Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

A small amount of shopping on the way home from today's course, then I've had the day to myself and spent some of it gardening. I was very brave and looked up how to take rose cuttings, as a result of which I have ten potential rose trees from the cuttings I took from my parents' garden. Some are from the biggest rose tree I've ever seen anywhere - an American Pillar rose which was a huge ball of blooms about 12 feet across and just as tall. I thought it had died completely but it's been re-growing so I hope there's enough oomph in it to make a new generation. The parent tree must be around sixty years old, though, so although I've used young growth, it would have a good excuse if it just wanted to put its feet up and relax. I'm telling myself I can have another go in late summer if these don't take.

I also took the secateurs to what I think is a snowberry which had overgrown the corner of the garden, blocking access to the meter cupboard. Under it I found far too many plant pots, so these are now emptied and stacked up - at least most of them are. I got distracted and the lawn is scattered with them!

DH and I managed a short run this evening, probably nearly setting a record for the longest time taken on that route but I've been lazy about getting back to running and DH has been too chesty since having the infection in March. Inhalers have nearly cleared this, so he's had a couple of runs recently. This afternoon he had his usual appointment with the consultant and spoke to the nurse who is very good on side effects of medication. She confirmed that his symptoms are in line with known side effects of the treatment he's been on since about last Autumn, and has advised a break from it - but not to go back to the drugs he was on previously as there's a possibility the newer treatment has reset his system. So we're into a bit of unknown territory. Nice to think there's a possibility of his reducing the medication permanently!

Others in the family... well, L has been under the weather and staying at his parents but turned up today sounding more like himself and is back with us. DS2 has had four and a half hours' sleep in fifty, he told me, so after failing to sleep off the last night shift, he headed into Uni to study then came back about three hours later and has slept since. I know he has an assignment in soon - hoping it's tomorrow not today - but he's got beyond being able to do it without a decent sleep first. I was concerned about him driving but he got to Uni and back in one piece. DFiL has an infection but the doctor's given him something for it so I'm hoping it's something and nothing.

As for me, I'm not sure what's going on with my mental health but it's better than it was at the weekend. It could just be coping with overdoing things and tension between the infants: it could be changing the cod liver oil supplement that generally helps me (apparently that's been researched: I was very surprised when I felt better after taking it for something else and a month or so later felt considerably less down). I'm not sure. I am trying to do some of the things that help, like being out of doors.

All this isn't very money-related, sorry. Just trying to get it down in words and provide myself with some sort of reference point.

I had a fruitless conversation with the company that holds the mortgage on Mum's old house: they wrote asking who's living there (no one) so I rang them back and in order to prove it's me, had to answer the usual security questions. The difficulty is that that one was about the early days of the mortgage and it's going to take a lot of digging to find the answer to that! It may just be some computer-generated question of course in which case I might be 'lucky' next time. I have a vague idea I've seen the info, though, so I need to dig out some files.

Spending:
Housekeeping £1.89
MS:
Wombled 16p
L gave me a resistance band to replace the one I'd lost - and I found the lost one! (Folded into exercise gear :o:o:rotfl:)
New little fuchsias are growing nicely - freebies from cuttings taken after Easter.
Might just get a rose tree or several from today's cuttings - can't really count that as money saved just yet though.
10th coin saved 50p
I haven't yet sent the order for the trainers and clothes!

Today I'm thankful for time spent outside, beautiful roses and websites to research them and all yesterday's planting looking bright eyed and bushy tailed.

Cherryfudge

Today was a sort of reverse of recent days: gloom at work as two colleagues have had bad news which has left us all rather shaken, but nice at home. DH and I went for a local walk but got out into the countryside which was bathed in brilliant evening light: lots of wild flowers on the verges, yellow hammers singing loudly (the first time I've knowingly managed to see one) and distant hills a lot bigger than the little one near us.

Not much shopping though I'm going to have another look at that Sp0rts D!rect basket. Just a few groceries. Little decluttering but a small bit of progress on the garden as I moved a basket that wasn't growing evenly and threw out the once-pretty decorations that had festooned some plants I was given last year. Twelve months of rain and sun had worn them out.

DS2 not only slept most of the night (having set his alarm for 8pm and slept through it then woke at 5am) but went to Uni today and completed his assignment, so he was in a good mood when he came home and is now out and about, goodness knows where. J and L are away tomorrow and most of Sunday, and DH and I are planning to make the most of my weekend off do touristy stuff locally. We are both tired tonight so I'm hoping for an early night.

