Living the Good Life - mortgage free and living in line with our values

Baileys_Babe

I'm another in a library of things black hole, none closer than an hour's drive (each way), a minimum of 4 hours driving to borrow and return something 😞

themadvix

Boo to the LoT black holes, but I know there is a lot of interest in them at the moment - our LoT has been very involved in helping others set up, so 🤞🏻 soon! I’m not sure of the rural logic though - surely there’s always things that people don’t own that they might develop a need for? 

EG, as Watty says, that’s a brilliant way to look at the day, but I think I still have the energy of an 18 year old in my head/i struggle to see the difference between what needs doing and what I want to get done.

 Have had another productive day today, without feeling completely exhausted by it - although I conked my head on a shelf pretty hard earlier, so feeling a bit out of it!
- bread and granola baked
- decking jetwashed ready for oiling (hopefully tomorrow)
- salad seeds sown
- brickwork in garage painted with tanking slurry (the bit we had repointed the other week - it’s lower than our neighbour’s garden and suffers from moisture coming through
- a tiny bit more progress with the caravan (waiting on a screwfix order mostly)
- washed old litter trays ready for the loft
- bed stripped and washing done
 Generally feeling a lot more on top of things now, which is good. Still tons to do but we are making progress. Have arranged to borrow friend’s bigger IP to do my bottling in. Just as well as have heard that apples are ready for collection too! Will need to buy more jars.

Dinner will be another bbq - remembered we have tuna steaks in the freezer, so a real treat. With leftover hg potato salad and hg salad.

Better go - currently cat sitting and resident cat has finished dinner and wandered off, probably wondering why I’m still here!

 Have a good evening all!

greenbee

Inspired by your activity, I checked my carrots and beetroot, and have pulled a whole lot up, so need to do something about them. 

Plus my mum's apples and pears need picking, and her mulberries will be ready soon. I need to have a major freezer sort out! And possibly take some time off work. 

KajiKita

greenbee said:

Inspired by your activity, I checked my carrots and beetroot, and have pulled a whole lot up, so need to do something about them. 

Plus my mum's apples and pears need picking, and her mulberries will be ready soon. I need to have a major freezer sort out! And possibly take some time off work. 

I think you definitely need some time off work. Get it booked! 😊

KK

themadvix

greenbee said:

Inspired by your activity, I checked my carrots and beetroot, and have pulled a whole lot up, so need to do something about them. 

Plus my mum's apples and pears need picking, and her mulberries will be ready soon. I need to have a major freezer sort out! And possibly take some time off work. 

Meant to reply to your previous comment re ethics - yes, I agree that everything seems to be a compromise one way or another!

Yes, I think I’ll need to take some time off this week, but not sure when! And I’m out with niece again on Thursday.

themadvix

Morning all,

Finished large project for client yesterday, oiled the decking and then went to mum's in the evening to use her scanner and borrow some bricks (for weighing down bits when gluing the caravan, let's not go into why she has an entire spare driveway's worth of block paving...). She bought us a chippy tea which was nice (while I was faffing with the scanner, Mr MV was making progress with the last of the fencing). It was a long day (also cat sitting and awake at 5.30 🙄).

Today I've been to see the cat and I am now working on an enormous project for main client. It will take longer than the rest of the month to finish, which is a real pain, as I won't be able to invoice for it until it's done (it's value is about a month's income normally though so it'll pay off in the end). There's the likelihood of some more smaller bits from main client towards the end of the month, but this is it for the next couple of weeks. So far this month, I've probably earned about half my income, but I am unlikely to get enough in the last week of August to bump up my earnings enough - one of the joys of being SE, but annoying nonetheless. I've got a small bit for a US client today (but it really is small - I'll charge my minimum for it) and I know I've got another bit coming at the end of the month for UK client, but it'll be clashing with anything new I get from main client in terms of turnaround time (and of course, I'll be receiving work on the BH Monday 🙄). So I think I'll probably take this fairly steadily, do some data entry/report stuff for Cambridge, which will bump up my mid-month pay next month, and get the preserving I need to get done, done, rather than go all out to try to get this project finished - it's just not feasible (especially since I've started and seen what I'm dealing with!).

Popped to allotment on way back from cat (by foot, allotment is on the way, which is handy - if I go bike, it's a different route). Couple more plums, a couple of French beans (and lots on the way at last - want to freeze them, but it's been a paltry offering so far this year). Left the courgette for tomorrow. Mr MV is collecting apples for me tonight and friend's IP, so jamming/bottling will start in earnest then. I hope the plums ripen soon so I can get that done. I did start some rhubarb and ginger vodka yesterday and also sliced some pickling cukes ready to bottle today.

