So close, we can smell mortgage freedom!

themadvix

Morning all,

The farm evening was great fun and I definitely think more places should do such things! 

KC - thanks re the competition. However, there are rules about such things so I'd have had recourse to the law, should it have been necessary (unlikely to get the prize if it never existed, but it was a reputable company I won from, so unlikely to really be scamming).

SL, sorry to hear that about your courgettes... did they go in late? It's been courgette-mad here for weeks now... 

Another busy day yesterday, but glad I went to the physio. Also dropped various bits off with Mum and Dad and have seen them both before going away, so sorted there. Also bought and cooked the cats' chicken, which they are very pleased about. Dinner used the BNS and chickpeas and was quite nice, although definitely not really a curry - not strong enough flavours. There's a portion left, which will be my lunch tomorrow when Mr MV is in the office. Also used some turning milk to make garlic flatbreads a la Foxgloves, so put a bunch of those in the freezer. Today we'll be having egg sandwiches for lunch (as I boiled enough yesterday), followed by galettes for dinner - to use more of the iffy milk and more eggs of course. Will serve these with egg, cheese, maybe some ham from the freezer for Mr MV and fried courgette. [ETA Mr MV has just mistakenly used the manky milk... so maybe we won't have galettes...]

I've had notice that the plants I ordered are arriving today. Mr MV and I are planning on pruning the one branch of the plum at the allotment that really needs cutting - it's a palaver as it's quite high and too thick to use the long loppers on. So bow saw and step ladder required. I'll stay down there and plant the plants once we've done that... which could take a while and involve some improvisation. They'll get a good watering in and the necessary defences, but then they'll have to fend for themselves while we're away.

Work continues to be busy and I'm probably not spending as much time on it as I should, but I am getting it done for the most part. There's likely to be something urgent arrive that needs to be done before I go away, so I'm trying to keep ahead of everything else so I can drop stuff and get on with that when it arrives. 

I still need a couple of bits of clothing before we go away, so will try to pop to M&S (where I have vouchers) one evening too.

MS things:
* PA survey
* ...

Gratitudes:
* Sunshine here today - washing is getting done ready for holiday
* Full onboard activity schedule now released - looking forward to swing bungee exercise classes!
* Back is feeling much better courtesy of physio
* Nice to see Mum and Dad and fiancee yesterday

Have a good day all!

newgirly

I hope you have a great cruise Vix 😊

themadvix

Evening all,

Thanks NG!

Made it to the allotment and finally pruned the plum tree! (It has to be done midsummer to protect it from some disease, and because of covid we missed the opportunity last year... was beginning to think we were going to miss the opportunity this year). Also planted my spinach. Red cabbages and romanesco tomorrow.... Pulled up the broad beans and the peas, both pretty much over, but plenty of peas to pod and freeze. Also picked four baby marrows (definitely not courgettes!). Have given one to cat sitting client who dropped his key and my money over earlier (for cat sitting on Saturday before we go!), and Olio friend has said she'll have one... just two more to get rid of - I'll pop them on Olio tomorrow with my Tesco stuff probably. We've got the best part of two large ones in the fridge to finish yet. And there's more coming too....

Mr MV is *still* working - he came and helped with the plum tree and then came back and has been working since, with a brief break for dinner. He's hopefully actually getting some things off his list though - which will help him be lessed stressed. 

I keep sending things back to my client and he sends me more... just as I think I'm getting caught up, he disabuses me of the notion! However, tomorrow I will have more Cambridge work to do and I *have* to plant those baby plants, so he may have to wait (of course, that really urgent stuff will arrive now).

We did have galettes for dinner in the end - with wilted homegrown chard. Down to just four eggs now!

themadvix

Morning all,

(*Whispers*) Might finally be getting caught up with work! I've got at least a few hours until main client wakes up, so there's hope I might be down to just one thing on my work to-do list... Have a meeting with Cambridge boss at 12 and suspect there'll be quite a bit to do there.

Bread is proving, to make the most of the sunshine - I'll put the oven on. I don't need it for lunch, but we will need in tomorrow (and let's face it, I'll have a slice with my leftover curry as freshly baked bread is irresistible). Forecast not looking so good for the rest of the week, so I'll bake my bread while the sun shines!