Spending:
Housekeeping £4.01
MS:
Wombled 18p
10th coin into savings 5p
Decuttering:
2 pairs shrunk socks to DD who has narrower feet than I do. Handful of decorations off a plant holder.

Things I'm thankful for today: a peaceful walk and DH to share it with, the zenith of the year, the sunshine and fields of corn, yellowhammers singing, distant grey hills... and my shift lead going okay.

Honeysucklelou2

Sounds very industrious, taking cuttings from the Rose bush. It'll be interesting to know whether they take... I've been pleasantly surprised by the camellia cuttings I took a few weeks ago. Plants for free, hurray!!!

Cherryfudge

Honeysucklelou2 wrote: »

Sounds very industrious, taking cuttings from the Rose bush. It'll be interesting to know whether they take... I've been pleasantly surprised by the camellia cuttings I took a few weeks ago. Plants for free, hurray!!!

I loooove plants for free.

I had a peek under the plastic bag-mini-greenhouses today and the cuttings haven't keeled over yet. In fact the leaves look quite perky which I'm taking as a sign they are raring to grow.

Today we have sun and clouds but we're planning to go car booting then L has told us that the place where his summer job is, is holding a gardens day so we might go there. Either that or to see the roses at the Walled Garden.

WannabeFree

Haven't fully caught up but I will

Hope you're having a lovely day x

HairyHandofDartmoor

Sorry I hope my anecdote didn't make you feel worse Cherry as my intention was the opposite . My DC's argument was aggravated by the mental illness of one of them, so I was trying to make the point that even a serious rift like that was resolved eventually. I'm positive your children will resolve their issue much much more quickly.

Your walk sounds absolutely lovely . There is something so healing about nature and gardening.

I hope you enjoyed carbooting or the garden visit, whichever one you did .

Cherryfudge

HH, it didn't, honest! It's good to know things can be sorted out... things are easier here at present, partly because only DH and I are at home but also the younger generation are past some of the pressures that were getting them down.

DH and I had a lovely day being tourists in our local area and managed both the car boot and a most gorgeous garden. I didn't get what I was looking for at the car boot but got a big tub of a lovely body butter for 20p, a tablet case (which I think is going to be the wrong size ) for £1 and a book of embroidery stitches for 50p. Great bargains especially the body butter which is £9 on @mazon!

We had lunch at a chippy near the car boot sale, not our usual one and a bit more expensive but not as nice... but fish and chips is always a treat. We then had the afternoon at the garden and a Priory and country house at the same place. That included really knowledgeable and interesting talks in the gardens, lots of photos and cake and coffee later. The cake was yummy (courgette and lime) so I bought the ingredients later (recipe is google-able) and hope to make it for pudding tomorrow. We also raided the gift shop where I got a few birthday cards in advance and DH treated me to some sumputous cherry curd that we'd tried a sample of. It was supposed to be a stocking filler but as it goes out of date in July, I think we might have to bring Christmas forward a bit.

Spending:
Housekeeping £9.47
Electronics £1.00
Hobbies £0.50
Presents £11.50
Donation about 12p (kids collecting for their school at car boot got the small change from my purse).
(DH paid the entrance, and for the meal and coffee, I ended up paying in the gift shop because I didn't want him to see the birthday card I've got him).
MS:
Pistachios cost a fortune! And I need them for the cake... but I found the shelled ones are about £20 a kilo and the unshelled ones are about £12.50, and got the ones with shells. I'll have to make the cake four times to use them up because if I don't, DD and I will graze on them and fritter them away.
Body butter saved most of £9.
I had a voucher for the house and garden, making them half price.
Gave my hair a trim this evening (£35 locally )
Decluttering:
I've tidied the plant pots that I'd left on the lawn, then tidied a drawer, getting rid of 4 bits of paper and a lid. Okay, not a lot.

Today I'm thankful for a really lovely day out and DH to share it with.

Honeysucklelou2

Courgette and lime...sounds delicious. I've made courgette cake before to use up gluts but not thought of adding lime. Must try it! The cherry curd sounds amazing, not heard of that at all.

Sounds like a fabulous day

Cherryfudge

This is the recipe I'm trying, HoneysuckleLou.

The cherry curd has a sour cherry essence in... haven't looked into buying that yet.

Right I'm off to put the oven on!

HairyHandofDartmoor

That sounds like a lovely day out with DH Cherry . It's good to make use of sunny weather. The priory, house and garden sound like a lovely place to visit.