"Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it."

greenbee

First saving session was 63p, second 78p, and I haven't had the results from the third yet. I've now had my first payment for my exported electricity. I should probably start tracking both income and cost avoidance (based on how much energy my house is consuming minus the imported energy) to work out my ROI. 

Hedges have been done, and the tree surgeon has been back to look at the trees that need to be reduced/come out - only the ones I or the gardener can't do ourselves. The front hedge is going to need some serious pruning/renovation before we start planting up the gaps. And I was eyeing up the cart shed roof as I could fit at least another 14 panels on there, and have plenty of room for batteries. I just need to keep the hedge low. I think maybe I should wait until I've done all the other stuff I need to spend money on. 

Bookcases are coming back in from the garage tomorrow, as I can't face having the spaces on the wall (and possibly the bookcases getting damp) for 3 months until the decorator comes back. Gardener will be here to help me - and then he's got weeding and weedkilling to do while I nip out to get paint for the shed (in which case he might start on that). There are also lights to replace in the utility room and downstairs loo. 

Two more cupboards sold on FB - more stuff out of the house. I've still got 23 items listed - some of which I might give to a teenager who is doing car boot sales to fundraise for a trip. Or to the CS. However, most is not getting in the way and some of it could be useful at some point so there's no rush to get rid of it (after all, I've already used the bathroom cabinet I listed earlier!). 

It should be sunny at the weekend, so I want to get more done outside (planting mostly). I finished the last two veg beds last weekend, and have made progress with the irrigation system and the cardboard/woodchip of the paths. Might do some laundry too. 

At some point I need to make a decision as to what to do about a new mortgage fix. It doesn't look as if interest rates will drop again before the end of October, but I'll leave making any commitment until after the next announcement on Sept. 16th. I need to decide whether to pay a lump sum off at the end of the term of my fix and renew for less so I end up paying the same as i do now - or whether to leave it as is and pay more. And then how long to fix for. 

I have a whole lot of furniture coming from my uncle, so need to get an idea of dates from him so I can organise collection (which means either hiring a van, or sending a man and van). 

redofromstart

Just don't do my thing and drop heavy furniture on your head on the stairs rather than Wait For Help. 

greenbee

Haven't dropped anything on my head. But my toenails are only just recovering from moving in last year... 

greenbee

Weather isn't great today, and outside is noisy as someone has a tree surgeon. 

Gardner/handyman got lots done yesterday - we brought the bookcases back into the sitting room from the garage (if decorating isn't until December, then I want them back in and can do some sorting out which books go in which rooms!), he added wire insect mesh to the outside of the new vent in the sitting room wall, and changed the lights in the utility room and downstairs loo so they are a. less ugly and b. use less electricity (although I didn't realise that the lights I'd ordered for the utility room were lights rather than fittings, and are daylight ones - they are however, still MUCH better than than what was there before). Old lights are in the car boot box which should be going to a friend on Thursday. I also sold another two wall cupboards and renewed my FB marketplace listings. I think I might take them all down and redo them with new pricing rather than reducing prices. 

Gardener also did LOTS of clearing up at the front where the hedge had been cut (we can now get to the ditch, so he cleared that), and lots of weeding. The green waste collection came early (not due until today), so he managed to catch them - my next door neighbours also rushed out. Apparently as they were running early they decided to come through on the off chance, and were going to come back to day - so my neighbours and I both took a chance and put full bins out again. Sadly it looks like that tactic hasn't worked.

Cats woke me up at stupid o'clock this morning as one of them wanted to go out... put her off with food, but she kept coming back. Turns out she didn't want to use the litter tray, she wanted to go outside! Which is nice of her. But her timing wasn't great. 

As it was free electricity 1-2pm, I planned very carefully - did the washing to go on the line, washed a down jacket on a cool wash, put a hot wash on set to 60 minutes and had it all ready to go. Prepped stuff to go in the oven (veg drawer needed a clearout) and soup in the SC, and some beans to steam. Then went and had a shower and set the towel rail to come on for an hour. Turned on the oven and got that going, suddenly realised that I'd spotted a boost function on the microdiverter so set that for 30 minutes, set the DW off as soon as it was full as the most energy is used early in the cycle... but forgot to turn the WM and TD on! Oh well, I certainly used plenty, and the battery had charged from 30% to 75% (roughly) as well as all the other use. It looks like it'll be sunny tomorrow, so I'll rinse the coat again and dry that and do the other load of washing in the morning while the solar is looking good. 

Lots to do in the garden, but I'm tired and it's not that nice out there, so I may make a start on my bookshelves. Or the airing cupboard (I've just had some baskets delivered, as I'm fed up with emptying and refilling it for all the trades. At least this way I can shift stuff in and out more easily). At some point I do need to: finish covering the cardboard in the veg plot with compost, lay the next lot of cardboard and cover that; sow stuff in the empty beds and resow the cavolo nero the slugs are eating; plant the verbena bonariensis and lavenders that have been hanging around for ages, and the cyclamen I rescued from the dead plant section at the supermarket; turn the compost; weedkill the 'lawn' and drive; do more pruning; reply to some emails (my uncle re. the furniture collection, neighbour about bookclub); collect some wood from next door; do my tax return; pay the electrician who has finally billed me for the work done in May; email solar fitter about the earth wire (needs security better); contact another electrician about next round of work; sort out stick-back plastic whiteboard stuff in garage and write up long list for handyman as there are things that we need to remember to do like check the drains). 

