So close, we can smell mortgage freedom!

themadvix

Morning all,

EH - my two both like to sit and have a fuss too, but they (and especially B&W cat) are of the ilk where if you so much as twitch a toe, they will take offence and run away. This little darling doesn't even seem to mind me sneezing while she's sat on me!

You do want more from a tree, but as it's not my tree, I can't complain!

So, cat visited this morning, dough put on for pizza tonight and I've been doing some Cambridge work (actions from yesterday's meeting) and a bit of my work admin. Olio was painfully quiet last night, so I took what I didn't distribute down to the shelter on my way to pick Mr MV up from the station (my fourth visit to the station yesterday!) - I knew I needed the kitchen space today.

About to go and make a start on the plums (I'm definitely procrastinating about this). Meeting my ex-Brownie friends for a walk and a cuppa later and will probably pop into the refill shop while I'm over that way. Also need to cook the cat chicken so they have some for dinner. List is much longer than that, but I am tired today (despite sleeping very well), so I'm being realistic. 

MS things:
* £5 withdrawn from a bookie; 45p win; clicks done
* PC survey done and a product test on its way to me
* Dinner tonight starts on using up some of the random freezer stuff - there'll be the last of some peri-peri chicken bits for Mr MV's pizza and some 'vegan ham' for mine (which I reserve the right to not use and throw away - as I recall, no one wanted it from Olio in the first place which is why 3 packs ended up in the freezer and frankly, I can see why).
* Mr MV took food from home (I'd like to say a sandwich, but I don't think he got that far - B&W cat woke us up at 6.30 as normal but then let us fall back to sleep, so Mr MV was late!) He at least took fruit and a piece of cake though.

Gratitudes:
* Cuddles with cat client
* The forecast for this afternoon's walk is looking better
* A good night's sleep

Have a good day all!

Karmacat

I love that list you wrote up on the previous page - it reads like you're a proper smallholding, between Olio and your garden and your allotment.  Brilliant stuff.

Cheery_Daff

Yes, I'm enjoying that list too! Very much loving reading about people harvesting and picking and preserving right now. You and Foxgloves especially are doing a good line in enthusing me for planning the garden better next year!

themadvix

Thanks both - it feels more like a never-ending to-do list and chaos, but I'm glad it doesn't look like it from the outside (and also glad you can't see the state of the floors here at the moment - hoovering is definitely on the list for later!).

4 jars of plums preserved. I feel I've improved dramatically on my technique from last year - far more packed into each jar and hardly any air in them either (I imagine you shouldn’t have any, but it's very hard to get the air bubbles out completely and we survived, so probably not the end of the world - correct me if I'm wrong SL!). There's plenty more plums on the tree if I can get them before the rot sets in - the weather has not been kind to plums this year.

Kefir has also been strained and I've cleaned the dining table where a cat had been sick over a magazine which had then stuck to the table - delightful! 

Heading out shortly and I've got my containers for the refill shop, a container for blackberries while we're walking and two carrier bags in case I pass anyone giving away apples! 

themadvix

Afternoon all,

Had quite a successful blackberrying session yesterday with my friends - one of them had thought the same and brought us containers too! Have put 450g of blackberries in vinegar to make blackberry vinegar and am currently open freezing the rest. Expect I'll pick some more later. Also remembered my full loyalty card for the refill shop, so saved myself £5. Friend also gifted me most of a bag of self-raising flour as she is trying to get naughty foods (or potentially naughty foods) out of her house (she follows a keto diet). £6 spent on tea as it was my turn and £6.81 spent in the refill shop.

Managed to get the cats' chicken cooked, chopped and frozen last night, as well as cooking us pizza. This morning I've seen my cat client, hoovered throughout (and realised that some of the mess was entirely my own doing as it was  dried cat nip), chopped my cabbages for kraut (now brining), sorted the blackberries and tidied the kitchen. Just come to computer to do some Cambridge work. Am also doing some normal and digital decluttering - old emails, bookmarks etc - better for my mind but also better for the planet as they are not being kept on a server somewhere using power.

This afternoon will involve some gardening here, allotmenting, picking and probably more preserving (I have some syrup leftover, so more plums likely if I pick them). Maybe pub? Definitely cat sitting and I also need to get the key from my friend as I'm back on long-term cat duty tomorrow (only until 6th September, so it's not too much longer). Unfortunately the other cat I had booked in for this week has cancelled - they've had to cancel their holiday. This will give me a bit of time back though.

MS things:
* Clicks, HW done
* free food - flour and blackberries
* putting the food away for the winter

Gratitudes:
* lovely walk yesterday with friends
* sunshine
* strong knees - the cycling is paying off!

Have a good afternoon, evening and bank holiday weekend!

themadvix

Morning all,

Am sitting with cat client on my lap again - her owners should have been back last night but EJ cancelled their flight 🙄 Not complaining though - she has been an absolute pleasure to look after and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed our cuddles. She’s a good distance away - nearly all cycle paths and about 10 mins each way, so nice and easy and good bike parking nearby too (by which I mean a solidly built street name sign - new estates don’t always even have this to lock up to).

