Simple living in the country - back to basics

EssexHebridean

That's a very good point about being more organised making things feel better - I did make a start on ruling out my year planner (yes, I know it's three months in already, but still!) and starting to enter things into it in my bullet-ish journal last week but it needs more attention and some checking of dates to write stuff down too - then that should help with the feeling of things getting a bit out of control and not wanting to commit to stuff because I've no idea in real terms how busy certain periods are looking! 

I love being able to take bedding straight from drying outside to the bed - there really is nothing quite like it is there! 

Cheery_Daff

There is indeed nothing like it - and unfortunately nothing like it happened here, as it was still a bit damp at the seams so it went on the radiator, and it's still there 😂 I'm going away for 2 nights now and I'm not putting it on before I go as Mr Cheery won't properly appreciate it, so it'll have to wait til I get back 😂

Had the electric bill - spent £59.52 this month, and we're now £210 in credit. LPG website gremlins have sorted themselves out as they've obviously registered my 30% gauge reading and placed an order. Usually takes a few weeks, so I'm guessing the end of April, but will update readings if it drops substantially lower than their estimate. Shouldn't do now though. Invoice should be the end of May, which will mean the LPG savings pot will be back up to nearly £900 again. 

Budgie Chicken (yes, I realise that's a bit confusing...) has been looking a bit peaky for a couple of days, so we're keeping an eye on her. Fingers crossed she doesn't need an expensive vet trip... She's stayed in bed later than everyone else for the last 2 days and looked very slow, but she didn't this morning, she came out with the others, and ran across the run, eating breakfast very eagerly. I'm hoping she's feeling better and it just hungry now. Time will tell I suppose.

Right. Working at home today, and I'm planning to leave about 5...

themadvix

Hey Cheery, hope you had a good weekend in the end. Assuming you're just having some time away from the Internet at the moment, rather than anything being amiss. How's the kefir? I must strain mine today - imagine it's probably a bit overdone by now.

Cheery_Daff

Hello 😊

Not defined time away, I was just away staying with a friend and at an event over the weekend 😊 Lovely stuff. Back at work now though. 

Pretty gloomy today - both me and the weather. I'm going through a period of listless lack of productivity, putting things off at work to a level of embarrassment. It's like I felt during my PhD, all those years ago! 😱 I thought I'd left that behind, but apparently not! 

Mr Cheery attempted to reassure me this morning by pointing out that I go through a period like this at least twice a year 🙄😂 I'm not sure that was as reassuring as he intended 😂😂

Still, we plough on. I wasted much of this morning, but have armed myself with timers etc and have finally got done a small task that I've been putting off - need to wait for an email back from someone else now. 

Going to nip out and give the chickens some treats before I do anything else. Desperate to let them out soon (although the weather is rubbish today). The New ones are being a nuisance and I think they're all just bored and in need of more space 🙄 Extensions are underway but not going to happen this week. 

Anyway, Mr Cheery is out for the rest of the evening, and I'm giving myself an incentive of going to the cafe if I get to a certain point in my list. They shut at 5, so it's not worth leaving here after 3.45, so that's a nice incentive. I usually work well while I'm there too - got some plotting and scheming for future projects to do that I keep putting off... 🙄

And tonight I want to finish painting the spare bedroom! I was going to wait for daylight, but it's so dingy in that room it actually doesn't make any difference, so I'm just going to crack on so I can get all the furniture and clothes back in before the weekend. 

Right - chicken treats!

Cheery_Daff

Ooh, and we strained the kefir today, most delicious, thank you! I've run out of milk (another reason to nip out later) but will add more to it tonight 😊😊

themadvix

Glad the kefir worked!

I wouldn't worry too much about the lack of productivity. I really don't think the weather is helping - I've been feeling very much the same lately and very little gets done except the minimum (I spent most of the weekend on the sofa reading, feeling that I should be doing things and really not caring that I wasn't!). Once the sun comes out everything is much easier to deal with in my experience.

Good luck with your list - the cafe sounds like an excellent incentive.

Cheery_Daff

True. Although I've been putting off an email telling someone I don't want to be involved in their project for about 4 weeks now so I really should get that done at least! 😱 

Chicken treats have been administered, and I did a bit of digging for worms in there, which they were very enthusiastic about. New ones being a menace and pecking others, so they've been shut in the smaller part of the run for a couple of hours to give the others some peace 🙄

Bit worried about sunshine - she's acting fine and earing properly but her comb's a bit purple, which is sometimes the sign of a circulation issue. Might just be that she's coming to the end of her laying though. Will keep an eye on her for now (but definitely shutting the others away so she can be a bit more peaceful!)

Cheery_Daff

Right, a more productive afternoon, thank goodness! I was approaching my deadline of 3.45, when I ended up having two video calls - both about cheerful longer term things - so didn't get to the cafe til 4.20 🙄 Still, time for a cuppa and to sit and do my monthly review, which always calms my nerves and makes me feel better! 

Got home, let the chickens mingle again, and worked solidly for a couple of hours, including crossing off a couple of annoying tasks that have sat on my list for ages, and doing some much needed preparation for tomorrow.

Went to shut the chickens in - one of the new ones has got the hang of going to bed in the main coop, but not the other one, so she always arrives to meet me at the door looking lost and forlorn 🙄 encouraged her in to get cosy with the others, then I've spent almost an hour tidying in there, removing old treats containers, scraping poo off the shelves and perches,  and digging out some of the earth that's compacted in the front part. 

Got rid of a couple of wheelbarrows full, and replaced with woodchip and sprinkled a load of sawdust bedding over the top. Looks and smells much better now - and hopefully they'll enjoy digging through the woodchip tomorrow. 

Tired now! I was going to do some painting, but I'm going to prioritise a healthy tea and I think I need a soak in the bath after all that digging!

Elisheba

Yay! Well done on being more productive, and getting to the cafe, and sorting out the hens! 

Karmacat

Scraping poo .... oh good grief 🐓 you definitely deserve a lovely tea and a nice luxurious bath