Sunday 3 November 2013

Hello – it’s me


I am here.  After a short sabbatical from blogging I am back – perhaps not as refreshed as I’d like but back none the less am back.
Work is still ‘the tiger in the room’ and I am trying to tame it – but it’s difficult. Part of my strategy to reduce the number of hours I work [my contract says 35 but reality is near 60] is to set goals each week for none work activities and stick to them.  We went to see Captain Philips a couple of weeks ago on a Friday afternoon – I had said I would finish work at noon and NOT check email or log back on to work until 8am on Monday – it was VERY difficult but I did manage to stick to it.  I am still waking in the early hours with work on my mind and finding it increasingly difficult not to go into my home office and login.
Money saving is going well – a few wobbles in the last few months but nothing that a months or so of being extra thrifty won’t solve. We have finished paying the community charge so that’s an extra £175 for the next 5 months that can towards credit cards; the final payment on the car loan will be made in a few week then we will be loan free – wooohooo – another £430 for snowballing.
My tin for the Sealed Pot Challenge is still sealed and weighing over 8.5kgs I am really hoping that there will be more than £1,000 in it when its opened on 1st December – getting excited about it. 
 
Fruit for the Christmas cake has been soaking for a few weeks and I am hoping to that I will be able to make the cake this week.
My mum had her 82nd birthday at the beginning of last month and we spent a lovely day with her and Betty - I made a lovely PoppySeed and Lemon cake; it was really yummy.
 
SonnyHen has started to play rugby again after not playing for a season.  This means that Saturdays revolve around where he’s playing; we all travel together so arrive a good few hours before kick-off which gives DaddyHen and I time to go for a long walk.  Last week we gathered sweet chestnuts (note to self don't gather them without gloves - I still have tiny tiny splinters from the spines in my fingers).  This week there were hips and these purple berries
 
I think they are sloes but not sure - if you know then let me know. 

MummyHen X

4 comments:

  1. Your lemon and poppyseed cake looks delicious - could you share the recipe????
    These look like sloes - are you going to make sloe gin? I've made damson gin this year!

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  2. Glad you are back x x

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  3. Your sealed pot challenge sounds as though it will bring great rewards.

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  4. Welcome back to the land of the blogging. Your cake looks gorgeous and what on earth are you going to do with all that money from the sealed pot? Well saved.
    Love from Mum
    xx

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