A Better View 🌄

Fortune_Smiles

It's a rather blustery day 🌬

We got home from our mini break just in time to unload the car and walk FDawg before Storm K@thleen arrived 😲⛈  What a welcome home!

We had a very lovely time away - although so many treats were involved, my health plans have been completely scuppered.  Worth it though 😊  We have been thoroughly spoiled.

We treated the Younger Fortunates to dinner out on our last night as they hadn't let us pay for a thing during our stay.  And on the way home we met up with a close relative and her partner for the very first time (long story) and picked up the tab for lunch too.  So some money has been spent but, as we don't have a holiday planned this year, we didn't mind splashing out.

It's been a full on few days and I did all the driving this time so today is officially a rest day.  Apart from making us some healthy meals I'm intended to browse sewing patterns, watch films and nap.  I'll get started on the housework tomorrow 😉

We took FDawg for a walk around the meadow and orchard this morning.  There is standing water everywhere 😲  I don't know how, but our fruit trees have managed to hang on to some of their blossom.  Athough, there are no insects around to pollinate anything so we still may not get any fruit this year.  Four of the five new, water-logged Alders we planted in the bottom hedgerow are showing signs of life.  Amazing that they're surviving in these conditions.  We got blown about a bit by the wind but at least that will help dry the ground out.

Really desperate for the sun now.  But, avoiding full depression by counting our blessing - we've spent a wonderful time with family, the house is dry and the boiler is (amazingly) still limping along.

Batten down the hatches and enjoy your Sunday folks.

Fortune x

Greying_Pilgrim

Ay up Fortune  glad you had a good time on your visit and that you've arrived home safe. 

I was always under the impression that Alders, much like Willows, were happiest in boggy, marshy, wet ground 🤔 So hopefully your new plantings will survive and go on to thrive - maybe even improving some of the surrounding land by taking up some of the water to continue growing.  

Greying X

greenbee

As GP says, alders like water - I planted them along the stream in my last place, and my mum has them in the boggy bit of her garden in a vain attempt to help dry it out!

beanielou

Glad that you had a lovely time. 

savingholmes

Glad you had a lovely time away, making new memories. Hope the weather cheers up for you soon.

SandyShores

Welcome back, sounds like you had an amazing time with family.  

Fortune_Smiles

Greying_Pilgrim said:

Ay up Fortune  glad you had a good time on your visit and that you've arrived home safe. 

I was always under the impression that Alders, much like Willows, were happiest in boggy, marshy, wet ground 🤔 So hopefully your new plantings will survive and go on to thrive - maybe even improving some of the surrounding land by taking up some of the water to continue growing.  

Greying X

greenbee said:

As GP says, alders like water - I planted them along the stream in my last place, and my mum has them in the boggy bit of her garden in a vain attempt to help dry it out!

Thank you for the reassurance @Greying_Pilgrim and @greenbee.  We chose Alder for that particular spot because we'd read it was happy in wet conditions... we just didn't imagine this wet! 😂  However, we think all 5 might now be putting out shoots so they obviously don't mind it biblical flood wet 🌧🌧🌧

Although, after today they might all just float away across the fields 🌊🌊🌊 😂

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

beanielou said:

Glad that you had a lovely time. 

savingholmes said:

Glad you had a lovely time away, making new memories. Hope the weather cheers up for you soon.

SandyShores said:

Welcome back, sounds like you had an amazing time with family.  

Thanks guys.  We did have a wonderful time.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Back on Track 🚂

I've spent today catching up on admin and housework and feel a lot more organised as a result.

My weight is already back down to pre-mini break levels so not too much damage has been done 😆  Healthy eating is back on the agenda too.

I've had a spendy day:

• our accountant has decided they won't be providing registered office services any longer so I've had to start the process of registering with a specialist company.  It might work our slightly cheaper so there is a silver lining 🌈
• I meal planned and did the grocery shop.  We're slightly over budget this week as I had to stock up on some higher cost items
• ordered some wine as we've only one red left in the wine rack 😲  I had enough CP points to get £30 in L@ithewaite$ vouchers so that helped
• bought a second daylight lamp so I can have one downstairs for sewing and one upstairs for painting/crafting.  The one I have is huge so it's a pain carrying it up and down stairs and I'm always scraping the dining room ceiling with it as it's so tall
• also bought a dip pen, nibs and ink to try.  Our speaker at WI last night was an illustrator and I was really inspired by her work.

All the above are covered under one budget or other and the lamp and art supplies will be met from personal spends.

We had another deluge today ☹  Mr F has had to dig a little channel across our drive to direct the water away from the house 😲 We'll have to buy a boat to get anywhere at this rate ⛵  The weather forecast is for better weather by the end of the week though 🙏  Thank goodness because we've really had enough now.  Even FDawg is getting fed up with all the after walk showers he's getting 🐶

Hope everyone is keeping their feet dry.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Fabled, Yellow Orb ☀

Mr F has just returned from a week away on business.  This is a trip he would have taken when employed but he found it a much pleasanter and more enjoyable experience as a contractor.  He's tired but relaxed and stress-free.  There is a little follow up work to be done but he'll probably be finished with that by lunchtime and can start his weekend.

We have picked up two new clients.  One is for a discrete project and the other for ad-hoc assessment and training work.  We need to make sure we're not taking on too much though.  This is supposed to be the route to retirement after all - it could easily turn into another full-time career 😉 

I've realised that we qualify for another tax allowance which will mean we can pay ourselves a little more each month.  We've also started building up a small contingency fund in the business which will give us some security in case Mr F is unable to work for any reason or wants to take a holiday.  It feels as though things are really coming together now 😁

On the home front, we are still waiting for that fabled, yellow orb to appear in the sky so that the ground drys out and we can get on with some gardening ☀  Our yellow rattle plants for the meadow arrived yesterday so we'll be planting those out at the weekend.  Our mower should be returned today so Mr F may be able to do some grass cutting too.

The boiler replacement has been booked in.

It's been a quiet week socially with Mr F away so I took advantage of a quiet house to sew a new top.  I made it from one of the fabric remnants I bought a few weeks ago which I think is a textured linen mix of some kind.  The sewing pattern has clever twisted sleeves which I managed to master along with a rouleau button loop as a back neck fastening.  The fabric and thread cost about £10 and the pattern is definitely one I'll make again.  It will be a great wear for when the fabled, yellow orb makes an appearance 😂

Happy Friday all!

Fortune x