We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum... Read More »
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING
Hello Forumites! However well-intentioned, for the safety of other users we ask that you refrain from seeking or offering medical advice. This includes recommendations for medicines, procedures or over-the-counter remedies. Posts or threads found to be in breach of this rule will be removed.📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
Champagne Lifestyle on a Lemonade Budget.
Comments
-
Sorry to hear your shoulder is causing you pain, LL - hope you feel better very soon!
I'm extremely envious of you seeing your family over the bank holiday weekend though - sadly ours are too far away and we've not seen them since Christmas. We'd planned a trip then lockdown was announced
Nonetheless, we managed a few champagne moments - our latest order of plants arrived (buddleia globosa, plume poppy, cardoons, trilliums and more lavenders) which was excitingI! I've coveted trilliums for ages and we left a massive buddleia globosa that we'd planted, when we sold our last house so hoping this one will soon catch up. It's already got a few buds
We had a glass of peach bellini and a slice of homemade cake in the garden at 3pm on VE Day whilst sitting admiring our handiwork. The sun was shining, it was warm..... briefly at least as the weather turned colder on Sunday.
Despite the change in the weather, Sunday was another day of achievements outside - I'm preparing a bed that will contain only fiery colours and finally finished digging that out, whilst DH *almost* completed prep on the rose bed paths! Very pleased with all of that.....
We rounded off the day with a game of Scrabble and home cooked surf and turf followed by a deconstructed strawberry flan (mainly because the supermarket was out of flan cases so I substituted boudoir biscuits, lol!).
Last couple of days it's been sunny again. I've been pricking out seedlings and transferring them to the polytunnel. Hopefully lots of perennials for the garden, saving us quite a few £££ which is a champagne moment in itselfMortgage-free for fourteen years!
Over £40,000 mis-sold PPI reclaimed9 -
Good morning my lovely friends.....
Well it's still cold and grey so another day with a paintbrush stuck to my hand. And whilst champagne moments are a little thin on the ground right now, I am taking satisfaction in seeing the kitchen improve day by day. It's hard work though and rough on my old bones.My big champagne moment when lockdown is over will be treating myself to a hot stone massage........I have blooming well earned it. I feel like Quasimodo all hunched up and out of alignment......not a good look. 😂🤣. I am making do with hot Epsom salt baths and my hand massager but it's not the same. I just need a good pummelling.....too sore to even attempt yoga but I really must try, even a few simple stretches would help.The weather is set to warm up again soon, a bit of warm sunshine will help too. Hopefully nice and warm by the weekend.10 -
Hello all
I rarely post but read regularly and wanted to thank you for the idea of the book how to retire happy wild and free
DH is a lot closer to retirement than me but I'm hoping the read will help me to be a bit more wild and free especially
Sadly I'm a bit of a workaholic and that has continued in lockdown although I have booked today as annual leave
We have spent the past hour in"the corner of doom" in our dining room come office
It has become a bit of a dumping ground but is a lovely almost champagne moment to see it cleared but I will let DH hoover in case there are anymore spiders lol
DH went shopping this morning ( I'm a shielded patient so not allowed) and we are having a bbq shortly which I am looking forward to
LL hope your shoulder improves and hope everyone else is keeping safe and well
NRA xxNewRoadAhead Debts Sep 2009 £35,000.00Debt Free November 2014, Mortgage free June 2022
#No16 2025 52 week envelope challenge-£477/£13788 -
Good morning all, hope everyone is well - things seem a little quiet.
Last night I watched The Incredible Hulk - I am trying to work my way through the Marvel Universe films....I decided not to buy wine this week as I think that has contributed a lot to my weight gain so I had a couple of G & Ts. Had ran out of Gordons pink gin (my fave) so I bought a different one from Tesco (it was a lovely bottle!), which was very nice.
I've spent this morning browsing Mumsnet and found some lovely frugal threads, so I am feeling motivated!! Might even make some bread. Need to sort my freezer out, and organise it again. Everything just seems to have been stuffed in randomly by someone....
Yesterday I finally got round to sorting out my toiletries stash. Oh my word, there was so much of it. I have thrown some stuff away and reorganised the rest into a set of plastic drawers so I can see what I have. I then had to sort out what was originally in the plastic drawers, and so on - the whole thing ended up taking half of the day! Still, hopefully a job well done and should save me some money. I really need to buckle down if I am going to downsize to a smaller house.
My garden is more or less there now, just need some hanging baskets and some gravel, and have decided to paint the fence. I have been saving tin cans, and I'm going to plant some basil and coriander for my windowsill.
I have exercised quite a bit more this week, after a minor disaster when I almost couldn't get into my jeans earlier this week!
The weather this week is meant to be good - I love it when the sun shines. Everything seems a little better.
7 -
Good Morning my lovely friends.....
Yes it is a little quiet on here, hope you are all in good health, both physical and mental and not going stir crazy. I think the fine weather helps keep me cheerful, I'm definitely someone who just loves the sun. It works it's magic on my old bones. 😎. I shall be out there next week soaking it up.
Well I'm still feeling positive and motivated. Sure I get the odd flash of irritation and frustration that I can't just go out at the drop of a hat. Even the supermarket shop has to be planned like a military operation, make sure I have a list so as not to forget anythjng important, gloves and face mask to hand, and of course trying to time it to avoid the busiest times. I can't say that I'm bored though, I am finding plenty to keep me amused and of course keeping busy with the diy and garden.I remembered I have amazon prime and that I have access to books and magazines. So I have been able to get my magazine fix this week. I normally borrow magazines from the library because I do prefer the paper format rather than reading on the kindle or iPad but it's better than going without.Today I'm going to nip to the local shop. I need some eggs and I'm going to treat myself to a proper newspaper. I shall read it outside with my coffee........I know how to live. 😂. A perfect little low cost champagne moment.
