Travelling On

Karmacat

apple_muncher said:

I don't mind there being a fair number of people out and about if it is outside and therefore we are able to spread out. But dd gets really twitchy - not due to covid, but feeling surrounded by people (usually loud ones).

I need to look at my seeds - meant to do it last time you were talking about it.

Plans for 2021, eh? There's a brave woman...!!!!

Seeds are lovely!  My twitchiness is covid related, tis true, and today it looked as busy as the main town, groups all across both pavements and traffic in the road.  No way was I walking through that.  My alternative led me to the nature reserve, so I'm happy with that.  I'm as unimpressed by loud people as your DD, so she has my sympathies.  
I feel really happy to have done the seeds, just those 7 packets I hadn't integrated into the list.  Now, for planting, it's a case of clearing the small bedroom, getting some proper light in there - I'm sure they were spindly last year because I was late plus they didn't get enough light.
As for the 2021 plans ... pffft .... I'm stuck in my town, there are still plenty of things in the house and the garden I want to catch up on, there are hobbies yet to be pursued, and self care yet to be even started Covid or a flood or a dental emergency or a house fire or brexit could impinge on me in ways I can't imagine, but I'm going to use the time I've got in the best way I can Sewing Bee has finished, my time is my own  

Karmacat

rtandon27 said:

Karmacat said:

...That meant I went to another little nature reserve, near "my" massive great charity shop where I bought my sprouter and my armchair.  Out about an hour and 15, it was cold but not too bad down here...

Wow KC - I'm impressed - a walk out in the cold!  Braver than I've been for exercise for the past three days!  Inside Yoga & HITT, only enough movement to allow me to eat an entire tube of pringl3s and a bag of gummie piggies

It honestly wasn't that cold, and I wanted to move **fast** - the whole reason for doing this is to use the walking muscles, it honestly helps me sleep better.  Ooh, pringles ... you keep the gummies, and I'll nick the pringles greent said:

Happy Christmas, Kc! X

Thanks greent!  And the same to you

debtfreeoneday

It’s strange reflecting on 2020 that one way I’ve changed is hating being around large groups of people and I’m pretty sure it’s not Covid related as in I’m scared I will get it because I don’t feel that - I just like the solitude and the quiet and the thought of crowds and queues - well,  just urgh!  

Karmacat

debtfreeoneday said:

It’s strange reflecting on 2020 that one way I’ve changed is hating being around large groups of people and I’m pretty sure it’s not Covid related as in I’m scared I will get it because I don’t feel that - I just like the solitude and the quiet and the thought of crowds and queues - well,  just urgh!  

That's actually lovely that it's enabled you to know yourself more, about what makes you contented.

No storm damage from Bella, thankfully - it really did sound like a train had re-routed to just outside the house, never heard it like that before.  All good this morning, though, even the wobbly fence panel that's held up by a patio chair hasn't gone flying.  And no roof tiles crashed onto the paving, as they were a few years ago.  Win-win  

Karmacat

2021 PLANS
These are all subject to change/delay if the lockdown lifts and I feel safe to go out and about, of course.  I'm really, really hoping that happens.  I've been using my phone for the last few days writing down everything I want to do, or probably want to do, in a safe RL/ online type of way.  Some will take minutes, literally (e,g, "attach cord to lightpull) some are a couple of hours (paint a recess in my bedroom, its bare sound insulation), some will take days (my genealogy book!) and some are for professionals to do (paint kitchen ceiling; change window panels in living room and bedroom; renovate and insulate chimney).

There are 104 items on this list  oh dear  37 of these are DIY.  The garden, craft, writing, cookery, health and finances lists will be helpful for me to share, that's my next post: feel free to skip, if you want!

Karmacat

2021: THE PLANS! 
Garden
Repair pillar tops (vandalised over the last few years)
Repointing under damp course
Repair crazy paving (weed, then stick mortar between the slabs, that's all).
Clear strip under kitchen window, prepare and concrete
Seal around new garden tap, and air bricks
See to picket fence, nearly fallen over
Clean soft sweeping brush to take inside the house
Clean patio chairs and table
Cut back trees (nearly done)
Perennial weeds rooted out (I'm looking at you, brambles)
Use bagged soil
Use bagged bark chippings
Learn to use watering hose
Grow seeds in correct order and plant on.

