So close, we can smell mortgage freedom!

themadvix

Work done, and client wasn't expecting it back so fast, so that's good. Had a brief meeting with Cambridge friend/boss, so that was done and I've submitted my (small) time sheet for this week. I have a few things to action, but they can wait until Monday - assuming all is quiet from my clients, I'm hoping to spend Monday morning focusing on Cambridge stuff - I have a few bits to get on with and a meeting with them too, so it'll be nice to focus on that.

Rain has been on and off heavy here this afternoon (on the washing that's on the line). The sun is out now, so I might venture down to the allotment, briefly. Mr MV isn't going to be back until 6.30 as the traffic is bad (he's been up north), so no pub (which is fine with me today - not a lot of energy and feeling 'homey'). Or I might just make some flatbreads to go with our leftover dal (I keep saying this - need to do it!).

Have blitzed a few PA surveys this afternoon and the longitudinal one has paid, so balance now at £41 + £3 pending.

Cheery_Daff

Ooh, good work on Prolific there! And good that you can get to the allotment too 😊😊 Decidedly gloomy here 🙄

themadvix

Ha, never made it to the allotment - I didn’t have the energy and then the heavens opened again. I did make flatbread though and they were a nice accompaniment to dinner. No pub, and it was a good call - a nice gentle evening in is called for.

themadvix

Evening all,

Had a lovely day out at RHS Wisley today with mum. The gardens were beautiful, but the traffic was terrible, the place was full of children (really?!) and the food was a let down - it was excellent at Hyde Hall the other week, so I'd deliberately not suggested a picnic to mum, but it wasn't good there and everything seemed to be served on disposable plates and in disposable cups, which was really disappointing. Despite these issues, it was really interesting, inspiring and there's plenty more to go back and see another time. Did spend £18 in the shop - 5 herbs for £10 and three packs of seeds -  but only things I know I've not seen elsewhere and that I really want to grow. Some of this cost will be met by the allotment pot.

Called into WR on the way home (Mum had a friend coming for dinner and needed to buy dinner!) so picked up a few bits in there. Also put £20 of fuel in the car at Costco on the way home as I've got to pick Dad and fiancee up from the airport tomorrow. Car is still misbehaving - warning pinged up this morning... ignored it (but I did only drive to Mum's rather than Wisley) and then it was absolutely fine on the way home... Mr MV reckons its a communication issue, which I suspect is the case as the garage couldn't find anything wrong.

Have just had a lovely bean chilli from the freezer (needed the space for the flatbreads) and have Strictly on in the background at the moment - I may put something else on shortly though.

In the morning I'm planning on spending some time doing gardeny/kitcheny things - potting up some of these herbs, planting up the violas and blanching beans etc. And I'll pop to the allotment too - probably more to pick there! Dad doesn't need picking up until 2pm.... tempted to go for a walk at Runnymede en route, but will see how I get on with the jobs first. Not sure what time Mr MV will be back, but he's left his bike at the station, so I don't need to be here to give him a lift.

Have a good evening all!

themadvix

Afternoon all,

 I’m at Heathrow waiting for Dad and fiancée. Managed to get quite a bit done this morning but didn’t get to allotment. Beans blanched, some apples (collected ages ago from Olio) stewed with blackberries for breakfast, cherry toms roasted with garlic which I’ll blitz into a sauce later. Have realised some of problem with freezer is a big bag of frozen peas and big bag of frozen mixed veg, which are both bought. Have planned a mixed veg curry for later in the week that will deplete them a bit and free up some space. Also a pot of prepared Olio veg that we’re going to have tonight (seems mad when there’s fresh stuff, but it’s taking up a lot of space).

I’ve also potted up my supermarket parsley, the baby aloe vera my Olio friend gave me (two in the pot, now separated), the violas (into hanging basket and pot by front door), a new thyme (old one was very woody) and a Vietnamese coriander, which I bought yesterday as the supermarket ones are primadonnas and die every time they don’t get water the second they want it. This one will overwinter indoors as a houseplant and go out next summer. All potted up using homemade compost.

