Help calm me, house buying and selling stress. Part 4

Loopyloo I used Quorn mince but used chicken oxos, carrot, onion, courgette, butternut squash and thicken with chicken gravy granules. Topping was mashed pots mature cheddar and low fat spread. Made 5 dinners 409 a dinner. Still trying to loss but more weight. Hence I weigh and measure everything I eat and drink even when I go over my calories . Yes I know I am obsessed. But lost over 7st so far. From 32 to size 16.

Fingers crossed Sue and Shandy find new homes before long.

Went into the garden did some weeding and finally got a stump out only took me 3 days.

Enjoy the rest of day.

Evening all, you've been very busy! SueH49 I didn't know you had a bad knee, I hope you can safely go for surgery soon.

I've just come on to tell you the quote from the other clearance company I phoned, for the fifteen items I need 'cleared'.

Their quote is £230, £490 cheaper. I think I have been nearly been had. I hadn't agreed to the other quote yet as
I haven't heard if the buyer wants the furniture yet - latest report was that he is waiting for his mortage offer .......

we had a long whatsapp essage from one sister in aus, she is a hospital nurse and her ward is being prepped for covid patients, it is going to be a code red ward. They have been having full and careful instruction on donning and removing PPE. She is now naturally very apprehensive and is taking this very seriously

An easier day today with a mini, listening to my body, nap after lunch. I had two nice outside sessions spinning on my wheel, not a voice to be heard all day, thank goodness for birds providing some interest. Must get out on my bike tomorrow and am taking my car for a run on monday, the furthest supermarket possible

Dam and blast spent the last hour writing a long post about my dad's army years and it just disappeared. Going to have a shower.

Have a good day everyone .

Morning everyone.

I hope your sister can always get full PPE craftyone. I'm on a facebook page for widows and one of them is a receptionist at a doctor's surgery, she was very upset to be told she could only have one mask and would have to reuse it. I hope your sister remains safe.

Nice to think of you spinning in your garden with the bees and butterflies, listening to the birds. I am finding it difficult tolerating the grass cutting noise here, the people that own the land alongside the cottage have a drive on mower, plus he has a petrol strimmer.

I'm going to go all out today packing wise as the weather is going to change, I can't risk wet boxes. I've got to tackle the glasses cupboard, not sure why I have so many, going to put them in the bottle bank.

I found my husband's mobile phone and read the messages he'd sent the kids, he was such a loving Dad. Four years on 17 May. Hardly any messages to me as we spoke on the phone.

Sorry your post disappeared Whiff, how frustrating. Hope you enjoyed your shower.

I was very pleased my aunt's vicar helped her to use Zoom yesterday. My aunt was poorly as a child and missed a lot of school and failed the eleven plus, so didn't go to the grammar school like my mum and other aunt. She lacks confidence which comes across as aggression when she can't understand something. Hats off to the vicar for persevering, glad it wasn't me! At least she can join in the singing on line now.

Have a good day everyone

craftyone I also hope your DS is safe.
It is a huge worry although as I am in this bubble it seems like a distant strange world apart from what I hear on the radio.
I try not to watch the TV news.
My DS is in a quite "dangerous" job doing his deliveries so each time the DC or his DW gets a sniffle we all get anxious.

There was a noise outside this morning which sounded like someone flouting the rules. It was! It was a blackbird attacking a pile of leaves I'd begun to clear from the back path yesterday. Must be some tasty insects in there..

I wanted to have a small bonfire but decided it was too antisocial. Then on fb I found it is forbidden at present.
There are a lot of nazis on that site. They spend their time spying on their neighbours and reporting them. They seem to be full of hate. I hope I'm not like them.

what a lovely satisfying morning, just as I like it. A nice cycle first then pottering then a very special hot chocolate from my self indulgent chocolate drink maker. More pottering and a nwighbour called, glad to see them, we all kept distance and they came and looked around my very ususual garden, they loved it as I do. I put half my tall beans in, very early yes but it is a great sun trap being surrounded by stone wall. The other half are insurance, just in case

I moved patio furniture so one bench is against the east facing house wall and facing to the garden, I cannot bear sun all day long. I hope we get some rain next week

Morning all, lovely blue sky here again this morning so my cardboard is safe again today!

I found out yesterday my neighbour is a herbalist, you'd like her craftyone. She offered me a sample of skullcap as I'm not sleeping properly. I think I annoyed her partner yesterday by offering my jump leads, I can be too helpful sometimes.

