Coffee and chocolate

miggy

Two nights of work now behind me and over a week of leave to look forward to!

Went to look at cookers this afternoon, which makes it sound like an alternative to the races. DS1 and DD are still finding other places to feed them - a bit like having cats really - and the rest of us are eating microwave meals / cooking on an open fire / buying chips. Good job it doesn't have to last long.

We think we have sussed a reasonable price range for the insurance claim - amazing what a difference a programmable oven makes to price, and thankfully our old cooker had one of these marvellous things. Looking at new equivalents is fun: I now have a picture on my phone of one I liked very, very much with oodles of oven space. It lacks certain features of the old one, such as a door seal that no longer stays in place, oven door that has to be propped shut and gungy corners that are very hard to clean, but I think I can live without those, as I can without the fancy sunray effect on the top caused by the descending cupboard.

We are probably talking about the end of this coming week before we can get the payment through and a cooker delivered, so we will all be well and truly ready for it when it comes. Bags I first go!

Oh bother - just realised I haven't filled in a timesheet at work so I shall have to go back in sometime next week. I'm still waiting to hear from them about the missing increment so I have that to chase up too.

Off to see if I can get on Facebook... don't know where it's gone this evening.

miggy

Found FB... this morning. Don't know where it went, probably never will.
Today has been busy: church, visit to Mum, out for dinner with DD and her BF and somewhere in between I planted up the winter pansies.

That's about it really. Will try to find something to write about tomorrow!

Lemon_Tree

glad you've picked your new cooker, i love mine even though it's now 9 years old, it's a Hotpoint double oven, funnily enough it was the one thing i balked at when our viewer asked if we were leaving it behind. I'm happy to leave the dishwasher, which is newer, but would like to take our cooker.

have you got started on your knitting? what is it your going to be knitting? i've started a lovely cardi for my neice which is growing quite nicely.

miggy

I liked the look of the Hotpoints, LT, and would certainly consider them if for some reason Plan A falls through. I think the washing machine and tumble drier which lasted Mum about twenty years were Hotpoints... real work horses.

As for knitting, I was up till one this morning having googled 'free knitting'! I'm quite tempted to try slippers but I haven't knitted seriously since I was at College and now my eldest is that age, so perhaps I should start with something very straightforward. Last year I bought a pattern for a cardi that I liked a lot so maybe that ought to be tackled. I'm a bit reluctant to spend over £20 on wool, that's far more than I'd spend on a ready-made garment, but on the other hand if I make a good job of it, it will be around for a long time.

Money-wise, the window cleaner has just been and will need paying later, and my piano teacher has cancelled for tomorrow (saving £10 - just when I'd practiced and all!)

And... this is my week off: I slept till 10.30! That's something that rarely happens now; I just get up when other people do, but I must have needed it. I realised I must have got the week off to a good start because I'm kind of aware of those two baskets of pansies sitting by the main door and that makes me feel that the outside of the house looks good, even if in reality there is a lot to be done in terms of picking up stray plant pots, general tidying and finding space for lots of things that are living in pots but really ought to be planted out.

I am going to treat myself and copy out some recipes that I want to try once the new cooker comes, but at some point I actually have to locate all the bits and get round to sending off the claim... this may mean ringing the electrician if his message isn't in my inbox but to be fair I haven't looked for two days.

Off to do something about something!

miggy

I have now copied the recipes into my 'recipes to try' notebook (which is packed!), got the milk in, uncovered the poor rabbit (who deserves better but is now sitting in the sun), paid the window cleaner (£5) and the washing machine is running.

DS2 and I are having a lazy day - it being half term - but I want to get a few more things done.

Lemon_Tree

glad you got a nice layin, you defintely needed it if you were able to sleep that long.
you should give the cardi a go, i'm knitting one for my neice which is lovely, some places sell nice wool for not a huge price, the choice is restricted but it's worth a look, i've also picked up some nice stuff on ebay before now.

miggy

This afternoon went off track... picked up a very neat little bookcase at the auction for Mum (just over a fiver) and took it to her this afternoon. It's perfect and I am weary!

Not having a cooker is becoming a pain, but we are managing.

Two loads of washing done, which is important.

No word from the electrician, which is holding up the insurance so a phone call will be made. It's quite possible he's sent it to the wrong email as the one I used is complicated.

Pansies still looking good...

miggy

Lemon_Tree wrote: »

i've also picked up some nice stuff on ebay before now.

That's a very good idea! Will have a browse...

miggy

We now have a super letter from the electrician, so tomorrow's job will be... guess what? Well, if I'm getting bored with this, I'm sure you are too so 'nuff said.

My friend is doing a fund raiser by knitting tiny Christmas puds that make Ferrer* Rocher cosies, so am roped in. I did say I was thinking of knitting but I didn't have this in mind! I have sent her a linkie to a free pattern for knitted cupcakes. We will both be slim for Christmas.

miggy

Rang HR to see what had happened to the promised phone call about my missing increment. 'I'm afraid there is only one person in today who can deal with it and she's on the phone.'
Can she ring me back? Apparently they don't do things like that - either I can ring back myself or leave a message on her voice mail. I opted for the latter - hoping the message actually left itself: it's a complicated system and I got as far as reviewing my message and agreeing that's what I wanted left, then was presented with a series of options that obviously make sense if you know the lingo on their system. I've worked with a big phone system before but it was much clearer than this. By the time it got as far as the expectant pause in which I'm supposed to choose a number (and it didn't repeat the options), I had actually forgotten what the early ones were, so I gave up and hung up. If I don't hear back, I shall have to spend some more phone bill ringing back - for their mistake. Grrr.
Am annoyed now - doesn't take much, does it? Why should HR steal my peace?