Finding Enough

No hot water, a holiday and pine marten kits, June update

findingenoughwombat

8th Jul 2025

Pine martens in daylight out of the window! This turned out to be Mum.

June started in very positive fashion, with the stonemason we had been waiting on for months finally being available to repair the cracked linted in the newly revealed large fireplace. We finally got the in line extractor installed in the ceiling above the shower room and changed the aged halogen lights for LED spots and there were wildflowers popping up everywhere. Just as we were patting ourselves on the back and working out which order to do all the jobs required to put the ‘rubble’ room back together, the hot water cylinder sprung a leak 🙈

Probate, a heatwave and a mini-adventure to the Isle of Bute, May update

findingenoughwombat

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8th Jun 2025

The view from Bute across to Argyll and the ferry at Colintrave, on a perfect sunny day

May was improbably warm and dry in SW Scotland. The weather was glorious, but drought is perilous for those (like us) with private water supplies. A daily hike down to the well became the norm once the burn (stream) past our house stopped flowing. Just the circumstances you want for when your in-laws are about to visit 🙄

The arrival of spring, and the loss of a parent, April update

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10th May 2025

The ominous glow from our window on the first night

April began in dramatic fashion with a wildfire in the Galloway Hills that we could see out of the window! Even if you live in the UK, you probably didn’t see it on the news, as despite it burning for 5 days and extending to 45 miles in length at one point, not many people live here, so it’s not very news worthy. The first night I saw a red glow behind the ruined barn, when I went to lock the door at bedtime. I wandered out with a torch, expecting to see the rear lights of some kind of farm vehicle in the field behind, but was astonished to see the hill in the distance aglow. I assumed that unless there had been some kind of alien invasion, it must be a wildfire, but there was no mention on any of the local social media groups. Having been quite close to the California fires in January, we we kept a close eye on developments, but thankfully it spread away from us.

A bee keeping beginner’s course, and the arrival of some new (buzzy) tenants, March Update.

findingenoughwombat

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26th Apr 2025

The new residents in our garden have the best view in the place!

I’m running a bit late with this update, as almost as soon as I had updated the numbers for last month, we were overtaken by a life event that has rather dominated the last few weeks. I will talk about it more in next month, but I suspect this update may be a bit more brief than usual as a result.

March saw the beginning of spring creeping in. I have always loved this time of year, but in SW Scotland it is particularly special. Each week a different flower or bird appears, nests start to be built and new voices join the dawn chorus.

An American roadtrip and renewed renovation momentum, February update

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9th Mar 2025

Some Californian wilderness from our recent trip

February was a bit of a whirlwind. A very positive one, but a whirlwind nonetheless. Our 3 week San Diego house sit continued into the first week of the month, and because we thought it unlikely that we’d find ourselves in that part of the world again, we tacked a short road trip on the end of our sit. After a lot of consideration of options of where to go, we opted to check out some very contrasting wilderness from what we are used to. Desert.

A new year and some Californian sunshine! January update

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26th Feb 2025

The home in San Diego we looked after while the owners were away

January was a month of huge contrast, as we spent the first 2 weeks at home in Scotland after returning from Christmas and New Year down south, but then the last 2 weeks were spent on our most adventurous house sit to date – in San Diego! We enjoyed the winter sunshine in Majorca last Christmas, so kept an eye out for winter sits somewhere sunnier this winter. When California came up, we applied. We got on well with the homeowners on a video call and were invited.

2024 – 2 years of ‘retirement’ and 10 years of FIRE investing

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4th Feb 2025

As 2025 rolled in, I started crunching the numbers on our second year of ‘retirement’ and reflected on the investment journey that got me here. September 2024 marked 10 years since I made my first investment, so it seems appropriate to consider what is possible in a decade as well as just what we’ve achieved in the last year. I should clarify that in September 2014, I wasn’t starting from zero. I had been contributing to corporate pensions since I started my first full time job in 2000 and I had made a minor investment in unit trusts in 2002, through a work-provided financial advisor, when I received a small inheritance from my grandmother. I was starting from just over that magic £100k level when I actually took an interest and added it all up. Technically this was not my first investment, but it was the first I had taken control of, and responsibility for and that felt daunting to say the least.

Short days, lino printing and a family Christmas, December update

findingenoughwombat

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12th Jan 2025

A misty sunset in mid-December in SW Scotland

The flip side of long summer days in this part of the world are the short winter ones. On the shortest day, the sun didn’t rise until 08.40, and it set at 15.51. That meant a lot of sunset walks, as time got away from us and we rushed out before it got dark. Some sunsets were well worth the effort.

It has been a busy start to 2025, so I am a bit behind where I wanted to be with my review of 2024 post. I have started crunching the numbers, and plan to publish it before it’s time to review January spending.

Frosty mornings and a pine marten, November Update

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14th Dec 2024

A frosty morning just before sunrise – the view from our garden

I’m a bit late updating this month, as I’ve been distracted playing with lino printing again, now I have a bit of studio space. There’s a long way to go to have it set up how I want it, but I set myself the challenge of making my own Christmas cards to get me started. This gave me a deadline when it came to last posting dates, and it took priority over blog writing for a week or so. Looking back, we got up to quite a lot in November, both at home and visiting friends in Northumberland.

More mushrooms, and a mini-adventure to Belfast, October update

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9th Nov 2024

Autumn brings some beautiful light, but shorter days

Autumn is in full swing now and despite the best efforts of storm Ashley, the continuing mild weather has meant that the beautiful autumnal leaves have stayed on the trees for a little longer. Apart from a weekend dash down to Shropshire for a friend’s birthday party, we have been at home all month enjoying watching the season, and the wildlife, changing. The swallows have left and been replaced with fieldfares and redwings feasting on rowan and haw berries. We have started to hear the prehistoric shriek of jays again (not sure where they disappear to in the summer). Rut season has brought occasional roaring red deer in the evenings, culminating in spotting the silhouette of a red deer stag in the field behind the house one evening. We even spotted our first red squirrel running along the wall at the back of the ruined barn.