From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening MSE'rs

RT - I know, I did buy some olive oil (from MrAl I think, as MrL was even more expensive), last time, as although I have bought the British seed oil, I am somewhat reluctant, as unless it's organic, I am led to believe that the plant is sprayed with a pesticide to dry off the plant prior to the seed harvesting, and I'm not entirely comfortable with that.  Having said that, I have no idea how non-organic olive or sunflower oil is treated prior to harvesting - so I do realise I could be showing myself up to be the biggest hypocrite out - and I re-iterate, I HAVE bought British seed oil before now.......   

Your afternoon sounds lovely.  I would be no good at small talk about all the 'in' places, I've not been out for yonks, and wouldn't even know where is 'in' now - even in Greying Town.  I do think with things like museums it is very often the people that make or break a place.  The volunteers yesterday were lovely, and a high quality, attraction specific entertainment was put on, all for free - indicating that someone had thought very hard about exhibit interpretation/celebration, and what would interest the punters.  It makes it easier to support those places - and tell others about it.  Whereas today, the one volunteer spoilt our visit.  I can only think that they assumed that some children - who they deemed to be 'misbehaving' - were in some way connected to us.  Unfortunately we had arrived at a similar time, and in the vacuum of lax adult supervision (adult was scrolling on their phone....) the children latched onto LG as a new chum, and the children followed us around quite alot - although when they were getting barked at by the volunteer, we were over the other side of the site......  Still, they are the first volunteer for that particular organisation that we have encountered that has been less than smiley/helpful/kind/welcoming, so in the grand scheme of things, it matters not.  

Tea was extremely pedestrian and was the last of the (bought) new potatoes - boiled, with omlette as we had a couple of eggs that needed using today, and some eggs in the pantry, plus some baked beans.  Very much a 'Thursday' meal, but heck, let's throw caution to the wind and eat it on a Monday, we're on holi-YAY!  🤣

DH is still like a 🐻with a sore head, and was muttering about what he'd wanted to do today 🙄which of course was stay here and do stuff around the homestead, which is all very well, but he does that every weekend too...... 🙄  I wanted to try to make this a family 'holiday' time for LG - even though we're not hopping on a plane to Tenerife, Florida, Turkey or any other exotic location for the summer.  

Even if I said to DH, "right, I will take LG out for the day, so that you can get on", LG would refuse to go  and would want to spend the day with their beloved papa.  Rock. Hardplace.  🙄

Our neighbours are getting ready to move house.  They too have been renting and have been in the situation of being unable to save for a mortgage because their rent is so much.  I think they were a little surprised, that we immediately understood, as we had been in that same situation ourselves.  However, they have now been able to buy a house - with room to grow their family.  Interestingly the rent has been put up by as much as the rent was hiked when we vacated our rental.  There have been several viewings, so maybe someone will take on the tenancy.  But it's alot of wonga to find each month.

I'm grateful that we did get out of the house today, that we had petrol and a car to do so.  We had food and drink to take with us, and we could all read the interpretation panels to make sense of what we were seeing.  All within the frame of the beautiful British countryside......

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

Glad you had a day out Greying, and sorry about the grumpy volunteer! Some people 🙄 

What's on the cards for today? Hope something cheerful is involved,  in whatever capacity 😊😊

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

So through the round window into the Greying Homestead this morning, you will see me kitted out in a black and white top, and DH and LG currently in opposing corners....... 🙄   DH was going on and on yesterday about wanting to do the garden.  He was thoroughly miserable all day on our trip out, and said that he was going to get up at 5.30am to do the garden this morning.  Fair enough I thought.  Let him have his head, and maybe we could do something this afternoon.  

So the alarm goes off this morning, it is nice and cool outside and I remind DH to put the skin sooooo soft on, against bitey critters.  I couldn't get back to sleep, so checked messages and picked up my book for a while.  I was surprised well over an hour later that DH had still not left the house.......  He eventually went outside at ten past seven.......  Five minutes later, LG woke up.  'Mum, mum, I've been thinking, can we go to X today, we don't have to go to Y (nearby attraction that costs quite a bit of money), but can we go to X?".  "No baby, dad's in the garden, and wants to do gardening today".  "Whaaaat??".

Cue LG rushing out to be with DH.  Counting down from 100, I got to about 27... rapid footsteps coming up stairs, "Muuuuuuuummmmm, dad's told me to have my breakfast and calm down.  I only said I wanted to go to X today, and he's got all grumpy.........".

I have to say, I am with LG on this one.  DH is supposed to be on holiday.  If I had booked somewhere (if DH had booked leave from work earlier than the last minute), we wouldn't be here to get distracted by the garden......  

