Cheery's country living adventure

Cheery_Daff

That sounds like an excellent idea! Sadly I suspect 'uncluttered' is never going to be within my grasp... 🙄😂

So, some more progress today - I've finished the second coat of orange on most of the bedroom walls now - just need to do the inside of one of the windows. 

I think I'll do the ceiling tomorrow... and then the final coat of gold in the week. Then there's just oiling the skirting, which YES, would have been SO much easier before the carpet went down but hey ho.

Things are starting to feel a bit lighter and easier now. We've moved more stuff into the kitchen, and are starting to gather crockery from the four corners of the house/garden to properly wash up. A surprising amount ends up in the chicken run, despite our 'no human crockery in the chicken run' rule 🙄😂😂 

But it makes SO much difference to be able to just stand in front of a sink and run bowl after bowl of hot water to wash it all, rather than having to boil the kettle and trek it all from one end of the house to the other 🙄

I've also been doing some reflecting and planning for next year. NO overambitious goals - I need a rest from big projects and there certainly won't be any tradespeople in here if I can help it. 

Some things I'm vaguely thinking about for now

MONEY
- need to focus both on raising a bit more (matched betting, probably) and on spending less (definitely starting with uber frugal January, but also a focus on cooking etc through the year)

HOME
- going to set up current bedroom as a craft room, so I might give that a lock of paint and do some organising of craft supplies etc

- bathroom is next on the project list 🙄 new bath is in the garage. Can't do a straight replacement as it's got little legs and current one doesn't and anyway we still have HIDEOUS green carpet in the bathroom which NEEDS TO GO! Whole room is tiled with hideous brown tiles, which have been painted over with mint green emulsion, which is now flaking off.  Not decided whether to strip and repaint, or just pull all the tiles off and replace with the cladding we took off the bedroom ceiling. We cladded our old bathroom and it looked lovely so we'll see.

- need to replace a couple of windows - a couple have blown panes but they can wait - one has something more serious wrong, need a proper look

OUTSIDE
- got another outdoor extension to put on the chicken run - already got materials so could do that over the winter so they have more space in chicken lockdown

- got a couple of dry stone walls that have fallen down (yawn)

- going to buy a lawnmower! Clearly not for the fields 😂😂 but the garden itself is pretty big and it takes forever with the strimmer

- need to do something with the little retaining wall on the terrace. It's starting to fall down, and the terrace concrete has cracked... 🙄 NOT something I want to deal with, but it's outside the front door so when it goes the postman will have to do a kind of flying leap to deliver the letters...

HEALTH ETC
- I have completely neglected all mental and physical health for the last couple of years, especially this year 🙄 Now at the stage where I've put on 4 stone since being a weight I was happy with (in 2014) - over a stone of that this year 🙄 NEED to do something about that.

- lots of batch cooking, taking lunch to work, cooking from the garden in order

- going to actually USE my gym membership...

- want to get back into the habit of a gentle morning walk with a cuppa - I miss that and haven't done it for so long! 

- not going to make specific exercise goals but definitely want to do more of it

OTHER STUFF
 - need to have some FUN! Been reflecting on this year and we've been nowhere new at all, not even been for a single day trip to the seaside or anything. And I've done NOTHING on my own (except the occasional trip to the supermarket). Gah!! Definitely something to sort out.

So There we are, not set in stone at this stage, just musing...

EssexHebridean

Oh my yes, it really is getting to planning time isn’t it! Lots of exciting stuff there too…aargh, I want to plan stuff for next year now too! 😆

Cladding is a very traditional Scottish approach to bathrooms - and looks absolutely lovely IMO! 

Baileys_Babe

EssexHebridean said:

Dishwasher stuff and laundry liquid etc lives under the sink here by the way B_B - the washing up liquid is out in the top because it would just drive me mad having to open the cupboard door to get it every time though! 😁

Our laundry stuff is in the utility/boiler room. Our kitchen doesn't have cupboards on that side of the kitchen. Currently the washing up liquid lives on the deep window sill above the sink, the dishwasher stuff is on the worktop above the dishwasher. We don't need to wash up very often maybe twice a week @EssexHebridean and I only do it about every fourth time, so I think I should be able to cope with getting it out once a fortnight if it becomes an issue it can return to the window sill. I can see if you have higher standards and wash up more frequently it could be frustrating.

