And now we go again...

Cheery_Daff

Just hopping in to say I SUPPORT YOUR DECISION NOT TO GET A CAT 😂 😁 It's a good decision, and the right one for you right now, don't feel pushed about by all these cat people waving their lovely cats about 😂😁

redofromstart

All joking aside I actually agree that getting a cat knowing how much time it'll spend in a cattery is a difficult decision. Most cats are attached to places as much as they are people.

themadvix

I am definitely agreeing that if now is not the right time, then it’s not the right time! Just, cats are lovely.

themadvix

Ooh, changing the subject entirely, just about to watch a Geoff Marshall video about the company that makes underground roundels- right up your street EH!

LadyWithAPlan

I loved having 2 cats but there is a time in your life when it makes more sense so I am currently pet-less as well - 

EssexHebridean

There are VIDEOS out there about roundel making? Ooohhh...must investigate! Thanks TMV! I am currently thoroughly consumed by the apparently viral tube-memory game that MrEH's best pal introduced me to a few days ago. Very addictive, and if anyone suddenly hears me say "OHHH!" before diving for my phone, it will be because another station has just occurred to me! (or in fact like just then, when the one that occurred to me then lead to 5 more, and that's another 1% on my tally!) 

And yeah, the rest of you, stop flaunting your cats at me! (Although I'd be even more disgruntled if you flaunted dogs at me instead - one of those is equally far off and in reality I am very much a dog person. It's why HRH The Cat was taught to sit on command from kittenhood, and would also respond to "teeth" as a command to let us look at those when needed - things I would have trained a puppy in immediately, and it simply didn't occur to me not to do the same with Madam when she was tiny. On realising what I was doing, MrEH scoffingly said "you can't train a cat to si...." yes - that tailed off abruptly when she demonstrated that actually, you can!) I do LOVE hearing all the various tails of the rest of your animals on your diaries though! 

How's everyone's Wednesday looking then? Mine started out mildly damply but seems to have both dried and brightened up now. We are both in London today so shared car commute costs - MrEH may drain his Oyster today though in which case he may top up tonight rather than leaving it until Monday morning. he has remembered to shuffle the remaining oddments of dosh he owed to various places across to me though so I have in turn shuffled some to the CC and some is left in my own account where I had already cleared off a CC spend. I'm delighted to say that both the alarm clock and the traffic issues were largely as normal this morning too so I don't have another mad car moving day! 

MSE Stuff:
- Banks checked and fine. 
- Remembered to bring the box of T's own brand decaff tea-bags that I bought at the weekend in to the office so I can have tea in the afternoon again. Have also now written a post-it note to stick on the box saying "Do not tip these in with regular tea-bags please" for MadamBoss as, yes, in spite of it seeming to be an entirely daft thing to do, she does have form!
- Noted that I gained 100 unexpected T's points on Monday - but although I did venture into the store they show as credited from, I didn't buy anything that had extra points attached, so I am assuming they may be the ones I was missing from my weekend spend in a totally different store.
- Done an online survey on my "shopping experience" for T's - 25 more points there.  
- Remembered to get this evenings Spicy Ragu out of the freezer - that has been defrosting in the fridge so hopefully helping the running costs there a little!
- stripped the leftover lamb off the bone and cut into chunks - half frozen and half consumed last night. 

Spendiness:
Today WILL be a NSD - unless MrEH has to feed his Oyster. I feel like I'm completely failing on just not spending money at the moment - and it used to be simple enough so... It's not like I'm spending on frittering stuff, but still, it's annoying to see all the small spends regardless of how needed they are!
- My "shopping list" for needed household stuff IS shrinking though - so that is something. 
- Might consider joining the grocery challenge again for November - not been doing that for a while and to be honest the months since we moved will have been carnage anyway due to restocking bits. 

Need to really start getting my head round next week's meal plan. The aim is to do something for sunday dinner that will feed us for an additional meal - initial thoughts are possibly a casserole with the venison chunks I bought, plus the bacon bits - with plenty of veg added it ought to be able to feed us for two days, and I may turn Sunday's into a suet-crust topped pie which is always a favourite. 

themadvix

Just for you, EH: video here

I feel your pain about spending at the moment... there's always something and it's not frittery, but ... I don't tend to worry about NSDs as we're fairly disciplined, but I was so happy to have one yesterday! And today I've already been out and spent nearly £30 and still need a couple of bits, including bananas which I could easily have got earlier!

kayannie

@EH - If you want more hydrangeas, they are so easy to grow from cuttings. When we moved to our present home a while ago, there were at least 8 hydrangeas in the garden, the largest of them needing quite severe pruning. At the time, I needed a strong stick to support a plant so used one of the thick stems that I had cut from a hydrangea, stuck it in the ground & tied it to the plant needing support. A few weeks later, the stem in the ground developed buds & is now yet another hydrangea covered in flowers. 
Your hydrangea sounds lovely, a paniculata by the description. KA

Blackcats

I find I do better when I'm actively participating in the grocery challenge as it makes me think properly about my monthly budget and more or less stick to my meal plan which makes me more thoroughly about my shopping list.  I haven't been updating the challenge very much in October so I'm planning to re-focus in November with the aim of saving a little towards the Christmas food spends.

pink_poppy

EssexHebridean said:

I do LOVE hearing all the various tails of the rest of your animals on your diaries though! 

Was this a deliberate typo, EH?? It made me smile