Frump to Fab 2018 - Fabulous Dahhhhlings

lessonlearned

Maman. You need to google She Sheds. I guarantee you will have shed envy. Lol. I know what you mean though. I have always lusted after a nice garden outbuilding. As you say even the most utilitarian shed can turned into something really pretty.

As well as having the conifers removed there are is a corner of the garden which is completely overgrown with a large tree and then a couple of dead trees covered in ivy. It’s almost like a second secret garden once you get through the vegetation. The tree surgeon is clearing that section too. It’s beautifully paved. The tree surgeon looked at the orientation and said this spot would be perfect for a little summerhouse.

My dream come true ......I have always wanted one. . I can picture it now. Croquet on a perfectly manicured lawn followed by afternnon tea in the summerhouse. Very posh. . Maybe be I could use it as a writers nook - work on my great novel. Ha ha.

I’m so lucky with this house. I know it’s a bit of a money pit and there’s a lot of work to do but it has so much potential. My imagination and creative ideas are just running riot. :rotfl:

Well I’ve been for my walk, it was actually quite pleasant so now need to grab some lunch before the chimney sweep gets here and then prepare a healthy dinner.

I’m doing much better this week. Blood sugars are ok and I’ve even lost 2 lbs.

Onwards and downwards. .

moneyistooshorttomention

Yes to the summerhouse:T I want one even more now I can see a friend here has got one - you don't think she'd notice if it mysteriously got up and "walked" one dark night do you?:rotfl:

Shattered - been dancing again. Another dance thing that broke for a few weeks starts again tomorrow - cue for more being shattered.

Thought being put round today of going dancing one evening this week too - I think I'll wait till I'm a bit fitter than now before doing that.

Contrary to expectations - moving from a city (central) location to a much more rural location has meant I've been doing a lot less walking than usual since coming here. Definitely time to get the fitness back up to scratch.

lessonlearned

City living usually means more walking. You just don’t need a car or at least I’m beginning to wonder.

I have just taxed and insured my car. £250 for tax and £516 for insurance (I know outrageous but I had an accident a couple of years ago and that’s the best I can get for now)

Anyway my garage sent me a reminder that the service was due. I checked my mileage. Since the last service A year ago I have driven just 875 miles. The garage man said skip this service. Lol.

I’m beginning to think having a car is pretty pointless. The MOT is due in January. I’ll see what happens.

Admittedly I have moved slightly out of the city now but only a mile or so. There’s a good bus service (free) and a taxi wont break
the bank. I won’t make a decision just yet. I’ll give it a few months and then review it but unless I at least double my mileage then I can’t see the point in keeping my car. Maybe it’s time go let it go.

moneyistooshorttomention

If there's okay bus service - then I think it's perfectly possible to manage without a car personally.

It barely crossed my mind back in my home city.

It does cross my mind sometimes here - as the bus service is so poor and, given communities are much smaller here, then a lot of people (incomers certainly - I don't know so much about the locals) go to something social in this town, something else social in that village and so on and spread their social life over several locations.

The place I live in was chosen by me to be big enough I should be able to have a full social life here. In the event - I spread my social life out to 2 other locations as well (both can be got to by bus). So one of them means I get there by bus if I'm going on my own and I get a lift with a new friend to a regular thing there. The other location has a group I belong to as an evening thing - and buses to there/pretty much anywhere are non-existent of an evening and so I get a taxi there (as it's pretty nearby) and a friend gives me a lift back.

So a car would mean I could get to spread my social life out to a couple of other locations as well that are a "go all round the shops" bus ride away or there isn't a bus anyway.

But overall I manage to get a fairly full social life between it's local to me/buses/lifts.

I can't afford a car anyway and would worry I'd be overcharged for any repairs I needed (as a woman) and the choice financially once I do have more money available for me at some point will basically boil down to = either run a jalopy and have a friends husband pretend to be with me if a repair is needed or spend the money on having visits to my home city as often as possible for a few days. Put like that = no contest/planning my next Home Visit already:rotfl: With normal majority British opinions still on everything - living in an area like this means I really need home visits anyway for intervals where I can do "relaxing without worries" that someone will "leap on me" for something I've just said that is perfectly normal in the rest of the country (quite apart from seeing family and friends and doing clothes shopping).

"Opportunity cost" is the phrase I'm after here I think - if I took one opportunity (ie more independently mobile here) then I'd lose another opportunity that matters more to me (ie home visits).

But we've all got our own "opportunity cost" - ie most of us would have to forego something else we want money for if we spend that money on running a car.

maman

Interesting LL. Obviously my situation is different but I would miss having no car at all. There are certain things that we do that would be much more difficult if we didn't drive. I've got friends all over the county and beyond to catch up with, we'd find it harder to eat out in country pubs and I'm able to go dancing in, for example, Winchester which although accessible by public transport would be difficult if not impossible in the late evening.


