So close, we can smell mortgage freedom!

Swayingseaweed

🤣I thought it might be an instant pot, but thought I'd best check.
Seaweed x

themadvix

Afternoon all,

Work from main client is still quiet, so have been catching up on other things. Cambridge work done and cats sat; about to head out to collect another cat key. Have also paid myself, invoiced and done the money shuffles this morning. Despite it being an expensive month, I've managed to shuffle a good amount to savings.

Business savings have taken a hit this month as I've paid off the desk chair and had to renew a software licence (for accounting software - it decided it needed to renew mid-accounting!). Annoyingly I've had notice that another licence cost is going up on 21st September - I could renew early and the new licence period will be added onto the old one, but it's another nearly £200 to find! I'll see how things are going - it would save £24 if I renewed early, so worth it really. I think my business savings needs more allocating to it - at the moment I've not saved anyhting towards a new laptop and I've replaced it nearly a year ago (longer than that if counting all the to-and-fro rigmarole with the original replacement).

We are debating booking a Christmas market visit this winter. We've not been for a while (pre-pandemic) to Europe for a market and I really miss it. But we don't want to fly for environmental reasons, so we're looking at taking the train to Brussels. It's a lot more expensive than flying (probably - I've no idea about flight prices). I think I'll wait until all the money has settled (transfers into pots don't finish until the 8th) and then we'll have a proper look at it. We've already planned a trip to Manchester for November and we think we're invited to the London to Brighton, so it's all rather busy...

This month will hopefully be cheaper - I shouldn't need a R'ford delivery for a while as my salad plants are coming along and we've got toms and peppers ripening at last. (Less said the better about the tomatoes for bottling...). We will do a supermarket delivery stock up at some point though as it's organic September and they usually have good offers on things (e.g. organic Weetabix - a necessity for Mr MV). (But this usually goes on his CC, so I may not have to worry about it!). I also feel we've got quite a bit in stock anyway at the moment. We'll be away mid-month for a few days (my competition win), but cooked breakfast everyday, plus a dinner and an afternoon tea means we should be able to do that quite cheaply - will use various memberships/walking/exploring local towns to entertain us during the days.

Workwise, September is usually a busy month, although I've had so much from my main client in August that I wonder if it will be as busy as normal. We shall see. I've got cat sitting continuing until 13th and then a much-needed break from that. Cambridge will be quite busy too as it's an eventful month in the department I'm working in. Also going in for the day on the 12th, so that will top up the coffers too. September is good month clients coming back with renewed focus, so things may also pick up with other clients (I know my UK-based one is likely to have some bits for me.)

Worm update: the inmates attempted a mass escape this morning; prison officer returned them to their cell and they seem to have settled down. They will be kept under close observation! (Apparently it's quite common for the worms to object and try to move out when they are first put into a new environment, so hopefully this is a one-off.)

MS things:
* PA survey
* YG survey
* Clicks and HW done

Gratitudes:
* Very appreciative cats when I gave them a tiny trimming of the salmon I bought yesterday (and have just frozen)
* Sunshine
* No flea bites today!

Have a good afternoon all!

Cheery_Daff

Hope your worm buddies realise what side their breads buttered on very soon!

themadvix

Cheery_Daff said:

Hope your worm buddies realise what side their breads buttered on very soon!

Lol that may take a while as the advice is not to feed them for the first week *until* they’ve settled in - seems contradictory but apparently food can put them off too! They’ll eat the bedding and the stuff they came with in the meantime. Worn farming strikes me as something that would suit you Cheery, although they are definitely not as cuddly as chickens!

Cheery_Daff

Ha, I have considered a wormery, but to be honest, we have so much space, I'm very happy with our low effort, three bay compost system. And right now, being responsible for anything alive (yes, including several hundred worms 😂) is too much 😂

themadvix

Evening all,

I see your point Cheery - with lots of space, there's no real need is there? And the worms are hard work! 😂 I've had to do another rescue - this time I think it was because it got too hot/dry in there that they were escaping, so having to keep a close eye on moisture and I've also moved them. I did however, give them a little bit of apple trimmings and they are enjoying those it seems. 

