Prosperous soul embraces creativity & mortgage neutrality

savingholmes

Thanks WD, BM and El

Well I am committed to staying here for now...

The handyman today has done a stunning job. Relaid a flag path - even grinding a corner off one of the flags to make it fit. He's continued his weeding mission including beating bamboo into submission. He's dug up a load of narrow flags for me. Shored up the walls of the previous pond. Laid new landscaping fabric down (that I already had) and then spaced the narrow flags on top of it at intervals. Then covered it with a couple of bags of bark. I still have three bags left. He also took up my mini bridge and is going to make me a flat replacement so it's less of a trip hazard.

He's going to get some free wooden planking to edge my paths. I've also asked him to look out for stuff so he can build veg beds for me - and told him if there's any slate going anywhere I'd like that too to cover the patch where the bins go. We still haven't agreed a price for second hand pond liner so not got that yet. He's planning to come back towards the end of next week so need to find another £100 for then plus ideally the pond money. He's also going to trim back the hedge around the front for me and perhaps longer term dig it out. I need to buy more weed liner fabric before he comes back and potentially another couple of bags of bark.

I've reconciled one of my accounts - and unfortunately I was a hundred out - as I thought I'd sent a payment that I hadn't yet which was a blow.

I talked to my boss about potentially me booking a week off and she was fine with it. I've spent an evening on cottage websites looking at what's in the right travel distance and my price range... I was going around in circles so I will look again another day...

Sleep well.

Humdinger1

@savingholmes as a post-divorce, happily remarried, person may I ask if your ex's apparent resentment is a factor in you sometimes feeling guilty about the size of your house?  You bought him out at a fair valuation no, bearing your DD's welfare in mind? He doesn't know the enormous journey you're on; he just sees some external elements of it.   A long-winded way of saying that you deserve to be happy and do what's right for you; it sounds as if he needs help moving on but that's not your job now.  You're approaching this as mindfully and positively as ever; keep going.  Love Humdinger xx 

savingholmes

@Humdinger1 - I think you're right. That's part of it and that's coming to me via DD regularly. She is still adjusting to the divorce too which is natural. I think even if I moved - he'd resent the equity gain I've had in the house as it would be even more visible - so his resentment around that may never be resolved. As you say that's on him.

I wondered yesterday whether I was making a revenge garden in answer to his revenge body - he's lost shed loads of weight - and I still don't fancy him again!! But no I am just restoring my garden to how it should be and hopefully over time improving it compared to what it was like when we bought it all those years ago. In the past I've put in good structural plants and bushes - so we are currently revealing those again.

I have the dentist today which I am dreading. A 50 minute appointment!! This is part 1 of 2 appointments so I can get a new bridge. 

In MSE news:

• I've switched my San - dr account to the £2 fee one - and once I've finished moving direct debits should make £6 profit a month.
• I got quotes for car insurance - it looks like my cheapest is around £270 which is a blow. I paid around £225 last year. However my current provider doesn't appear on that quote - so I need to check (again x 3) if they have generated a renewal quote yet so I have a comparison. I can potentially get £35 cashback which would help offset it via £co.
• I've amended my gas direct debt down as I am £400 in credit - so reduced to £50 from £109. I will need to bump it up later - but I'm hoping my COL pay rise will come through and that I can pay out of that. Not had heating on yet - so hoping for another bill of around £25 on the next reading date of mid October. I will do an end of month reading to be safe.
• BG have said I can come out of my fix fee free - so potentially doing that. There's only about £9 in it.
• This pay day I need to fund continued work on the garden and my car insurance - although may put the latter on a CC initially.
• I also want to book a holiday - but likely to put that on a CC or take £400 out of savings to pay for it. Either way the £ is there in savings I might just prefer it to stay earning interest while my spends CC is 0%.
• Next month is MOT month...  

Right - I need to finish getting ready and start work asap as early finish due to the dentist. I constantly feel behind. I finished early yesterday due to lack of concentration... Need to catch up tomorrow and Friday.

Have a good day all.

savingholmes

My cleaner has come up trump's again. We reattached a glass finial to its base and then she put up my new curtains and attached the finials to the pole. She also changed a bulb on the landing.

DD is off today so asked them both to tackle her and DS' stuff on the landing outside their rooms.

Slowly making progress.

Pleased with the curtains and finials.

TallGirl

Looks lovely well done on the progress sounds like you’re making the house yours now 

girlatplay

Lovely!  Great progress.

beanielou

Looks fab.
Just my colours 

jwil

Looks fab!  Hope the dentist went well.

WelshmansDaughter

Yay for the cleaner!

savingholmes

Thanks GAP, Beanie and @TallGirl

Well I've bitten the bullet and booked a cottage for a week starting this weekend!! Only a couple of hours away hopefully - possibly even slightly less. It's got a pretty medieval town nearby which I've not been to for years so looking forward to that and generally exploring. It's on a smallholding - so lots of pretty countryside. It'll make £ juggling this month interesting - but I may use my CC initially on the basis that I have the £ in savings I could withdraw if/when needed.

I've delayed the handyman at least a week to make sure I can be around.