Dinner tonight will probably be a lasagne to use up the last sheets of what Niece and I made - it curled as it dried, so I can't put it away without breaking it - so I want to get it used up!

MS things:
* Scanning done at Mum's should save quite a bit on printing costs (Mr MV is applying for a new passport but because he has another one they either want him to send it in or send a colour copy of every page - we need the passport for travel in September, so a copy it is!).
* Clicks and HW
* YLive survey
* YG survey
* Cat sitting
* Nabbed some cardboard from people's recycling - needed for caravan construction 
* Picked up some small branches for kindling on way back from allotment

Gratitudes:
* Chippy tea with Mum and Niece last night
* Lovely comments from main client's client about the previous work I've done on this project
* The most delicious plum from the tree yesterday - perfect!

Have a good day all!

themadvix

Results are in from the asbestos testing. They want to remove three items - one I absolutely agree with, the other two are a) much lower risk (different material and sealed) and b) shouldn't be interfered with by the installers (a water tank and flue pipe in the loft). Have queried why they need to be removed. Suspect it's irrelevant as they no doubt won't do the install with them there now they have been made aware (even though there's no risk if they are not damaged). Awaiting quote for removal (presumably from same co. - all through 🐙).

In the meantime, I've done some calculations re this work project - I definitely think it's unlikely I'd make the progress needed to get through it before month end, but I can only try (although not in a back-breaking way) - at least then I'd know I can get it finished the following month (which is usually a really busy/high-earning one anyway).

Have discovered that I need vodka to make the rhubarb vodka.... thought we had some but it's all rhum agricole. Mr MV has offered to pick some up. Not sure what budget it's coming from - presents, personal spends or the non-existent grocery one! Suspect answer is 'Cambridge money' on Friday (payday!).

Have almost finally got a Cambridge report that is several months late off my desk permanently! 

rtandon27

Vix, have you tried G00gle Lens as an App on your phone? It is really handy for scanning without having to leave home and I use it on my WFH days to save carting paper back to the office when an uploaded image will do!

themadvix

Afternoon all,

Sorry for not responding sooner RT. I haven't used the Lens thing. I wanted to use a scanner for this as it was meant to be a full photocopy, and I'm not sure whether that would be comparable, quality-wise. And I also wouldn't really have wanted Google getting its dirty hands on Mr MV's passport - don't trust it as far as I can throw it!

Having said I didn't think I could get the large piece of work finished by month end, I made quite a bit of progress on Thursday and Friday, and now think it may be possible, so have been cracking on with it today. It will depend on what other work arrives, but I think I'll try my best to get it done, regardless. (I've also made an adjustment as to what is expected from this part of the work, which has cut the timescale by a chunk - with the approval of main client, of course).

Another busy weekend. Saturday we pruned the plum extensively (and picked up all the decent fallen plums). The drought and the weight of the fruit have caused a lot of damage this year. I hope it will recover - not expecting much from it next year. I also collected more apples from FIL and bottled those (returned the large InstantPot too, as it wasn't suitable for what I needed. Will be turning the little/underripe plums into plum chutney and bottling the big ones that we don't eat.

Yesterday we went out for the day - to Norfolk for a lovely paddle on the Bure. We will definitely be returning there - saw two kingfishers and the water looked lovely and clean. Took a picnic (bought in Sains though - so cheaper than eating out but not as cheap as homemade) and just bought a drink in the pub after we finished. Costs from personal spends (for picnic too, as there's so little in the grocery fund). 

MS things:
* Fruit being preserved - will be making good use of this to keep grocery spends down this coming year.
* Clicks and HW - although bookies have now shrunk their rewards right down as they've sussed my intentions
* S&S data submitted
* Picking beans (decent amounts of French and the first of the Coco Sophie), pickling cucumbers, courgettes etc.

* More blackberries picked and frozen
* Cat sitting continues

Gratitudes:
* A quiet spot to park and launch the kayak
* Lovely paddle - arms are feeling it today though - we did 10km
* Some fun plans for the weekend - family cinema trip and a day out with Mum

Have a good evening all!

Suffolk_lass

You seem to achieve such a good balance between work and pleasure; I am quite envious. I must be over committed, I always have a list of ten things for today, and I am retired!