Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

Okay, so I'm fed - not that I haven't eaten well, I have, too well. :rotfl: The food was fantastic, so while I feel guilty for overeating, I did manage to keep a check on calories for several days, (even hotel breakfasts) and I got a lot of exercise. I feel bad that we had three much more expensive meals: the sort of expense we'd normally have perhaps once a year. It was possible to eat more cheaply but took more planning than we managed. We never even got to L!dl, though we did find it.

Of course there's no use moaning about that now. I just need to plan better in future.

The hotel was nice, no complaints at all, and the room was very comfy, but I'm so used to going to bed much later than DH that I struggled with getting a decent night's sleep at first. After a night with a big storm and less than four hours' sleep, I felt pretty terrible but decided to go out anyway. It then took a couple of days to get right again.

There were problems with the transfers both coming and going, so we're going to complain. On the way there the plane came into a different terminal than usual (we found out later) so the transfer must have given up and gone by the time we found where he had probably been. This morning the guy came to pick us up at the hotel, went to the front desk and walked out again with us sitting nearby waiting for him! No attempt to locate us though he had rung ahead to say he was delayed by traffic so he knew our names and could have called or held up a sign. Thankfully we had cash left so we got a taxi and are hoping to reclaim. Then when we got our luggage from the conveyer the suitcase had been opened and the padlock left dangling. Nothing seems to be missing or displaced so I assume it was a security check but it's upsetting to feel someone's been through your luggage - especially as they hadn't had the courtesy to secure it afterwards. (And I know it was secure because I remember locking it and checking with DH this morning that he still remembered the combination).

On the plus side (as well as the nice hotel, great food and three enjoyable days), just before we set off DH discovered he had rather a lot of euros left over from two years ago. Then he found he had forgotten the pin number for his travel card but the extra cash meant he didn't need it. I have gone through most of my part of the spending money (lost track one very full day) but there is a bit left to take off my card when I can get to the post office.

We have agreed to sit down in a day or so and discuss better ways to do holidays! Clearly last minute doesn't work to our advantage. Hotels are nice but not cheap and if we got a small apartment I could do sleep hours that work for me without wrecking his sleep too. It would also give us more control over meals. I took disposable cutlery so we managed a bit of picnicking but not much and we did give in and buy sandwiches rather than make our own. If we could only have cooked a couple of meals instead of eating out so much we could have saved serious money. We even knew where the supermarket was but because I felt so grotty we never got to it - and I wouldn't have felt so bad if I'd slept.

Some things we couldn't do much about. The night I lost so much sleep there was a big storm that lasted hours. The transfers were poor but hopefully a complaint will mean something is done about them for others. I got blisters but I'd brought plasters - if there's a next time I hope to have some summer trainers that I can wear with a dress so my feet don't rub.

The flights were okay: normally I love flying but this time the engine noise seemed very loud and there were two little children crying with parents trying to calm them. I could tune out the children but one of the mums had a voice that beat on my eardrums! I ended up with the worse-affected ear muffled by my flight pillow but it's still aching a bit hours later. I couldn't very well ask her not to say anything as it would have sounded as it I was criticising the baby, whose fault it wasn't. (And she was, to be fair, trying her hardest to make the situation better). So I got back to the UK feeling I never want to go abroad again. I'm sure I'll be more balanced tomorrow.

Anyway that's my moans for now! Sorry. I will go away and research holiday trainers to cheer myself up and be resilient if ever I do another holiday abroad (which I probably will, but I need to know where my weaknesses are and plan better).

Edited because somehow I'd cut off the end!

parsniphead

Oh. Cherry I hope you feel a little more positive about it all soon. I think holidays abroad can be exhausting.

I'm a homebody and could go without but DH and DS like to go so I have to. This year a week in Buxton in October and I'm the only one who drives so not a holiday for me anyway.

I do like caravans in the rain though.

Honeysucklelou2

Sorry your holiday wasn't as relaxing as it could have been with re the transfer troubles.

Cherryfudge

DH went to see the travel agent this morning and wrote a letter to go with the taxi receipt - so now we are waiting to see what comes of it. He heard someone else in the travel agent complaining about transfers too, so perhaps force of numbers will prevail.

I slept for ages last night so I feel well again today.

DS2 has been at work: he seems to be fully over his bug of a week ago. I don't think he ever went to the doctor about it which is a shame because if he has the condition that runs in the family, he's better off knowing. DH, having been in good health all holiday, is now feeling under par. Not sure how much this is the change of seasons, or stress as either can affect him and he's on the lookout for another job as well as having a busy week lined up.

