Cheery's buttling diary: tea in one hand, plant pot in the other, running shoes on

EssexHebridean

Most likely driving Greying - if we do go for a look-see I'll report back! Very important things, cafe updates! :rotfl:

Cheery_Daff

:rotfl: at you lot comparing cafes

So. Looked at a house last night and another one this morning, and while we're not going to go for either (although todays was close!), we are getting nearer to identifying exactly what we do and don't want...

Lots to think about. But tonight I'm in by myself and in my overalls with a nice list, which, as usual, I may or may not get done

No pretty colours as i'm upstairs on phone and if I go down to use laptop I'll get proper sidetracked :rotfl: So...

- YNAB/banks (tehnically I did this earlier but I want to cross it off later )

* look for holiday places (started earlier)

* spend 15 mins tidying each room:
- living room
- kitchen
- bedroom
- attic

* touch up paint where it's been bashed or sploshed (honestly, it feels like we're going backwards here!)
-green in kitchen
- cream on landing
- grey in bedroom (maybe... it's only a very tiny bit...)

* kettlebells
* blog post
* finish writing letter to friend

Thats probably quite enough for tonight.... will report back later...

Cheery_Daff

Ok... so I've not got very far down my list BUT I have

* done banks/ynab
* washed dishes
* eaten something other than the leftovers from yesterday's curry
* packed a box of spare exercise clothes and another bag full for clothes charity shop :j
* sorted out 2 bin liners of decorating-related rubbish from upstairs (mostly packaging and offcuts from underlay)
* tried on a load of dresses and only kept the ones that go with my cardigan I bought in a charity shop this afternoon
* found several potential holiday cottages that look both cheerful and in suitable place
* changed sheets (never got round to it last week )

So I'm not doing too badly, even if I'm not necessarily doing the things on the list But the aim of the list was to get me moving, which is what I *am* doing. Although I confess I'm slowing down ever so slightly now

Going to set the timer and do another 15 minutes in the bedroom to just get stuff out of the middle of the floor, then another 15 mins to do a spot of paint touching up (which might turn into half an hour), and then I'm going to put my pjs on and curl up on the sofa Got the whole day and evening tomorrow to do house stuff too so need a bit of a rest

Karmacat

Cheery_Daff wrote: »

So I'm not doing too badly, even if I'm not necessarily doing the things on the list But the aim of the list was to get me moving, which is what I *am* doing.

Exactly :j :rotfl:

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Cheery_Daff

Sometimes I think I should just write irrelevant things on the list, purely to get me out of my chair and doing the things that I *do* need to do (and which I probably wouldn't do if I'd put them on the list...) :rotfl: :rotfl:

Cheery_Daff

Right - FINALLY I have got round to booking holidays... :eek:

Looks like I'm going away on my own the first week :j and I'm going to be cycling along a long distance trail to visit my sister :j Takes about 2 hours in the car, and it'll take me a good 2 days on the bike :rotfl: Hopefully will be able to stay with friends on the way there and possibly back, and then a couple of nights with my sister - may need one night in a youth hostel, but that'll be less than £30.

Will be able to take a picnic, so don't anticipate eating out other than the occasional cuppa if there's a tea van :rotfl: o an ice cream (being optimistic about the weather...)

Then me and Mr Cheery are going away for a week up to Northumbria (we've got a little cottage, which was decidedly NOT free :eek: but I shall be very thrifty the first week and hopefully we won't spend much other than food (Self catering) while we're there...)

Phew!

I'm not really a holiday organiser I just don't have that gene that makes me want to search accommodation and travel options I know some people love it but I jut don't Which is why I always leave it til the last minute

Anyway, most fortunate and cheery to be able to even consider a holiday so I shall definitely be making the most of it! :j

And now I really MUST crack on with some stuff! :j

rtandon27

Hooray for holidays! Always nice to have something to look forward to!:j:j:j

Cheery_Daff

Indeed :j :j

Although I now find myself cursing myself for having picked such an energetic and ridiculous holiday, and having not checked out either my bicycle or my own fitness to travel last week :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Ordered some maps last week, spent the whole week being grumpy because they hadn't arrived, and today checked through my emails to contact supplier - only to find that it seems I didn't actually order the damn things at all :rotfl:

So I am paper mapless, but have a couple of inadequate printouts and a vague idea of where I'm going, an ebook written by someone who travelled in the opposite direction with some hand drawn maps, and a month's subscription to the Ordnance Survey :rotfl: I'm assured it's very well signposted :rotfl: :rotfl:

Just done YNAB for the first time in a week, a rotten mess and had to put nearly £25 in the budget fiddling category from while I was away last week :eek: Going to endeavour (a) to track everything and (b) not to spend as much this week :eek:

Right, still not actually packed any clothes so best at least get on with that :rotfl:

