Cherry takes the reins

Sun_Addict

Enjoy your time off

Cherryfudge

Thank you, I hope I will.

Charlie's tribe, I recommend Star Wars, cinema isn't cheap for families but we got £5 seats which is half what you'd pay in some places.

I got to the shops for a few bits and pieces, mostly to eat at work. The afternoon was cold and dark here with the storm (Brendan?) passing over us around six or seven. I was glad to be indoors! Work was full-on with both positives and negatives but I'll try to leave that behind me for tonight. At least the rain passed over by the time we went home.

Spending
Housekeeping £1.98
MS
Small discount on an item I often buy (not coffee for once)
10th coin saved = 20p
Remaining housekeeping for this week £16.16 (with £10 in reserve that I hope not to use)
Decluttering
None

This evening I'm grateful for DH getting back okay despite a late end to work and meeting the worst of the weather on a remote road. I'm grateful for a few extra hours at work (though need to revisit my resolve to put more into living within my means and less into earning) and I'm especially grateful for good news regarding my friend's husband who is now out of ICU, and DFiL who was able to sit up again today.

in_need_of_direction

Glad your peeps are safe and or improving

Cherryfudge

I didn't get a brilliant night's sleep but managed an extra hour after DH had gone to work and I'd had a coffee, put the washing machine on and started the dishwasher. In fact I think that's the best sleep of the night, even though it was morning. Odd, but I've seen that happen before and my F!tbit confirms it was quality sleep.

I spent some time while waiting to get sleepy on managing my 'spare' email account. It was set up using my name and it's been clear that there have been attempted logins from America and Canada either by people with the same name or companies attempting to write to them. A few I have replied to over the years when they sent confidential information such as school or medical records, and I've not heard from them for ages. Now I've changed my password and reported everything I think is spam, and binned the rest. I'm going to miss The Baltimore Sun. It's been visiting regularly for years. Everything for Anthony and Mary (do I look like them or something?) had gone. If the real Anthony and Mary want those contacts they have probably long since set them up on their real emails.

The American supermarket promotions should be coming no longer, ditto the (more hair raising) offers of American car insurance (I don't drive) and the specialist American papers on medicine.

Nice bit of decluttering, though a lot seem to have gone into archives not the bin.

Dinner tonight is lentil and chorizo soup, so there's that to prepare later.

The second load of laundry is now in the washing machine and will have to be tumble dried as this morning's beautiful day break has turned into steady rain. DS2 is sleeping off his night shift so I can't do much around the house. The washer isn't too noisy now it's mended and the kitchen door is closed. I have some work to do to prepare for a church meeting this evening, so that's next on my list, along with coffee.

It's days like this when I wish I'd taken on extra shifts at work to keep me gainfully occupied, but I know I need to have days off too. Yesterday, with a normal shift and a short extra shift, proved that!

Back later, hopefully with something achieved.

Cherryfudge

I got quite a lot done towards my meeting but it got postponed for a coupole of weeks and I will admit it's been foul weather for going out.

I realised I didn't have all the usual ingredients for tonight's soup so I ad-libbed a bit and the result was passable. I also made a couple of batches of scones to use up some buttermilk. I had the bright idea of making the cheese ones using some of the hard cheese you shake over Bolognese as I bought a big tub of it cheaply but we don't really like it. I'm glad I cut down the quantity as the resulting scones are very strong!

I have kept away from the shops but downloaded a couple of 99p e-books.

Tomorrow my sister in law is visiting DFiL and staying over with A and H so we are all invited to tea there. It will be another day of creeping about the house as DS2 is on nights again tonight.

And a small funny incident: DS2 told me the other day that the kitchen fan was broken. I had a few goes at kick starting it with a stern motherly expression and agreed with him it was dead. Today I decided to give it another go and to my surprise it worked first time. When I told DS2, he said that dad had fixed it. 'How?' I asked. He crossed to the other side of the door and flicked at something. 'Turns out there's this switch...' he said. He's right, too. :rotfl:

Spending
e-books 1.98 (used gift voucher)
MS
Used up various ingredients which made our tea, two portions of soup for another day and scones for lunches and suppers.
Decluttering
Two peppers, two chunks of chorizo, half a big carton of smelly cheese, a jar of buttermilk and some eggs - all put to good use apart from the eggs which were beyond it.

Tonight I'm grateful for DSiL visiting tomorrow and another family get-together, a quiet couple of days based at home, laundry done and some interesting work for my Tuesday group.

Cherryfudge

Today's weather forecast promised wall-to-wall sunshine but it took till eleven for the cloud to lift and there are still puffs of cloud blowing across. Nice to have the sun, though.

DS2 is sleeping off the night shift so all is quiet. I have to top up a few items where stocks have been used up, but when I went to add bread to the list I remembered a packet mix so that's in and rising. It was a bulky box mix so there's a little more shelf space. I could do with cleaning the larder out and making plans to use stuff up (again) but not just yet.

We are going to A and H's for dinner and A had everything planned so we aren't taking a contribution.

I'm really enjoying getting some baking done, and I've been playing my piano too as well as yesterday's study work so this couple of days has felt very 'me'. I noticed I've put myself down to do the sleep at work tomorrow night, and another on Saturday (my weekend off but it was sitting there not being taken): this makes six sleep-ins this month which isn't bad as the other day I thought there was only one (forgetting three right at the start). I probably need to look back at my diary and work out the pattern because the same ones come up regularly so I could consider asking if they could be added to my rota. It won't affect contracted hours as they are a set payment.

