So close, we can smell mortgage freedom!

themadvix

Morning all,

Thanks Watty - you make it sound idyllic, although maybe not the place for your menagerie! 😊 The rest of you, though - you're all making me paranoid about being searched! RT your story did make me laugh!

Slept terribly last night - I feel shattered already despite two cups of tea. However, I'm over halfway through the piece of work from my main client - it's quick and easy and I'll get paid slightly more than normal for it - what's not to love?! Mum is now getting a lift to the hospital from her friend, so I won't be seeing her today. So once this piece of work is out of the way, I'll get on with invoicing etc (although I'm missing a couple of POs from the US still) and paying myself. Then it's back to Cambridge work. I may pop out still - to return cat sitting key and a library book, but I'll see how energetic I'm feeling.

Dinner last night was delicious - I probably should have done some other veg or something with it, but we just had the tarte (recipe was scaled down!). Tonight we're going to use some of the squash box that came last week and have squashy bottomed soup with leeks and croutons, which will use up the cream bought at the weekend and a couple of leeks in the fridge. I was hoping not to do a R'ford order this week, but we're out of onions, potatoes and carrots, so I've done a minimum order and stocked up on these bits, which should last a while.

MS things:
* 1P surveys done - at 728 pts now, so progress is being made
* YG flash survey - inching closer to payout
* Clicks and HW done
* Heated airer on overnight on cheap electricity so yesterday's washing now dry
* Mr MV made last night and took (I need to check that actually) his lunch for today

Gratitudes:
* The sun is shining here again today
* Enjoying the autumnal meals we've been having
* Lovely nurse called from Drs to offer me a cancellation appt for a coil fitting... very much not looking forward to it, but at least the nurse is lovely!

Have a good day all!

rtandon27

Vix - think of a search as the best way they ensure everyone's safety - they get to practice on us, the truly innocent travellers & in the event there was a problem, they know exactly how to handle it!

That soup recipe looks perfect for the last day in October - very autumnal! - I may have to visit our local farm and pick out two mini pumpkins to give it a try!

themadvix

Afternoon all,

Oh yes, I totally get that RT, I'd just rather not have the hassle at 4.30am! I'm looking forward to the soup too. Better yet, my evening class has been cancelled, so no pressure to do the homework and/or eat early.

Money shuffles etc. done and it wasn't a pretty sight. I tend to move everything that's not needed straight to savings, but I really don't like having to take it back out - which I had to today! More went in than came out this month, but nonetheless, it was *not* good. A lot of this is down to having quite a quiet month last month but continuing to think I had a similar income arriving to the month previous, which I did not. In any case, this month definitely needs to be more considered. 

In MSE news, I popped over to Olio/cat friend no. 2 earlier and she gave me a huge bag full of fruit from her work (she works at em and es) that had gone past its BB - so we're sorted for pineapple, satsumas, avocados and apples for a while. I also made a compote of redcurrants and blackberries this morning from fruit in the freezer, so this will see me through the next few days of breakfasts.... ooh, I've just thought, I can make apple turnovers with the leftover pastry from last night and the apples from today. 

Another couple of 1P surveys and 25 pts from YG for updating my Disney+ viewing.... so close now.

Mum has a splint type thing strapped round her arm, so is much happier, and has just popped round with her friend for a cuppa. Was able to give them a bag of satsumas too... 

Better get back to work now... although cat has just sat on my arm so not sure how productive I'll be!

Karmacat

The fruit sounds great - so does a cat sitting on your arm, mind you 🤣

EssexHebridean

Oh so they splinted your Mum rather than fully plastering in the end did they? That's good - and especially if it comes from a position of listening to her fears and then saying "well there is something else we can do instead then..." - something which I wish medical type folks were more willing to do! 

Your soup sounds yummy - we've done very similar a number of times when we used to get the dinky squashes from the farm shop - just make sure that when you pop them into the oven the tray you use is large enough to contain the full amount of the contents of the squashes in the event of them springing a leek....sorry, leak... I'm sure you can work out where THAT bit of input comes from... (yes - messy!)

themadvix

I can assure you that cat sat precisely where he was wasn't comfortable Karma! All his weight was on my lower arm!

EH, yes she's got a complicated splint thing (apparently moulded for her) and bright pink velcro straps - she's allowed to remove it to wash and hopefully it'll not be necessary by the end of the month. 

Thanks for the tip about the dish for the squash - I'd considered they may leak, but not that everything might empty out! They and the leeks are prepped but I'm waiting on Mr MV to get home and then we're going swimming (fulfilling a long-term intention!).

themadvix

Morning all,

I've been up since 6 (and awake since 4.45) because Mr MV had to check some overnight updates. I'm sure I'll need a nap later but I've had a very productive morning so far. 

Dinner last night was nice, but given the liquid in the 'soup' was entirely cream, I don't think it's something to have regularly! Used the free apples from Olio friend and leftover rough puff (a quarter of what I made - there's still another half in the freezer) to make an apple 'pie', which we had with the very last dribble of the cream. There's some of that leftover for tonight, along with fried leeks that wouldn't fit in the squash, so dinner tonight will be soupy leeky rice. Eventually I'll get to the two packs of tempeh I picked up from Olio on Sunday! Also made a pizza sauce with the leftover chopped toms from Saturday - so pizza will be on the menu too.

This morning I've done various housework jobs including cleaning the kitchen floor (I have task list on my Google account with tasks that are carefully put in for certain dates and they tend to just pile up until I do a load at once!). I've also popped into my Cambridge job and checked all is good there and done a small piece of work for the platform I use - the first of those in ages. And a £4.50 PA survey that hopefully will pay a bonus too.

Going to make some breakfast now and then I'll be cracking on with more Cambridge work. I have two meetings today too, so well on the way to completing the full 10 hours available this week.

EssexHebridean

We used to make the squash soup bowls using half stock and half cream - that works well as long as you have a fair bit of veg in the filling - we used to use onion and mushrooms with added peas or sweetcorn IIRC - plus a big handful of ideally gruyere cheese - but more often than not, cheddar! The cheese serves to thicken everything a bit too of course. 

themadvix

I think that might have been a good idea EH, although I also think we might have needed slightly bigger squashes - nowhere near all of what was there in terms of filling fitted!

I'm at the point of going slightly loopy with the Cambridge work I'm doing, so having a quick break before my meeting with boss/friend. I'm hoping she'll be pleased with my progress.

The weather is decidedly undecided here - it's currently sunny, but we've had several heavy showers... I do still need to get the key back to cat sitting client, so I may yet go for a cycle later. It would probably do me good to get out of the house tbh! (Or perhaps not... there are large black clouds advancing on the house quite rapidly!)

MS things:
* PA surveys
* 1P surveys
* Clicks done... oh, just realised I haven't done HW yet
* Mind has switched into 'stingy' mode - I don't want to have to do a supermarket order this month, so I need to eke out the half jar of mayo - only a small amount added to my eggs for lunch! Likewise butter!
* Sunshine is helping the batteries; I've just put the heated airer back on as some of the washing is still a bit damp (plus it's right next to me, so keeping my office warm!)

Gratitudes:
* Cheerful Teams meeting this morning
* Gorgeous golden leaves on the trees I can see from my office (now beautifully set off against dark grey clouds with sun shining on them)
* Enjoying the new issue of Permaculture magazine

Have a good afternoon all!

rtandon27

I'm loving your expression 'Stingy Mode' - we are doing much the same this month - trying to eke out what is in the house and see if we can source what we may need from 0li0