Greying's Gaining Ground - with Gratitude & Grace

greenbee

I agree on the schools thing. My brother moved to an area with an outstanding school, which has gone dramatically downhill in the last couple of years. They moved over Christmas, and apparently even people who haven't moved are taking their children away. Schools will probably change a lot over the next few years as hybrid online/classroom teaching is going to become more and more the norm. So find a nice house, in an area that works for you, and worry about schools when the time comes. After all, you can always homeschool

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning!

greenbee - I agree, and secondary education is still 'quite a few years off' yet, (although they will fly........).  And I know you are pulling my leg 😉 but I'm only in favour of homeschooling if EVERYONE is a willing party to it.  And I shall leave it at that..................

But yes, schooling is a factor in the mix of choosing a house, and if nothing else, this week has made me think about affordability/location etc etc (in addition to what we 'need' v 'want' from a new-to-us home) and I think it can be summed up by 'broadened horizons'.  Because (in theory) we could afford slightly more 'house' if we take out a mortgage, this does open up the areas we could look in.  And whilst the 2 houses that have piqued my interest this week are good, and offered much of what was on our 'needed' list,  they both required compromises that MIGHT not be necessary.  The 'overpriced' one was OK location-wise, but if we could 'afford' that, then maybe would could afford something similar but in a better location.  The 'fair' priced one was in an area I would be interested in living in, but perhaps for a little bit more investment, we could find a house in that area that was a 'better' house - if that makes sense.  This is why I love really being made to 'think' about decisions/choices, because it becomes apparent that there is much more......... 'choice' than if we just lurch forward on the basis of one criteria.

We had pizza and wedges for tea last night.  But I didn't make mushroom pizza, as I didn't have time to prep the mushrooms 🙁  However, I shall try and prep them today, freeze them, and then we can have mushroom pizza next week.  

Tea this evening is going to be curry, rice and dhal, and I think I shall make Jack Monroe's Peach and Chickpea curry.  I have all the ingredients in for it - my only concern is whether I'm peaking too early in utilising store-cupboard ingredients, which I may regret if we're under 10 foot of snow by the end of the month....?  But on the flip side, this is why everyone has 10 year old marmite in their cupboards, and 40 year old treacle, and............😉

Today will be a NSD.  But goodness, I wish I was having as many 'save' days, my piggy bank is empty 🙁  And we're only just into the second half of the month.......🙁  

Right, onward and upwards!  

Ta for popping in.  Greying X

 

Cheery_Daff

Use up that 40 year old treacle Greying!!  

Sounds like a lot of Big Thoughts going on at Greying Towers this week (ooh, are you still calling it that? I think you referred to having sold Greying Towers, so does your new home have a new MSE name? Apologies if I've missed it!)

Hope you have a nice peaceful day today with some frolics and fun xx

Greying_Pilgrim

Ha ha, dearest Cheery - I would have had to INHERIT a foodstuff for it to be 40 years old in MY cupboard, wot wif me only being 21 and all..................... 😉  I think the oldest thing that I have decluttered lately was a opened tin of golden syrup BB May 2018, I kept the tin, because it was a commemorative one.  But it has started to rust, so it might get binned - and then in 50 years time when I see it on Antiquities superhighway, selling for £1000...........

No, I haven't named this place - I guess because we don't own it.  But it's a happy home - for the most part.  We have ups & downs and squabbles like everyone else, but on balance, we're happy, and I still say it was the right thing to move here, even though it made things soooooo tight financially this past year.  But it's just as well we are somewhere that will 'do' as the property market is so topsy-turvy at the mo.  I'm realistic that 'the' house may not appear for a goodly while yet - whether we can afford it or not.

Hope you have a spiffing day Cheery!

Greying X

edinburgher

@badmemory - thanks for terrifying me re. Schools! 😱

Greying - I must be in need of a coffee - was reading one of your recent posts and you used the word soupcon. In the absence of the wee squiggly bit, I momentarily read it as "soup con" and wondered why on earth soup warranted a conference 🤣

That said, if Soup Con ever becomes a thing, I suspect half of MFW would go.

Greying_Pilgrim

edinburgher said:

...... In the absence of the wee squiggly bit, I momentarily read it as "soup con" and wondered why on earth soup warranted a conference 🤣

That said, if Soup Con ever becomes a thing, I suspect half of MFW would go.

Wot, you mean you didn't get the VIP priority invite........... 🤣 I cannae help it if my steam-driven 'pooter - which I think 'may' pre-date yours btw, hasn't got (obvious) recourse to squiggly bits! 🤣  What delights are YOU conjouring up in the kitchen for lunch/dinner/tea this weekend?

Greying X

edinburgher

Since you ask, tonight's dinner will be my one "real" meal of the week. We'll be having a beef stew with guanciale (a cured Italian yummy) and lots of carrots and onions. The whole thing starts with my legendary (says me) slow roasted beef stock that is left to cook in the oven for 20 hours and is my Mastermind subject (if "make stock" was a series of questions as opposed to a bit of kitchen alchemy). Unfortunately it's quite expensive to make, so it's an occasional treat and we get about 4 meals out of a batch 🧐

Relatively low carb, full of protein and perfect for growing (and shrinking) family members. I may treat myself to a wee whisky too, was gifted a lovely Japanese blended one for Christmas 

Greying_Pilgrim

Oh ed - how did I know your meal was going to start with: 'starting the day before you wish to eat, roast 7 kilos of beef bones.........' 🤣  Just joshing - I know you enjoy culinary endeavours 👍  And I enjoy hearing about them 😊

Mmmm, I had meant to say, did anyone notice that it seemed to stay lighter for just a smidgen longer last night?  it got to around 4pm, and still seemed quite light.  Here we are again this afternoon and it is still quite light, and the birds are just singing their little hearts out.  Such a joy.  

I have made the curry and left it on the stove for the flavours to meld.  I will cook up some basmati later and the dhal is out of the freezer to defrost.

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

I've certainly noticed the chickens have been going to bed a teensy little bit later Greying! At the solstice they were all in bed by 3.45 whereas now there's usually at least one still up at 4.30...

edinburgher

@Greying_Pilgrim - probably the same way I know you are going to mention dhal 😘