Right - another week has gone by and we are a little further on the road. I have handed in a formal request for voluntary redundany and am waiting to hear the result. I have told my unit manager (and told him I would be very upset if he turned me down LOL) But he has to look at the applications before he makes him mind up.

I have had a go at the utility this weekend - finally got the stained limescale off the inside of the sink. Now have to find a place for some of the junk, can't wait for the car boots to start up. Need to make a good go at it this spring, don't want to have to throw it all away before we sell the house.

Have decided to put some slate tiles on the en suite floor to replace the carpet and might use the same for the downstairs loo. Not getting much done yet but at least I feel as if the intent is there at last.

Disaster strikes

Right - it has been a long time again since I was here but this time I'm going to write more often.

We had a few big problems in early December, OH admitted to huge cc debts (£18.5K!!!) so there has been huge tightening of belts. After spending about a month of sleepless nights mulling over the pros and cons of any subsequent actions I've decided that we must sell the house so that we can get on an even keel and start again. We have family debts apart from OH's and there is really no alternative. The sale of the house was and option for a few years hence anyway.

Before we can sell the house there needs to be a lot of work done for which we have no funds, so with this in mind I have applied to take voluntary redundancy sometime in April. This will give us enough money to get the house ready for the market and keep the mortgage paid for about 12 months. We have a substantial equity in the house and two endowments which will mature in March 2013. This all hinges on the redundancy though - they may not let me go.

Also the freezer has started to go on the blink so need to eat the contents - should be fun.

Will update more often to keep myself on track.

Been away too long

Well I have just looked at the blog and realised that it has been far too long since I updated!!!

The summer has been and gone, the weather is starting to cool rapidly. The other half is still out of work (seven months now) but he has an interview today so I would ask the universe to think of him at 10am BST.

The garden has done very well, though there are a few things to be done differently next year,

We will grow more parsnips - the ones we have a doing well but there are not nearly enough for the winter.

We will use the old reccling boxes for potatoes again but plan them later as the earlier ones didn't finish any earlier than the ones we planted later.

The onions have ben very successful but will grow red ones next time.

Other decisions will be made during long winter evenings.

Eldest DD was married last Saturday - the weather held and a good time was had by all - would post picies but this isn't her blog so not really the place.

Will be back soon and promise to post more regularly in future.

On into the summer

Hi reader, (if there are any!!)

Just a note to say there are now peas and courgettes coming out of the garden and the onions will be lifting soon for drying. There are flowers on the butternut squash and the other veges are chugging along nicely.

We are still getting raspberries though not as many, we have managed to freeze a few boxes for later in the year.

OH has now started to do some decorating as we may have to put the house on the market in the spring and I don't want to have to try and do it all at once in the winter.

DD1 is getting married in 8 weeks and my weight loss programme seems to have stalled - will have to try harder.

These are our first potatoes for the year, they were eaten baked in the oven as mini jackets and served with broad beans and carrots, also from the garden.

We are finally getting some of the produce we hoped for.

The courgettes have grown loads duing the last couple of weeks and should be flowering soon. The butternut in growing like Jack's beanstalk so we will see if that is a success later in the summer.

The weather is still very warm - we have had to water regularly but there has been occasional rain.

We need to transplant the broccoli but also need to have some nets to prevent the attack of the cabbage white - so a trip to the garden centre may be required. I've tried the £shop but no joy there.

The main jobs for the weekend in the house are to look at the food stores and get a bit organised, and to clear out the utility room to make more storage room - this will be done in the cool of the evening!!!

Awol for a while

Hi, I've been AWOL for a while, but not much has happened. OH has now been out of work since the 1st February so finances are getting a bit tight. The garden is coming along very well and I will try to post some updated photos tomorrow. I have been working very had lately so some decent weather over the weekend is a wonderful thing.

Have been to the farmers market at South Cave this morning, visiting rellies and buying free range eggs and goats cheese. We also took a detour and found a really nice little farm shop and cafe so we treated ourselves to a cappuccino.

Had chicken and couscous for lunch - bought loads from Approved Foods last week so need to get used to the idea. We are trying to reduce food costs as much a possible but it is hard going.

Happy Easter

We have been having a very lazy Easter here by the cherry tree, but OH has planted up the last of the potatoes in the redundant recycling boxes. (The council has changed the recycling system so they were surplus not nicked) Each box has 3 seed potatoes in, so 45 plants in all. They are all earlies.

Other jobs in the garden include planting out the onions which had been started in plug pots to give them a head start and putting the strawberries in the hanging baskets at the front og the house. We also have some other strawberries, I think they are alpine, in a strawberry pot in the birdbath (thought that might keep them out of reach of the slugs - we'll see.)

The broad beans are coming on well in the deep bed, but the courgettes may have been caught by the frost, OH has planted a couple of spare seeds just in case we need them. Carrot and spring onion seeds are in and lots of seedlings still growing in various parts of the house.