April Amigos Accounting Achievements and Adaptability

[Wolfcub]

New Fred for old friends and new

Popping in to say a quick 'Hi' before I go out to do battle with the weeds in my patio. They're springing up like crazy in the cracks between the patio slabs. I'd love to get a proper patio put in - the one I have is a DIY job that Ex and my BIL did.

We've had a few fabulous days here - really hot and sunny. I had to wear sunscreen yesterday. I managed to buy some bedding plants in the local fruit and veg shop so I filled three containers - two for the front garden and one for the back garden. It's probably a little early and a late frost may well kill them off, but they look really nice for now. I'd give my right arm for a well stocked garden centre. I really want to buy some architectural plants - ferns or something evergreen.

I've been letting DCats out for the past day or two. They haven't wandered too far. Today will be a NSD although I've spent a fair bit on plants and containers in recent days. But I won't be going on a holiday and I'm saving money in lots of other areas - clothes, haircuts, eating out/takeaways etc.

Great news on the school places and gardening.
Sunny here but the wind is a bit cool.
Need fruit and vegetables later. And a few times we have run out of

Great news on the school place give
Mum texted me later and said she had made a mistake with the message, it was 12 not 21!! Still good though. She's very active usually, but had 2 falls and a cataract op in Jan/Feb so was massively below par.
I've been giving our bedroom a much needed deep clean today, interspersed with spells in the sunny garden. Dd is making cherry and almond scones for later.

Got a collect slot at Sainsbury's £104 for fuck all just basics we have run out of and fresh stuff

Evening everyone
Been to see to Mum & Bob. They were fine , Enjoyed the lamb stew l made them yesterday, made Mum tongue salad & Bob had another huge fry up, he loves them he is as thin as a pin but he is on the go all the time , he ate 6 thin Richmond sausages, 3 eggs, 2 slices of fried bread & 5 slices of bacon
Took 2 bottles Gaviscon & 2 boxes of Paracetamols to Mum's NDN & BFF. They were fine wanted to pay me for them but they have been so kind to Mum & Dad l wouldn't dream of it bless them.
Came home , made an apple crumble & cottage pie for tea and for Mum & Bob tomorrow. Dd1 is doing them tomorrow thank God
Line of washing dried and folded YAY!
Give & Love YAY! wonderful news re Dc schools such a huge relief for you both .
Unescorted we only have Sparrows, l think we must have the Welsh population of them here
Going to watch Ross Kemp on the frontline soon , anyone else going to ? Hang on a min ......
NSD again today
Hope everyone is ok, take care
I have just stepped out to cheer the NHS & the forgotten Carers , back now. l took a police whistle out but they didn't like it

I may have bought some essential garden items from Morrisons today - I will be doing my hanging basket, and a bit more seed planting tomorrow. The marigolds and broccoli have germinated.

I also filled up with fuel - I cannot remember when it last cost me as little.

I was in Morrisons at the moment when they announced the extension to the stay at home order. I suspect we are having a very different experience here to many other parts of the country - at the tills it was decided that it was a good thing, and a couple of people went back for more beer & wine.

I used the last of my bread flour on making pizza... it was worth it.

MrsM we have amazing birds here. I keep meaning to get a bird identifier app.

Unescorted we love the birds but we don't get many different ones, Blackbirds , Maggies, Wood Pigeons & Sparrows, Oh yes and Sparrowhawks but they don't get a feed here the Sparrows are too fly
Give ahh thank you that is so kind of you
l don't think the carers are getting enough recognition tbh with you , they are doing such an important job. It's such a rewarding job though.

Lots of amazing birds here too. Loads of goldfinches over the last couple of weeks. O e of our favourites. One was right up by the back window picking up bits of dry grass for its nest today.

Was virtual pub quiz on the lockdown bingo? We just did it and got 41/50. Quite happy with that!

Good score Snuggly! It needs to be on the bingo.

I appreciate the fuss people are making of NHS workers (not so much the likes of me, but front-line staff) but think that care workers deserve the praise just as much. It’s an underappreciated job at the best of times and now more than ever. The situation in care homes is really worrying.

Speaking of front line, Girlie has been quiet for a couple of days, unless I’ve missed something?

We do quite well for birds. London too. We had a flock of long tailed tits yesterday, that was a proper treat. DD recognises quite a few of them. Magpie! Blackbird! Robin! DH is a birder so is very proud of his girl .

Work is hideous. Was up till 2am writing a paper last night, will be the same again tonight and will also need to do a day’s weekend work. I just don’t get enough work time in the week day. Gah. I am hoping next week will be easier. The children really are not having enough attention and stimulation at the moment and DS is so upset, he really wants to go to school. I am feeling absolutely awful about his mental state at the moment.

I had ordered a bread maker last month and, surprise surprise, the order was cancelled today. I am miffed. I’d wanted one for ages (especially for pizza dough, it will save me a fortune) but lack of space made me hesitate. Anyway, the prospect of lockdown tipped me into going for it. I am now absurdly disappointed. The Panasonic ones are going for an absolute fortune on eBay!

I can and do make bread by hand but with work, regular bread making is a luxury of time I don’t have! Of all the things I wish I’d bought before all this started:

1. Desk for working in the spare room
2. Bread maker
3. Bigger bras (currently have 4 boobs)
4. Baggy elasticated trousers
5. More compost and tomato plants

In priority order

Oh. Add in ‘reading glasses’ after before bread maker

Great score snug! Was that the week four one by Jay on YouTube? We did it for the first time, got 35, or 36 accounting for the fact I DID get the widow Twanky question right before DH convinced me otherwise 🙄 at least he trusted me on the Canary island one though! 🤣 Will probably go back through the channel and do whatever previous ones are available, it was a nice frugal hour TBH.

