Get a grip woman!

Suffolk_lass

Thanks LaPlan. He gets reimbursed by the club (just not in a way I can see) and when I told him about student discounts he said "Well I'm not a student though, am I!"

Here the second loft access is nearing completion and the TV aerial will go in a slightly less obtrusive place. I might get up there tonight and move the pictures (all in glass fronted clip frames) that I did not know were up there. The crate they are in is one of those collapsible ones and true to the name, it is on the point of collapse!

That and DS and girlfriend coming for pancakes, and both of us with separate online meetings tonight, it is all go!

beanielou

Happy pancakes!

redofromstart

I vaguely remember reading something recently about getting the same editing rights via Dropbox if he has access that way. 'Money for nothing, kicks for free' until you need it to do something that saves you many hours of work and annoyance in my experience. 

Suffolk_lass

Thanks both - I've passed that on redo, and he was a tiny bit more receptive this morning. The pancakes were duly made and all consumed by 6.15pm, with DS and girlfriend having 3.5 and 3 each. I have a specific small sauce ladle that portions the perfect 15cm diameter pancake. Just big enough to be the generous side of mean, but thin enough to be a tiny bit crispy. We had lemon and sugar, they had honey and lemon and golden syrup. I don't mind what people have, we are quite ecumenical about it (I sound like Father Ted!) but the important thing is that we all enjoyed them. What a treat! Ash Wednesday today and the start of fasting for some. Here it will be chocolate, and maybe alcohol. So hard as we approach Easter, but I have ordered some things for that festival that will be hidden away.

The builder-carpenter is doing the third loft hatch today and has started in the small bedroom, then he will do the boarding out once all (3 of) the loft hatches are finished. It is going to be so good to be able to organise that storage, and have a good sort through what was up there at the same time.

This morning I have got a casserole going, now in the simmer oven, it is YS oxtail (£7.50 reduced to £3 on its last day) that I precooked and picked the meat off, with some carrot, onion, celery, potato and seasoning. An easy dinner this evening. I've also got a bread dough on its first prove. It's a big bit today. It just depends on how the flour and water take to each other. I always measure, but often have to add more flour, depending on the weather and temperature, and how lively the yeast and starter are. The closest I get to chemistry, it is rewarding when the reactions are as expected.

Bees
I'm sure I recorded the generosity of a nearby beekeeper who gifted us a colony two years ago, as she had too many going into winter. Well Saturday we get to pay it back. She has lost all but one colony (from either 6 or 8) and posted how sad it was, clearing up an empty apiary. So we are gifting her two colonies on Saturday. They have been flying this week so I know they are OK.

Oops, bread dough needs knocking back (timer bleeping) and then I need to go to Screwfix to collect the digital aerial TV signal finder I have just ordered

beanielou

Glad you enjoyed your pancakes. 

KajiKita

Love the payback of the bee colonies ❤️

KK

Suffolk_lass

Bees are packed up ready to be collected and I have made soup, stuffed lab's hearts ready for supper (£1.60 for 2 as they are only popular if you know about them and how to cook them), and I have a list of things to sort upstairs before fellow beek arrives at 2ish.

I have emptied a chest of drawers and been through all the contents. It is all treasure except some slippers that the dog can have, and some clothes to go through with other bags of clothes. That is my next thing. Then shoes, then pictures. Not all before 2 but I need to go to my cousin's with some honey and a birthday card.

Back to my treasure, I have a contact sheet of little photos of me aged about 9 months old and a large print that was never framed. My Mum has given me both and my late Dad has written who wanted which prints by number, on the envelope. My long dead Godparents (both the couples from which I had three and my sis had two were childless), plus my grandparents. It made me cry. Such fond memories of all of them.

There was also an award for effort from our son's first High School (where he was robbed) and it includes an unspent £5 book token. School did not come easy to DS and I treasure the recognition that he did his best. Much later, the consequence of a child at his first school shaming him into using his right hand, when naturally left handed, was picked up as his writing speed was 12 words a minute, instead of over 30. Remarkable for someone using the wrong side of their brain (for them) to make it work. Bless him.

Dead zone money-wise for running costs, but £1200 down having paid for the loft accesses, ladders and boarding out across three lofts. Hence the decluttering sorting out, slowly but surely.

KajiKita

It can be shocking how powerfully evocative photos and mementos of that type can be. Hugs for the cry, which I also get was happy too. 

Hope the bees enjoy their new home - they are going to someone who knows how to look after them after all 😊

Excellent progress on the decluttering and loft reclaiming. I really ought to restart ….

KK

Suffolk_lass

I've had a lovely photo of the bees in their new position. She will hold on to our kit until it is warm enough to swap the frames into another hive of her own and then we will get our (fairly new) kit back IDC. The third colony we moved is up the road at a neighbour's in their grounds (I choose my words carefully) and they need the tape over the entrance to be removed so they know they can fly (when it stops raining here) and should reorientate to their new home.

I had a lovely catch-up with my cousin, saw my Aunt and of course the six she has living with her (her daughter, husband their two and his two children, plus 2 cats, tortoise and maybe still their rabbit). The house looked like a strong candidate for Stacey Solomon's attention. I could suggest to my cousin that they hire our village Hall and use that space to sort things out. They have no room to go through anything. I thought our house was cluttered but this takes it to another level. My poor cousin, there is no headspace and there are no systems. For £20 they could go through two rooms and everything in the hallway in two hours, like the mini warehouse experience. 

Re the decluttering here, it is piddling here so today I will try and get through the four many bags of clothes and get rid/sell/stash in a ruthless way. The pictures (two boxes and a bag, can follow that. I need to get access to the plastic boxes with lids I have in an unused stack, as this will let me put the stash away and label as I go. Hmm, best of intentions, but it is so dull. I would prefer lolling about today. Some and some I think.

Suffolk_lass

Oh yes, money...

I have put the regular electricity payment up to £200 from March (was £150) and DH forwarded me the email notifying us that the Plusnet contract is going up £2.17 a month. No word yet on Council Tax for 23-24. 

Re the electricity, we had no real buffer going into winter as Scottish people refunded to my bank account and we spent half. The increased spend is really hitting us at the moment. We will manage. Must not complain as at least we have some savings we can subsidise it with. And my pension becomes due next month. I have just had my tax code through based on that. My lovely DB pension will reduce in net payment terms as the tax free part is all against the state pension, with a bit left over to be applied to that at less than £100 a month. It will make so much difference!!