Cherry takes the reins

HairyHandofDartmoor

I hope you had a nice day out today Cherry . I hope you won't miss J and L too much when they move out.

I find it very emotionally disruptive when DS3 comes and goes to uni, I love it when he's home, get upset when he leaves, finally get used to him being away, and then the emotional rollercoaster starts again when it's the next holiday.

Cherryfudge

Absolutely so, HH. It's weird just having DH and me in the house at the moment. DS2 is staying with my sister tonight, and I think J and L might be back later.

My morning list now looks ike this:
wash my hair done
get a new home card for J&L couldn't find one I liked
make a cake completely lost cake tins, eventually found them in with tins of food once it was too late to bake, but at least the saucepan cupboard is cleaned out.
charge my Kindle done
take some bits to the charity shop assembled but not taken, see 'cake' above.

It was a nice afternoon out and I'm tired from walking slowly! I did spend quite a bit as DH didn't have his wallet with him but it all comes out of the same pot so that's okay. I presented my 2-for-1 pass at the gardens only to be told they had stopped being part of the scheme, so entrance fees were double what we paid last time. Then we got cold drinks and cakes, and the caf! is on the expensive side. Later DH got himself a new summer hat in the gift shop and I bought plants...

DFiL is coming to dinner tomorrow as are DS2, J and L so it's a large chicken again. DFiL has to have food as a puree now so I've treated us all to a posh recipe that I made once before but which is very flavoursome. Pudding will be sponge and custard because I know that sponge breaks down well if the custard isn't too thick and can be made to the right consistency. It's going to be interesting finding foods everyone can eat, but thankfully I'm okay with that so long as I think ahead and have enough time and energy. DH usually cooks Sunday dinner so it won't be up to me all that often.

Spending:
Entertainment (Entrance fee/drinks and cakes) £23.60 + £13.40
Garden £4.75
Clothing (DH's hat) £15.00
Housekeeping: £23.40
DH paid for the chips - £4 I think.
MS:
Had our takeaway chips (two portions instead of the usual share) but had beans with it.
Decluttering:
Nothing today.

My thankfulness items for today: beautiful plants, getting the washing in before it rained, chips for tea.

Cherryfudge

I can't sleep - the house is so quiet!

It's really strange that the house can actually feel different with only two of us it. I'm glad DS2 is back tonight, if only to make it feel more normal. On the other hand there is a feeling that we aren't so crowded, which is relaxing.

Anyway I've been awake for a while so I've made myself some breakfast and I'm deleting emails. As I did so I found I can edit my delivery of dishwasher and laundry tablets so I've done an audit and delayed them till the beginning of September, saving £8.05 a month or £12.07 over the next weeks. Dishwashing won't happen as much with fewer people around, and while J and L provided their own laundry liquid, I had a surplus to use up.

There is so much tidying to do here but it's going to wait till DH is up so I don't disturb him. He's already been up once to close the window as the doves are making too much noise. So inconsiderate! They don't bother me and neither does the light, but I was hungry and not quite warm enough and as I said, the house feels strange and I'm itching to get it sorted (and see the new flat - hopefully later today).

Sun_Addict

Morning Cherry

I've been up since the crack of dawn too, creeping around the house doing quiet jobs trying not to disturb Mr SA and DD. I can't imagine what our house would be like without DD I think she'll be here forever, she's 32 and no signs of moving out. Still she's no trouble, pays board and is a live-in dog/cat/house sitter when we go on holiday.

Enjoy your day

HairyHandofDartmoor

The light really bothers me, it jerks me wide awake. I hope you get used to the quiet house and get your sorting and tidying done. Your day at the gardens sounded very pleasant .

Cherryfudge

So yesterday was a good day: I made a posh-for-me dinner and it went down very well. As ever I benefitted from having one of my sous chefs to hand. This time it was J but DS2 was potato-masher-in-chief and DH was gopher. I am hoping that one day I will be organised enough to know where everything is in 'my' kitchen. That's the downside of sharing but also the downside of cooking at work. My colleagues also experience that odd thing where they go to get an ingredient or utensil and realise it's in their 'other kitchen'. In mine at home I have more ingredients and more utensils but not nearly enough space: at work I have a faster cooker, a slightly-sparse set of gadgets and not enough ingredients of choice.

The main course was a cicken recipe and afterwards I made a 'proper' steamed pudding. For some reason I've only steamed Christmas puddings 'properly' before. Ordinary sponge puddings have always been microwaved. The results were so much better, though, that I must make the effort again. I used some rhubarb that I'd bought a week ago, reduced to a third of the proper price, with ginger.

