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Tales from The Shire
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❤❤❤❤❤ just love your ladybird & bumblebee Fortune!
4 YEARS 10 MONTHS DEBT FREE!!! (24 OCT 2016)(With heartfelt thanks to those who have gone before us & their indubitable generosity.)...and now I have a mortgage! (23 AUG 2021)New projection - 14 YEARS 7 MONTHS LEFT OF 20 YEARS (reduced by 17 mths)3 -
Me too - they look gorgeous. I can copy but haven't yet learned how to draw for myself...rtandon27 said:❤❤❤❤❤ just love your ladybird & bumblebee Fortune!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 10/10/252 -
rtandon27 said:❤❤❤❤❤ just love your ladybird & bumblebee Fortune!
Thank you @rtandon27 - insects are how I started painting. I bought a gorgeous pair of decoupage picture frames from a stall at the Ideal Home Exhibition which were crying out for entomology prints. I looked into buying some and found they were too expensive so I painted some myself. They are currently hanging in the hall.
Fortune x
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6623005/happy-days-in-our-golden-years/p1?new=1
Working at Living3 -
savingholmes said:
Me too - they look gorgeous. I can copy but haven't yet learned how to draw for myself...rtandon27 said:❤❤❤❤❤ just love your ladybird & bumblebee Fortune!
I think all drawing is copying @savingholmes - you copy from a picture, a photograph, real life or what you see in your imagination or dreams. I copy from all sorts of sources so I think you are drawing for yourself by copying - and you have such a great eye for colour.
Fortune x
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6623005/happy-days-in-our-golden-years/p1?new=1
Working at Living3 -
That's a really nice way of looking at it. Thanks for the compliment too.Fortune_Smiles said:savingholmes said:
Me too - they look gorgeous. I can copy but haven't yet learned how to draw for myself...rtandon27 said:❤❤❤❤❤ just love your ladybird & bumblebee Fortune!
I think all drawing is copying @savingholmes - you copy from a picture, a photograph, real life or what you see in your imagination or dreams. I copy from all sorts of sources so I think you are drawing for yourself by copying - and you have such a great eye for colour.
Fortune xAchieve 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 10/10/252 -
Echoing what others have said re: the paintings, they look amazing 😍 Wishing I had some artistic talent but alas I think I missed out on that gene. Loving the green walls too, looks like a very neat job that YD has done (not like our free-handing that DH has taken to over here 😏).Emergency Fund - £8572.39 / £10,000 :: Mortgage OP 2025 - £LISA 24/25 - £3200 / £4000 :: NSD 2025 - 2 / 150 :: Books Read: 1 / 52 :: Decluttering - 4 / 1000Engaged 9th December 2010 :: Married 29th October 2015 :: Bought a House 13th January 20173
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ruby_eskimo said:Echoing what others have said re: the paintings, they look amazing 😍 Wishing I had some artistic talent but alas I think I missed out on that gene. Loving the green walls too, looks like a very neat job that YD has done (not like our free-handing that DH has taken to over here 😏).
Thank you @ruby_eskimo. I've haven't been able to paint for ages due to all the upheaval of this year. Need to get my hand in because I've promised my goddaughter a wedding portrait 😲
Fortune x
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6623005/happy-days-in-our-golden-years/p1?new=1
Working at Living3 -
Chaos! - The Return 😆
We had a busy but uneventful weekend getting chores done in the house. Saturday was spent getting the hall back in order. Sunday was such a beautiful day here we spent the morning tidying the garden. It was lovely to be outside (away from all the dust) getting some sunshine and fresh air. In the afternoon we hung pictures and ornaments that had either been displaced in the decorating or that hadn't found a permanent home since we moved in 😲 My new-to-me, brass-framed mirror is now up in the upstairs corridor and looking fabulous.
I was able to cook properly so we had Cheesy Leek & Spinach Pasta for our suppers and a houmous salad wrap for lunch on Saturday and Butternut Squash Soup with Chilli and Creme Fraiche on Sunday. The chillis turned out to be very hot though so I added a can of coconut milk to the soup to cool it down a bit - which means we have loads and are probably going to be eating it all week 😆 The leeks, spinach and butternut squash were all from the veg patch. We've brought in the last of the courgettes (yes they were still trying although only baby ones) and the honeyboat and butternut squash. We have fewer squash this year but they are bigger. There is still spinach, chard, leeks and bunching onion growing although I'll have to use up the spinach and chard before the first frosts set in.
This morning chaos reigns again. The fitters arrived early and removed all the windows from the living room, study and dining room (thankfully it's a dry, warmish day). Plus they have to go in and out of the kitchen to get to those rooms so we weren't able to hide anywhere. Mr F had to manage at the kitchen island - he's on a day long conference call today 😲 Mr Fitter is being very helpful today though. He had to break hard on the journey to us this morning and one of the panes of glass in one of the windows cracked. I think he was worried about telling me but it's really easy to replace them so I'm not fussed as long as it doesn't cost me. Another pane of glass in the kitchen is marked on the inside so that can be replaced at the same time. I took advantage of his disadvantage though to ask him to add beading to two of our kitchen windows. One has it due to our wonky walls so I'd like them all to look the same. He agreed with a smile. It might have helped that I baked biscuits for them this morning - they went through all the shop bought ones last week.
All the windows are in now so it's quieter and, therefore, feels calmer. They still have all the fixing and making good to do but most of that is outside so doesn't cause much disturbance. Mr F has at least been able to escape to the living room to work. I will have to give it a good dust in there but it's not as bad as I thought it was going to be so will do for now.
I've done some Christmas shopping this morning - gifts and some special treats for the day. I'll just have to control myself and not eat any of the treats beforehand 😂 Everything has been budgeted for from the Christmas pot.
I've got WI tonight. It's our AGM but I've promised to take a quiz to liven things up a bit. I wrote it over the weekend so just need to remember to print it off and take it with me 😆
Just the rest of the day to cope with. Feeling your pain @Cheery_Daff. You've done so amazingly well to keep going through your marathon.
Oh - forgot to mention we won £100 on the Pr£mium Bond$ this time 🥳🎉🥳
Fortune x
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6623005/happy-days-in-our-golden-years/p1?new=1
Working at Living5 -
Fab news on the premium bonds.
Impressive as ever on the batch cooking.
A wedding portrait? Have you done anything like that before?
Glad the window situation is improving...
Enjoy WIAchieve 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 10/10/251 -
savingholmes said:Fab news on the premium bonds.
Impressive as ever on the batch cooking.
A wedding portrait? Have you done anything like that before?
Glad the window situation is improving...
Enjoy WI
Thank you @savingholmes. Yes, I did a portrait of Harry & Meghan for the WI County Show competition one year. Not my usual subject matter but our theme was 'A Grand Day Out' and we chose a street party for the wedding. I still have it! Not sure what to do with it really 😂
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6623005/happy-days-in-our-golden-years/p1?new=1
Working at Living2
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