Giving every £ a job

EssexHebridean

Ha - when we had HRH The Cat she was also fussy about "only in gravy, thank you"! We also had to ban the cattery from feeding her F3lix as if they did she would be on strike in relation to eating anything else for weeks after she came home! 

For many years one thing I always wanted to do was walk on a beach on Christmas day - it was an ambition finally realised when we were up in the Hebrides over Christmas for a few years - starting the day with a run on the beach outside the cottage, and then heading out again later for a walk on a different one was a tradition I loved! 

Blackcats

A winter walk on the beach can be delightful as long as you are wrapped up properly.  We had a great walk on Brighton beach a few years ago - the wind was howling and the rain was bucketing down.  We managed about 10 minutes and then went to choccy woccy do dah for the best hot chocolate.

A few money saving wins over the last few days 
- MrBC has sorted out my laptop which had got itself stuck in my former work mode - it's now set up with my personal accounts and password etc.
this means that there are more prolific surveys that I can do and my total for this month is increasing nicely.  I cash out at the middle of the month so I'll plod away for another week.  I did an allocating tokens type game this afternoon which was interactive with 3 other players and I wondered if I was playing alongside MSE'rs.
- we went to a family get together at the weekend (the nice part of the family) - as well as wine we took a poinsettia instead of the very over priced and uninspiring bunches of supermarket flowers and I made a batch of coffee and walnut cakes which were very well received.  

Still using freezer and cupboard stocks for our meal plans.   We made soup from veggies we prepped and froze a few weeks ago and dug out our Lidl free loaf which we had also frozen.  Finished up a tub of ice cream and lo and behold some space has been made.
- went through £co for a couple of Christmas presents 

I've set aside some time tomorrow to finally finish sewing up my current knitting project.  I really must do it.  I'm sure when I re-start it will take much less time than I think and won't be as tricky as I think.  Will report back with a triumphant update tomorrow.  No choice but to get on with it now I've put it in writing.

savingholmes

Good luck with finishing the knitting project. 

Walks sound good - or was that the choccy wotsit after the walk... 

Either way looking forward to a break!

lucielle

Hope you get the sewing done. 

L

EssexHebridean

Hope you're not still sewing BC! 

Blackcats

@EssexHebridean - it felt like an epic sewing up session - it required 2 cups of tea and a portion of maltezers (a portion = 12 sweets and doesn't include 2 sweets which are consumed during the counting process).  Anyway the garment is sewn up and is now just lying flat whilst I admire with amazement my completed handiwork.  It's not a masterpiece but I'm pleased with it.  I'm going to get the "use it up" blanket finished next and then it feels like a good time to start some new projects.

Non MSE - went for a meal last night with my daughters.  The 3 of us don't often spend time together without their children so it was lovely to sit and chat.  We went to a local pub where the service was fairly grim.   Mid way through our dinner the barman doused down the wood burner which filled the room with smoke and then of course the room became cold.  Last orders were called at 9.30 but they reluctantly agreed to make us tea and coffee at 9.31.  The meal cost a fortune but we did have a nice time together.

MSE - we filled up the car at the cheapest petrol station - 5p a litre cheaper than its neighbouring garage.  

MSE doesn't offset non-MSE on this occasion but as long as it does overall then that's what we are all aiming for.

PennysIntoPounds

That sounds like a terrible night out, I'm glad you had nice family time to counteract it!

Sun_Addict

I’m glad you had a nice time despite the poor service. Well done on sewing up the knitting.

ladyholly

I have herd of ways of getting rid of customers but smoking them out is a new one on me. Glad you had a good time despite the service or lack of.

Blackcats

Thank you @PennysIntoPounds , @Sun_Addict and @ladyholly
yes indeed being smoked out of the pub and then plummeted into cold conditions was a novel approach.  It's  a shame because it used to be a good pub and I chose it based on its past reputation.  Still we had fun and spent time together so that's the main thing.

My elderly dad started a cough and was very wheezy yesterday.  I checked on him this morning and in his own words he sounded like a steam engine trying to puff up hill.  We are so lucky with his GP - I phoned the practice at 9,30, the GP phoned me at 10.30, visited him at home at 1.30 and he had started his antibiotics by 2,30.  Fingers crossed he has a good night and the medication does its job quickly.  He is very resilient but at 96 I'll need to keep a close eye on him.