Starting afresh in paradise

ManekiNeko

Friday was a low spend day, just a few pounds to post a small parcel. I also managed to collect my heartburn meds, so I've been feeling much better physically. My infection also looks to have cleared up, for now at least, so I'm going to give it a couple days without filling my rescue script and see if it's really gone or if it starts coming back. I've only been off antibiotics for a few weeks since February, so I'm not holding out much hope, but a break from it would be nice. Overall though I'm feeling a bit more normal physically, if not 100 per cent quite yet.

Although Friday wasn't a NSD, I'm still making an effort and gradually getting used to all my little money-saving habits again, like taking water from home when I go out. It's really needed atm as it's so hot 🌞🌄😅 It probably sounds daft I'm not in the habit already, as this has been typical for most of my life, but when I was awarded benefits I already had some savings, and couldn't really save up any more without starting to have deductions from my benefits, so I found myself in the odd position of being incentivised to spend (particularly given the DWP sent me a couple of large backdated payments), so things like picking up a coffee or a soft drink while out became more normal for me. It's probably been good for me to spend a little bit more than usual over the past couple years - might have balanced me out lol - and I definitely went away without worrying and took more day trips. I tried to use the majority to buy things I'll be able to keep and enjoy for a long time, like a big tent for holidays (whereas it would take me months of saving to buy a similar tent now).

Okay, now an outdoorsy update so those only interested in money can look away now haha.

The group hike was nice, thankfully we were under shade most of the way and the route was relatively flat, despite one incline. We did just over six miles and I took lots of photos of beautiful mountains, blue skies, and five little ducklings on the water. ☺️

On a mental health (MH) front, I was extremely anxious due to being around new people, especially as most were very quiet and didn't really speak to me. (It was a mental health walk and I'm sure some were shy, anxious, or just didn't have the communication skills.) No one noticed, as I'm a past master of hiding my difficulties from others, but it meant when I had lunch I had difficulty swallowing (my sandwich hurt on the way down, not helped by my lack of heartburn meds I'm sure). That anxiety meant I couldn't check in with myself properly, and mixed with the heat, I managed to give myself mild heat exhaustion, but fortunately it only really started as we were within a mile or so of the end point, and I was able to deal with it quick smart after I got away from the other people and back home (downed some fluids, ran cold water over the inside of my wrists and splashed some over the back of my neck and my face, took socks off and washed feet, laid down quietly indoors). Even so, after 15 mins when I started to realise it could be heat exhaustion (e.g., around the time my clarity of thought returned), I took my temperature and it was 37.8°, so goodness knows what it was before. I've never had issues before when hiking, even on the hottest days. Okay so I was fitter then, but I've previously been up Tryfan - a scramble / climb as much as a hike - in temperatures pushing 30°, and Friday we couldn't have done more than 200m of ascent total, and almost all of it fairly early on in the walk. Basically, I'm pretty confident I got heat exhaustion because of my C-PTSD, as my MH makes it really hard to check in with my needs when I'm not among "safe people." I basically spend all my mental energy on the others around me, instead of on myself. It's subconscious, and I think it comes from being around abusive people in the past, as you always had to watch out as their mood could change on a dime, and you needed to be ready and one step ahead.

I also got blisters, yet again (it's been happening more and more), and I'm starting to think it's my trainers - fancy to look at, but no laces, so my foot is slipping back and forth slightly every time I take a step. They're only meant to be town shoes really; I'll need to buy some for hiking before trying to go out with a proper walking group (and ideally a new waterproof jacket, as mine is getting on a bit and the waterproofing on the arms is erm, not waterproof really anymore?). I get far too warm when outdoors, so I'll go for a plain waterproof this time with no padding or lining, but nice big zipped air vents instead. For shoes, probably waterproof trail running ones if I can get them, then that means I can do some gentle running as well if I feel like it, plus wet feet are my quickest route to blisters. To be honest, I'm far too unfit for a running group, so running means going out alone - luckily, my new home is near a busy park, and I'm sure there's lots of routes around the streets too (I read in the news about someone who ran every single street in their town, and that sounded like a fun way to explore my new area, although I think I'd walk as it's easier to absorb new routes when you're not totally out of breath). I've got options with music too, as I was given some bone conduction headphones a couple years back, which are amazing as I can hear my surroundings as well as my tunes.

