Cheery's country living adventure

rtandon27

Cheery my dear, moaning is just as valid as celebrating wins!  Life has its ups and downs - doesn't do anyone any good to visit either place for too long, or we forget the steadiness in between. xxx

Cheery_Daff

You're right, of course! Xx

Bit of a discombobulated day today here. Tired again this morning, cafe trip, worked for a few hours, then back into town to collect a prescription and did our evening walk while we were there so then had to do some more work when I got back, and didn't finish til about 7.30.

I did get plenty done though, and Mr Cheery made me an excellent curry using some sweet potatoes that must have been languishing in the kitchen for months 🙄 

Didn't sort out the bedroom, but I did make a decent start on the dry stone wall that's falling down near the chicken run - it's right in the way of where the new fence needs to be, and someone is coming to help us build that next weekend so need to get on with it! 

Nothing much else to report, although I did make £18 on the Happy Wheel today, bringing May's total to £166. Much better than the minus £147 from April! 😮😂

Cheery_Daff

Morning MSE chums! 

Weather is still vile - haven't even bothered to get the plants out of the greenhouse 🙄 Been to the cafe (again) - yes extravagant (although we did only spend £6 for the two of us) but all these cafe trips are more of a mental health thing for Mr Cheery than anything else. Always nice to get out.

Then his wheat bag had started to disintegrate and was shedding wheat everywhere, so rather than patching up yet another hole, I've just made a new one, using the same wheat. It was surprisingly easy, and I'll definitely be making one for myself. I'm permanently attached to my hot water bottle, but this is a curved thing that rests over your shoulders, most jolly. 

And now I really MUST get on with some work, I'll still be at my desk at midnight at this rate!! 😮

redofromstart

Hello Cheery.  I read about making bags with dried rice in for microwaving as heat bags somewhere on here years back.  Wheat may smell nicer, the rice smells a bit toasty after a while.  The boys don't mind in the least but the various cats and I prefer the hot water bottles.

Cheery_Daff

Ah yes, I'd heard about rice, and today I read something about using corn (not popping corn! 😂😂 the stuff we have for the chickens). Might experiment now I know how easy it is. I'm getting used to the smell of the wheat, but the scorched bag it was in before was NOT pleasant 😮

rtandon27

Cherry pits are also lovely for heating pads - they used to be available on am@z0n imported from Germany but not sure if they are now available due to new br3xit tariffs and rules.

Karmacat

I have one wheat, one cherry - I experimented last year with collecting cherry stones from the *huge* cherry trees on my rec. ground, but I didn't stick at it

rtandon27

The ones I have from across the pond are made of oat grains & can be used warm from the microwave or cold from the freezer.  In the winter I often have one in my lap - not quite a warm purring feline but close enough!

Cheery_Daff

Thank you for all the wheat bag suggestions! I shall definitely be experimenting 😁

So, we have new windows!! 😁😁 I am SO pleased. The geezers were lovely, they've done a great job. The windows are so clean they look like they aren't there at all - wonder how long that'll last?! 😂 We had five replaced - three that were single glazed with rotten wooden frames, one that was completely misted up (and the wrong size for the hole) and a final one so they all matched. I reckon £1800 ain't bad, and we've got the original windows for, well, not sure what actually but we've got the room so apparently we're never throwing anything away ever again 🙄😂

Anyway, I'm delighted, and it does feel like a step closer to a new kitchen! Still no word about the second hand one - I'd have given up already except it's solid oak and far nicer than anything we're likely to buy new. If we can't have it, then fine, but I'm not impressed with the builder not just saying that. Trying not to be annoyed with him before he's even got here! 

Anyway, I'll ring him tomorrow, and unless it's a definite yes, I'll start the process of finding a new one, since that'll take a while to sort quotes and decide what we want. 

Anyway, the important thing is that I now have FIVE DAYS OFF 😁😁 Of course that doesn't equal five completely free days - got to rebuild a wall tomorrow, drive Mr Cheery to the hospital on Saturday, and again on Tuesday, and some pals are coming out to help with the chicken run building on Sunday, so that means making lunch and doing a load of hard labour. I'm going to at least attempt a few hours of rest and a solo excursion on Monday to rejuvenate myself a bit...

Cheery_Daff

Oh, and finances. I'm up almost £8 on Prolific, and did a few more studies today. There were another two equalling £7.50 and I was tempted... but they would have taken over an hour and I had work to do 😂 

A few things I want to get done while I'm off.

FINANCES
- banks and YNAB
- Pay windows bill

OUTSIDE
- rebuild wall by chicken run
- make a start on new chicken run fence
- plant out greenhouse plants - some are looking a bit sickly from being in pots too long
- weeding! 
- bit of scything (or possibly even strimming...)

COMPUTER THINGS
- order fence posts for new chicken run
- find list of kitchen supplier suggestions and ring them

Hmm, pretty sure there was a massive list in my head but it'll probably come to me in the middle of the night...

Best go to sleep, lots to buttle on with tomorrow!