Discount Duck’s Quest For Mortgage Freedom

Suffolk_lass

Don't forget Bamburgh when you go to Alnwick  - Colchester also has a house with a glass floor showing the theatre in the basement. And Hadleigh (in Essex, not the Suffolk one) has the Olympic cycle route that your children might enjoy riding - it's a ruin but good walking, and could be combined with a trip to the Southend seaside if finances run to Peter-Pan's Playground (it's a wristband thing with offers)

DiscountDuck

Wow you lot! There are so many amazing places you’ve suggested that I’ve never heard of and wouldn’t have discovered otherwise! I’ve made a list and am having a wonderful time researching prices, local camp sites etc. 

Today is my day off so I’ve got a bit of research with two lovely academics from a home Ed organisation who approached me for a joint piece of work stemming from my dissertation. I also need to go and make the garden non dog poo-ey before it (hopefully) snows and move the hens’ hutch, plus I’ve got to speak with someone about rehoming the caravan. 

If I get time I’ll also do a bit of prep for the freezer. I get a whole bunch of celery then dice and freeze it for recipes so it doesn’t go to waste and we only use what we need. 

Other than that it’s just supporting the minions with their remote schooling and we’ve got this awesome science experiment to do (not from school, just because we like experiments). It’s from a lady who has a Theatre of Science channel on YouTube and she does brilliant, interactive, lessons. This one is all about ice and I’m rather excited about it. We’ve got our tin can of frozen salt water and loads of ice cubes ready, with no idea what she will do yet! 

Baileys_Babe

Do your children have Blue Peter badges @DiscountDuck? There is a long list of attractions where children can get free entry or other discounts.  You can filter the list by locations or theme.
I some times use the list to give me ideas on where to visit

trix-a-belle

yay to the dissertation already stemming further study!!!
Another place up near Alnwick is Cragside, very interesting for technology & engineering (first house to have electricity) & if you want to go further up Lindisfarne is beautiful & Bamburgh castle is insanely imposing (think I might have been confusing that & Barnard castle yesterday)

badmemory

If the offspring are interested in the difference between how things are affected by freezing, try tap water, sea water & coke.  Leave the coke plenty of room.

There used to be a lot of places you could visit that were not ones with shops included.  Anglesey used to be particularly good for tombs.  It might be interesting for them to go to places that they can use more imagination for.

I must say that one of the most interesting places I went to (about 45 years ago) was in the middle of nowhere in the middle of Malta.  The lady who opened the gate for us (no charge) gave us a bag of fresh figs as a thank you for wanting to see the site.  We had only seen dried figs at this time & the fresh figs were as big an eyeopener as the site was.

Suffolk_lass

badmemory said:

If the offspring are interested in the difference between how things are affected by freezing, try tap water, sea water & coke.  Leave the coke plenty of room.

There used to be a lot of places you could visit that were not ones with shops included.  Anglesey used to be particularly good for tombs.  It might be interesting for them to go to places that they can use more imagination for.

I must say that one of the most interesting places I went to (about 45 years ago) was in the middle of nowhere in the middle of Malta.  The lady who opened the gate for us (no charge) gave us a bag of fresh figs as a thank you for wanting to see the site.  We had only seen dried figs at this time & the fresh figs were as big an eyeopener as the site was.

How lovely in Malta @badmemory - and I love places with no shop - I love the area north of Ipswich - the coast around Dunwich, - of course Sutton Hoo (now the film is out) will be crawling but it's lovely round there and villages in Suffolk like Lavenham and Long Melford have a rich medieval history relating to wealth built by wool traders (in Lavenham the Parish Church is huge and impressive, the Guild Hall is rather marvellous, and Kentwell in Long Melford is worth a google as they have in previous years done a medieval re-enactment with volunteers living as serfs for a couple of weeks, with a drink at The Bull if there is access by then (and no weddings underway) - it is a lovey old pub/hotel.

debtfreeoneday

Well done on holding your boundaries. Regardless of how things go, speaking is better than not. 

Cynical me reckons Barnard Castle will be busy this year. The whole country knows about Barnard Castle now. Probably some Government plot to improve tourism there. 😂

well done on submitting the dissertation. Sorry I’m a bit behind. 

riotlady

I’m a bit late also but we’ll done for submitting your dissertation!! Between that, holding your boundaries so well and buying the camper can you’ve been smashing it

DiscountDuck

Ah thanks you lot, I feel so supported! I love places without a shop. It’s why camping appeals so much. We have never heard of some of these places and I’m having a wonderful time looking into them all. I’m hoping lots of places on the grand tour will be Blue Peter badge entry as that’ll be a good money-saver. I will take the suggestion of planning to fit in lots of them en route to other places, or maybe do a Blue Peter tour! 

Ex and I are now speaking regularly and that’s nice. I’m not committing to anything as I want to see how he gets on with managing his own mental health instead of expecting me to do it, and I want to know it’s long term permanent change not me being walked over. 

Uncle who lives nearby is getting a bit forgetful in lockdown, he’s not really got enough company to keep his very clever brain active on his own in the flat. He needs something to do and he’s already painted everywhere he can and got all his stuff organised etc. I’d find him jobs here but it’s not allowed and I don’t want him to get in trouble. I can’t bubble with him because of having to bubble with mum as her carer. I hope lockdown ends soon.
Boudica and Mavis are happier than they’ve been in ages. I’ve discovered that hens love jumping up pecking at a cauliflower dangled from the bars of their run. It keeps them busy for hours! I haven’t seen them play before, I didn’t think hens did. 

DiscountDuck

I heard back today that my masters dissertation was marked and second marked, and it’s passed! Yay! I’m so pleased with myself

I’ve joined the camping and caravanning club and booked three trips away in the camper with the kids. Our first adventures are going to be to Sandringham in Norfolk, a site near Weymouth, plus the Peak District. There are quite a few more suggestions from you lovely lot that I want to visit but there is a shortage of availability on lots of camp sites already. I’m mapping camp sites against Blue Peter badge venues, which is a cheapskate way of doing it but will make it affordable giving them the best time for the least money!
I’m starting the refurb of the back garden, changing over the oldest and now rotten raised beds with thick (recycled) plank beds. I may have got carried away with my plans, having watched too many pallet builds on YouTube - but I’m going to try to make arbour seats with arches over them inbetween two raised beds each side of the garden. Then I’ll be able to grow climbing squash, courgettes and beans over the arches. 
Mum's had her covid jab, which is a huge relief. Uncle hasn’t even though he’s old enough to be eligible but he’s not been contacted yet. I hope I’ll be not far behind because of the dodgy heart thing.

Stay safe everyone.