And now we go again...

EssexHebridean

We can't put anything on the front anyway - MrEH checked the title and there is indeed a covenant saying that we would need to get permission - and looking at the absolute eyesore the stuff would look like thanks to the drawing the solar chap provided, I wouldn't give permission for it, never mind the local authority! Actually moving the bins wouldn't be a particularly big thing LaPlan  - but it would mean they would sit further forwards than where they are, and when they aren't tucked right back they go flying and spread their contents all down the street in the wind, risking not only a mess but also the chances that they'll end up damaging someone's car or something! There would also be nowhere for me to keep my bike either - I'd literally have to get rid of it (it sits under a cover tucked behind the bins at the moment) - and not only do I prefer having that as a means of transport rather than needing to use the car when I'm just going around locally and not carrying much, it's also a form of exercise I really enjoy now I'm struggling with running, so I would be really reluctant to lose that. :-( Ah well - it's not an option anyway - so we are going to work through some other possibilities - a scale drawing of the extension wall is in my future!  

The couple of days down in Devon visiting MIL were lovely - had a good old ramble around Totnes on Saturday, then back to her local garden centre for a potter around and something to eat. Then yesterday was sorting out some bits in her garden - notably a fence that she was concerned was unstable and at risk of blowing down which she wanted removed - we achieved that OK. Then took her along to the supermarket before we left so she could get her shopping while there was the car to put it in - better than her needing to lug it back on the bus!  Also caught up with lovely SIL and biggest Nephew on Saturday evening which was fab! 

MSE Stuff:
- Seem to have managed to spend a fortune on food this week yet again. £18 of it was coffee for MrEH which was on a really excellent offer in T's - he'd mentioned it, and I said to grab a couple of jars - he got 4 which yes, will keep him going for a good while but eek to the hole in the budget!  
- Various YS'd bit in Lil's yesterday when we popped in with MiL - will all come in useful. Also £2.49 for a lovely deep red patio rose. I'm hoping it won't have been blown all round the garden by the time we get home this evening!
- Also nipped in to FFoods on Friday morning while waiting for MrEH's car headlight to get done thanbks to whoever it was who mentioned that they had well priced tins of pulses. The 6-pack of tinned toms for £1.99 was an unexpected win, remembered we were running low on tinned tuna so got a pack of that as well, plus some tinned lentils and chickpeas. 
- Car headlight done and sorted for £9 - well worthwhile getting an expert to do it as the stress level of one of us trying to get our hands in to the tiny gap when we don't quite know what we need to do is huge! 
- CC tally up is done and I will do the money shuffle over the next few days. 
- Mid month DDs have gone out this morning - joint account surplus will not be looking terribly cheerful this month as there will be at least one more tank full of fuel for MrEH's car needed yet as well as another feed of MrEH's Oyster...I *think* he will get away with just one more top up there... Still, there should be SOME surplus, which is good! 
- Meals are a bit on the fly again. Stir fry tonight (using some of the YS'd veg!) and almost certainly something with couscous tomorrow as usual (more YS'd veg!) I've got eggs to use too - which might end up being an omelette again, but then again might not...and and I found an expected tub of chilli in the freezer when I was digging through too, so that will sort one night or another...  Friday night is probably going to be curry from the freezer again I think. 

I'm starting to think that the solar just isn't going to happen unfortunately. They seem to be completely opposed to using the back wall of the extension - and my suspicion is that they have now realised that they can't be totally certain that in particular the battery will actually mount OK on that wall. It feels annoying as we have invested a fair amount of time and energy in to it - and I will have one last go at seeing if it really IS a space issue there (but that doesn't seem too likely) but they seem to have said fairly conclusively that in their view there isn't space - indeed, there is now a sudden mention of clearance needed around a particular part of the equipment which wasn't mentioned before either - sigh... Nothing's easy, is it! At a pinch right now we we will work on the basis that prices on this stuff are falling over time at the moment, and so realistically if we decide to revisit it in a couple of years it may even be that we will end up paying less...

