So close, we can smell mortgage freedom!

EssexHebridean

That's a lovely cheerful update Vix - a I'm loving your gardening bargains too. 

The Nationwide £100 was a lovely surprise - from the amount of grumbling over on the banking boards on here though you'd think they'd announced they were taking £100 AWAY from everyone with a current account, rather than handing it over!   

I've got a big rosemary plant in a pot that will be going with us when we move - but I'm going to really miss my huge sage bush and the lovely sprawling summer savoury too - I'm attempting a cutting from that but I'm not convinced it's going to take, sadly. 

themadvix

Yes, EH, I've seen the grumbling too - I do find these boards interesting when I venture out of the safety of MFW/DFW! That being said, I know exactly where to go to fight a parking ticket!

The gardening bargains were exactly that - I reckon I'd have paid nearly £50 for the same amount at the fancy-pants garden centre up the road from the nursery. I expect we may go back in a couple of weeks for a few more decorative bits, but at the moment my nasturtiums aren't fully grown yet and the pansies from the winter are just about still going, so it can wait for a bit. That's sad about your sage bush - but could you take a cutting of that too? I want to get better about using my herbs and drying them too. I did a little bit last year and am definitely better at using them fresh, but they add so much to a dish that I think there's definitely room for improvement.

themadvix

I forgot to say that with the glorious sunshine over the weekend, we charged the car entirely from battery (entirely topped up by panels, not grid) and sunshine power - yesterday I think we used less than half a kWh in total from the grid. 

EssexHebridean

That's amazing on the panels - great that they are working out so well for you! 

themadvix

Morning all,

Yes, the solar is great EH!  But we did discover that we max out the inverter when charging the car - there's always a little bit (like 100 watts) of grid power being drawn when we charge it and it's because the inverter is at capacity (dealing with both the battery and the panels at the same time), which is frustrating as we'd likely need a new inverter if we got a bigger/second battery (which is a potential option, especially if we were to get a car with a faster charging capacity (which any other car would have) and/or an ASHP (which I am not sold on yet)).

The sun is out here again, which is lovely. I've popped the seedlings from the house (have ended up with quite a collection) out for more hardening off this morning. I got the courgettes and borlotti beans into the ground at the allotment yesterday, so will go and check on them later on. Everything I potted up is looking pretty good though. 

I must get to a food shop today and buy cat chicken at Costco. I have a recipe for a tagine from R'ford in mind for dinner (to use up half the giant kohlrabi they've given us and I need a couple of bits for that, plus desperately need some butter, eggs and yoghurt (and probably will get fish at same time as in Aldi). I've done some work for Cambridge this morning and will pop back a bit later too. Otherwise, I'm cracking on with another piece for main client.

MS things:
* Clicks, HW done, comps in progress
* PA surveys - when cleared balance will be well over £30
* Dinner last night was cauli mac and cheese - all with ingredients we have in (and using R'ford toms and cauli).

Gratitudes:
* Mr MV is getting another member of staff, which should help somewhat with his work overload
* Sunshine!
* An excellent quick shoulder stretch from Yoga with Kassandra this morning - I think I need to do it regularly

Have a good day all!

themadvix

Morning all,

I don't know about pride, but smugness definitely comes before a fall. Mr MV sent me a screenshot of his savings balance this morning and then I took Ginger cat to the vets, where they have admitted him with a possible urethra blockage. He's insured, but because he had a bout of cystitis 7 years ago (and nothing in between) and we've since swapped insurance policies (because he had no ongoing/pre-existing conditions), the insurance company may not pay out. The estimate of the possible treatment (hopefully he'll wee sooner rather than later!) is £1200-1500. At least we have the money sitting there. I wasn't expecting for them to admit him this morning, but he's not himself, so it's definitely the best place for him to be. 😔

In the meantime, Mr MV's car went in for a service and MOT yesterday and as he was on his way to collect it yesterday (by train) he got a call to say it wouldn't be ready as it needed new washer jets before it would pass the MOT and they couldn't get them today. So his car is in another town, he's taken the train to work and I am very grateful I still have my car! (The alternatives would either have been a taxi/Uber (what's the rules on transporting cats in carriers in them?) or attaching cat carrier to bike and cycling/walking (depending on how secure it was) to the vets - not too far and on cycle paths, but he is a heavy cat!).

