A Better View 🌄

Fortune_Smiles

FlacosFloozie said:

Congratulations Fortune! Qhat wonderful news.

Thank you @FlacosFloozie - it's been a long time coming.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

LadyWithAPlan said:

Fortune_Smiles said:

teapot2 said:

Congrats on your lovely secret news x

Thank you teapot - we'd almost given up hope of seeing grandchildren so it was a wonderful Christmas present.

Fortune x

How fabulous to have grandchildren arriving  

The start of the business sounds great with the contracts rolling in a more relaxed pace of life hopefully and only 14% of the mortgage left wow - do you have a schedule for it being paid off or a certain amount of Op? Or are you waiting for money to start coming in first ! 

Happy new year 

Hi there LaPlan.  We're on a good fixed rate until July 25 so the plan is to overpay if we can and, if there's anything outstanding at the end of the fixed rate, drawdown a pension to clear it.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Not Taxing 😆

I didn't get to do Mr F's tax return yesterday.  I chose to finish the jigsaw while there was still some natural light and intended to do the return during the evening whilst I had the house to myself.  However, Mr F rushed out the door to his fitness class before I could get a code from his phone to access the HMRC site 🙄  I did make it my first priority this morning though and it was surprisingly straightforward this time. Next year I'll have three, more complicated, returns to do - mine, Mr F's and the Company's.  Oh joy 😆

So the morning has been spent thus:

• completed Mr F's tax return and paid the £29.80 owing to HMRC
• paid £395.80 to my own tax account.  This was a rebate they gave me some months ago.  I knew it was an error and would need to be paid back eventually so I ring-fenced the amount in our savings and earned some interest on it in the meantime 😊
• Mr F received a call and earned his first hour on the long-term contract 🥳
• the veg box was delivered.  Shopping this week has come in about a third under budget, largely because we've got leftovers to use up.

We had a (small) full english breakfast this morning to use up the last of the bacon, chipolatas and eggs one of our guests brought for our New Year's Day breakfast.  Then a slice of Carrot & Ginger Loaf with coffee mid-morning.  We also de-cluttered one of the bottles of fruit juice I'd got in.  Lunch was some of the Cracker Crust Quiche I made yesterday served with salad and the last of the anti pasto.  Supper was Creamed Sprouts with Stilton and Penne Pasta.  I swear you could put on weight just by reading this diary the amount of cheese and cream we're consuming at the moment 😲  I did halve the amount of cheese in the pasta recipe as 175g did seem excessive.  We have plenty more cheese to use up so look away now if you're dieting 😂  We're having smaller portions to balance out the higher calorie content so, hopefully, not too much damage is being done.  I don't want to waste food but I don't want to roll out the door at the end of the month either 😂  As I didn't have to be compos mentis to do the tax return last night, I de-cluttered the last of the prosecco leftover from New Year's Day 😉  So de-cluttering is going well.

This afternoon I'll be de-Christmassing.  But first Mr F needs to clear the dining room table of lego 🙄

Happy Friday all.

Fortune x

LadyWithAPlan

Fortune_Smiles said:

 As I didn't have to be compos mentis to do the tax return last night, I de-cluttered the last of the prosecco leftover from New Year's Day 😉  So de-cluttering is going well.

Truly the best decluttering on MSE OF 2024!

savingholmes

Well done on the tax returns. 

Great news on the new contracts and first invoice due to be paid next week. Sounds a lovely leisurely start to the year.

Humdinger1

Wonderful @Fortune_Smiles! The air of relaxation and civilisation wafting from your diary is a true tonic.  Love Humdinger xx 

Fortune_Smiles

LadyWithAPlan said:

Fortune_Smiles said:

 As I didn't have to be compos mentis to do the tax return last night, I de-cluttered the last of the prosecco leftover from New Year's Day 😉  So de-cluttering is going well.

Truly the best decluttering on MSE OF 2024!

I feel it's the best kind @LadyWithAPlan.  Mr F has been busy decluttering a red wine box too 😂

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Humdinger1 said:

Wonderful @Fortune_Smiles! The air of relaxation and civilisation wafting from your diary is a true tonic.  Love Humdinger xx 

Thank you @Humdinger1.  It does feel quite relaxed in the Fortunate household at the moment.  We'll be properly back to normal on Monday though and the pace will pick up so I'd better make the most of this weekend.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Undeck the Halls

We are de-Christmassed!  I normally don't mind putting the decs away but, this year, I felt a little sad to see them go.  I will miss the soft, twinkly lights warming the house.  Maybe it's because I think of the decorations as a celebration of the winter solstice and the return of the light - and, with all this rain, we haven't seen much light returning yet 😆  The weather is forecast to change today and be brighter and drier going forward which I'm very much looking forward to.

All the boxes are piled up in the dining room waiting to be moved to the Annexe or the Barn.  I have a few outdoor things hanging up in the house to dry out and two gnomes (a snowman and a santa) have been kept out as they need their paintwork touching up before they get put away for their big sleep.

We had Carrot & Ginger Loaf again with our morning coffee yesterday and the last of the Cracker Crust Quiche for lunch with chips and beans.  I cheered myself up whilst de-Christmassing by decluttering quite a few chocolate biscuits from the Christmas tin so wasn't hungry when supper time came - I had a slice of buttered panetonne.  So not a heathy eating day at all 😲  Mr F wasn't very hungry at supper time either and had cheese and biscuits and wine 😲  I've put the breadmaker on this morning so we can have a healthier and more nutricious soup for today's lunch... although I expect tonight's supper might involve more cheese 😂

We've nothing planned this weekend so will potter along and enjoy some further 'relaxation and civillisation' before normality returns on Monday.

Enjoy the weekend all

Fortune x

badmemory

Everyone seems to be talking about the rain today, but I live near a city that is renown for its rain & yet I have sun & a clear sky.  So frost to start but otherwise a lovely day which makes a great change from all the dreary days we have been having.