Cherry takes the reins

Onebrokelady

Cherryfudge said:

I love historical paperwork! I wonder how the railway history affects your allotment? I'd imagine one of the benefits is level ground!

I love this kind of thing. I have copies of the deeds to my house and the builders plans. These houses were built on old farmland and originally the residents had to pay a yearly rent to to the landowner, this is actually still law even though the landowner is no more 😊I'm also not allowed to keep a caravan in my front garden which is good seeing as it's on steep slope 😀

Honeysucklelou2

Well one part is flat, so good for beds. The other part has an embankment , complete with the stones at the top - well underneath the weeds! The tracks and sleepers are long gone but we have found some interesting chunks of metal in the ground during some episodes of digging.

Cherryfudge

@Onebrokelady I am still grinning at not keeping the caravan on a slope! There is a cartoon in there somewhere.  
@Honeysucklelou2 it would have been handy had they left you some sleepers to make raised beds... I wonder what the metal was and why it was left? I picture the work gang downing tools one summer Friday 4 o'clock and just not bothering to tidy up after themselves.

I have finished the 6th sleep in at work in eight days, having been asked to do another on Wednesday. I'm hoping this weekend is a lull and it probably will be as staff are coming back onto the rota. I'm doing Monday night but it's 'mine' anyway: I'm always on that shift.

I'm somewhat tired but have had a productive couple of days. I did my longest run in ages, back on Wednesday - about 5 miles (8K), then in the afternoon we used our EH membership to go round a (slightly damp) castle. I realised there are hidden advantages/disadvantages (depending on your viewpoint) of membership - I bought a coffee and a pot of their expensive fruit curd. We tried another flavour last year and it was delicious, plus it's helping keep people in jobs. I resisted a beautiful checked throw which would have added a lovely splash of autumnal colour to the lounge but DH doesn't 'get' throws (or rugs, as he called it) and I realised it would be an impulse buy on my part and I've have to find storage for it in spring and summer. On the other hand, the fact I'm still thinking about it might be an indication I really like it...

We also looked around the town and discovered a fascinating old house which has an oddly abandoned look about it despite being by what I assume is the market square. It turns out it's held in trust and is slowly getting greyer and greyer with neglect. What a shame, especially as it looks full of potential (and cobwebs).

Yesterday we harvested more blackberries and greengages, and I popped into town for urgent glasses repairs and to buy some makeup. Yes, I have mascara again! I got a three-for-two offer with some other bits I needed. I gave up mascara when we went into lockdown so I would be less tempted to rub my eyes. Now I want it so it looks good above a mask.  

Work was quite quiet. I was shift lead for the first time in ages, but there was very little to do. Today's a day off - and it's raining again. Apparently this time last year temperatures were in the high twenties. I've been looking into health-promoting activities advertised at work but after clicking through various links I found I'm not eligible in this area without a GP's referral, which seems a bit unlikely. However, despite losing half a stone since sometime in July, I'm still overweight and sadly a lot is concentrated in the danger zone around my tummy so while I look and feel healthier than I did, I'm not there yet. I just thought a bit of a support group might have bolstered my resolution on difficult days, but I might have to make one if that's going to happen.

I've also splashed out on a notebook to keep my latest course notes together - I will have to allow it to get messy but a new notebook is fun and hopefully will keep ideas together.

I've left DH to put his spending on the spreadsheet but my spending is as follows:
Stationery £2
Toiletries £12.98

I'm thankful for a milestone run (proves I can still do it!), a quiet shift, extra income from the extra sleeps at work and a nice day out with DH the other day. Simple pleasures all - I've very grateful for a simple pleasures.

greenbee

@Cherryfudge - with the weight loss, I found that it disappeared from all sorts of places (including my feet and legs and collarbones) before it really made any impact on my middle. Sadly we can't target specific areas! I started with the Fast 800 last year with support from my GP to help shift the weight and counteract my lifestyle (lots of work travel and hotel/restaurant food) and have found the mediterranean low-ish carb recommendations for ongoing maintenance have worked well. If weight starts going up I do 5:2 or a week of the 800 diet to get back on track.

Cherryfudge

That's helpful to know, thanks @greenbee . I haven't braved any of the variations on fasting yet though I think the evidence for them is good. I know I have weight elsewhere than my middle, but there's a definite tendency for it to congregate there!
It must be hard to lose weight when you spend an lot of time travelling and going to restaurants, you've done well to make progress with that sort of opposition.
DH and I have just been out for a two-mile run between bouts of rain. It's actually good conditions to run in as long as we don't go anywhere slippery. I was marginally the faster of us (DH hasn't been running for a while) but I've just been added on a running app by my DiL and her speed is way above ours, so that will keep me humble.

charlies_tribe

Well done to DH on the roof, a great saving.
And well done o  the running,  I haven't even ventured into the garden while tge weather has been rubbish. 
I love looking at old plans, or even new ones, while looking at houses with DD the floor plan is the first thing we both look for.

Cherryfudge

Very little spent, none of it by me. Glad to say the roof is holding firm and DH has made inroads into a few DIY jobs: the ceiling where the water came in is tacked back into place and awaiting fresh paint, while some replastering from when damp got into the hall, is now papered and painted. It isn't perfect as the supposedly matching paint doesn't match but we can't return it as we bought it ages ago. Actually the whole hall/stairs landing would benefit from new paint but it's quite a high ceiling and hard to get a good finish in the uppermost corners.

I've been at work quite a bit and was supposed to have tomorrow's sleep in but a colleague has taken it on, which gives me a better night's sleep (at home!) and means he doesn't have to drive so much. Win/win.

Yesterday's work was a bit of a bumpy ride, but today has been smooth. People are in need of a break and stressed by change and uncertainty. I'm glad I have two weeks off booked later in September.

Tonight I'm thankful for the singing duo on this morning's service - earlier in the pandemic they were recorded separately but today they were together as they're part of a bubble. That was a clear visual signal that we've moved on from where we were back in April. I'm also thankful that things went better at work and I'll be at home tomorrow night.

Sun_Addict

Just catching up with you Cherry, glad everything is ok and it sounds like you're getting back into a routine and 2 weeks off to look forward to in the very near future sounds fabulous 😁

charlies_tribe

2 weeks off coming up sounds good. You'll be ready for the rest.
I hate doing the hall/stairs so many places I can't reach and too awkward for the ladders.

Cherryfudge

This lunchtime we had one last Rishi Special in the form of lunch at a local café. It was quite busy but the tables were properly spaced apart and we were right at the back. The food was nice, too (savoury pancakes with scrambled egg, smoked salmon and maple syrup, in case you're interested). I went to the kitchen shop adjacent to the café and bought a stocking filler for DD after spending some time giggling over a series of funny coasters on display. I'm hoping DH remembers one for my stocking filler!

I got back just in time for work, and it's been a nice shift, though a little sad as a popular colleague is leaving (ironically, going into a post I used to hold). I added some cash to the leaving collection.

I've booked a couple more days off over the Autumn but have realised I could do with a next-year's diary already, to help me get my head around the rest of the leave I need to take. It's gone from feeling I had to hold on to as much as possible back in April, to wondering how to space it out over the next seven months. It's more complicated as I don't know what I might need around selling Mum's old house.

Anyway, I've done some spending, which looks like this:
Entertainment £8.97
Housekeeping (milk bill) £5.84. Supermarket - I need to find the receipt 
Toiletries ditto
Gifts £9.99

Tonight I'm thankful for a nice meal out, a good shift at work and coming safely through this strange summer. Oh, and DH buying me watermelon for when I got in tonight: it's one of my favourites.