I've bottled two jars of stewed apples this weekend, but the lid hasn't popped down on one so I've got to redo it. I've got some more apples to stew, so I'll chuck them in. Courgettes, French beans, strawberries, spinach, cherry toms and chard harvested. Yesterday we had a R'ford recipe box recipe we had back in spring for our dinner - all the veg and herbs in it were homegrown, which was very satisfying. Also, totally zero-waste as all the ingredients were either from the garden/allotment or from the refill shop. And it's delicious. No link available or I'd share.

Various other homesteady/DIY jobs done over the weekend, and we also visited the in-laws this afternoon (apples received for spinach), so feel like progress is being made. Weeded cabbages at the allotment this morning and pleased to see progress with them (hearts are beginning to form on some). Mr MV has made dinner (it's in the oven now), as when we got home I was stung by a wasp (again!) on my arm, and it's rather painful. 

Cheery_Daff

Definitely don't need any high maintenance worms right now 😂😂 and I can't believe you got stung again! Gah!!

themadvix

Morning all,

Agreed on the high-maintenance worms Cheery! I keep having to pop out to check on them - and this was how I got stung (although entirely not the worms fault!). Sting area is red and warm this morning, so am awaiting a call from the surgery nurse.

In the meantime, I'm making the most of the sunshine this week and getting various things washed that won't get washed over the winter. I have done some Cambridge work already and have a meeting at 11.30. Have also done a small amount of my work (for US clients), but no word from main client (he's still on PST, so not likely to hear from him until this afternoon).

I have some more apples to sort and stew - the man who gave them to me would like some apple butter, but tbh, I'm not sure if there's enough to make it worth doing a batch. He may have to wait until I get some more! Also blackberries and strawberries to do something with.

Would like nurse to call sooner rather than later really so I can make a plan and get on with the day.

MS things:
* Clicks and hw done
* S&S and FOTG submitted on time
* PA survey
* 1P surveys (on Friday evening) - now at 2448 points

Gratitudes:
* Worms seem happy
* Queue to get through to drs was mercifully shorter than expected
* Sunshine!

Have a good day all!

Suffolk_lass

Just sort of catching up and popped in to say that I have taken to using something like these to put on top of pickled onions and I have some to put in the top of bottled plums so they stay submerged. You could also use a more environmentally friendly option; a clean pebble (a glass disc) or marbles in a muslin bag - according to one blog I found. The ones I have came in the tops of jars of little spicy peppers  - I would not pay that but as I had some, I washed them and am reusing rather than them being single use. They are a sort of nylon, so less immediate risk of microplastics as they break down. I have been very lazy in my preserving and have now made 4 batches of lightly stewed fruit in jars. I heat the jars to 140c for ten minutes then wait for five before jarring and the tops pop easily as the fruit is still very hot. I use my jam funnel as it makes it quick and easy. Preparing the fruit is the longest part, as any imperfections get removed.

themadvix

Morning all,

Thanks for that SL - I'll investigate some smooth pebbles (for fermenting you can't beat a glass Gu dish, but the bottling jars aren't big enough to fit them in. I bottled 3 more jars of stewed apples yesterday (including redoing the one from the other day) and all three popped, so that's good. Six jars of plums and 4 of apples now stashed away. I also blanched and froze some French beans and some spinach, so they're next on my list - the plums and blackberries are over here now.

Worms are doing well and enjoying the foods I'm giving them and have stopped trying to escape. I'll slowly ramp up the amounts of food when it seems like they're coping - overfeeding is one of the biggest risks to worms apparently. I collected some cardboard from an Olioer yesterday, so I'll cut some moisture mats out of that (I noticed this morning that they've been nibbling the paper I popped in as an interim moisture mat!).

Today I need to pop to town to pay a cheque in and do some other bits. We're going to Sis's for dinner tonight - she's asked me to take a dessert... She doesn't like stewed fruit or cake and I don't want to buy something UP.... I'm thinking fruit and cream at this point. 

MS things:
* Clicks and HW done
* Some work has finally arrived from my main client
* Have nabbed a coriander plant from Olio as my last one has died. Annoyingly it's in the opposite direction to town and on a road I don't really like cycling on. Never mind...

Gratitudes:
* Work
* Sunshine (although it's already hot enough at 9am for me)
* It's the penultimate day of the flea-y cats!

Have a good day all!