New job = New focus = Still a good life

beanielou

I just wont drive in the Burgh now at all.
'Tis just dire.

Pippilongstocking

Morning lands
Cheery I do like a good snoop and good spying there on the cottage - hiddedlypiggedly sounds utterly ace. As for busy music festivals I think I'd hide somewhere. I have redcurrants and rhubarb in the car must get that sorted, gooseberries in the garden and still quite wee and hard but I'm hopeful something might miraculously change them have a good one.

INOD indeed the DD has a humungous pasta obsession and since being 3 she's had a major pasta box present for birthday and xmas - so like cheery says the birthday one lasts until xmas and then she's retopped up. Makes for a very MSE present and its nice to do something silly that she still loves.

Beanie - twasn't my choice I have to say but I closed my eyes a lot and we were all good nevertheless - I usually get the train but last time it was over £22 that's just not right I should get the bus more from the big bus central place with the free parking but I always forget to do that.

Dropped someone home to the bus last night in the land of golf so headed to Mr Sparks for a wee reduced flurry - not much this time but some meat, oranges, fish and salad, pitta's with YS on them so they came home.

Made up some soup from the bottom of the fridge veg supplies and that's all in the freezer now - 5 portions from almost nothing is ace.

Mix of things going on this week so will meal plan it a bit to save crazy last minute famines here.

Also revising finances as giving up p/t job reduces income by £500/month so seeing where I can compromise there to make it a bit less ouchy.

Kettles on and the machine is about to start whirring with some very muddy clothes.

Out for dinner last night with DH as it was date night - was nice watching the sea by candle light I have to say, brought home some fish and smoked garlic from their deli which DH accidentally paid for.

not a bad result, shh I don't think he noticed.

Cheery_Daff

Ooh, date night sounds most jolly :j

We sneaked off to a supposedly quiet castle hotel near old new house and it certainly was peaceful - apart from the person snoring in the next room... :eek:

Mr cheery took the duvet and slept in the bathroom! :eek:

Should probably have stayed home and risked drunken shennanigans next door!

At least breakfast is provided here though

starnac

Hey lovely lady. I've missed all your lovely nattering. Finally back on here and stalking all the "gang".

Have subscribed and will be reading back to catch up on what I've missed!

Pippilongstocking

Morning lands and starnac lovely to see you lass missing you and yours this holidays.

Cheery what a palava poor you and mr cheery. Hope you've had a great week ours has been a bit frantic getting ready for a board visit and generally just messing about.

So today its a bit of a catch up day. I must admit that I managed to let the oil run out as at this time of year I don't think of it but dear hearts we need it for hot water. So whilst I refused to pay the inflated get it quick price, (we went swimming instead) its now here and the boiler is sulking so that needs some attention. I hae to say its not the first time its happenned and there's no sensor on the tank so its a quandry. I want to keep accessing cheap weekend oil deals through BJuice but don't want to go on a regular top up (costs more ironically) so I need to take advice I thinik. Long term we'll put a shower in the spare room which is electric and shouldn't use hardly any oil at all summer times.

Todays a jolly jaunt to the local wee toon which is over run with golf fiends at the moment - meeting DD and BF for a lovely charity shop wander and a catch up. Won't that be fun,.

Found fitbit hoorah (other pedometers are available) and I've ranked up my steps again - best this week 27+K, worst was 11K last Sunday but we did go swimming. Trying to get over 20k every day as at work I can easily do 10k before lunch so given my appetite I'm trying to up the walking to compensate for the calories. Put on a stone since taking promotion (biscuit box and two tea breaks a day) so I'm embargo-ing those and watching my calories with myfitnesspal.

In between times

List,..........................
[STRIKE]Check banks
Pay CC
Redeem co-op points which I forgot to take my card in for[/STRIKE]
Fridge and freezer tidy up and a wee meal plan to reduce the takeaways when we're busy
[STRIKE]WM is on and its sunny so that will air dry[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Tidy away bed in living room
Sort out a roast dinner for DH ma coming over later [/STRIKE]
Make some soup from free (not so great, need some love onions from work) I use the whole lot at this time of year as the stalks are super yummy too and great in soups/salads.
Might chop and freeze the rest of the scraggy onions as they're needing some love and I've got about a kg of them.
Harvest more rasps
[STRIKE]Make rasp cordial and box the strained fruit for yoghurt[/STRIKE]:money:
Tidy garden and continue to chop some wood later as its needing moved and the stores of wood are bare outside but chockablock inside, fires aren't on so I need to start accumulating.
Walk les mutts
Check finances and over pay if we can
Plan a holiday in the UK potentially in the lands of the dragons as his ma is from there and we'd like to explore a bit
Look at winter holidays as work are biting at the bit for dates as we've a big opening before the wee white flowers pop their heads up.
Generally tidy up and do a bit of decluttering - place is filling up with messy nonsense
Invoice (last one sad/happy feelings) for wombles - they've got someone to take over
Write final handover sheet for that
Work reciepts - I have a stash *somewhere* perhaps on that desk of mine which also needs a tidy.
Make sausage patties for tomorrow from reduced pork mince and herbs from the garden.
[STRIKE]:T got reduced bread and found butter in the fridge[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Snoop for some reduced goodies when in town but don't go crazy
Sunny day so some exploring and walking and some chores later. [/STRIKE]

Well its a start eh.

