Progress - and an expensive month!

 

Sorry that the light wasn't very good on this, but you get the idea I'm sure.  My hand got sore doing all the French knots for the Umbellifer.  The embroidery stitches are all very simple though - Stem Stitch, French knots, Lazy Daisy and some straight stitches.  I sewed some more yesterday afternoon whilst Keith and I watched back to back Digging for Britain programmes.  I took a walk along the lane for a mile or so each way late morning, and that was very calming and then a lovely Friday afternoon relaxing.

    I finally got around to choosing another Audible book - 2 in fact, as my other credit came through yesterday (reminds me to cancel it before next month).  My choices were "Tell the Bees That I Am Gone" by Diana Gabaldon - mainly because I've had the book two years and only read a few chapters - just couldn't settle to it with some many other worries and distractions.  At least I can listen to it when I do the ironing.  Then I went for something cheerful - a Jeeves and Wooster by P G Wodehouse - Joy in the Morning.

    I met the new neighbour yesterday too.  From Hampshire, nice young man who is an architect.  I'm glad the end cottage has gone to someone tidy!  We had a lovely chat, and he brought up the subject of the water, so I didn't have to, thankfully.  A three way split on going on the mains . . .

    January has been a very expensive month so far - topping up the oil tank for starters (we wanted to make sure plenty was in if we are going to have snow/bitterly cold spell); then the central heating boiler needed its annual service - will book that in for October next; then Keith has passed the car over to me so insurance is simpler in future and he (11 yrs older and unable to drive) is no longer on the policy.  We've had to send the car tax form off to get a refund and I shall take a 6mth tax out, so it renews in the summer, and then I can renew for a year again, which we've always done, but trying to get this away from the house and car insurance, which come close together.  

    So that means car insurance (due in a week) to be renewed, now I've scouted around and found someone cheaper and who we were with before. I was NOT impressed by the quote doubling from £243 last year to £495 this . . .  Then when I tried to speak to someone about it I got the runaround (call centre in Thailand by the sound of the accents) and by the time I'd got to the 4th woman, who assured me she could deal with my problem, then after I'd told her in full said she would have to pass me on to a colleague.  I told them where to stick their policy as they had just lost my business!  I renewed elsewhere for £307 . . .  When I am on my own here, things are going to be very difficult as I will just have my OAP and an eighth (or is it a tenth?) of Keith's small Army pension, which will work out about £15 a week . . .  I will probably have to pay monthly, which costs more.  Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.  I hope that the Unit will help with the bills.

    Meanwhile I spent ages yesterday trying to get Danny's spare tv working, along with the new Universal remote.  Remember when you just used to plug a tv in and turn it on?  Not any more, and I couldn't find out which 4 figure model I should be typing into the remote (which required this in order to work) - just had a 10 figures and upper/lower case letters "model" on the back.  Tam looked it up and gave me a relevant number but still no good.  So today, swop tv's back and try and get the old one working. I have a feeling I shall have to wait until my "technical advisor" (Tam) is here on Monday though. I thought I was doing well just getting the Firestick and DVD player in the right holes!

    As for the H key on my keyboard, well we won't go there!  Can't get the darn thing back on, now I've removed all the FLUFF in there . . .