Cherry takes the reins

We have livestock auctions nearby - I haven't seen chickens there but I normally just see the cattle trucks so it may be that they sell them and I haven't been close enough.

Honeysucklelou2 wrote: »

Sounds very good for the garden. Hope the cuttings root and take.

Re the hens...do you have any agricultural auctioneers near you? The sales I've been to have been organised by such auctioneers.

I've just looked on their website, Honeysucklelou2... no chickens. I'd better not actually go or I may come back with three sheep and a pig!

The running was crazy - probably not a wise decision though it all builds my fitness and I now know not only that I can do it, but also that I can only just do it.

I actually have two days off... but lots to do as ever. I'm going to take a leaf from Treadingonplaymobil's book and make a list of things to do, with a sub-list of things to eat up. I know I need milk and things like that but there is far too much in the cupboards and freezer so it's time to be creative. The trouple is that often means buying more to help use things up...

Things to do today

• get dressed done
• go for a run done
• clear dining room table (everything needs a proper home) not done
• do piano practice done
• hoover not done

Things I ought to do soon

• Find European Health card
• Plan a meal done: we had chicken from the freezer, veg and potatoes from the cupboard.
• Fill planters
• clean bathroom
• Pay cheque in
• buy sharp sand for my rose cuttings
• take item back to shop
• go and try on gorgeous shoes *I know this is a luxury but it's for the wedding and after months of searching and 3 not-quite-right pairs which may go back to 3bay, I have seen a pair that meet my original spec and which I would wear again if only they are comfortable... but they cost a lot!
• ironing
• sort out my shoes

Food to use up

• milk 1 pt left, used 1 in rice pudding for DS, bought 6 more pints!
• desiccated coconut
• caramel
• smidgeon of dark brown sugar
• custard powder
• yeast sachets
• mung beans
• flaked almonds
• mincemeat
• green lentils
• dates
• walnuts
• quinoa
• currants
• onions - a million left, put half of one in lunch and fried a couple to accompany dinner.
• peppers - nine and a half left, used 1/2 in lunch
• oil from chargrilled peppers used some to fry onions
• corn on the cob (5 left, used one for lunch)
• eggs - used 2 for lunch, 2 to go
• carrots used a couple
• potatoes used half the old ones and there are still two part-bags of new.
• assortment of cheeses
• to be continued, that's just the start...

2pm update
I have a sneaking suspicion the word 'update' is poor English but it's attached itself to my vocabulary, yes mine!.. though I still refuse to use 'access' as a verb!
Dressed, pulled a load of stuff out of the desk and begun to sort. No sign of the Health Card yet but it was an outside chance I suppose. Now I have to find homes for all the paperwork, balloons, elastic bands, old photos etc. that are on the floor. Load of laundry done, some winter clothes bagged up to put away, one load of hand washing to complete soonish. Rice pudding made for DS, egg-and-veg dish that entirely failed to be an omelette, for me. Going to have another go at making coffee soon: milk is all in date but the weather is making it separate (hence rice pudding). I've dead-headed a couple of roses and I'm going to add filling planters to my longer-term list.
22.30 update
Still no sign of the Health Card. If it doesn't turn up tomorrow, it's time to send for a replacement. I did some piano practice and had my piano lesson, went for a run with DH and cooked tea. Pretty tired this evening so we watched telly and DH sorted out travel insurance while I tidied up the results of tidying the desk.

Spends:
Piano lesson £10.00
Milk £1.48
MS stuff:
Cooked from the cupboards
Found an old savings book that appears to have about £100 in! I thought the account was closed long ago. Need to add that to my to-do list.
Found even more stationery in the desk. I could open a shop if only people wanted half-used notepads but at least I won't need to buy any for ages. I generally email!

And as regards the mortgage (ours, not the one on Mum's house) - I've decided I'm going to do some sums and try to work out if it's worth saving the £1000 it would cost to get an offset mortgage. That way, not only could I cut our present excessive mortgage rate by fixing, but as soon as we get Mum's house sold (now looking at 2018 or later, not 2017), the money will go into the account and reduce our costs significantly.

I really wish I were better at Maths! It isn't for want of trying but I find mathematical concepts very difficult and elusive and almost impossible to visualise... I did try, honestly, and I go on trying but I get mixed up very easily and to make matters more confusing, numbers transpose themselves when I deal with them. I have to take a lot of care when giving phone numbers for instance, because 012345 could easily come out as 032145. (Sigh).

Anyway, this is probably why no one ever tried to give me an offset mortgage but it sounds like a pretty toy to me, given my circumstances.