That being said, we did downsize from 2 cars to one. When I stopped full time work, the nature of our driveway was that my car was in front and we always took the most accessible car at the back out unless we both needed them. We reviewed this after 6 months and my car was hardly used at all so we got rid of it! Unless we have a lot to carry, DH and I always travel around the city by bus including for nights out. We're really lucky because we live close to the university and students are expected to be out late!:D And I'd never take the car to London. Not only is it not needed when you get there but it would cost as much to park as my train fare does.:(

lessonlearned

Wahaay. I have broadband. :rotfl:

And I can now use my fireplaces so I can get down to some serious hygge. Also just had a call from my energy supplier. They are coming to fit my smart meters on Friday (and bribing me with £30 for having them. I would have had them anyway).

Re the car yes there's for and against. I do like the freedom and independence of having my Own car and I can afford to run one, it just seems extravagant for such a low mileage. I think I'll just play it by ear.

Maybe I need to get out more and go further afield. . Maybe I have earned the right to a bit of extravagance and, if I'm honest, I can't see the fun in freezing at the bus stop waiting for a bus in the dead of winter.

Sounds like I've talked myself into keeping it. . The other option would be to hire one now and again. I'll mull it over.,

I can see the wisdom in downsizing to one car though. Makes perfect sense.

moneyistooshorttomention

Re the car - I think the only time I'd feel I really really needed one (even here) would be if I needed to go to an A & E or the like at times I know they are open (but that isn't the case here). In that case - I'd probably be feeling too unwell to drive literally hundreds of miles back to my "own" A & E and would take a taxi there anyway in extremis - I have made sure I retained my place on "the list" at my own doctors surgery (ie back in my home city) when I moved here - as well as registering with a doctor here. So the Emergency Plan in extremis is "Move back for several days - finding somewhere to stay there" if medical facilities here werent suitable.

***************

Congrats on the broadband being sorted LL.

Now that is something I wouldnt like to manage without anywhere/definitely couldnt manage without where I am now.

You don't realise just how much you need/are used to being able to get broadband until you move to a house where you have to fight like billy-o for literally years as bodge repair after bodge repair after etc etc goes on and it's basically PlusNet that aren't taking you seriously.

In the end - I got told how to "threaten" the individual workmen that turned up for the umpteenth time to "fix it" - to make sure they realised it would be on their own heads personally if it wasn't sorted at last this time. Normal methods of "Ask/explain what's wrong/etc" hadnt worked. That worked.....:D. They listened and this time got it sorted and it's quite a relief to have normal broadband again at last for the first time in literally years.

lessonlearned

It's quite staggering just how all pervasive the internet has become in such a relatively short time. If you can't get online to do things such as insurances, utilities etc then you are at a distinct disadvantage. Some even cost more so a lot of people, mainly the elderly who have been left behind technologically speaking, are actually penalised if they don't do things online.

Need to get my act together and get cracking. I will be using the car today, lots of running around. :rotfl:

humptydumptybits

maman wrote: »

Interesting LL. Obviously my situation is different but I would miss having no car at all. There are certain things that we do that would be much more difficult if we didn't drive. I've got friends all over the county and beyond to catch up with, we'd find it harder to eat out in country pubs and I'm able to go dancing in, for example, Winchester which although accessible by public transport would be difficult if not impossible in the late evening.


That being said, we did downsize from 2 cars to one. When I stopped full time work, the nature of our driveway was that my car was in front and we always took the most accessible car at the back out unless we both needed them. We reviewed this after 6 months and my car was hardly used at all so we got rid of it! Unless we have a lot to carry, DH and I always travel around the city by bus including for nights out. We're really lucky because we live close to the university and students are expected to be out late!:D And I'd never take the car to London. Not only is it not needed when you get there but it would cost as much to park as my train fare does.:(

I'm with you, I'd hate it if I couldn't have a car. I thought passing my test was so liberating although we couldn't actually afford a car at the time:rotfl: I'm suddenly not doing as much driving, GS has moved to senior school so gets the school bus whereas for the previous seven years I was dropping him and picking him up. We've got a new Lidl being built within walking distance so I might not need a car as much for shopping but I'm not ready to give it up yet.

humptydumptybits

Just a quick heads up for anyone wanting to try the flax seed oil capsules.


At Holland and Barrett 240x 1000 mg capsules are £31.49


120x1000 mg capsules are £13.99



60x1000 mg are on special offer at £3.89


The pricing seems odd as the 60 are half price so it seems like the smaller bottles are always slightly better value but with the 60 at half price they seem a real bargain. I've ordered a couple of bottles to collect when I'm in town, just in case they run out, but at that price not sure if I should get a few more.


Hope it helps someone.