So close, we can smell mortgage freedom!

themadvix

Morning all,

Thanks KP - it's settling down to manageably busy! And I've started on the Cambridge stuff, so I'm feeling calmer about everything now - so often it's the not knowing that stresses me out.

SH, the raspberries were lush. As were the 4 strawbs.... I think I need some new strawberry plants. They have produced very healthy leaves but very little fruit!

After an early night last night and some better sleep, I'm feeling a lot calmer today. I did a bit more work before bed last night too which helped. The Cambridge stuff is going well and I didn't receive anything overnight from the Americans (nor a reply as to when I'll get paid that I sent yesterday 🙄)

I had cancelled the veg box, but I've just amended the order (created my own box) as there's definitely stuff we don't have and won't have grown by next week, but I've focused on those bits instead of a generic box. I must go to the allotment on foot at some point today and pull some rhubarb (and pull some here too - it's barely been touched this year!). Also need to get the edamame beans in. In good news, some potatoes are flowering so I'll be able to harvest and free up some space before the leeks need to go in. Phew!

I also need to place a supermarket delivery for a few bits and a cat food order.... 

MS things:
* Cat sitting by bike 
* Had smaller portion of dinner last night so leftovers for lunch (healthier too)
* Will get TCB and membership discount on cat stuff (and use zoo points for some freebies) - it's already the cheapest place to buy from anyway

Gratitudes:
* Rasperries galore!
* A nice cycle to the cats this morning (and have found a slightly shorter way back -  different routes there and back because of the hills!)
* Work is doable!

themadvix

Cambridge work did not go terribly smoothly after I posted as friend popped into spreadsheet and I was then unable to save it.... had to redo an hour's work. We know now... And rather than being able to crack on all afternoon as well, friend needed to make some updates so has kicked me out. I'm back to my work, but would rather be getting on with the other stuff!

I have also done and dried three loads of washing today, directed my mum to pick up some jars from Freegle for me (tiny ones, perfect for dried herbs - hopefully I'll make the effort to dry some now!) and bagged some soil from the tonne bag in the garden in the hope that people might collect if it's already bagged up. (I don't have much hope but it's got to be bagged if we're going to take it to the dump in any case.)

Have arranged a supermarket delivery for Thursday of only those things I know I can't get in Lidl and the cat order has gone through too - including some wet food using the zoo points. Also ordered a litter tray which had been reduced by £5 overnight (Think I need a spinning ML head for that really!). Depending on work, I may go to the zero waste shop/Lidl tomorrow, although it could wait a little bit longer (but I am running out of things now). 

Karmacat

If you're running out, it's okay to buy more!  Sorry to hear about the admin shenanigans on the Cambridge work - sounds like you know how to put it right, but still ...

OTOH - I just scanned back briefly, and saw your phrase "cat sitting by bike", and out of context it has a very Alice In Wonderland flavour 

savingholmes

It sounds like it will take a while for things to settle with the new working arrangements.

themadvix

Karmacat said:

If you're running out, it's okay to buy more!  Sorry to hear about the admin shenanigans on the Cambridge work - sounds likeyou know how to put it right, but still ...

OTOH - I just scanned back briefly, and saw your phrase "cat sitting by bike", and out of context it has a very Alice In Wonderland flavour 

I know it’s ok to buy more if I’m running out, but the issue is getting to the shop while it’s open (10-4) and still getting work done! 😂 

Cat sitting by bike definitely has an otherworldly feel to it - but going to the allotment is even better!

try_harder

We have two cars but really only use one and now we only use that one at weekends so we could potentially sell one too .We borrowed the money to buy the bikes at a very ,very low interest rate and then we use the money we have left over each week from our diesel budget to pay the CC weekly .We should have paid them both off within six months just with the money weve saved weekly in diesel. 

We grow lots of vegetables but i have never grown edamame beans ,thats a great idea , they are quite expensive to buy if organic ,i shall mention that to my husband this evening ,its strange that i have never thought of growing them before 

Karmacat

Ah, gotcha with fitting the trip into work times with shop opening hours like that.  And the allotment must be so great!

themadvix

Morning all (just),

TH - this would work for me, except I rarely use my car and the fuel lasts ages (because I use the electric if I have access to it!). The biggest issue with my car is that it costs £280 to tax and I can't SORN it as we don't have the parking space (and it's not really 'mine' to get rid of - Mr MV wants to keep it really... although I think he is beginning to realise that that's not feasible). How do you find cycling in the winter/bad weather? That's something that worries me about paying out so much for a bike - potentially not wanting to use it in the winter!

Have collected my Olio collection this morning, but have had to dump the pastries as they all go into a bag together and there were two doughnuts with bites out of them in there this morning. It's a sad indictment of the times we live in (assuming it was someone who was desperate rather than stupid kids). It hasn't stopped me having a pastry but I can't give them away. And no one wants the loaves, so my kitchen continues to look like a bakery!

