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

Greying_Pilgrim

tmv - I'm right alongside you with using lentils and beans this month.  I'm hopeful it will help in at least making everything affordable, even if I don't have money left over in the pot - although you're inspiring me to try harder - so thank you 😁 

Speaking entirely personally - YAY! to curries and stews being back in season.  Definitely my preferred type of food to cook.  Salady type things are OK, but actually more of a challenge for me to put together - and the salad season has been toooooo long this year!

Greying X

themadvix

Thanks Cheery - yes, it was indeed as lovely as I'd been hoping all week, which was really nice! Pity I didn't sleep as well as I could have, as I think we'd have made more of being away yesterday and gone for another walk, but you can't have everything

I am totally with you GP on stews and curries being a Yay! I am not a huge salad fan - far prefer my food cooked, and so happy from a personal point of view. They are also cheaper/easier (my salad growing is patchy - probably related to lack of enthusiasm - and buying salad bits is expensive!).

EssexHebridean

A decent hotel room makes such a difference doesn't it! After a night with drinks, and in a strange bed too, I know I'll never get a "good" might's sleep as such, but there is a difference between that and having a "bad" one due to circumstances we can't control like room comfort! 

themadvix

EssexHebridean said:

A decent hotel room makes such a difference doesn't it! After a night with drinks, and in a strange bed too, I know I'll never get a "good" might's sleep as such, but there is a difference between that and having a "bad" one due to circumstances we can't control like room comfort! 

This, absolutely! And despite feeling rather full and uncomfortable in the night, there weren't then other issues to keep me awake/make me grumpy - I was remarkably chipper yesterday morning! 

themadvix

Popped to the allotment for an hour or so this afternoon - seems silly not to make the most of this gorgeous sunshine (and warmth). Cleared a bed and have covered it with a mix of compost and manure and put some cover over it. It will be the one I use for garlic/shallots/some onions, so won't be covered for long. Also did a bit more clearing at plot 2. Have picked some kale for tomorrow's dinner and picked the verbena bonariensis flowers before pulling up most of the plants (they were self-seeded and now in the way - I've kept the actual one I planted). The flowers are now in vases with some lemon verbena stems adorning the hall and the dining table 😊

Have done a meal plan for the week:

- Mon - Mac and cheese tonight (and soak chickpeas)
- Tues - Carrot, spinach and chickpea pilaf (IP book recipe)

- Weds - Pizza (also bake bread)
- Thurs - eggs and beans on toast or similar - we will both have had long days (just realised Mr MV is likely to have had a cooked breakfast that morning, so maybe not eggs again... will think on that - fish finger sandwiches?)

- Fri - daal (and make some flatbreads) - this may be an IP recipe for a change from the usual

Currently, apart from a possible college visit to learn more about the course Mr MV might do next year (I think he thinks I'm pushing him into this, which I definitely don't want to do - but I think he's liable to end up stuck where he is (and miserable) forever, if he doesn't make the leap into the unknown), we don't have any plans. So will consider meals nearer the time - we have lots in, so should be able to make something nice. (May also pop to WR on Friday for 10% off at their fish counter).

Have received paperwork from asbestos company - waste note and analysis - so have paid them (£1500; when you realise that £500 goes to the separate analysis co, and then there's the HSE fee and a fee to the waste company, you realise that they were very good value for money - all the gear, all the set-up and three guys for most of a Saturday). This leaves £1000 (and 52p) in the heat pump fund. Cambridge pay will top this up a bit in a few days, but I also want to top up the cat fund too.

Need to get the washing in now, before it starts to get damp.

Fortune_Smiles

Oooh - fish fingers sandwiches 😋

Fortune x

themadvix

Morning all,

Hi Fortune 🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm looking forward to them already!

It turns out that neither lemon verbena nor verbena bonariensis are happy cut! The lemon went very droopy and the bonariensis has shed little purple flowers everywhere! Oh well, they are still pretty and smell lovely.

Dinner was as planned last night, although I forgot to put the chickpeas in to soak overnight. I remembered this morning, so I'll give them a bit longer in the IP later this afternoon (they are soaking now). I did make Mr MV's lunch which was good and he's remembered to take it today. I've still got leftover masala carrots to eat today.

The work I am doing is exceedingly tedious (and there's a lot of it), so I'm having to intersperse it with other things. Have done some Cambridge work this morning, although I'm trying to save quite a bit of that up for Thursday, as I'll be in the office all day and will need stuff to do. Am in the process of finalising invoice for main client - just querying something with him.

Glad I got the washing done yesterday as it's gloomy and cool here today (although dry). 

MS things:
* Clicks and HW
* 1P - just 22p away from payout now!
* Dinner tonight will be adapted to use kale instead of spinach as that is what we have available from the allotment
* Have come up with a plan for a couple of the not-very-raised beds on my new plot - can use some of the pallet wood also on the plot to deepen them (and some short stakes to attach wood to where the pallet wood isn't long enough). 

Gratitudes:
* A lovely post-work walk with Mr MV - decompression time
* Lovely leftovers for lunch
* Beautiful flowers in the house, even if they are decorating more than expected!

Have a good day all!

greenbee

I dry lemon verbena in the airing cupboard and have it in bowls around the house. Stir it as you go past!

themadvix

greenbee said:

I dry lemon verbena in the airing cupboard and have it in bowls around the house. Stir it as you go past!

I have loads dried already - I drink it as tea (in fact, am going to make a cup in sec). Hadn't thought about using it as potpourri though - good idea!

Suffolk_lass

greenbee said:

I dry lemon verbena in the airing cupboard and have it in bowls around the house. Stir it as you go past!

Definitely need to emulate that with other herbs on hand.

We use used roof tiles to edge beds - we replaced the concrete tiles on the kitchen roof with used slate and kept the tiles (fell into the one-day they will be useful for something) and now all the scaffold wood bed-edging has rotted and the sleepers are slowly being consumed by wood-eating critters, they are coming into their own here