Balancing the books

Blackcats

ah thank you for your kind comments on my pixie dust. It really is my favourite £100 of the month and I enjoy every £1 I spend.

I wasn't feeling like a very kind pixie today when some expected but unwelcome cr^p from the overseas family reared its ugly head. However, this afternoon, we looked after a grandchild after their first half day at school and instead of spending £60 to go to our local kid's farm we packed up some lunch and went out and about. So we went to the swings, had an ice cream at our local community cafe, enjoyed some stories in the library and made a wondrous magic wand with a stick, some leaves, some flowers, some wool and a tassel. It was such a nice afternoon - life goes at a different pace with a 4 year old. Oh and only ice cream money was spent.

Dakota_Rose

That sounds like an idyllic afternoon 😊 and a proper sprinkling of pixie dust nonetheless.

ellenvan

4 year olds don't need to spend money to have a good time.

Sounds like a lovely afternoon.

Makingabobor2

@ellenvan , I quite agree. My youngest DGS's favourite game is paper aeroplanes!

Blackcats

thank you @Dakota_Rose.

I agree @ellenvan and @Makingabobor2 i find the simple, low cost but high interaction things are really enjoyed by little ones. My dad used to do paper planes with my kids and you've reminded me what fun they can be. Hopscotch seems to be a lost art but a couple of my grandkids really enjoyed learning to play it as well as drawing the grid and finding a good stone.

We are away for a few days and are staying in a fancy air b n b appartment. This place has got too many gadgets for my liking - a TV that requires sign in and is complex to navigate, the coffee machine is hideously complex bit worse of all there is no kettle. The kitchen tap generates boiling water IF you push it down and twist it in exactly the right way. I have about a 1 in 3 success rate and when I do get it right a torrent of boiling water gushes out and straight down the sink. However it is a lovely flat in a great location and we are having fun. Spending has been fairly low even though we've done lots of good things.

Makingabobor2

Enjoy your break. Multiple short breaks are so nice as you always have something to look forward to.

amber03

Think I prefer short breaks now, mind you if you fly abroad it might turn into a longer break than you had planned. Still waiting to see if DS is flying home tonight, flight has been delayed two times so far today.

Blackcats

@amber03 - I hope your DS gets home tonight. We have avoided flying for a couple of years now as we really dislike the whole airport experience at both ends of the journey. We have just returned from a few days in Guernsey and travelled by car ferry which makes it so easy. No baggage allowance so you can pack everything you think you might need and a short journey from home to the ferry port.

I'll do some financial checking tomorrow but I think we've done ok. Feeling ready to cosy into Autumn.

amber03

DS got home fine, a couple of hours later than expected. We have discovered cruising , leaving from Southampton, it’s great no stress like when you fly. We did fly to Jersey a few years ago, it was straight forward and quick. Next time we head that way we want to visit Guernsey as well.

Makingabobor2

I've often thought of ferry to Guernsey @Blackcats, we much prefer ships & ferrys to flying…..not that we've been on a "big" holiday for ages now. We have never been to Gurensey & often talked about going. Where did you get the ferry from?