Folding

Who knew - holiday folding is a thing?!! There are whole industries out there dedicated to this! I have had a week of discovery - and our house is now seriously folded. It appears that the sort of folding that gets everything three people need for a month in a caravan/ tent into a fairly small car along with all the equipment needed for said holiday, plus the boxes of food (because frugality reigns!), foldable barbecue, badminton set, body boards, wet suits etc, etc ... well, this sort of folding is a method. And there is a very nice Japanese lady out there doing very well out of it. Why did I not think of this? I would have a fabulous camper van by now ... although the Prossliz Method doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

To be fair, she makes it look much more glamorous, and I have followed her on Instagram - to keep me on the straight and narrow. Operation declutter/sell your stuff/ ramp up the frugality is back on the road and gathering speed. A summer of footloose-and-fancy-free-ness beckons ...☺. We have started said operation with some expense - we are doing Daisyfay's room - it is looking very good so far and is helping on the declutter front, and is as frugal as possible. It will be ongoing so we can buy as we go. But the Konmari lady would be proud of me.

So - folding is a tick. On the other hand I have unfollowed the lady with the cleaning products - my eco-soul can't cope. Bicarb is very underrated...

Plan B ... or is that C ...?

Well, that didn't work. I have not regained my life. Not in the slightest. I thought for a moment or two that I would, but that idea crashed and burned... looking on the bright side, we are relatively (money-wise, for us, it is always relative...) solvent at the moment.


The big news is our trip - we did a wild and reckless thing ... and it was fab! Instead of saving my extra money for the summer when I can't work, we went to Disneyland Paris, and to Paris too. Life's too short and all that. We had such a good time.


Back on the frugality train now - but saving to go back too...


Trying to assert control of wrack and ruin land too - slowly but surely I am denting disaster - any progress is progress, however tiny.


I didn't know what to expect of Disney, but I loved that bubble of positivity - it's sticking with me, anything is possible ...

The Techno-fairies of DOOM

This post was supposed to happen a week ago - but the Techno-fairies intervened. My photos wouldn't work, Blogger went doolally on me and wouldn't let me redraft, and, to top it off, my phone has expired - not good!
The phone wouldn't have been much good anyway, as we have no signal (which is no bad thing), but, despite this, we do have wi-fi (when the Techno-fairies are in the mood!).


So, it was supposed to be about ups and downs, swings and roundabouts ... it's been a fairly torrid month (I do like that word!) - lots of ups and downs!


On an up: Cornwall, relaxation, surfing, beach - a bit of focus. I love it here. We left VERY early and were on the beach at 9am, in the sunshine. The Miracle girl is settled in nicely - sea nymph habits kicking back in ... I love seeing her outdoors, relaxed, happy ... she's been a bit stressed lately, not good really - but that's another story - so, even more content seeing her now. 🏄🌌⛺️🌊

5am - halfway there...

9am - a little bit of heaven ...

Happy ...

Downs - ah well ... campervan had to go back - yet another story ... oh, and unemployed, again ...
Still, I appear to have defeated the Techno-fairies of Doom ...

The Slippery Slip

I had to concede defeat ... on the hair, rebellion was beaten by reports! And cakes (guiltily) bit the dust too. But managed the rest, plus nine jars of blackcurrant jam...

And now am contemplating the Slippery Slip - have I mentioned The Faraway Tree before - the slow starting, but gathering speed, descent into holidayness! In two weeks time I shall be sitting next to a barbecue outside a caravan in Cornwall with a glass of wine and a book ...

But before that ... work, well, it's a school, so the normal excess of things to do. Brownies, climbing, swimming, choir - still rolling ... Performing Arts has finished: Grease last night and the Miracle Girl was fab - v. proud.

