Get a grip woman!

themadvix

Fingers crossed for you for today, but also glad you can still see the joy of your current home! We, too, have permanent cat nose smudges on the windows here... 

foxgloves

Good luck with the viewing. 
F x

EssexHebridean

Fingers crossed for the viewing SL! And well done on tracking down the pass book too! 

Suffolk_lass

OK, DH still pottering with a damp duster, but otherwise all set. I wonder if I need to clear off (I could go to my greenhouse).

I am so relieved about that pass book. It has £10k in it

Suffolk_lass

Suffolk_lass said:

Oh, and just before I go, oil is down...

I posted this over on foxgloves diary but I need it here...

I am monitoring oil prices here (heating oil, not barrels on the open market!) and it has dropped by a penny a litre every day this week to 60.53ppl today for 500 litres or 60.49ppl for 1000 litres.  It was £0.989 last time I bought and I was pleased it was under £1! It always used to be cheapest in April and the prices above are for delivery on 31st March.

That was last week. It is up to 63ppl this morning for delivery on 12th April, whether we get 500 or 1000 litres!

61.48ppl this morning. No surveys available

Oil today is 60.62ppl for 1000 litres and 60.64 for 500 litres. The first time there has been any incentive to buy more. We won't yet as still got 2 full bars, so somewhere between 240 and 360 litres in our 1200 litre tank as the gauge works on 10% marks, not 100 Litre calibration

Suffolk_lass

Proper update - the manager of the EA came and did the showing himself. He said he wasn't going to trust this (he used the word "fantastic") house to one of the junior staff. DH took the dog out and I spent a happy 40 minutes in my greenhouse, writing individual labels, while he took them round.

The immediate feedback was that they were actively looking for things that were wrong and could not find any, and he pointed out a number of similarities between us and them (same car model, several similar interests, gardening, preserving, beekeeping, want an aga). His view is that this hits everything on their list. Big but is that this is the first house they have looked at so he expects them to look at some others. The price is not a stretch for what they want and if they go for it, they would rebuild the pig shed to be an annexe. He is going to call us today, after he has spoken to them. For a first off-market viewing I am happy.

Received the invoice for the switch fix by our electrician (£48) and paid him. He must be doing his end of month stuff!

Other things - I have got up early and put a hot wash on (90c) to clean towels, tea towels and dish cloths, made soup, and got a sourdough proving, that will make 2-3 medium loaves.

I don't do a proper hot wash regularly but advice from the engineer who last visited (maybe six years ago) is that a once a month hot wash removes all the soap scum that builds up and clogs my machine. He also recommended reducing the amount of liquid gloop we use, as it makes a difference to what gloops up the internals. It is easier using less when it is loose. I didn't tell him I only ever used half a tablet, for MSE reasons

I shopped yesterday, actually entering the premises to pick up savers range bleach and dishwasher tablets. 4L of bleach, 80 DW tabs £4.42 - the DW tabs had dropped in price to £1.79 for 40 instead of £2. The box felt lighter and I believe they are smaller (fine by me). The other thing I did was to decant one third of the new washing up liquid into the old bottle and then top u the old bottle, mixing well. By the time I come to need it, it will have thickened up. I don't know why, but it does. I add a splodge of water to the remnants of my diluted old bottle now topped up (to maybe half full) and mix it in the bottle. That stays runny for a week maybe, before it too, thickens slightly. I have been doing this for years and I honestly don't notice any difference, even when using "neat" stuff at someone else's.

Other than this, I shopped for store cupboard tins, stock-pots, biscuits and ginger cake, plus crisps, ice-cream and fresh. The breakdown was £48.11 stores, £21.46 for regular groceries, £3.90 for pet things (cat litter, 2x10 L £3.90) and £15.37 for treats (😳). Some in April, fresh in March. I shall be just a bit over 25% of my annual budget when the milk DD hits tomorrow. I shopped early to use the £5 off voucher Morries sent as it was my birthday in March.

Have a good day everyone SL

EssexHebridean

Fingers crossed for good news from the viewing then - it certainly sounds positive! 

You've reminded me that I should do a hot wash through our WM at some stage - when I run the 90 degree one I usually run it empty of everything barring a plentiful slug of white vinegar, but I might be tempted to do a towels and dishcloths one at hotter than my usual 40 at some stage with a load on board. I use a lot less liquid than Bold tell me I'm meant to as well - funny that!  

rtandon27

SL & EH - happy that I'm in good company,  as I only use half the recommended amount as well.

Am currently price comparing our annual purchase of liquid and powder for the WM - Has it ever gone up since the last time! More than 30% on the big river site and not much better at the supermarkets!

At least the fabric softener was a bargain in the industrial size, should last well over a year even with our hard water!

SL - so happy to hear all went well for the first viewing!

Fortune_Smiles

Viewing sounds really positive @Suffolk_lass.  Fingers crossed for you 🤞

Fortune x

Suffolk_lass

No call from the EA so no actual formal feedback yet. This morning we have been to collect a headboard which makes our bed look a bit more grown up. It is a wooden frame with futon mats with a large latex mattress on top. 7'6" (sorry, bought in imperial) with a 7x5' mattress it now has a large velour covered headboard that fits nicely under the dimmer switch and covers a mark on the wall. The headboard was £50 - painting the bedroom as an alternative? no contest!

Leftover chicken and frozen veg curry last night with a jar of ready made sauce. Never tried P*taks before but with some additional veg, chillies and garlic it was rather pleasant and DH polished it off with a second helping. I still came down to signs of midnight snacking though!

Tonight we are quizzing and I shall have chicken and chips, he will have F&C, delivered to the hall by a good local F&C van and cooked fresh. Normally the chicken is enormous and the last two occasions I have brought most of it home and made dinner for both of us the following night from it! Chips are such a rarity so I shall enjoy eating them but might scrounge a corner of fish and bring all of the chicken home.