So close, we can smell mortgage freedom!

Cheery_Daff

Ooh, that's a lovely question - how can I play today? 

Not sure I'll be playing much, off to Mr Cheery Snr's House 🙄😂 But I've been out in the field taking a few pictures, hung out with the chickens a bit (Skippy found her first centipede! 🥰😂) and maybe I'll get chance to take the dog for a bit of a longer walk later 😊

themadvix

Cheery_Daff said:

Ooh, that's a lovely question - how can I play today? 

Not sure I'll be playing much, off to Mr Cheery Snr's House 🙄😂 But I've been out in the field taking a few pictures, hung out with the chickens a bit (Skippy found her first centipede! 🥰😂) and maybe I'll get chance to take the dog for a bit of a longer walk later 😊

I think hanging out with the chickens, enjoying the scenery and taking the dog for a walk all seem like good ways to play Cheery! 😊 Presumably Skippy was very excited about her centipede, or was she unsure about what to make of it?

EssexHebridean

That definitely sounds like good ways of playing to me, too! 

Glad the unappetising dinner wasn't quite as bad as feared - and no, I'm not sure I'd fancy curried turnips either, although no doubt someone will have a recipe that they will swear works! 

badmemory

Perhaps turnips were the reason vindaloo was invented!  Madras however is enough to mask the taste of turkey legs (thankfully).  I'm not keen on turkey leg meat & was given 6 frozen ones, which should do us 18 servings.  But it was either me or the bin & I can't see good food going in the bin, only 10 servings to go!!

themadvix

Well, I've just had a lovely lunch with my Sister (although the food was mediocre - we might consider the McD's next time!). Popped into town and returned library books, got MIL a MD card (not the one specified, but I have approval) and bought some sink unblocker (a perennial problem). Dropped key off and cycled back, so feeling I have done well on exercise today. Still need to walk to PO with ebay parcel, so will whizz round the block then too. And Olio tonight usually involves a lot of activity.

Back to work now, although I may shortly break out a hot x bun...

themadvix

Morning all,

Relatively easy Olio collection last night. We kept some bits for lunches today, some flowers and some guacamole. Tonight's dinner as a result will be fajitas - I've got peppers and tortillas in the freezer from previous Olio collections, so all I need to buy is some salsa and sour cream. Beans (a mix of hg and bought) are currently soaking for that. 

Am going to collect some English muffins from another Olioer at 10. I also need to get the aforementioned sour cream and potatoes - if I have time I will cycle to Sains (as the Coop doesn't stock sour cream - have tried that before). Main client is keeping me busy though (and doing my head in with queries that are a bit complex for this time of the day) and there's a platform job that someone has requested I work on. I also didn't get a chance to post the Ebay sale yesterday, so I need to get that away today. It's not currently raining (and isn't forecast to), but it's definitely grey and cloudy and that would be a fair representation of my headspace too at the moment. Another cup of tea is required I think.

Things are moving slowly with my Cambridge work. It has been decreed I can't go back in the same way I was previously, but they are looking at another option and/or the possibility of me freelancing for them. Tbh, while I'd get paid more, I'm not sure about the hassle of freelancing as I know they are not good at paying suppliers! Either way, it looks as though I won't be able to pay any more into my teeny workplace pension - I wonder what it'll be worth in 20+ years time?!

If I have any time (and energy) left once I've done the things on my list, I would like to make a start on clearing out my car while it's a) not raining and b) not freezing cold. On the one hand, I'll be sad to see it go - I always get attached to cars and this one is a bit special (there's only about 200 of them left on the road and it has a funky spotty interior and a removable roof), but on the other, I'm looking forward to having the money back in my account from the tax/insurance and having the extra cash each month.

MS things:
* Clicks and HW done - won literally 1p today
* 1P surveys - although these have definitely slowed down in the last couple of days
* Olio food (also deconstructed a chicken salad that wasn't collected for the cats' breakfast this morning - it's just the right portion size).

Gratitudes:
* Olio was all dealt with relatively early and most of the stuff will depart my kitchen this morning
* Client has said there's no huge rush for the outstanding work I'm doing for him
* Opportunities to cycle today (and that electric assist - today's the sort of day I bought the bike for!)

Have a good day all!

EssexHebridean

I absolutely get what you mean about cars - I was gutted to have to get rid of my last one - nothing "unique" as such, but a really lovely car to drive and in our 12 years together we'd covered over 150,000 miles so a lot of history and memories! I was even more gutted that due to that mileage though she had to go to the sharks at "We buy Any car for absolute peanuts and then try to rip you off another £50 for a spurious admin fee" though! 

That's a shame about the Cambridge work and the pension too. Are you able to continue to add bits and pieces to it as you can, or does it just stop as it is now? 

themadvix

My last car (first car, inherited from my Nan) had to go to the scrap man - I could not deal with it at all - stayed well away and let Mr MV deal with it. I was distraught! We'd been together for a long time and had a lot of adventures together, as well as the fact that 'he'd' been my Nan's. This car was a hand-me-down from Mr MV and I really wasn't sure about it when he decided to buy it (back in 2008 - we do keep hold of them!), but it's the fact that it's quirky and a bit different that makes me attached to it really - cars don't have spotty interiors these days! It's not gone before because really Mr MV doesn't want to get rid of it. He feels responsible for keeping it on the road as it's rare, but it's just not practical for us to do this and he's slowly come around to this fact, I think. I don't really consider it 'mine' - it's mine for use, but his to make decisions on. But we just don't need three cars and we already have a classic to maintain... I remember looking at WBAC with my micra but I think they would have charged me to take it away! 😡

I don't think I'd be able to add to the pension - but it's fine as I have a VG SIPP. I just liked the novelty of a workplace pension and employer contributions - I've never had either of those before! In any case, the £100-odd in there will continue to grow and/or I can transfer it across to VG at some point (I suspect Aviva's fees are shocking, but I'll wait before I transfer until I know there's no other work for me there).

Even more work has arrived from my main client, so I am keeping very busy.

Cheery_Daff

I've never managed to get we buy any car to take one of ours. We drive them until they're literally undriveable- and last time I checked, they wouldn't take it unless you could drive it to one of their places, which in our case was 12 miles away.  So they've always ended up going to a local scrap place that could collect them. 

Always an odd moment, but I've never been so attached to one that I've cried. But then we usually tend to buy them at the point that other people would be getting rid for good, so I don't think I've ever had one more than about 4 or 5 years 😂

badmemory

I still miss my mini de luxe last seen 50 years ago.  It had more get up & go than any car I have had since.  Even more than the mini with the same cc bought new in 1991.  It was really posh for those days as it actually had a heater.  Once they lost the window catches you could put your cigarette out of them & lose the ash outside.  I used to beat Jags away at traffic lights.  Really whats not to love?  As for adventures well just to quote one (don't tell DS as I think he may be shocked).  I worked at a uni & parked in their car park.  A lot of the local houses were occupied by ladies who seldom seemed to get fully dressed (enough said?).  Most of who were very nice people, in fact I never met one who wasn't, as in bus stop after overtime before car.  I got to the car one night after working overtime to find a tyre flat.  The last one had been done by a garage, I may have had muscles back then but obviously not enough.  Then a woman came out of one of the local houses & said don't worry love my boyfriend will be here in a few minutes & he'll sort it for you.  He did & without a seconds innuendo.  This is just one of the reasons why I refuse to judge a book by it's cover.