Giving every £ a job

KeepOnKnitting

Frustrating about the frogs, but at least you can manage. The feeling when something is a logistical inconvenience and a financial frustration, rather than a complete disaster, is such an amazing feeling.

Hooray for free coffee.

Blackcats

hello @KeepOnKnitting - nice to see you and great user name.
  I'm just about to keep on crocheting - I'm making a blanket for my grand-daughter and I promised she would have it by the winter!  Now her sister has asked for a blanket too.  I'm surprised as she's 13 so I didn't think it would be the sort of thing that she would still want.  I've got lots of wool though so apart from indulging in a few new balls of wool to jazz the blankets up they won't cost much to make.  I've still got some scraps of wool from my mum's stash (she died a couple of years ago) and both DGDs are pleased to have them incorporated into their blankets as they adored their great grandma who doted on them).  I'm visiting a town with a real wool shop next month so I'll buy 2 or 3 balls of wool then.

well the frog I referred to was nowhere near as much of a nuisance as I thought it would be and fingers crossed and touching wood I think it was solved with 1 telephone call.

We had pizza from a pop up wood-fired pizza shack tonight at the cricket club - what a delicious Thursday night treat (not very MSE but we took our own drinks, a pot of fresh fruit and a couple of cream eggs that somehow have survived since Easter 🥹)

received my credit refund from 🐙 and that's been allocated to savings pots despite my browsing online for some new sandals.  Sold an item on vinted and that's been posted.  

PennysIntoPounds

Fantastic balance of enjoying and doing mse things. How sweet the 13 year old wants a blanket from you, and incorporating your mums wool is very lovely indeed. Glad the frog went down smoothly.
I am however baffled at having creme eggs left over from Easter in June 

[Deleted User]

Thank you so much for the feta pasta recipe - I love feta and greek food generally, DH not so keen but will force it on him!

So lovely re the blanket - they are lucky to have you doing these things for them.

Love the idea of a pop up pizza place!  And a good balance of MSE with own drinks/pudding and you don't have to clear up afterwards - brucey bonus!

Blackcats

@PennysIntoPounds - I can solve the baffling case of the June crème eggs for you.  They were hiding in my dad's cupboard - he'd been given them by his neighbour's children.  I offered him one with his cup of tea and he declared that he didn't like them and had asked a carer to tuck them out of sight so as not to offend next door.  Hence he bequeathed them to me,

I've made a few more squares for blanket number one and I'm not supposed to 49/70 and then there's the border to do but at least it's only June.

@[Deleted User] - love the Brucey bonus expression - haven't heard that for ages.

did our shopping at Lidl today - got a free bakery items and a free punnet of plums.  The plums are as hard as cricket balls so I think I'll end up poaching them and having them with Greek yoghurt - wouldn't have paid for them but a free gift is a free gift.

After some thought and debate we have cancelled our sky subscription.  We only had the basic package but we mostly watch the free view channels.  We also have a "specially programmed' 🔥 twig device which accesses football and films plus p r I m e.  We are getting a fancy free view box which DH is researching.  So after the initial investment buying the box we will remove a monthly direct debit which is good.

very poor day for surveys but I'm 30p up on where I was this morning 🥹

savingholmes

Sounds like you are very much still enjoying your retirement. Do you think you would ever go back to work part time or do you think this is it now? 

lucielle

I’m with your dad re crème eggs, can’t stand them. We have Sky glass and font very often watch mainstream tv. 

L

EssexHebridean

Also not a fan of creme eggs - too sweet for me. On the flipside though - caramel eggs are lush. We snared 10 of them at 30p just after easter, and ate the last 6 of those while we were away! 

Blackcats

@savingholmes - interesting question and one that I've been mulling over recently.  I've had a couple of tentative sounding out approaches and whilst I'm very flattered i have felt absolutely no urge to think about working again in any way, shape or form.  I really surprised myself with this unequivocal decision as work has been such a defining part of the last 40 years for me.  I've done some coaching sessions with 2 former colleagues who are now my friends and I enjoyed that but I have a vested interest in doing it well because they were with friends.  I couldn't monetise that and I wouldn't want to try to establish a money making coaching business.

I'm enjoying spending time how I want to spend it.  I read an article recently that said that there's no refund on time.

SH - I think you will potentially use your creative skills when you have more time to balance being commercial with being creative?

@lucielle and @EssexHebridean crème eggs (in my humble opinion) are not what they once were.  They are definitely smaller and the inner texture has changed to more grainy (a bit like the camel's milk chocolate) and the delicious thick top layer of chocolate is much thinner.  So all in all I'm being very stoical in working my way through the box of 5 and you 2 are not missing out. 

we had a wonderful evening at a concert last night.  It was held at our favourite concert venue which was a favoured Palace of Henry VIII.  Picnic in the stunning grounds and then a fabulous performance.  Every moment was filled with joy and energy and talent.  We took our own picnic using components from our local deli so it wasn't particularly cheap but felt like a nice treat.

still slowly building up this month's survey earnings,  I've reached last week's target but I'm still a few £'s away from this week's target and I'm aware that it's already Thursday 🙃.  Will keep plodding and cash out at £40 to send across to the Christmas pot.

PennysIntoPounds

Deli picnic in the grounds of an historical building for a concert sounds gorgeous.
I'm very fond of the much overlooked Eltham Palace, which was a Henry VIII place (though where wasn't when you were a king back in the day!)
I can help with the creme eggs if you're struggling, you don't have to be brave, you have friends to support you