From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

northwalesd

That Avon stuff never worked for me, though I know several people who swear by it.

I recently saw an article (sorry can't remember where) that compared weather forecasts (apps I think), sadly BBC was deemed the poorest.

rtandon27

Good morning dearest Grumpy Lovely Greying - where there is a will there is a way! - my vote is to prepare to go, it is Saturday after all and good weather days in the UK are few and far between! - LG is sure to be keen as well & thereby influence dearest Papa.  If your man is anything like mine, he can be cajoled into having fun!  Seldom does the growling/barking turn into a bite. 🤣🤣🤣

Greying_Pilgrim

Ha ha - dearest rt - I'm not telling LG until we're all set to go out the door.  They aren't very enthusiastic about walking, and unfortunately, it's quite a long walk, made all the worse by the fact you've got to 'return the way you arrived', there won't even be a revolving view to look at 😟

northwalesd - yes, you very kindly posted about the weather apps here for me.  I only looked at the beebeecee one quickly, as I thought today had been slated to be the 'least best' of this weeks weather.  It's worth a punt, as if I don't get this load dry today, I will start to slip behind again.  The percentage chances were just too different from hour to hour  on the beebeecee forecast - so as long as I get it straight in my head that it might work, it might not, I can't blame anyone else but me 😁

Right, I have popped into MrS 🙄 They've had a move round of stock 🙄 No one could find anything, and the general shopping clientele was definitely swelled by our more senior citizens, and so there was a lot of confusion as to where weekly 'favourites' were.  Needless to say, there were no additional staff on the shop floor helping folk, and the aisle signs hadn't been altered in tandem, so....... it was ever-so-slightly chaotic.  I was glad I was doing a small smarty shop and for the most part was able to track down what I needed (chopped tommies were a bit elusive), pay, and get out the shop.  I then went looking for the Av0n product in sooperdrug. Got the last one (the green original).  £11.02 to add to my shopping total, £5.99 to non-food.  The av0n product has worked for us before - DH is a magnet for bitey things, and I remember when we went canoeing last year, I brought along the SSS, which DH hadn't thought of, but was so grateful as we went through swarms of bitey insects and DH remained unblemished.  Woods and boggy marshes are a feature of tomorrow's walk.  DH got bitten in our own garden in spring last year.  Whatever it was went straight for his eye, and it puffed up like a balloon 😟

I am now less grumpy.

Right, I best crack on and do a bit more.  I had better make a cake.  Some sort of fruit cake I think.  Although I haven't got any pineapple to make my 'normal' goto cake.  Maybe MrL will get some pineapple back in stock one of these years - although mea culpa, as I looked at tinned pineapple in MrAl yesterday, but the message didn't quite reach from my brain to my hand to pick a tin up and put it in my trolley 🙄

Interestingly a house down the way is having their windows changed in the house.  I'm pretty sure they are replacing UPVC - doubtless with more modern versions.  And here we are, still clinging to the wooden, original, barely better than single-glazing windows that are as old as the house. You know you're behind the times when folk are replacing the replacement glazing..... 🤣 Naturally I could use the firm as another quote provider, couldn't I.  It is a firm that has been around for a long time, a local outfit.  It's 'fear of trades' that is stopping me 😟

Right, Onwards!

Greying X

greenbee

Go and have a look at what they are doing GP, see whether they look like they're working hard and are the kind of people who you'd be happy to do the work, and then either a. ask them whether they could come and have a look at your job and/or b. give them a call. And ideally casually bump into the neighbour next week and ask how it went. Then do the same in about a month. 

Greying_Pilgrim

Actually greenbee - it's funny you mention 'looking like they were working hard' - actually, that is what I noticed as I passed........ they were leaning against the bedroom walls (one was in the opening where the window had been removed), and they were both scrolling on mobiles........  I was telling myself that they were obviously on a break, and workers are clearly permitted breaks, it just didn't....... look good IYSWIM.  And yes, of course, what matters is that the replacement windows are fixed in properly, sealed up, are a good heat keeping/excluding glass etc etc, but it just looked a bit........ relaxed. 

