So close, we can smell mortgage freedom!

Cheery_Daff

Sorry to hear you had a rotten day. It's never a good feeling when we don't live up to the high expectations we hold for ourselves, is it? But if it was a friend, you'd give them a hug and tell them they're only human and mistakes are bound to happen sometimes - so let us do that for you (((((()))))))

Ah yes, Imbolc! Thanks for the link - it's a reminder that I have Glennie Kindred's book somewhere, must dig it out. 

Excellent free haul from the supermarket, how lovely!

Cheery_Daff

Oh, and you've reminded me I must get on the case hacking at our ivy this weekend before anything starts trying to nest in it. I don't have anything against it in principle, but it's completely swamped a dry stone wall, our only area of grass that isn't visible from the footpaths, and half of the terrace outside the front door, and it's inched at least two foot across the drive since we moved in too 😂 It'll be moving into the house soon if I don't shift some of it! 

themadvix

Ooh, thanks EH, I did not know that mozzarella freezes well - that's very handy to know. And you and Cheery are both right, it was just a case of it being too much at once yesterday. And I know I don't take criticism well or like disappointing people, so my response was entirely predictable. I did manage a bit of a reset in the evening - Mr MV and I both got home at the same time (me from cat sitting, him from work) and I whacked some music on that was guaranteed to cheer us up, and it did - as did catching up on the YT stuff we follow.

Spent another 1.5 hours (or maybe a bit more) down at the allotment this afternoon (whoops!). It's looking much better there - tidy edges to beds (better when the mower gets down there but I wanted the mower box today and couldn't manage both - I did try), cardboard and woodchip down for paths and the clutter (planks acting as bed edges, rocks etc.) moved to the side of the shed (where I created a space that wasn't being used). More cardboard and woodchip needed and I really need to get some compost on the plots - not sure there's much in my dalek composter, but there's a bag here that needs to go down there (and maybe I'll bag some of our homemade stuff up too).

EH - don't feel envious of the sourdough - I suspect it is sourdough by name, not by nature (i.e. supermarket sourfaux). In any case, I'm not a big fan, but it's gone in the freezer for an emergency (it was presliced).

themadvix

Morning all,

Had a nice evening yesterday - fire and oatcakes in the garden and then inside for veggie chilli and a few games of Sushi Go. Struggling today, despite sleeping well - I think probably all the fresh air and workouts have caught up with me. Visited the cats this morning, so only two more visits there. I am going to try to decline these in future I think - my friend is rather stressy about it and expects quite a bit. Spoke to other friend about it and unfortunately she's not inclined to look after them either - which is tricky. We are both a lot more relaxed about the cats when we're away (and also accept that they don't necessarily want a lot of fuss or attention from strangers - cats generally behave very differently with people other than their owners in my experience).

I have two postponed-from-Wednesday Cambridge meetings today plus another piece of work from main client. Which obviously needs to take priority and focus! I also need to pop out and get cat chicken (and jam, the only two things we buy from Costco apart from fuel) - think I'll take the car as time around meetings will be limited. Pub this evening.

MS things:
* A small portion of leftover chilli for the freezer
* Neither BIL nor SIL like rice pud, so there's a bowl of that in the fridge for us to enjoy - the milk needed using.
* Plenty of work
* Clicks
* 1P now over 2400 points, so I *will* get to pay out this month!

Gratitudes:
* Lovely evening yesterday
* Lots of birdsong - at the allotment (where there was also a very noisy squirrel) and on my way to cats this morning
* Lots of rice pud

Have a good day all!

themadvix

Afternoon all,

We had a good weekend - pub Friday night, housework and not a lot on Saturday (although I did try out my mower at the allotment 😊), and then on Sunday saw Mr MV's family (including BIL and family from Nottingham), before pub quiz night with usual BIL and SIL. Didn't win the quiz (and don't think there was a prize even - it was free entry), but it was fun and we'll go again. It's only once a month, so won't be too much of a commitment (finding and going to a local pub quiz is on my 40/40 list).

Yesterday was a bit of a funny day. I had a committee meeting and dental appointment yesterday morning, so went to friends' house for meeting via Zoom (she's also a member of committee) as it was in same town as dentist. Then back to hers and picked up all her remaining Brownie/Guiding stuff to sell. Got back, had lunch, had text from one friend about other friend's cat having escaped... so went over and gave her a hug, reassured her, checked she'd done all the right things (thinking cat was almost certainly still in the house). Eventually sat down to some work (fortunately only Cambridge stuff until late afternoon yesterday)! Cat was, of course, just hiding in a new place in the house, so all's well that ends well. Apart from the dentist (NHS and budgeted for), it was a NSD, so that was good. We had hm pizza for dinner, using some of the mozzarella, leftover, cooked-up passata and hg spinach.

Today has been busy with work - two pieces for main client, a small piece for another client and the usual Cambridge bits and pieces... This is a really busy week Cambridge-wise, and I've got something urgent I'm meant to be doing, but no one has yet told me what I'm supposed to be doing! Slightly frustrating, but I know it'll be more stressful there, so I'm just waiting to hear... patiently... (I didn't sleep well last night knowing I was meant to be doing this and not knowing what it was, so patience is somewhat limited!).

