And now we go again...

EssexHebridean

Good to hear people's comments on the Ultrasonic type deterrents - I've seen mixed reviews online, but of course you never know whether the "wow - this was great!" type reviews are staged ones, do you! We have one (which was in the house when we arrived) and initially we had turned it off...after hearing some evidence of "something" rodenty sounding scurrying about in the space between the kitchen ceiling and upstairs flooring, we turned it back on, and that was the last we heard of anything scurrying, but of course that COULD be pure coincidence...!

Well your courgette well-wishing has clearly worked a treat as there are now two more ready to pick - the first of which is a good size and will be heading into our dinner this evening. The other plants are lagging a bit behind, but there does look to be a good number lined up, so we don't think there will be any shortage! We reluctantly gave up on the broad beans and I pulled them all up last night. Those have gone into the garden waste bin as they were absolutely COVERED in blackfly.  We have decent numbers of bush beans germinated now, and the runners we bought as plants all seem to be holding their own and growing well. Plan is to get the bush beans planted out at the weekend - hopefully by then the borlottis might have made an appearance as well! With this weather everything got a good soaking last night as well, and MrEH fed the courgettes, cucumbers and tomatoes as needed. He also got a decent amount of sowing of bits and bobs done over the weekend - we now have more pak choi, spinach, lettuce and chard on the go. 

While he was busy with garden stuff, I was off enjoying a few days of aviation photography - first at Waddington on Friday for a Red Arrows practise, then Saturday and sunday at the inaugural Sywell Airshow, which was extremely enjoyable.  It was a fairly spendy few days - with tea out with C on Friday evening, although we saved money on drinks as one of us was going to have to drive anyway, so we nipped to a Lil's, bought gin in a tin and small bottles of prosecco and enjoyed a few drinks back at the hotel, classy birds that we are! Also bought nibbles to sort us out for food on saturday though, so that saved a few pounds there, and my saturday spend at the show was limited to just a pint of beer and a reuseable plastic glass printed with the event design. My airbnb for saturday night was fabuous, and conveniently was also just along the road to a Mozzas, so that sorted me for tea on saturday night. Sunday I did buy food on site at the show, although annoyingly I found out after the event that I'd been massively overcharged for it! (think nearly 50% on a £10 meal) - of course it wasn't possible to check at the time because the internet connection wasn't god enough, and like at so many of these events, it's not possible to see an amount before you pay either. I'm trying to get a contact for the food stall from the event organisers, although whether I will be able to sort it out now remains to be seen.  Anyway it was a fab weekend with lovely people, I got to catch up with a few pals I'd not seen in ages too which is always lovely, and I have a mahoosive number of photos to sort through now! 

MrEH dealt with the weekly shop - and managed to keep the costs down to roughly the expected level so hurrah for him. Food wise I have no plan for this week so will be making it up as I go along - last night was ragu from the freezer with pasta, this evening will be couscous with veggies and probably the last duck eggs as the protein element - I'm thoroughly looking forward to that courgette too! 

 

jwil

Glad you had a nice weekend

LadyWithAPlan

PennysIntoPounds said:

What a productive settling back in day! Bah to the red ants nest though, what's the recommended action on that?

Can't believe you've cursed the potential arrival of summer by buying ice creams 😁

That's a good mse move if you take to the own brand laundry liquid. I'm in constant shock at how pricey laundry stuff can be!

Fab you got Mr EH's birthday print already. I stayed in an airbandb last year and loved a print there, I asked the person in charge of the property if they could let me know who it was by and they never got back to me. And now I can't go back to stay there (even if finances allowed it) to see if I can find out myself, because I can't reward someone who doesn't get back to me on important matters 😂

Did you take a pic of it as Google may be able to scan image and find it ? 

Loving the Courgette tales! I love them so look forward to growing them next year or when I finally get my garden 

how annoying on the over charge - I always get a receipt but often that’s emailed and if internet is down 

PennysIntoPounds

LadyWithAPlan said:

PennysIntoPounds said:

What a productive settling back in day! Bah to the red ants nest though, what's the recommended action on that?

Can't believe you've cursed the potential arrival of summer by buying ice creams 😁

That's a good mse move if you take to the own brand laundry liquid. I'm in constant shock at how pricey laundry stuff can be!

