Tales from The Shire

themadvix

It all sounds lovely at yours Fortune - and the forthcoming BBQ sounds wonderful too, I hope you're spoiled!

beanielou

All sounding good 

Fortune_Smiles

rtandon27 said:

What a lovely post Fortune - good to hear you so upbeat! xx

Hi RT - it is nice to be able to  share some good news.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

themadvix said:

It all sounds lovely at yours Fortune - and the forthcoming BBQ sounds wonderful too, I hope you're spoiled!

beanielou said:

All sounding good 

Thanks guys.  We are looking forward to the BBQ and DS1 seems to have everything sorted so it will be a lovely day off for me.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Moving Forward

Having a little more certainty about our savings has made a world of difference:

• Window Man is coming out on Tuesday to measure up and go through some questions I have
• I have now squirrelled away enough in my Tittervating Pot through PADs, budget savings, vouchers and discounts, to buy the tumble dryer I've been saving for 😁
• Mr F agreed that we should use some of his bonus to buy the matching washing machine too 😁  Both my current machines are over 15 years old now and starting to play up.  The tumble dryer is a compact version and not big enough for what we need.  Neither have ever fitted properly into the kitchen here but, as they worked ok, we've lived with them for the last 3 years.  I'll put them up for sale on FB and may get a few pounds for them but they really aren't worth much.  It's our wedding anniversary soon so the washing machine is doubling up as an anniversary present for us both 🤣

Operation 'Eat All The Food' has gone well and we are back to a normal level of veg in the fridge.  Meals have been:

Veg & Cheesy Rice Bake.  I make it with two packets of wholegrain microwave rice which makes it a really quick and easy meal.
Vegetable Fajitas
Indian Masala Roast Carrots with Coconut Red Lentils
Halloumi Burgers.

We held back from arranging the BBQ date until today as the weather has been changeable so have only just decided it's to be tomorrow 😁  I have painted my nails (fingers and toes) and laid out a nice outfit to wear (which doesn't include jeans).  It will be so lovely to dress up and make an occasion of the day.  I was particularly happy to find that my clothes still fit... comfortably fit 😁 (I'm not back to pre-Covid weight yet but I'm not too far off).  There was a forgotten bottle of pink champagne in the wine rack so I've popped that in the fridge to take with us.  It's our first visit to DS1's new home so something to celebrate.

Happy Friday everyone and I hope you get some sunshine this weekend.

Fortune x

PurpleFairy26

Enjoy the BBQ. Your anniversary’s presents sounds like presents we ‘buy’ each other 🤣

thanks, as always for the recipe links. I’ve been meaning to try the masala carrots for a while, have everything in to sneak on to this weeks meal plan 👍🏻

Fortune_Smiles

PurpleFairy26 said:

Enjoy the BBQ. Your anniversary’s presents sounds like presents we ‘buy’ each other 🤣

thanks, as always for the recipe links. I’ve been meaning to try the masala carrots for a while, have everything in to sneak on to this weeks meal plan 👍🏻

My sister's husband once bought her an iron for Christmas.  He is now an ex-husband 🤣😂🤣😂

The Masala Carrots are delicious Purps and a great way to use up a glut.

Fortune x

South_coast

All sounds lovely. Enjoy your weekend 😀

beanielou

Have a happy weekend  xx

Fortune_Smiles

An English Summer

What a difference a day makes - lots of rain here today.  Good for the garden though which, as usual, is taking up a lot of my time.

• Window Man came out to do the measuring up.  Mr F gets paid his bonus next week so I'll pay the deposit then.  Fitting is likely to be in September
• J0hn L£wi$ delivered the washing machine and tumble dryer - both are damaged, the washer significantly 😮  The delivery drivers were still outside the house when I realised but ran off quickly when they saw there was a problem!  So I have two unwanted machines in my kitchen which I'm unable to use and no room to reconnect the old ones 😡  I've put in a complaint and replacements are being delivered next week.  Very disappointed and cross about it though.  Extremely poor service considering we are shielding, allowed people into our house for the delivery and now have to take that risk a second time
• Friendly Farmer has baled the grass and is carting away this morning
• Mr F has installed a standpipe in the top field and run a hose up to the veg patch so it's easier for me to water the plants 😊
• We have a booking for the Annex 😁  Just friends who had intended to book this year before lockdown.  It's for three nights and we've given them a fourth night free as they're mates.  It will cover the cost of installing the standpipe and give us a bit of contingency this month.  We've not been overwhelmed with interest as the media were forecasting, however, we've kept our strict cancellation policy and most of our guests come to visit Wales which isn't open yet.  Hopefully things will pick up soon.
• Meals yesterday were baked potatoes with tuna mayonnaise and salad then Quick Summer Bean Sausage Casserole.  The Casserole recipe is definitely a keeper as you could use any sort of bean in it.

We thoroughly enjoyed the BBQ last weekend.  A small taste of normality made all the difference.  Mr F has booked some time off in July so we can get on with decorating and maintenance jobs but I think a couple of trips out are on the cards if the weather holds.

Hope everyone is safe and well.

Fortune x