Olio friend had bananas in her collection last night and her husband very kindly dropped me some round, along with thank you gifts for looking after their cats while they were away. He took a courgette with him too! Bananas will last until we go away, which is what I'd hoped for. 

MS things:
* Clicks, HW and comps done
* Bread will bake maximising use of solar (as long as sun stays out, shouldn't need any grid power)
* 1P survey
* PA surveys - I'd really like some of the £15-odd sitting in pending to clear before I do my accounts on Friday!
* Leftovers for lunch; courgette pasta for dinner

Gratitudes:
* Olio friend's husband dropping bananas off - it was so kind of him and I really didn't want to be going out at 10pm last night
* Sunshine
* Mr MV's help with the plum tree - he's always difficult to get down to the allotment (which is very definitely mine not ours) but once he's there he goes above and beyond

Have a good day all!

themadvix

Morning all,

Got down to the allotment yesterday afternoon (after a busy morning of work and then a meeting, my head needed something different) and planted the red cabbages and romanesco. The place was crawling with baby frogs, which was wonderful! I need them to get a bit bigger before I know they'll look after my crops, but I think they live under my shed so they are nicely on hand. Plenty of ladybirds too and I transferred some to under the brassica netting on my other cabbages so that they can keep any bugs in check there. Have been down again this morning and everything seemed to have enjoyed the good watering in it got yesterday (poor Mr MV was soaked when he got back from the station on his bike). Also picked a courgette and some chard which will go in tonight's dinner (Prawn and courgette curry - thanks Fortune!)

Olio collection was mercifully small last night as I was exhausted. We kept an orchid in a glass jar that needs some tlc, more eggs (!) and had half a pastry each. Mr MV took an unclaimed couscous salad for lunch today and I've fed the birds some pretzels, but otherwise everything went.

Today, I've got the last piece of work to do for my main client before the holidays (assuming he doesn't send me anything tonight, but it's unlikely and I don't think there'd be any pressure to get it done now). I also need to get down to M&S and pop some kefir grains round to my Olio friend. Am waiting for the caffeine to kick in for that. Also a bit of Cambridge work too, I think.

MS things:
* PA surveys - lots of things have cleared and I received a £3 bonus for something, so cleared balance is now £38, with another £7 pending.
* Dinner tonight will use hg produce
* Resisted takeaway last night - we had bean burgers, rice and courgette. It was late by the time Mr MV got in, I was tired and takeaway was a possibility (we've not had the curry Mr MV wanted weeks ago), but tbh, with Olio, the timing wasn't great and I wasn't that keen anyway, so it wasn't difficult to stick the oven on and put 'something' together.
* SIL hasn't got time to cut my hair before we go away.... so I've asked Mr MV if he'll give it a trim! 😮 Not something we've tried before, but he's got a good eye and I only want the ends trimmed anyway
* Olio bits (the eggs will keep until we get back now, should we want them to)

Gratitudes:
* All the plant babies were looking cheery this morning
* All the baby frogs!
* A small and simple Olio collection

Have a good day all!

Karmacat

Baby frogs!  Adorable!

Another holiday is also adorable - enjoy!

themadvix

Baby frogs were adorable - I just hope I didn't squish any!

I've forgot to say that I have a lot of cat sitting going on in August - one from 9 August to 6 September, then three separate week-long clients on top of that. I will be very fit, going around all of them! But the place my main client and I do the work for is closed for the whole of August (Europe!), so work is likely to be quieter. I'm feeling very justified in turning down some new potential cat clients - having then had enquiries from two existing clients since. I'd far rather stick to those I know, but I do think I could have turned it into a full-time job had I wanted to by now!

badmemory

The eggs will keep just fine as long as they don't try to float.  Which always seems a little counterintuitive to me but I understand the science behind it.

themadvix

badmemory said:

The eggs will keep just fine as long as they don't try to float.  Which always seems a little counterintuitive to me but I understand the science behind it.

Eaxctly! The BB date on them is 2/8 and we're not back until 8/8 but I'll do the float test on them just to check - we've often had eggs past their BB and never come to any harm... it's not like they come out of the chickens with a date on them! (Same for yoghurt). What I don't understand is why eggs seem to be treated differently to so many other foodstuffs - they're getting rid of BB dates on milk etc. and yet eggs still have a 'Display until' date. Why?!

badmemory

You need to remember Edwina Currie.  I think that explains a lot.