Get a grip woman!

Karmacat

That's fantastic!  What a brilliant photo!  I've downloaded it, its really beautiful, thank you.

Fortune_Smiles

How wonderful!  I once had a blackbird nest in the suspension springs of my Land Rover, another in the chimenea and a mallard outside the front door.  All in the same year!  Must have been stiff competition in the nesting market that year 😆

Fortune x

Merlin's_Beard

That face! I await future updates of your squatters eagerly (hint!)

Suffolk_lass

Merlin's_Beard said:

That face! I await future updates of your squatters eagerly (hint!)

They could be fledging when we get back from our hols (we leave soon) but if we can, we will

Suffolk_lass

A bit of financial moving around today, I have reimbursed the bills account with the other £110 I transferred to the running costs account, as without another £25 it would be overdrawn by the time May's pension reaches it. Having retired on 4th a month, I forever receive my pension on the same date, whereas four direct debits go on 1st of each month, including Council Tax (now another £10 a month).

I also paid back the person who has booked a boat trip (£70x2) and a wildlife tour (£60 for just me) on our behalf for the week after next, which is why I am £200 down. Rather than raid the savings account yet, I just paid from the bills account, and shifted some from running costs.

I have just reserved a TGTG bag from Morries for this evening. Hopefully it will all be F&V. I might have to prep more onions and carrots to keep ready in the freezer if they are included. Right, time to make cottage pie and chilli to use the left over beef (and take us up to 11 or more portions from my YS £4.72 joint (43p per portion so far, possibly more)

EssexHebridean

Oh that little lodger is just wonderful - definitely no hedge trimming for you! 

Suffolk_lass

Lots of lovely F&V in my TGTG bag last night. £3.09 bought me:

2 packs of cut flat-leaf parsley (will be chopped, frozen and incorporated in pesto)
1 YS pack of raspberries that the lady swapped for a head of calabrese (broccoli), as I mentioned there were two
1 smaller pack of YS wonky raspberries
1 pack of blueberries
6 clementines
1 burst bag of new potatoes
1 bag of large broken carrots
1 head of calabrese

I also picked up a large bag of small braeburn apples for £2.99, to top up the depleted fruit bowl. I omitted to pick up milk as I thought I only cancelled milk from Saturday but it seems I cancelled this morning's too . I do have a carton of single cream we could dilute (we also have some Jersey cream that didn't get used with the scones and a small pot of double cream that I bought before I managed to get clotted and Jersey). I did use up a good amount of Jersey cream with raspberries for dessert last night (what a treat!) but there is more to go and another really good sized portion of fruit to use up too.

I popped a pack of three tiny plants in the post on my way to Morries, but the RM interface was very frustrating with a lack of clarity in terms of whether I needed to take it or someone was collecting it. Anyway, it was the work of a moment to drop it off and I have the proof of posting. Our postman often stops to speak and fuss the dog as he has the same breed himself and clearly adores them, so I don't think he will mind too much if he calls in and it is a waste of his time.

Last night was the annual parish meeting here and the district Councillor read out the list of "deemed elected" Parish Councillors that did not include me. I only told the Chairman that I was not standing, after the deadline, and she did not tell anyone else. I thought I had got away with it but our best remaining councillor approached me at the end to say how shocked and disappointed he is that I won't be there. He is very worried now, about the viability of the PC but they will be fine, it will just take a little while to locate others to step up. I felt a little sad but also a little relived to have that out of the way.

DH is meeting up with another member of the Village Hall Committee this morning at 09.00 (!) to re-roof the storage shed. They are using two of the 3.5m long off-cuts from re-roofing our giant shed, and with the nails and sticky stuff, the hall is reimbursing us £60 - a bargain for them and a little help for us too! I used the exclamation mark in relation to 09.00 because he often stays in bed until then and in PJs until 11.00 if left to his own devices. Sometimes I prod a little, and sometimes I don't. All about fairness, peace and harmony. He loaded the DW and ran it overnight (a normal thing) and cleared up the kitchen but he never wipes down either the aga of the worktops so I always do, when I rise 2.5-4 hours before him.

With blue skies this morning I want to wash our bedding and towels, using the electricity we are generating from the panels. They have been in for almost a month now. I need to re-read the manual with online assistance for the inverter, as the pictures are all black shadows and impossible to read in the book.

slm6002

I've had solar panels since May and am loving them.  I have noticed that since the clocks went forward we have been doing much better than the winter months.  I am interested to see how we have done come May and I can see a whole years worth.
People don't realise how much time is taken by being part of the council. Enjoy looking on from the outside

Suffolk_lass

Thank you @slm6002. I'm hoping we do better. I have been peering at usage for electric over the last year and comparing with this year too, and I must say that turning the aga down so it is just up to the mark, not past it, appears to be saving us close to £100 a month through the winter. That sounds too much, I need to spreadsheet it...

You are right about being a councillor, and especially a Chairman when we have a not very good Parish Clerk

Suffolk_lass

Shed roof is done, laundry other than bedding (done that), has been deferred until tomorrow as I have made the executive decision to keep the aga on for today because the forecast changed from 15c and sunny to 8-10 and meh!

The local district councillor alerted our annual meeting to the publication of an uncontested election result for our parish, so I am no longer a councillor. I received more stuff from the Parish Clerk this morning so I have replied to all, pointing out that the two of us who stood down are no longer councillors and should be removed from the list, together with the PDF and link to the publication of result, ahead of the 4th May election.

Regarding the elections, we have no idea whether we are going to receive a postal vote this time as we have had four five separate items of correspondence setting out that need to return signature forms (we did), have not returned our signature forms, then received replacement forms to complete, but the same day are on the electoral roll as postal voters, confirmed as being off the postal vote register, and then got our voting cards saying we will get our postal votes after 20th April (by when we are away). We do get back just before 4th but honestly! - The Parish Clerk also received an apology letter from the Council CEO apologising for publishing wrong nominations is wards, omitting some and generally cocking up the info on their website. Human error, they have admitted and referred themselves to the electoral commission. I might write to the CEO in a personal capacity to tell him about us as it seems to be more wide ranging than the web page.