Plans for the week:
- I'd like to get into the habit of doing a bit of after work garden pottering when it's workable to do so. Tomorrow evening should definitely work - the rest of the week we are later getting home so I tend to want to just crack on with cooking...
- got more seeds to get started in loo roll inners/peat pots or whatever. Cucumbers, radishes and pak choi seeds were all purchased at the weekend. I think I'm going to get some borlotti bean seeds as well as we really enjoyed those when we grew them years back. 
- Still need to get seed potatoes as well - yes, I know, we're cutting it REALLY fine! At the moment it looks like one of our local garden centres does still have the ones we want, so that's a task for the weekend!

Personal challenges for the week:
- Drink more water
- Pick up on the Yoga again. 
Both things that I feel better when I do...

greenbee

I'm just getting solar quotes in at the moment EH, and the proposals are varying wildly. I think the one with no drawings is a better solution... but there are no drawings. So I'm hoping I can get the one that did a really good job of the paperwork to adapt their solution slightly. I can see it's not going to be a quick fix. 

lucielle

Just exhausted reading your list!!  It’s a shame about the solar, also if it does happen in a couple of years the kit you need might be smaller as things are developed and become even more efficient 
L

EssexHebridean

L this is a very good point - I was actually quite surprised how small the batteries were now as last time I looked out of curiosity a few years back (not that we could have anything like that then, but lots of people were starting to invest, and I was interested to see how much space you DID need) they were an awful lot bigger! 

Greenbee - I hear you. that's the one thing I've been slightly surprised by - I was expecting CAD drawings showing positioning etc, and there has mostly not been anything like that at all. 

badmemory

I have been reading about the solar with interest as I would like to go that route.  As I only have a small house I suspect I may have similar problems.  I was really hoping to mitigate some of DSs 30 mins a day electric shower use.  The joys of OCD etc.

jwil

Shame about the solar, I agree that things are likely to change in the next few years.

Glad you had a nice couple of days in Devon

milann

Pity the solar doesn’t look as if it’ll happen. It’s worth revisiting in a couple of years time. We actually put a deposit down many years ago when somebody called to the house selling them and promising a great deal 😏 By the time we looked into it properly and we’d paid extra for this and that (can’t remember the ins and outs) and the limited number of panels we’d actually have because of the shape of the roof,  it would have worked out much more cash for fewer panels than originally been led to believe - so we clawed the deposit back. We always said we’d look into it again under our own steam and not doorstep salesmen but never have. I think if we ever get a new roof (lots of houses around and about seem to be having new roofs  atm so maybe it’s a age of the house thing) we’d look at it again. The panels look so much better now than they did then too.
Glad you enjoyed the trip to Devon. 

lucielle

You can get panels that can be integrated into the roof. 

L

milann

That’s what we’d go for if we ever get a new roof Lucille. The 2 houses opposite us have had a new roof and didn’t go for solar panels which I couldn’t understand. 

Greying_Pilgrim

EssexHebridean said:

MSE Stuff:

- Also nipped in to FFoods on Friday morning while waiting for MrEH's car headlight to get done thanks to whoever it was who mentioned that they had well priced tins of pulses. The 6-pack of tinned toms for £1.99 was an unexpected win, remembered we were running low on tinned tuna so got a pack of that as well, plus some tinned lentils and chickpeas. 

Ay up sweetie - I don't know if someone specifically mentioned it on you thread as well, but mumtoomany definitely mentioned it, over at mine the other day 😁 So good that you were able to get some well priced pulses - so useful for regular recipes or times when 'meals in moments' are needed.

I think you're right about the technology developing/changing for solar overtime, although it is such a pity that you've invested so much time and effort already.  I totally get that you're thinking about where the bins would be located, or that you would have to sell your bike or whatever, as you're living in your home and want solar panels to improve and enhance that lifestyle, not make you compromise to the extent whereby you can't actually live how you'd prefer.  

Greying X