In my heart I want to go out for hikes on my own, and run when I feel like it along the route, but I'm scared to go. I have hypervigilance from my C-PTSD, and being constantly tense is no recipe for a fun day out. Buuuut... unless I hire someone, I don't have anyone to come with me right now, and certainly no one who wants to hike up a mountain and then run a bit, mostly on the way down (I know runners, but they do proper mileage, whereas I'd just do little bits here and there while out for a 4-6 hour hike, to build up). And to be honest, if I ever do manage to get into more adventurous things, there's a lot of training I'd need to do solo, and taking part in events means flying solo too (although you might see others from time to time, and lots at start/checkpoints/finish areas, I should think). And as Friday established yet again, I'm much better at knowing my body's needs when I'm on my own. The issue of going alone is partly why I'd like to get a service dog one day, as I'd feel much safer with a dog, and they can help me if I get dissociative etc. But I haven't yet been able to find a UK charity training dogs for psychological disabilities. Anyway, statistically I should be more scared of diseases caused by being unfit and overweight than of bad people, but I guess because I've experienced quite a few bad people, my brain goes there first and fastest.

Okay, well, so far all I've done is add to my outdoors gear checklist haha. But I moved to this place because of its access to mountains, lakes, etc and I want to make use of it, and once the gear is bought it lasts many years, and it's good for my health (mentally and physically) to do that. I'm thinking about it and realising, most of it's not actually about getting fit, that's more a side effect of doing the things I love - running is the only thing I don't massively enjoy, but I do sometimes when I'm fit, and in either case it makes me more able to enjoy exploring without being constantly out of puff. Buying gear won't happen for a little while because I need to stay focused on moving house right now, and after that I'll need to be organising furniture and DIY'ing little fixes around the house, but perhaps after a few months or at least in readiness for next spring, money allowing. Maybe I can pick up something from eBay or Vinted, or maybe I'll just save up.

ManekiNeko

Hmm, I don't understand why my paragraph spacing is so odd on MSE, it looks fine when I'm typing but it comes out all wrong.🤔

In other news, I'm going to be at my partner's all weekend. I caught my first bus back yesterday, but when I tried to get onto my second bus, they said that due to a road closure they'd only be going so far, and not as far as my town. So I ended up just catching the next bus back to my partner's. Waste of three hours, and the road closure didn't make the news so I had no idea. But my partner kindly treated me to a takeaway, which was lovely, and we played on Minecraft all evening so a nice relaxed time. And I've decided I'll wait until tomorrow to go home, meaning I can take the bus for free, instead of paying to go by train today. (The joys of rural living? Lol.) I'm hoping my current accommodation won't kick off about this, as I'm not supposed to stay out this long. Fortunately, now I've bought my apartment I can worry less about their reaction.

I've also finally found another pattern for the baby blanket for my niece-to-be. 🙌 It's made up of squares, with stars in the centre of each square. I'd share a link, but MSE says I haven't been registered on here long enough. Anyway, the pattern uses about four colours, but I'll most likely be doing it in charcoal grey with either a light grey or cream. I'd love to get some silvery wool also, for the stars, but I'm not sure if I can find any that's a match for the yarn I already have in my knitting bag.

Anyway, I'll pop to my local craft shop on Tuesday, and see what I can find. I really need to get started on it as soon as I can, as it's going to take me ages to knit up. They're very helpful and knowledgeable, so they may be able to advise. Originally, as I hadn't knitted in a couple of decades (my grandma taught me as a kid), I'd started back by attending the craft club run by the shop, and pretty quickly knitted up a stripey hat in teal and cream. I even learnt to make a bobble and sewed it on! I was quite proud of the end result.

I then started the blanket pattern, but after about a dozen rows or so, I was already seeing clearly that I disliked how it was coming out, particularly as all the borders seemed to be a different size (just why?). I meant to search for a new pattern right away, but as I haven't had internet access at home for months, and combined with the house buying stress of the last month, it's rather fallen by the wayside. I did try making a hotspot with my phone data, but the signal is pretty bad in the place I'm living, meaning it's not possible to search properly; and I did aim to look while visiting my partner, as he has WiFi, but I'm usually too fried after catching the bus to his place (two buses). It's actually one of the things making me wonder if I could have autism, as apparently it's not normal to be that mentally exhausted from being around others in a noisy environment?

