A Better View 🌄

savingholmes

Good work on improving your health.

At one point I trained to be a coach and we were told to write a list of what our ideal clients are like. You could do similar. It will help you spot the better ones.

Fortune_Smiles

beanielou said:

Good decision.

Cheery_Daff said:

That sounds like a very wise decision all round. Good to know where your boundaries are, it makes things much easier to deal with later.

Humdinger1 said:

Fortune_Smiles said:

badmemory said:

So glad he declined that work.  He didn't stop working for the last employer to have to deal with this rubbish with his own business.

Absolutely BM - I started to feel a bit worried about it last week and we both felt relieved when he declined the work today.  Next time we'll know the how to manage things better.  We'll give the rate for the job, the time involved and travel requirements and, if that doesn't fit the clients wants or budget we'll decline straight away.

Fortune x

Let that be a lesson to the flaky client! Well done on declining to be sucked into an abusive matrix.  Onwards and upwards love Humdinger xx 

LadyWithAPlan said:

How great you are able to make decisions from a point of strength 
I do hope the blood pressure sorts itself out 

5lb loss and eating well is a huge win ! 

I love the idea that Jan is a setup month - nice reframing especially as I have done half of what I wanted to do ! 

Merlin's_Beard said:

Good decision! If you don't need the work there's no reason to accept substandard terms. This is the whole point of going it alone!

Thank you all - I am quite firm on boundaries generally.  And we are, of course, in the fortunate position of being able to decline work if we chose.  It does take some of the stress out of making these types of decisions.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

savingholmes said:

Good work on improving your health.

At one point I trained to be a coach and we were told to write a list of what our ideal clients are like. You could do similar. It will help you spot the better ones.

Thank you SH.  Hmmmm - my ideal client?  One that pays on time 😂😂😂

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Back on the wagon

We've had a lovely social and restful few days but it's time to get back on the wagon so...

I walked the boys around the field for a mile this morning and then did 50 minutes of low impact aerobics (5,000 steps apparently 😁).

Breakfast was syrniki with sour cream and a berry compote.  Lunch was Butternut Squash Soup with buttered, wholemeal, breadmaker bread and supper will be the winter vegetable casserole leftover from last night with brown rice.

Boiler man has sent us his quote... gulp!  It is around what I was expecting but is still a large amount of money.  Thank goodness I started saving for a replacement when we moved in 😅  I've read through all the details and have some questions so I'll put those to him tomorrow.

No sign of our outstanding invoices still 😠  I've issued two more - one of which is in a foreign currency so another thing learned about the accounting system 😁

We had a day out on Thursday.  I had to drop my car in to the main dealer as, when they sorted out the safety recall, they mucked up my GPS.  Whilst we were out in the big south town, I picked up my new glasses and arranged for Mr F to have an eye test.  We then went to a little, quirky Italian restaurant for lunch and spent the afternoon wandering around the town museum.

It was an expensive day and good in parts.  We got the dog sitter to come in a couple of times for FDawg so there was a cost there.  The garage couldn't fix the gps and will have to contact the manufacturer for advice and, I suspect, to argue about whose going to pick up the cost 🙄  I did get them to agree to pick up the car from home next time so, at least, I don't have to spend any more time driving backwards and forwards.  Mr F's prescription hasn't changed but his glasses are very old and worn (and a lens has started to fall out) so he wanted a new pair... and a spare 🙄  He can't work without them so it is a prudent to have an extra pair but they don't come cheap.  Mr F found a tiny sliver of metal in his lunch (apparently from a scourer) so they knocked off the cost of his meal and a coffee.  We'd had the special anyway which was excellent value so our two course meals with coffee came in at just over £15 in total.  Otherwise the food and service were fab.  The museum was really interesting and free of charge but we were hanging around at the end of the day waiting for the garage to call so gave in to coffee and cake.

So, I'm waiting for the garage to call with a solution.  At least I can see the 'phone screen now - I hadn't realised just how overdue a new glasses prescription I was.  Mr F thinks the new ones are more flattering on me but they might take a while to break in - my ears always hurt with new frames and I'm struggling to get the nose pads in exactly the right place.  I'm sure they'll be fine once I get used to them.

Happy Monday all

Fortune x

savingholmes

Eek to the metal in the lunch!!

