Holding On and Letting Go 🎈

Suffolk_lass

Mmn, courgettes! I've just copied a courgette, carrot and orange cake recipe to make this morning. I only have two bags in the freezer of soup-pack pre-chopped so far

Fortune_Smiles

greent said:

Glad at least 1 payment has arrived- fingers crossed 🤞  that the other arrives ahortly, too!

beanielou said:

So glad that you have had a payment at last!

savingholmes said:

Well done on the hundreds of squats and the painting!

Good that some of the promised £ has shown up.

Thanks guys.  We've had both payments now! 🥳

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Suffolk_lass said:

Mmn, courgettes! I've just copied a courgette, carrot and orange cake recipe to make this morning. I only have two bags in the freezer of soup-pack pre-chopped so far

That cake sounds delicioius SL - I'll be round soon 😉

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Goals... kinda

I gave myself the afternoon off yesterday to have some thinking time and set some aims for the rest of the year:

Health

All my focus has been on others this year and I've neglected my needs as a result.  So.... I'm going to refocus on my own health for the rest of 2022 and make that my top priority:

• keep a food diary
• practice yoga.  I'll start with once a week and build up from there.
• start C25K again.  I completed it last time but then had to stop because of injury.  This time I have magic HRT patches which should help.  However, I'll take it very, very slowly and stop at the first sign of any flare up.  I'll also invest in some new running shoes so I have the proper cushioning.

Wealth

I reconciled the bank accounts yesterday and did the monthly money shuffle.  Everything balanced and we have recovered from our hosting efforts.  It's three weeks since our Sunflowers left and they are not making any noises about returning so I think we can draw a line under that financial chapter of our lives.  We've also received the H0m£$ for Ukr@in£ payments we are entitled to so can get back to a normal spending pattern:

• monitor budgets for the next few months.  Having the Sunflowers here has hidden the impact of the cost of living and NI increases plus Mr F's pay rise in April.  It's going to take a few months before the true picture of all that becomes clear.  My gut feeling is that we'll net about the same income but will have to accommodate increased costs.  Time will tell.
• we've accomplished some of the home improvement goals we set at the beginning of the year and will continue to work through the list
• mortgage overpayments and savings goals are pretty much on track.  We missed one OP to have a mini break in London with the Sunflowers but that helped toward our Happiness goals.

Happiness

I've spent the last week painting and crafting for our local Country Show.  It's been lovely to indulge in some of my hobbies again and I'm intending to continue with those:

• start new painting project - a wedding portrait
• contact my writing group about re-starting our meetings
• organise some date days with Mr F
• arrange for a cousin to visit (I haven't seen her since before the pandemic 😲)

Pretty loose as goals go but I'll tighten them up as things continue to settle.

I'm finally starting to feel that I've reclaimed my home and my time.

Fortune x

savingholmes

Good that you are feeling more you and back on track.

Dates with Mr F sound good.

Wedding portrait sounds interesting. 

When is the show? Do let us know if you win anything!

Fortune_Smiles

savingholmes said:

Good that you are feeling more you and back on track.

Dates with Mr F sound good.

Wedding portrait sounds interesting. 

When is the show? Do let us know if you win anything!

The Show is this weekend SH.  I'll let you know the results.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Started well

I got off to a good start today:

• attended the WI Committee Meeting
• stayed on for lunch with everybody. Stayed within my calorie allowance and spent £11 from personal spends
• got my glasses tightened.  The lenses were rattling around in the frames.  The optician I went to doesn't charge for minor repairs but they do have a charity donation tin so I popped £5 in
• got the battery replaced in my watch - £8
• ordered a second set of bed linen for our bedroom.  I'd bought one set previously just to see if I liked it and I do
• ordered some fabric samples for new curtains for our bedroom
• did some chores
• discovered a boiler leak whilst vacuuming 😲😲😲

Fortunately I don't think the boiler had been leaking long.  Although the bottom was full of water which had started to spill out on the floor.  I think there will be some damage to the wood but I'm hoping it will be repairable.  The plumber got to me within 20 minutes and stopped the leak.  I'd opened the boiler up and found the leak before he arrived but didn't know how to stop it.  It was just a matter of turning a valve off so I've made a mental note for the future.  However, a part will need replacing and it might take a couple of days to get it.  So we've no hot water for the duration.  We can boil a kettle and have electric showers so it'll be fine.  I'm just glad it happened in the summer.  Our boiler is about 17 years old now and, although a very good make, it won't last for ever.  I've money ring-fenced in the savings to replace it but it's just a matter of when.  The time may be coming.

It never rains but it pours... out of the boiler 😆

Fortune x

beanielou

Boo to the boiler.

savingholmes

Glad you found it so quickly and that a plumber responded so rapidly. 

Some blessings there at least.

ruby_eskimo

Hope the damage isn't too bad from the leaking boiler and in a way it's good it happened now when you're not too reliant on heating with the warmer weather!