Cheery_Daff

Afternoon chums :hello:

Well I have had an EXCELLENT week away :j :j Quite energetic mind you :eek: :rotfl:

Day 1 I cycled to Manchester :eek: 36 miles, and let me tell you, much of the Trans Pennine Trail is lovely and flat and off road as advertised, and then there is a ludicrous section in the middle across the moors which is basically mountain biking territory, all sand and scree and hills and rutted tracks that are impossible to cycle over if you are a scaredy-cat lady on a folding bicycle laden down with panniers full of flapjack :rotfl: :rotfl: Did lots of pushing on the downhill bits for fear of tumbling onto my face and lying there for weeks before someone found me :eek:

Great views though

Bailed and got the train the last bit as it had taken me about 7 hours to do those 36 miles, and I still had 16 left and wanted to see my friend before her and her kids went to bed :eek: It was the right decision. Got SO sunburned :eek: In all my preparations it hadn't occurred to me that the sun would be shining My poor bright red arms! :eek:

Day 2 was more sedate - flat as a pancake and quite dull in comparison :rotfl: :rotfl: Lots of old railway lines, lots of industrial history but I didn't do any detours, and it was quite cold so after being completely sunburned in a t shirt the day before, I ended up with three tops and a pair of gloves on. Met a friend in Liverpool for a cuppa (contemplated bailing on the train again ), then cycled along the seafront into what felt like gale force winds (but was really just a stiff breeze, right in my face of course). Got the ferry across the Mersey, then another 10 miles round the coast (into the wind) to visit my sister :j

Total cycling about 36 miles on day 1, 50 on day 2 :eek: Don't have accurate readings as fancy-pants GPS watch lost the data! :mad:

Stayed there for a couple of days to hang out with my nephews who were off school Had a nice time Decided there was no way I was cycling home again so had an elaborate series of phone calls trying to book bike on train, then ended up getting three trains that weren't reservable anyway :rotfl:

Had a night at a lovely little B&B in the peak district and an afternoon/evening wandering round by myself before Mr Cheery joined me for second breakfast this morning then brought me home in the car

Altogether a lovely trip, if energetic :eek: Woken all four mornings at 6.30am :eek: Three of them by small children (forgivable) and this morning by the owner of the B&B nattering loudly under my room to a guest that had come for an early breakfast :mad: Hey ho.

Haven't spent too much either :j Took picnic which lasted me both cycling days (just stopped for one cup of tea, and got a free kitkat ). Had tea with friend on first night, and with sister the second two nights. Rough spends (I did keep track properly, I promise):

£4 train to friend's house
£10 treat at sister's house
£25 entry for me, sister and nephews to local farm place
£3 ferry across the Mersey
£26 train from sister's to peak district
£35 B&B
£10 tea out last night
£10 ish - couple of cups of tea, ice cream etc along the way

Total roughly £125, which for 4 nights/5 days away (including all travel/transport/food/treats) isn't too bad at all :j

One day turnaround :eek: and then me and Mr Cheery are off again to a little cottage while a friend has the run of our house (so don't be coming round in the hope of burgling it because it won't be empty!) Cottage wasn't cheap, as last minute and over Easter £426 for the week I think. But we've already got half a tank of diesel so we'll probably just fill up once (£50) and that'll last us to the end of the month. We've got the place to ourselves and fully equipped kitchen so quite likely we'll cook every night, and perhaps just eat out once, and the rest of spends will just be tea and cake and books in charity shops

Reckon we can come in under £100 for food/treats while we're there, so that'll be a total of £575 for the week, making £700 for both weeks. Spendy spendy, but we've not been away for more than a weekend for two years! :eek: And we are both VERY ready for a break

Cheery_Daff

Anyway, I've got 2.5 hours before friend arrives tonight, Mr Cheery is out, and I need to get on with some stuff!

2.45-3.15 UPSTAIRS
* unpack
* clothes away in bedroom
* washing on
* hoover first floor

3.15-4 ERRANDS
* pick up prescription from chemist
* book appointment for blood tests (nothing interesting, just annual thyroid check since I had it removed)

4-5 DOWNSTAIRS
* wash dishes
* recycling out
* tidy kitchen
* dust a bit
* hoover downstairs
* put lentils and potatoes on ready to make shepherds pie for tea

LATER
* ring plasterer
* YNAB (been pretty good at entering stuff as I went along but want a clean slate ready for next holiday phase)
* blog post (if time)
* hang up clothes
* pack what I can (obviously wet stuff will have to wait til tomorrow...)
* make (and eat) shepherds pie
* figure out how to work boiler (which is on the blink - aarrgghh!) so friend can have some heating while we're away...
* assorted other things which will no doubt seem important at the time... :rotfl:

Right, best get on I suppose!