January Recap

Due to the terrible events of the past week or two I haven't posted much. So...I'll get back into the swing of things by recapping January's budget.

What went well: (almost everything)

• the cost-of-living increase in my teacher's pension was TO THE DOLLAR exactly equal to the increases in my bills: property tax, condo fee and insurance! Sometimes the system works. That allowed the increase in my Canada Pension Plan ($8.00 whoopdedoo!) to be added to my savings.
• Saving $1,000 per month is very doable. Tsf'd $1100 in January to savings. (Travel fund:)
• Overestimates in utilities put $46 back into my misc budget line. It's just not been that cold so far this winter.
• Didn't have to pay property taxes this month as I am on a 10 month schedule. Went to savings instead.
• Overpaid insurance so received a credit in January and NO payment til Feb. Extra went to savings.
• Received investment income. Rolled it over.
• Due to various bits and bobs my misc spending budget was $675 in January!! Out of that I saved enough to buy 250 pounds sterling! 
• Received GST refund ($105 4 x a year) put it into savings
• Came in under budget for gas $75/$100 & groceries $255/$280. Extra went to misc.
• Even with that I finished January with $31 in my chequing account. Added that to February's budget.

What didn't go quite as well but wasn't too bad considering!

• $60 for eye doctor because of Posterior Vitreous Detachment issue - have a checkup in a week which is also covered by the $60 payment already made. Don't feel too upset about that bill!
• $37 for a prescription

January was a great month!!

Misc spending covered:

• two meals out (Hong Ping with a friend & Swiss Chalet with my neighbour - an annual Christmas treat)
• Wine and Food Show
• Purchased Amazon Prime for a year which also includes Amazon Prime Video streaming. Comes to less than $7.00/month
• Art supplies ordered through Amazon (free shipping :) 
• added $ to my Tim's card and my Starbucks card
• Home Depot materials to fix electrical outlet
• Walmart - craft supplies (political sign-making)
• Google storage
• 250 pounds sterling

Stay tuned for February's budget recap when I proceed to spend twice what I saved in January!!

(Scotland trip is shaping up!!)

Norwich continued...

Walking back to the City Centre, captivated by the repetition of elements which makes for great photos...

 ...the sky was rather threatening but no rain...the dark clouds helped to emphasize the contrast between the sky and the red roofs...

 I didn't have nearly enough time to explore the interesting pubs...

 ...I came back on another street so there was a different bridge over the River Wensum providing more photo opportunities...note the cathedral spire in the background...

 ...love the reflection in the river...

...some stores I wish I had more time for..."Out of Africa" Trading Post look like a great place to explore...(next time!)

 I had to walk past the cathedral again so couldn't resist taking just a few...

I hope these young students appreciate the beauty and history around them...

 

I would like to learn more about these two people and who created them - their faces, especially their eyes make them look so human...

 The cathedral has been built and rebuilt over many centuries, this portion of the ruins has been preserved...behind it there is access to a library and cafe and washrooms...

...a more modern interpretation of the Madonna and Child...

Admiral Nelson, one of my father's heroes...

 Another happy face on a wall...wish I knew the meaning of these fellows...

Love it! A store called Tickety-Boo!!

 The entrance to the very beautiful, very art nouveau Royal Arcade, designed by a local architect in 1899. (forerunner of our modern malls but designed with class and splendour)

Just breathtaking...

...couldn't resist his sad face...

 ...if you keep walking straight through the royal arcade you come to the outdoor market...which I'd like to think looks similar to what it was like back in medieval times when people gathered under the protection of the church to do their daily shopping...

 I didn't shop today but promised myself some time tomorrow...

 I'm back walking on the main street but there are lots of little alley ways connecting the main street to the outdoor market and the royal arcade...

 I looked for my bus stop and checked the time of the next bus to Mulbarton. I had time to go into STARBUCKS, have a hot drink and a snack and use their wifi (and bathroom!) It was right across from my bus stop and it was really nice to get off my feet for a bit!

 Now I'm on the bus and the sun is starting to go down...

 The bus took a slightly different route and I got a little confused so asked the driver to let me off near a spot I recognized. After asking a couple of people if I was headed in the right direction to get to Brick Kiln Rd. (no one knew!!!) I managed to get back on track. I was getting a bit nervous as it was getting dark.

 I followed the road that I knew but got distracted taking photos of the sunset (will I never learn??) and walked too far and nothing looked familiar anymore.  A fellow was walking his dog and he didn't recognize the name of the street I was looking for but directed me to a sign by a church that had a map on it. I used the flashlight on my iPhone to look on the map but Brick Kiln Rd. wasn't marked.

OK, now I'm getting panicky!! I turn around and start walking back looking for the turnoff that I must have missed while snapping happily away at the sunset. I eventually find myself back at the village green where I caught the bus in the morning berating myself for not bringing the address or phone number of the B&B with me. If I couldn't find the road myself I decided I'd have to knock on somebody's door and ask them to call me a cab!

