Travelling On

Karmacat

debtfreeoneday said:

Glad you’re a bit less grumpy KC. Be kind to yourself. We are all on an up and down rollercoaster with emotions during lockdown. 

Thanks debtfree - it's so easy to get caught up in it all and blame yourself, but this is true.  I hate the way that the pandemic has highlighted (highlit? ) existing problems.  *So* important to remember that mine are smaller than a lot of people's.  First thing I saw on tv news this morning was that Riding for the Disabled stables that's just been saved by small individual donations.  I ran the finances for a great many similar schemes via Mencap, approximately a million years ago, and I know first hand the difference they make.  Lovely, lovely news, I try to keep that front and centre.

Suffolk_lass said:

Our local firestation (retained of course) has a shoe bank. Marvellous. Right opposite the Morries site

That's good!  Our fire station is pretty central, but not *that* central    The charity shop one, it's at the corner of a huuuuge village green.  The village is about 3,000 people, and all of them can get onto the green, I'm not even kidding   it's a great space, but it does mean the charity shop isn't as central as it might be

I'm finishing my coffee, then sorting what to take, and off I go.

greent

So may people (inc myself) are finding this lockdown hard - I think it's important to remember that 'be kind' applies to ourselves, too and that self care is ever-important 

Hope you manage to get a good amount out of the house - but don't overdo it! x

Karmacat

Thank you, greent **airkisses from a distance** I'm free to juggle things the way I want them, but I forget that even that doesn't make it all okay, not always.  Shutting the laptop down now, and I'll go for it (gently!  absolutely).  Kindness is definitely the order of the day.

Karmacat

Happily, I turned a corner today, feeling much, much better: I realised I'd been able to get out of the house Thursday and Friday, and I've done a bit of garden work Saturday and today.  All of that has really helped.  

I dropped off 5 pieces of clothing and 3 pairs of shoes at the clothes bank at my local village, very happy about that.  And over the last two days, I've filled 4 buckets with bramble roots, I found yet another cluster.  There are still 2 more individual sets of roots, and if I can do them tomorrow to get taken by the green bin collection on Tuesday, that will be great. 

One of my February items is to repair the lovely leather belt I accidentally hot-washed - I don't think it's going to work, I put about 3 layers of olive oil on it, and I've spent the last 48 hours dunking it in 2cm of olive oil.  Hasn't made a difference I'm going to have to keep the buckle as remembrance, and let the actual leather go, sadly.  But it's not useable now, just one of those things.

I also did some tidying up of finances, but I'm blowed if I can remember what it was    I'm ready to go back to my February list and do more in the next week or so.  Back properly tomorrow to get going on that  

Karmacat

Morning!  So today:
- washing machine needs to be on at full tilt - I ended up flat on my back on my wet clay soil yesterday, with tugging at the bramble roots - wet mud on my clothes really isn't a good look.
- I'm forwarding the VAT invoices of 2019 to the French accountant, along with their explanation of why this is right.  Accountant will have to give me an answer (I hope).
- I'll also start emailing the bank statements etc to her, and I'll find something nice to play in the background while I'm doing it.
- could also open an isa and an easy savings account - I really have shot myself in the foot by closing the PO altogether, though it may well work in the long run.
- go for a walk!  This is more important than the first fix on placing the raised garden beds, if the world is opening up again in 5 weeks or 10 weeks or whatever it is, I want to be able to partake, and at the moment, I couldn't.  Onwards and upwards.
- I definitely want to start listening to the announcements this afternoon (i'll turn it off if Parliament gets all "yah boo sucks", I can't bear listening to that) so I'll have easy stuff to do - SB, surveys, etc.  We'll see.  I might even change round the armchairs so I can use the nice new one instead of the one that's falling to pieces   

Karmacat

Karmacat said:

Morning!  So today:
- washing machine needs to be on at full tilt - I ended up flat on my back on my wet clay soil yesterday, with tugging at the bramble roots - wet mud on my clothes really isn't a good look.
Yep, done the first load, 2nd is delayed while the dw does its thing.
- I'm forwarding the VAT invoices of 2019 to the French accountant, along with their explanation of why this is right.  Accountant will have to give me an answer (I hope).
And she did, straight away - she needs the 2020 figures.  I asked her for a format of French words that she'd be happy with, which she sent, so I shot that straight off to the maintenance people.  We'll see.
- I'll also start emailing the bank statements etc to her, and I'll find something nice to play in the background while I'm doing it.
Sent the rent amounts that I receive, thats all so far.
- could also open an isa and an easy savings account - I really have shot myself in the foot by closing the PO altogether, though it may well work in the long run.
Not yet
- go for a walk!  This is more important than the first fix on placing the raised garden beds, if the world is opening up again in 5 weeks or 10 weeks or whatever it is, I want to be able to partake, and at the moment, I couldn't.  Onwards and upwards.
Yes, just a half hour, it was raining, so better than nothing.
 

Also remembered one of the finance things I did yesterday: told ratesetter my new bank details.  They've now emailed back and said they want other admin details, by email or phone, so I'll phone those through, I'm not putting that lot in writing.

My TV is freaking out in the damp weather, so I'll be listening to announcements on the skynews website, it's incredibly easy to get to the live stream.  Here's hoping for good news.

shangaijimmy

A freakish TV reception may enable it to sound like more sense!

Karmacat

shangaijimmy said:

A freakish TV reception may enable it to sound like more sense!

Very possible  in fact, it was weirdly unlike him - very detailed, and "at this date, this happens if the data supports it".  Odd, but welcome.  I'd prefer Dilyn, but there you go  

I'm just updating here because I'm juggling lots of bits, and they're all halfway through.  So:
- ratesetter, I phoned and gave them the details they wanted, so when they close down the investor accounts like mine, the money will go where I want it  to (my current account).
- applied for a 2 year fix with Charter.  I have another isa there (on much better rates!) but it is what it is.  I'm happy to find a best buy from Martin at a place where I already have an account.  However, I don't want to send the full ISA amount to bank details I've never used before.  I could faff about with a £10 payment that would link our accounts, but they'd send it back and contact me, they wouldn't put it in a holding account.  But my account would then be linked with them, so I could then send the full amount in confidence.  Truly, it makes me want to find my cheque book and send it that way.  We'll see.
-  Martin recommends a Virgin Money current account, it pays 2.02% on £1,000 - just checked it through, I need to keep £1000 in a linked savings account, plus for my own needs I need to keep £1500 to circulate through to my NatWest rewards account for the reward there.  That's okay.  And I have a Virgin RS, though it's now dormant.  No new savings companies!  That's good.  No dozen bottles of wine for me, because I'm not shifting my account.  I'll check in to Virgin first, and find the status of my inactive RS with them.

Karmacat

Virgin Money update
I applied for the deal listed, but they can't confirm all my details (when did I open a current account?  when was my last phone contract?  I really didn't know I needed to keep a history of this stuff).  They had my last address, though, which I left more than ten years ago, but still ...  So they're sending me a letter.  I expect it to be printed in gold leaf 

So I need to respond to that, I need to decide how to fund the Charter ISA, I need to keep an eye on the French maintenance company, and I need to finish sending French documents to the accountant.  And when the French accounts are done, I need to find out how many years of VAT relief I've lost because of them not paying me enough attention.  That will be tricky!  But it might be something to do with the mortgage finishing, or the anniversary of the start of the contract, we'll see.  I'll be nice 

beanielou

Check you credit file on MSE's credit club (It's free) & you should get that information.