A Better View 🌄

South_coast

We've been bright and sunny today. Bit nippy this morning, but OK now. But I think this is the first dry day in about 2 weeks 🤣!

Fortune_Smiles

savingholmes said:

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.

'Due' being the operative word SH 😆  I'm not sure they'll get paid by then.  Yes, it has been a leisurely start and I'm very grateful to have some recovery time between the end of festivities and getting stuck into 2024. Hope you're on the mend now 🤗

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

South_coast said:

We've been bright and sunny today. Bit nippy this morning, but OK now. But I think this is the first dry day in about 2 weeks 🤣!

Doesn't it make a difference SC.  I don't mind the cold (although I feel for those watching their heating bills) but the soggy, gloominess we've been having - yuk 🤮

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

More Cream and Cheese Anyone? 😂

All bar two of the decoration boxes have been returned to the barn and I've given the gnomes a first paint touch up.  Other than a few chores being completed, yesterday was a relaxed day.  Although we both did a little work work.  Mr F has been offered a job in India in February.  It's interesting and lucrative so he's decided the travel will be worth it.  He still intends to travel (although I'd prefer it if he didn't) but will pick and choose where and when.

Breakfast was Poached Eggs on Avocado & Feta Toast without the eggs 😆  Lunch was Carrot & Parsnip Soup with buttered wholemeal bread.  Supper was Blue Cheese Gnocchi.  And there's still plenty of cheese left in the fridge 🙄  I emptied the chocolate biscuits into Mr F's biscuit tin in an attempt to hide the temptation.  Mr F's biscuit tin usually only has boring biscuits in.  He likes digestives and rich teas and, although I don't dislike these, they do not tempt me in the same way as delicious, buttery, biscuits smothered in thick chocolate.  My strategy did not work though and I ate more of them during the afternoon 🤭  However, once they're gone I won't buy more.  I rarely buy biscuits and cake because I usually avoid UPF and I know, if they're in the house, I won't be able to resist them.  Strange though, there's a box of mint chocolates in the cupboard which would usually seduce me and I'm managing to leave them alone at the moment... probably because I'm full of biscuits 😆

There is also an open bottle of port we've started to declutter 🤫  We managed to accummulate six bottles over Christmas (only one of which I bought).  However, they will keep until we next have visitors.

Another bright day is in store 🌞  Our field and orchard are very waterlogged at the moment but they do drain quickly so we should start see some improvement now the rain has stopped.  I'm very pleased we decided not to have sheep this winter.  The whole place would have been a mud bath by now 😲

Hope the sun shines on you today

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

badmemory said:

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.

We often escape the rain @badmemory as we are near the welsh mountains and they tend to interrupt the clouds on their journey toward us.  This year though has been the worst for rain since our arrival and even our (gently sloping) field has standing water.  A week of dry, bright weather is forecast here though so the ground should improve and bring some relief for those who have flooding.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

The beginning of the end?

When I served up cranberry sauce and brie on sour dough toast for breakfast this morning, Mr F sat looking at his plate in silence for several seconds before saying "Are we nearly at the end of this cheese?" 😂  So I did a stock take of the fridge and found that a large, posh pot of stilton has a best before date of April 24 and doesn't need to figure in this week's meal plan 😊  However, I also discovered some other festive fare that needs using up quickly 🙄  So... we had a baguette with pate and salad for lunch and will be having the same again tomorrow.

I have been at the biscuits again 🙄 but only had a couple before I realised I'd gone off them.  Also tried some mint chocolates but they're not doing anything for me either.  Hoorah!  My body is fighting back!  The last of the Carrot & Ginger Loaf was finished off this morning with coffee so it looks as though normal service will be resumed soon.  I don't even want any supper this evening 😲  Mr F took advantage of the dry weather and has been gardening all afternoon.  It has been cold here so he suggested a hot chocolate when he came in... and he suggested we try some white chocolate liqueur in it 😲  I'd made the liqueur to go in a cocktail recipe for New Year's Eve and it proved a big hit, particularly with Mr F who doesn't usually go in for that sort of thing.  Well, how could I refuse 🙄 So we've indulged all day again 🙄

I know I shall start feeling the ill effects of all this gluttony soon so my plan is to take a more moderate approach from tomorrow.  At least I've been getting a little exercise as Mr F has been encouraging me to walk further on our dog walks in the morning, either walking the lanes or taking three turns around the field so I at least get a mile in. Our field is on what looks like a gentle slope but it's steep enough to make you huff and puff when you walk up it!

I put away some of the outdoor Christmas decorations I'd brought in to dry out.  So that just leaves our festive gnomes who got a second coat of touch up paint today.  They'll get packed away tomorrow and Mr F will be able to put the final boxes in the barn.

I have de-glittered (I was still wearing the full on, holographic, silver nail varnish I'd applied for New Year's Eve) so I feel properly ready to embark on 2024 now.

We have some work work to do tomorrow.  Mr F has already earned 8% of our monthly income target and confirmed work for January will add a further 61%.  We haven't any concerns about achieving our income target, it's cash flow which will be the issue in the short term.  We aren't planning any out of the ordinary spending in January so we should be ok for now.  We have our emergency fund to dip into if necessary but I'd prefer to avoid that if possible.

I'm planning a hot, bubble bath this evening with the @ll Cre@ture$ Gre@t @nd Sm@ll festive special.  We watched very little TV over Christmas so I've lots of missed programmes to keep me going.

Happy Sunday everyone

Fortune x

KajiKita

We’re still battling through the Christmas junk fest here too … 🙄 S’funny how you come to resent it after a while! 😂😂
Enjoy the ACGAS 😊

KK

Fortune_Smiles

KajiKita said:

We’re still battling through the Christmas junk fest here too … 🙄 S’funny how you come to resent it after a while! 😂😂
Enjoy the ACGAS 😊

KK

We don't have to eat it of course 😂  But I don't want to waste anything or have unhealthy food hanging around into February.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Bye bye until next year.

beanielou

They are so fantastic 🎄