So close, we can smell mortgage freedom!

QueenJess

Baileys_Babe said:

It must be the day for difficult days as my OH has had one as well.

Me too! We should form a club 😂

themadvix

Morning all,

So it seems the last Thursday in January is the nadir for working days then?! I hope your husbands have better days today, QueenJess and Baileys Babe. I think Mr MV is going to have to work over the weekend (it gives him a good excuse to avoid the seed swap I want to go to on Sunday though!).

The sun is out here, I didn't have to go out to feed cats first thing (or at all) and I have proper work to be getting on with. I've also got Cambridge stuff to do, especially as the team are in a meeting all day, so not watching what's happening in the inboxes.

Kitchen is tidied (pizza always makes a mess and I didn't have the energy to deal with it last night), bathroom has been semi-cleaned and the penultimate batch of stuff I've sold for my friend (this time around) has been parcelled up ready to go. My plan is to crack on with work (mine and Cambridge) this morning - hopefully get the piece for main client finished - and then head out on my bike to return a cat key and if I'm really organised, take the lawn mower blade for sharpening. Am getting hair cut at 3.30/4ish by SIL (£15), so need to be back for that (this is beginning to sound unlikely to all get done!). Pub this evening.

MS things:
* First hair cut I've paid for in over a year - whoops! SIL couldn't do it before we went on the cruise, so Mr MV trimmed it for me.... I'd let him trim it again, but I'm looking forward to a proper cut!
* Clicks and HW done
* YG surveys done - two last night

Gratitudes:
* Pizza was delicious last night if I say so myself. Copied QueenJess's idea and added some malted flour to the base dough - added a bit of extra crunch and definitely something to do again - thanks Jess!
* Sunshine!
* Work - proper, juicy work I can get my teeth into.

Have a good day all!

themadvix

Afternoon all,

Have had a good weekend. Yesterday we popped over to the in-laws with my car and parked him up. I enjoyed the drive there, but was quite sad that that will probably be the last time I drive him. 😔 If we win the premium bonds, he's the first thing to get a reprieve - neither of us want to sell him but we really don't have a need to keep him. I've moved the money saved for tax and insurance into savings, allowing for enough for bike maintenance and insurance and a £25/month 'travel allowance' - should I need an uber or train/bus tickets. Still works out at half the cost of keeping the car per month, without considering fuel.

We went out for lunch for Mum's birthday yesterday evening, which ended up being very expensive for me (as I paid more than Sis, which only seemed fair given Niece didn't exactly eat much). So need to rein in personal spends this month (and it's not even started yet!).

I've just been to a seed swap near Cambridge, which was a very lovely little event. Quite a way for me to go, but there doesn't seem to be one closer and it's something I'm thinking of trying to organise here, so it was worth seeing what it was like. There were a few stalls (bought a dozen free-range eggs from a lady for £2.50), and a big table with the seeds on, with lots of seed envelopes so you could take as many or as few as you like. And if you didn't have seeds to swap, you could make a donation. Also refreshments available. It was so nice and I have lots of ideas and enthusiasm for organising one here for next year. I think I might need to join the allotment society's committee... Brought back loofah, okra, carlin pea and Coco Sophie bean seeds to try - excited about all of these!

Have done two loads of washing and got quite a bit of the moisture out of it out on the washing line. Returned the cat key as well. And Mr MV has done the work needed and a bit of prep for a consultation - he gets invites for these from time to time and they're excellent - $150 for half an hour's work, yes please!

Dinner tonight is going to be cod in curry sauce with hg spinach.

Tomorrow I'm popping to see a friend in the afternoon (she's not been well) and then to see my friend about some cat sitting. In the morning I'd like to get a couple of hours of report writing for Cambridge done as tomorrow is the deadline for the month's timesheet, so worth getting a bit more time spent on it (especially given low self-employed earnings this month). I also have a piece of work for a US client - I might do some of that now though.

Have a good evening all!

themadvix

Morning all,

I ordered my lawnmower last night - £50 plus postage (£13) from Ebay and £1 tracked on TCB.

