Cheery's country living adventure

themadvix

You might have your own reasons for staying outside, but you do realise that Mr Cheery’s sister is allowed inside now, don’t you? (This feels like a very weird sentence, like I’m your mum or something!!). Just keep distant and don’t let her touch stuff!

Karmacat

rtandon27 said:

I've always got Notes running on the side with a sticky notes list going for the day where I jot down random thoughts.  It's synced with my work computer, personal computer, work phone & personal phone so that I can add to it whenever a 'squirrel' moment happens.  Then it gets reviewed once in the evening for personal to-do's and once in the morning for work to-do's - anything that takes 5 minutes or less gets done then (up to 1/2 hour total), or blocked into the calendar if it requires a time commitment!

Wow.  This is amazing - i've always avoided syncing when its offered to me, it feels like one company is getting more power over me, but I can really see the advantages of it here.  uh oh! 

Cheery, I'm glad you've got today off, hope the chickens will be less pesky, and you can enjoy the visit with Mr Cheery's sister whether you're in or out

South_coast

Cheery, I *think* cards need to be used with a pin periodically anyway as a security measure (same as you need to use a new card with the pin the first time after it's issued). It could be that you've just reached "that time" - not much help to you though!

Cheery_Daff

Thanks all. I shall await the arrival of the PIN and see whether it magically makes things work! 

Thanks Vix - I realised last night that Mr Cheery's sister is allowed inside 😂 Mr Cheery's not keen... and there are six of them coming including kids (they're all in a support bubble) so on the whole things feel a bit safer outside I suppose. 

I have tidied up inside just in case though... 😋 am also cooking inside so we don't have to wrangle with the outdoor stoves in the 'moderate breeze'... 🙄

And Bessie chicken is busy being poorly again, goodness knows what's up this time other than the usual. Vet has increased her diuretics and we're going back on Wednesday to have her drained again she that's probably making her feel rubbish, but she seems to have something wrong with her foot now too... I did attempt to catch her, but I don't want to make her uncomfortable being all swelled up too so she's currently just hanging out in my study (sh*tying on my nice rug...) 🙄

Karmacat

I hope you're having a nice family get-together - outside

Poor Bessie chicken - having been a battery hen must have played havoc with their health and you take such good care of them. 

themadvix

Poor Bessie, I hope the visit to the vets helps her feel more comfortable.

I hadn’t realised there would be 6 of them, that makes quite a difference!

Cheery_Daff

Yes I think the battery life (and also being bred for the battery life) doesn't do them any favours at all, poor things. 

We had a lovely time with our visitors yesterday! The outdoor shelter was perfect, and we spread out a load of hay under the blankets so it was nice and comfy and warm. It was a great idea to cook all the sausages beforehand, but we did end up lighting a fire and reheating most of them (they were all veggie) - and reheating the pizza, and some scones Most jolly. 

Some of them stayed here in their camper van (the others are in a hotel in the nearest town) so I've just given them the eggs the new ladies laid this morning - two of them, quite small but perfectly formed (they did have some other breakfast as well, I promise!)

Not sure what's on the cards today. I think the hotel visitors are coming back for lunch so we'll put all the blankets back down - looks like the weather might pick up a tiny bit by lunchtime anyway.

Oh, and a minor financial success yesterday. I bought a stapler from eb*y - ridiculous, but there's nowhere you can just walk into and get a stapler at the minute and I kept forgetting every time I was in the supermarket, mine had been stood on and it was doing my head in not having one. Anyway, when it arrived I took it out of the package and a spring fell out - and I just could NOT figure out where to put it back! There was NOWHERE it looked like it could go, but the stapler wouldn't work without it I went through the normal refund procedure - and was unusually diligent in printing off the label and parcelling it up before I forgot about it - but by the time I'd finished doing that they'd already given me a refund! Not worth the bother of me returning it I suppose - after all what are they going to do with a broken stapler?! It came with a box of 1000 staples which I suppose I've now got for free - where's that spinning head smiley when you need it??  

Hope you have a cheerful one whatever you're doing! 

themadvix

It sounds like you had a lovely time - and fresh-laid eggs for breakfast for your visitors, you won’t be able to get rid of them!!

Good news on the free staples (if that’s what floats your boat! 😂)

Cheery_Daff

They have all in fact gone now - lured by the promise of a local park So nice to see them though! 

We've been having a bit of a snooze in our outdoor shelter while the new chickens roam free for the first time I got a bit chilly though, so have come in to do a bit of admin and ponder my next move... 

So I've ordered some new bedding and a new water container for the chicken run - one isn't enough, and while we're currently using a large bowl, it fills up with straw and muck when they rake through it, so we have to change it a few times a day. Not ideal. Got another hanging one, and when it arrives we'll hang them both up which should avoid that problem altogether! 

Now I'm about to dive into banks/YNAB... wish me luck... Not done it for a while so no idea what I'll find.... 

Cheery_Daff

Righ, that was a bit of a trial, not done it since the start of June! 😮 still, all is in order now. I've allocated £600 to the long term savings pot - although I've just realised that I did have to pay for a shopping trip with a different card when mine got declined and I've not transferred that... so that will alter things slightly. Hey ho.

Don't know why I keep leaving it so long, I do like fiddling about with all the numbers 😂

Also tried ringing the building society for a balance for the mortgage challenge but they only open til 2. If you're reading this Leeds Building Society, I do not understand why you don't provide any way of seeing your mortgage balance without ringing up and speaking to an adviser! It's 2020!! Why no internet account?? Or even an automated telephone service?! My bank has been offering the ability to ring for an automated balance for the last 20 years at least, it can't be that difficult!!

Hey ho, keeps your advisers in a job I suppose...

Right, the sun is shining, best get outside!