So close, we can smell mortgage freedom!

themadvix

Morning all,

Thanks @savingholmes, except we didn't make it - Mr MV felt (and is still feeling) unwell. 

We didn't get the garage we'd applied for -  the neighbours in the middle of the cul-de-sac (whose garden it backs onto) did. However, they proactively sought us out last night and said they wouldn't be parking in front of it (and had asked council to change the listing for it as they could see that parking there would block our driveway) and wanted to let us know that if we parked in the space adjacent (which is tight) and overlapped the garage door, just to make sure that there was room for the door to open as their son would be accessing it daily for his bike from September. They are more than happy for us to park in that space though, as they know where to find us. We ended up chatting with them and other neighbours in the street until gone 9 (from 7), which was really nice. We've not had the greatest relationship with this particular couple since they moved in two years ago (because of parking issues), so it felt good that we are now on good terms (know their names even!) and can cooperate on the parking front. So while it's annoying we didn't get the garage, at least we know we're not going to be blocked in and where to find the new renters if there are any problems. It feels like a huge relief in some ways that we know who has got it and that we're sorted re access. (The neighbour also mentioned that if we wanted to store a couple of bits they'd be happy for us to do that - I declined, but Mr MV is considering putting our bikes in there - they're really in the way for him in our garage - something to consider.)

This morning I've been down to the allotment to water my new sowings (more radishes appearing) and the leeks transplanted yesterday - they are looking happier for a night in the ground. Picked another large mugful of blackberries on the way back. Definitely my best year ever for blackberries, although beginning to worry about what this says the winter will be like - noticed the hawthorn was heavily laden too.

Work is all Cambridge stuff, later today (meeting at 3), so I'm going to crack on and get my friend's birthday present bunting finished (I hope!). It's still hot out there and we still haven't had any rain!

MS things:
* PA bonus of £8 awarded (think I must have done way better than expected on a reasoning survey earlier in the week!) - at £61 now
* Clicks and HW - small HW win today
* PC survey in inbox, will do that shortly, along with a couple of MM ones
* Lunch will be paninis from freezer, dinner will use up some open passata - am thinking chilli possibly or maybe a potato and tomato based curry
* Blackberries and some tomatoes from the garden
* Garden plants fed (and fed the allotment plants yesterday with the last swill round of the settled feed in the bottom of the bottle - feeling very MSE about this!)

Gratitudes:
* Friendly neighbours and lovely chats in the street last night
* Blackberries on my porridge
* Niece is feeling brighter now (although she was sick in the night)

Have a good day all!

savingholmes

Lovely gratitudes list

Hope Mr MV feels better soon

themadvix

Morning all,

Thanks @savingholmes - he's getting there - it is quite common for him to not feel great (always has been).

Well we booked our holiday accommodation for our jaunt to Devon in early October last night - 4 nights in a caravan for £65 (which was less than I had already got in the pot towards it)! It's at a big site in Devon and we don't have access to the pool for that price (or the entertainment - never mind!), but it's an absolute bargain. Will take hot water bottles as there's only heating in the main space, not the bedrooms, so hoping for mild weather!

We've sorted out where the money is coming from for the roof - we'll need to borrow about £2k from MIL but only until November when the sharesave comes due. So that's not too bad really.

Didn't get all my bunting sewing done yesterday (but made good progress) as I collected a chair for my allotment in the afternoon, did an hour for Cambridge and picked up a couple of platform jobs. The chair for the allotment is great as it folds flat, meaning it will take up less space in my shed than the one I currently have and I should be able to sell the one that came with the shed as it's a fancy cast aluminium one. Might try and progress the bunting today, but need to buy some bias tape in the right tone though, so it won't get finished today. We had lasagne last night for dinner - had a random urge to make pasta and it was useful for using up passata and a courgette. Enough left for tonight's dinner too

MS things:
* Clicks and HW done - small wins on HW and discovered £5 in my S*ybet account which they were going to close as inactive (have been trying to get on but website wouldn't let me in - email from them had links that worked to reset my details). Will leave that in there for now as they have a free spin game and I think it looks better if you actually have some cash in there.
* Small ebay sale this morning
* At some point will convert some RM survey earnings (currently at £10) or PC earnings (currently £15) into NT vouchers for a cake while we're away.

