Holding On and Letting Go 🎈

Fortune_Smiles

Humdinger1 said:

Only at page 12 @Fortune_Smiles but am addicted! Would love to read your writing; is it available? Short stories are underexposed in my view and I adore ghost stories too! It's odd isn't it how some apparently normal situations just have an undercurrent...am subscribing.  Love Humdinger xx 

Hello there @Humdinger1 🙂 Lovely to 'see' you.  I like to think I'm a kind, positive person in RL but I obviously have a dark side which comes out in my writing.  Anyone who crosses me usually receives a calm and considered response but then comes a cropper as a character in a story 😲

I've just returned the compliment and read through your diary - very inspiring how you've turned around your financial and physical health.  I will be following your thread and your example 😁

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Me, me, me 😂

I got all my chores done yesterday so that I could have a Me day today.  I plan to have a late breakfast (in the pan as I type), do a yoga session and start a new sewing project.  Oh and sit and hold FDawg's paw through all the thunder storms that are forecast for today 🙁  Mr F will be repairing the Ukrainian's car so that we can put it up for sale.

I dug up some new potatoes from the veg patch and am relieved to say they look great (you might remember that we lost all our potatoes to scab last year).  This year they seem to have thrived - at least these have.  They are Pentland Javelin a first early we planted because of its resistance to scab.  We also have some 'Teddies' (King Edwards) but those aren't ready to be dug yet.  They are also resistant to scab so fingers crossed 🤞  Potatoes may be starring in the meal plan for a while 😆  Also picked some more raspberries.  We've done well with them again this year and I have three big bags in the freezer despite gifting them often and stuffing our faces with them 😋 They are definitely coming to an end now though.

Lunch yesterday was Warm New Potato Salad with Bacon & Blue Cheese and there's enough left over for lunch today too 🙂  Supper was the pasta leftover from the day before.  Have now eaten what feels like a very posh breakfast of New Potato and Samphire Frittata 😆  I saw the samphire was available from my veg box company and I haven't lost the 'variety' mentality from my food experiment earlier this year 😆

I can feel the storms building and we've had a few drops of rain already.  I love a good storm and the ground desperately needs some water.  Just feel sorry for FDawg who is terrified of thunder and all the training we've tried with him has been no help at all.  I do have some dog chocolate put by to help him re-associate and he's never too frightened to eat treats 🤔

Stay safe everyone - when thunder roars, stay indoors!

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

All about me 😁

I did get a 'Me' day yesterday:

• a 30 minute yoga session.  Just a short one as I realised my shoulder was flaring up again.  It's important to keep it moving but not to over do it
• leftover new potato salad for lunch follow by a raspberry and pinkcurrant ripple No-Churn Ice Cream with fruit 🍨  I might have forgotten to mention that we had some yesterday as well 🤭  I made some when I heard the forecast was going to be warm and muggy.  It's such an easy recipe and great for using up a fruit glut as you can add fruit coulis to it
• cut out my new sewing project (a dress this time) and made a start on sewing it up
• made Chickpea & Summer Veg Tagine for supper which we had with bulgur wheat.  Not the most flavoursome tagine I've ever made but healthy and filling.  I think I'll add some raisins to it today and perhaps some more harissa to pep it up
• a long hot bubble bath whilst watching a film
• and I even managed to get some writing done 😁

So a lovely Me day... although I'm not sure that sitting at a sewing machine during a huge thunder storm is entirely sensible 🤭  What a light show!  And we had a little flash flooding along the drive.  We've never seen this before and it didn't last long.  I think the ground is just so dry and so much water came down so fast it couldn't penetrate the soil and just ran off.  The world is looking very soggy this morning and all the field grass has been flattened but everything looks better for a long drink.  The sun is out now though so, hopefully, everything will have time to recover before the next storms come through 😲  My new plug plants look as though they have survived 😊

I'm intending to have some more Me time today 😲  I've some chores to do but want to make progress with my dress pattern.  I have a garden party to go to at the beginning of August and want to wear it then.

Have a great Sunday all

Fortune x

savingholmes

Commiserations on the cherries - my tree did well this year and I picked a breakfast bowl's worth. I let the birds have the rest. Some were sour and some sweet on the same tree - unsure why.