I've also been inundated with work from main client (with deadlines, which is fairly unusual for him), have Cambridge boss/friend coming round at 1 for a meeting and then have additional Cambridge meetings between 3 and 4. Not ideal really! Mr MV is meant to be going for a drink with colleagues tonight, but has to collect car before garage closes (which is opposite direction from work, of course); I've got Olio and who knows when we'll be getting our gorgeous ginger one back. It's just one of those days, I guess. I also really need to check on the allotment at some point as I have a horrible feeling I didn't water in the courgettes I planted.

MS things:
* Clicks and HW done
* Comps coming up, now I've dealt with two urgent pieces of work
* 1P surveys (now over £10)
* PA surveys - when cleared, over £40
* Dinner was a R'ford tagine recipe, but Mr MV wasn't too keen. I will be finishing for lunch today and probably tomorrow

Gratitudes:
* We've sold the last two mini wheels we had on Ebay - they've been on there for over a year! No financial benefit, but good to get rid and get them out of my head
* Have been invited for an escape room and dinner - have requested that this waits until August for financial reasons but it will be good!
* Lots of work is good!

Have a good day all!

ETA: Mr MV's just sent the policy doc through for insurance and it's possible they'll pay out - as it was more than 24 months ago that he last had such a problem.

EssexHebridean

Fingers crossed both on ginger cat being OK and on the insurance paying out - that does sound hopeful at least. Poor puss though - not surprised he wasn't himself!  I think we've all been there with feeling that it must be one of those days when everything seems to come at once too - what a pain about the car! 

Lots of work is definitely good - but possibly not on "one of those days" - still, it'll be worth it when it all pays I guess! 

Is some form of small trailer a possible option for the risk of a future situation when you need to transport a cat by bike? I'm guessing it depends on the nature of the particular cats - I can imagine that HRH would have stood up to it well, albeit grumpily - but our little cat would have been traumatised I suspect - as a former feral everything terrified him! 

themadvix

Thanks EH.

We don't really have room for a trailer, but it is a possibility, although I don't think either of them would be impressed. I think it comes down to probabilities though - that I would need to take them on a day when I don't have access to the car (usually two days a week), when I don't know I need to go before Mr MV has left the house (and therefore we couldn't make other arrangements) and when the Mini is off the road (which hopefully will be less frequently in the future) - after all we'll still have two cars! It's near enough that walking the bike would be an option if push came to shove, but I also think it should be possible to take a cat in cab if need be? The vets is also open until 8, so I could have got him an appointment later, but I'd rather not do this when he's clearly unhappy, as I'm sure you appreciate! (I also have 3 very willing parents/in-law nearby who'd transport us if push came to shove, although obviously I would only ask this in dire (and not diaorrhea!) circumstances.)

There have been a few instances lately where the fact my car is still here has been useful, but in all of them, if it wasn't there, there'd have been alternatives and we'd have had to adapt.

Karmacat

Sorry to hear life threw you so many curveballs in one day, Vix, but excellent that they're doable.  I used to take my cats to the vet in a taxi - it was mostly about letting the office know when I was booking the cab, there were a few drivers with allergies or over-concerned about cat wee that wouldn't take them.  And there was a never to be forgotten one, who picked me up *at* the vet, who assumed the cat would go in the boot!  Er, no 🙄  I sat the carrier on my knee, and bob's your uncle.

Hope all your meetings and admin go well today.

themadvix

Karmacat said:

Sorry to hear life threw you so many curveballs in one day, Vix, but excellent that they're doable.  I used to take my cats to the vet in a taxi - it was mostly about letting the office know when I was booking the cab, there were a few drivers with allergies or over-concerned about cat wee that wouldn't take them.  And there was a never to be forgotten one, who picked me up *at* the vet, who assumed the cat would go in the boot!  Er, no 🙄  I sat the carrier on my knee, and bob's your uncle.

Hope all your meetings and admin go well today.

Good to know that cabs will take cats KC, although 😡 to the cabbie who thought poor puss would go in the boot!

Poor Ginger is currently having a catheter stuck up his you-know-where, so I imagine he is very unhappy (although probably also blissfully unaware). This seemed to be the best option as hopefully he'll be able to come home tonight on meds, rather than stay in where he is absolutely terrified.

Meetings have been chaotic, with me abandoning one with the new guy at Cambridge to answer the vet's call! Fortunately he has a cat, so was very understanding!