I also popped out to collect a bag of straw from someone on FB - it was free and I was about to buy some to rest my squash plants on at the allotment. I’ll definitely make use of it there one way or another, even though there was more than I thought.

 Traffic on way here was good, but not sure about way back - it looked like it was getting heavy going the other way.

EssexHebridean

I'd forgotten about straw for resting squash plants on!  And you've reminded me that I have a supermarket parsley that needs some TLC as well - I must add that to my list of things to do when I get home tomorrow.

Glad Wisley was wonderful but what an odd thing about the disposables in the cafe - most places like that seem to be bending over backwards to tick all the sustainability boxes, after all! Also very odd having lots of children there - It's not somewhere you'd really imagine to be a candidate for a "let's take the kids" family day out is it!  

themadvix

Morning all,

Yes, EH, the disposables at Wisley was very odd. Of course, if you wanted to spend £28pp on the two-course set menu in the restaurant, there was proper crockery! And the children.... it wasn't what I expected tbh, but I guess local (Surrey) people, aka yummy mummies, must consider it a nice place for some outdoors time. Unfortunately a lot of them weren't well behaved and the parents didn't seem to care. That wasn't the case for all of course, but you know how it is - the misbehaving ones are the ones that draw your attention. (One lad kept pulling down on the branch of a tree, almost back on itself, so close to it tearing and Dad just looked on, not seeing what was wrong with this - it was dangerous to him, never mind the tree!).

Yesterday was a busy day! Cambridge work and meeting in the morning, allotment visit, made yoghurt, sowed some cress and did some other jobs, quick lunch and then to ex-Brownie friend's house where we cleared her (very small) loft and listed some Brownie memorabilia stuff on a specialist FB group - all of it already sold, so just need to get the money and dispatch it! Back home and then we picked up a hire van from Costco (£16/hr + 35p/mile) to collect a picnic bench for our front garden from someone on FBMP. I've been keeping an eye out for a while and this one was £60 and in good condition. Very pleased and just about managed it within the hour. Dinner was homegrown stir fry - french beans, baby corn, pepper, chilli, garlic, courgette and chard (+ onion and ginger). I used the delay start function on the IP for the first time so that the brown rice cooked while we were out.

Today continues to be a mix - I've got a little bit of work for my main client, plus a Cambridge meeting and work, need to pick up a cat-sitting key later and want to get a few life admin/housework jobs sorted around here too. Have got a loaf out of the freezer for lunch and dinner will be slow-cooked courgette pasta (a deviation from the meal plan as we've got too much fresh to be worrying about the frozen stuff!).

MS things:
* Tonnes of spinach and chard from allotment (I took quite a bit for my Brownie friends), plus strawbs and rasps and a beautiful, perfect pointed cabbage (can you tell I'm rather proud of it?!)
* Clicks and HW done
* Yoghurt made
* Applied for focus group
* Cat sitting client booked in for Christmas period... I ummed and aahed about it as I did say I was going to have Christmas off this year, but it's a booking for 19-30 December, twice a day (except Christmas and BD), so will be a good amount of money at a time when things can be a bit quiet. I don't actually mind visiting the cats at Christmas, but there'll have to be a very good reason to do more than just these two.
* S&S submitted
* TV survey  -now we're not just watching Apple TV I'm actually earning points again! And points don't mean prize draw entries any more, but actual conversion to vouchers, so that's a huge improvement

Gratitudes:
* Lovely time with ex-Brownie friends
* Bench people were nice - the little girls offered us a homegrown raspberry each
* Allotment bounty - and my beautiful cabbage

Have a good day all!

Cheery_Daff

Do we get to see a picture of your beautiful cabbage??

themadvix

😂😂😂 Of course!

Cheery_Daff

Oooh, that's glorious! 🤩🤩