Finally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally

Fidelia

Did you mention that this is DS's final year at Uni, HH?  Is the annual Uni calendar arranged differently from 'our' day (mine a good many years before yours)?  If he's in his final year and already handing in his dissertation I assume he'll be graduating this summer.  Does he plan to obtain permanent work elsewhere or will there be plenty of openings in his line of work in Devon?

I envy you your walk by the sea.  It  sounds lovely as does your time spent relaxing in your garden afterwards.  DH and I planned to go for a good walk up Scafell today.  Not the whole way this time as DH has problems with a tendon in his lower leg and walking downhill is really painful for him at the moment. I was really looking forward to it before the weather gets too hot and masses of tourists descend on our area but DH suddenly remembered last night that he'd got an appointment booked at the tip for early tomorrow and he hadn't managed to get everything collected together.  We have to book an appointment slot at our tip or they won't let anyone in. We booked ours over a week ago. Not as bad as the wait you're having for your haircut but bad enough as it was lovely just being able to drop in there anytime, even several times a day sometimes. He spent all day sorting rubbish and clearing one of the sheds so our walk was off.  Maybe we'd be better going midweek anyway, less chance of encountering  so many walkers that take over the place at weekends

Have a good week at school  x

Fidelia

I hope all's well with you and yours, HH, as it's ages since you posted.  I was wondering if it's this weekend that you're taking DS back to Uni.  If so, wishing you all a safe and hassle free journey.

Onebrokelady

I've just looked up Elly Griffith and realised I've read The Crossing Places, I might have to investigate the rest of them 😊

HairyHandofDartmoor

foxgloves said:

I like that series by Ellie Griffiths too, @HairyHandofDartmoor & it is always nice when a new one is published.
F x

IzzyBee said:

Another fan of Ellie Griffiths waiting patiently for the next one also like Kate Ellis just finished the first 2 Peter James books about inspector Grace like the characters and another I am waiting for is Simon McCleave the Snowdonia killings brilliant series 

It is an excellent series. I'm managed to acquire the last three in the series with a rainforest voucher so I'm reading those a the moment. I love the Kate Ellis series too as it's more archaeology and murder.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Fidelia said:

Did you mention that this is DS's final year at Uni, HH?  Is the annual Uni calendar arranged differently from 'our' day (mine a good many years before yours)?  If he's in his final year and already handing in his dissertation I assume he'll be graduating this summer.  Does he plan to obtain permanent work elsewhere or will there be plenty of openings in his line of work in Devon?

I envy you your walk by the sea.  It  sounds lovely as does your time spent relaxing in your garden afterwards.  DH and I planned to go for a good walk up Scafell today.  Not the whole way this time as DH has problems with a tendon in his lower leg and walking downhill is really painful for him at the moment. I was really looking forward to it before the weather gets too hot and masses of tourists descend on our area but DH suddenly remembered last night that he'd got an appointment booked at the tip for early tomorrow and he hadn't managed to get everything collected together.  We have to book an appointment slot at our tip or they won't let anyone in. We booked ours over a week ago. Not as bad as the wait you're having for your haircut but bad enough as it was lovely just being able to drop in there anytime, even several times a day sometimes. He spent all day sorting rubbish and clearing one of the sheds so our walk was off.  Maybe we'd be better going midweek anyway, less chance of encountering  so many walkers that take over the place at weekends

Have a good week at school  x

Thanks Fidelia . Yes it's DS3's final year. He's still got two more pieces of work to complete and then he's finished. His tenancy on his shared house doesn't run out until August, so he wants to stay in his uni town until then. He doesn't want to stay in Devon as he wants to live in a big city. He's decided that London is too expensive and mentioned Birmingham as a possibility, but I've tried to talk him out of that as it's so far away from family and have suggested Bristol as a good place to live and work. We'll see. 

