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

themadvix

Suffolk_lass said:

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!

Haha, you wouldn’t think that if you saw the state of my house or allotment SL! And there’s definitely not enough time for pleasure/leisure at the moment. I will be quite glad when the plum harvest is dealt with, although then it’ll be time to jelly the frozen currants and bottle the frozen rhubarb to make some space in my freezer. A few years ago I used to have a quiet August because main client’s client closed for two weeks, but things are so busy now that they seem to ensure we have plenty to get on with during those two weeks (and the big project is not for that client either). It’s great to be busy, but doesn’t give me any chance of feeling on top of things! So pleasure/leisure is always accompanied by guilt at the ‘shoulds’ I’m ignoring (and state of the house is definitely in that category). Lists are frequently not finished (and barely started) at the end of the day. (Writing this while petting my cat client, so a chance to sit and not feel guilty!)

themadvix

Afternoon all,

I am seething currently, as after taking weeks to decide, the Coop have declined to open a business account for me. And of course, they *will not* share why! This really, really pees me off. I've provided all the necessary information, I've been trading for nearly 20 years, I don't have any credit (or desire any), I am not sure what the issue is! And I'm only switching because Santa want to charge me £10/month. To say I am fuming is an understatement. This is the second time it's happened now and I'm worried it's going to be on my credit record (which according to Experian is fine - a score of 999 (I haven't paid to see whether these are on there, but they'd surely reduce the score if they were)). I can't check the Credit Club for another 10 days because I asked them to delete my account because it used my old email address - you can't sign up again for 30 days after that. I guess I'll have to try again or start paying closer attention to the thread on the forums about the Santa account, where people are trying to get them to reinstate the free account (they did promise us lifetime free banking, but I'm sure they'll get around it somehow). But what if a third bank refuses? I really think it's grossly unfair that banks are allowed to be so opaque about the reasons - I understand that there may be cases where its necessary, but I am not one of those cases - I have nothing to hide. If they don't want people with foreign payments coming in, then fine, but tell me that's why!

Going to make myself some lunch now - I'll return when I've calmed down a bit with my usual update.

rtandon27

@themadvix -  I learned about Lens from our work IT bods and we have a fairly robust security policy so I tend to trust it!  However I never save documents like that to the cloud & only on local storage!

Hope all is going well with assorted work commitments!

themadvix

rtandon27 said:

@themadvix -  I learned about Lens from our work IT bods and we have a fairly robust security policy so I tend to trust it!  However I never save documents like that to the cloud & only on local storage!

Hope all is going well with assorted work commitments!

That's good to know re the Lens, will bear it in mind for the future.

themadvix

Afternoon all (again),

Still pretty fed up about the bank thing... 

Have made very small amount of progress forward with heat pump - we have narrowed down what asbestos needs removing (guess what, not the giant water tank in the loft that the asbestos company wanted to remove - no doubt to line their pockets). Am awaiting a quote. There doesn't seem to be much sense of urgency there at the moment though, which is rather annoying - I'd at least like to know when the installation is happening!

Main client sent me several pieces of work this morning (so much for the two-week client closure) - I've been ploughing through them today and should get the third bit done before I finished today (although I've just seen the time, so maybe not). He's sent another, larger bit this afternoon too. In good news, I should be on track to invoice for a decent amount at month end, if this keeps up, despite having spent a week on the large piece that isn't going to get done.

Picked up some new jars from FBMP yesterday and have jarred two lots of pickled cucumber this morning. Except now I'm not sure if the jars are really suitable - they don't seem to have 'buttons' in the lids that suck down as things cool. Have I just wasted £10 or are these OK? @Suffolk_lass (or anyone else), any insight, if you're reading, would be gratefully received!

Ended up going for dinner at one of our favourite pubs last night. They do BOGOF wood-fired pizzas on a Tuesday and as I usually have evening class, it's a rare treat to go there. It was only this morning that Mr MV and I realised we might have been slightly overcharged - both thought the other had looked closely at the bill... Think it should have been £25 and it was £30. Not the end of the world, but not ideal either. But I've just noticed we didn't get our stamps towards our free pizza either 😡 Oh woe is me today! (Not helped by being in pain with a recurring muscle problem.)

MS things (have there been any??):
* VB clicks - 2p made there? HW didn't score me anything, so can't really count that
* Lots of work

Gratitudes:
* Despite my pizza not coming with the topping I'd expected (my mistake to some extent), it was still lovely
* Saw Dad and Stepmum for a cuppa yesterday afternoon, which was nice
* Cat client is now very fed up at being on her own and is super cuddly 🥰

Right, going to grump off and get back to work... or something... maybe find some chocolate...

Suffolk_lass

Show me a pic of the jars and lids?

themadvix

They are these, from Wilko:

rtandon27

@themadvix - I'm sure SL can elaborate, but those look like jam jars, the kind you use with wax discs as a second seal.

themadvix

Hmm, using wax discs hadn't occurred to me tbh RT, as I avoid doing that. And not much use for pickles, which is what's in them so far. Never mind.

Suffolk_lass

The issue with that type of jar for pickles (which actually don't need the top to seal, because the vinegar-based suspension preserves them) is the degradation of the metal lid. I have taken to using the spring top kilner-style glass topped jars with rubber/silicone seal for all pickles and chutneys (anything with vinegar) as the acetic acid causes metal to rust.

If you measure the diameter, you could buy new lids from multiple suppliers such as bottle company south or reseller market places like the bay or big river. If you reuse jars for jams, jellies or stewed fruit (anything with a sugar added as the preservative) you should always carefully scrutinise the inside of the lid before reusing, especially if you put them through a cleaning process hotter than 50c (I think it is 49c, actually) as the silicone band degrades. It's why we are not allowed to reuse lids if we sell honey. Look for fraying or changes in colour (to cream or brown) - especially for those with a dishwasher. The jars are great, it's just the lids