Fab you got Mr EH's birthday print already. I stayed in an airbandb last year and loved a print there, I asked the person in charge of the property if they could let me know who it was by and they never got back to me. And now I can't go back to stay there (even if finances allowed it) to see if I can find out myself, because I can't reward someone who doesn't get back to me on important matters 😂

Did you take a pic of it as Google may be able to scan image and find it ? 

Loving the Courgette tales! I love them so look forward to growing them next year or when I finally get my garden 

how annoying on the over charge - I always get a receipt but often that’s emailed and if internet is down 

I didn't, no, it was one of those vague to-do thoughts you have throughout a break then forget in the disproportionate panic you'll get fined one million pounds for forgetting to empty a bin or somesuch! I'm sure I'll come across it again if it's meant to be

EssexHebridean

Morning all - another scorching one here too, I was roasting walking from the car to the office, and we have the fans going full pelt in here already! Have managed to persuade Madam Boss that leaving the lights off is a good plan though - we're got 4 double sets of strip lights in our not-very-big office, absolute overkill for the space, and as they are old-style ones they massively increase the temperature when they are blazing away!

MrEH's birthday today - he was very chuffed with the framed print but the unexpected winner was the copy of a book we saw while we were on holiday in a cafe - never got a chance to look, but just from the obvious age of it and the title we both agreed it looked interesting - The Complete Food Garden by John Seymour. I took a photo of that and another book that I had managed to have a look at while we were in there, and when we got home I ordered both, and stashed that one away for wrapping up for him. He still needs to decide what he wants for his main present - so that will be to come. 

MSE Stuff:
- MrEH's pressies were all either charity shop finds (the other book I got him), bought second hand online (that book above) or just reasonably priced. (The frame for the print was from the R@nge, fits with others we have already, and was under £3! Bargain!) 
- Interest has landed on the joint savings account - that's the last of the monthly interest landed now. 
- MrEH has also now opened an ISA to take some of our joint savings. In the light of things being said about savings by the party who seem to be most likely to form our next government, we've decided that reducing the amount of savings outside ISAs is probably a good plan, and allowing that my ISA has already been filled for the year. It's just been shifted to the ISA account which mirrors the original savings account so the interest rare is the same anyway (which actually means in real terms the interest rate has increased, of course!)
- Madam Boss has paid me today so I will be able to get the money shuffle sorted later on. MrEH should be paid on Friday.
- We discussed last night whether we were going to have a Traditional Celebratory Indian for MrEH's birthday on Friday evening, then agreed that actually, with the temperatures we might not fancy that, so I have suggested we get ingredients sorted for a really nice salad, I can cook some jersey royals to make posh potato salad, we might get smoked salmon or something like that to go with. It will of course come with a substantial MSE aspect as well, so win win! 
- Have decided that Foxgloves idea of having a budget-watching July on the groceries front so need to spend some time freezer-sorting and planning meals. Some starting ideas below.
- Airshow ticket bought for me to go to Shuttleworth on Sunday - money already transferred across to clear that off the CC


Meals:
- Tonight I'm going to do salad with king prawns (got out of the freezer last night to defrost in the fridge) and baked sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes will be done in the microwave. 
- Tomorrow will be pasta with salmon, courgette, the last of the mushrooms and the remaining soft cheese as a sauce.
- picky bits tea from the freezer/stores - there is a Y/S'd pizza in there, the last of a bag of oven chips and the last of a bag of onion rings. If I make sufficient posh tattie salad on Friday then that can be added too. 
-  We're well sorted for breakfasts thanks to Y/S'd bread in the freezer.
- pretty sure there are a couple of lamb steaks in the depths of the freezer somewhere that might make a nice meal one day next week


I do still have some airshow tickets I need to get sorted - I must deal with those in the next few days. 

lucielle

Gosh, still lots happening. Well done getting madam boss to listen. I fancy potato salad now, like it with crème fraiche. Not as hot up here but still a lovely day. 

L

beanielou

Happy birthday to Mr EH. 

PennysIntoPounds

Happy birthday to Mr EH! Glad the presents went down so well, they sound lovely

EssexHebridean

I like potato salad done with a mix of the posh flavoured mayo we have and greek yogurt. Oh, and heaps of chives or parsley. This is where I curse both our chives and our parsley being so far behind this year!  I also do an autumn/winter version of coleslaw with red onion, red cabbage and carrot using a blob of the chipotle chilli mayo - that's lush!

I will pass the good wishes for MrEH's birthday on!

redofromstart

Hot smoked salmon served with horseradished potato salad is very nice indeed.