A few months and several questions

ZTD

RosaBernicia wrote: »

I've got internet again :j:j

:T

RosaBernicia wrote: »

All stuff moved except for plants, because it started snowing.

:eek:

RosaBernicia wrote: »

New flat is working out very well in itself - am sleeping well, the journey to work is only 5-10 mins more than before not the 15-20 I expected, and I like the layout. In some ways it's actually nicer than the house as it's really just the right size for me.

:T

RosaBernicia wrote: »

I don't really need more stuff than I can fit in here and it means I'm not maintaining extra rooms etc. I think this could work out very nicely. Oh and it is just completely marvellous to have heating that actually works when you tell it to. I get to go to bed and wake up in a lovely warm room :T instead of diving under the duvet shivering and taking 20 mins to work up the courage to get out of it in the morning. I've actually been getting to work on time :rotfl:

:shocked:

Knitting_Nora wrote: »

:jOoooo, you're back! You're back, you're back, you're back *runs up and smooches the inside of Missus B's screen* :j

*Z sees a commercial opportunity here, and starts selling tickets...*

Knitting_Nora wrote: »

As for the garden store - I swear by Argos and their 'Store it out' plastic sheds (excellent size one currently at £99 if you can manage it). I've had mine for about 7 years, and it's been moved all over the country in that time (no idea why they're classing it as 'new' on their web page!). Wonderful thing, and like the tardis.

A woman and her shed. Inseparable...

RosaBernicia wrote: »

Haven't managed to cook as was too grumpy but did stop at supermarket on the way back, so am just eating bits and pieces. Must find out where local one is and try that out instead of going further away to previous one.

They all have store-finders. See what's around.

RosaBernicia wrote: »

Fed up of sorting stuff and want a night off, so might just have one tomorrow.

Well, you take care of yourself - and happy new house!

RosaBernicia

Am beginning to think life wants me to call in sick for the week and just hide under the duvet. I've had a madly frustrating day.

Woke up late and rushed off to work as we had a meeting that covered discussion of any potential redundancies. I'm not drastically worried for myself as my t&cs mean I'd get a decent payout if the worst happens, but didn't want to miss it. Hadn't eaten much last night due to being late out and rushing around then sorting stuff, so was hungry as well as worried. Bumped bumpers with someone at the roundabout as I tried to pull around him into the next lane, but he didn't stop - I followed him off the roundabout, he still didn't pull over so ended up following him into his work car park to offer to swop details - noticing his brakelight wasn't working - to which he said not to worry it was only paint scratches. Took photos once he'd gone in just in case and then went to meeting. My car only has scratches and a slight dent so isn't worth having it fixed, and once I'd stopped worrying that it was all my fault I think it's quite possible his brakelight was already not working at the roundabout which would be why I thought he was moving when he wasn't.

After that just another day at work with too much to do and knowing I'm not really firing on all cylinders - wasn't prioritising very well but in the end agreed with boss to drop a minor piece of work, so will hopefully get caught up in the next couple of weeks.

Realised I really haven't been looking after myself very well as was really hungry all day and I have lost a good bit of weight. Don't ask me how much, I've no idea as I don't have scales, but it's enough that my jeans are loose. Raided M&S to make sure have something in, including picking up pie... except first the oven with no instructions wouldn't work til tweaked controls again and then timer randomly decided to not work so it ended up both singed on top and undercooked :mad::rotfl: arrrrgggh oh and the flaming electric company close their lines at 8 which is no flaming good when I didn't get out of work til 7 and have no chance of making phone calls during the day. And one of the heaters isn't working which means I will have to get hold of the landlord. Grrrrrrrrrrr.

Giant airer is a success at least - everything's nearly dried through the day which has saved an hour of electric. Next load gone in as soon as I got home since I suddenly remembered last night that I am now in a flat with upstairs neighbours and the machine is no longer out the back - oops. Have managed to disappear a black bag of clothes, decide that I need a major wardrobe evaluation when we get to spring, and am now parked on the sofa with cheesecake and CSI. The ironing can bluddy well wait.

Oh yeah and it started snowing. Which is really helpful since I still have to drive stuff to the charity shops on Saturday and get my garden stuff from the old house. It better stop til I'm done.

Rosa xx

RosaBernicia

Oooops that was a bit of a rant

Today has been much better. Furniture delivered to charity shop at lunchtime, and collected some of garden stuff on the way home rather than go past with an empty car. Oddly I don't feel at all nostalgic for the house, though I do miss the garden and wanted to somehow roll it all up and take it with me . Have managed to disappear another few things and hopefully tomorrow will just be one run of taking stuff to charity shop and bringing back last bits of garden stuff. Then will be off to have some FUN in the evening finally. I feel like I've done nothing but flaming housework for weeks. Oh yeah, that would be because I have.

