Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

Our last Saturday car boot of the season, though we may go to one on Monday just to round things off and because I usually have to work on August Bank Holiday, so it's nice to do something different (ish). We managed to get ourselves a parking ticket, sadly, but other than that it was quite a good trip. So many stall holders! I think a lot of people have a clear out either at the beginning or the end of the season. DH got a book; I bought a timer for the lights at Mum's old house (50p) then various tops for a total of £2. They're all nice but I have to face the fact that I've expanded and don't look quite as good in them as I would have a year ago.

The afternoon was spent doing laundry and working with A in the garden. He has painted the shed and cleared behind it, where there was a goodly collection of ivy and nettles, then took two bags of rubbish to the tip. DS2 sawed some dead wood into logs which was very helpful of him. All I did was cut up twigs to go in bags and tell A which bits to cut down. We did find some blackberries too.

I've successfully dyed the black combat trousers and a couple of tee shirts and I'm pleased with the results, and put a few stitches in a tee shirt neckline where the trim was coming loose. I hate getting down to mending! I also tried on a lovely skirt that I've had for years and never worn... looks just right with one of my new tops but sadly... it's too tight. I'm not going to lose a lot of weight before the holiday so I think I'll just try to keep toned up and try not to gain any more.

A little bit of shopping before tea: I went to get some airline-friendly plastic bags but ended up with various groceries too. We are about £7.50 over the grocery budget but as we gave ourselves £30 less over the last two weeks, we're still actually okay.

I've given A £10 to pay the window cleaner when he next comes, and then this evening DS2 was moaning about the iron (and I was doing my usual 'It's okay, it's just been turned down' when it started spouting dark brown water, which DS2 insists is the residue from the descaler (though I haven't descaled it for weeks). Then it lost power... then we discovered the fuses had blown, after which it threw out dramatic clouds of steam. Anyway the brown water has convinced me it's beyond use - there has to be something rusting inside and it will ruin everything it irons - so we rang A, who happened to be in the supermarket, and asked him to pick up a new one for us! I rather like this style of buying things - I usually research quite a bit but it was nice just to get it and be done with it.

I'm tired this evening - all the fresh air and exercise I expect but it was one of those beautiful days that starts off just a little bit chilly but warms up and the sun shines (though we also had some non-functional rain that slightly dampened the washing on the line and entirely failed to water the plants).

Spending:
Windowcleaner £10.00
Household (iron) £15.00
Household (timer) £0.50
Holiday £1.65
Car (parking fine) £25.00
Housekeeping £5.65
Toiletries £0.50
Clothing £2.00
MS:
Car boot bargains
Blackberries as a by-product of gardening
Successful fabric-dying session
Decluttering:
A whole corner of the garden cleared by A and helped by me.

Cherryfudge

And by way of a PS to the above: some pieces of good news. DD's sister in law is expecting and DD is very excited about being an auntie, and we heard the other week that one of our nieces is also due a baby - the first of this cousin group to start a new generation.
Besides that, I can get into my newer pair of running shoes again! That means I can take them on holiday instead of my very battered old pair. I'm also finding my physio is paying off and I can do a lot more without my arm hurting, so lots of positives there...

Onebrokelady

Awww new babies, how lovely
We have had rain nearly all day here but ours has been quite functional and everything is soaking, glad to hear also that the physio is paying off:)

Cherryfudge

A busy day, and definitely damp. I walked to church and back this morning, and felt very sorry for some people who were trying to have a craft fair on open air stalls in the middle of town. A friend and I decided to have a look to cheer them on but it was really too wet even to look properly. DH went down later and heard one of the organisers offering them pitches at a future event in compensation.

I didn't buy anything there but did get a download of a book to read on holiday.

DH has been up in the loft and found my bikinis, travel pillow and travel cubes, so the holiday really must be happening! We are flying via several air lines (far east and Australia ) so we've had to check our luggage sizes and conform to the smallest, but at the moment I don't seem to be taking much.

I spent much of the afternoon knitting and cooking: I do like to be domesticated! Cottage pie followed by pineapple upside-down cake, which felt suitably autumnal even if it is still August. I also turned the heating on! I know there are tough people here who won't switch it on till November, but I reckoned an hour would take the chill off...
Spending:
Download £2.14
MS:
Leftovers fridged for during the week.
Mended my slippers rather than buy new.

Honeysucklelou2

Haven't cooked pineapple upside done cake for years! Thanks for the reminder, that's a pudding my children need to be introduced to!

Cherryfudge

Honeysucklelou2 wrote: »

Haven't cooked pineapple upside done cake for years! Thanks for the reminder, that's a pudding my children need to be introduced to!

We don't have it very often but this reminded me how nice it is. I did use cheap pineapple chunks instead of the traditional rings but for probably the first time ever I used demerara sugar as per the recipe, rather than soft brown sugar which I generally have in. To my surprise the demerara was better.

Cherryfudge

I have a feeling I'm going to be tired tonight so I'll update while I've got my head together.

