The most wonderful (and expensive) time of the year!!

I have two birthdays coming up next week then Mr A and I are going to be gearing up ready for Christmas. We've finally agreed that come the new year we are both going to start putting money aside for a mortgage each month. We only want somewhere modest, just two bedrooms ATM, our budget is looking like 60-70k, we want to save 15k between us to cover 10% deposit to cover deposit legal fees and new furniture. Every day something seems to happen/go wrong with this place, I've got a list and things keep getting added to it!!!
Tonight I found a hole in the spare room wall, I'm sure it wasn't there before. I also need to change all the washers on the taps and fit a new latch on the kitchen door because it's sticking and one of us is going to get stuck (probably me, when Mr A is at work!)
Plus the kitchen sink keeps blocking up.
I don't mind all these little jobs, I guess it's part of having somewhere to live, but my landlord is a bit of a twit!! Found out today that when he had the boiler installed in the flat he didn't register it so it hasn't got a warranty on it!! Surely that's basic stuff. Not a huge issue as timer and front casing needs replacing so he's going to be getting a bill for that!! No way am I paying for it, phoned him earlier today and asked him to arrange appointment with boiler people and he said 'why do you want me to do it?' and I said 'because its your boiler and you're my landlord'. Tis supposed to be his responsibility. He's got to look at this wall tomorrow and I just know nothing will get done about it, he'll proabaly just tell me to fill the gap with poly filler!! I don't think so, the house has got rising damp and the foundations get shook every Wednesday by the brewery doing the beer delivery!!
Am getting so frustrated living here, said to Mr A today wish we could save up deposit to rent somewhere else but it's difficult with our animals, lots of private landlords won't have it and we have no chance of getting on the housing list. I only moved here cos I had to, many a time the last couple of months I've bitterly regretted not hanging in there, I loved that house, it was a proper home, unlike all the other places I've lived in.

I am quite busy at work at the moment, I am doing my nvq and a distance learning course to do with the handling of medication. I've started a new WIP even though country companions isnt finished ( think that's gonna end up a UFO), this new piece is only little it's for a Christmas card. Unfortunately I've come to realise that I don't stitch fast at all lol. Seems like I had a lot more time when I was in my old job!!
My next project after that is a baby sampler for a friend of mine, she's having a little girl, due in February. Showed her the chart for the sampler and she loves it, plus it's fairly smalle and not too detailed so I should have no trouble finishing it. The country companions piece became a problem because of the tweeding, I think I've got really sick of it now!

Next months issue of csc looks good, it's got a Joan Elliot Christmas fairy, seems like she'd be beautiful to stitch, except she uses beads, fractionals and metallics, I'm only just learning fractionals lol, although I quite enjoy them! Really ought to get off this thing and go to bed, time I had an early night, no day off now til next weds and most of my shifts are early starts. Will post a pic of my latest piece when it looks like something lol