Finally got hold of electric company so that's sorted and will be started with direct debit of £50 a month. Probably not great but better than the £80-odd I was ending up paying in the last place. Means I can start figuring out my budget again... though that means also trying to understand council tax bill they've sent me their calculations but I haven't a clue what they're on about :rotfl:

Rosa xx

RosaBernicia

:eek::eek::mad: £60 mobile phone bill

Guess that would be the calls to family about the funeral and also trying to ring insurance companies etc. Oh well it won't happen any more, now I have the landline I'll be back to usual.

ZTD

RosaBernicia wrote: »

Woke up late and rushed off to work as we had a meeting that covered discussion of any potential redundancies. I'm not drastically worried for myself as my t&cs mean I'd get a decent payout if the worst happens, but didn't want to miss it.

So how did it go?

RosaBernicia wrote: »

to which he said not to worry it was only paint scratches.

Well at least he has a realistic attitude. I've seen grown men have kittens over paint scratches.

The RSPCA homed them.

RosaBernicia wrote: »

Realised I really haven't been looking after myself very well as was really hungry all day and I have lost a good bit of weight.

RosaBernicia wrote: »

Don't ask me how much, I've no idea as I don't have scales, but it's enough that my jeans are loose. Raided M&S to make sure have something in, including picking up pie... except first the oven with no instructions wouldn't work til tweaked controls again and then timer randomly decided to not work so it ended up both singed on top and undercooked :mad::rotfl: arrrrgggh

Sounds like you cook like me. Except I would just have pretended it was pizza, and it would have come out perfect... :whistle:

RosaBernicia wrote: »

Oooops that was a bit of a rant

It's your diary. It's what it is here for.

RosaBernicia wrote: »

:eek::eek::mad: £60 mobile phone bill

Guess that would be the calls to family about the funeral and also trying to ring insurance companies etc. Oh well it won't happen any more, now I have the landline I'll be back to usual.

It'll be back to usual as you will not be going to too many more funerals.

It's good to see you back and a little bit happier.

RosaBernicia

I can get to my freezer, the boxes are now at least in co-ordinated stacks, and I may even manage to clear the other sofa tonight.

I feel much better now I'm definitely moved and am surprised how much I love this little flat. It's just right. I love not having stairs or an alarm, and I love having everything I need right here and no more. The downsizing was due. Oh and was helped by a sudden buyer for a book I've had for sale on Amazon for over a year - just as well I could find it :rotfl: but that's about £18 profit for something I picked up in a charity shop and never got round to reading


However... I think I am about to do something very un-MSE.

I haven't made any plans for my birthday in the next week or so, because I've been totally distracted and just haven't had time to organise the kind of thing I'd really like to do. I could just go out with friends locally but it will all be a bit last minute and the people I really really want to see can't make it at this kind of notice. And what I really feel I want at this point is some time to myself. I recognise this will sound bonkers to some people but everything's been mad recently and I feel like I'm just coming out from under the cloud - I'd really like some time to just mosy and people-watch in coffee shops and listen to myself thinking it all through.

I can only think of one thing I really really want to do that is absolutely special to me. It involves going to see a particular work of art in a foreign city. It also sort of relates to my gran. Even just making the journey would be significant for me, however dull it is, and it's kind of even better that it would fit with my birthday. And I don't mind doing this on my own - I would be quite happy to suspend myself in travel at the moment.

So I think I am about to spend several hundred pounds on a flight and hotel, and spend my birthday alone in a city I've never seen in order to visit a fabulous work of art that has a remote connection to someone who isn't around any more. And if that makes no sense to anybody else, that's just tough, because I think it's right for me. I wasn't expecting my life to be like this at this point, or for recent plans to turn out this way, but as they have, I think I might just make the most of it and darn well do what feels right for me for right now.

Of course I shouldn't be running up the credit card, but I was going to start putting money aside for holidays this month anyhow and had decided I wouldn't be going abroad til after June, so a few months money can go towards this. There will also be a little money from my gran's estate, and birthday money, so those can be put towards it.

I'm skiving dance class tonight as I really wasn't in the mood, and am going through websites for flights etc. I'll also think about going to see the travel agents tomorrow - given that I want to leave the day after :rotfl: and might need Monday morning off :rotfl:

I can't quite explain why this feels like a good decision but it does!

Rosa xx

ZTD

RosaBernicia wrote: »

I can get to my freezer,

Pizza city!

RosaBernicia wrote: »

However... I think I am about to do something very un-MSE.

I haven't made any plans for my birthday in the next week or so, because I've been totally distracted and just haven't had time to organise the kind of thing I'd really like to do. I could just go out with friends locally but it will all be a bit last minute and the people I really really want to see can't make it at this kind of notice. And what I really feel I want at this point is some time to myself. I recognise this will sound bonkers to some people but everything's been mad recently and I feel like I'm just coming out from under the cloud - I'd really like some time to just mosy and people-watch in coffee shops and listen to myself thinking it all through.