DH and I went car-booting this morning: he bought a book and some CDs, I didn't buy anything. We then went into town for various bits and pieces including a walking stick for me (not sure I'll use it but it was advised to help me balance while hiking... though I've not had any balance issues for weeks. May be useful for warding off fans though).
We also treated ourselves to collapsible water bottles which might save on bottled water.

That afternoon has been spent lopping things that needed it in the garden: A can manage heights and branches that I would be ill-advised to try, and DH did some tip runs so most of it is now cleared up. We got a few more blackberries and greengages and a total harvest of five damsons. Lots more blackberries to pick but I can only manage so many at once.

A few other jobs are out of the way: the milk bill is paid up to date, I've notified the knotweed company for another inspection of the garden at Mum's house and bought vouchers for a couple of birthdays.

J and L are coming round for dinner and bringing games so I may not get back on here properly till tomorrow.

Spending:
Gifts £30
Housekeeping £ 19.42
Travel (water bottles and walking stick) £17.98
Travel - sunscreen £13.00
Milk bill (housekeeping) £8.52
MS:
Some good bargains in the supermarket, they must be ending some lines.
Fruit from our brambles and trees.
Didn't spend anything at the car boot sale.
DH found my old hoodie in the back of the car - thought it had gone to recycling but it hadn't and I had an idea for keeping it so I'm claiming it back
Decluttering:
Lots of wood and brambles from the garden.
A has finished painting the shed.
Confessions:
Annoyingly, shops have decided to pack away the summer so the cheaper sun screen I had my eye on the other week is no longer available. Bought some factor 50 travel sizes though.

Cherryfudge

Yet another day into which I seem to have packed rather a lot. Three loads of laundry at various stages of progress by the time I went to work, followed by five hours at work which were reasonably productive though I'm getting to that pre-holiday stage where I don't think I'm going to have got done everything that's expected of me before I go on my jollies.

I also managed a bit of arranging my social life, which is nice. Saw a couple of friends this evening and hoping to see some more tomorrow: much of the reason for being in work today was so I could have tomorrow afternoon off.

I fitted in a trip to the supermarket and kept remembering more things I'd been meaning to get. In the end I only forgot tea but that wasn't urgent. I'm already over my share of the food budget by £5.34, if you count paying the milk bill, which I do. I might have to borrow off DH again!

I've also got myself a travel money card: all set up in a few minutes thanks to an amazingly helpful member of staff at the Post Office who had been battling a broken computer but still managed to log in to sort out my holiday spending and did so with a smile. I also remembered to log on to my internet banking at home and transfer from holiday savings to the current account so we don't go overdrawn! Memo to self: book subsequent holidays a day or so into the month next time so there is less juggling between accounts.

Spending:
Mortgage overpayment £243.81 over the whole month.
Housekeeping £17.31
Book £2.23
MS:
Already had in ingredients for tea.
Some very good YS bargains for the second time this week including nectarines that had originally been £1.50 for 3, now 38p.

Cherryfudge

I surprised myself by getting five hours in at work, though sadly this was because plans to meet friends for lunch had to be pulled at the last moment. I'm sorry I didn't get to see them but we will rearrange and the extra time means I won't have to be at work long tomorrow. It also means that, having done much of my own paperwork - can't complete due to not being insured to be client-facing till signed off by the doctor - I have made inroads on a new file which should take the edge off the workload for someone else. They are covering my hands-on work so the least I can do is help them out with office jobs.

After work I had a bit of a rapid dash around, completing two sets of hand washing and entering the meter readings (I still haven't sorted out a new provider) before my friends arrived for socialisation no. 2. This is the remnants of a group I've been involved with since who-knows-when, probably more than 20 years, and is probably the last time we four will get together like this as one person is moving away. I still see one of the other ladies quite often, so it's not an absolute ending, and it was good to catch up.

I spent £2.80 on coffee but resisted cake.

DH bought dinner (and cooked). I was pretty shattered by then but revived enough to go out with him for a short walk afterwards. We also saw some of A&H's holiday photos which were great - really inspiring me as to what I want to see on our hols, and they gave a us a lovely and unexpected cash gift of spending money as a thank you for having them to stay, this on top of all the work A has done to help around the house and garden.

Well, I'm tired and must resist the temptation to push on with my knitting - there's only a small amount to do before I get to the crocheted trimming.
Spending:
Entertainment £2.80

Cherryfudge

Very little to report today. I bought food for the goldfish, and entirely failed to find suitable knitting needles for a project I had in mind, though this was only a backup project to give me something to keep my hands busy while travelling. Annoyingly the circular bamboo needles I'd ordered, and which were supposed to have come yesterday, may well not arrive in time. However I've finished the knitted part of my current project now. I had a go at starting the crochet but I think I need to study it a bit more before it will look as good as my friend's crochet!
We are half packed: most of tomorrow is free for pulling the stray jobs in then we set off about tea time! The holiday is getting very close!

Spending:
Pets £3.50