Gratitudes:
* Mr MV's bargain-hunting nose
* MIL's loan
* Chair from Freegle for allotment is perfect - it is even padded which I couldn't tell from the photo. 

Have a good day all!

savingholmes

Love that you got a free chair!

themadvix

Morning all,

Another bad night's sleep - four in a row now, so not feeling hopeful for all the things I planned to get done today!

Mr MV finished my car on Saturday, so I've got that back now - will use it on a couple of shorter jaunts round town first, but he's tested it and says it works fine and sounds much better than the old one. Marrying a skilled amateur mechanic is definitely money saving! Total cost was about £350.

Allotment is in full production mode now - picked 5 baby corn and a whole bag of plums on Saturday. Edamame and proper sized corn are coming along. Plums have been bottled and look fabulous - thanks @Suffolk_lass Just hope I've done it right! This is the first jar while it was cooling yesterday:



We have people coming for a BBQ on Saturday so spent yesterday clearing up our sorry garden - half finished patio extension received a boost as we bought some slabs for it and sand, although Mr MV then dropped a slab on his toe, so actual laying of slabs was postponed. We did, hopefully, rescue a self-seeded petunia and some self seeded chives, although neither is looking entirely happy in the pots they've been put in. I also sowed some land cress.

One of our aims for this year, once we'd decided we weren't moving was to buy some furniture for the garden, as we are still using some very old, very brittle green plastic chairs and table from the in-laws (I think they've replaced their garden furniture at least twice in the interim). Needless to say, we were waiting until the patio was finished, but now with people coming and end of season sales on, it's becoming a pressing issue (most of the chairs have cracks in the back at the top, which catch your hair/skin when you lean back, lots of them have cracks in the seat support and the table sustained damage in Storm Arwen or the one after that took our fence down). As we've a) not a lot of spare change at the moment due to roof and b) haven't finished patio, I've seen a set of 6 (folding) chairs, parasol and glass table from B*M that I might try and get hold of today - it's reduced to £35 which is insanely cheap. I don't like the company, and am highly dubious about the ethics, but I feel that unless you can afford to spend several thousands (which we can't), the ethics of anywhere you might get them from are likely to be dubious. While this isn't what we'd want long term (probably), it would be less embarassing that the state of our current furniture and we may well keep some of the chairs to supplement what we do get in the future, should we decide to pass the rest on. Of course, this relies on me actually being able to find them in one of the two stores nearby, so we may well have to put up with the bitey green furniture!

Menu for Saturday is sorted, using courgettes and potatoes from the allotment (and possibly some tomatoes from the garden too). Keeping it simple meat-wise with burgers and sausages, and will ask MIL and friend to bring a couple of bits (friend has offered, MIL is certain to).

MS things:
* Collected cherry toms, eggs and french beans from an Olioer on Saturday - used in lunch and dinner Sat and dinner yesterday
* Bottled plums, stewed plums
* Bottled 3 gift-sized bottles of rhubarb and ginger vodka and a larger one (for me - it's lovely with some sparkling water)
* Tried to make crumble from the rhubarb, but it had been pickled by the vodka - think we'll just eat the crumble off the top!
* Sis gave me some IKEA freezer bags (which I fully intend to reuse ad inifinitum) so freezer now has a lot more useable space as berries and currants have now all been decanted.
* Ebay sales (for car fund) - small postage profit
* Clicks done and HW - 20p so far today and reached 105 bonus from Bing

Gratitudes:
* Saw my Uncle (and rest of my family) yesterday - haven't seen him since we got back from America.
* Mr MV for fixing my car
* Chats with Olioers 

Have a good day all!

Suffolk_lass

They look great. They go that beautiful orange colour when they are ready. I hope they store well and work for you! - I did more apples and plums this weekend and foraged four more apples and a punnet of blackberries from the hedgerow. Not sure now whether to freeze them as my shelf of bottled fruit is full!

themadvix

Thanks @Suffolk_lass, it's good to know they meet your approval. Judging by the space in the jars though, I've got some more to learn about packing them until full - quite a bit of syrup without any fruit (and the fruit is all floating, is that right?). Lovely colour though - so pretty!

