Light the fire...

Bargainhunter30

It's a bit crazy where the government help is going. I saw Sainsbury's would save £500million in rates even though their business is booming and so many others will likely get no support and go bust because they don't have premises. I don't know the correct way to help but I feel bad for those in need. Hope your shop helps support your other business x

savingholmes

Glad at least one of your businesses is going well. Sounds good what you are doing for your community too.

woodfired

Hello All, phew, what a week.
It is bonkers at work, we are flat out re-stocking and delivering to people in our village and I am absolutely shattered!  It's affecting my sleep as we are struggling (as everyone is) to keep up with the demand for essentials, and I am worrying that people who are self isolating and relying on us wont get the products that they want/need.  It's very stressful.  I was sat downstairs at 2am this morning with a cup of tea, writing a list for the wholesalers and placing orders (leaving voicemails on answerphones) as I just couldn't sleep.  Needless to say, I am ready for my bed now.  

I really hope everyone else is keeping safe and coping ok.xx

savingholmes

Glad that at least one of your businesses is still going well. Amazing how suddenly food supply is all some of us can think about it. Thank you for what you are doing. We are due a delivery tonight - and I can tell you when it comes I will be relieved and sleep better. Sounds like you need to pace yourself though. 

woodfired

Morning.
Feeling a bit calmer over here after a couple of days (mostly) off work.  I love coming home, it's our own little bubble and with so much to plan and do, and also so much space for us to spread out in, it is not a hardship to be here.  We have enjoyed evenings around the chimnea, lunches al fresco, we have watched the many newts in the pond doing their mating dances and we have so many birds to look at from the table in the house where I am now sat working.  It makes it easier to forget the horrors taking place in the hospitals and is a lovely place to wind down after the mania at work.  I'm starting to dread going to work in fact but it is important to our community that we stay open and do our bit delivering food to those who have to stay at home completely.

In terms of feeding us, we are living well.  It's 3 weeks since I last ventured to a supermarket and the freezers are still fairly full.  We are utilising our local suppliers and I have been baking bread so I can leave more on the shelves at our shop.  I have also been baking cakes with the children.  Last night we had burgers and chips as a treat and tonight will be a roast beef dinner that I will then use as leftovers over the next few days.  I have lots of portioned up ready meals in the freezer (homemade) but I'm going to donate some to my uncle who lives alone with health issues and is now having to isolate.  I am getting some shopping ready for him so will include a few homemade meals to keep him going.

In money news, we haven't spent ANYTHING!!  There is nowhere to go and nothing to spend on.  Its great for saving!  DH is waiting to see if his customer will pay next week, they may use the 'self isolating' excuse to withhold payment which will be hard work as we still have overheads to cover but will have to wait and see.  Personal accounts look OK, not as flush as they should due to DH taking a large pay cut, but we are managing fine.

Keep safe everyone. xx

savingholmes

Glad you are managing okay. Good you can help your uncle. Very pleased that you are in your new place going through this. 

woodfired

A quick check in but not much to report.

The shop remains very busy and I am rushed off my feet delivering to those who are isolating.  Everybody is so grateful and thankful though, it makes me happy to be a part of this little community and doing my bit to help where I can.

Poor DH is finding it harder being at home with the children.  He is very much a 'do'er' so staying home doesn't suit him very well.  He has managed to keep busy pulling down the fireplace and rebuilding in the living room, it's now finished aside from the plastering, which will have to wait 'til lockdown is over, and looks amazing.  He is very clever.

The problem is he is now surveying other bits of the house and wondering what he can knock down next!
I was ok with the living room job as the door can be closed on that whilst it was a mess but the other jobs we couldn't.  I'm also concerned that we may not be able to get the plasterer in to finish off for months yet and I really don't want to live in a building site when DH has done as much as he can. Hmmm.

In money news, DH's customer paid part of his invoice which will keep that account in the black for a while.  We are not going to take payment holidays on anything across either business or at home if at all possible, MSE habits die hard and the thought of that interest accruing doesn't sit well at all so we're trying to ride it out and doing ok so far. It is helping that, aside from a few bits for the house, we haven't spent anything.  We are very cheap to run when we can't leave the house it seems.

Hope everyone is managing in the circumstances, stay safe. x

savingholmes

Glad you are keeping going and able to deliver to the isolated. Good that the shop is doing well. I'm with you on not wanting lots of unfinished building jobs. No-one knows how long this could go on for. Well done on sticking to MSE. Happy Easter

greent

So glad you moved before all this got to how it is now - it's lovely to hear that you're busy at the shop and DH is busy with the new house

woodfired

Thanks SH, hope you had a nice Easter too. 

Greent - I am SO glad we managed to get moved.  The new house is keeping us busy and sane!  Thanks and hope you and your brood are all well.

We have had a good weekend, all things considered.  The weather has been kind which has helped and I've managed a couple of days off from the shop which have been lovely.  I have spent a bit of time rifling through ancient seed packets and sowing whatever I come across in the precious little compost I have left.  It seems everyone on Fortune's diary is doing the same DH sowed some a few weeks back and we have had mixed results so far.  I'm eyeing up the trays with nothing growing, they are going to get some new sowings in the next few days if no little heads pop up. The cabbages have come up ok, along with a couple of courgettes, tomatoes and chillis.  Nothing doing on the cucumber, lettuce or pea front though.  I found some cauli seeds so planted those and some sweet peas.  Some sweet william and stocks went straight into beds outside, I couldn't spare any compost for those!  
The irony is that I have left behind a huge, purpose build veg garden and have very little space for veggies here.  I'm thinking of trying a potager-style garden with veg amongst the flowering plants as we do have large, well stocked borders (previous owner was a gardener so we have lots of interesting plants coming up currently and I am googling lots to identify them) I believe veg grown like this also is less prone to pest damage as they are harder to find?  We will see.

In other news we have been out cycling with the children, our once daily exercise, and played tennis and badminton in the garden.  We collected some frog spawn & tadpoles from a rapidly drying out puddle near the farm and brought it home to our pond, only to observe the large population of newts quickly making a meal of them.   We spent the next few hours fishing out as many tadpoles as we could see, and all of the spawn, and moved it to the much smaller pond at the front of the house.  Not really big enough but better than the puddle they were in and much better than the newt pond.  I will have to feed the tadpoles though I expect, despite the dense population of freshwater shrimps and beetley creatures I can see, there are really too many for the size of the pond.  However, it is lovely for the children to have the wildlife to observe, the village brook runs along the rear boundary of the house too so we may do a spot of stone-turning in there for a change this week.

DH and I have also spent some time plotting a small glass extension to the back of the house to enlarge the snug into more of  garden room.  This will likely not be for some time as we ride out this storm and let the dust settle after but I am enjoying creating new pinterest boards and planning it out nonetheless!  I love a home improvement project....

Hope everyone had a peaceful Easter and is safe. Take care.x