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Cheery's path to fulfilment - finishing the DIY, looking after myself, appreciating the garden 🌻
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Thank you all for your helpful info! They didn't have any parking stickers when I joined yesterday - I will ask at the place today and ring if not. Good tip about ringing for a second sticker too. TMV - EH definitely do stickers, there was no mention of scanning bar codes. Obviously behind the times compared to NT! 😂
Haddon Hall isn't actually NT either Greying! Unless there are two... the one I was thinking of is independent. It's a shame really - I definitely had that in my mind as a place to visit when I signed up, but never mind.
Hi Elisheba 😊 I will have a proper catch up on your diary once I'm back 😊 I didn't HAVE to have a month off - it's just with one thing and another this year there's been a limited time I could use my annual leave, and I ended up with a bunch leftover, and the annual leave year ends at the end of August so I figured I'd best use it all in one dollop 😂 It's the longest time I've had off in one go, although I see I did manage 26 days earlier in last year with a combination of bank holidays etc. Once we get back in September there's not much chance for a full week until Christmas so it's nice to be properly rested at this point in the year.
Last night was a bit more disrupted, and I woke up several times - other people were a bit noisier! The guy in the next room (a D of E leader) got up at 1am to tell some people in the dining room to be quiet 😂 I have no idea if they were his group (I assume so, I've only seen single people and the odd quiet family other than them). They were only talking but the dining room is directly under our bedrooms (and presumably he wants them well rested for whatever activity they're doing today!)
Speaking of which, I best get my own act together. Got to leave at 10am and a packed schedule on the way home 😂 I'm glad I booked both places yesterday but it did give a bit of added pressure trying to walk between them, especially as the printed walking guide I had said 'allow 2.5 hours each way' (it actually took me half that).
I suppose now I've got membership and haven't bought a ticket it doesn't actually matter if I get to the second place or not!
Right, breakfast.8 -
Ooh you are not far from me! Love the gardens at Brodsworth Hall . Enjoy your visit2
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Ooh, hello TDQ, didn't realise I was so close!
I've finally made it to Brodsworth. SO much traffic, so I've missed the last entry to the house, and only have 45 mins for the gardens 🙄 Still, I do now have a cuppa and a bench, and am no longer driving, so this is all a bonus. And membership is a bonus too - I would have given up altogether once I realised I'd missed the house entry if I'd had to pay. As it is, I am enjoying the peace of the gardens for half an hour with my cup of tea, and it's a nice break in the journey (and not tooooo much of a detour).9 -
And I've finally made it home, and my longed-for bath is almost ready 😃
Two more days off before I'm back to work... but I've always liked September as a start-of-term time of year, so I'm going to spend some time over the weekend plotting and scheming (didn't have time on my holiday, was too busy 😂).
Before I go back to work then, I'd like a few things done:
* kitchen floor tiles! (Hopefully this won't take long now - there's only about 10 tiles, they're all cut to size, floor is primed etc, just need to stick them in)
* meal plan for next week
* bit of batch cooking
* plan gym/exercise sessions for the week
* properly unpack
* all holiday washing done
* check if I need to buy anything for international conference trip
* plant out the plants I bought today
* August YNAB and Bank checking
* bank switch if it's not too late
* mow grass
That'll do, I think. Next week will be busy. I'm back at work (with 3 days in the office) and Mr Cheery has gigs 5 nights in a row (by design, but it'll still be rather a logistical nightmare and while it doesn't necessarily need to concern me, it inevitably will 😂 I'll be going to Friday and Saturday, and may make it to another one, although the rest are all on days when I'm in the office - and none of them in the same city as the office, so we'll see...10 -
You’ve got to the bit of the part of the job on the kitchen floor tiles that Mr KK calls ‘the cream’ i.e. the smooth easy bit 😊 I hope it is satisfying!What’s on the batch cooking list? #noseymode
And what plants did you buy? #covetmode 😉
KKAs at 15.08.25:
- When bought house £315,995 mortgage debt and end date at start = October 2039 - now £232,244
- OPs to mortgage = £12,048 Interest saved £5,675 to date
Fixed rate 3.85% ends October 2030
Read 43 books of target 52 in 2025, as @ 17th August
Produce tracker: £299 of £300 in 2025
Watch your thoughts, they become your words.
