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

greenbee

I didn't manage the bath, and I also discovered when I woke up in the night that the battery wasn't charging on the negative agile rates. So I put manual slots in for both the battery and the immersion which seemed to work. I have used a HUGE amount of electricity over the weekend, but laundry (I even got my mum to bring hers over when she visited yesterday!), ironing, DW are all up to date, soup has been made using the IP as a SC, and I've used very little oil for heating as most of it has been done via the free/-ve/cheap electricity (under 6p/kWh makes electricity better for heating and hot water than oil based on what I paid for the last delivery). 

Visitors yesterday were lovely - and were definitely a good incentive to tidy up, but were late leaving which did disrupt the day somewhat and I'm exhausted today. I woke up at 4am, so took Stinky out into the garden, much to his delight, and let him into his pen, then came back for our normal 6.30am garden outing. Last visitor left at 7.30ish, so walk/breakfast etc were all a bit late. 

I've realised that the back boundary isn't as simple as it looks, so have chatted to the neighbours via whatsapp and suggested that they come and look from my side, we agree a solution, and document it to avoid any bad feeling/dispute/confusion if either of us sells. They seem happy with that, so hopefully it'll be sorted out at the weekend.

While I was awake in the night I also realised that I'd had a septic tank survey done when I moved it - looked up the details and it was someone from a 'drain solutions' company. Called him this morning, he remembers the house, and as he now lives in the next village, he's coming over on Friday morning. 

I managed some successful furniture rearranging yesterday too, which feels like progress as it all helps in terms of getting things put away. 

Dead annuals are gradually being cleared from the garden into garden waste bins as I try to get a bucket cut back every time I take the puppy out in daylight. I'm now letting him run about off-lead in the garden as he isn't going too far. Although it does mean he's discovered the cats' loos... 

rtandon27

🤣 - Oh dear GB - I read 'dead annuals' as 'dead animals' and was wondering how fierce the storm had been in your neck of the woods.  Couldn't fathom what that had to do with cats' loos, so had to re-read the whole paragraph again twice!

greenbee

rtandon27 said:

🤣 - Oh dear GB - I read 'dead annuals' as 'dead animals' and was wondering how fierce the storm had been in your neck of the woods.  Couldn't fathom what that had to do with cats' loos, so had to re-read the whole paragraph again twice!

🤣 Well I hope you've now had your coffee and woken up properly!

greenbee

Yesterday mostly involved dropping my car off to be fixed after a pheasant committed suicide and took out the front grill and radar cover at the same time. Not cheap, but needs doing as it keeps telling me it has been in a collision and can’t do automatic braking and lane assist (the latter I turn off anyway as it isn’t helpful on single track roads). Lovely sunny day kept the battery topped up as i wasn’t using much power. 

Octopus compare data shows a significant saving on Agille compared with Flux, particularly at the weekend… it’s not an exact comparison as I’ve changed my behaviour and wouldn’t necessarily be using electricity in the same time slots if I was still on Flux. And I probably wouldn’t have done the shift to electric heating at the weekend. But very definitely worth it as there was no oil use over the weekend (there probably wouldn’t have been if it had been colder).

Rain today, so all animals unimpressed. But I did bump into a neighbour I haven’t seen for ages when I took Stinky out this morning, and he’s agreed to do the fencing once I’ve agreed the boundary with the neighbours at the back. He knows them and has done work for them in the past, so hopefully that will also make things easier. 

Lots of work to get done today, but not too many meetings, so hopefully I’ll shift some of the backlog. If I wasn’t using a loan car I’d probably go to the CS to drop some stuff off or go and buy food. But I’d rather not use it if I don’t have to, so I’ll try to get a few jobs done off my inside list. 

greenbee

I have collected (and paid for!) my car repair. Bought some food on the way home. Changed my address on some post that is still being forwarded from my old address. Registered in my own name at the CS, and I've been dropping stuff off giving my mum's postcode for the past year!

Work backlog is still growing rather than shrinking.

Stinky needs some time spent with him doing training. But right now they ALL want food. 

greenbee

Drain man has been and we have a plan, so I just need an estimate and date. 

Should probably do some work before taking the dog out. 

greenbee

Miserable weather here today - dull, damp, and overcast. 

Plans for today include making cat food, clearing the leaves at the front and bagging them up for compost (they're in the car port - I don't bother with most of them but do clear the drive and carport as I don't want them composting there), swapping an armchair with my mum, packing puppy stuff to go to my mum's ready for when we have to stay with her later this month after she's been in hospital, hopefully getting a wool wash done, and also getting some more stuff into the garden waste bins (one is full, one is almost empty) as they're collected on Tuesday. 

Plenty to do, but most of it not much fun for poor Stinky puppy. Hopefully the neighbours will get back in touch about coming round to confirm the boundary as I really do need to get the fence up and the garden secure. Their garden isn't secure, so if he made it through the back he could easily get onto the road. 

Watty1

I once had a  18 month German Shephard rescue and no garden fences so I used to pop him outside with one of the horses lunge lines on (about 35 feet). Initially I put one end around the heavy dining room table so he was inside but he could drag that about so i settled on a tie ring outside.  It meant I could leave a door open and he could wander in and out - his favourite was the front door as he could meet people.  Not ideal as I had rescued him from a situation where he had been kept on a chain but he could come in and find me and then go back out if he wanted so I hoped he would view my 35 feet and open doors as better than 5 feet and exclusion.

I didn't worry about him "getting out" this way and he got some freedom while I worked  it took over 6 months to secure the garden for him and I  wonder if there is a way Stinky could have some freedom but not escape?

greenbee

Thanks Watty. I'm not keeping the doors open at this time of year! He does have a tether outside, and I'll extend it (a neighbour has lent me more cables), but he mostly just sits down if he's on it and looks depressed! 

Neighbours are coming over at 2pm to look at the boundary, so hopefully I can get the fencing work underway soon. 

I've also now found out where the reactive dog lives. Unfortunately it's on our way to the footpath and poor Stinky had to be carried past this morning on the way there (he ran past on the way back!).

I need to make some time for training, as at the moment he is VERY good indoors (sits, goes into his bed, waits for his food, waits for his harness/collar/lead, sits while the door is open etc), he's not so great outside which is obviously where the risk is. 

I also need to get him a nice bed that he can use in the garden room/sitting room so he has his own place to sit in the evenings where he can see us. The cats will be thrilled by the increased freedom (Although Fartypants chirrups at him if he's outside, and kisses him as long as he's on the lead... and then goes and hides!).

greenbee

I think the boundary is sorted. We've agreed where it is, so I will cut back their hedge (which they can't actually get to because they have a fence in front of it) enough to be able to fence where we've agreed. After that I won't be able to access the hedge, so they will have to maintain it/take it out/whatever. So I need to see if I can get some extra hours from my gardener, and also get hold of the neighbour who is going to do the fencing so we can get it booked in and all the stuff ordered. 

Friends dropped in for a quick visit which was nice (and looked after Stinky while I was talking to the neighbours, so he's worn out!). And I've managed to cut back more annuals to shove in the garden waste bin. Ideally I'd compost them, but I'm a bit short on composting space right now as there's quite a lot that needs to be shifted onto the beds.

I'm quite tired too, so need to look at my list and see whether there is anything else I should do outside before collapsing on the sofa inside. Possibly a bit more cutting down of annuals and filling of the bin. Maybe the leaves in the carport seeing as Stinky is asleep!