the hedgehog's balloons.

the_cross_rabbit

themadvix DD1 is in her 2nd year of 4. She is really enjoying university life and up till christmas she was working also, however her course is pretty full on this next term so she will only be able to work in the holidays.
A fairly productive day, although the house still looks like a tip. After consultanting with the cupboards, fridge, freezer, allotment and various cookbooks a meal plan is made for the week. Hopefully I will only need a tiny shop this week for essentials as most of the ingredients can be shopped from the house. Batch cooked veggie chilli, shepherdless pie, spaghetti bol, veggie bol and shepherds pie - 9 meals in all. Unfortunately it created lots of washing up, most went in the dishwasher but there was alot of (washing up) recycling to be done. 
Gave Miss giddychops a proper going over with the brush today and produced enough hair to create a wig for Duncan Goodhew. Less hair to hover up hopefully. Various jobs done and christmas decorations are almost all down. The house feels very bare without them. Found a use for the copious amounts of bubble wrap we've accumaleted  over the last year, wrapped alot of the decorations that a fragile in it, as we lost my favourite one this year.Just need to escort the tree out the house without too much kerfuffle hopefully.
REplenished the bird feeders, although at this time of year we get few visitors which is bizarre as we are inundated in the spring and summer months. Its the big garden bird watch at the end of the month, so want to attract more than the wood pigeons and flying rats (feral pigeons).

Positives
1) Physio done
2) Jobs list complete
3) Family are all safe and well
4) A relaxing bath is within reach.
off to tilly tidy. Take care everyone.
CRX

the_cross_rabbit

Another productive day, the tree has been evicted into the garden where it will gradually shed its needles and provide lots of hiding places for creepy crawlies. Most of the decoations are down and boxed up, they just need a helping hand into the loft.
The hubbster is offically umemployed today, but starts his new job tomorrow. Managed to get the pond cleared before the heavens opened, just need to move the debis tomorrow, so the water crawlies will have had time to crawl back into the water. Lots needs doing in the garden, hoping the weather will be decent over the next couple of days. I need to check what seeds we have and create a sowing plan for this year, really want to grow celeriac this year. I bought celery and celeriac plug plants last year and they turned out to all be celery.
Hoping to go swimming tomorrow and then go and see my mum who has had a fall today and has broke her finger.

Positives
1) Spoke to bestie today for a catch up
2) Pond is cleared
3) Tea was edible.....just
4) Mum has only broke her finger and not a major bone
off to tilly tidy. Take care everyone.
CRx

Fortune_Smiles

Ouch!  Poor mum.  I bet that's really painful.

Fortune x

the_cross_rabbit

Managed to get my steps in, do some yoga and finally made it to the pool. We were in the pool for 20 minutes which was long enough for my shoulder. Popped to see mum, she has a very blck and blue finger, a couple of cuts and dented pride, but feels she got off lightly.
Managed to look at our food delivery and get it under £100, most of its bulk buy offers, which I'm happy with. The aim this year is to keep it under that amount each week, any surplus will be filtered into the entertainmnet fund.
The hubbster has had a good day and came in beaming. Lots of practical outdoor work which is right up his street. DD2 made sure a cold beer was waiting for him when he came in,
Other than that its just been a day filled with jobs, however I did give the washing machine and tumble drier a day off for good behaviour.

POSITIVES
1) Mum ok
2)Got 2 packets of pastilles for a £1 instead of the £1.30 ( I was intially charged) as they were advertised wrong and the shop honoured the price and I got 30p back.
3)My walk this morning was filled with bird song.

Well off to tilly tidy. Take care everyone
CRx

the_cross_rabbit

I've not stopped today, been super busy although as I look back on my day I'm not entirely sure I've accomplished that much. Its been full of jobs that I've only been able to half complete for various reasons. DD2 has had a blob day in preparation for college tomorrow which has limited what I've been able to get done. I do have a clean oven top, tea is prepared for tomorrow and I managed to get on my bike for 20 minutes. I've not been able to use my bike since early last year due to my ongoing shoulder and neck pain but today I was able to cycle up to the book swap telephone box and back. Even with turbo power on it was hard going up the hill, but the down hill was like being a kid again. I managed to get several free books although not in the genre I prefer.
I managed to retrieve the christmas tree from my friends front garden and dragged it back up the road. Providing the weather is decent tomorrow I'll chop it up and take it to break down on the orchard at the alloment at the weekend, the main trunk we'll burn on the fire later on in the year. Another neighbour dropped off a plant to say thank you for letting her other neighbour(they have a key to her house) that she had gone out and left her front door wide open on NYE. Phone call from a friend to say that she has almost finished repairing the patchwork quilt she made us 20 years (it was a wedding present) and thats its replacement (the orginal one is in a very delicate state and won't be able to be used practically, hoping to make it into a large wall hanging) is almost finished.