Hope everyone is happy and fabulous today.

Pippilongstocking

Current balance £1,044.93 - Crazy CC - paid £50 until I do my sums on this one. Had a big car bill

Wages in and need to fathom what to pay DD for bus money and flat this month as she's going awol from work (agreed) and needs a hand, first time she's asked for money in a year or so.

Looks like DS hasn't been paying is bank of mum payment back to me - so need to remind him gently I'm not really a bank. As BIG proportion of other CC is his flights/courses and various things for his gap year. Not my debt entirely but you know what its a bit scary seeing it pop up in the account like that. I've paid £250 towards it. Must get this stuff in a more measured manner.

Lucifer Credit Card - Balance £2,894.99

Wages are in and invoice for c500 to write for last self employed spell. Must have a think about what I can pay extra this month. And remind DS to be making sure we're paying this off quick - its HIS debt on my card

One more birthday aim for the list is to be totally debt free (aside silly student loan which is being paid back through work) by 50.

So perhaps I need more focus and less mummy-hokey-pokey with the cc's.

Need to get a wriggle on have a good one DD is almost in and I'm in my pjs.!! x

starnac

Hey lovely lady.

Oops to oil running out. Although how are you supposed to know if there's no sensor?

How do you make raspberry cordial please? We currently have quite a lot of raspberries and I'm the only on who will eat them.

20k steps? :eek: I'm lucky if I make 10k!

That's a list and a half! It would be great if you made it to the land of dragons. Please let us know if you do. We had dragons in our local castle recently! But they've gone on tour now I think.

Good luck with your list

rtandon27

Hey Pips - that is some ambitious to-do list! Just reading it makes me want to have a lie-down!

Am recovering from having across-the-pond guests so it will be a weekend full of blankie time & tv & a free movie in the theatre!

We have an ancient oil tank as well & try to keep it at 1/2 capacity. It holds 1000L so we refill with 500L every 3 months - averages about 200GBP:eek: each refill. Can't imagine having cold showers!
We do have a valve though which tells us how full it is - I think the neighbour has a long skinny dipper thing that shows how deep the oil is.

Cheery_Daff

Hope you remembered to get dressed PIppi

Pesky DS not reimbursing bank of mum :eek: Definitely in need of a quiet word...

Hope you're having a jolly day I've finally sat down at a nice clean kitchen table and am about to write my own giant list for the afternoon... :eek:

Pippilongstocking

Hey up chaps yes cheery I managed to remember to get dressed!

Starnac - wouldn't it be ace if I can fathom time off and work a plan - I'll let you know

Rasp cordial
rasps boiled up - I tend to just cover them with enough water to make a 'rasp stock'
Give it 5 mins or so
Strain rasps - keep fruit for compote or freezing ice lollies etc
Do equal quantities sugar to juice of a 1 pint to one lb ratio
gently simmer for just enough time to dissolve the sugar
Add a teaspoon + of citric acid (don't really need it but it helps preservation and also adds a bit sharpness.

Keeps in the fridge for a good few months - in a sterilised bottle I'm sure it would keep longer but lifes too short.

I do all fruit cordials this way - seems to work OK - DH loves rasp and is guzzling red currant at the mo.

Mind on too much boiling you end up with jelly at the end stage :P

RT I'll see if we can get a sensor and hope you're all tucked up still. Well done on having visitors - always fun but tiring x

Steps today under 10k so far but heading out with mutts in a mo.

Reduced goodies from the sparkly shop
prawns
cheese x 2
milk
low calorie choc puds (why not)
bread
apples
and some fish

All good.

Sorted banks and did the pop in to change details
Caught up with dd and BF
four good books on horticulture in various forms
1 top purple with butterlies
card and present for brother for housewarming.

Desperately wedding frock shopping - found one I liked but not enough to spalsh out on it.

Speaking of rasps must go and pick some more - someone should tell these ones they're not supposed to fruit until the autumn.

Firmed up more plans to go to HP world as one of my treats this year and figure will do cheap train and go with DD and BF woo hoo

Hope everyone's had a good day. XOXO