I'm a bit upset with myself as I wanted to have the blanket ready for when my sister's kid is born, and it feels like yet another thing I'm failing at, but I've barely made it through these past few months so I know I should cut myself some slack. Anyway, if I can get started this week it'll be great, because it'll give me something soothing to do (crafting is so relaxing) when I need a break from trying to organise my house move, and my sister's said it'll probably be a week or so after her kid arrives before she wants visitors anyway, so I'm hoping I can somehow manage to make it in time. If my sister had her kid now, that would be considered full-term, but it could also be up to six more weeks before her kid arrives, so it's not really clear how much time I have to work with. In the worst case scenario, I guess I could take the blanket down on the train with me and carry on working on it while I'm there.

I'll need to get a few stitch markers for the project - I've made a shortlist, but need to pick. It's not really MSE as I'm thinking of getting a cute design, rather than the absolute cheapest, but they're still not too expensive and they'll last basically forever as they're metal. I'm also thinking of picking up a cute label from the craft shop (they have some that say things like "Homemade" and "Remember you are loved"), which I could sew on, but I'm not totally sure about it yet, as maybe the label could be irritating to sensitive skin. I'll probably order those today and look for yarn too, so I'm prepared for my craft shop visit.

My partner also helped me yesterday with having a look at utility suppliers. I realised from the MSE guide that there isn't too much difference between suppliers right now, so I tried to sign up to one I liked the look of, but it looks like they're not accepting new customers. I'm thinking of calling them on Monday to see if their website is still up to date about that, but it's disappointing because that firm don't have a standing charge (instead, the first kWh each day is charged at a slightly higher rate). Obviously most days the two will be equivalent, but it would have made a difference to be able to save a little money when I go away to visit people. Ho hum. Guess I'm stuck with the existing supplier for the foreseeable. I'm still worried about the energy bills and feel uncertain if I'll be able to afford them come the winter. I know some of this is because I haven't yet moved in to find out how much all my bills will be, but I've also made an appointment with the CAB to discuss my budget early next month (as hopefully I'll have finished with the house move this month). I do know I'll be eligible for some government help, so when I receive those payments I'll be putting them aside towards my utility bills (despite them being an unexpected windfall, which means I would ordinarily OP them, and I'm very tempted to!).

Today I'll also be starting to look for a moving service. I've been in a few car accidents in my life, and I'm quite scared of driving now, so although it would be cheaper to hire a van, I'm not really feeling up to driving one. At some point I really do need to summon the energy to tell my insurer about my fears, as there's an ongoing claim from when someone drove into my car last autumn. Anyway, I can move most of my things gradually to my new home by walking over with bags, but the few bigger items will need a van, as will retrieving my possessions from the various people who have kindly stored things for me for the past few years. Any tips on low-cost moving would be appreciated! I'll let you know what I find out.

I also have to find out about changing the locks, as apparently a tradesperson still has one set for my apartment. They were meant to be dropping it off 'soon', but it's been over a week since I've completed, and I know it's recommended to change them anyway, so I'm leaning towards that route at the moment. If I have energy after looking at movers, this is the next task. And then probably tidy up a bit before my partner gets back.

Sorry my posts are so long at the minute - it's helping me to organise my thoughts though, even if no one reads it, and is giving me a sense of progress. I hope as I go on, my posts will be both more money-focused and more positive, but at the moment because I'm not very well, and am overwhelmed by the concept of moving (and the frightening utility bills still to come!), I just need a space to write things down and try to organise myself and recover from the environment I've been forced to live in for the past 18 months. It's put my mental health at breaking point and given me no space to heal from my past. Having my own front door again is going to change everything for me, though. 🌞

ManekiNeko

Oh my goodness, I have an edit button! 🤸✨ I shall go back and put my introductory posts in now.

ManekiNeko

Okay, all done - I declare this diary officially open! 🍾

Somehow updating my early posts has taken me all afternoon - not sure why as I'd written most of them the other day, in preparation, but I suppose I did spend a fair while on my SOA (it worked out quite confusing trying to get my bills and savings out of Excel and into Lemon Fool). And even longer debating how open to be. And to be honest, my OCD is a nightmare for using forums, as I often have to check back over things I've written quite a few times before I can press "post." But I'm too tired to think about my MH right now, so I'm going to blame my slowness on it being Sunday and about a million degrees outside to boot. It's 27.5° inside right now.

Did come up with a couple of practical questions:

• Does anyone knows how to avoid my posts and signature having strange double-spacing? I'd be most grateful for the tip - I don't get why it keeps happening. I've tried going back in to edit them, but it's just not working. They're long enough without any extra spacing!