Other half of the kitchen and whole of the utility room packing for me today, I am pleased with my progress.

Hello. Shandy you sound so bright and upbeat despite the poor sleep. I am resigned to catching up later if I don't sleep well at night. I also listen to the world service and sometimes the programmes are too interesting horrifying to get back to sleep.

Baking bread today but when I told DD she immediately got jealous of my flour and yeast. She can't get either. Isn't it strange the things we care about now!

I am excited that our empty bottles may be collected today for the first time in 6 weeks.

Shandy57 loving this new get up and go you. Long may she reign.
Heard scampering in the loft last night. Stayed the night at my daughter's. Pest control came out. It's squirrels. Set 2 traps. Noticed couple holes in brickwork which will need filling in once they are caught. Also noticed hole in my roof. Roofer coming in the morning. They were coming this year anyway as gable end needs repointing so I fix a date when they can do it. There's always something needs doing.
Off into the garden for a bit.
Have a good day everyone.

upbeatness still rules, well done shandy and anyone else who manages a hrug of the shoulders in adversity

I did my 40 mile round trip run to sainsburys older hour this morning. Was fine, some empty spaces on shelves and limited produce in many departments. Eggs were £2.59 for 6, the egg shelves were empty but there was flour, I bought sr this time as I want to make English scones later this week.

It will be empty gap season next week onwards when there is a shortage of home grown veg except for salad pickings. This carries on to june. I have a couple of bags of frozen broccoli to help out and am using some to make soup this afternoon

I overdosed on chocolate yesterday, I know I did and I now know that is why I tossed and turned all night and was very wakeful. The chocolate and sugar rush but I could not help myself, it was comfort sustenance, mouth hunger

Feeling lazy today, probably knitting and nowt much else

I have yet again, had to be tenacious about following up money owed to me ie council tax because of a reduced banding. I already spoke to 2 different people and they have all my details so I sat on my hands until today when I phoned up a number and spoke to a given contact, kindly given to me by my ex neighbour 2 weeks before he passed away

He gave me an approximate figure but I queried it, he said `single person discount` and I gave the date when that applied ie in 2015. Oh yes the penny dropped and I have done some rough calcs on approximate banding figures, working on about £400 pa up to single discount when it becomes roughly £300 pm, these are the top figures

He said money will be in my bank by next tuesday as it is a considerable amount. I make it roughly £2850 and they are going to send me the calcs to check. So I imagine that me being here and waiting patiently would have got me no-where. Grhh, it is money owed to me not kindly given as a gift

I will get it safely into my bank and then I will have a chat with another widowed ex neighbour currently on band E too, that would make each house the same band but her house has one bedroom less and a study less and a snug less and no fixed parking space. I am going to encourage her to try and get a D. She flies by the seat of her pants on her fixed pension, she bought up 2 small children from a young age

Craftyone that's brilliant . What a lot to have over paid. At least your persistence paid off.

Weeded again. My green bin got emptied today and already filled it. I had got bags of weeds and cuttings already. Still 6 bags ready for when it gets emptied again. Ordered some shrubs from Thompson and Morgan. It's my birthday Thursday and my best friend and her husband sent me a cheque with the card. No use spending it on clothes not going anywhere at the moment.

what shrubs did you order whiff? Choosing plants is a delight

I decided to get off my arris and get moving, so what else but I got my bike out and started pedalling and went further and further than I have ever been here, on my normal manual bike. I did a route that I have done on my electric bike with the safety net battery pushing me up hills but I did it. I think I am getting fitter and it was certainly further. I did enjoy the long gentle glide down to the half way point, then realised that the ride back would be the opposite of a glide down. I remember wishing that I had put a rancoat in my little bag and a small bottle of water

Brilliant craftyone to be persistent. and get the rebate.
We once and never again changed our energy supplier. At first it was brilliant the bills were so small and then we got a huge bill and discovered that they had been reading the wrong meter. They were reading one belonging to an empty house in a street with a similar name.
After hours on the phone we managed to find a helpful person who sorted it for us and we didn't need to pay the backlog since it was their fault.

What shrubs did you order Whiff?

Craftyone I ordered Chaenomeles pink lady,cotoneaster coral beauty,deutzia gracilis,potentials Marian red robin and salic hakuro nishiki all for £25. There where 24 to choose from any 5 for £25. Also some Lavender plants cheaper. I'm no gardener just liked the look of them.

