Tales from The Shire

Fortune_Smiles

:j:j:j:j:j

I miscalculated the outstanding amount though - we have paid 5% off but haven't dropped a decade just yet. Not long to go though.

I'm really enjoying walking FDawg at the moment. The verges are bursting with wildflowers and I like to spot the new ones each morning and identify them. Yesterday's was Jack By The Hedge (Garlic Mustard) and I'm delighted that it's also growing in my veg patch. I shall keep it because you can eat the leaves and seeds and also because it's pretty Today's spots were Greater Stitchwort and Red Campion.

One of the delightful discoveries I've made in The Shire is Lapwings. We have them nesting in an adjacent field and, although, I'd seen them before, I had never heard their cries or watched their remarkable flying displays. Mr Lapwing treats us to acrobatics every morning

My hair appointment has been cancelled as the colourist is sick today. It's been rearranged for tomorrow so I now have a day at home to crack the ironing pile I've never quite gotten to the bottom of it since being ill. My ironing viewing is Middlemarch at the moment but next on the list is Desperate Romantics and I'm looking forward to watching that again.

Best get on.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

therocket wrote: »

The new place is sounding lovely in the new-found spring weather and glad F-Dawg isnt causing you any added grief ontop of the virus!

And congratulations on the overpayment and other goals - great progress in such a short space of time!

Thank you Rocket - I do feel as though we've starting moving again.

Fortune x

beanielou

Money news all good
Take care.

Cheery_Daff

Hello :hello:

Just been having a skim back through your diary as I'm eating my lunch Loving your tales, and your house seems rather similar to ours - long and narrow with seemingly miles between one end and the other (ours is in a horseshoe shape) and we have no letterbox either :rotfl:

Just got up to the part where you rescued a dog But I really MUST go back to work so I'll have to save the rest til later...

Cheery_Daff

Oh, so I just skived an hour and skimmed the whole thing :rotfl: so sorry to hear you were poorly :eek: but glad you are recovering :j Excellent financial progress :money:

We are all over the place with finances right now (and everything else :eek: ) but we only moved about 9 weeks ago so I'm trying not to be too harsh on myself :rotfl: Our emergency fund will currently cover about 5 months of expenses - but we're about to have some building work done so that will be sorely depleted... I've been saving to overpay the mortgage, but perhaps building the emergency fund back up would be better? Or a bit of each?

The plan was to do the mortgage with anything extra that came in, and the savings from the normal wages - but somehow they've all been eaten up the last 2 months with extra house stuff But we haven't drawn on savings for that so...

Anyway, will go back to lurking and hoping to learn something about living in the countryside and having fields

Fortune_Smiles

beanielou wrote: »

Money news all good
Take care.

Thanks Beanie - our budgets should start settling down now I hope.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Cheery_Daff wrote: »

Hello :hello:

Just been having a skim back through your diary as I'm eating my lunch Loving your tales, and your house seems rather similar to ours - long and narrow with seemingly miles between one end and the other (ours is in a horseshoe shape) and we have no letterbox either :rotfl:

Just got up to the part where you rescued a dog But I really MUST go back to work so I'll have to save the rest til later...

We were originally a cow shed Cheery so it's a long, narrow house. You can stand outside and look straight through the windows to the other side :rotfl: It felt like a long walk from one end to the other when we first moved in but I've got used to it now.

Cheery_Daff wrote: »

Oh, so I just skived an hour and skimmed the whole thing :rotfl: so sorry to hear you were poorly :eek: but glad you are recovering :j Excellent financial progress :money:

We are all over the place with finances right now (and everything else :eek: ) but we only moved about 9 weeks ago so I'm trying not to be too harsh on myself :rotfl: Our emergency fund will currently cover about 5 months of expenses - but we're about to have some building work done so that will be sorely depleted... I've been saving to overpay the mortgage, but perhaps building the emergency fund back up would be better? Or a bit of each?

The plan was to do the mortgage with anything extra that came in, and the savings from the normal wages - but somehow they've all been eaten up the last 2 months with extra house stuff But we haven't drawn on savings for that so...

Anyway, will go back to lurking and hoping to learn something about living in the countryside and having fields

We were just the same with finances when we first moved in. We've been here ten months now and budgets are only just beginning to settle. Any spare funds are being split three ways at the moment between emergency savings, mortgage over payments and home improvements. But I change priorities if circumstances change. Maybe start with building the emergency fund back up and see how that feels - you can always change your mind.

Not sure you'll learn anything sensible here though - we're newbies too :rotfl:

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

I wore a T-shirt for our walk this morning :T What a glorious day FDawg behaved quite well which is a good job because he disgraced himself yesterday.

He's taken a dislike to the Beagle twins (both boys). We were walking with four doggy lady friends and their owners when we saw the Beagle twins approaching. They are always on a lead so I put FDawg on his too. When we stopped to spend the time of day FDawg pulled and squirmed and tried to get to them. After we'd walked on we went into a field and let lady friends and FDawg off lead to have a romp around. FDawg sneaked off and ran down the lane after the Beagle twins and had a go at them No harm was done but I was very worried at the time and very puffed as I'd run half a mile down the lane after him :mad: I think we'll go back to special dog training to get some advice on how to handle these situations in future.

I met a gentleman on the lane this morning who was surveying the area for lapwings and curlews. I pointed him in the direction of the lapwing field and he recorded five

Mr F was away yesterday at a boys thing so I got on with annex clearing and gardening. Today will be more of the same. All this clearing and cleaning is becoming a bit of a chore now and I can't wait until we are on top of things and into maintenance mode. I might get some painting or writing done then :cool:

Last night was the first night in ages that FDawg hasn't woken me up in the early hours to go to the bathroom. I decided to feed him much later than usual to see if that would help him get through the night. It seems it did so it will be a late supper for him in future.

I shall get some washing out on the line today However, the good weather does have a downside too - I can hear the wasps nibbling at the windows again :eek:

Enjoy the sunshine all

Fortune x

beanielou

Maybe a good idea on more dog training for Fdawg.
Enjoy the sunshine

Fortune_Smiles

beanielou wrote: »

Maybe a good idea on more dog training for Fdawg.
Enjoy the sunshine

He's a very good boy most of the time Beanie but he's still young and could do with a bit of help.

Hope the sunshine reached your way too.

Fortune x