Life is full of little champagne moments. One such is that tonight I'm going to make myself a curry. Last night my family and I had a great time doing a Face Time Quizz. It was fun, not as good as a real life meet-up of course but better than nothing.I do need some non food items so later today I'm going to do some internet shopping. I have almost finished the kitchen cabinets.....wahoo, just three drawer fronts left. What a marathon it's been. Several times I wished I hadnt started but I feel really pleased with myself that I've persevered. As well as saving me shedloads of money it gave me something constructive to do during lockdown.I still have plenty of diy to do of course but I might take a break from painting for a couple of weeks, concentrate on the garden and do some more decluttering.I have been thinking about my "5 year plan". Where I want to be, what I want my life to look like etc. And I'm getting a clear picture of what I want to achieve. My fixed rate mortgage expires in October 2023. I'm 69 in July so by my reckoning I will be 72 by then. I think 2023 will be the right time to downsize and move into something smaller, with a small, easy to maintain garden, maybe a little closer to the city and preferably on the right side of the city to be closer to both my sons.....currently we all have to cross the city to visit and it can be a bit of a pain at peak times.I'm really getting quite excited now that I've got a clear vision so I'm going to crack on and make this house stunning so that I can sell at a good price and make a nice little profit to set me up for a long and fruitful retirement.Well that's the plan. 🤞😉11 -
@helensbiggestfan, always enjoy your posts and this bit :-"I'm really getting quite excited now that I've got a clear vision so I'm going to crack on and make this house stunning so that I can sell at a good price and make a nice little profit to set me up for a long and fruitful retirementWell that's the plan. 🤞😉"Well it reminded me of my plans to do work on the house mainly getting the kichen refitted, I can no longer reach top cupboards nor get down to bottom ones I really want a larder/cupboard I took so long dithering then lockdown happened so who knows when it'll get done now but it's taught me a lesson not to dither and waste time so when I survive lockdown I will get things done sooner.I hope your plan works out and would love to see photos
Women and cats will do as they please and men and dogs should get used to it.;)
Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.
Ralph Waldo Emerson6 -
Taking before and after photos as I go along.....😉
A larder sounds fab. I know what you mean about the bending and stretching. I would have loved to make this kitchen more user friendly for a Senior but I have always known that I wouldn't be staying in this house in the long term so that's why I didn't rip out the dated but perfectly adequate and functional kitchen. I couldn't really justify the expense when all it really needed was some of the units to be repositioned to make better use of the space and because they are solid pine and in good nick all they needed was a nice paint job.I did knock out a silly half wall that divided the space and that alone has made a huge difference. My sons thought I was crazy and that it wasn't worth the hassle but the difference is huge. Of course, the way they talk now they make it sound like it was their idea. Men eh, 😂🤣.One good thing is that living with this I now know exactly what I want and need in my next kitchen to see me through to my dotage. 😅. At the very least I will be going for under counter drawer units rather than cupboards and a chest height wall oven rather than an under the counter oven.If I were to stay here then I might be tempted but the more I think about it ........as lovely as this house is and as much as I love the garden, the neighbours and the location I can see that I would be better served moving closer to town with all the amenities on my doorstep, closer to my family so I can help out with the grandchildren and of course I downsize I can not only find something smaller and easier to run and maintain, I will also free up a dollop of capital.My ultimate dream has always been to buy a plot of land and design and build to my own specification.....not sure if I will ever manage it but hey never say never.🤔. I do actually have 50/50 shares in a plot with my sister. I could buy her out but that is in the middle of the country so it doesn't really fulfil the brief. Town centre plots are like gold dust of course, but who knows I might find something. If not then maybe a wreck I could knock to bits and rebuild.I would love an echo build, all smooth clean lines and super energy efficient.Obviously as I get older I'm less able to be really hands on.....this one has taught me that my diy days are probably numbered now, I'm just too decrepit. I shall probably take a more design/consultancy role next time.One thing is for sure......I won't live "on site" again. This is definitely the last time, I wont rough it again 😂🤣9 -
Afternoon Ladies
Not much to report here really. I've been mainly dog pandering 🙄, online shopping n eating .Cooking more has relieved my anxiety a bit. I was fine until Boris gave the ambiguous ' stay alert!" Message .....
As a teenager, I had a T shirt that said " Be alert, the world needs more lerts !" Not everyone got the joke 🙄
You lot have been very productive, especially LL, but omg at the idea of You moving again!! You're a veritable dynamo 😉😂
Right, best get Bon fed and walked, She's got her annoying attention seeking whine on 😉"You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf"
(Kabat-Zinn 2004):D:D:D8 -
Hi Candy.....been wondering where you are and what you are up to.Dynamo?? Lol. Most mornings I feel more like a flat battery. 🤣
I'm going to do some online shopping tonight. I feel like I need a treat......although I did pick up some chocolate today.It was on offer. 😂9 -
everyone's busy! me too. only in work one day a wk so had loads of time to de clutter and get some indoor painting done. All internal doors and painted windo sills finished. It looks so much fresher. Picked up a new chrome tri pod stand lamp with big grey shade for the conservatory today. I managed to put it together ok. A friend wants my old one so happy to pass it on. Gardener should be cracking on with the fencing if the supplies are delivered friday. I've done things that I struggled to fit in when I was working full time. Certainly hope we aren't back full time soon8
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

Categories
- All Categories
- 351.3K Banking & Borrowing
- 253.2K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 453.7K Spending & Discounts
- 244.3K Work, Benefits & Business
- 599.4K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 177.1K Life & Family
- 257.7K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16.2K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.6K Read-Only Boards