• Does anyone know how to calculate the interest an OP saves? I'd love to keep a cumulative total, but I don't know how to work this out. Is it 1.65 per cent (my current mortgage interest rate) of each OP?
  

I want to say I'll now get on with my planned todo list, but honestly I'm not sure if I will, the neighbour has been blasting music for ages and noise really drains me of energy, plus I'm pretty tired from posting all that, and my RSI is acting up from typing this much. I'm also a bit nervous to see if anyone reads my diary or not

HTT phoned me earlier so I'd probably better call them back, so I'll do that and then see about tidying up a bit. That'll give me a better view of whether my RSI will stand any more computer work today. If not I will probably just collapse in a melting heap haha.

ManekiNeko

Well it's been a productive couple of days, got the pattern ordered for the baby blanket but realised that unlike most patterns (that you get a digital download of), I have to wait for mine to come in the post! It should be here by about Friday, and it's the first thing I've ordered to my new home. ✨ I couldn't get through to HTT the other day, but instead ended up having a lovely chat with a woman from my craft club who was checking in to see if I was ok, since I hadn't been in a few weeks. That was really unexpected and I was quite touched anyone noticed! We are going to meet up this week for a coffee, chat and - if I get my pattern and wool and everything organised by then - some knitting. So I'm very much looking forward to that. I didn't get home in time for the shops today, so I think I'll pop into the craft shop tomorrow or Thursday to talk extra wool, and then to the library to finally order my stitch markers and so on.

I spent most of yesterday looking at utilities, my provider agreed to waive all charges until I actually move in, which was good of them and set my mind at ease. I wanted to switch to a provider with no standing charge, as that would save me money when I go away, but that company said they're not taking new customers at the moment so I've joined their waiting list.

My partner helped me with the maths to set up a utilities spreadsheet last night. It was my idea and mostly my design, but maths isn't my strength. Although it took us a few hours in this oppressive heat (compensated for by a lovely late evening stroll we took by the river - it was odd going out in shorts and a t shirt at that time of night in the UK thou 😂), I must say it's rather splendid. I can literally just type in the unit rates, and it will automatically tell me what's cheapest across the year based on the UK average usage for an apartment. This includes up to two unit rates per supplier, and with/without a standing charge, based on the number of days a year I estimate I'll be away from home. If that wasn't shiny enough, in future years I'll even be able to add my actual usage in kWh for even better predictions. My spreadsheet tells me I'd save about £40 a year by changing to the supplier I want on today's rates, so it's definitely worth doing once they're open to new customers again.

The spreadsheet was also very encouraging as I realised my yearly estimate is more like £1.4k, not £3.3k like the press is saying. So although I'm sure it'll be tight, I'm much less worried than I was. Plus, after a month or three, I should have a much clearer idea of how many kWh I'm likely to use, meaning I can do a projection for the winter.

I've also started changing my address. It's not top of my todo list, but it's a simple task that I can do when I'm not feeling up to anything else.

I've got lots of things to do this week about the apartment, but highest priority of all is a MH appointment tomorrow. It's an assessment with an Occupational Therapist to see if they can help me get back on track with my activities of daily living. I'm really hoping they think they can help me. 🍀

Oh yes, today wasn't a NSD but I took a bottle of water from home for the bus. I didn't manage to eat breakfast though, which led to buying food while out. I got two pasties and a packet of sweets for £2.85, and resisted the drinks aisle. Tbh, while it's not ideal, it's likely to happen sometimes until I move and can get into better habits with my food. Again, OT may be able to help here. On the plus side, it was delicious and filling - I might have the second one later as I haven't felt hungry for dinner yet, but starting to be peckish. Bit nervous with my heartburn as it's chilli and cheese, but I've noticed my symptoms have improved a lot now that I've completed on my apartment, as I'm so much more relaxed. 😌 I'm even thinking of doing some yoga once I've got WiFi in my new place. Speaking of, I should be connected in six days - woohoo! ⚡🏄

jennystarpepper

I have really enjoyed reading your diary, thank you for posting it.

I have CPTSD and other non-visible disabilities (along with visible) and some of the comments you have made in your post about the Group hike made me smile because I do the same / experience these things.  Starting a fresh in paradise - I had that feeling when I got my keys to my first 'very own door' and know you have worked incredibly hard to do this, closing the door on an old abusive life for a new one is an incredible motivator, your efforts are beyond amazing.