Having said that, I have just checked and they've finished.  Whether it was just the one window they had to change, or it was intentionally a 'Friday' task, I don't know (I can't actually see the replaced window from here).  I don't know the people who live at that house.  I **think** - and i may well be wrong, but I think it is an older person/couple.  There's no way they've done all the windows (today), the house is too big - so maybe it was only a morning's work anyway.  The firm has been in existence for years - I'm guessing at least 40 - but I think their reviews are 'marmite'.  But having said that, of the 2 glazing firms I have ever had do work for me, their reviews have been equally divided and the one firm has gone bust, so how to decide...... 

Greying X

badmemory

I would approach your neighbours & just say you were thinking about the job & when you saw that they had had theirs done you thought you would ask.  What can they do - if they slam the door in your face then frankly nothing lost.  Or you could have a morning coffee every week for the foreseeable.  So says the one who has been thinking of knocking on a neighbours door who had solar fitted a couple of weeks before I had mine done & I still haven't made it over there.  So I'm a fine one to talk!

greenbee

I have half the village dropping in when my electricians are here to ask them about getting solar quotes. They generally spend their lunchbreak going round to see my neighbours!

Greying_Pilgrim

Good evening MFW'rs

I will think on the approaching the neighbours.  The firm that fitted the window have - in fact - been in existence for 70 years 😱  And whilst I would say that that 'counts for something', I suspect that 'quality' means different things to different people......

After school LG and I wandered off into Greying Town to get a chore sorted.  

Tea was lentil bolognese and pasta.  There is some bolognese and some tomato sauce left over for another day.  We had an icecream - fakey c0rnyettoes and magnummyummys - for pud.  

I got the washing in just before the school run.  Not every item was bone dry - a pair of jeans were 'touch dry', but given the odds, I was soooooo pleased I gave it a punt, as we had no rain today.  It wasn't sunny, but there was a reasonable breeze, and I was pleasantly surprised as to 'how' dry things were.  No need for the launderette, no need for the dehu - just the airer in front of the radiator and the heating on for a little while (haven't put it on until after tea, as it's been mild). I have put DH's work things on, in the hope that I can peg them out early doors.  

I'm prepping for a day out tomorrow.  Will see how we all feel in the morning.  

Ta for popping in.  Appreciated.

Greying X

rtandon27

We have sun today!  ...and breeze...

After yesterday's dismal cold grey day I thought all was lost for the weekend...

...but lo and behold the 1st load is washed and blowing in the wind...

...the second is in the machine & a possible 3rd ready to go!

Will wonders never cease - weather that recongnises it's the WEEKEND!!!

Thought I'd pop by to the one place I know that celebrates these simple luxuries - GP's virtual kitchen!

Greying_Pilgrim

Ha ha - rt, I was pegging out at 5.00am this morning 😁  The birds were absolutely going for it with their singing and chirping 😁 I got the washing in at about 4.30pm and it was dry 😁

We've had a lovely day.  Got going this morning.  Arrived to an almost empty car park just before 8.30am and set off on our walk.  Got to the end point in very good time, took our photos, and all of a sudden, the world and his wife were on the same path.  It got busier, and busier and busier as we wended our way back to the car park.  We stopped for an early packed lunch, as some nice people shared their picnic bench with us 😁We had to come the long way home, as it was heaving at the venue, and we just couldn't get through on single lane roads when folk had parked on the verge and in passing places....... Thank goodness there was an alternative route.  

Watched a bit of the rugger and we've had cheap and cheerful HM pizza leftovers and oven chips for tea.  With an icecream for pud.  

Think I will probably be asleep for much of tomorrow!  But today was wonderful, and we are so pleased with LG.  They kept up, didn't moan and actually said that they enjoyed the walk, and being with us 🥰  Let's face it, there won't be many occasions in the future where our kiddo wants to be seen out in public with us, so we'll take the good times when they occur 😁

Greying X