And now we go again...

savingholmes

Sounds like you had a lovely  trip and the your future trips are well-funded. Great planning.

LadyWithAPlan

Bravissimo do great bras … they  also used to do some fabulous casual clothes 
they will do a fitting for you as well 

I was thinking of flat hunting around Walthamstow but the trek into soho looks difficult at night - did you like it there ? I really don’t know the area 

PennysIntoPounds

@LadyWithAPlan Walthamstow Central to Oxford Circus is 20 mins on Victoria line. I love the Victoria line so much, so efficient and useful (though of course my loyalties will always be with the dirty, noisy Northern line 😁)

Sun_Addict

Your trip sounded brilliant and lots of other lovely things to look forward to coming up 🙂

EssexHebridean

rtandon27 said:

EH - did you take that lovely picture on the acheofface of our Stripeyone with coffee in one hand and pasty in the other? I pointed out to OH that is a particularly well composed photo!

Would you believe we realised too late that we’d not got a pic together at all, and while I have several pictures of his royal hairiness, I have none of Mrs Stripes herself! 🤦🏻‍♀️😂 So no, I can’t take credit for that one I’m afraid! We are trying to plan further adventures later in the year so will definitely have to put this right! 

LaPlan - PiP is correct about the excellent service on the Vic Line - in spite of over 20 years with the Central being the line I use most the light blue one is still “my line” 😂 - getting into the west end is a doddle! I used to be able to leave home near Blackhorse Rd and be in that area under 30 minutes later, and that included the time it took to walk to the station! Remember also you get the benefit of the super swift change to the Piccadilly at Finsbury Park too - once you suss the door positions there you can master the art of the flat out dash across the platforms and straight into the train on the opposite side before the driver has the chance to realise the Vic line line has come in and close the doors! (Oh yes, they do this!) so that gets you a smooth transition through to Covent Garden/Leicester Square. The night tube also runs the full length of the Vic now too, of course. 

Thanks for the tip on Bravissimo for bras - I’ve debated about using them before so need to check them out again I think - just a case of working out how their sizing compares against Boux. I’ve never yet had a bra fitting that’s left me in anything which even feels vaguely like it actually fits so I’ll be free styling as usual! 😆

I have given in to my rotten cold - or rather, with MrEH not travelling in to London this morning and me most definitely not feeling at all fit to drive, it has defeated me, so a day of sofa, pottering and generally working my way through a massive stash of tissues and trying not to feel too sorry for myself beckons. I’m now at that nasty head-clogged-up stage where every cough, sneeze or blow of the nose leaves me feeling slightly dizzy - ugh!  

MSE stuff:
- banks checked and all OK - the 2nd day of the month stuff has gone now so looking a bit depleted!
- need to check if MrEH has opened his Cov Reg Saver yet as if not I will need to transfer the money set aside for that across to long term savings.
- Agent million did NOT call yesterday, and unless they are being very slow, we’ve not had anything again this month, once again though, I’m not surprised at this allowing the pittance we have in there! 😂
- bra refund confirmed as heading my way, just got to wait for it to land now. I’m just letting it cancel the outward transaction on the CC though so nothing to do there.
- Need to put together a meal plan for the next week - which will be as freezer-driven as possible again. Going to start off with a fry-up tomorrow evening through as that means we can use some of our stashed Black, White & Fruit puddings from the freezer before the Hebrides trip when with luck we’ll be able to restock.
- tonight’s scran is ragu from the freezer - probably with pasta. 
- after struggling with phone signal half the weekend I made a solid decision to switch providers on Monday evening - although the only one I can find at a reasonable price using EE’s network now is someone I’d never heard of before. Still - they seem to be well established elsewhere and just breaking in to the U.K., and judging by MrEH’s Plusnet experience if they DO pull out of the market over here EE will offer well priced contracts to their customers, so that could be OK. Anyway, for the time being it will get me back to a more efficient network so that will improve things. A slight uplift on what I am paying now, but again, worth it for the usable service. SIM card arrived yesterday and I think the service kicks in on Monday. 

I started our May garden list last night so have a list of jobs to do, and that was started this morning before MrEH started work when we reorganised the stuff in the mini greenhouse to remove the stuff that wants to stay out for full hardening off now. So the tomatoes and our one germinated chilli, plus the sweet peas are now sitting on the big patio table, and that will give room for more coriander plus beans to be sown ready to get going in the mini greenhouse. Still need to buy some borlotti beans as I want to do those again. I think we’ll sow a few more sweet peas as well as I’m sure we have some more (newer) seed. Won’t be buying any more at this stage if we don’t thought so we’ll need to check the seed box. 

Just a reminder for anyone who needs it to make sure you go and vote today if you’ve not already done it. We have almost no info on our local candidates available annoyingly. I asked (on twitter) the two incumbents who are re-standing for some examples of things they had personally done to have a positive impact on those in our ward in the last 12 months. One of the two came back very quickly with a lovely list of some really nice stuff, the other hasn’t bothered replying at all and as he seems to be quite happy to use his account for slagging off those from the opposing parties and grave-dancing when someone from another party falls from grace, I’m taking that as not being bothered to actually engage when someone asks him a genuine question, so I’ll need to work out who to vote for in his place. Also read up yesterday on our PCC candidates and decided where my vote will go there. 

LadyWithAPlan

Tx on the Walthamstow /Vic line info.. Definitely there and Sth London I can get more for my money than central/North London.
I have always been a Northern, Picc or Central line LaPlan or indeed just walking distance  - but I am actively looking to see what areas make sense given I do want a small garden in London (reach for the stars) 

I vote by post now always ahead of time
I normally look at the candidates in detail but this time its Labour all the way to make a point to the incumbent  Tory govt - Keir Starmer is my local MP so for general elections its easier.

I do like my Cov Regular Saver

Baileys_Babe

One of the things I like best about having a postal vote is you know in advance who is standing and you have plenty of time to research the candidates and parties. Which is something my eldest took advantage of before casting their first ever vote.

Greying_Pilgrim

EssexHebridean said:

I have given in to my rotten cold - or rather, with MrEH not travelling in to London this morning and me most definitely not feeling at all fit to drive, it has defeated me, so a day of sofa, pottering and generally working my way through a massive stash of tissues and trying not to feel too sorry for myself beckons. I’m now at that nasty head-clogged-up stage where every cough, sneeze or blow of the nose leaves me feeling slightly dizzy - ugh!  

Oh EH you poor thing - sounds like DH has something very similar 🙁 But poor auld DH has the version where whenever he sneezes or tries to clear his nose, he has an instant nose bleed because his sinuses are so blocked 🤧 Which of course is distressing and makes DH feel even more miserable...... 😕

Hope you feel better for taking it a little bit easy, and the cold boogers off - doesn't it know there is a holiday weekend in the offing!

Greying X

PennysIntoPounds

Hope you better soon, don't do anything apart from essentials and rest up so you can shift it quicker 

themadvix

Hope you feel better soon EH - it sounds like you're really in the thick of it now though, so hopefully the worst will be past soon.

Thanks for the reminder to sow beans - in my head I'm thinking 'it's not May yet, too early to plant beans'.... my head has definitely not caught up with the change of month - as has been made clear with my work filing system today! I love borlottis - definitely will be growing them again this year to dry. And I've got some Coco Sophie beans (cannellini type?) and carlin peas too to add to my growing for pulses collection. And then there's the French ones for the freezer.... I'm not sure my allotment is big enough!

My knowledge of Walthamstow is limited.... to Wild Card brewery - we visited it a long time ago when friends lived nearby. Some excellent beer (which also featured on our local tap room wall not long ago, which was lovely!).