🌞 Happy Days in our Golden Years 🌞

rtandon27

Ooo if glitters - I just love a bit of glitter!

Humdinger1

Groovy baby! Love Humdinger xx 

Fortune_Smiles

Productivity Returns!

Thank you all for the sequin love 😘  I've had some very good feedback from my sewing group who like the pleat (it's a bodge because it took me 3 attempts to attach the neck band and the neck line grew exponentially every time 🤭).

I got a lot of jobs ticked off my list yesterday and ate my frogs first thing 🐸.  I contacted the accountant to see when our year end accounts would be done (soon), left a message with the solicitors to call me about next steps with bully builder and left another message for someone I may need to provide a witness statement to contact me.  Then it was off to gym class.

We had leftover Cauliflower Pizzaiola for lunch with some chipolatas and garlic bread.

The afternoon involved vacuuming, meal planning and ironing.  My witness called back, remembers events well and is prepared to support me.  I had no doubt they would but it's really reassuring to hear them say it.

Supper was Chipotle, Sweet Potato & Black Bean Stew with Cheddar Dumplings - just the thing for a cold, grey evening.

I have a couple more frogs to eat this morning so I'll do those as soon as breakfast is done 🐸

Have a great day all.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Costly

Yikes!  We've had a costly year in terms of car maintenance already with both our cars needing expensive work.  Now my car needs further small repairs and a major part on Mr F's truck has failed.  The truck is Mr F's hobby but we also rely on it to get us around on the rural lanes during bad weather.  Mr F has found a company which will part exchange for the failed part but it's still a big unexpected bill.

However, whilst reconciling the credit card and bank accounts, I discovered that our savings accounts have paid out some interest which will help to ease the pain.  I've still had to move some money out of savings to cover the bill though.  Hate doing that but feeling very fortunate that we're in a position to cover what is (mainly) a want rather than a need.  It's like losing an arm for Mr F when the truck's not running 😂  And it is why we're still working after all - to pay for the fun stuff.

Why is it that it still feels so hard to spend money from savings?  They are there to cover unexpected costs after all.  And, at our age, shouldn't we be spending what we've saved?  Maybe it's years of habit.  Maybe it's fear that the worst still could happen.  Maybe it's the unknown cost of legal action against bully builder.  It's why I started this diary - to break free from the scarcity mindset.  But it's still very much here.  Not so much with smaller amounts but I think I've been triggered by the car maintenance costs 😂  I know it's a good problem to have.

I've yet to do the main money shuffle for December or budget for January yet so let's hope that involves a bit less pain.

The solicitors have replied to my message.  I've signed a contract with them and we're now on to the second stage of assessment 🙄

We took FDawg for his bath yesterday and had lunch in a nearby pub whilst we waited (no sign of scarcity mindset there 😂).  Costs to be met from this month's entertainment budget.

I'm going to start wrapping presents today.  Two presents (which didn't need wrapping) have been delivered already 😯  One was sent direct from the retailer and I put in 5 November instead of 5 December for the delivery date 😂  The other was a little something for FDawg's groomer which we dropped off yesterday.

Must remember to feed the cake today too.

Happy Hump Day all.

Fortune x

Watty1

just catching up.  Love the top!   Cannot beat a sparkle at any time

Greying_Pilgrim

Fortune - I hear you on the car expenses!  2025 has definitely been our nadir for the car expenses budget pot too - both in terms of spare parts, repairs, and blooming well purchasing a new-to-us car.  It's never ending, and the car tax is due the end of this month too!  🤣 

Greying X

Fortune_Smiles

Watty1 said:

just catching up.  Love the top!   Cannot beat a sparkle at any time

Thanks @Watty1 - I'm thinking of wearing it to a pub event this week.

Greying_Pilgrim said:

Fortune - I hear you on the car expenses!  2025 has definitely been our nadir for the car expenses budget pot too - both in terms of spare parts, repairs, and blooming well purchasing a new-to-us car.  It's never ending, and the car tax is due the end of this month too!  🤣 

Greying X

It wouldn't feel as bad if it was just the one car @Greying_Pilgrim - but all of them 😲 And of course I realise, as I'm typing this, that having more than one, or indeed any car, and being able to afford the repairs is a very fortunate position to be in.  So a grumble and a gratitude in one 😄  I've been trying to turn all my grumbles into gratitudes recently.  I might include those in my posts going forward just so I don't forget my good fortune.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Christmassing!

I've had a very, busy week of Christmassing 🎄  I thought I'd got ahead of the game but with only three weeks to go it seems to have caught up with me 😂

All bar one of the presents that need to be posted have been wrapped and Mr F took them to be sent off this morning.  Any presents that need to be sent direct from the retailer have been arranged.  Presents for neighbours and friends have been decanted, potted or stitched and I've started putting gift bags together.  I still have a few presents to buy but am gradually getting through the list (Mr F and the eldest Younger Fortunate are proving most difficult to buy for this year).  The cake has been fed and another quince gin put to steep in case an extra is required for.... drinking or something 😂

I took the car to the garage yesterday and picked up a large bill 🙁 but, as I said to Greying eariler, I'm not going to winge about it.  We do keep a car maintenance fund for such eventualities and are privileged to be able to do so.  Most of my grumbles should be gratitudes so I'm going to start making a note of that in future.  I had a browse around the town whilst I was there but only bought some lunch and a couple of reading books.

Tonight is the first of three Christmas events I'm going to this week.  It's my book club's December meeting.  We'll be at a local restaurant so have decided not to attempt discussing a book - it's always too busy and noisy to do that properly.  Instead I've written a literary Christmas quiz for us and we'll be doing a Secret Santa book exchange.  We each wrap a book that we've read and enjoyed during the year to gift.

But before that I have some house cleaning to do so I'd better get on with it 😂

Happy Hump Day all.

Fortune x

beanielou

Love your window. 

Greying_Pilgrim

Reminds me of a song that LG learnt at Nursery, all those years ago....."When Santa got stuck in the Chimmney..." 🤣  Although with legs flailing like that, it reminds me of the original stop-motion animation Wombles on BBC - when Orinoco fell down a rabbit hole or something 🤣

Happy Christmassing!

Greying X