No apples here, although I may visit the orchard in my Dad's (formerly my) village tomorrow. Quite a few in the freezer, some in the fridge for my breakfasts over the next couple of days and some which I'm going to have a go at blackberry vinegar with (currently reading Foxgloves' diary). I don't have a 'bottled fruit shelf' yet, but can see I'm going to need one!

Planted the last of my poor leeks out this morning - not sure what they'll come to (multisown and rather puny), but at least with leeks it doesn't really matter! Also picked more plums, which are definitely ready now. Have given a punnet to Dad's fiancee as she loves them, but have asked mum if she's up for a picking session tomorrow as they need gathering (and she will happily be paid in a few of the crop!). Spinach is just germinating and a few more radishes coming up. Picked another mugful of blackberries this morning too. 

This afternoon I went to the zero-waste shop as I'd got to the point where there were quite a few things on the list (including two needed for the weekend, which of course they didn't have in!). £50 spent there, but considering that included laundry liquid, rinse aid, dishwasher salt, recycled aluminium foil and some scourers, wasn't too bad. (And the naughty chocolate mini eggs that jumped into my basket!)

Had no luck with garden furniture - it's very much a case of what's left, so I think we'll just be dealing with what we've got for now - fortunately we have 6 chairs and in-laws can bring some spare. I did pick up some baby kale plants (£4) for the allotment - I realised I'll have quite a bit of spare space over the winter that I won't want to fill with onions/garlic, so kale will be perfect.

Have done Cambridge work and just about to do a PA survey. Work still very quiet.

Dinner will be stir fry.

ETA
* £2.37 TCB to Devon fund

savingholmes

Could look on FB for patio furniture. 

Your bottled plums look beautiful. You've got me picking mine but I'm just microwaving mine a few at a time and having with instant custard!

themadvix

Morning all,

I have been keeping an eye on FB Marketplace for furniture @savingholmes but haven't had much luck - most of the stuff advertised is actually from companies rather than second-hand (and rarely at the headline price). I did message someone last night about some bits that were free, but I think they've probably already gone - no response in any case.

Have a meeting shortly, but just got back from the allotment having picked the plums - 3.2kg and only a few left on the tree now - a couple I couldn't reach and a few that weren't quite ready to come off. So I know what I'll be doing this afternoon - bottling galore! Also picked another mugful of blackberries, so they're soaking in some salt water now. Started some blackberry vinegar last night, so if that's nice I might make some more. (Will freeze in the meantime.)

Forgot to mention the free bulghur wheat I received from the zero-waste shop yesterday - it's on its beft before date and the owner offered me some. I said I'd never tried it before and I'd have some to try - seem to have about half a kilo of it now! So bulghur wheat and chickpea salad for lunch (chickpeas are in the IP as I type). Have even found a recipe (I'm not good at winging salads) that I have everything in for!

MS things:
* EBay sales to post (and postage profit)
* Clicks done, small wins made on HW
* Small amounts of actual work - and I'm going to email my main client to see if he has an update on when stuff will start arriving
* Another PA survey bonus, so sitting at £67 for the month now!
* YG survey invite - must do. Also did YG Safe update yesterday (only 25 points, but better than nothing)
* Kale plants bought yesterday now planted and protected from slugs, snails, birds and butterflies (and the remainder shared with allotment friend as dad didn't want any)
* TCB on ebay purchase of some lightbulbs as one has blown

Gratitudes:
* Nice chat with fellow allotmenteer
* Dad and fiancee popped round for a cuppa (and some plums yesterday)
* Plums - so juicy and delicious!
* Ooh meeting has been rescheduled for tomorrow - time for a cuppa before I face these plums then

Have a good afternoon all!

Cheery_Daff

Excellent Prolific total there!! I've seen a couple of people mentioning cashing out at the end of the month - I've always done it once I'd got to £5 but I can see the appeal of letting it build and having it in one go! I've got £8 cleared in there at the minute, and £2.95 pending, might leave it til the end of August and then make a decision about September. Sometimes it's nice to add little bits to pots throughout the month!