I DID find my turnoff however, and sighed a HUGE sigh of relief!! As I walked along I recognized a few of the landmarks (the scarecrow in the garden of one house) and knew I was on the right track. I just had to keep walking (a mile!) down the road to a T junction, turn right and my B&B was a couple hundred metres down on the right.

Thank goodness for my iPhone! There were no street lights and it was pitch dark by the time I got back to the B&B. You can bet I was better prepared the next day!! Oh...and I had a huge blister on my left baby toe after my long day of walking in running shoes! I would have been better off in my hiking boots!

 This is today's sundry collection sitting by the front door waiting for me to drive it over to Talize (done now!)  I am the pillow queen! I divested myself of 4 more pillows, a bunch of books, several coats, lots of shoes, a black and white striped sweater that always made me feel like I'd done some wrong...is that a siren I hear?  

 Most of these books I brought home from the trailer. Espionage, horror and mystery - nice light summer reading! Oh yes, a few unneeded computer parts: a scanner and a keyboard.

 School books from long ago - I won't ever be using them again so off they go, along with some random craft materials. I am NOT a crafty person, artistic yes - I carve wood, soapstone, rocks, fossils, plaster of paris - but make a wreath?? I would glue my fingers all together!

 Pots, old gardening supplies, old insulators from a bygone era. Old art books from my days as an art teacher (over 13 years ago!)

There - you can sorta see my black and white striped sweater. I think I got it on the clearance rack at Joe Fresh - my daughter worked there a couple of years so I also got a staff discount. Which was no doubt the reason for purchasing that blue/grey jacket you see there too which I wore exactly once. Why do I do that?

 I had a ton of pillows that I brought home from the trailer, barely used, we kept a bunch for the occasional overnight guest. So we replaced our old pillows with the newer ones, tossed the oldest ones in the garbage and donated the rest.

Don't ask me about my previous decorating style, just don't ok?? Moving on.....


My new vacuum cleaner has been broken in and it really SUCKS...big time! With a cat I need a vacuum that can really pick up cat hair and this one is dynamite!! So happy!  And bagless - love that!! Of course, every time I vacuum I take a year off my cat's life, poor thing. She's really an old old scaredy cat. I feel really guilty when I vacuum knowing how scared she is, she hides under the bed and howls and howls. She doesn't stop shaking for hours. Maybe I should just give up vacuuming til she passes on - I mean she's 17 years old - she can't live for THAT much longer?!


Had a nice quiet (other than the vacuuming) day. Finished off the newspaper, did more laundry (found some things I'm going to list on kijiji so washing them up), made a pot of soup and my weekly ration of oatmeal. 


It feels really good to get SOME stuff organized in the basement. I still have a long way to go but now that I've made a start I don't feel so overwhelmed. I've organized things into a donate pile (gone for today), garbage (also gone), going to PEI (all on one set of shelves) and yard sale (all on its own shelf). So I'm done in the laundry room and storage area, next weekend is the furnace room/workshop which I can barely get into. I'll do a before and after picture.


Oh yeah, and I IRONED all of my clothes for the week! What a busy girl I've been today! 


Well that's it for now my friends. Michael and I are sitting in Starbucks because for some reason he can't read at home. (I think the real reason is that he stayed in bed til 3pm and needed a reason to get dressed lol!) So I had a skinny Peppermint Mocha (good Jane!) and a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie (so bad Jane!) 


When I get home I'm going to ride my bike. Didn't get around to it yesterday though my intentions were good. I was just about to change into some workout clothes when Michael called to say he'd be done earlier than usual so I went and picked him up instead and we went out for wings and entirely too much wine and single malt scotch. Woe is me.


Well it's Monday tomorrow - my favorite day of the week har har har! I need to pick up a few things for salads for the week but other than that I'm skipping grocery shopping this week. Yup - it's the week to use up what we've got again - things roll out of the fridge when we open the door. 


OK, now this is really IT, THE END, I MEAN IT, GOODBYE!

A Walk Around the Dorchester Mill Pond

Michael walking on the ice covering the mill pond. Locals said it was 12 inches thick. If that was true then why in some places was there no ice at all?? 
  P.S. I stayed OFF the ice - call me chicken if you want - it won't bother me!



Around these parts people go ice fishing with a tent, perhaps a propane heater like those guys on the left, or just with a lawnchair like the guy on the right. It was -17c with a light windchill but the sun was shining brightly. Our walk was in the shade on one side of the millpond and in the sun on the other. The sun definitely made me feel warmer!




Of course there were the usual areas cleared off for pond hockey:)
Can't take the "Canadian" out of the boy!!



Worshipping the sun god!



Shoulda brought our crazy carpets!




I'll have me some blue sky, straight up.



Ice crystals on top of the pond.



And oh yeah, you can't take the boy out of the boy:)



Hurry up wouldja? There a Starbucks coffee calling my name!



This is what kept me waiting....on second thought, take your time!



It takes a special breed of man to sit for hours over a little hole in the ice while sitting
in a lawn chair in -24 (windchill added in) weather.


 

The millpond was created by a dam - this is looking down off the bridge
on the other side of the dam.
And now it's time to head to Starbucks and warm up.
Don't fret...I'm using my Starbucks gift card :)
Cheers!