Moving forward and upwards

doingitanyway

Nice to read an update from you. Good luck with your exams 

MovingForwards

Thank you Skinty and DIA

New mortgage payment was taken this month, complaint handler did not call me to confirm the amount. They've extended the complaint investigation by 4 weeks.

Plot holder gets them from work, therefore a constant supply is available to them.

Now, on to the latest college saga. Papers from exam board were received today, I've telephoned them to query and it wasn't a L6 course, just two units at L5, not an actual qualification. At the moment, it appears this was only an accredited course; as you know I've already got those, and needed the higher level / qualification to attend specialised training.

Suffice to say I've submitted a complaint to college and demanded a full refund of the course fees.

Not quite the update I was hoping to do 😕 

Skint_yet_Again

So sorry to hear about the course ☹️ hope you get the refund after they have wasted your time and energy. 

MovingForwards

Thank you Skinty

I've accepted their offer as the main alternative option is suing them and it's not worth my time for an extra £150, waiting on the part refund.

I have emailed two companies to see if they'll accept me on their training. One asked for more info and I'm waiting a further response. The other hasn't responded yet. I am expecting both to say no and trying to figure out how I can squirrel away £1500 to attend further training next year to get what I do need to progress.

MOT is booked in this week, cutting it fine as it runs out Sunday.

Car insurance renewal is end of the month, £181.

I'm sending a bit of money to savings each payday, mainly the car pot, £40 for furbabies, and some to all my other accounts.

I've started baking once a week and potentially jam making this week! I'm harvesting / freezing fruit each day while awaiting jars, hopefully I'll have some spare so I can try making rhubarb and ginger jam as my plant is massive.

The hot weather, and probably exhaustion etc, is preventing progress at 2nd home. I'm getting annoyed and frustrated as I'd hoped to have it all finished by the of this month, but it's almost impossible to dig between 9am - 7pm. 

I'll get there with everything, it'll just take longer than hoped / planned.

doingitanyway

Mostly positives. 
I love homemade jam and will be making marmalade as soon as seville oranges arrive...
I plan to get into pickling this year too 

Skint_yet_Again

Good luck with your mot and jam making. I’m useless at baking and sadly can’t have jam cos of the sugar. 

MovingForwards

Thank you DIA and Skinty

Mortgage complaint got me £75 and a refund of the difference for the contractual payment. Most has been spent to cover MOT cost, baking supplies and a bit off my CC.

MOT passed, need to book in for a couple of non-MOT things and waiting on a price.

Part refund to CC from college received too.

The one course has said I'm on the cusp of being able to attend their training due to experience rather than training, but want me very confident with the human body; I totally agree with them and will be focusing on improving that. I wasn't looking to do the training immediately and was testing the water to see how others would view the college "qualification". No reply yet from the other company and will follow it up next week.

My first lot of jars have been delivered, waiting on the second lot and I've ordered some muslin to make clootie dumpling as my last cake tasted like one but totally different texture. 

I've been harvesting gooseberries, raspberries and strawberries (normal and alpine) each evening and freezing them. There's sufficient goose and rasp to make jam. There are specialist jams and most big supermarkets stock it in their free from section. DIY there will be alternative options instead of sugar.

As for baking, you'd be surprised where I got my original cake recipe and have been tweaking it each time.

The flat is an oven and I've sat at 2nd home for an hour this morning. I've yet to move, have loads to do, but it's too hot. Maybe I should be digging overnight with bright torches when it's slightly cooler.

debtfreewannabe321

Yay on the MOT - mine failed!
Too hot in my house too. I literally get so tired from the heat I end up doing nothing with my day!

doingitanyway

Skint_yet_Again said:

Good luck with your mot and jam making. I’m useless at baking and sadly can’t have jam cos of the sugar. 

And that is why I shouldn't be making it either...is there a compote with less sugar that I could make instead I wonder? 

@MovingForwards I had a neighbour who used to do her gardening at night with a head torch as she got back late from work!

MovingForwards

Hope yours isn't too costly DFW321.

I've done a quick search for sugar free jam and some use maple syrup or honey with chia seeds. I might give that a go with the strawberries. DIA if you give any sugar free recipes a go let us know how it turns out.

Two lots of jars have arrived and I'm using a voucher for a local shop to stock up on baking / jam supplies

Starting to get butternut squash on my plants. There's loads of cucumbers and cucamelons forming and my chilli plants have a stack of flowers. 

- I'm starting to plan next years growing.

Hubby and I were both at 2nd home Saturday, first thing and late afternoon. Best I could do was a bit of weeding and watering with loads of breaks. Hubby lifted and shifted slabs, weeded etc, shored the edge and now I have another section cleared. 

Just the rest of the veg section to dig, new patio to dig / build / shore, main paths to dig / lay and finish the fencing.

In theory I could be at 2nd home from about 2am without torches as there's only a few hours of "darkness".

After A's last hospital stay / op the consultant was altering / removing her meds and she's back in hospital after having a mini stroke 😕