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

debtfreewannabe321

Just catching up greenbee, you've been so busy.

I'm so glad the biopsies came back ok.

And I'm having DW problems too. We put It on one evening and it was still going the next day 🙈. And since that day it doesn't clean properly or dry anything so we think it might be the heat element. It's not even been in six months yet so I'm a bit annoyed about it.

I've just booked a bulk council collection for my old freezer that's been in our car port since it broke last year 😆🙈. Be glad to see the back of it.

KajiKita

I have also got a DW issue, but in this case it is the 'nut behind the wheel' …. i.e.. we both forgot to put the cutlery basket (which normally sits on the work top by the sink during the day as we load it up) inside the machine before starting it … Doh! 🙄🤣

KK

greenbee

I think the DW either has an internal leak, or a faulty sensor. Sometimes it drains, sometimes it doesn't.

Builders didn't come today. I've told them that I need to know which days they're coming as I have to plan round it and could have gone into the office today (I wouldn't have done, obviously, but I could have :)). I suspec they will understand on Monday why I asked them to move the freezer and DW first … it's going to be pretty difficult to move them now we can't get the out through the front of the garage.

New org chart for the department I'm leaving is going to result in a lot of out of joint noses. And possibly some upset people who have no clue why they've been moved and what their new roles are as clearly no one has actually asked what they do. I'm quite pleased I'm moving to a different team.

Not a huge amount of work done today, but a nice walk this morning, some food shopping, and some time sitting in the garden with the dog and both cats.

I did a quick stir of the compost bins, and one of them probably has a reasonable amount of stuff that can be used as mulch. I just need to stop the gardener from touching them and packing them so tight the air (and worms!) can't get in.

Fridge is working - seal recovered and it's all OK, so dog veggies, dog ready meals, and defrosted muntjac are in there with spare bottles of water/mixers.

Lots of negatively priced electricity tomorrow, so the last few dog beds can have a trip through the washer and dryer, the hot water can be on constant, and the electric heating can go on from around 5am (any earlier will cook me while I sleep). And I might be able to do some cooking if I get some of the gardening stuff out of the way.

I do need to prioritise sorting out the garden - veg plot needs weeding, watering, mulching, and the irrigation system setting up, greenhouse needs clearing and cleaning, other stuff needs weeding, and the patio needs pressure washing. If it isn't raining, pressure washing might be a good thing to do as it'll use electricity…

I think it'll be a busy weekend!

greenbee

Finally got round to trying to put the compost sifter together and the handle won't go through the crossbar. It also won't come out as I tried too hard to persuade it. Have messaged the seller, but suspect they're just drop shipping and can't simply replace the parts.

I guess I at least tried to get it working…

greenbee

It's raining here, so no gardening at the moment. Lots of electricity use and lying on the sofa. We have had a walk. And another time-wasting FBMP buyer who messaged for the address over half an hour after she was supposed to have been here to collect.

Stinky's BNS has been cooked and is cooling in the IP, and a couple of loads of laundry are done (another dog bed will go in after this lot). Other than that, I intend to do some reading, maybe another walk, and possibly mulch the roses this afternoon (I've moved the shovel so I have everything I need when I feel like doing it!). In the mean time I have reading to do.

greenbee

Got the dog beds all washed (one needs a repair before I reassemble it) and half the lick mats done. The rest were done this morning.

My mum came over and brought her laundry, so that's been done. Lovely (breezy!) walk up to see the bluebells which are just getting going. Otherwise weeding and mulching in the veg plot. Five beds (easiest ones - raspberries, asparagus, and mixed fruit) weeded and mulched. Compost isn't great, but is full of worms, so it should continue to break down on the beds. Just having a short break before going back out to give the remaining compost in the big bin a good stir and then possibly take the dog out before collapsing in a heap. I'm hoping to get more done during the week as there's a lot more weeding to do, and a lot more mulching… and the strawberry bed is going to be a major project to tackle.