I managed almost everything I set out to do yesterday, which was great (only didn’t plant the cat nip and declutter a couple of drawers): sauerkraut made, blackberries frozen, hoovered, both bathrooms cleaned, allotment (plums, baby corn, chard, 2 courgettes, French beans), two more jars of plums bottled, lettuce planted. Alongside cat sitting and Cambridge work, I don’t think that’s too bad. Also went to pub in evening, learnt a new card game and collected key from friend for other cats. Came home and ate an omelette containing 2 extra whites left over from ice cream making (another thing out of the freezer) and leftover salted cabbage I couldn’t fit in sauerkraut jar, along with baby corn and padron peppers (Riverford, needed eating). Had berries from garden/allotment and cream for dessert 😋

Slept abysmally after all that, which isn’t great. Am collecting some wooden fruit crates and some cardboard for the allotment later from Freegle and need to see long-term cats later. Not sure what else, but at least the house is clean and tidy!

themadvix

I've collected the cardboard and the crates and I've baked a loaf so Mr MV has some bread for lunch tomorrow (I'm off out with Mum to a craft show at an RHS garden - I'll get to use my membership to get us in free!). And then I've sat and caught up on all the comps... and that's about the extent of my energy levels. I need to go and see the other cats, but it's raining at the moment - I think I'll probably take the car (if I can, I'll eke out the electric - it's only got 4 miles range left and I think that'll be pushing it). 

I've been reading up on wormeries this afternoon... and asked my other Olio/cat friend (yes, there's two of them!) as I'd seen one in her garden when I cat sat. She's offered it to me as she managed to kill the worms and doesn't have the time for it at the moment! It's not the design I'd have gone for had I bought one, but I will see how I get on with it. Will need to purchase some more worms, of course, but that seems to be easy enough to do online.

Have also arranged to return cat keys on Tuesday and the owner has agreed to give me £10 cash instead of going through CIAF for the additional visit - a win/win as it's less for her and CIAF don't take their fees.

QueenJess

Ooh - let us know how you get on with the wormery. I’d love one but I absolutely don’t have the time for it.

rtandon27

Another here who would love to hear about the wormery!

Our council does not pick up food waste & we live too close to a graveyard with a river to safely have a compost heap without attracting vermin!  While I'd never attempt to compost any meat bones, we do produce enough veg bits.

Have contemplated an off the ground bin that rotates, but they are small and expensive!  A wormery seems another option, but again it seems a lot of time and effort is required to keep them alive, which is why I don't have cats, dogs or children!

themadvix

Morning all,

Well, I have ordered worms and will collect the wormery tomorrow!

Had a lovely (if spendy) day out with Mum at the RHS place - beautiful gardens and an excellent craft show. I spent my £5 voucher in the shop (and another £6) on a chia plant (I have chia seeds on my porridge every morning, so intrigued to see if I can grow some of these) and a banana plant for the house - it's cat safe (and so far, uninteresting to them too) and we've wanted a statement house plant for a while (that is also cat safe and of no interest to them - the other one we have gets chewed). I also bought a trio of metal dragonflies for the garden (£25) and a lead-free pewter spoon (£22) for my tea caddy (as the existing spoon is too long and the lid doesn't shut properly - well that's my excuse, but really it's because I think Glover and Smith's stuff is tooo nice!). However, entry was free for Mum and I with my RHS card and she bought tea and lunch as I drove and got her in for free.

Yesterday we got on with some more jobs around the house and saw family in the late afternoon. Also visited the long-term cats.... they have fleas... (and so does the house - where is blue eeky smiley when you need it?!). To say I'm not overly happy would be an understatement - I knew owner had a bit of a hit and miss attitude about defleaing them, but assumed she would have done it before she went away or told me when it needed doing. And when I asked if she had any flea spray yesterday she's simply (eventually) replied that there might be some in a cupboard (or she'll reimburse I buy), not apologised for the situation. My ankles and lower legs are covered in bites and I'm really not looking forward to dealing with it. She's not back until 6th September, so I'm going to have to do something about the house. I treated the cats with stuff she'd got (but clearly not used) yesterday - hopefully that will at least help them. And I'm going to put lots of DEET on before I go back today - there were a lot! But I'll need to vacuum and spray (at least two rooms - I'm not doing the others as this woman is not a minimalist) and the spray has to be left for an hour to dry before I can let cats back in, so that's hours of my time spent on this (not to mention the constant itchiness both physical and mental!). I will be seriously considering saying no if she asks me to look after them again, despite the cats being absolutely lovely.

In the meantime, this morning I've returned last week's cat key (and collected my £10 for the extra visit), and have plenty of work to crack on with. Have also done some Cambridge work and have a Cambridge meeting in an hour.

MS things:
* Dinner last night was stir fry (Saturday might have been a takeaway curry due to lack of expected cupboard ingredients - whoops, but it was really nice and did us for lunch yesterday too), with mostly garden ingredients and using up a sweet chilli sauce from the freezer.
* Have got a pack of ham out of freezer for Mr MV's sandwiches
* Have a mystery dinner out of freezer for us both for tonight (some sort of hm curry I think)
* Clicks done
* Used my RHS membership £5 off voucher

Gratitudes:
* Appreciative cat client who I returned key to this morning - really nice lady
* Family time yesterday
* Day out with Mum

Have a good day all!