Light the fire...

Moneyfordreams

We have began chasing next doors cats from the birds … We have lots of bird visitors as OH keeps them supplied in mealworms. Not a good look in stripy Pjs and dressing gowns 

woodfired

Morning!

A quick update as I log on to do my payroll.  Productive weekend,  we made a huge trellis to fill a gap between an archway and another bit of trellis.  There had most likely been some there before but it had got damaged/been taken down.  New trellis is over 8 feet tall and will be perfect for my runner beans to climb.  I've also planted a climbing rose that came with us from last house and moved a couple of clematis from elsewhere so the beans will climb with some pretty flowers (hopefully).  The big fig tree next to the house looked a bit poorly over the weekend but after several big buckets of water is looking better (the leaves had started to curl) its been sooo dry it must have been struggling.  It had me worried, it's clearly been here years and I didn't want to be the one to kill it after only 3 months!  I've already managed to kill the huge rose climbing the barn wall, I have no idea what happened to it but I'm fed up as it was beautiful.  

Had a nice afternoon on Sunday baking with the children, sausage rolls with DD and fairy cakes with DS.  Scoffed pretty much all of them already!  This lockdown diet is not going well.  I'm just thankful we're keeping active as we are certainly eating more!

Today DH has gone to play golf for the first time in months.  Feels strange to not all be at home together.  I have sorted out my takings, placed some orders and am about to pay the wages.  I need to drop a couple of deliveries to elderly people in isolation later too.  So much for a week off. 
I'm also going to give the house a bit of a clean and put all the washing away that I did yesterday in the lovely weather.  I was going to do the last load this morning but it's drizzling outside so will wait and see if the weather improves first.  I really should sort through the piles of post/paperwork under the stairs but I'm not sure I can be bothered!  I might leave that job til next week when the children go back to school.

Right I suppose I should pay my staff...  xx

woodfired

What a difference a day makes! Raining and cool here after stunning sunshine and baking heat for weeks!  It makes starting my VAT return more bearable though, I must admit.  It's also much needed for the garden and fields.

We've been keeping busy over this way, DH is making lots of progress on his garage/man cave. The woodburner has been installed, it's mostly all ready to plaster, the first fix of electrics have been done and the bi-fold doors (£100 on clearance from a local window place) are installed and just waiting for the glass to be fitted. We also spent a couple of hours cleaning all of the moss from the garage roof which now looks so much better.

The garden is looking good, mind you it should be, the amount of hours I seem to spend looking after it!  It has been taking ages to water everything in the heat.  But the peonies, geraniums and honeysuckle are out and the roses are almost there too.  The veg is all looking strong and healthy and my first courgette is growing, no doubt i'll be sick of them in a couple of months!

The mushroom compost I moved to huge builders bags round the back of the garage, mixed with some grass cuttings for nitrogen and gave them a good watering before covering up.  A week later I gave it a stir up with a fork and it smells totally different, more like manure, and looks so much better.  It was getting nice and hot too so must be rotting down properly.  Hopefully in a few weeks i'll have much more usable compost.  One bag has had the dry moss mixed in too, not sure how that'll turn out but it was worth a try!

Elsewhere, the skip was collected today so we have much more space back on the drive and we are planning a big bonfire this weekend to get rid of all the bits of wood we have lying around that can't go in the woodburners.  The place should look much tidier when that is done.  We have a little more building work planned in the snug before it is re-plastered, painted and re-carpeted but the front room fireplace has been plastered and is ready to be painted (I was waiting for the bad weather!)  Then we should be able to have a bit of a rest.

In money news, I rounded our mortgage down to the nearest £500 with a £220 OP, then went and tidied a few accounts and withdrew some cashback to find another £250 OP, so £470 overpaid already in June and a balance now of £247250.  Happy with that but will aim to wipe off that last £250 at some point during the month.

Needhelpsaving

Wow, you have been busy! I have no doubt you will hot the other £250 OP target before you know it x

themadvix

So much progress on so many fronts - well done! And a great bargain on the bi-fold doors!

savingholmes

So much progress and great OPs. I hope your rose recovers - it may send up  new shoots. I have a hand sized single rose on a plant I nearly got rid of but it looks stunning even though there is only one!

woodfired

VAT return finally completed, that's a weight off my mind.  It's taken 4 hours this morning and I've been working on it all week.  Not too painful cost-wise as we had a new boiler fitted in the flat above the shop and some other bits of work done that have offset quite a bit of the VAT so good news all round really.  I can send some more savings to the PB account now - I had held onto them in case the VAT bill was huge.

Treating myself to a lazy afternoon now, DD and I have spent the afternoon in the snug watching Jumanji with the woodburner lit and some snacks.
DH is in charge of dinner and he has prepped the dough for homemade pizzas. Yum.

Yesterday I spent some time cooking.  Made a big cottage pie and used some leftover puff pastry I had in the fridge to top a corned beef and potato pie.  I've saved the cottage pie for dinner tomorrow but we polished off the potato pie last night with a glass of wine.  I haven't done much else besides the paperwork, it seems this miserable weather is affecting my productivity! I really need to do some work in the greenhouse, maybe tomorrow?

Have a lovely Saturday everyone.

savingholmes

I think you were probably due for a rest. You have achieved loads in a short period.

woodfired

Thanks SH, we do seem to be very busy all of the time, it's nice to just stop for a while sometimes!

I have to confess to a bit of a spending spree.
The end of the current renovations are in sight and I *may* have gone a bit mad online shopping for the last bits to finish it off.  I have ordered a length of oak worktop and two bar stools to turn the strange half wall between the kitchen and dining area into a proper breakfast bar, these are my biggest purchases, £115 for the worktop and £129 for the bar stools. Naughty. 
Along with these I've ordered brackets for a shelf above the new oak beam in the snug fireplace, the beam doesn't project far enough to provide a shelf and my christmas garland has to sit somewhere!
Additional bits include some silk peonies, extra copper handles for a chest of drawers and fairy lights.  I'm excited to get it all finished now, it's been half-done for a couple of months and I'm getting impatient.  We managed to source some plaster yesterday so hopefully it will be plastered this week then I can get on with painting and ordering a carpet.  Fingers crossed.

savingholmes

I think they all sound like good investments. An extra breakfast bar in particular will add value if and when you ever come to sell.