Let's get this sorted then!

liselle · 27 January at 5:51PM

Have you thought about one of those garden storage units?

Rhyddid2026 · 27 January at 8:46PM

I have had many @liselle but my garden regularly has 40+mph winds and regularly has a stream running through it when it rains, so things get damaged often and don't last. I have a concrete shed but it is quite full of 'stuff'. The stream currently runs through the shed because I fixed a garden wall where it used to escape into the garden and down the path to the house. So now it runs under the shed and to the house. Luckily my conservatory is built quite high so although I have a pool on my patio it hasn't yet made it in to the house.

The ducks love it! That is kind of why I got them, after 2 years of being worried whenever it rained heavily and not being able to do anything about the garden stream/patio pool I just got ducks so at least I'd be happy when I looked out of the window.

One day I will have the money to repair the drains and the gutters and the shed… and everything else that needs it.

Today I used the last of the cheap Christmas parnsips! Yey! I've also accidentally batch cooked a load of yorkshire puds for the freezer.

My water bill came and I've used less than I usually do, probably because I am having very short showers now I'm using the downstairs bathroom. Showering in a room that is 8 degrees is no fun, but I try to convince myself I'm back in NZ and it's probably very good for my skin or immune system or something.

Dakota_Rose · 27 January at 8:50PM

It sounds as though you’ve had a really sensible January money-wise. They can feel so tough! Well done.

I love that you have ducks - what a way to brighten up a wet day 😊

Rhyddid2026 · 28 January at 9:31PM

I've just increased my mortgage overpayments in preparation for my new wage (a month early, but I'm keen). I was rounding it up by £7, just rounded it up by £17 a month. Still only a little bit, because it's not a priority, but every little counts. I shouldn't miss that much, and it can just slowly do it's thing in the background until my deal runs out in October 2027, while I focus on repaying loans and credit cards.

Rhyddid2026 · 29 January at 3:27PM

My lovely little white duck Blod the Beautiful died today. She'd been lame for a couple of weeks but was still getting around the garden and demanding treats. One of my little brown ducks (the one I got at the same time as Blod) came into the conservatory and quacked at the living room window to get my attention. Animals continue to surprise me. They have so much to communicate once you start paying attention. I'm glad Blod got to go peacefully, in her coop, on nice clean bedding, with a belly full of peas n sweetcorn.

My wage slip came through this morning, so I can start planning how much is going where. My brakes were an advisory on my MOT a few months ago so I should probably get those done this month.

I've emailed HR to ask if I can increase my pension contributions when my salary increases.

My log burner is lit and dinner is leftovers so it will be a very quiet evening here, probably getting a bit of work done and finishing slides for tomorrow.