Tales from The Shire

Fortune_Smiles · 10 December 2018 at 6:34PM

Christmas is racing toward me! I don't remember it coming at me so fast in previous years. Does time pass more quickly as you get older?

Progress so far:

all the decorations are up. I have one that needs enhancing some how and one that needs an LED candle
all the presents have been brought and all bar one wrapped
any that need posting have been posted but I have a few for some special friends that I want to hand over in person
all but one of the gins have been filtered and bottled and I have just enough to go round for neighbour presents

What next:

the WI meeting tonight is 'Desserts and Games' so I've made a Chocolate & Strawberry Tart to take along
my Writing Course are having Christmas nibbles on Thursday so I'll need to rustle up something for that
we have invited our neighbours around on Saturday for mulled wine and mince pies. I'd intended to make the mince pies but there will be about 20 people now and I am running out of time so I will buy them... not just any mince pies though
the house will need to be clean and tidy by then
I'd intended to make some chutney to add to the neighbour's gin present but I'll have to see what time I'm left with
I've booked in for a pedicure tomorrow afternoon. I used to have them every couple of months but have had just one since moving to The Shire. Something I want to remedy in 2019 - I'm just starting a bit early :rotfl:
haven't even thought about menu planning for Christmas week :eek:

FDawg had his annual check up with the vet today. He's a little under weight although not seriously. I've ordered some extra food for him and upped his treats. His weight gain and loss seem to be cyclical and the vet thinks it might be due to his anxiety. If it spikes he starts to lose weight. That makes sense as he had his first overnight in the kennels a few weeks ago and seems to have lost weight since then. I'm upping the pet care budget to cover this going forward.

What does this all mean for the finances. Well we seem to be doing ok although I expect January may be a little tight as the gates are likely to be fitted then. We have had the quotes in and they are in line with what we were expecting. Just need to decide on the wood now. We originally wanted Oak but it sounds as though Idigbo might be a better option as it's a little lighter but just as hard wearing and durable. Any one have any experience with gates and wood?

The cooker is pinging so I'd better serve up supper. It's Leeky Salmon in a Parcel tonight. Something light as I'll be facing a dessert mountain later :rotfl:

Hope your Christmas preparations are going well

Fortune x

badmemory · 10 December 2018 at 11:56PM

It seems to be classed as vulnerable, but then I suspect an awful lot of things are nowadays. I have to confess to going low maintenance these days. This means that when I eventually get round to having my fencing replaced & a new pair of gates it will be similar to double glazing. My sister had her 40 panels replaced a couple of years ago & you can barely tell the difference, except that she doesn't have to repaint them every year (which took her days) & doesn't spend a week flat on her back taking pain killers after she's finished.

Fortune_Smiles · 20 December 2018 at 8:33AM

badmemory wrote: »

It seems to be classed as vulnerable, but then I suspect an awful lot of things are nowadays. I have to confess to going low maintenance these days. This means that when I eventually get round to having my fencing replaced & a new pair of gates it will be similar to double glazing. My sister had her 40 panels replaced a couple of years ago & you can barely tell the difference, except that she doesn't have to repaint them every year (which took her days) & doesn't spend a week flat on her back taking pain killers after she's finished.

Thanks for that Badmemory - I hadn't thought about vulnerability :eek: I'd just assumed that we wouldn't be importing vulnerable woods

That's clinched it. We are going for European Oak. Expensive but has all the qualities we need and it's not listed as vulnerable.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles · 20 December 2018 at 8:59AM

I think I'm just about on target for Christmas now.

all presents have been bought, wrapped and delivered where needed
I've finished the on-line grocery shop and delivery is booked
the house is clean except for one room which I should be able to get to today
all beds have been made up with fresh linen
there are some meals I'd like to get made and frozen to reduce the time I have to spend in the kitchen over Christmas but that's not critical
There's a bit of washing and ironing to do but, again, not critical
Mr F is planning to wash my truck today or tomorrow. We can get 6 people in it so will take it when we go out on Christmas Day. It's filthy at the moment though because of all the mud on the lanes so will need a clean up before we can all travel in our finery

The budget is holding :T I made a few sales on FB so have a little extra cash in my purse

The Gate Man is coming tomorrow for a site visit. We've agreed the quote so it's just a matter of checking measurements and details. There is almost enough in the gate fund to pay for it

We've been given a ten week delivery estimate though so will definitely have enough by the time it's fitted.

Mr F's job is being bench marked. His boss has told him that his grade isn't high enough for the job he's doing and he should be getting a pay rise. It hasn't been agreed yet though so we won't hold our breath. Wouldn't that be a lovely Christmas present

Hope your preparations are stress free and going well.

Fortune x