Cheery_Daff

I think our washing up liquid is just going to live on the side next to the sink. We do have a deep windowsill behind the sink but I can't really reach it so it's unlikely to hold anything I need frequently! Maybe a plant or something 😂

Filled one of the curved cupboards with jams and pickles and things today 😁 Clearly going to have to have a rationalisation of baking and serving dishes etc as I'm not sure they're all going to fit once they've been retrieved from various places... Mind you, we're planning a shelf for jars of pasta, lentils, flour etc so that will free up a cupboard (although probably not just yet...)

hb2

Cheery, it really sounds as if things are coming together for you now! Ideas for next year sound good, especially those that will improve your physical and mental well-being.

Our flat is about 16  years old, kitchen was fitted when we moved here nearly 5 years ago. We put in extra units and work surface but there was really no choice as to where those had to go.  Getting the flow of things right was never going to work anyway as I'm left-handed and OH, who does most of the 'cooking' these days, is right-handed. It is what it is. We do have a dishwasher but have never used it, would have to buy lots more crockery and it's easy to wash-up for just the two of us.

Fortune_Smiles

Cheery_Daff said:

HEALTH ETC
- I have completely neglected all mental and physical health for the last couple of years, especially this year 🙄 Now at the stage where I've put on 4 stone since being a weight I was happy with (in 2014) - over a stone of that this year 🙄 NEED to do something about that.

I think this one should go at the very top of the list Cheery.  You and Mr Cheery have been through an awful lot this last couple of years and you've posted about having a few wobbles from time to time.  Be kind to yourselves next year and put Cheery wellbeing first.

Fortune x

Cheery_Daff

You're right of course Fortune. I've just booked to go swimming at 9am - best get my act together and get out the door! 

EssexHebridean

Baileys_Babe said:

EssexHebridean said:

Dishwasher stuff and laundry liquid etc lives under the sink here by the way B_B - the washing up liquid is out in the top because it would just drive me mad having to open the cupboard door to get it every time though! 😁

Our laundry stuff is in the utility/boiler room. Our kitchen doesn't have cupboards on that side of the kitchen. Currently the washing up liquid lives on the deep window sill above the sink, the dishwasher stuff is on the worktop above the dishwasher. We don't need to wash up very often maybe twice a week @EssexHebridean and I only do it about every fourth time, so I think I should be able to cope with getting it out once a fortnight if it becomes an issue it can return to the window sill. I can see if you have higher standards and wash up more frequently it could be frustrating.

I’m giggling at Cheery’s likely reaction to the suggestion that I might have “higher standards” bearing in mind quite how well she knows me - highly unlikely that my standards are higher than just about anyone else’s I suspect! 😆 Nope - we do however have good cookware and knives that I am absolutely NOT trusting to the dishwasher, good as it is, plus a very small kitchen,  and if we only washed up twice a week we’d have to stop cooking and indeed wouldn’t be able to move in there at all, so it’s a daily thing for us! (Our dishwasher, in spite of being just a slimline one, DOES only go on 2/3 times a week though!) 

Hope you enjoy your swim Cheery - that’s a very early session! 

Cheery_Daff

9am is the last lane swimming session at our pool annoyingly! And also annoying - I didn't even make it!! So much faffing trying to find cossie, towel, pound coin for the locker. Finally left home at 9am 🙄 but tyre was so deflated I ended up driving really slowly and stopping at the garage, and having to use my pound coin! Then had to park at the opposite end of the road to the swimming pool, and by the time I got to the door there were only 13 mins left of the session anyway so I went for a walk instead - it was pretty soggy so maybe that counts as swimming?? 😂😂

South_coast

At least your bag is packed, ready for next time 😀