I think we can just utrn up at our tip. I hope you enjoyed your Scafell walk.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Fidelia said:

I hope all's well with you and yours, HH, as it's ages since you posted.  I was wondering if it's this weekend that you're taking DS back to Uni.  If so, wishing you all a safe and hassle free journey.

Thanks Fidelia. I'm fine, I've just been very busy and tired.

Onebrokelady said:

I've just looked up Elly Griffith and realised I've read The Crossing Places, I might have to investigate the rest of them 😊

The rest of the series is just as good if not better.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Sorry I haven't posted for a while. It's been a busy week at school with a staff meeting I had to go back for after my afternoon off.

On Saturday we drove DS3 back to uni 🚗. Luckily we had good weather and there was very little traffic, due to covid restrictions presumably. We left at 11am and got back at 8.45pm so made good time. DS3 felt travel sick on the journey unfortunately as he was tired and we were on A roads. We got there in good time though, dropped him off, then bought him a few days food and dropped that off. He messaged his house mates and asked them to stay in their rooms so we could help to carry his belongings in and I put sheets on his bed. We got home in really good time too and in the daylight as I hate travelling in the dark. We didn't spend much on the journey because I made coffee in travel mugs and sandwiches for the journey there. We had a vile takeaway meal from Mcdnlds on the way home 🍔🍟 and I bought one coffee ☕, but those were our only costs apart from petrol. I bet DS3's house mates are glad to have him back as he's cheerful, kind and good company. Their gain is our loss.

It's good that it's a bank holiday weekend as I have two days to recover before I go back to school. The house feels quiet without DS3 but I'll get used to it after a couple of weeks. Yesterday I didn't do much apart from washing clothes and drying them in the garden. DH and I had a quick coffee in the garden ☕ and I had a nap in the afternoon as I felt so tired.

Today I've ironed some tops for work, put the bath mats on to wash and folded up clean washing to put away. Apart from that I'm doing nothing as I still feel tired. The weather is better than the forecast suggested as we've only had a couple of showers and now it's quite bright. I was expecting biblical volumes of rain and wind after looking at the forcast. I hope it's not going to be bibilical tomorrrow when I'm at school instead 😬.

It felt sad saying goodbye to DS3 on Saturday and I felt quite tearful driving away from him 😥. You never stop missing your children no matter how old they get. I hope he doesn't move to Birmingham as it's so far away from us that we'd hardly ever see him, so I'm going to do my best to persuade him to stay a bit closer. The only benefits of DS3 being away will be a cheaper electricity bill, a cheaper food bill, less dirty dishes and less dirty clothes. I'm trying to be positive.

Tomorrow will be a busy day as I'm at school in the morning and for lunchtime, then my niece, husband and baby are coming to visit and have coffee in our garden 🙂, then I have to go back to school for two hours of training 🙈. So I'll need to rest today to cope with such a busy day tomorrow. I'm glad it's a four day week.

I actually enjoyed our day of driving on Saturday, (apart from feeling sad on the way back), as it's the first time we've left Devon for three months and it made a pleasant change to go to a different place. I get bored with being in the same location all the time and do enjoy travelling. We drove through some beautiful Somerset countryside in the glorious sunshine, apart from the odd rain shower, and I enjoyed being in DS3's uni town (even briefly) just because it was a change of scene.

I hope everyone is having a good bank holiday weekend 🙂.

HairyHandofDartmoor

The weather has suddenly got worse with rain coming down and it's so windy all our doors and windows are rattling 🌧💧☔🌪🌬🌫. Better today than tomorrow when I'm in the playground though 😂.

I have to confess that I ordered two tops yesterday. I feel like I wear the same tops to school over and over again, plus I was feeling sad that DS3 is gone. If the tops fit me well then they will definitely get good use at school, however I mustn't spend any more money as I'd like to build up our savings and my job is still insecure for the most part.

beanielou

The weather here is dire.

foxgloves

Awful here too. Windy, very rainy & stupidly cold.
F x