Yesterday evening was our first visit to J and L's new flat, which is lovely. They are making it into a home already. There was one difficulty in that they've realised the sofa they'd just ordered will be too long to get up the stairs, but at least they still have time to cancel it.

Today was an early shift at work, and I was going to catch a nap this afternoon but I wasn't quite tired enough, and DS2 invited (the person I think is) his new girlfriend. This is the one he's been bringing in under the guise of 'Is it all right if I have a friend round?', and said friend seems to be smuggled in when neither DH nor I is around to see. Today, however, she arrived soon after me and we bumped into each other as she came through the door. I very inventively and with enormous presence of mind uttered the highly original line 'Hi! Come on in', and she said 'hi' and we got a smile out of each other and... that was it. She followed DS2 out of the kitchen and I made toast. She's petite and slim with very long blonde hair... which is almost exactly how I'd also describe his brother's wife. DD is slim with short blonde hair that used to be long... there is a bit of a pattern emerging, isn't there?

As I wasn't tired enough to sleep, I listened to the two of them rearranging DS2's room (exclamations of 'Treasure!' from her as they retrieved his things that have been packed away for a year while his siblings had the room) then deep cleaned the bathroom which is quite rewarding thing to do, and got most of the ironing done.

I'm a bit too tired to do much more for now but I have two days off coming up (yes, again).

Spending:
NSDs yesterday and today.
MS:
'Free' dinner of leftovers from yesterday's meal.
Decluttering:
Two lids, three shower gel bottles.

Today I'm thankful for a clean bathroom and ironed clothes! And sponge pudding .

VelvetFreak

How cute that DS2 has girlfriend and yay for two days off!

Cherryfudge

A couple of days of spending... two lots of groceries, then various errands around town and this evening I sent off for new running shoes, a hoodie and some tee shirts.

In more interesting news, I've met DS2's girlfriend officially! I will come up with a code by which to refer to her, but not tonight. I'm sleepy and have an unusual burst of hayfever so can't think much.

I need to get back to my CC account and pay off the latest things that have gone through, and go into the Executors' Account and pay some expenses - over £400 on DH's CC to sort out buildings' insurance on the empty house, and a fiver to get secateurs repaired to help keep the garden good. All done by late evening. I ought perhaps to get an oilstone and some oil because the lady who does the garden thinks 'oilstone' is just a name and scrubbing the blades with it is enough. I remember my Dad sowing me how to sharpen tools using oil and a flagstone, so I don't agree with her. So maybe I could do them while I'm there, though that won't prevent her from doing the same.

Spending:
16th Housekeeping £12.53
17th Housekeeping £11.22 + 2.52
Clothes (for DH) £6.00
(for me) £50.99
Household £4.50 (and a refund of £1.00)
Medical £0.80
Pets £3.00
For Mum's old house £5.00 (sharpened secateurs - will reclaim from the estate) (Done)
MS:
Took back the tin opener I bought a few days ago - it lasted one and a half tins! Well, I did wonder how long something that cost £1 would last, and now I know. At least I got my pound back.
10th coin into savings 50p.
Decluttering
I did quite well - actually donated a small bag of stuff in addition to items for recycling and binning:
Bits of paper (6)
watering can to DD's b/f.
Glace cherries finished up in some baking
chips left over from the other day (decluttered - ahem - into me)
2 bins emptied
2 tablet cases that don't fit anything we own
a coaster
a microwave turntable from a defunct microwave
a poncho
a scarf

My gratitude list for the day: meeting DS2's girlfriend, getting a few items out of the house and finding a few more that should be able to go soon.

Cherryfudge

Paid the CC, reclaimed the insurance and the secateurs from the Executors' Account... DH had paid the buildings' insurance for the house on his card, he had a pretty massive bill this month but he's cleared it. I'm hoping to get the house on the market early next year: it's been a huge job but there is just a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel as it gets emptier and emptier.

Cherryfudge

Not much to report today as I've not shopped at all. It was DFiL's 89th and those who weren't in work celebrated with him. DH took him for a wheelchair-friendly walk which worked out really well: a shady tree-lined avenue on a warm day (DFiL has trouble with too much light and also gets Raynaud's syndrome so light and temperature are nearly as important as wheelchair access). He can walk a little way but wasn't in good enough form today to manage our front steps so the cake went to him. Dh is taking him on a steam train on Saturday as a birthday present.

Well, we have DS1's graduation tomorrow, so I have a posh frock all tried on and still zip-up-able, and looked out suitable footwear to match, but if I'm to be up in time to get there before it starts, I need to get to bed soon.