POSITIVES
1) I'm almost back to my pre-christmas weight (Since last june I've managed to lose nearly a stone and a half)
2) The house remains tidy
3) I got 10% off bulk buying my loose leaf tea 
4) My uncle's operation went ok and hopefully will be back home soon.

Already tilly tidied. 
CRx

the_cross_rabbit

We had snow earlier on today much to mum's disgust (she's stopping for a couple of days) but seems to have gone now, although i suspect it will freeze tonight and be an ice rink tomorrow. DD2 went to college today and was so looking forward to seeing her friends. Only a few jobs completed and the rest are waiting for forms to arrive. Managed to get DD2 photo's done for her blue badge although it did take several attempts as she either had her eyes closed or was laughing too much. Other than a quick trip to the tip not done a great deal.

Positives
1) Uncle is out of hospital.
2) The cottage we are thinking of going to for our wedding anniversary at the end of the month is stil free (waiting to book incase it snows)
3) Been able to use stuff grown in the summer to make tea in the winter. 

Off to tilly tidy.
CRx

themadvix

Sorry for the delayed response CR, but glad DD1 is enjoying uni. 4 years? Does that mean there's a sandwich year in there or is she in Scotland?

Glad DD2 enjoyed school - and loved the bit about the photo for the blue badge - it's good to laugh!

the_cross_rabbit

themadvix - she is doing a year either in industry or research and will come out with an MA in chemistry at the end of it.
I'm currently trying to complete a year without buying anything new and may fall at the first hurdle within the first week as we need a new kettle. After much research using ethical consumer and considering that our hob is gas (expensive) we are looking at an electrical kettle. Would love a hob kettle just for the whistle. Anyway my dilema is whether to buy a 2nd hand one (time, effort, risk, patience) or just to by one as its essential in this house to have tea/coffee in the morning. We are also ordering our new kitchen/dining room flooring tomorrow (had to cancel them coming to measure up just before Christmas as I had a false positive LFT which I obviously isolated for until the PCR came back negative (happened x2). Again something new but that gets a free pass as it would of been paid for before Christmas. Another free pass will be underwear and socks, the thought of 2nd hand pants makes me shudder, which is daft really as they would be clean but erghhhh! 
Managed to go swimming again and also get the dog out before the snow arrived. Very quick visit to the allotment for veg for tea tonight and tomorrow. The hubbster has completed his first week of work and is exhausted but happy. Been a very relaxing day in general.

Postives
1) Still enjoying the fruits (veggies) of our summer and autumn labour.
2) Its the weekend
3) Leftovers for lunch.

CRx

themadvix

Very clever DD1 then! I did A-level chemistry but only got a C and I really didn’t understand a lot of it.

 Glad to hear you’ve signed up for a nothing new in 22 challenge too 😊 With the kettle, are there any bnwt on Facebook? If not, I’d just buy one - too essential to live without and difficult (impossible?)  to fix. (Take it you’ve checked the fuse and it’s not the socket?). Underwear is entirely acceptable and the floor should have been done already, as you say!

the_cross_rabbit

Not been 100% the last couple of days, think I've picked up a stomach bug hopefully on the road to recovery now. Meal plan sorted for next week, it does feature pumpkin quite a bit as we still have 2 from last year. Going to make a sauce for pasta tomorrow which I've never done before.
Considering swapping our current account to benefit from the money offered to switch but a little apprehensive as its not something we've done before.

Weekly round up to keep the focus on the future overpayments
Food - £123 this includes the monthly £20 bulk buy i've decided to put in place.
Other - £8 photos for blue badge and CAE card
Petrol - £50 (hubbster's car)
New purchases - 0
Second hand purchases - 0
Upcycle - 0
Donation - 0
Homemade - 0
Mended - 0 
Tilly tidies -  6 out of 7 days.
Other than that not alot else to report.
CRx