Have done several small bits of work for clients this morning, but have mainly been cracking on with the Cambridge work. This afternoon I'm meeting a friend from evening class. I think I mentioned that her husband had (late diagnosed) cancer and had been given months/weeks to live back in January. He died a couple of weeks ago and the funeral is next week. It is just awful - he was in his mid-fifties and the hospital took months to diagnose the cancer and it was then too late. Bit nervous about meeting her as she's said she's all over the place and I'm not very good at knowing what to say!  I really feel for her though. Another friend was meant to be coming but has gone down with Covid. I'm sure it'll be fine...

MS things:
* Cats sat
* Free bread from Olio 
* Bought an overpriced anniversary card for Mr MV but did find a 20% off code
* Dinner from freezer last night - not sure about dinner tonight... maybe Spanish omelette and leaves from the garden
* Listed a top on Vinted that I'd bought and not worn

Gratitudes:
* Mr MV - he revived my car last night *and* cleared it out 🥰 (after an incident where I set someone's car on fire many years ago, I do *not* jump start cars or do anything with the battery!)
* A lovely neighbour has just offered to take some pastries despite knowing the issues
* Evening class was cancelled last night when just teacher and I showed up - a relief as I was exhausted

Have a good day all!

try_harder

I think we got them March ,April time so my husband used his bike every day during the week ,he just put his raingear on and often came home completely soaked although he is extremely good tempered and never complains ,i on the other hand would not use mine in the rain or wind if i can help it . in our case with the fact that we are saving large amounts in fuel ,the bikes have paid for themselves in probably six months so thereafter owe us nothing ,not so in your case though so maybe best to just stick with the electric car as much as possible and your bike

We have that exact problem when we collect pastries ,all thrown together in the same bag and some with what looks like bites but im never sure

themadvix

Morning all,

Another bad night's sleep - have been awake since about 3 so decided to get up and attempt some work before cat breakfast (if I feed them now they'll want dinner early too! (original time of post was 6.35)) .... so far, so good. It's our anniversary today and we're going out for dinner tonight... I may need a nap between now and then, but I don't know when I'll fit one in... and Mr MV hasn't got a hope (he didn't sleep well either).

Had a lovely cuppa with my friend at a tea room in a village between us. She is really struggling (as anyone made a widow in their 40s would) and I really feel for her. We've agreed that meeting up should become a regular thing - something I've been wanting with this group of people for a few years but it hasn't materialised. The sad thing is I think Mr MV (assuming he would be invited) would have got along really well with her husband. We had some lovely cake with our drinks and my friend paid - my turn next time.

SH, you must have had a premonition when you said the work stuff would take time to settle down.... I managed to spend two hours editing a read-only copy of the spreadsheet yesterday 🙄 At least I realised and have saved a copy so I can match my (fortunately marked up) edits off against the master. And my friend has said I can be paid for doing it - instinct as a freelancer is always to correct errors on your own time, so this is very much appreciated. It shouldn't take too long thankfully. I do have a deadline though, so I need to get my bum into gear.

This morning I've got my cat-sitting cats to feed (last day, and I'm looking forward to a break), a key to collect for next week's client (once a day, middle of the day, so a bit less faff and only Mon-Sat) and a small supermarket delivery (and R'ford). I need to get a piece of work finished for my main client and then it's back to the Cambridge work. Anniversary cocktails and dinner tonight, if we're awake! It's happy hour for cocktails, so that's something. And the money is coming from the specially saved funds, so that's all sorted.

Just harvested half a punnet of raspberries and a bowlful of mixed salad leaves from the garden. I don't even really like lettuce, but I'm so happy to have harvested it - I've never managed to grow lettuce successfully before (slugs, poor compost, apathy!), even though everyone says it's really easy. I'll eat some and Mr MV likes salad, so he'll have the majority of it. I also picked some blackcurrants (what a faff!) and redcurrants from the allotment last night (and rhubarb) - there's more to come of both, but the main crop there (because I didn't net the redcurrants very well, so the birds ate most - there are 3/4 redcurrant bushes there) are pink currants. They're not quite ready, but looking very good. My redcurrant in the garden is still struggling after we moved it earlier in the year, so the redcurrant harvest will be considerably lower this year. I'm going to replace the many redcurrants at the allotment - my sister has offered a gooseberry from her garden and I'd also like a tayberry/loganberry and maybe another blackcurrant.

MS things:
* PA surveys
* Too hot for much food last night, so we had a bit of Olio baguette and a couple of hard boiled eggs each!
* Food from the garden/allotment - think both lots of currants and maybe even rhubarb will be frozen; will freeze some more raspberries too - they are so lovely in the depths of winter. Have been having raspberries on my porridge every morning though and for snacks and dessert. 

Gratitudes:
* Lovely time with evening class friend, even if it was bittersweet
* Lovely work friend allowing me to be paid for correcting my error
* 10 years of happy marriage 🥰

Have a good day all!