I've not yet done evening class homework for this evening (although I've checked and it won't take too long hopefully), nor have I posted any of the parcels of Guiding stuff that I've already sold (and there's more calculating and messaging people to do too). Also need to pop to Sainsbury's for eggs, milk, cheese and paracetamol. I need to go there so I can use my voucher, but it's not as quick as popping over the road, even with a car.

Car savings are on course. Hoping to be able to buy the car in June - before if I have a good few months with work.

MS things:
* Clicks and HW
* 1P - now 16p off payout
* YG survey
* PA surveys - already at £30 for the month, which is excellent - would like to get to £50 really as this will boost this month's earnings
* Have been doing well at using stuff up - dinner tonight will be leeky soupy rice to use up two leeks

Gratitudes
* Missing cat wasn't missing
* A quick cuppa with ex-Brownie friend after the dentist
* Hm pizza - bought stuff/takeaway just doesn't do it for me any more.

Have a good afternoon all!

ETA: I knew there was another 40/40 thing I did this weekend - I set up my LPAs, although I've not paid and therefore printed them out yet - mainly because I don't have £160 sitting around for them currently. 

EssexHebridean

That's another good reminder on the LPA thing Vix - that is something that is on our list to get sorted as well, and we should probably get that sorted this year really while we have less time taken up with beer festival stuff. 

You're going great guns on Prolific - do you treat it effectively as "work"? I used to do a lot better when I was able to do them at odd moments during the day simply because I picked more up - but work's firewall has changed and it doesn't let me access the site now annoyingly! 

I also know exactly where you are coming from on the HM Pizza as well - SO much nicer than the standard takeaway stuff - for me the only thing that is better is one made in a proper pizza oven so with the nice blackened bits round the edges. It has to be really thin-crust as well! 

redofromstart

Did the intake of breath thing for the cat and then the phew that it was simply a cunning new hiding spot.  One of mine was missing for over a week recently and it was just so distressing, worrying that she was trapped or suffering.  She, of course, strolled in like nothing had happened, and as if she had simply time travelled for her welcome back meal.  

themadvix

EssexHebridean said:

You're going great guns on Prolific - do you treat it effectively as "work"? I used to do a lot better when I was able to do them at odd moments during the day simply because I picked more up - but work's firewall has changed and it doesn't let me access the site now annoyingly!! 

Prolific is a combination of the end of the longitudinal study I’ve been doing since November and three really good studies the other day - on three consecutive days and with a decent bonus attached to each of them. I do treat it as work, if work is quiet, but I also ignore it completely if work is busy and I don’t tend to look at evenings and weekends - because it’s ‘work’!

themadvix

redofromstart said:

Did the intake of breath thing for the cat and then the phew that it was simply a cunning new hiding spot.  One of mine was missing for over a week recently and it was just so distressing, worrying that she was trapped or suffering.  She, of course, strolled in like nothing had happened, and as if she had simply time travelled for her welcome back meal.  

It is extremely distressing redo - I’ve been there too. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I heard she’d appeared, even though I thought she was probably in the house somewhere!

themadvix

Morning all,

I've just completed a piece of work for a new client for an existing US client, so hoping more is coming my way (even if I really don't like the client for ethical reasons 🙄 - I figure I'm taking money from them and not spending with them, so it's in alignment with principles really!).

Currently in a meeting on my own with Cambridge people - they're all super busy this week, so wasn't expecting anyone to turn up, but thought I'd see if anyone showed. Back to my work for main client shortly, although have another meeting at 12, and expecting that one to go ahead.

Sales of friend's stuff going well - I have 5 parcels to take to the PO at some point and another 5 at least that I'm waiting on payment for. I may actually have to start paying for postage for them - getting low on stamps!

Dinner tonight will be masala carrots, dal and flatbreads I think. Easy, tasty and we have all the ingredients. Am hoping Mr MV will go to Sains on the way home from work later - he mentioned it, but I doubt he'll remember. Haven't reminded him yet as I'd love the cycle if I have time, given it's the only dry day this week. Will be using my voucher in any case.

MS things:
* Clicks and HW
* 1P still at 2484- shockingly no surveys available for me 🙄
* PA surveys - two good ones this morning, although I was rejected for one because I completed it too quickly... perhaps they should consider what they were asking - I'm not going to buy expensive luxury items for image reasons, so easy enough to say no to all of them!
* Currently trialling some dishwasher tabs for a survey
* £3 PC survey
* YG Safe stuff done and a survey
* £10 interest received from NS&I bond - transferred to car pot
* Have retrieved brown paper that padded my lawnmower from the recycling, ironed it, and used as packaging for some of the parcels I'm selling - annoyingly my stash of saved bags etc didn't have enough in the right sizes!
* Mr MV didn't take lunch today as he has loyalty points to use in canteen. We're nearly out of bread but I'll have the end of the loaf (probably toasted) and bake either this evening (depending on whether I go to Sains) or in the morning.

Gratitudes:
* Evening class was OK last night, despite me cheating on the homework 😬
* Quick chat this morning with FIL - I called him with a work-related query!
* Birdsong - I can hear them, so I know they're out there, but just can't see them in our garden!

Have a good day all!