We've got various things done at home today: all the luggage is unpacked and put away, and the washing done. We even managed a short run, the first since June I think! We were determined that all the walking we did on holiday shouldn't be a one-week wonder. Other than that I went to the shops: we decided not to get cash out for food spending but just to pay exactly what we needed for the rest of the week and go back to cash on Monday. I topped up supplies from the eco shop and bought food for tomorrow too. A and H are coming to dinner so I've bought extra.

And it's going dark by 7.30! How come? I'm sure it was nothing like that a week ago. We also blipped the heating on for a while this evening: it was either that or put the dryer on for a few things that didn't manage to dry on the line.

Spending:
Dh got some groceries plus ink for the printer - £21 I think.
Housekeeping £18.89
MS:
Wombled 32p in loyalty points and 5p in change.
Decluttering:
3 clean jars to the eco shop, a very large spider to the garden and 4 bits of paper and card to the recycling.

Today I'm thankful for wombled change and rediscovering the currency left over from last year's holiday - maybe about £90 worth! I held on to it in case we ever go there again so I might hold on to it a bit longer... that was a much better planned holiday than this last one and I'd really like to go back one day.

Cherryfudge

it will be back to work for me tomorrow - for all of one shift before my two days off. Mind you, after that I'm back to my 'working week'.

Today I had another of those waking-up-feeling-groggy mornings but after a couple of painkillers the headachey bit sorted itself out and I joined DH in doing some cleaning and tidying. Not the best way to spend a Sunday afternoon but the house looks better for it. I finished and got rid of a few cleaning products and the like so some decluttering has happened, too.

H and A came to dinner and we had a good catch-up. We seem to be seeing their generation in between weddings: H hosted a hen do for a friend last weekend, they were at another friend's wedding the week before, J and L were at one of his friend's weddings yesterday and H is a bridesmaid next weekend.

I ended up improvising for pudding as the plums I bought yesterday are no way ripe enough to use but I invented a mango and strawberry crumble which sort of worked. DS2 has finished it up for us after work.

Spending:
None
MS:
Used store cupboard ingredients which has given us a bit more space and worked okay.
Decluttering:
Various bits of things: a cardboard tube, a fish food tub, a glass-cleaner bottle, a book returned to DS, strawberries from the freezer and a tin of mango puree from the cupboard, some out of date eggs. I also tidied a bit in the dumping ground that was J's room, and cleaned the floor before off loading a few stacks of books and papers into it. Not really decluttering but the dining room is considerably better for it.

Today I'm thankful for time spent with H and J.

Cherryfudge

I forgot: while on holiday I was very short of sleep and one of the reasons was not-comfy pyjamas! I thought about getting rid of them but there's a lot of wear left in them and I don't imagine people really want to buy 'pre-loved' pyjamas. Neither do I want to send them to landfill. After a bit of thought I realised I could have a go at altering them so I did that this afternoon - hopefully both MS and saving clutter. I'll try them tonight to see if my idea worked!

Cherryfudge

Back to work has gone okay... interviews have been held so it looks as though there will be new people on the team eventually. I ran a couple of ideas past my boss who seemed okay about one and fell into a dreamy state after I'd told him the other. I don't know whether it was the brilliance of my suggestion or he was planning his holidays. Anyway unless he thinks on and has second thoughts, I'm now free to mention them higher up - the opportunity for this comes in a few weeks.

This isn't going to solve Brexit, by the way, and it won't make the news or earn me a medal. Just stuff that might help the place I work in.

It was a gorgeous afternoon and I really should have got out in the garden but I only went to the shops and played on the computer. I bought Dh a card and a gift as it's our anniversary tomorrow, and I bought tonight's dinner (chilli con carne). DH got in just after I did and finished a job application while I cooked. It's a bit of a shot in the dark as it would be using transferable skills but I think it's something he might enjoy, and he really needs to cut his commute even if all goes well with the shaky situation of his current job.

Tomorrow and the day after are days off but I've done some decluttering today so I might manage more tomorrow. If DH is far enough ahead on other jobs we might go out in the evening, we'll see. I've taken this week off from the group I attend but I'm not fussed about going out, it's just nice to have some time off together. Amazingly it's now twelve months since our 'holiday of a lifetime', which really was something extraordinary and I'm still riding high on the memories. However, my perfect holiday is at home - though it would be better if we ever got to the end of decorating and decluttering!