I did get that little bit of work done, so that's helpful. Timesheet has appeared for the report work, so that's useful too as boss is off today, so don't want to bother her. Washing dried beautifully on the airer last night, having got most of the moisture out on the line. Two slightly damp t-shirts have been moved to a radiator airer and everything else put away. (As the heated airer stands right next to/encroaching on my desk, this is a huge improvement!)

Still awaiting any news on this supposed 'big project' from my main client - I have no doubt it's coming, but when? So it's Cambridge stuff, mainly reports this morning, which is good as I'll get paid for that on the 15th. 

Have arranged dinner with my evening class friends for Tuesday evening as we've not got evening class. Not MSE, but the normal pub couldn't fit us in, so we're trying a new one in the same village and they seem to have a 2 courses for £16 offer, so at least I know how much I'll spend. May also book the Travelodge for our jaunt to Harrogate (to visit Harlow Carr) in June - imagine price will only go up if I don't.

MS things:
* Clicks and HW
* Some PA surveys yesterday
* Dinner was nice, although a bit samey to the one-pan fish daal I cook
* Sunshine made a big difference yesterday - two loads of washing and a dishwasher load and we had plenty of battery by the evening still - hurray!

Gratitudes:
* Friendly and welcoming people at the seed swap, and lots of food for thought - and inspiration to get involved here
* Lovely new seeds to play with
* Mum has booked us both onto the half-day rag rugging class as my birthday present (beginning of March). She doesn't normally do crafty stuff (more arty), so it will be fun to do this with her.

Have a good day all!

themadvix

Morning all,

It was lovely to see my friend yesterday - she's really been through the mill, but is recovering well by the sound of it (16 fibroids removed!). Spent £5 on some flowers - annoyingly I wanted a couple of bunches of daffs and saw a lady walking back from the shops with them - wished I'd asked where she got them from as when I went into the Coop I couldn't see any! I'll have to try again soon as I'd like some for us.

Didn't see a woman about a cat after all yesterday - am going today instead. I did get a lot of report stuff done and submitted my timesheet for that, so that's £300 added to my Cambridge income for the month (not all of it yesterday, I hasten to add, nor even all in Jan!). Main client has sent me another normal piece of work, so I'm cracking on with that this morning.

I've just set up Family Superduolingo for me, Sis, Mr MV, BIL and SIL - I'd bought Super at the beginning of the year on offer, but this works out at £15 each (ish), so it seemed like too good a deal to miss. I have had to pay the full £89, but they said I'd have the remainder of my membership refunded, so I hope that comes through quickly (although it's on my Amex, so I've got until mid-month for that to be sorted.

If I get this bit of work done today, I'll try to do my invoicing etc. later as I know I'll be busy with Cambridge stuff tomorrow.

MS things:
* Mr MV didn't eat his dinner last night as he wasn't feeling well (after it was being cooked) - fortunately it included mash and cabbage, so bubble and squeak for lunch today (He's much better today)
* PA surveys, inc longitudinal, done
* Clicks and HW done - I think I might pause HW for a while - I've not been winning anything and I think I need a break as the bookies are onto me!
* TCB tracked for Travelodge break booked for June (I won't hold my breath for that money!)

Gratitudes:
* Lovely to see friend
* Mr MV feeling better today
* Work

Have a good day all!

themadvix

Morning all,

Yesterday was not a good day. I had slept terribly and was getting on with some Cambridge work when I had an email from main client asking me to redo the work I'd done for him on Tuesday. This has never happened - I pride myself on doing a very good job, so it was extremely disappointing. And he was right - I'd not done a good job (the source material was very poor, which mitigates this somewhat, but not entirely). So I spent yesterday carefully redoing that and apologised wholeheartedly. We're OK, I think - he could see that the original was bad, although it really didn't make up for my mistakes. Anyway, it's done now, so hopefully that's in the past. 

I was, consequently, in a fairly grumpy mood all day. We didn't have any bread, so I thought I'd make a soda bread loaf and even this went wrong - being uncooked in the middle. I went down to the allotment for a break, fresh air and sunshine for an hour in the afternoon, which helped, although returning home and realising I hadn't locked the house door did nothing to improve my view of myself!

