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

beanielou

Glad B & W cat is ok. So grateful mine both go outside. 🐱🐱

themadvix

beanielou said:

Glad B & W cat is ok. So grateful mine both go outside. 🐱🐱

I reckon it definitely makes it easier - but I also appreciate that I have more info on how well they are (more than I'd like sometimes! 😂).

beanielou

themadvix said:

beanielou said:

Glad B & W cat is ok. So grateful mine both go outside. 🐱🐱

I reckon it definitely makes it easier - but I also appreciate that I have more info on how well they are (more than I'd like sometimes! 😂).

I can only imagine 😹

badmemory

It sounds like you need a toilet version of a wet room.

themadvix

badmemory said:

It sounds like you need a toilet version of a wet room.

🤢 put that way, it sounds horrendous!! 

Moving out of the litter tray…. I had forgotten today was payday from Cambridge. Have moved the tax money to PBs (they don’t tax me, it’s easier for me to sort it myself). Was putting tax money into a Skipton account at 4.75%, but between what’s in there and what’s in savings currently, I’ll be paying tax on interest, so for now I’ll stick some in PBs in the hope of a little win.

Have made some of Foxgloves’s garlic flatbreads this afternoon - to go with dinner tonight and also in case I don’t get time to make tortillas tomorrow (not sure they’ll be any use as fajitas, but we can improvise). Have collected the paint needed from second garage (said hello to the much-neglected teardrop too) ready for touching up where various ex-radiator holes have been filled. No pub tonight - a fun trip to Wickes instead! 🙄

Hettyhound

Good luck with the floor tiles.  I’ve replaced 7 large format floor tiles in my kitchen and hall this week that had cracked 🤦‍♀️. Oh my poor knees……

Suffolk_lass

A Japanese kneeler in a canvas cover (designed for the garden, and the cover is washable) will save your knees. Mine is kept indoors now. So useful for floor work

themadvix

Afternoon all,

Thanks for the support @Hettyhound and @Suffolk_lass, although kneeler not required as Mr MV has mostly just sat on his bum (it's not a large area!). As with all these things, once you get started you realise it is a whole lot more complicated than you thought. So we are very much less than halfway through, although the despair Mr MV was feeling on Saturday evening has been replaced by a plan. I had no doubt that he'd work it all out - but he hadn't done so in advance and that was a big issue for him. Tile cutter was duly borrowed from library of things on Saturday and the electric tile cutter is now reserved for me to collect tomorrow too. We did once have one, but didn't think we'd need it again and so got rid (sold?) it several years ago. Tbh, I'd far rather pay the LoT to store such items, so I'm not feeling any regrets about that. 

Sis invited us for dinner on Saturday night, which was lovely - both to see her and Niece and not to have to cook after a long, trying day. We got there about 5.30 and were leaving just after 7 - we were absolutely shattered! Did have a nice time and played games though.

The dry patch in terms of work is over at last - I have a large piece of work from main client, so feeling much happier in that regard. Also a small piece for him and a piece for a US client too. 

Heat pump is doing well, although we're definitely using more battery now it's got colder outside (as is expected). House is lovely and toasty though. We're still a battery down - the little one fortunately. Mr MV has raised a ticket with the manufacturer, but we're no further along.

Not heard any more aside from an acknowledgement from 🐙. Our complaint has been passed to the technical team... 🤷‍♀️ I may follow up tomorrow.

On staff discount, I believe we've had a refund processed - so need to work out what needs to come out of budget, what Sis owes (she'd bought some wine) and what Mr MV is going to have to pay for the beer we ordered (that's easy enough as no discount on beer).

Have been to allotment yesterday and today briefly - putting up proper protection for my red onions/shallots as the leeks are all being munched by leaf miner 😢 Am quite pleased with the protection I've created though and used my brain to remember that there were resources on my (new) other plot I could use! 😂 Need to do the same for the garlic patch (and plant the garlic). Pulled two carrots and three impressive parsnips today as the frost came last night!

Have noticed a couple of spots in the house that feel a bit chillier than others - a draught from under the bath and the stairs where the asbestos used to be underneath them. We've got a thermal imaging camera we'll use at the weekend to have a look and then get some insulation sorted (at some point - yet more money needed).

MS things:
* Mr MV sold our old Hive system (£75) and an old laptop (£39) on the bay of E 
* Clicks and HW
* 1P surveys
* Allotment is still feeding us a bit
* First half of November cost us £23 in electricity - for running the home, heating the home and running the car, that's pretty good going!

Gratitudes:
* Work - the project is big enough to relieve most of my anxiety about December's pay
* Gorgeous sunshine - and the power it provides too
* A catch up with Mum yesterday - I hadn't seen her in about three weeks

Have a good day all!

themadvix

Morning all (well it's now Afternoon all),

We deviated from the meal plan last night (which is out of kilter regardless since we went to Sis's for dinner on Saturday) - didn't fancy risotto so had egg and beans on toast instead. Feeling much more risotto-y today though, so that's dinner sorted.

We had snow here this morning - it was coming down thick and fast and did settle for a little bit (fortunately all of this happened after I'd taken Mr MV to the station). It has all gone now - just the perfect sort of snow - pretty but not inconvenient!

I've been continuing with the big project for main client this morning, but have 'popped in' to Cambridge (and cancelled my 11.30 meeting). Have also found the toothpaste that was apparently delivered on Saturday but the postman didn't bother putting a card through the door about. 

I've also complained to the vets because the size of the bottle of anti-inflammatory for Ginger Cat that I ordered last week was 5ml not 15ml as we'd had before. Given the price differential is £25 to £32 I am very unimpressed that a) they didn't provide the same bottle as previously and b) they didn't tell me that was the case. The absolutely disgraceful cost of either of the bottles is just typical - unfortunately our vets is one of these big six practices. (I looked the other day and the other vets I had thought about switching to is also one of these - and all the rest are too far away, especially taking the strain on Ginger Cat's heart into account.) Complaint has paid off, as I've just had an email saying they'll do the written prescription (that we can use to buy online - 15ml is about £8 online) for free this time (saving £26 - also a disgrace and I'm looking forward to the potential cap on these charges coming in).

Still waiting to hear from house battery manufacturer and 🐙. Everything is really feeling like an uphill battle at the moment. At least the milkwoman finally delivered to our back door and not outside the gate last night (of course she did - with a litter tray, toilet, basin and goodness knows what else hanging out by the back door!) - all the empties have finally gone.

MS things:
* Free prescription!
* Moved interest earned from EF to long-term savings pot
* Clicks and HW
* 1P survey

Gratitudes:
* Pretty snow
* Nice evening class
* Sunshine here now!

Lunch for me will be the second leftover portion of masala carrots/cauli on toast - no complaints here.

Have a good afternoon all!

EssexHebridean

Eek to snow - MrEH mentioned it was sleeting in (central!) London earlier, but as far as I've noticed here in (east) London we've only had rain. Chuffing cold rain, mind you! 

In between the battery and the Octopod complaint I can well understand why it might feel a bit like everything is ganging up on you! Good work on making your point and getting a resolution with the vets though - the price they can charge just for writing a flipping prescription is crazy isn't it, definitely sounds like an area that needs some regulation.