So close, we can smell mortgage freedom!

themadvix

That’s good to know Cheery!

redofromstart

the pears, I'm not a fan either but I did spot a walnut, blue cheese and pear salad when I was looking for inspiration on using the last tiny bit of Stilton. 

ETA also poached pears in red wine. Seems like a terrible waste of wine to me

QueenJess

Well if it was me I would go pear and something crumble (blackberries or redcurrants work well). I also have a recipe for a pear and chocolate pudding that will overwhelmingly taste of chocolate if you want to try that.

Failing that, you can cut them up small and combine with ginger for muffins (then you can freeze them if required). Poached pears are nice, but I can never be bothered to do that. I also stew pears up on the hob with some cinnamon and add to porridge. You could grate into a bircher museli as well with other flavours.
You can slice up in strips to add to a salad, but probably the wrong time of year for that.
That’s just off the top of my head… we always have a lot of pears around here, although DD normally gobbles them before I can get to them.

themadvix

Morning all,

Thanks Redo and QueenJess. I'm not a fan of blue cheese Redo, but Mr MV would probably like that. Jess, loads of suggestions there, thank you! I think either stewing with other fruit for porridge or a crumble are the most likely winners.

Had a nice visit from Dad and Wife yesterday (yes, she's my step-mum, but that's a bit weird when you're an adult!). I didn't have any work to rush back to and they had plenty of time, so we spent a good hour or so catching up. Mr MV came home about an hour after they'd left and we had 'crunchy squash and leek bake' from Rukmini Iyer's Roasting Tin Around the World (a book I won). It was OK... I'd tweak the recipe another time, but importantly it used up two delicata squash (wasn't impressed by their flavour, which is a pity as they're nice to look at) and there's enough left for dinner tonight after the pub.

This morning I leapt out of bed at an ungodly hour to make sure Mr MV took a packed lunch with him to the office - mainly because I'd not frozen the second loaf I made on the basis we'd be having sandwiches today and it risks the bread going off - so twice the expense/waste as he'd pay for lunch and the food would be wasted. I've also done paperwork for the new agency I'm hoping to get some work from, finished a piece of my work and returned it, and finished two of the jobs my other Cambridge boss had asked me to do. She wants a call about further things later - I'm hoping I might hear more from my main client before then about this project, as I don't want to overcommit myself.

Heating is back down to 15 degrees in the house as I've got the heated airer on next to me with today's washing on it. I've got a few more bitty Cambridge bits to do and then I might get the sewing machine out as I need to make a present bag for Mum's birthday present - hoping it arrives today as it's her birthday tomorrow.

The weekend: cat sitting starts, dinner out tomorrow night, hoping my wall year planner arrives so we can do some high-level plotting and planning. Mr MV will be doing lots of running... I must do a seed audit and decide what I'm growing this year - and order seeds! Also need to make a batch of glamorgan sausages for the freezer.

MS things:
* YG survey
* MM surveys
* NV survey - which reminds me, I should have had a follow-up invite and haven't
* Used up a sad bit of leek yesterday and have kept top of new leek for veg stock paste

Gratitudes:
* The weather up north was OK and Mr MV didn't get stuck anywhere
* A nice visit from Dad and Wife
* Sunshine again today! And the days are getting longer - I went for a quick walk round the block at 4.45 yesterday and it wasn't dark dark!

Have a good day all!

themadvix

Morning all,

Well we didn't go out on Saturday night as Niece was unwell, so we've postponed that until next weekend. Mum came to us for dinner instead - I cooked Sada Pulao and Adrak Phulli, which was a R'ford recipe box recipe that we've had quite a few times since. I did make the sausages and froze them (need to write the recipe down as I tweaked it - mainly removing the faffy dipping in flour, egg white and breadcrumbs - they still tasted great). Wall planner arrived, and has now been nicely adorned with colourful post-its for the events we already know about. Have pinned down some possible dates for trips to RHS gardens (on my list - but all before 1st July as that's when my membership runs out), so need to get Mr MV to check work diary for those. One will be a cheapy caravan and the other a cheapy Travelodge (and train). The third is the Manchester one, which we'll probably combine with seeing our northern friends - and possibly football too.

