So close, we can smell mortgage freedom!

Baileys_Babe

LadyWithAPlan said:

Lovely to get positive feedback on work done well.

I am loving your list of to do's especially choux pastry.... I cant sadly eat it (GF) but I will always remember its deliciousness in eclairs

We make and enjoy GF choux pastry for making the occasional treat 😋

This is the recipe we use and like many of Becky's recipes, it has information on how to make it dairy free, which would be perfect for you @LadyWithAPlan

themadvix

I wondered about that Bailey’s babe - the GF flour mixes are really good these days for mimicking wheat flour.

themadvix

Morning all,

Not a great start to the day - picked my glasses up and an arm fell off them. Fortunately I have an old pair with the same prescription, but the lenses are a mess (I blame this entirely on thinking earlier in the night about the fact we need to pack our spare glasses and that I will need new ones soon (due to ageing hardware, rather than worsening eyes) and don't have enough in my glasses pot currently). So I need to take them to the opticians to see if they can fix them - which will be the one I use, not the one in town here, so a train journey to Mum and Sis's town later (Mr MV has gone off in the car and while I could use the Mini, I'd rather not with these terrible glasses!).

However, the added complication has given me a boot up the backside and I was out posting an RM survey bundle at 7 and popping to the allotment to pick some raspberries. Have been working on work for main client, but have also kept up with what's happening at Cambridge and done some allotment association admin. Cambridge meetings at 10 and then at 11.30. Have cancelled meeting with boss/friend at 2 as a) she's travelling and b) I need to get my glasses fixed.

Mr MV away overnight tonight, so leftover chilli for dinner (with what, tbd) and I'll catch up on bake off. It's raining, but I've done some washing anyway, as I needed to before we went away - will have to get the airer out to put it on tonight.

MS things:

* Clicks and HW

* Raspberries washed and straight in freezer (some have not made it there recently and have gone mouldy instead 😔)

* Leftovers for dinner

* Last cukes picked (except for one plant which is only just getting going!) - need to pick the toms, preferably today and get the plants in the compost. Undecided about whether to bring chillis and peppers in while we're away - would be better but the flies will be dire, plus cats liable to nibble.

Movement:

* Did manage a lunchtime walk yesterday, but still need to do yoga.

* Walk already this morning and a cycle planned for later to station 🙄

Gratitudes:

* Lovely evening class last night - felt I was keeping up!

* Spare glasses!

* A walk in the quiet this morning

Have a good day all!

themadvix

Turns out opticians can’t fix it - it needs flying and they aren’t allowed to do it 🙄 So will have to wait for Mr MV to get back tomorrow and try then. Otherwise she did confirm that they’d be able to swap the lenses from one set of frames to the other.

 While I was out I bought a voucher and card for our friends who have just had a long-awaited baby and (very unMSE) spotted a really nice low sideboard in the JL sale. Am going home to measure up… we have been wanting something  for a while for our living room and this is really nice - one of those ‘ooh, I really like that’ moments, but it will end up being a very expensive day indeed if I buy it! Also tagged a small euro cash order onto Mum’s - we only wanted €40 in cash just in case, which is less than most places will change, so it’s handy she needed some too. Exchange rate is great at the moment - except I get paid in euros, so that’s not so good.

 Just waiting for the train back and then I’ve got plenty more work to be doing - a piece from UK client and three more from main client. Fun times this evening!

themadvix

In good news, very expensive day averted - the sideboard wouldn't really fit where I was thinking of it and at the price it was, it would have to be perfect to be worth it. Phew!

Am still working and haven't even finished piece for UK client yet. Am glad I'm home now though and don't have to go anywhere else this evening!

rtandon27

Morning Vix - just popping on to let you know that R1verford applied the referral discount to my first box (coming tomorrow) instead of the 2nd box - hopefully the discount has shown up on your account as well? - RT xxx

themadvix

Thanks RT! Yes, I’ve had an email saying the credit is on my account. 😊 I hope you’re enjoying your delivery!

themadvix

Afternoon all,

It all got rather hectic with work and holiday preparations in the lead up to our holiday, but we made it and had a lovely time in the south of France. The car ate up the miles, charging was no issue at all - in fact, we needed to stop more often that it did - and it cost us less than half what it would have done in fuel. Would definitely do again. The French motorways, while expensive (£200 in tolls!) were an absolute delight - the M25 on the way back was deeply depressing in comparison.

It was not a particularly cheap holiday, but it was budgeted for. There are definitely some expenses we could have cut (and would in future) and we won't make the mistake of forgetting that hypermarkets (and all food shops) are shut on Sunday afternoons - our lunch on the way home was a really unpleasant and extremely overpriced sandwich at a services - not the best end to the holiday (nor did we manage to stock up on cheese as intended). However, the weather was lovely, I can say I've played at the casino in Monte-Carlo (albeit on the slots with the 10 euro voucher that's included in the entry price - why do people play slots, so boring and pointless?!) and seen a regatta at St Tropez (which could have been very expensive indeed had I not double-checked the parking tariff as we left the car park - 8 euros for 2 hrs (the regatta meant the cheap parking options were full), but rising to 96 euros (you read that right) if parked for over 2 hours!! Needless to say, we were in and out prontissimo!)

We tried to glue my glasses before we left, but this did not work, which meant I wore my spare pair while away. Have been to opticians this morning and despite the frames being the same, they were unable to swap the lenses from my current pair to my spare pair (same prescription, but the lenses just didn't fit). So I've ordered new frames as there was nothing wrong with the lenses - £105 instead of £300+, so definitely the MSE option. (Glasses are saved for specifically, so there's money in the pot for this.)

Mr MV hurt his knee (ongoing issue) while away and bought some frozen peas to ice it - we brought these back (excellent cool pack for the freezer bag - kept our packed lunch for Saturday nice and cool) and we've had a lovely pea and mint soup for lunch the past two days (and there's enough for me tomorrow too).

Intend to minimise spending on food this month - I think I said this before we went. Thanks to RT and credit on my account due to an error with my last order, we've got a R'ford delivery coming this week that is costing just £5. I've topped up on eggs, yoghurt and cheese whilst I was at the opticians. Otherwise, we're eating the tomatoes, tiny courgettes and peppers that have ripened while we've been away, plus the stuff in stores.

Popped to allotment yesterday and harvested some cannellini beans. My borlottis are flowering, so I'm leaving them for now. No squash though, they've rotted/been eaten (they weren't looking optimistic in the first place). Am still waiting for sprouts on my sprouting broccoli (summer sprouting, it's called.... definitely autumn now).

Work is back to being full on and there's no sign of any let up (in fact, am waiting for main client to call about another new project as I type).

MS things:

* Use of peas for lovely pea soup

* Avoided the 96 euros parking fee!

* Clicks and HW

Gratitudes:

* Lovely holiday

* Sun is out here - better than coming back to the rain

* Feeling refreshed and renewed and inspired

Have a lovely afternoon all!

Jessy103

Glad to hear you had a nice holiday, vix x

Cheery_Daff

Ooh sounds like a lovely trip! 😊 And well done for avoiding the parking charge!