Need to get organised:

1) invitations for Christening to sort
2) send back booking forms for Village Hall
3) holiday shopping list
4) holiday packing list
5) make blackcurrant compote/ ice cream
6) pick more blackcurrants
7) make blackcurrant cordial??
8) make cakes for climbing
9) BOOK HAIR APPOINTMENT 
10) buy new collapsible BBQ from Go Outdoors
11) book surf school for Daisyfay
12) make gooseberry compote
13) order Tesco vouchers for days out in Cornwall 
14) find National Trust 2014 car sticker which I have somehow mislaid...

Life - a series of events with no gaps - good job it's fun ...

Yoghurt

Very into yoghurt at the moment - generally for breakfast - and have entered the featured competition to win a campervan several times - you never know - serendipity and all that...!

Been making more money too. Have sorted the Miracle Girl's clothes - her drawers and wardrobe are a place of beauty - the piles of sorted stuff are huge! We have tip, pass on, could we sell ...
Plus window-that-resides-in-the-garden is on ebay and has bids!

And the tax man payeth ... at last... we have paid for the caravan in Cornwall... I can't wait!

Still not truly solvent, certainly not steady, but, you know, we're getting somewhere... slowly ...

Square One

The campervan fund has taken a bit of a hit - so has the deposit for a caravan in Cornwall (in lieu of having a campervan) fund.

It all started with the scrambled egg ...

Actually no, it all started when I was pregnant ... at that point we finally conceded that we ought to do things to the house so that it would be suitable for a small child - up until then it had gone: house - holiday, house - holiday? Err ... holiday!! One of the things we did was the kitchen, which so needed doing. Avoiding the attached long story, we ended up getting two of those tall pull-out larder cupboards. Mistake. They are pants! They don't take any weight, and we are big on kitchen stuff. Also you can't stack anything higher than the wire trays because they slide off when you pull it open, and ... well, just pants ... and over time start to lean open. So, we decided to get shelves put in and the doors hinged instead. Very nice man has a workshop in the old farm buildings at the back - builds kitchens - wish he'd been there when we built ours! So far, controlled expenditure ...

Then came the scrambled egg ... the Miracle Girl has learnt to make scrambled egg on toast all by herself.

 It went: I'm going in the shower - Mummy, Mummy, can I make scrambled eggs for breakfast? - Yes, but I'm going in the shower.

Shower - conditioner - door flies open - child erupts through door sobbing! Large drawer containing pans (for scrambled eggs), jars and some chutneys etc. has pulled out too far, plummeted to the tiled floor ... well, you can guess the rest.

Towel, dripping hair, examination of broken glass and scattered contents ...

Actually, once I had rinsed my hair and put on something more substantial than a towel, there wasn't that much broken, but the little wheels that hold the drawer in had sheared off, and the drawer side was warped - this involved the making of new large drawer, and refitting of rails - not too big a kitchen job has turned into something altogether more expensive. Ho hum ....

On the plus side, my cupboards are now fab, the drawer is beautifully made of wood, and feels a whole lot more solid than what we had before, I have reorganised most of the cupboards and can find everything easily. Would heartily recommend Phil ( the very nice man).

Minimal savings, though, are gone.

Again, being positive, when we have a campervan I shall have scrambled eggs on toast made for me for breakfast...

Back to square one ...

Happy holidays...

Easter holidays - much needed! Last half term was mad busy - worked nearly every day - obviously good on the earning side, not so good on the clean your house/ write your blog/ declutter your stuff/ diversify your life front.

Jobs to do :
*  reassess plan - organise!

*  check bank balance - transfer money - pay money off!!! Yay!! (There'd better be money there after all this work - haven't had chance to check yet!)

*  see if we have enough money to put a deposit on for caravan in Cornwall (always assuming it's still available!)

*  hope we have something, however minimal, towards the campervan fund.

Okay - so these are initial jobs - I have such a long list ...

Does everyone have a list, I wonder...
Do other people get through their lists?

We saw a gorgeous campervan today - vw, dark pink, flowers - Daisyfay was impressed.

I don't want much, basic will suit - bit of make do and mend, I don't mind.
Still dreaming ...