Between that and playing more games, puzzles etc I’m really realising how little effort we were putting into having fun as a family before because life was hectic. And TBH just as a couple too, it’s easy to not bother when we get very very little babysitting (we’ve nipped to the pub nearby a handful of times since we moved in 2018) but actually there’s plenty we can do during the day :o to feel a bit more connected. Before this we barely made time to speak of anything other than the Caglets’ needs, house stuff etc. Not good. I think we get very caught up in all the stuff we should be doing and then get overwhelmed by it and don’t really achieve it anyway.

I’ll stop philosophising and go to sleep now I think

Actually, the above ramblings probably get me a few lockdown bingo squares don’t they? Such a cliche. 🙄😳😂

Anyway. NSD for me. DH got some shopping including very essential chocolate. I had my zoom therapy session, weird at first but good, definitely prefer f2f but it’ll do (once a month or so as usual) for now :)

Bed zzzzzxxx

Dropped off but back. Spending loads on food and 🍸🍺 but did all else. Last put petrol in my car on 1 April.
From 1 May going down to 80% salary and was already part time. So need to be back on it

Sea JO did a pan pizza thing on episode 5 of his daily show. Let me see if I can find it.

Great quiz score. In going to do a quiz for my team next week.

Shopping today ££££

Ah love the Bob stories.

Hope you got some sleep sea. My two were neglected yesterday as I got landed with a couple of big bits of work. On leave this afternoon.

Just seen Mr Duchess off to work. We ate most of an Easter egg last night watching a dvd having also scoffed burgers and homemade chips done in the fryer, so have sent him in with soup, cold meat, salad and fruit.
I’m about to start three nightshifts so a semi duvet day today. Our hospital has started a ‘Tuckshop’. Alas, no tuck, but sensible things. Bread, butter, milk, tinned soup, eggs etc. NHS guidelines re stock and prices. Our canteen also has been revised, we are now allowed two fillings to our baked potato and it’s 25p cheaper. Our chef is also offering takeaway meals single or family size.
Re birds and wildlife, we have been noticing a lot more of it on the way to work. Owls, rabbits and foxes. There is a bird of prey who sits on a fence too. We looked it up in the only reference book we have, Ladybird book😺 and DP reckons birdy is some sort of hawk by the shape of him. We’ve seen a herd or deer in the same field. The animals seem to be coming out more as it’s quiet.
Camden, I’d like to add my condolences for the poor gentleman and your Aunty.

We’ve weirdly had a load of huge fluffy bees in our garden recently. Not all at once. But more than a rare occasion.

Day off from work today as I think it’s Friday! Haha. Not sure what we’ll do yet but I suspect gardening.

cooking [[https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/category/books/keep-cooking-and-carry-on/?utm_source=kcco&utm_medium=sitewide&utm_campaign=.com#]]

Sorry it was episode 4, scroll down to find

Bah link fail

I will read back later. Have had a very trying 18 hours with ds and virtually no sleep.

House cleaned downstairs including bathroom,, oven, sink bleached and scrubbed, floors mopped etc etc. Bed stripped and washing on.

Need to work for a bit in a while, just having a cup of tea. I've unplugged and removed the broadband router so will come back later when I've reconnected

Sea have you got a stand mixer. I do the pizza dough in that. 66 -68% hydration works well. Put more salt in that you would normally. Mix to shaggy dough stage - leave for 20-40 minutes. Knead for 5 - 7 minutes depending on flour (5 for strong, 7 for all purpose). Cover and let rise for a couple of hours. Divide, shape into balls, roll out and top.

Carers are so under appreciated. My jaw is still sore from where it hit the floor when I found out the "care" badges were an announcement from last year and even worse they have to pay best part of £9 for it. That is an hour's pay....

wolf so sorry to hear you are having a bad patch. It is always hard in the teen years, but to have the added crap of dickish exH and no external stimuli must be so hard.

give the gooseberries (green and pink) currents (black & red) are all flowering - I belatedly realised I should have pruned them at the end of fruiting last year to get more fruit this year. But there still seems to be a good crop. Em we have loads of bumble bees this year too. Including Peak Billberry ones - which are really rare, so I was very excited. Their habitat is so small - basically the hills around us and I have never seen them in my garden before.

I hope girlie is ok...

Duchess duvet away - it is deserved.

Sea have you got a stand mixer. I do the pizza dough in that. 66 -68% hydration works well. Put more salt in that you would normally. Mix to shaggy dough stage - leave for 20-40 minutes. Knead for 5 - 7 minutes depending on flour (5 for strong, 7 for all purpose). Cover and let rise for a couple of hours. Divide, shape into balls, roll out and top.

Carers are so under appreciated. My jaw is still sore from where it hit the floor when I found out the "care" badges were an announcement from last year and even worse they have to pay best part of £9 for it. That is an hour's pay....

wolf so sorry to hear you are having a bad patch. It is always hard in the teen years, but to have the added crap of dickish exH and no external stimuli must be so hard.

give the gooseberries (green and pink) currents (black & red) are all flowering - I belatedly realised I should have pruned them at the end of fruiting last year to get more fruit this year. But there still seems to be a good crop. Em we have loads of bumble bees this year too. Including Peak Billberry ones - which are really rare, so I was very excited. Their habitat is so small - basically the hills around us and I have never seen them in my garden before.

I hope girlie is ok...

Duchess duvet away - it is deserved.