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Tales from The Shire
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An apple a day 🍏
Most exciting news today. Apple man is coming to plant our orchard this afternoon 😁 I don't expect it will look much like an orchard by close of play as I'm expecting the trees to be quite tiddly. But... it will be the start of something beautiful and maybe we'll get a little blossom this year.
Nothing much exciting happened yesterday. Although I did finish my piece for Writing Group and it received some good and useful feedback. I hadn't heard from our video call host about making a contribution to the subscription but managed to catch her on her own at the end of the call. She's not comfortable taking a contribution from me and not from the others in the group and because she's using the platform for other meetings. However, I have managed to persuade her to come out for afternoon tea on me when restrictions are lifted. Something for us both to look forward to.
I've spent this morning thinking about money 😊 I've transferred savings amounts and made a larger OP fattened up with PADs and budget savings. Budgets and spreadsheets have been tweaked to take account of the changes to income and expenditure expected next month (everything is going up!). So I feel I'm on top of things now 😁
Lunch yesterday was baked potato with tuna mayonnaise and salad as there was salad to be used up. Supper was Halloumi, Spring Greens & Lentil Curry. I used a can of coconut milk instead of coconut drink to make a thicker sauce and also put a whole block of halloumi in. There was enough for six portions and, even without the extra halloumi, the recipe would definitely feed four rather than the two mentioned. Lunch today was Naan Bread Pizza as I had chipolatas to use up and I'd found some naan bread in stores.
I shall be going on an adventure tomorrow. My car has been recalled for a safety issue so I will need to take it into the nearest big town to be repaired. I hope I can remember how to drive it 😲
Happy Hump Day all
Fortune x
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6623005/happy-days-in-our-golden-years/p1?new=1
Working at Living8 -
Ooh, fingers crossed for the car Fortune!
Very exciting about your apples!! How old will the trees be? I planted five year-old ones a couple of years ago now - we've had quite a bit of blossom and a single edible apple in that time 😂 Hoping this year we'll get a few more! I must go and check on our little woodland - the fruit bushes and elder etc in the garden are starting to bud so no reason why the woodland ones wouldn't... Certainly not expecting much from ours this year (most were only about 30cm high) but it'll be nice to see them growing!6 -
They are only a year old @Cheery_Daff so no fruit this year or even blossom the apple man says. But it will be a glorious sight when they grow up enough to flower and fruit.Cheery_Daff said:Ooh, fingers crossed for the car Fortune!
Very exciting about your apples!! How old will the trees be? I planted five year-old ones a couple of years ago now - we've had quite a bit of blossom and a single edible apple in that time 😂 Hoping this year we'll get a few more! I must go and check on our little woodland - the fruit bushes and elder etc in the garden are starting to bud so no reason why the woodland ones wouldn't... Certainly not expecting much from ours this year (most were only about 30cm high) but it'll be nice to see them growing!
Very excited to hear how your woodland is doing.
Fortune x
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6623005/happy-days-in-our-golden-years/p1?new=1
Working at Living5 -
Fledgling orchard ...
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6623005/happy-days-in-our-golden-years/p1?new=1
Working at Living6 -
Oooh, lovely! 😍😍 Are they all apples? How many have you got? Different varieties? (Sorry, so many questions!)5
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We have 10 with a further two planned for next year:Cheery_Daff said:Oooh, lovely! 😍😍 Are they all apples? How many have you got? Different varieties? (Sorry, so many questions!)Quince - VranjaCherry - HertfordCherry - StellaApple - BardseyApple - Pitmaston PineappleApple - Betty GeesonPear - ConcordePear - ConferencePlum - Denbigh PlumPlum - Cambridge Gage
Then a Medlar and a Pig's Nose Pippin coming next winter (yes I did choose the Pig's Nose Pippin for the name 🤣).
Fortune x
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6623005/happy-days-in-our-golden-years/p1?new=1
Working at Living4 -
Oooh - we have a Stella Cherry - very nice and quite prolific last year:).
Looks good - will be fantastic in a few years
I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soulRepaid mtge early (orig 11/25) 01/09 £124616 01/11 £89873 01/13 £52546 01/15 £12133 07/15 £NILNet sales 2024: £204 -
Ooh, this is all extremely exciting Fortune!!2
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Orchard to be looks lovely. We've managed to cram three apple trees, a cherry tree and plum tree into a much smaller space but I wish I'd realised how much they'd want to grow and given them more room!Achieve FIRE/Mortgage Neutrality in 2030
1) MFW Nov 21 £202K now £171.8K Equity 36.37%
2) £2.6K Net savings after CCs 10/10/25
3) Mortgage neutral by 06/30 (AVC £27.9K + Lump Sums DB £4.6K + (25% of SIPP 1.25K) = 34/£127.5K target 26.6% 10/10/25
(If took bigger lump sum = 60.35K or 47.6%)
4) FI Age 60 income target £17.1/30K 57% (if mortgage and debts repaid - need more otherwise) (If bigger lump sum £15.8/30K 52.67%)
5) SIPP £5K updated 10/10/253 -
Love your orchard Fortune. I wanted to have a cherry tree on our lawn but DD was against it as the cherry's make a mess and attract buzzy things. I've still got a space in mind though - I actually love that the birds have a nice feast from them. I've found an Amelanchier https://www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/amelanchier-alnifolia-obelisk-p966 that has fruits and might not be so messy, or I might just decide on that cherry tree "Think of many things, do one"
Mortgage 31Oct'25 est. £207,450 £309,749 2020 (current ends 2038 -aiming for 2031)
Seven Goals; 12.5lbs lost in 4 months (5.5lbs to go); walk/run/exercising/weights/yoga3
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