Cheery's country living adventure

missymoo81

Oh yay! So pleased about the woodland grant! Rubbish about the car though! The nights really are creeping in aren’t they! I hope you have a lovely weekend planned.

Cheery_Daff

Thank you lovely people

Not much planned for the weekend, but we did go out for breakfast Sun is shining now, but it's quite chilly so I've been inside doing a bit of financial sorting. 

Wages have gone in, payrise has arrived Distorted by strike deductions but is about £70 more than last month, so that's good. Going to increase the mortgage DD by that amount, and the amount we've saved on the electricity bill, and a couple of hundred worth of savings - but going to wait until the end of the month when Mr Cheery's payment has arrived so we can see what's what. 

Paid the invoice for the garage (I'd forgotten that it didn't include VAT so hadn't transferred the right amount from the savings but going to just manage for now and sort it later if necessary). 

Everything else looking reasonable. 

Had two letters from the LPG people - one saying they've refunded by £237 monthly payment, and the other that they've changed the DD - although the letter is MOST ambiguous, as it seems to suggest they've just changed it to come out at the end of the month rather than the beginning... Checked online though and it SEEMS to suggest we'll only be invoiced when we receive a delivery, which is what I wanted. Of course, they might only invoice when they deliver, but collect payments monthly anyway - in which case I shall revoke our DD agreement (as is my right) and ask them to send a bill instead as clearly they can't be trusted... But we'll see what happens at the end of the month before I start shouting. 

And now I really must go outside!! Do need to sign up for new LPG contract, but not right now. Right now I have some hay to shift! 

Pyxis

I keep reading walling grant as wailing grant! 😱

Cheery_Daff

Well my dry stone walls are the thing I wail most about so...

Gosh, it's lovely out there when you get out and working in it! Been dragging damp hay round in a big builders bag Good to get it all out of the field. Stopped for a cuppa (and to check on Mr Cheery, who is in bed poorly) but off back outside now. Think I'm going to attempt to fix a gap in a wall and then move some willow, but that might be too difficult so I might end up just shifting more hay. We'll see. Wish I'd done some washing, it's such a good drying day!! Washing machine takes 2 hours though so no point now

Cheery_Daff

Oops, didn't manage any washing today either! Oh well, there's not that much in the basket anyway... 

Had a nice day though It was a bit chilly this morning so I stayed inside and watched a couple of online seminars put on by a local group while I did some knitting - one about a local community garden, and another about biodiversity in the local area. Good to have started on my second sock as well - I think I finished the first one in about July  

Then I spent the afternoon pottering about the garden. Well, mostly dragging damp hay out of the field in my builders bags again - it really is a very effective method I'm putting the deepest layer of mulch ever around my fruit trees and bushes... But I'm sure it'll rot down soon enough... Still got quite a bit to go. There are a couple of rows of dry stuff which I'm going to try to gather and put in with the hay - not sure I can be bothered to bale it mind you as I'm not sure there's enough for that. 

I'd LOVE to get it all done tonight, then I can start scything again after work tomorrow... Only got a couple of hours of light left really though so I'd best get on with it! 

We did just nip for a late afternoon cuppa in our favourite cafe And the nice woman who works in there came and had a chat with us which was cheery I think we spent just over £8, but we've not spent anything else today... 

Got some butternut squash risotto out of the freezer for tea - good as it means I can stay outside dragging hay around until it goes dark and then only need to operate the microwave  

Baileys_Babe

Pleased to hear you have started the 2nd sock, I have visions of you needing to hop everywhere

Cheery_Daff

Evening MSE chums

Ha, yes BB, socks are generally better in pairs! I actually knit them pretty quickly when I get on with them - there's usually just a whole lot of NOT getting on with them in the middle

So, an alright day today. Started the second phase of the Joe Wicks plan today, so did a workout with weights this morning quite a lop sided one as I was using two kettlebells and I only have one of each weight ordered myself some adjustable dumbbells now - I was trying to see if I could manage without but it was ridiculous

Slightly frustrating day at work today - at one point I had a video call with IT to try and sort something out and he said 'I must say I'm impressed by how cheerful you are about all this!' I confessed that it was all a facade and I'd actually done quite a bit of swearing before getting in touch with him... Anyway I THINK today's vexations have been sorted out via a series of workarounds-on-top-of-workarounds which I'll check again tomorrow. And if they don't work then I'm going to demand a new laptop as it's taken all day to do something that should have taken at the most an hour! 

Anyway, not all bad. We had a sneaky cafe trip (spent £6.30), and I spent an hour hauling hay again this evening as the sun set. I reckon another 4 or 5 bags and all the stuff I've already cut will be out (I was being optimistic thinking I could do it yesterday!) Then of course I still have to scythe the rest of the field... but at least I'll feel like I've made some progress! 

Other progress today - cheery farmer brought round someone to look at our stable roof which has so many holes in and the rain is getting in. Not that we store anything in there now, but if we leave it another winter the building itself will start to disintegrate and we already have one falling down barn and do NOT need another! They're going to do us a quote for the cheapest option, and then another for a bit more of a fancy tin roof - we really have no idea how much it's likely to cost so we'll see what the differences are. It would mean SO much more storage and workshop space though, which would clear space in the garage and the house, and the other outbuilding, and just make getting at things much easier. There's electricity out there too  and lights, so it's potentially a place for bigger projects. We'll see. 

Entirely forgot to ring the mortgage people today as I was too busy being vexed with IT and didn't stop working til they'd shut. I also remembered once I'd finished work that I've still not heard from the garage - have they fixed my car and done my MOT or not?! Suppose I should ring them tomorrow, but I was kind of assuming they'd ring me once they'd done it! 

Hey ho. Think we're going to give the local garage a try for the MOT for the other car this time...

Right. Must be time for a spot of amaretto I think and I must check on those muffins!

Baileys_Babe

I find garages are as a rule useless as getting in touch especially to say they have finished the job. I always end up chasing them. You think they would want the vehicle out of the way so they had the room and to get the payment.

Cheery_Daff

I always just assumed this particular one was rubbish BB (they NEVER ring when they say, if at all). But maybe it's all of them! I suppose they assume we'll want our cars back eventually Won't be collecting ours today though, whether it's ready or not - got a meeting at 3 and won't make it to the garage in time after it's finished. Hey ho. 

I WILL remember to ring the mortgage people today though!

Karmacat

Getting a good roof back on the stable sounds wonderful, when you've got an up and coming smallholding, it seems so important to have wiggle room in terms of enough space to lay things out and prepare stuff properly.  And since its already got  electricity out there, it would be a real shame to let it decay.  Good for you    Plus I hope the IT problem is properly sorted.