greenbee

Builders are back. Electricians have been and taken the main inverter and batteries out - they should go back in today/early tomorrow. There's a small amount of electricity being generated which should actually cover most of what's used - and it seems to be exporting OK too (live usage -1,734w so maybe I can turn a radiator on!), and someone is here measuring for the next heat pump quote. Hopefully she'll be done soon as Stinky and I can go for a walk - and the builders can also do the dishwasher swap!

greenbee

Dishwasher STILL not done. Which is annoying me now as it was on the list to be done last Tuesday before anything else. Not happy about mess either - although I did get a message from the main builder saying he forgot to check whether the bricklayer had cleared something up (he hadn't) and apologising.

Hoping the electrician can come over soon as the wall is up for him to put the inverter and batteries back, but he had to rearrange things to fit in taking them out so I'll just have to wait and see when he can put them back. It's a bit chilly as without them I'm only generating a small amount of solar (and it's harder to monitor through the other app) and can't store it, so can't really use electric heating or heat the hot water! I should have lit the fire but CBA so may have a very early night. I think even the dog is cold as he's back in the kitchen in his small snuggly bed).

Offered FBMP buyer some alternative times but none of them suit. And I'm not convinced she realises how much space the drawers are going to need to transport! Also dealing with people asking about collection-only items when they're in Staffordshire/London and suddenly realise that I'm nowhere near them. Apparently human intelligence is declining… I have to say the anecdotal evidence supports the data :)

greenbee

Electrician can't get here until NEXT Wednesday, so be prepared for wall-to-wall sunshine until then. I need to work out how to work the immersion heater manually so I can have a shower, and will have to hope for some negative pricing on Agile if I need heating. Luckily I'm a fairly low user, so the little solar I'm generating covers most of my needs, and I think I'm exporting enough to cover the rest.

I think I might have to light the fire this afternoon, as the house is getting very cold!

I've chased a refund from Dunhelm (they were supposed to refund me the difference between the original price I paid for the curtains and the price on the new order), and need to get back to an ebay seller about the faulty compost sieve, and a tree nursery about the fact that the replacement crab apple is also not the correct variety! I really don't want to have to wait for another year to get the right one, so hopefully they can send a potted one.

Gardener is here and has mowed and is now weeding dandelions and perennial weeds out of the cardboarded beds and lawn. I've been very specific about needing them dug out (and the holes filled with topsoil, of which we have lots) and not hoeing, which is his preferred option and just leads to them growing back. As the weather is nice, hopefully he's not having too bad a time.

Stinky and I had a lovely long walk this morning - met friends (his!), so playing and sniffing as well as walking, and then stopped off and had coffee with a friend in their drive (they have cats who wouldn't have appreciated him, so we stayed at the front, and had coffee in the sunshine.

And have done a very small bit of work.

The less said about FBMP the better. The skip is looking like the best option. I might load up the car for the CS tomorrow morning if it's nice and see if I can drop of a few bits.

greenbee

Contacted a tree nursery about the crab apple that is STILL the wrong one after the second attempt. They've offered a refund, which is fair enough. But means I still don't have the one I wanted - I might have to source that as a potted tree rather than a bare root to be sure.

Car wouldn't start this morning, so dentist appointment and trip to my mum's to take her for a walk with Stinky were aborted. Unsurprisingly it turned out to be the starter battery (I did run diagnostics at the end of Dec which said it needed dealing with and then forgot). So the AA turned up and got it going, and then rang round to find someone who could replace it - no one locally had it in, but the most local can get it and then come up and fit it.

So finally took Stinky for a VERY late walk.

Still far too many unknowns with the builders, so it's very difficult for either of us to plan. I can't make decisions until they can tell me stuff, and I can't book plumbers/electricians until I know when things will be ready - and they're all pretty booked up. I can see that the whole process is going to be extremely trying for all of us and we're only halfway through the second week.

Splitting headache due to poor sleep (and the house being cold probably isn't helping. Seriously considering taking a sick day - just not sure which boss I'm supposed to tell as I report in to one but am already working for the other…