This whole staffing at work problem runs and runs: it's very widespread in the care sector. We are down a team leader which is a full time post, and the colleague who leaves at the end of this month works 20 hours a week, plus our two newest members of staff are still mostly supernumerary as they haven't had all their training. At least they are both experienced and steady which makes a huge difference, but it does mean we are always 'putting out fires' when it comes to rota cover. I thought briefly of taking on extra contracted hours, but I'm fairly sure that's not a good idea at present. Maybe when Mum's house is cleared and sold, which I hope will be this summer.

The other side of this is that the job application DH is putting in, while perfect for him in many ways, doesn't pay well. He will be getting a pension from his current job so we will have roughly two thirds of our current pay until he finds something else. That reminds me I need to do some sums and let DS2 know definitely what his contribution to bills is to be!

So the plans for the rest of today are:
put laundry on to wash/out to dry
ironing
bill DS2
clean fridge out and menu plan
go to shops
do some gardening
go to A & H's for tea

Cherryfudge

Just had a text from DH who is one of Mum's executors. The estate agent has given us a new valuation which makes quite a jump in price! We will have to discuss with my sister but it could make some difference in the longer term. That's if it goes for the lower end of the range he wants to aim for. I'm not setting my hopes on the higher end as that's silly.

Cherryfudge

We've had a good evening with many of the family. DSiL reports that her Dad is sitting up and has actually been able to eat in the dining room today! However he is confused and she wasn't sure he recognised her. She reported some other symptoms that made me wonder if he was having side effects to medication so we discussed and googled and she's going to talk to the nurse about it before she goes home tomorrow.

I got some minor shopping done and stuck to the list apart from one item not being available and getting more coffee (on offer, and I'm getting low). The laundry is done and a bit of the ironing. Gardening was also minimal as it was so cold out, but I've filled the green bin with brambles to go to the tip.

I came unstuck on DS2's bill after unearthing lots of figures as I need a log in for an account, so I might look at that tomorrow.

The fridge is still in need of a clean and tidy, and I still need to think about menus but DH has stuff in the freezer for tomorrow and I'll be at work so it's only Friday's.

Spending
Toiletries 1.99
Housekeeping 9.52
MS
Half price cappuccinos
Smoked paprika 20p cheaper at the environmentally friendly shop
Moisturiser from cheap toiletries shop (good brand but I realised after buying it that it's too perfumed for my taste)
Free and yummy dinner at A and H's
10th coin into savings = 20p
Wombled 23p
Remaining housekeeping 5.44
Decluttered
2 jars to the shop that recycles them

Tonight I'm thankful for spending time with family and for a couple of days off to recharge my batteries.

Cherryfudge

Yesterday wasn't the best day: DFiL was in a bad way. DH, DSiL, DD and I met up for lunch - snatched time as DD had an exam, I had a shift, DH was on his lunch break and DSiL had to drive to the hotel so she could get her early flight. I could see DSiL was upset and when she described how her Dad had been that morning I knew why. The nursing home are getting the doctor out to reassess him: I don't know if that's happened yet. Then DD and DSiL both noticed something in DH which could be a symptom of the same condition his Dad has, and told me so urgently when he was out of earshot. Thankfully it's something DH and I are aware of and hasn't progressed over the years, and also the condition isn't hereditary though two members of the family have had it. Nevertheless things always seem worse once other people have noticed them so now I'm needled with anxiety if I think about it. Just as well work has been busy so I was okay this morning.

A colleague is now in a similar position to the one I was in with my Mum about ten years ago. He's completely unflappable usually so it wasn't good seeing him upset. We managed to let him go home a bit early and he texted today to say thanks and that things were a bit better than he had anticipated, which was a relief.

Work itself was okay: my colleague managed to get me working with someone I've not had recent experience with so I now feel up to speed again, though I threw a slight strop when people kept interrupting me while I was doing medication that I wasn't familiar with. Colleagues took the point though and took their work out of my way which is how it should have been in the first place. Then towards the end of the shift I was able to help out on a bit of admin and pass a useful minor bit of info on to a colleague. It was only a computer short cut but will save some hassle on some work she's been set to do and increase her confidence as her background isn't in computers. (Few of us have a computer background in my one of work but we're still expected to be computer literate, which isn't fair on those who left school before computers got out of the physics lab). So all in all work was okay.

I did get some hurried shopping on my way to work as there wasn't time to go home and make anything, and I also bought yet another e-book the night before.

A strange thing happened in the evening: lots of cold symptoms so I felt I had to go to bed as early as I could to try to stave it off. Today I've been fine. I'm not complaining, of course!

I'm trying not to spend money today so I'm going to re-inventory the freezer and see what I can make from the findings.

I'm fairly rested despite work which is great: am hoping to turn it into something like progress, my definition of progress being something that doesn't involve sitting at the computer getting nothing productive done.

16/1/20
Spending
Housekeeping 3.41
e-book 0.99
MS
an sleep in at work which gives extra income

So right now I'm thankful for the colour of the late afternoon light on the bare trees, a warm house, DS2's company (though he's upstairs in his lair watching goodness-knows-what) and the prospect of an evening at home with DH.

Sun_Addict

Hope your DFIL improves and you have a nice evening. I need to sort out my freezer again and try and live from stocks next week.