🙄

I am trying to remind myself that having a house - despite all it's faults (faults that are emerging from the woodwork the longer we live here.... 😬) is a better position to be in than not having a home, or being reliant on the whims of a landlord.  However,  I am also feeling keenly that we only get one chance at raising our child, and at present, we seem to get thwarted at our attempts by 'things other'.  First the pandemic, then lack of money, then getting dumped on to care for sick relatives with little help from wider family, and now DH is being a misery guts.  LG will have left home, learnt to drive and started their pension planning before we get all our ducks vaguely in a row on 'how to parent' 🙄

I suppose we are shaped by our upbringing too.  Our family did go on holidays, but not every year.  The 6 weeks of summer holidays - when we didn't go away - used to last about 13 months in ye olden days, and being stuck at home was soooooo boring.  Whereas I can remember every one of our holidays at a caravan/B&B/Chalet etc - even if the locations were.......'ordinary'.  But DH's family rarely went away - or if they did, they stayed with relatives who happened to live in another part of the country.  And yet the one time they did 'go away' on holiday, to a holiday cottage, is the one time DH talks about the most........  🙄

I'm sure this is nothing new, I am sure that people encounter this all the time, and we would be more miserable if we'd become used to our '2 weeks in the sun', and then had to stop because we couldn't afford it, or whatever.  First world problems woman.  Get over yer self.

Money saving isn't going too well this morning either.  I had put some kitchen roll into my bag as we dashed out somewhere, and hadn't pulled each individual sheet apart.  I found it in my bag yesterday, so put it in the kitchen so that we might use it up.  I just popped it atop the current roll, and took one sheet off myself to use.  When I was downstairs just now, I saw the wodge had gone..... looked in the bin, the wodge was screwed up.  Turns out LG had spilt milk and used a whole wodge of paper towel to clear up a drip......... 🙄Is it 15 times you have to teach something to instil new habits? 🤔😬

Right, I'm going to go away.  Give my head a wobble and do things that contribute to MSEing and will move us forward....... wish me luck 🤣

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Ay up Cheery - sorry love, didn't see you there.  

Just giving my head a wobble and re-framing/re-starting the day! 🤣

Have a luverly time - I love that you're picking up on the sound differences - part of the holiday experience 😁👍

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

Big hugs greying xxx Can you and LG go to X this morning? Will LG consent to that, given DH is being not-so-cheerful?? Sounds like a tough time with competing demands all round and you stuck in the middle xx

rtandon27

Greying my dear - would it be possible for you & LG to help MrGreying to finish up the garden quickly & then all of you could go out to X for half a day?  A compromise of sorts iysyim?

It must be a day for the Mr's geting on our nerves.  My OH has reminded me 5 times just this morning about some paperwork "we" need to do as it's keeping him up at night.  We actually means me as it's not his forte!  The paperwork will get done just not on his schedule!!!  As a compromise, I've put him to work on his chores & me on mine and when we can bear to talk to each other later this morning, the paperwork will get tackled.

beanielou

Listen, my DS is 30 & I am still not sure I know how to parent!  We just muddle along doing the best we can!  

Greying_Pilgrim

Thanks both.  We've reached a compromise of sorts.

LG and DH managed to rub along well enough to spend time out in the garden, and LG 'helped' (?).  DH has done some of what he wanted to do (can't help thinking if he'd started sooner he would have done it all.......), but now it has got too hot in the sun to continue, so sensibly they are packing away and finishing up.  

'X' unfortunately is too far away to set out to now, and have quality time there, but I think LG has at least jogged DH's mind back to what is important.........  And for sure, I think we will make our way to 'X' - or somewhere very similar, this week.  

There is no reason why we can't do "something" now, once DH has finished up.  DH does get a bit dogmatic about things, and wants to do "everything" all in one go.  As you are all aware, DIY of anysort always takes far longer than you ever expect, so progress is always slower.  But you can't physically do property renovation/maintenance inside and outside all in one go, irrespective of whether you have children to look after or not. You'd have thought DH would have learnt that by now - every property we've ever had has needed doing up/maintenance - and we've always had the dilemma of becoming overwhelmed by just what needs to be done.

All will be well, all will be well. Although if anyone needs me, I may well have booked myself into a convent.....🤣

Greying X

rtandon27

GP - please do save me room in that convent! - OH just interrupted the all important paperwork to ask if I wanted to tend to the front planter (he does not garden) - he proceeded to run through the list of things I told him yesterday that I was going to do today.  SIGH - I've reminded him that there are his own chores that need completing first while I get back into the zone of concentrating on the paperwork.

I'm very glad to hear that family Greying has found a 'happy' medium to the day & time will be spent together, grumbles and all 😁

Greying_Pilgrim

beanielou said:

Listen, my DS is 30 & I am still not sure I know how to parent!  We just muddle along doing the best we can!  

Lawks Beanie - that made me laugh out loud - Thank you 🤣

Dusts off the top bunk for RT...........

Greying X