Eating out and still landed with the washing up!

Last night we decided after being tired all week, we would go out for a meal. My partner choose a local – and highly recommended – Indian restaurant in Honor Oak Park called Babur. It was lovely! The service was excellent, the decor was fantastic and the food was very tasty. A bit more spicey than I’m used to (look, I’m a culinary wimp!) but really flavoursome. We both eshewed starters and I had chicken biriyani with the chicken and rice cooked together keeping everything moist, and a naan bread (In my world where I make the rules, you can’t have a curry without a naan. It’s just wrong.) My partner had a light pancake filled with a variety of vegetables. Apparently it was gorgeous and it was absolutely massive! We also had a side order of asparagus. Afterwards, I had a spicy bread and butter pudding and a coffee and my partner had a peppermint tea. It was just under £50 – we didn’t really have any alcohol except for one bottle of cobra (which was a pint bottle). We’ll definitely go back but we were so full when we got out of the restaurant we thought we might have to take it in turns to be rolled to the car.

We've also been collecting the Independent newspaper tokens - dine in a gastro pub for £10 - which we're hoping to do next week.

When we got in, we started looking online for land to buy. There were some promising leads in Cornwall and Devon so we sent a few enquiry emails. We have a mortgage appointment this Saturday so we should have a much better idea of how much we can borrow and also what the different repayment options are on varying amounts. We’re both quite excited – it means once we have this information we can start looking seriously. Although we would prefer to leave it till after the wedding, I also don’t want to miss out on a bargain just because we weren’t ‘quite’ ready.

Today I had to give in and buy Microsoft office at full price. We were hoping to buy it through work because it’s a lot cheaper and we use the laptop for work – me especially. However, it was taking so long to sort out: with no guarantee that we could purchase it through either of our workplaces, that I went to PC World and spent £99 on Microsoft ’07 this morning. Although for that amount of money I want someone to come round, install the bugger, walk the dog and do the washing up...

I would like to take a break now but the dog is insisting on a walk, the washing up remains stubbornly undone, there’s laundry everywhere and I still have lot of work to do. I may indulge in a cup of tea and put the heating on though – it’s really cold today!

Dandiest dog

I’m still having problems with my computer but am employing relaxation techniques to deal and manage the subsequent stress this is causing. Actually what I’m saying is fuck you, I’m the human being, you’re the machine and I can switch you off permanently pal… let’s hope it doesn’t come to that…

I’m really looking forward to the rugby world cup – once every four years and my partner is geared up for me watching a lot of rugby in the next six weeks. There’s beer in the fridge and WHEN England win the world cup, I will be opening a bottle of champagne to celebrate. Seems only fitting…

I have two photo assignments coming up in the next two to three weeks, which is fantastic – the money is going straight into the wedding fund! Just as well really, I haven’t really started saving, although we do have some money, as anyone who has ever planned a wedding will tell you, you always need more, much more!

I’m feeling good about money at the moment. Don’t misunderstand; I don’t suddenly have lots of it! It’s just for the first time in a long time, I feel ‘in control’ financially speaking, whereas previously with my problems with number recognition, my inability to save and being made redundant and then being unemployed for a long time, money always controlled me and even if I was happy and well, there would always be a small part of me stressed and worried about money – or lack thereof more accurately. Now if I could just sort out my idiot bank I’d be over the moon…

I opened a savings account yesterday. I have had savings accounts before – but in name only I’m afraid. They didn’t actually contain any money. Let’s hope I make a better go of it with this one!

My partner is still not well, although she’s gone back to work, and I’m fighting off whatever bug or virus it is that is currently doing the rounds. So far, I’m staying on top of things, but it’s really helped that I worked from home yesterday and today. Especially as I seem to be particularly peeved with my commute at the moment – stress (that word again) lowers your immune system.

We have the most ginormous pile of washing up to do that I have foolishly volunteered to work my way through, but before I do that, more coffee, more work and I need to walk the dog. He needs to be in tip top condition if he’s to win Battersea’s dandiest dog competition on Sunday!

Facebook

I’ve had a very strange morning. I’ve eaten fried egg and hash brown sandwiches; joined Facebook; given two friends a poke (on Facebook I hasten to add); found my birth certificate (I wasn’t looking); despaired about the amount of washing up we’ve created; genuinely mourned the fact that there will be no more Harry Potter books, and am now seriously considering going back to bed for a lay down…

My partner is at her parent’s house this morning and I want to do the washing up before she gets back but it just seems like a job for three or four professional washer uppers… what I have told myself is that if I do it, I can eat the apple pie left in the fridge (cold apple pie is the best). After which I need to exercise the hound and then there are a million other things that need doing around the house!

It’s a gorgeous day again and really, I shouldn’t be stuck in front of a computer when I do that all week… so on that note, see ya!