Sorry missed you out Grammaretto. Thanks for asking.

Evening all, lovely to read all your doings!

I've just come on because I'm not sure that I haven't been transported to a parallel universe where the rules of life don't apply Lockdown has definitely bought out the odd balls of life.

I got a phone call this afternoon from a man asking if I'd sell him my pagoda. I said I'd included it in my sale, and I'd let the new owner know of his interest. He went on to say about my koi fish ornament - and the stone pagoda ornament in my garage. I said I wasn't happy that he had come into my garden, and he said he had knocked several times without reply, but my car was in the drive. I hadn't taken my dog this afternoon, I miss his ears. So they decided to wander around my property without permission, treating my garden like a garden centre. I rang the agent and asked for the sign to be removed, I think it seems like an open invitation for opportunitists. I've locked the gates again but they are flimsy.

I did say he could have the fish and pagoda, and he said he'd come immediately ... I was just getting the sledge ready at the top of the stairs when he arrived. I couldn't believe it when he asked to look around the pagoda again! I just said I'm too busy and again, I'd let the new owner know of his interest. As a parting shot he said 'are you moving somewhere as big and expensive' and I just smiled at his idiotic face and shut the front door. I feel as though everyone is out to take everything off me for nothing, I've definitely gone off people and need to go into a retreat for a while I think

Shandy57 for your safety make sure you always have your dog with you. What worried me about what you said about him asking if you where moving somewhere more expensive. Was he's intention to attack you and force you to give him money. Don't want to frightened you. For your safety unless you know the person or have pre arranged a meeting keep all your doors and windows locked. Also I know some won't agree with me have something to hand you could defend yourself with. My always to hand item is my walking stick its handle can deliver a hefty blow.

You say you have a gate get into the habit of locking it behind you when you are at the station. You could always take a photo of the person and car reg number. You could do it on the sly. Have you told your children about this man if not do so.

You are doing so well and have changed such a lot from mosaciwarts days. Please be careful. Strange people are coming out of the woodwork . Think the lockdown is making people do things they would never dream of before.

Anyway be careful .

shandy how did he get your phone number?

Morning friends, lucky me, sunny again today so I have to get going early.

He got my number because my business cards box had fallen out of the bin bag and all over the front steps. My back was killing me by the end of the session, so I thought I'd leave them until today. Didn't expect any visitors. Luckily he was just a harmless twit, he came with his wife and their tiny chiwowa dog, I have no idea how to spell that! He had told me they were working on their japanese garden and sent me a photo when he texted with his phone number. I am lucky he wasn't a threat, lesson learnt, but it has always been so safe here except for the poachers. Strange people are definitely coming out of the woodwork, my house is on a circular walk from the village and I've seen lots of local people for the first time ever. I have got a golf club by the front door, I've always thought I'd be able to poke someone down the stairs

I'm amazed it is only Tuesday, if I work hard I might have the house cleared by the weekend, . I have about twelve very large pictures I'll have to carry down individually, I hope to pack the smaller ones horizontally in a suitcase. Will be too heavy to lift, but I'll be able to slide it down the stairs and wheel it down to the cottage.

Have a good day gardening if you have sun!

oh I hate to think of you having to do all that manhandling and heavy lifting on your own shandy but like you said, it will be done by the weekend if all goes well and that will be a very big hurdle out of the way. I think it is just as well that we cannot see the work ahead of us at times

We are having a rain day today, grey and steady but not beating rain, so it is good for the garden, although it takes some will power to remain mentally upbeat.

Franbern, there is a comfort doll thread on the arts and crafts forum, they are lovely little dolls

Making great progress today, just wish my dog wouldnt bark at the ladder???

Barking!

Shandy57 glad he wasn't a threat after all. You are working like a Trojan. Becareful getting the pictures down. Once it's done you will have time to house hunt.

Bitter cold here today. No gardening for me today. My roofers came. Could see where furry meance got in. Got them to check the whole roof. Some cement has come out of the edge tiles so they will do that. Going to put a thick plastic strip under the edge of the tiles into the gutter so there will be no gaps for anything to get in. Also they will repoint the gable end as planned. I pointed out some that needs doing on the end of the garage. Weather permitting they will do it all tomorrow. But once done that's it won't need doing again.

Have a good day everyone.