From debt to freedom...

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Cherryfudge. I did have a set of blood tests done last week but haven't heard anything back so am presuming that no news is good news. I think I'm battling this cough that won't shift and there's a stomach bug lurking around which I haven't had ( and don't want) but have been feeling distinctly queasy and off food, so am wondering if the tiredness is due to end of the half term and fighting off bugs! I didn't get through the whole day today and ended up at home asleep this afternoon.

NSD today bringing the total to 5 this month, I think .

Cherryfudge

I don't know if it's the same or a related lurgy, but DH went down with something that's turned into a persistent wheezy cough. Does that sound familiar? Blood tests just said infection was present and it's settled in the upper respiratory tract. He was offered antibiotics with a steroid but refused the steroid as he had to have them in the past and found it very difficult to come off them. However, he's now googled as it's getting to him, only to find the steroid was advisable in his case. I don't know if this sounds a familiar scenario... I suppose they might have offered you antibiotics if they thought they would help, but DH is immuno-suppressed due to other medication, so maybe they offered them knowing he would struggle more to get rid of it himself? I seem to remember he got quite tired but not as much as you're describing. Now someone else I know has the cough and it's looking much the same.

I hope you manage to avoid the stomach bug (though it would give you a break from work). Get well soon! x

Honeysucklelou2

Interesting...mine is more of a dry tickly cough than wheezy although it is certainly persistent. It feels like the horrible bug I had in Jan has come back as that resulted in antibiotics but for a lower respiratory tract infection. Unfortunately talking sets me off coughing and in my line of work, you can't really get away from having to talk!!

Honeysucklelou2

Made it to half term :T. I worked yesterday and managed the whole day and didn't stagger into bed as soon as I got home, so small steps of progress.

I paid off the remainder of DD5's camp, which I was pleasantly surprised to find that I only owed £48 and not the £70 I'd thought. After school club fees and a couple of school dinners brought it back up to the £70 which I had budgeted for. This means that all the school trip money us now cleared:T. It's been over £1000 to fund these, which I'm glad to have done to give the children the experiences of travelling because family holidays are simply beyond my budget. Nonetheless I'm relieved to have got them cleared .

Need to get some work tasks done today and some garden jobs.

Cherryfudge

That's a huge amount to pay for children's trips! Well done for getting it all paid off.

Good to see you are feeling a bit more like yourself.

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Cherryfudge.

Saturday has been nicely busy. I confess I have done no work tasks at all but have enjoyed being in the garden. I did try to do a shop by click and collect, knowing that Mr T's would be frantically busy. Unfortunately lots of others had the same thought, so no slots available which necessitated going in. It was frantically busy but it ended up being a good thing because I didn't prevaricate or get sidetracked. I was keen to be out as soon as possible so we stuck to the list and got out:o

DD3 helped me to cut the lawn. Still loving the push mower bought last year . I cut back a camellia as it had started to look quite overgrown and out of shape. Found an ash sapling growing between the branches of the camellia. It must have been growing away quietly for a couple of years so took some cutting out but the whole border looks much better. Tidying up the camellia has allowed the euonymous plants to be seen again .

I swept up a patio area and sorted through my pots. Found a rose in one pot that needed a bit of top-dressing, then put bark chippings on top as a weed deterrent. As I swept I remembered last summer. My grandmother came to stay with my mum for a few days. One late evening we went outside and lit a log in this chiminea that DD1 had kindly bought me. It was lovely. We all drank hot chocolate and roasted marshmallows and chatted, 4 generations together. My grandmother joined in with it all even though she was 98. It was such a lovely memory that popped into mind that equally knocked me that it won't happen again. Funny how grief can catch you in the simplest moments but am so so glad for memories like that. My grandmother loved living and sharing time with us and we were the richer for it.

One of my black currant bushes is looking decidedly jaded. Only half of the branches have come into leaf. Normally by now, it would be in full leaf and have flowers on it. Will have to keep an eye on it. I got a few acidanthers planted in a trough and a couple of the bargain dahlias potted up. I did pot up some iris bulbs but they looked a bit soft so not overly hopeful about those. I did have a good tidy up and decluttered outside so there is quite an amount to go to the tip.:o I did enjoy pottering around in the garden. There is so much to do and haven't even got to the allotment yet:eek:. Hopefully if I do a bit everyday, I can make inroads into the nettle clearance and have everything looking decent again. I do feel guilty that I got no work stuff done so will need to catch up a bit with that.

I confess I did spend £2 today on 72 plug plants. I had an email offering mr a lucky dip from T and M. I really don't mind what I grow as long as it is colourful so thought 72 plants for £2 was a good bargain .

The ex turned up as it was a Saturday. Unfortunately he started feeling quite unwell so DS1 wanted him to stay. Not happy about that as last time this happened during the snow days it took 3 days before he went again. It's so tricky because DS is acting out of concern and I don't want to be uncompassionate but I'm not happy about him being here:mad:.

Honeysucklelou2

The ex was amazingly well enough to take DS on a day out the next day. The rest of us had a quiet day at home. I think I'd expended so much energy in the garden on Saturday I was feeling a bit washed out again. I did get some nettle chopping done at the allotment yesterday evening and almost have a whole bed cleared :T. I need to get my cornflower seedlings planted out and the rest of the acidanthera bulbs planted. The sweetcorn seedlings are looking good in the greenhouse so am hoping I get can another bed cleared so that those can go in asap.

Made some lemon drizzle cake and a batch of vanilla muffins but have a feeling that more cake baking will be needed today to keep the tins topped up.

Cherryfudge

What a lovely memory of your grandmother. It conjures up a very cosy, precious picture.

72 plants for £2 is brilliant - plant bargains are the best.

Did your ex go in the end?

Honeysucklelou2

Yes the ex came back with DS1, after taking him out for the day. He then hung around until I went and sat in the garden because I was finding his continued presence too much. Fortunately he left shortly afterwards. I can gear myself up to cope with One night a week but find I'm always tense when he's here and only relax when he's gone, which sounds awful but is the way it is.

Yesterday was a lovely day. I met a friend at a beach half way between our two homes. It was a beach I hadn't been to before and neither had she, but it was beautiful and our combined group of children enjoyed playing together in the sand and water. We took a picnic and bottles of water from home and used a NT car park so only expense was getting there.

My car is at the garage for the repair that I couldn't do. So far I've not been called to collect it so am beginning to be concerned about how much it's going to cost.

Today the weather has been grey and drizzling so I've spent most of the time getting work tasks done.

Cherryfudge

I hope the car isn't too costly. You must have saved quite a bit with being able to do some repairs yourself.

Nice to have your house back, as it were. It's your space, you need to be able to relax there.