Thursday 27 June 2019

Oh The Irony

Well what can I say...I'm counting the calories at the moment...and I've at long last updated the header photographs on the blog...to ones mainly of highly calorific foods...a little of what you fancy does you good obviously!
I have actually managed to lose 5lbs so far...in 5 weeks, so I'm rather pleased with myself. Slow and steady wins the race as the old saying goes.
~
It is so sticky here this evening. It is also very windy. I can hope and pray for a good night's sleep...but I'm not holding out too much hope!
~
Three days off...three hopefully magical days...I do have the constant bane of paperwork to do...but I think with a little pacing myself...half an hour here, and half an hour there it will be alright. My brain goes off the boil after too much computer work so small bursts are definitely the way to go.
~
I cannot believe it is almost ten o'clock...I worked later tonight. I'm rather hoping that tomorrow will be payday. I can't guarantee it, but am thinking it should be. We'll see...anyway I hope you all enjoyed the most wonderful Solstice...I unexpectedly had to work...but all in a good cause.
~
Blessings, J. x

Thursday 20 June 2019

Catchy Weather

I know, I know...the weather...either too hot, too cold, too windy, too wet or too dry...never satisfied are we, or so it seems. However, having looked at our forecast last evening I was satisfied that it would be a wonderful idea to allow the near dried washing to hang out overnight and finish drying when the sun came up. I awoke to puddles on the patio. Thankfully everything seems to have held tight to the line in the brisk breeze that is blowing through our garden. She says through gritted teeth!
~
I needed to bake a cake for hubby's packed lunches today, and am working later so bravely mixed a basic sponge and added some cinnamon and a chopped apple...not that brave I hear you cry...no, however then I did a mercy dash to Lidl in town leaving my baby sponge in the simmering oven. Luckily the shop wasn't overly busy and I certainly did not browse as I pushed around my trolley. No dithering permitted. I was done and out of there in a trice, then back home...cake needed another 12 minutes too!
~
The aforementioned cake is smelling rather lovely, so I may indeed partake of a small slice at lunchtime. Before that though I'm venturing up the garden to give the washing line a good rattling off before adding our large bed sheet to it's load. Hopefully this brighter interlude that is over us now will last and I will be picking in beautifully air dried laundry this evening...as opposed to scooping up sodden muddy laundry from the overgrown grass.
~
Blessings J. x

Tuesday 18 June 2019

Plotting and Planning

So...what to do next...I've worked out our monthly outgoings in our house accounts. Not all expenses are able to be reduced, though some can slightly. Our food bill has come down drastically. We currently have critical illness cover for hubby, though I'm not sure that this is a good financial item as it only covers our mortgage payment and only for six months, and only after 6 weeks...Think these details are correct, so might try to scrape 6 months of mortgage payments into an emergency fund...better still would be to have 6 months of our total outgoings in an emergency fund.
~
It seems that when Brexit finally happens, as it surely will do now, the foods that will be delayed entering the country will be wine and processed ones mainly so as I'm not that bothered about either of these...(they certainly don't fit into my budgeting), as long as a healthy crop can be dragged in from the garden we should stave off starvation. I shouldn't joke about it, and I'm not, for surely there will be people hoarding food now to flog it to desperate souls should things get really messy at dreadfully inflated prices. Who knows what is around the corner. I am willing to be prepared, but I should never want to stash away more than we need in order to profit from others.
~
Where do the hours and minutes go to? I have so much flapping around in my head that I want/need to get done...but the reality is that on mornings when I'm working there is regular housework or the shopping to get, a dog to be walked, and then off I go. The evening is half over when I return for the evening meal...which depending on who gets home first is now prepared by either of us. The clearing away still falls to me though. Then very soon so it seems I'm ready to go up to bed. The couple of days a week where I don't work are filled with washing, baking and more thorough housework tasks. So where does that leave our paperwork...generally mostly undone and in a right mess is where. Today I have managed to make out one bill...yes, just the one, but I'm taking that as a positive. In fact I may try for one every day...this sitting down for hours 'till my eyes cross over is tiring, boring, and no good for my figure. Speaking of which, I'm back on track to whittle away some rather undesirable lbs...no membership required...it's just me, my Fitbit, daily weighing (I take the weeks average), and measurable goals along the way. I've reached the first which is a 3lb loss, the next will be at 7lbs, then 10lbs then 14lbs. It'll continue in this pattern right to my goal which is 30lbs off! The first goal of 3lb could not come soon enough, a new bread maker is now on it's way to our Cottage, the old one being totally unreliable and I'd had enough. At 7lbs off the treat is to get the car valeted...hopefully this will coincide with a family wedding!
~
Now is it just me or is anyone else struggling with using Blogger on their iPad? I cannot leave a comment on  anyone's post...well it looks as though I have, but no, nothing, zilch has been left...this has made me appear extremely quiet of late and I don't always realise that it has (or rather hasn't) happened. So sorry.
~
You see, once more the clock has raced the morning past. The weather is being a bit bleh to say the least so the single boiler suit that I flung on the line is dripping rain drops in a most unhelpful manner.
Heidi is snoozing on the kitchen floor...I'd rather like to join her, for last night, sleep was rather too elusive to be humorous in the slightest.
~
Blessings. J. x