Looking for the silver lining

Sun_Addict

Have had a fairly relaxing day, although Mr SA suggested we go to our local for lunch at one point. Still feel rough. Found a website - My Builder where you say what job you need doing and local builders say if they're interested. The site vet all the tradesmen and you can view feedback. So I put on there about the garden work and one has registered interest so far. He's got great feedback. However Mr SA's sister knows a gardener but keeps forgetting to ask him to contact us. I can't wait forever though. Mr SA is pestering for a summer house now. I've told him if he and the carer work on clearing all the rubbish from the bottom of the garden I'll get one. I need to get a skip for them but Mr SA for some reason is dead against this.

If I can fend off Mr SA and his coffee run to town tomorrow there will be a £50 underspend in this week's budget which can go towards the patio. I really need to sort out my wardrobe tomorrow so wish me luck.

please-let-me-be-lucky

Good luck Xx

*Robin*

Good luck! :cool2: xx

beanielou

Hope goes well.

Sun_Addict

It was a hard battle but I managed to persuade Mr SA we didn't need to go out for a coffee. I wouldn't mind but he goes out for one every day in the week with his carer. I've sorted my wardrobe - put my winter stuff away, got my summer stuff out and I've got a sackful of stuff for the charity shop. Job well done and a nice tidy wardrobe once again. I really don't need the buy summer clothes for the foreseeable future looking at the stash I've got!

SIL managed to speak to the gardener she knows and he's going to ring me to arrange to come round and have a look. I need to be in as I don't trust Mr SA to organise it, we'll end up with something weird. He seems to have lost his sense of taste completely. He hung two England flags up in the garden, they look awful, I've managed to "lose" one (the wind must've blown it away ) and I'm working on the other one.

Need to start the ball rolling re doing the house up. Feel quite enthusiastic at the moment. Once my work contract has been sorted I can go to the building society and see about a remortgage for the big jobs. Shouldn't be too much longer. In the meantime I'm going to save as much as I can to get things done. Even Mr SA is getting on board with this and is quite excited about it all. Took me long enough to persuade him.

So a very low spend day today, just £1.38 at the local shop, yesterday I spent less than £5 so am about to add the £50 underspend for this week to my house savings. Next week will be more spendy as I doubt I will be able to put off the coffee shop two weeks running and I've got a nail appointment. Feel a bit extravagant having shellac colour on my nails every two weeks but they've grown so much since I started having it done and they look so nice I'm loathe to give it up now.

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend x

Sun_Addict

The gardener SIL recommended came round tonight just as I was about to have a bath and put my feet up. He's had a good look around and come up with some ideas but expected me to know which patio slabs I wanted - seriously I know zilch about this sort of thing so felt rather put on the spot. So had a quick flick on the Internet and gave him a rough idea, hoping I hadn't gone for the most expensive sort. He will let me know of rough costs in a couple of days. Mr SA kept chipping in and making it sound like money was no object and being quite embarrassing at times, making daft suggestions and asking strange questions. So we'll see what sort of price he comes up with. I could kick Mr SA sometimes. At one point the gardener asked me where I work and when I told him Mr SA said " so don't mention to her about any work you do cash in hand" - cringe. When he rings I'll put him in the picture about Mr SA. We'll be lucky if he wants to take the work on after tonight!

Sun_Addict

Not heard from the gardener yet - hope Mr SA didn't scare him off. He's been a bit "strutty", probably because he's not happy about someone else doing a job he could've done before he got ill. He's also been confused and thought it was nearly Christmas (now there's a scary thought!!!). I know this year is going by too quickly but .....

So glad it's Bank Holiday weekend, have been mega busy at work (no change there). I'm constantly bombarded with things to do, everyone comes to me for help, no one else seems to be this busy. My manager is concerned by the amount of people who rely on me, she says I'm a "comfort blanket" for them and they don't trust anyone else. I feel like I'm a carer at work as well as at home.

Really need to get some sort of diet/exercise plan back into action again now I'm feeling better so will look into this at the weekend. I've still been walking to work and back so not exactly been a coach potato Just need to get back on track.

Sun_Addict

Still not heard from the gardener Workmate has recommended a gardener if I don't hear anything. Reckon Mr SA has put him off good and proper. Why is it when you need something doing you can't get anyone to do it?

Finished work early today and had a potter round town and my free coffee and scone courtesy of John Lewis. Had to buy a new purse as mine had a split in it, showering money (pence!) into my handbag, but got a nice one from TK Maxx for £15.

DS rang today and he's going to take us to a local park tomorrow with the dog and GD to see the ducks and geese. Mr SA has announced that we will be going for a coffee this weekend whatever I say. That's me told!

Sun_Addict

I've been lost in patio land for the past few days. The gardener got back to me with a price - we buy the materials and he will charge £120 a day for labour. Should take him 2 days at the most. Skip is coming Friday and the slabs, sand and cement Saturday. So weather permitting this time next week it should be done. If he does a good job I'll get a quote for the next stage which is the bit between the patio and pond. Get that done when funds allow. Garden is 100ft long so a big job to landscape.

Mr SA continues to improve health wise, the breathlessness has gone and his walking is better. No news re scan results, am assuming no news is good news. He and the carer have been getting the old decking up ready for the new patio. This is a real improvement as only a few weeks ago he couldn't get out of bed. He is more or less back to normal (his normal that is) thank goodness and I have no concerns at the moment.

please-let-me-be-lucky

Fantastic to hear that SA! Long may it continue Xx