Invoicing on Tuesday was as dire as expected. Good job Cambridge timesheets have all been submitte and approved. PA surveys, (paid) cat sitting and work-platform jobs (if I can reach payout level by the 13th) might boost this. Current cat sitting is unpaid, as exchange for the vast volumes of alcohol (for supplies - I'll make gifts with them) friend gave me the other week. Seems a fair swap!

Positives for yesterday:
* £50 Sains voucher claimed from NV. I intend to use this for groceries for the rest of the month (excepting milk and possibly one more R'ford delivery and a small top-up at the fishmonger). We have plenty of dry goods from refill shop in, so will try to avoid spending more than this (I do have a small delivery (£45) arriving today too - hopefully I can stretch the voucher into March!).
* My lawnmower arrived. Annoyingly it then rained yesterday evening - the ground was dry enough at the allotment yesterday that I'd considered taking it down and testing it out today!
* I got the edge of two allotment beds straightened and encroaching grass removed - hence I want to cut the grass. I'm removing bed edges this year as per no-dig recommendations (they harbour slugs), so tidy edges and trimmed grass are necessary. Also removed excessive water pipe from shed and can now get in there again (tidying needs doing) - donated to allotment friend and some left by gate with a 'help yourself' sign attached.
* A sign has gone up about the allotment association's AGM and they need committee members - I may put myself forward.
* Completed a 3-day PA survey, which should pay very well; also received notification that today is the last of the longitudinal surveys.
* Interest received from Starling - moved to savings
* Money for Duolingo family plan paid off cc
* Day 3 workout done - legs. It didn't feel like I was doing much at the time, but I can feel it today! 
* Despite being miserable and grumpy, we didn't succumb to temptation of takeaway - frankly none appealed, bar maybe a curry and we had that in the freezer, so we ate freezer curry instead!

So it seems it wasn't all bad!

Gratitudes:
* The sun is shining today
* A small job for a US client
* A relaxing evening yesterday

Today we are celebrating Imbolc this evening - it's a pagan festival to acknowledge/celebrate the new shoots of life appearing. It will involve oatcakes, cheese and a fire in the garden (doesn't every pagan festival?)! BIL and SIL are coming over and after we've fired and cheesed we'll have veggie chilli and play some games. This is part of my 40/40 list - "celebrate 'something' every month' (and pagan festivals, with their love of fire, often win for me!).

Have a good day all!

Watty1

Well of course I had to go and read up on Imbolic.  I know need a fire pit LOL but I love the idea of welcoming Spring (was glad to get the final hedges cut here before the 1st Feb so I know the spring birds will be fine).  The sun is shining a few snow drops that survived in my garden are out and I do indeed feel it is time to welcome the season about to start.

Have a lovely evening celebrating.

themadvix

Here's an article about it for anyone who is interested. https://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/living-in-tune-with-the-seasons-imbolc-january-into-february/ 

Thanks Watty! It sounds like you're all set for spring

themadvix

Another small win this morning - bizarrely my supermarket delivery included three additional mozzarellas and a sourdough loaf.... by the time I realised the driver was long gone - and the company told me to keep them. Lots of pizza on the menu this month, I think!

EssexHebridean

Oh Vix sorry to hear you had a rubbish day - isn't it odd the way sometimes all the things come along at once and make it all feel worse than it would otherwise? A few grim things we can shrug off, but when they are one after the other it all feels a bit much! 

Great wins on the supermarket delivery - you know mozzarella freezes brilliantly I take it? I often freeze half a ball of it after we've had pizza! I've got definite sourdough envy too - I'm £50 of spending in Lil's away from the next one of those I will see, although there is probably still some in the freezer come to think of it... 

Rather like the idea of a festival to celebrate which includes fire - what a great way to welcome spring as well! We saw a pair of blue tits investigating next doors nest box last weekend much to our joy, and that reminded us that we must see about getting one for ourselves too!