At least I have plenty of food cooked. I just need to remember to start eating from the freezer rather than buying anything new!

greenbee

I've got next week off, and haven't mentioned it to anyone, as I'm hoping that way I'll get lots done!

Today has been spent in the (hot and muggy) garden, supervised by the cats (which meant scything experiments were quickly abandoned). I'm starting to clear borage that has gone over from the veg plot ready to install the frames in the raspberry beds (and work out how many of the plants that went in this year survived and how many need replacing), I've picked up lots of windfall apples (no wasps, no birds eating them - they're very scabby and wormy and don't taste nice, so the tree's days may be numbered!), and mowed. Turned the old compost which is looking about ready to start using as mulch, and put all the new stuff in a different bin. The compost system definitely needs upgrading/expanding. 

I've also painted the new wood on the shed, and painted over some of the old wood. I started this earlier in the week to confirm that it would work/the colour was right, so have now ordered more of it (oddly the cheapest way to buy it right now is in 1l pots). I'm hoping to get two coats on the front and side that are visible from the house done by the end of this month, and will ask my gardener to do the new wood on the summerhouse as that's a 'proper' painting job and he'll be better at it than me! I don't think we'll have time to get the whole thing painted, so the rest will have to wait until spring. 

Plans for the week include refilling the sitting room bookcases and working out where things will go in there - as decorating isn't going to be done until December I really don't want to leave it a complete mess. I've got someone coming to collect a wardrobe on Monday, and my tax return and dental insurance claims to sort out - plus remortgage decisions to make.

Wednesday is scything course day, after which the weather improves so I'm hoping it'll mean I can get the long grass cut. I'll also get some petrol in case I need to use the petrol mower on some of the rough grass. I'm also considering getting a battery leaf blower/garden vac that shares batteries with the mower as I don't want to use too many petrol-powered tools, but the garden's too big to use the cabled one I currently have.

I have a HUGE list for the week, and I'm reasonably hopeful that I'll make decent inroads into it unless I decide to lie on the sofa reading and talking to the cats all week.

Still picking lots of beans and courgettes, and the tomatoes are starting to get going, so need to do some batch cooking/freezing at some point too. 

greenbee

First couple of days of the week off were wet and miserable, but books and airing cupboard were reorganised. Tuesday was a free hour of (windy!) electricity, so cooking, laundry, and ironing were done. Wednesday was the scything course and a bit of scything when I got home. Thursday was more scything, and some awful news for a friend that makes everything else seem meaningless.

Yesterday the gardener/handyman was here so weeding/mulching/planting and painting of new wood on summerhouse has been done. I took my mum to a (relatively) local garden for a wander round and tea and cake. Then back here to put the heating on, light the fire, have supper, and an early night.

Today needs to involve getting up at some point, making the most of the free electricity 1-2pm (wash bedding to go on the line for the afternoon, do some cooking, heat water, put towel rails on, charge battery), and doing some gardening (which may include scything and shed painting. Tomorrow is harvest supper, so hopefully I can cook for that today and do more gardening tomorrow too.

i also need to sort out my mortgage fix and decide whether to OP a lump sum now to bring the total down. Oddly I’ve discovered that if I reduce the outstanding term from 13 years to 10 years, the rates go up. I’ll check on Monday, but I think the rate reduction announced on Friday has been applied, so I’m not expecting anything else before my current deal expires. I think I might book a phone appointment, just to check exactly when the best time to OP a lump sum might be.

kazwookie

I have an hour worth of free electricity as well, so torch, hand held vax, saw battery, laptops, mobiles, toothbrushes all on charge, OH watching F1 qually.

You are doing great with your gardening and house.

greenbee

@kazwookie - I'd made such good use of the last hour that this one was hard work! Not helped by forgetting to discharge the house battery this morning, not turning on the bathroom towel rail, and forgetting to turn on the charger when I plugged the ipad in! However, I have got some laundry done (and as it was sunny, didn't leave the stuff in the TD in there - it has gone on the line. 

Harvest supper tomorrow, and both courgettes and tomatoes have gone on strike. Not quite sure what I'm going to take, but have made farinata, and scarpaccia (veggie version not vegan today) with the last of the current lot of courgettes. 

I did also clean out the drawers in the fridge this morning - I need to do the shelves. And look at the food in the fridge and plan the week's meals as some stuff (chicken, stock) may need freezing. 

Having a bit of a break, then off to do some gardening. Broad beans need staking, some veg beds need netting, and I need to come some stuff sown in the empty beds. Lavenders need planting, weeding needs doing, weeds need killing, more scything needs doing, grass at front needs scarifying so I can get the wildflower seeds down (including yellow rattle). Masses of pruning to do, pea and bean plants to take out, and cavalo nero and fennel to re-so as they have been eaten by slugs. 

The veg garden has been fairly productive for its first year - I'm hoping next year I'll be a bit more organised (at least the beds are there!) and have more of what I need when I need it. 

Still so much to do - and I'm back at work on Monday. As my premium bonds have failed to come up with anything useful, I'm going to have to turn up. 

greenbee

I've painted the front of the shed (need to finish the shed painting while we have decent weather for it to dry), done some weeding, and planted some of the lavenders. I may swap the rest into the pots on the patio for the winter, and stick then in the ground next year when more beds have been dug. 

It's been a lovely sunny day here, but is cooling down rapidly. 

redofromstart

Lots of progress at least. I'm thinking I should either dig a nursery plot on the veg plot and shove the last few small perennials in, or pot them on. I don't want to waste them.