Forever Starts Now

Cheery_Daff

savingholmes said:

Does that mean you could grow some stuff in the polytunnel at the same time or is not advised due to the bird flu risk?

From my own experience with both chickens and growing things, the risk is nothing to do with bird flu and everything to do with the chickens digging up whatever you plant 😂

starnac

Cheery_Daff said:

savingholmes said:

Does that mean you could grow some stuff in the polytunnel at the same time or is not advised due to the bird flu risk?

From my own experience with both chickens and growing things, the risk is nothing to do with bird flu and everything to do with the chickens digging up whatever you plant 😂

I was literally about to type the same thing!  

The chickens are settling in so well. Their feathers are slowly starting to grow back and we are getting eggs on a regular basis from them. I was surprised that they are laying so well so early. DS took some eggs in for his teacher who has shown a real interest in the chickens since DS told him we were getting them. Apparently his parents used to keep chickens when he was growing up and he would like his own one day too. I think DS is encouraging that line of thought as he loves ours "more than he thought he would" (his words)

The kids are off school now for Easter so yesterday we had a quiet day until my mum came over in the evening to celebrate my birthday. We had a lovely couple of hours. Today I got some work done while DS was playing on the laptop and DD (teenager) was still in bed. This afternoon I am going to try to strip the rest of the wallpaper off the walls in our bedroom. Our bedroom was going to be one of the last ones decorated as no one really sees it but then DH decided to start stripping the wallpaper off and stopped!! It's been driving me mad. So this week I want it all stripped off and hopefully painted. 

I think I'll put up a To Do list to keep me on track this week!

starnac

To Do:

Strip wallpaper in bedroom
Buy paint
Buy rug for bedroom
Check banks
Make overpayment to mortgage
Easter crafts with the kids
Make signs for Egg hunt on the weekend
Check cinema times for the film kids want to see

starnac

Morning. Weather is awful here!! I'm trying to hold off putting the heating back on. I've put an extra layer on and the kids are wearing hoodies over their PJ's (they actually like doing that so it's a win for me!) 

The wallpaper stripping is coming on. Only the wall with the window and the bottom half behind our bed left to do now. I'm hoping to get that done today but I have promised a crafting afternoon to the kids so it might not all get done. DD wants to make her friend a birthday present and we are going to do Easter crafts too ready for the weekend. 

I've found the rug I want, just need to measure the space to see which size I need. 

We've all had an email from work saying they are looking to change our pensions and there are a few people up in arms about it, so I need to have a read of that and do some research to see what's changing and how it will affect me.

We had 5 eggs from the ladies yesterday so I might do some baking too to use some up. 

Have a good day everyone 

Karmacat

It's all sounding good, starnac, apart from work wanting to fiddle about with your pensions - hope you can keep the benefits you've accrued in the way that you want.

savingholmes

Good luck with the pensions and redecorating plans.

Aimingforthegoodlife

Oh have loved reading your diary so far, so many projects! We have rescue girls from BHWT, well, we only have one now as we have lost them over the last year, Abernathy seems pretty content on her own. We have debated getting more, but want to wait until Abernathy moves on (unless she becomes depressed) and allow the run to recover after five years of chickens! Plus we are fighting rats at the mo! Always excitement!haha. Hope the girls are settling in well, they are honestly such fun animals to own!

starnac

Where on earth did this year go? It has been a difficult one to be honest and all the plans I had went out of the window. 
Let's start by seeing how badly!

starnac said:

Goals for 2022

Money
Last year we threw every last penny we had into savings ready to move. Thanks to a tax mess up by the solicitors we had to completely wipe out our savings as the house cost us more than we had budgeted for.

Everything is more expensive in this house as it's bigger and in a nicer area. Mortgage, council tax and utilities, which means we don't have as much spare cash as we did. I would like to start building up some emergency savings and also to reduce the mortgage to the next 10 bracket. That should be done by regular payments plus a few overpayments. 

Mortgage was brought down into the next 10 bracket but not really through trying. We only managed to make a £200 overpayment but with our regular payments it came down by itself!

Health
I need to lose weight! I put on at least a stone over the lockdowns and it needs to go. I feel sluggish and a lot of my clothes don't fit. Thankfully I am still working from home for the foreseeable future but I can't go on like this! I am 40 this year and want to feel good about myself. 

I am a runner and my weight is affecting both my actual running and my motivation to run. I have a few races that were deferred from last year and a few others that I want to do so losing weight must be a priority for me!

Hahahahaha!!! What a lovely dream! I am still holding onto that weight. And a bit extra!

House
In January I would like to concentrate on our bedroom. I did say this would be the last one done as no one sees it but us, but that was before DH started pulling the wallpaper off in there "to see what was underneath" ARGH! So the rest needs to come off and that room painted. I'm hoping it's as easy as that. 

The bottom garden needs to be ready for chickens, hopefully in the spring. DH is currently building a wood store so that we can have wood for the fire next winter. Next on the list is the chicken run (DH) and the veg garden (me)

Chickens are living their best life, albeit under bird flu restrictions again. They lay regularly and are happy pottering around their run and plotting ways to escape into the main garden. 
Our bedroom was finished but that was the only one actually finished. Lots of things started but not completed though

Family
I am 40 this year EEK! and I would like to celebrate with a family holiday (Covid allowing).

I would also like to have a bit more fun this year, especially with the kids. They are growing up and I'm going to blink and they'll be married with their own families. 

Didn't manage a family holiday with everything else going on and money being pretty tight. We had a few overnight stays in B&B's or a travelodge but that's it. Need to make more of an effort this year

So not too bad. Not good either as I'll probably be rolling over most of these to 2023. 

Karmacat

Hi Starnac!  This is actually very good - you *did* get down to the next tens on the mortgage, which means you're coping well with having stepped up the mortgage, you've done your bedroom, the chickens are loving their lives, and you *did* manage a few days away: it's natural that the bigger holiday comes next year, because your birthday has a zero in it so the only thing that you haven't touched is the weight.  Like all of us, you can't do it all  

starnac

Thank you KC. That is a really kind thing for you to say. 
It's hard sometimes to find the positives so thank you.