Simple living in the country - back to basics

themadvix

Totally with you on the Internet-free days Cheery. I finished my to-do list yesterday and think there was definitely a correlation with still having 50% phone battery by the end of the day. I can't realistically go cold-turkey, but I am being much more aware and absolutely no scrolling is allowed. I permitted myself 15 mins at the end of yesterday to catch up on diaries (and posted earlier in the day), but that was it. Intend to do much the same today. Have a good, productive day!

Cheery_Daff

Hope you managed a better Internet free day than I did TMV! 🙄😂

It's not been too bad, but since I have been reading in here, I might as well post. 

I've spent quite a bit of today faffing with the video diary we made for our friends in Germany, which is still converting into, well, whatever it's doing, it's taking a long time 🙄😂 Not surprising, our Internet is rubbish. I have hopes I'll be able to send it tomorrow though! 

What else got done today?

* bagged up 2 portions of red lentil soup for the freezer - I've done quite a bit of batch cooking this week and I think I have about 8 meals in there, which I'm delighted about. Trying to not just eat them out of laziness on a day when I'm at home and save them for an evening when I've been at work etc.

* put the oven on and used 6 eggs from the egg mountain to make little egg and cottage cheese muffins. Dead simple - literally just egg, cottage cheese, a load of mixed veg from the freezer, and seasoning. Had some for lunch, and there are another 9 in the fridge (the size of fairy cakes, so not massive). They don't freeze well, so will need eating for lunches the next few days.

* chopped and roasted the last of the peppers with some garlic while the oven was on.

* made noodles for tea, with the peppers and some other veg and some pease pudding from a jar. Need to get some of that made and into the freezer, we love it. 

* decided to paint the craft room while the furniture was all higgledy piggledy anyway, so nipped to town for paint. £15 a tub, but with an offer of 2 for £22. I took my 2 tubs to the till, and they charged me £9.50 for the pair! £4.75 a tub. That wasn't on the shelf, or the website, and I checked it was right, and then left quickly once she said yes in case they changed their minds 😂 Wilkos, if anyone's after paint- worth checking. Their shelves were a bit sparse though, they must be running stocks down. I hope they're not planning to stop selling their own brand paint, I've always found it to be great. I was after pink, not sure which shade, but as it happens there was only one shade that had 2 tubs left, so that was my decision made! 

* started painting this evening, but I've only done one wall as it's hard to see. Normally I can do a first coat in artificial light, but I'm painting light pink over cream and I can't see the difference 😂 It already looks better though - the architrave between the wall (cream) and ceiling (white) was a weird dark mushroom/salmon colour, and it just really emphasised the low ceiling. Now painting it the same colour as the wall and it's much brighter! 

* ooooh, my kefir grains arrived - than you @themadvix They are happily settled in the 'kefir jar' we found in a charity shop last week - highly unnecessary but it was £2 so why not? It's got lid that half screws off with an integral seive to strain it. 

That's it, I think. Happy wheel this morning, did a few offers I don't usually do so it took a bit longer. I'm still down about £80 this month though 🙄 I may go back to smaller spin sizes to reduce the variance a bit as this is the third month I've been down in a row. I know it can and does happen, but it's the first time it's happened to me and I don't like it!

So, tomorrow.

* The weather is meant to be a bit better, and we did say we'd cut the posts for the chicken run, so that would be a fantastic achievement. 

* get at least the first coat of paint on the craft room, if not the second too.

* clean out the chicken house properly.

* make a cake for the weekend

* plan food and clothes for Thursday at work, Friday working at home, then heading straight to friend's for weekend event (yes, I made the decision and checked with her - all fine, although sadly her dog died yesterday 😕)

That'll do. It's my last day of striking so we might have a cafe trip before I have to delve back into work again. Seriously - I hate being on strike of course, but I could definitely occupy all my time very well if I won the lottery and could leave work entirely! Mr Cheery thinks I'd get bored, but he's very wrong! 😂

beanielou

Happy painting 

themadvix

Sorry to hear about your friend's dog.

The paint sounds like an absolute bargain and good idea to do it before you get all set up.

I've sent you a PM about the kefir, but basically, enjoy!

EssexHebridean

What a bargain on that paint - and finding the kefir jar too - very handy particularly given the timing, and indeed, "why not!"

I discovered during covid that I too can fill an awful lot of time doing seemingly not very much, but I DID find that the simple aspect of less engagement with other people got a bit old after a while. I guess if someone was able to retire on good income though that would be lessened in normal times as you could go out and do things. I wouldn't say I ever quite reached the point of missing work, as such, though!

Cheery_Daff

Yes, that's a really good point about lack of interaction. I'm often craving more time on my own, but I suspect that might go the other way if I had too much of it. I know Mr Cheery struggles a lot with spending too much time on his own. But yes, the ability to get out and about doing stuff would help immensely - I would hope actual retirement wouldn't feel quite the same as covid 😱😱

Slow going today, although we're getting there. Washing is done, just going to hang it outside. Mr Cheery has set up the chop saw, so we can get the posts chopped soon. I've painted 2 walls and shifted everything into the middle of the room to get at the other two - hoping to get the second coat on today too so I need to get a move on! 

Fkute has been collected and I think is properly mended now, hooray! Will have a good play later to check. 

Had little egg muffins and salad for lunch - got leftover noodles in the fridge which i might have for tea, although the soup has been in there longer so it might be best to use that up first and have noodles tomorrow...

I'm very much enjoying being more organised with food - let's see if I can keep it up when I'm properly back at work... 🙄😂 

I realised the other day that while I constantly carry a notebook round with me, I don't often use it for daily and weekly planning like I used to, so I need to get back into that habit I think.

Right, tea, and more painting, then outside to do the chopping before it rains - it's getting ominously grey out there...

Elisheba

It's so easy to get out of the habit of planning! I do it all on my phone, so have no excuse not to do it, but very often it just doesn't happen 🙄. 

Cheery_Daff

It's definitely worth it though! I'm going to make a conscious effort for the next couple of weeks to plan meals, activities, weekend tasks etc - I bet things will feel a LOT better and more manageable! 

themadvix

I agree with both of you. I've had a meal plan going for about three weeks now as I've had stuff to use up and it's made a world of difference. I go through phases with having a to-do list (usually depending on whether I've got a notebook handy), but I always achieve more if I have things written down - and there's that huge sense of satisfaction when you can tick something off/get everything done that was on the day's list. Which reminds me, there are some things I can tick off on my list now....

Cheery_Daff

Ticking things off is always satisfying! 

I'm slowly getting there with today's list. Chicken run posts have, unsurprisingly, been more of a faff than planned 🙄 but 6 out of the ten are cut now and back in the ground (not properly wedged yet - we're not doing that til they're all cut and we're ready to start attaching together).

First coat of paint is on the craft room, and I've done most of one wall of the second coat. I'll make 2 walls today, but the other two didn't get a first coat til about 4pm and they won't be dry enough before it goes dark, so they'll have to wait.

It's looking good though, I like the colour. 

Did some washing - so that's clothes for the weekend and bedding, and everything other than the jeans dried on the line. Think I'm going to put the duvet cover straight on the bed - it's been so long since I had line dried sheets straight on I want to take advantage! 

Cake's not done yet, wanted to get painting and posts done while it was light. I'm planning a bit of kitchen pottering once I've finished this bit of painting so that'll be cake, maybe a bit of batch cooking, and some flatbread for the freezer, oh, and some crackers to take for the weekend.