I did do a seed audit (and make an unreasonably long list of things I'd like to grow this year 🙄), but haven't ordered anything as we're going to a seed swap next weekend! (Also on my list as I'd like to organise one, but thought I ought to see how they work first!).

Visited the cat I'm looking after by bike, so car hasn't had any use all weekend. I am going out this afternoon though, so will be using it then. We've agreed with the in-laws that my car can go on their drive for a couple of months, so I've now moved my car insurance pot and tax pot money out and divided between holiday and new (joint) car pots. Maintenance fund will stay in place until we've sold it, of course.

Workwise, I'm waiting to hear from main client still.... and one of the Cambridge bosses wants a call this morning... although I don't know when yet.. Really want to hear from main client first! This afternoon I'm meeting ex-Brownies friends, tomorrow I could potentially be meeting Mum and a couple of family friends for coffee, Wednesday there's a rag rugging workshop I'd like to go to and I've been invited out for brunch on Thursday - why couldn't some of these have happened last week when I didn't have much work? I'm probably going to have to turn down at least two of these (trying very hard to keep enough availability for rag rugging though). (I know, first-world problems!)

MS things:
* Interest on tax money (£18) moved to savings
* Used pears in a pear and ginger crumble (I saved one for me to try to enjoy as is) - using some Grasmere gingerbread that Dad brought round the other - it would have been demolished in our house normally, but dated from November, so a bit past its best. Excellent crumble topping though.
* Used egg whites not used in sausages (due to deviation from recipe) in our leeky soupy rice last night - saving on two eggs
* Seed audit and seed swap identified for attending

Gratitudes:
* Nice time at the pub on Friday
* Lovely to see Mum on Saturday (and we still have dinner out next week to look forward to)
* Have had fun planning our year with the wall planner

Have a good day all!

Watty1

ohhh Rag Rugging.  Please make sure you get to keep that one as I want to know all about it.  It was something I wanted to do many years ago.

Interestingly I'm finding so many things that the person I was before the ex was keen to do.  I'm sort of uncovering and asking myself if I want to start again.    

themadvix

Bit gutted to discover that the workshop is sold out! However, am going to go anyway, as there’s a demo on/other stuff to see. Will get there early and see if I can be on standby.

Baileys_Babe

What type of rag rugging is it? Good luck with grabbing a last minute place.

themadvix

Morning all,

@Baileys_Babe, I have no idea - they say you'll learn two techniques and you make a sunflower cushion cover. I know nothing about rag rugging!

Not feeling too great this morning - headachey and a bit shivery. I'm hoping I'm not coming down with anything! I'll see how I feel, but I don't think I'm going to be heading out this afternoon - one of the people I could be meeting is in her eighties (or is she 90? Hard to tell, she's very fit and healthy still!), so I don't want to risk giving her anything.

Had a very productive time with ex-Brownie friend yesterday, clearing her ancient collection of Guiding memorabilia/books etc. Have sold a load on a FB group on her behalf and need to take them to the PO (along with some kefir grains ).The advantage of this for me is that I get to use my stamps from RM survey - so I've made a tidy £13 'profit' from it, which has already been transferred to savings. Also claimed a few Brownie story books for Niece - just need to read them quickly first to check they're suitable (given they're mostly at least 50 years old!).

I have a meeting at 1pm with the other Cambridge boss and also have plenty to be getting on with (having had a response from someone), but no inclination currently. Also need to feed cat (fortuantely Mr MV has left me his car, so I don't have to get soaked going down there). Might do that next and pop to PO, then I can put heating up a bit when I get back without it being a waste.

Popped into T's yesterday and spent £15 on eggs, cheese (I used what I bought last week in the glamorgan sausages), milk, bananas and some sleepy tablets. Organic is not cheap. 🙄 

MS things:
* Stamps converted into cash
* Clicks and HW done
* Mr MV took lunch today 
* PA longitudinal survey
* S&S stuff
* TV survey points are building

Gratitudes:
* Lovely catch up and reminisce yesterday - found coincidental photos of me and Sis as Brownies
* No evening class tonight - the way I'm feeling, this is a very good thing
* Reply from main client, but no actual news yet about big project....

Have a good day all!

Baileys_Babe

I hope you feel better very quickly. I also converted some of my stamps to cash this week 😀