Watch your words, they become your actions.Watch your actions, they become your reality.4 -
That Abbey is amazing! Glad you enjoying your breakDON'T BUY STUFF (from Frugalwoods)
No seriously, just don’t buy things. 99% of our success with our savings rate is attributed to the fact that we don’t buy things... You can and should take advantage of discounts.... But at the end of the day, the only way to truly save money is to not buy stuff. Money doesn’t walk out of your wallet on its own accord.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6289577/future-proofing-my-life-deposit-saving-then-mfw-journey-in-under-13-years#latest2 -
KajiKita said:You’ve got to the bit of the part of the job on the kitchen floor tiles that Mr KK calls ‘the cream’ i.e. the smooth easy bit 😊 I hope it is satisfying!What’s on the batch cooking list? #noseymode
And what plants did you buy? #covetmode 😉
KK
So no tiling, and not much of anything else really, but I did at least get my holiday washing done.
Also found three watering cans in the hay field 😂😂 When we first moved I'd put a plastic greenhouse in there, and because I was going to put a proper greenhouse there, I plonked a water butt ready to fit. The plastic greenhouse blew down, but the water butt filled with rain water. A couple of years ago, I impaled it with a scythe 🙄 and trying not to waste the water, we scooped it out - and clearly left the watering cans where they lay when we'd finished 🙄😂
So now I have four - no excuse for not watering! 😂
So plenty to do tomorrow, but first another blithering trip to a different emergency dentist (different city at least, a bit of variety!) That's first thing, so I'm hoping there'll be time to do SOMETHING when we get back, even if it's only clearing the detritus from my study so I can work in there on Monday 🙄7 -
OK, plan for tomorrow, grouped by activity type as I'm not sure how it will pan out time-wise.
HOME/POTTERING
* clear study
* 15 mins flylady zone (entrance/porch)
* change sheets
ADMIN/SITTING DOWN
* banks/YNAB
* meal plan
* upload photos
* blog post
FOR ME
* workout
* goals meeting with sister
BIGGER THINGS
* lay tiles
* scything
Really important that this week flows smoothly or else both of us will be overwhelmed by the weekend so need all food/clothes etc like clockwork!
Which also means getting enough sleep...9 -
Yawn, I am not even bothering going through that list as I can't actually tick anything off other than talking to my sister!
Another washout of a day 🙄
Third emergency dentist in 2 weeks. This one was lovely, and patient, and has done some work and given another course of (different) antibiotics. Mr Cheery is still in pain (although he hadn't taken any painkillers since this morning, wanting to see how bad the pain was 🙄 Answer - pretty bad - he's now taken some and gone for another lie down while they kick in).
They advised ringing our own dentist tomorrow to get his appointment brought forward to deal with the problem properly, since there's a limited amount emergency dentists can do. The last two have said 'ring your dentist tomorrow and get them to see you sooner' like that's an actual thing people can do these days 🙄 But we will try, and as ever, we are grateful to have a dentist at all as so many people don't 🙄
I'm pottering round getting ready for tomorrow. The study is nearly clear enough to work in, so that's a start. I have lunch made, so that's good too. Started doing YNAB but interrupted by my sister - might go back to that then there's at least one thing ticked off.
In non-MSE news, Mr Cheery dropped his phone this morning and the screen is quite smashed 🙄 Still works, but I suspect it will conk out at some point. So that's going to be a fix or a new phone.
And he turned the microwave on with nothing in it earlier - fortunately caught it before it went on fire but there was quite a smell. I've used it since, but I don't trust it (there's charred paint dropping from the roof, so need to put a lid on everything) so we'll be looking out for a replacement for that too 🙄
Sigh.
Right, will try to tick a couple of things off so the day doesn't feel completely wasted 🙄7 -
Oh no poor Mr Cheery.Amazon warehouse is your friend.I am a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on Mortgage Free Wannabe & Local Money Saving Scotland & Disability Money Matters. If you need any help on those boards, do let me know.Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any post you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button , or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own & not the official line of Money Saving Expert.
Lou~ Debt free Wanabe No 55 DF 03/14.**Credit card debt free 30/06/10~** MFW. Finally mortgage free O2/ 2021****
"A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of" Jane Austen in Mansfield Park.
***Fall down seven times,stand up eight*** ~~Japanese proverb. ***Keep plodding*** Out of debt, out of danger. ***Be the difference.***
One debt remaining. Home improvement loan.3
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