Spending:
Gift £6.80
Housekeeping: £7.98
MS:
Wombled 95p
Bought croissants and coffee at half price
Trying for another week on £30 not £40.
Enough dinner to make a spare portion for the freezer (cheaper than DH buying salmon, LOL)
Mr T is selling cheap tinned peaches again! They haven't had them for a couple of months, no idea why... and I do like them.
Decluttered:
I'm rather pleased with myself today: I worked through a few papers and got rid of 32 bits (though I kept more than I got rid of). I've also taken a small bag to the charity shop and some bits to recycle, so that's three books, eight tops, a night shirt still in its wrapper, two ornaments and a purse.

Today I'm thankful for great holiday memories from last year, a few items gone from the house and successful wombling (most of mine is loyalty points, plus odd coins that turn up out of the blue).

Cherryfudge

A quiet but nice anniversary. I have a big bunch of flowers and DH has some edible treats.

Decluttering has gone well but I was browsing for possible material for the Tuesday group and ended up buying a book - £9-something but I had a voucher so I've used that and still have some change.

I also found a garden centre voucher given me by DSiL some time ago so that's set aside till I find something to treat myself to.

It seems to be a week for relatives: DFiL's sister and her husband are coming to see him despite being in their 80s and living at the far end of the country, and today we had a phone call from DH's mum's cousin who is also in his 80s and will be in the area with his wife over the next few days. It's 10 years since DH's mum died so it's pretty special that they are making the effort to come over - DH and the kids are fairly distant blood relatives of theirs but everyone else is only related by marriage. Just a lovely couple.

Spending:
Book £9.50 (used voucher)
Housekeeping £10.13
MS:
Wombled 1p
Just as well I checked the contents of the bedroom bin before chucking them - found a book of 11 first class stamps that DH had missed when clearing out old papers! (This is the same bin that produced about £4 in change not so long back).
10th coin saved: 20p.
Gave my hair a trim.
I thought I had got through my coffee stash fast, but I've been looking out for good offers as it was getting low. Today I found loads of unopened coffee at the back of the larder!
Decluttering:
59 paper decisions made. Also 4 catalogues, a plastic bag, a rag, a plant pot and a ruined glove (the other will go too when it comes to light: that's what happens when the top comes off a bottle of oil in the gardening corner).

Today's thankful list: getting stuck in to decluttering papers, a compliment on my hair and chocolate brownie for pudding.

Sun_Addict

Happy Anniversary Cherry xx

When I fly I always download something to listen to plus I have a book and magazines to help the time pass. I don't mind flying if the flight is smooth although I do find it boring. There's no chance I would do long haul.

Cherryfudge

Sun_Addict wrote: »

Happy Anniversary Cherry xx

When I fly I always download something to listen to plus I have a book and magazines to help the time pass. I don't mind flying if the flight is smooth although I do find it boring. There's no chance I would do long haul.

Thank you SA.
I've only done long haul last year and in many ways I found it a better experience as there was a bit more space and we used Emirates for some of the journey which had been on my bucket list. And those were super flights: overnight the cabin ceiling is lit with tiny points of light like stars, but I'm insomniac and spent ages looking out of the window at the most amazing places that I could only guess at based on the screen in front of me and my patchy geography. I think the trouble this time was the engines were very noisy. I did take my Kindle which kept me busy the whole time (I have learned to make sure I have downloaded plenty of games and reading material), I think I just got fed up on the return journey.

It's been another day off today: I helped DFiL with an audiology appointment. He doesn't need help apart from to get his wheelchair there but it was quite interesting. Other than that I spent ages on the computer looking at very old emails for some information I didn't find, but it was quite enjoyable apart from realising I can sound rather peremptory. Nice to revisit old friendships, though.

After seeing DFiL, I went shopping for some yarn only to find the shelf was cleared. However the assistant helpfully got some out of store and I impulsively bought 10 balls while I know I can get it: five for my current project and five for something else I have in mind. This evening's knitting, however, has been about painstakingly taking back two rows.

Tea today was some cod and chorizo croquettes from MR T which were okay but a bit expensive. I also dug up our potato plant so we had free potatoes and sad veg from the fridge. Then I cleared out the opened tins which the men of the house like to leave in the fridge despite my warnings of salmonella. Four of those plus some mouldy melon which was my fault, and squishy tomatoes. I forgot to add them to my total on the declutter thread, will have to go back in later.

Spending:
Hobbies £10.00
Household £1.00
Housekeeping: £5.57
MS:
After finding my coffee stash yesterday, it's back on half price in the shop today so I got a box of cappuccinos and I'll get more later to keep up supplies.
Homegrown potatoes.
Refreshed fridge veg in cold water rather than waste it.
Decluttering:
6 fridge items, finished a jar of chutney, 10 paper decisions, a leaflet.

I'm thankful today for getting the wool I wanted!