the weekly shop. Just under £18 spent which leaves us nicely placed to come in with a decent underspend against budget this month. That spend also included a few storecupboard items (tinned tomatoes, oatcakes, noodles), a “bought ahead of time” purchase of a block of cheddar, and an off-list treat of salted caramel and chocolate hot cross buns - no need to worry about those as they appear to have vanished already… 😋

We’ve also made a start on sorting out the garage as I am now in possession of the bike that our neighbours were looking to get shot of - it needs a bit of minor maintenance - tyres pumped up, a bit of greasing etc - and it will do me a treat I think. I’ve had a short ride just to the end of our back lane and back and it definitely feels easier to ride than my little foldy one! 

beanielou

So glad that all went well for you xx

savingholmes

Glad the memorial went well. 

Great news on the new to you bike. The air show plans all sound lovely too. Your photos are stunning.

EssexHebridean

Thanks Beanie & SH - Mum and I were saying yesterday it just feels like such a relief that we can now close the door on what was for the past few years a very difficult chapter - hopefully now we'll both be able to let go of the bad memories and return to the good ones we both have of D. From my perspective it also very much felt like the final thing I could do for my Great Uncle - he would have been SO proud of me being brave enough to stand up and read my "memories" piece. 

Most of the day spent at Mum & Dad's yesterday helping with some garden clearing. We got the corner Mum wanted cleared right back sorted, lots of rubbish piled up ready for the tip, some other areas cleared of encroaching weeds & couch grass, and I cleared some overgrowing grass back from the path too to make it easier for Dad getting the mobility scooter in and out. Oh, and MrEH reinstated the white painted "visibility line" on the front step, and I rescued the dog when she managed to escape and disappear down the way without anyone noticing! When w got back there was enough time left for me to set to with the 3-in-1 oil lubricating the new bike and also pump up the tyres. Both brakes now working as they should which always helps - I'll probably give the front one another squirt of 3-in-1 before I use it later in the week though as one side of that had seized up quite badly. 

Banking checked this morning - there will be some shuffling to do to the CC as some travel went on it for Saturday which I'll reallocate from the expenses float I have for beer festival stuff, there was a meal for the pair of us at lunchtime too, and MrEH put a round of beers on it somewhere along the line as well. Anyway the meeting was productive and it was fab to see people again - first actual festival related meeting in a pub since January 2020 - so the fact that it was a bit spendy was well worth it. Also on the spendiness subject MrEH's car got diesel last night - £57 for that. Looks like we did play it right with the timing too - we managed to miss the biggest spike and it's now fallen a little more than the 6p saving that we were expecting from the duty change. As far as I can think that *should* now be it for spends from the joint account this month - MrEH will get paid on Thursday so we start again! The grocery budget runs through until the 10th - there will be one more spend on there but I've done a "skip" on the next planned veg box so hopefully this one will be well under budget for the month. 

Meals for the week are sorted, and lunch next Sunday WILL be the shoulder of lamb I bought at the farmer's market which is now taking up a chunk of freezer space. I'm on a mission now to see how much stuff we can sort out to use from the freezer again - we're back in a position of feeling as though there is lots of stuff in there but not much to actually make meals from.  

I'm planning a relatively quiet week this week I think - gym this evening straight from work I think - may try for another of the same on Wednesday. I've already squeezed in a 4¼ mile cycle this morning so activity is already underway. We'll have a fair bit of work to do on beer festival stuff - we got ahead of ourselves a little by dealing with emails last night so can crack straight on with continuing to put beer lists together tonight. I'm purposefully leaving the weekend largely empty as the one just gone was b-u-s-y - some downtime is needed! MrEH will have rugby training tomorrow evening and possibly Thursday. If the weather allows for it I'll take the new-to-me bike for a bit of a ride on Friday morning. Only planned "job" for the weekend is to make sure MrEH's car gets a wash, and to finish sorting out the garage so my car can go back in and still have room for the new-to me bike!

Right then - time to get to it - have a decent Monday all! 

RelievedSheff

No signs of the price of diesel dropping here yet. The expensive one we pass on the way to work was still 185.9p per litre so no sign of the reduced duty there either!

Suffolk_lass

There was a 20ppl differential between 2 fuel stations on the same main road, less than two miles apart here!