Writing
Genealogy book (a quarter way through)
European Summer (2nd draft completed)
2nd edition kindle book (not that much work)

Craft work
See to all my jewellery and the case
Finish packing hospital bag
Make face masks
Make washable bags for daily use
Longer handles for some existing bags
Shall I make a bag divider?
Wall hanging
Create own birthday cards
Knit warm winter hat
Set up little Spanish display case with the little cats
Learn sewing machine

Cookery  Learn to cook and use:
Quinoa
Cornmeal
Pancakes
Nutritional yeast
Nut burgers
Bread
Dried veg, not just beans and lentils
Yorkshires (mostly got Yorkshires sorted).

Health and self care
Enrol in Zoom groups AND ATTEND
Learn a bit of Zoom makeup
Regular long walk, every other day
Facial care
Bit more jewellery
Vitamins and supplements
Meditation of some sort
Basic exercise at home

Finances
English accounts for 2019/20
French accounts 2020
Do the next WeBuyBooks discount offer
Download 2 sets automatic statements, and keep up to date, please!
Mastercard to automatic
Get cahoot money, I stopped the process halfway.
Apply for ISA transfer
Sort Coventry BS.
Check net worth (shouldn't take long)
Buy premium bonds
Automate Principality RS
Charter Savings detail
Shopping research: bike.

Good grief.  Okay, it's out there (here).  Now to start doing some of it.  Note it doesn't contain everyday maintenance!  3 sessions a week?  The finances are urgent because of account years end-dates.

Karmacat

2020 LIST REVIEW
I've never done this, it's a first.  I found it way back, having accidentally posted onto Cheery's diary at first, and she kindly let me know .  It's finances only!  Heaven knows how long it would be otherwise.  Not bad - it makes me laugh that I put the French accounts in twice it's accurate, but ...  still, I forgive myself  

1. get the new phone working.  DONE

2. English accounts. DONE

3. French accounts for English tax records. DONE

4. French accounts for French tax records (by the calendar year). DONE

5. Home and contents insurance runs out 15 January. DONE

6. Regular Savers have run out, must renew, and stash money safely. PARTLY DONE

7. Tidy up the paperwork, including throwing away the 7 years old  English tax records.  Plus maybe scanning the immensely thick finance  paperwork that the French managing agent sends me (I never read it but I can quite believe I need it.  7 YEAR OLD ENGLISH RECORDS SHREDDED AND GONE.  NEVER TOUCHED THE OLD FRENCH PAPERWORK

8. Small bill to the French managing agent (and I mean small - two  euros!).  But there's a credit on my online account of around 190 euros.   Sigh ....  DONE

9. Start using a substitute easy access account - I'm not sure what it  pays now, but its got to be better than Principality, who're going down  to 0.7% p.a. NOPE.

10. Normal credit card payments - and I want to go paperless on my Nectar card one. ONE OUT OF TWO

11. Need to give the kindle-for-authors website my bank details, they  actually sent me a letter saying they tried to pay me but didn't have my  correct bank details.  I'm sure its a fiver or something, but it should  still be done. DONE, THEY SENT ME A FEW QUID

12.  Just to make it a round dozen: unfreeze my very old cahoot account and get the money out of there, around £240. STARTED THIS, BUT ABANDONED.  IT'S IN THE 2021 LIST

13.  Oh, another one: ages ago, I checked out whether I could use  transferwise, to bring some of those euros back to the uk, transferred  into sterling.  I used transferwise to send sterling out to pay the  mortgage for a long time, but the mortgage is long gone now, of course. ABANDONED THIS, LET THE MONEY STAY OVER THERE, IT'S ALL SHUT BECAUSE OF COVID ANYWAY

Cheery_Daff

Ooh, such a lot of that 2020 list ticked off, wow! Most impressive. And I love the mix of stuff on your 2021 list. Your garden is going to look fantastic (and so are you with those makeup tutorials and facials and long walks!) Love the health and self care goals, I might pinch a few of those myself! 

beanielou

Wow, how awesome.

Glad you had a good Christmas in these strange times.

Karmacat

Thank you both!  I must get going on readying the 2021 calendar so I can make notes about Zoom meetings etc - everything is in Tier 4 for miles around, it's all that's on offer.  

Today, dear me, it's foggy and frosty out there, though it's starting to clear.  I had a play with the genealogy book last night, I might do more of that today.  I was thinking of going on a fast walk, but there's an ice warning out, and that's a combo that could break your ankle.  So ... aha ... I'll hunt out my dance dvds (there's one from the early years of Strictly I found in a charity shop ).  That's a tick on the big list either way.  The other thing I could do is learn how to cook polenta ... I have a couple of kg sitting here, using it would be nice.

That's three good options, I'm happy