I can only think of one thing I really really want to do that is absolutely special to me. It involves going to see a particular work of art in a foreign city. It also sort of relates to my gran. Even just making the journey would be significant for me, however dull it is, and it's kind of even better that it would fit with my birthday. And I don't mind doing this on my own - I would be quite happy to suspend myself in travel at the moment.

So I think I am about to spend several hundred pounds on a flight and hotel, and spend my birthday alone in a city I've never seen in order to visit a fabulous work of art that has a remote connection to someone who isn't around any more. And if that makes no sense to anybody else, that's just tough, because I think it's right for me. I wasn't expecting my life to be like this at this point, or for recent plans to turn out this way, but as they have, I think I might just make the most of it and darn well do what feels right for me for right now.

Of course I shouldn't be running up the credit card, but I was going to start putting money aside for holidays this month anyhow and had decided I wouldn't be going abroad til after June, so a few months money can go towards this. There will also be a little money from my gran's estate, and birthday money, so those can be put towards it.

I'm skiving dance class tonight as I really wasn't in the mood, and am going through websites for flights etc. I'll also think about going to see the travel agents tomorrow - given that I want to leave the day after :rotfl: and might need Monday morning off :rotfl:

I can't quite explain why this feels like a good decision but it does!

Rosa xx

Remember lastminute.com

MSE is not about depriving yourself, it is about getting the biggest bang for your buck. Better to spend a few hundred on something you *really* want to do, than tens on meaningless crap you couldn't give a flying fart about.

Happy Valentines! :heart2::heart2::heart2:

kerri_dfw

Sounds like you're going to be eating fresh brie with cranberries, lots of garlic and lovely red wine very soon by your description sounds fabulous, remember your beret! xx

RosaBernicia

I used to be able to make decisions, at least I think I did...:rotfl:

I forgot about visas . Applied and passed, but think I really need more than the two nights I have available to do the trip justice and also think I should probably do a little more research. Turning up for an adventure has many plus points but given recent history it also runs the risk of turning me into a gibbering wreck over something like not being able to find the bus station. So unless I change my mind in the next three hours (not impossible) I'm not going. Probably. But I do have the visa sorted and a better idea of what I want to do, so can arrange it for another time.

Am feeling at a bit of a loose end as I now have a few days free but haven't arranged anything given that I've spent the last few weeks moving. Am thinking will do some local trips and get the house a little more sorted but do also want to catch up with friends I haven't been seeing. Not feeling quite up to tackling a new and improved social life just yet so that can hand on til I have the flat etc a bit more under control.

Am peeved that if I'm not rushing off abroad I won't be doing anything very exciting for my actual birthday, but it can't really be helped - it's too short notice to fix things and there are very good reasons I've been distracted. I'll get over it, just as I eventually realised that New Year's Eve is just another night.

In MSE news I have £10 credit off my gas/ elec bill for the old house since they have screwed up the bill AGAIN :mad::mad: as I pointed out, this is my FIFTH complaint about the same issue... funnily enough I was only waiting til this month for the £50 apology credit anyway. Hoping for yet more now I've emailed them yet again. Overdraft is looking healthier than I expected and I still need to nag the old landlord about my deposit return.

And in moving news I can now safely walk through the flat and lay hands on most things, but I can't be dealing with sorting clothes tonight so it's NCIS, probably a pizza (I did cook properly yesterday and took lunch to work too), and ironing if I can be bothered. Distinctly bored with all this housework malarky, tolerance officially exceeded.

Rosa xx

ZTD

RosaBernicia wrote: »

I used to be able to make decisions, at least I think I did...:rotfl:

"I used to be indecisive, but now I'm not so sure..."

RosaBernicia wrote: »

Am peeved that if I'm not rushing off abroad I won't be doing anything very exciting for my actual birthday, but it can't really be helped - it's too short notice to fix things and there are very good reasons I've been distracted. I'll get over it, just as I eventually realised that New Year's Eve is just another night.

Days are what you make of them. Just as St Valentine's day should not be thke only romantic day of the year, fixed events like Christmas and birthdays should not be the most exciting days of the year.

RosaBernicia wrote: »

In MSE news I have £10 credit off my gas/ elec bill for the old house since they have screwed up the bill AGAIN :mad::mad: as I pointed out, this is my FIFTH complaint about the same issue... funnily enough I was only waiting til this month for the £50 apology credit anyway.

Which company is this?

RosaBernicia wrote: »

And in moving news I can now safely walk through the flat and lay hands on most things, but I can't be dealing with sorting clothes tonight so it's NCIS, probably a pizza (I did cook properly yesterday and took lunch to work too), and ironing if I can be bothered. Distinctly bored with all this housework malarky, tolerance officially exceeded.

It's not usually something people look forward to...