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Cheery's country living adventure
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Oops, actually came in to write a list for the morning... some financial admin to do - taking advantage of being off work on a week day!
* ring mortgage people to check balance (and then update MSE mortgage challenge spreadsheet)
* ring LPG people, who apparently can't tell me the end date of my contract without having a conversation with me (presumably to try to retain my custom...)
* ring the Woodland Trust - investigating the possibility of doing a LOT of tree planting...
That'll do I think. Well, on top of running, a bit of food shopping, more pottering in the garden, a year's worth of washing up, and visitors arriving at 2 of course7 -
A beach! I long for a beach the way the Misses Bennett longed for a ball at NetherfieldLoving the sound of your friends visiting too, Cheery, what a good compromise.2023: the year I get to buy a car7
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Right, a successful morning!
Got up and ran 3 miles with someone from running club which was nice, then I've been doing a pile of admin
* rang the building society - and have FINALLY got access to an online mortgage balance!! Hooray!! SO pleased about thisUp til now I've had to ring up every time I wanted one and people kept telling me I couldn't have online access, but apparently I can! Hooray!
* Rang the LPG people - they're sending me a proper statement, and have informed me that my contract has already ended, so I need to get on the case with a bit of price comparison (not difficult, as there aren't that many suppliers to compare). Would need to pay off the whole balance though if we're switching. Yawn.
* More excitingly, spoke to the Woodland Trust, and it looks like we would be eligible for one of their grants. Hooray! Couldn't give me an exact cost - looks like we'd have to pay about £600 ourselves if we planted up just one of our fields (that's for the maximum number of trees, tree guards etc), but it would be quite a lot more if we wanted someone else to do it... BUT the woman reckons that the national park themselves may have some kind of grant scheme that we could access so I've got in touch with them too - if that doesn't work out we'll apply to these guys.
Feeling quite excited, but also a bit daunted - still doesn't really feel like it's our land to do anything with... I know that's ridiculous...
Anyway. Friends will be here in an hour and a half, nothing else we really need to do outside (other than make the blithering sun come out!) but I could do with some lunch after all that admin...8 -
Well done Cheery! Lovely ta-da list
Did the LPG amount owed work out to something more reasonable in the end? (Curious minds want to know... lol)
Planting trees on your own land is really truly exciting! Looking forward to all the updates!4 YEARS 10 MONTHS DEBT FREE!!! (24 OCT 2016)(With heartfelt thanks to those who have gone before us & their indubitable generosity.)...and now I have a mortgage! (23 AUG 2021)New projection - 14 YEARS 8 MONTHS LEFT OF 20 YEARS (reduced by 16 mths)Psst...I may have started a diary!8 -
Would the grant limit your choice of tree species?
We have an ancient woodland at the end of our garden it is a wonderful place to go for a walk and enjoy the different trees.Fashion on a ration 2025 0/66 coupons spent
79.5 coupons rolled over 4/75.5 coupons spent - using for secondhand purchases
One income, home educating family7 -
How exciting about the trees - very envious here (and I know DH would be - he'd love to own a woodland). Have a lovely time with your guests!Mortgage free 16/06/2023! £132,500 cleared in 11 years, 3 months and 7 days
'Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.' Ernest Hemingway7 -
LPG amount remains the same sadly RT... apparently all our payments have been applied to the account, they're just not listed online. I've asked for a full breakdown...
Woodland is indeed very exciting! Although it'll be a while before it looks like anything other than a field of sticks...
Anyway, I'm not holding my breath...7 -
Another one very excited about the woodland! And yes, please don't hold your breath, that can't be good for you
2023: the year I get to buy a car6 -
Cheery_Daff said:LPG amount remains the same sadly RT... apparently all our payments have been applied to the account, they're just not listed online. I've asked for a full breakdown...4 YEARS 10 MONTHS DEBT FREE!!! (24 OCT 2016)(With heartfelt thanks to those who have gone before us & their indubitable generosity.)...and now I have a mortgage! (23 AUG 2021)New projection - 14 YEARS 8 MONTHS LEFT OF 20 YEARS (reduced by 16 mths)Psst...I may have started a diary!6
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More woodland news - the guy from the national park replied and it looks like we'd be eligible for their scheme which would cover all of the costs, including planting 😮 He's going to come out and have a look and advise. They'd need to check we don't have anything special archaeologically or ecology wise (we don't as far as I know, but he's not getting my hay meadow!) and then we can make a plan.
Might not be enough money in the pot this year so it might have to be next winter, but still. Looks like it'll be September before he visits but that's fine, can't plant til November at the earliest anyway.
Feels a bit weird having someone else pay to do something like this... The Woodland Trust scheme is funded by a couple of banks I think who have made a corporate commitment to tree planting - I suppose they have to plant them somewhere and plenty of people with land use it for something that will actually make them some money. Not sure how the national park scheme is funded, but I guess part of their whole remit is working to create various habitats and we don't have much woodland round here.
Exciting anyway! But I have to put it out of my mind and get back out there with the scythe... Made a start yesterday but I'm doing to try in the opposite direction today - it's on a slight slope and I want to see if changing direction helps with how easy it is 😂 Been barely any wind here this week which is really unusual, and I'm getting bitten to pieces by small bitey things...7
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