From debt to freedom...

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Cherryfudge, I had no idea that slow cookers were so versatile! I will experiment tomorrow!

Busy day at work. The ex cooked for the children tonight but was one of those nights where I could only stand so much. The elderly lurcher and I went for a dusktime walk which was most refreshing. It was autumnally cool without being cold. Shapes are so interesting at that time of the evening. We walked past an old tree stump in the hedge and I'd never noticed before how floriferous the fungi was, growing on the top and sides of the stump. It must have been the gleam of silvery grey in the dusky light that caught my eye. We are very fortunate to be able to reach fields within minutes of leaving the house. A stream runs alongside one of the public footpaths which was lovely to listen to...altogether a boosting walk .

Back at home, I discovered that the kitchen sink was blocked, so have been on my hands and knees sorting out pipes. I have cleared the inside ones but it's still not draining quickly, so will have to investigate the outside drain tomorrow in the light .

DD2 came home with some bread she'd made. It was like a tear and share type shape, tasted similar to Chelsea buns but had more of a pecan filling, than a raisin one. It was absolutely delicious. I think she said it was called Monkey bread but not entirely sure.

The next birthday occurs at the end of the week. Not sure how the birthday child wants to celebrate but am hoping it doesn't cost a lot.

Apple crumble cooked tonight using apples from the tree in the garden .

Cherryfudge

I've never heard of monkey bread but I looked it up - everything about it (apart from the calories) sounds glorious! I might be making this some time.

A lovely walk again... I love the image of the 'gleam of silvery grey in the dusky light'.

I hope the sink isn't too much trouble, especially as it's cold (here) now.

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Cherryfudge.

I checked the drain in the morning light and could immediately see what the problem was. The leaf guard thing has no cut away hole for the pipe, so there was a block between pipe and leaf guard which was very easily sorted . Huge relief !

The hob was delivered :j:j:T:T, so full cooking capacity is restored :T. It has no knobs so DS2, being more technologically minded, had to demonstrate how to work it. I'm so thankful and relieved that my meal range is back to normal .

Yesterday, post delivery, DD2 wanted to take me out for breakfast. It was really lovely to have time with her and to enjoy a delicious breakfast as well.

On our return I rang the CB office. It turns out that my payments had been stopped. When I rang at the beginning of September to inform them about DS starting an apprenticeship and DD2 staying in further ed, the advisor I spoke to stopped payments instead of updating:eek:. Thankfully the kind advisor I spoke to was able to sort it all out and says I should get the payment I expected on Tuesday, at some point within the next 7 days. I felt like a weight had lifted.

Cherryfudge

What a lot of positives! I'm glad the sink and hob are both fully functioning now (the one at work doesn't have knobs either and took a bit of learning. However mine at home and the one at Mum's are too easy to turn on because the knobs move if you lean on them - so I've come to the conclusion cooker knobs are dangerous).

It's really not good that the CB office made that error. If it had been someone less articulate and able to question it, they might have lost the benefits altogether. Would it be worth you complaining?

savingholmes

Glad you got the CB sorted. Mine was similar they paid £20+ and then paid back pay about 3 weeks later. Now I'm left not knowing when its due. Like you DD started sixth for in September- by the time they sent a letter I already had the money.

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Cherryfudge and SH. Birthday pancakes were successfully made on the new hob...getting used to the buttons and so glad there is a child lock key too!

DD 's birthday was yesterday. We got to the beach which was great. The wind was wonderfully wild, the waves were a mass of foamy white with white horses right out to sea. My favourite type of day at the beach, where the wind blows away the cobwebs and you feel exhilarated from being blown around the beach!! After such a lovely time there, I could cope with the ex at the birthday evening meal and the celebrations went well.

The student card that Spendless mentioned has really helped. Yesterday DD1 rang to say that her bank account had been compromised and a fraudulent transaction made on it, so she'd had to have her bank card stopped and it will time before she gets a new one. She hadn't had chance to get to Mr T's but had planned to, so being able to charge up the card here for her to have access to funds there was brilliant. Thanks again Spendless! The staff in Mr T's are still mightily confused every time I've presented it at the customer service desk, so perhaps Mr T's needs to communicate its excellent product to its staff:rotfl:

Hoping to be home based today...some work tasks to get done, a few garden jobs and catch up on cooking. It seems the perfect day for some homemade soup .

Honeysucklelou2

Yesterday ( Saturday) was a delightfully busy day. I was able to get the majority of the work tasks done, so just a small bit to finish today. Half of the children and I went on a treasure hunt walk around the village. It was a fundraiser for the village so although a couple of pounds was spent, it was for a good cause and was cheap entertainment for us. The walk took us to parts of the village I very rarely go to and new parts that I had never been to! Good fun and exercise as well.

After lunch I was able to get to the allotment for a couple of hours. DS2 came with me and was a great help at cutting back this huge budleigha bush. Having time there, rather than rushing around doing absolute essentials and nothing else, helped me to realise that one path I'd made alongside the raised beds had completely overgrown with blackthorn saplings. My usual path on the other side was fine. An hour was spent chopping back the saplings in order to regain the path. The saplings had effectively doubled the width of the hedge and taken much light from the raised beds. Can't believe I hadn't seen it before :eek::cool:. I haven't finished it all but at least access to the raised beds is improved and I can see why I've had such a battle with brambles this year . The greenhouse now looks more like a greenhouse in a clearing rather than the greenhouse equivalent of Sleeping Beauty's palace, which it was fast becoming:D.

I did get into the kitchen eventually and made lasagne, Eve's pudding and a batch of spicy apple muffins. I'm still picking apples from the tree in the garden .

Honeysucklelou2

Busy at work this week. Next week looks to be even busier with later evening meetings. On a positive note the Child Benefit reached my account today. It's an odd figure, so not quite sure how it's been worked out but at least it's now in my account.

Yesterday we had the power go...it turned out to have been a trip switch. I got everything working and on again but it would appear that the heating element of the oven has gone. I'm thinking that this might have caused the electricity to trip. At first it wasn't noticeable because I was in the middle of cooking and I could hear the fan, but on closer inspection I realised that it was blowing around cold air rather than warm . I'm only glad that the oven and hob are separate and didn't break in the same week!

Cherryfudge

Oh no! (to the oven). Oven elements are worth repairing yourself if you can borrow another pair of hands to hold things in place while you secure the new element. Preferably someone you get on well with as it's a tight space to work in. Good job you have the new hob up and running.

I'm so pleased the CB has come through. I wonder why it's not a straightforward amount?

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Cherryfudge. I'm sure it is just the heating element as the fan works and the grill element works. No idea why the payment is an odd amount. After realising it was an advisor error in the first place, I've given up on trying to understand them!