On the glasses I sympathise - I must admit I'm one of those who tends to get the same frame again if it's available partly due to those kind of issues. Apparently we all have wonky/asymmetrical ears but it doesn't help when it comes to glasses!

Fortune_Smiles

savingholmes said:

Eek to the metal in the lunch!!

On the glasses I sympathise - I must admit I'm one of those who tends to get the same frame again if it's available partly due to those kind of issues. Apparently we all have wonky/asymmetrical ears but it doesn't help when it comes to glasses!

I've definitely got wonky ears SH 😂  I didn't really like my original frames - they were the best I could find at the time but I didn't think they suited me.  I'm still tweaking adjustments with the new frames and gradually getting there.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Let it snow, let it snow, let it ... no 🙁

Who has snow today?  We don't.  We were hoping to get some instead of the torrential downpour we're being subject to at the moment 🙄 I had planned to meet up with some friends to do a local snowdrop walk today.  However, one friend has succumbed to a bug and the weather is so awful we've postponed for another day.  It would have been lovely to see them but I'm glad in a way as I've had a busy week and am feeling in need of a rest.  So, I've had a short walk with the boys and I'm now settled down in front of the log burner to do some paperwork.  Might need a nana nap later 😴😂

We've had Banana Pancakes (minus the bacon) with berry compote and yoghurt for breakfast the last couple of days.  Lunches have been either Portobello & Blue Cheese Melts or baked potatoes with beans and cheese.  Suppers were sausages with apple mash and peas (the apple was the penultimate cooker we harvested from the orchard last year).  I also made some Mincemeat Loaf Cakes for the Book Club meeting last night as it was my turn to host.  I topped them with buttercream, thinly sliced limequats (a new to me fruit I bought to try) and lustre dust to make them look a bit more fancy (one of my guests is allergic to almonds).  There is almost a whole loaf left over to have with coffee this week - Mr F is very pleased about that 😆

We have had a remittance advice for one of our overdue invoices 🥳  It's the smaller one 🙄 but at least it's progress.  The money should arrive in the next few days. I've raised our first invoice for the long term contract.  It's in a different currency and has to be submitted through a billing site so I had a bit of learning to do.  However, it's already been passed for payment so that's good.  Mr F has a job today for his former employer (fortunately working from home) so I'll have another invoice to raise later.

We've taken some money out of savings to fund various services and insurances this month but should be able to replace that at the end of March when we start drawing money from Fortunate Inc.

I've not got back to Boiler Man yet so that's on my to do list today.

Book Club was fun last night.  We'd read a short story by Wilkie Collins.  He's famous for his 'sensation' novels which shocked the victorians with their scandalous themes.  Mr Collins seems to have lived his life along similar lines so was very interesting to research 😲  That's my only 'social' this week as today's plans have been put on hold.

Time to put another log on the fire.  Keep safe and warm snow (or rain) bunnies 😊

Fortune x

SandyShores

Lots of rain here too Fortune, and across the whole of the south by the looks of it.  The lawn is a quagmire again - found out when I put some bird food out.  It seems to have stopped for now and I'm planning to get a short walk or two in today.  I admire you being so on top of the paperwork, I have a bit of time today and tomorrow so I'll use it wisely and get on with it.  Thankfully the weekend looks a bit drier but its going to be a bit cooler too.  Your book sounds fun and it must be interesting to read about the victorian times.  

Fortune_Smiles

SandyShores said:

Lots of rain here too Fortune, and across the whole of the south by the looks of it.  The lawn is a quagmire again - found out when I put some bird food out.  It seems to have stopped for now and I'm planning to get a short walk or two in today.  I admire you being so on top of the paperwork, I have a bit of time today and tomorrow so I'll use it wisely and get on with it.  Thankfully the weekend looks a bit drier but its going to be a bit cooler too.  Your book sounds fun and it must be interesting to read about the victorian times.  

I'm very bored with it now Sandy.  We need some fine days so everything can dry out and we can start work in the garden.  I'm quite good at getting through the paperwork, filing it away afterwards however..... 😆

Fortune x

Cheery_Daff

Ooh, I love a bit of Wilkie Collins. Although I think I've only read the big two, not sure I've read any short stories (although actually, I may be wrong...)

Plenty of snow here! ☃️