Have you looked at the MSE mortgage overpayment calculator, you can put in one-off payments and it will show how much interest you can save over the term of your mortgage, even if it is £20. 

No ideas for moving, lookup local charity maybe, sometimes they have vans, church groups are sometimes good and they don't ask you if you believe or not!

I'm sure your sister will lover her gift, it does not have to be perfect because it will be made with love.  

ManekiNeko

Thanks @jennystarpepper, your words are very meaningful for me and I really appreciate you taking the time to reply. 💛 Sorry I didn't reply before, I've been slightly avoiding the boards as I found myself wondering if I was saying too much (brevity isn't my natural style as you may have gathered!), and getting very anxious that no one had replied yet. Felt like being the new kid on the block lol.

Congratulations to you too on buying your own home; I am sure that was a herculean effort 💪 and I admire you for it. Do you have a MFW diary? I'm sorry to hear you also have C-PTSD (terrible club, great people), yet at the same time, it's good to feel I'm not alone in that here on MFW. I'm sure you'll get that contradiction. I won't say too much here, but just know my PM inbox is always open to you, for practical money/benefits stuff or a vent.

I hadn't realised I could calculate the interest of just one overpayment on the MSE calculator - I think I've been looking at the ordinary mortgage calculator, not the overpayment calculator. I shall save the link in my todo list so I can keep it handy, thanks so much for this! I've been trying to build a calculator in Excel and it's been blowing my mind lol so this will be great. (My Excel sheet works great on the fixed rate repayments, but as soon as it switches over to the SVR it's off by about £40 a month and it's driving me crazy trying to figure out why. *waves arms in the air*)

Oh good ideas re moving options, thanks so much! I'll definitely check into that too. *adds to todo list*

That's a really sweet way to look at gift giving when you are making it yourself, I will try to remember that. My OCD tends to drive me to make something 'perfect', so perhaps this will help me relax a bit more about it all and just focus on enjoying the making process.

ManekiNeko

I can't believe it's been nearly a week since I posted here. I can't remember all the detail of what I've been up to, so I'll just try to hit the highlights (and try to post a bit more often in future lol so I don't have huge posts!). Let's see...

Sadly, Larry Long-Legs is no more. (Yes, I know he frightened me, but I feel bad he's gone too.) I'm not sure if he met his demise with our handyman (I suspect so), or another resident. Whoever did it didn't bother to clear him away, so his spidery remains are still in the bathroom, along with the dead wasp that's been there at least three months.

I went to Craft Club last Friday, and learned the new stitches I need to make up the booties. Afterwards, my new friend and I went to the park. I took a flask of coffee, and my friend kindly brought sausage rolls and gave one to me (I hadn't thought of food and was grateful, as I was quite peckish by then). We sat on a bench under a lovely shady tree, and my friend sprinkled little flakes of sausage roll (just the pastry part) for what looked to be a baby robin, and some other birds who cottoned on to the free food after a little while. The robin wouldn't come within more than about four feet of us - that is until a second bird landed and started hoovering up the crumbs. Suddenly, in its rush to get the crumbs first, little robin was quite happy to come right up to within a foot of us! Some birds were also sunbathing in a nearby flower bed, fanning out all their feathers until they looked almost circular, and pushing themselves close to the ground. It was fun to see - it's been a long time since I watched any birds (maybe since I was a kid?), and I felt I was making the most of the good weather for a change. The shaded spot beneath the tree was also quite cool, and it made me wonder about going to sit there to read/knit/etc on a future summers day.

It was really nice to do something social, and actually Craft Club is working out to be good for getting to know people, as I also bumped into one of the other ladies walking around town, and she kindly offered me some of her spare wool from when her grandchildren were babies and she was making things for them. They've grown beyond that stage now and, knowing my DS's kid is due soon, she wondered if I could make use of it. I've no idea of the colour or anything, but I've said an enthusiastic yes, as yarn isn't exactly cheap. Overall, it's nice to start to feel like I'm becoming part of the local community. I do also need to look up a local Ramblers/walking group, too, but not quite yet - it's so hot I don't really fancy walking (which I never, ever say! Lol).

My MH hasn't been great lately, especially as HTT have discharged me and I've been told I won't be getting any help from the CMHT in terms of an OT or social worker at the moment. For a few days I was struggling with low mood, and a lot of guilt and shame, most of which I think were a result of my OCD being worse (stress makes it worse), as well as worries about family, and about not having any support from the CMHT. However, I spent the weekend at my partner's and feel a ton better today as a result.