Well done on giving the cat good last hours.

It sounds like you are both going through a conscious life edit. I am all for that. I think there are times we wake up and take stock and are lives are better for it. Good luck with it all.

Fortune_Smiles

Bad Behaviour 😲

Things are moving quickly in the Fortunate household.  Mr F's boss is behaving very badly - shouting at the team, reprimanding them in public, bombarding them with myriad requests for data every day, insisting on extensive overseas trips when diaries are already committed, only giving negative feedback.  She has already done several things which warrant a grievance against her and could, possibly, constitute constructive dismissal.  How do these people get recruited?  She's been in position for four months and 3 of her team of 5 are looking to leave already.

When Mr F got home from the latest team event he was so stressed he considered going to the doctor to get signed off.  This has never happened before in all the years we've been together so we've considered our options.  Mr F doesn't think he can take another 6 months of this and going either the stress or grievance routes (both are valid in his case) would just make him feel more stressed and could possibly harm our plans for him to become self-employed.  So.... he's drafted his resignation letter 😲  We need a little time to plan before he actually hands it in but we're working fast so that he can do this as soon as possible.

A much bigger focus on money saving will be needed if we are to survive this set back.  Currently our thinking is:

• drawdown both of Mr F's remaining small pensions
• take the tax free lump sums and use these to OP the mortgage
• leave the rest invested and draw on it only if required to supplement our income
• if circumstances allow we'll be able to continue to pay into these pensions and benefit from the tax relief (subject to the limits that apply) 
• drawdown both of my remaining small pensions and take the full amounts (I'll pay tax on 75% of these but at a lower rate then Mr F would pay on his).  Use these to OP the mortgage
• the mortgage will reduce a little through the usual capital repayments whilst Mr F is working his notice period
• we'll be able to squirrel away some additional savings during his notice period
• Mr F will be due a tax refund (although goodness knows how long that will take).

The result of the above should mean we can pay off the mortgage entirely when Mr F finishes work.  There will be a penalty for paying it off before our fixed rate ends but I've crunched the numbers and it's a relatively small amount once you take into account the interest saving.  And a small price to pay for the peace of mind of not having a mortgage to worry about.

We want to stay in the house if we can which means that, even with no mortgage, we'll need to bring in some additional income to have a reasonable lifestyle.  So we're speeding up arrangements for Mr F to become self-employed.  I'm pleased we decided to buy his company car this year as that's one less thing we have to think about.

Oh my 😲 It's horrid to have been put in this position but I'm so grateful it's come at a time when we can afford to escape it.  Mr F is much happier now the decision is made and says a great weight has lifted.  We don't think work will be hard to come by as there is a scarcity of people in the industry at the moment who can do what he can do but it's a very big step for us and one that has come a little sooner than we'd like.

Mr F has gone off to a social event this weekend, which I think will do him good, leaving me with some quiet time at home with FDawg which I think will do me good 🙂  Lots of thinking and scheming to do.

Wish us lots of luck 🍀

Fortune x

teapot2

Really sorry to read about Mr F's work situation.  In a previous role I've supported people dealing with workplace bullying and it seems so widespread and is very damaging.  A positive is that you both have plans and options in place and Mr F isn't trapped in his job.  Hopefully you and he can look back after a while and view this 'shove' towards his being self employed in a more positive light.  Lots of luck from me 🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

Four_Seasons

sending you lots of luck and a big virtual hug xx

Humdinger1

@Fortune_Smiles you are doing exactly the right thing...move away from that fiend in petticoats! She will get her comeuppance, never fear; will Mr F have an exit interview?  Walking away from stress is absolutely priceless.  Please keep us posted; onwards and upwards love Humdinger xx 

BookWorm

Sending you lots of luck and best wishes x

Merlin's_Beard

It's a big move, but thank goodness that if Mr F had to find himself in a situation like that it happened at a time when there was an exit strategy that could be deployed. Sounds like you've got things in hand financially.

I don't know many people who have gone self employed with a decent plan who have regretted it - most of them swear they'd never go back to employed!