In other positive news, I had a call last week as the surgical team had had a last-minute cancellation, and I was therefore able to go and see the surgeon for a consultation on Saturday. This was brilliant as I could have been waiting a long time otherwise, but now because I went in, they've put me down as an urgent case - as I've pretty much been on antibiotics since February for the infection - meaning I should be called in within the next 6-8 weeks to have the operation. The surgeon said they'd be able to do the operation under spinal/epidural, and I'm super relieved about this as I have a horror of general anaesthetic. Being awake for the duration should mean it has a much lower impact on my MH. The surgeon said it should only take about half an hour to an hour to do the operation, and recovery time will be roughly six weeks, but it could be a little more, such as eight weeks. The absolute best news is that - depsite the much worse statistics I'd seen online - the surgeon says 75 per cent of people don't experience any recurrence of symptoms after this type of operation. Apparently there are options if it does recur, but they would involve general anaesthetic. All in all, I'm very relieved (and definitely intending to be in the 75 per cent majority on this one!! Lol). I feel like I really ought to sort out my Will before having an operation, but with it coming up so quickly I doubt I'll be able to. The surgeon said it's pretty low risk though.

In money news, I made my first payment to DS yesterday. As I'm not yet clear on how much my new bills will be, I've sent £50, and I might well do the same in August. After that, I'm hoping to pay a bit more, ideally £100 if I can balance the books.

I also made my first mortgage payment today, woohoo! 🎉 I feel very grown up lol. I had already received my online banking details for my lender, so I logged in, but instead found some out-of-date (and somewhat inaccurate) information. For instance, my address is listed incorrectly (they have the county and town the wrong way around). I had to call them anyway as they've written me two letters about my Direct Debit, neither of which has the correct payment date 🙄 so that'll be a tomorrow job.

On a much brighter note with the mortgage, my partner helped me with my mortgage spreadsheet today (no mean feat given the temperature - 28.5°C indoors at the time). The fixed rate section was perfect, but as the mortgage switched onto the SVR, the monthly repayments calculation was off by about £40 a month. We've fixed the issue now, so it's bang on. I've just to replicate the formulas and then I want to work on extra tabs, so that I can calculate the effect of repaying different amounts of money over time, and how much buying a day/hour/minute of being MF would cost me, and other fun sums like that.

In other good news, I also got a positive response back from the freeholder about adding a house name to my address (I feel like this would add some nice character to the place), and even better, they are happy with me renting out my car parking space online, which was unexpected. I'll need to ask my mortgage lender their feelings on the matter, too; I'm hoping they'll not mind, as my mortgage allows for me to have a lodger, so I'm figuring if they're happy with that then someone parking up for a few hours shouldn't cause too much concern. If they sign off, this could be a little extra income, which I'd use to OP. I will definitely want to change my name first, though, just to be safe about it. I already know the first and last names I want, but haven't come to any conclusion about a middle name quite yet.

I've also become aware that if you foster an animal, the charity will usually pay for all the costs while the animal stays with you, such as food and vets bills. They will also have the animal back for short periods, such as if you go on holiday. I'm not sure about it yet, particularly as I'm expecting to go stay with my partner on some weekends, but it's a serious option that would allow me to enjoy caring for a cat (or indeed a dog) without needing to find extra money. I'm definitely wanting to get settled in my new home first, and I'll probably wait to see how well I can afford the winter energy bills first (I don't mind me freezing a little, but I'm not prepared to take an animal in unless I can heat my home well all the time) ... but it's an idea. Obviously it could be sad when they get adopted (but knowing they'd be finding their forever home, I'd be happy for them too), and might be frustrating if they were very stressed when they first arrived (e.g. not using their litter tray), but still. Something to ponder.

Right - off to email my solicitor about the distinct lack of boiler paperwork I've been given. Oh, and the estate agent gave me the second set of keys on Friday, but I don't have the window or utility cupboard keys. So that's the other thing to chase.

Merlin's_Beard

Congratulations on your own home, and the first mortgage payments!

About the pet fostering - you might need to ask your local charities about what their policies are as a lot of the larger ones prefer their fosterers to have their own transport in case of medical emergencies and getting to/from rehoming centres for adopter meets.

ManekiNeko

Thanks Merlin for stopping by. That's interesting about needing your own transport. I can walk to my closest vet easily enough, but less sure about where my closest rehoming centre is. I'll check into that, cheers.