Cherry takes the reins

Onebrokelady

Fingers crossed for DHs job application Cherry enjoy the weekend with your friends 😊

Cherryfudge

Thank you OBL. Job application has been sent.

We've had a lovely day with our friends despite the weather forecast being wrong! We had some rain in the afternoon but not enough to stop us doing some sightseeing.  (Or is it 'siteseeing'? Computer says 'no'.) I am a little concerned about one of our friends as she was struggling with walking up a slope that I found straightforward. Is this the effect lockdown had on people my age? I know some of our elderly clients at work have mentioned their leg muscles have deteriorated through lockdown.

Anyway, we wandered round some shops, had a good lunch (generously paid for by one of our friends), went to a castle, looked at some more shops and finished off by going to a waterfall. Then home via BeeandEm to dinner (DH made Bolognese) and telly.

Some spending:
Gifts £17.00 (that's sorted birthday and part of Christmas for my Brother in Law)
Housekeeping £9.43
Masks (medical) £4.00
DH also bought some food and tickets for our friends (ours came from our EH membership).

So I'm thankful for an old fashioned nice day with good company, and people liking the photos I took. Oh, and resisting cake at lunchtime, and ginger jam being back in the shops.

Cherryfudge

Another grand day out (with a nod to Wallace and Gromitt).
Another town - far too many people seeing the sights but otherwise a pleasure. The sudden increase in Covid nationwide is a concern, though. I've spent £7.50 on extra credit for my phone as I'm getting through more data nowadays and will be using it when we're away later this month.
I've coasted through another few sections of one of my courses in spare time but haven't taken notes so I need to focus and process it properly.
We had a light lunch out - I think we managed to pay for this one - then stopped for coffee and scones later which one of our friends paid for. The diet has done slightly better today (by which I mean I only had part of the coleslaw and a black coffee instead of a cappuccino but have eaten both a scone and a chunk of lemon meringue pie!) I know my weight's gone up but am hoping to get back to exercise this coming week.

Tonight I'm thankful for good company this weekend and the freedom to visit places 'like in the old days' (more or less). I know I need to put the brakes on again but it's easier having relaxed. Oh, and DD and her friend nearly lost their holiday but got it back by dint of switching to a fight tomorrow. I hope they'll be safe but I know she will feel better for time in the sun.

magicgal

Glad your DD got her holiday sorted.  I keep going to book something and then wondering if its a good idea.  Ive ended up doing some short trips to catch up with some people i am not able to see so easily.  (mostly my dd as she is back in her uni town working) but I do think the break and sun is important for the younger ones.  
I am struggling to motivate myself for exercise so I am just going to cheer you on instead... seems like the better option for now. x

Cherryfudge

Thank you @magicgal , remember if you jump up and down while cheering it burns more calories.

DD and her friend have arrived safely and sent photos of a spacious hotel room so it seems their holiday is off to a good start.

Work has been quiet but there are so many people off either sick or on leave that I'm doing two sleep-ins and three shift leads later this week. My friend who was taken ill at work last week is now off till at least the end of this week, and there are so many off or on reduced hours because of stress that you wouldn't believe it. I wonder if other workplaces are like this? However there is change ahead. Mind you change causes stress too! I have two days off now so I'm going to relax.

I texted three different workmen this morning, and not one has got back to us. The porch at Mum's old house remains shored up not mended. Our boiler remains un-serviced and the trees are still tall enough to catch the wind alarmingly. Workman number four never replied to the message DH left telling him we had waited too long and made other arrangements, but I don't suppose there was much point his doing so! A colleague has suggested they're all playing catch up.

I've not spent anything today.

My thankfulnesses: managing to stay off cake and chocolate when they were proffered. Finding photos from A and H's wedding and realising I lost weight at that point and can do it again. A beautiful sunset. DD and friend arriving safely in Greece and it not being one of the places from which quarantine now has to happen.

Cherryfudge

I forgot to update yesterday but I don't think I went near the shops. DH and I both thought we would use up some baking things: he cooked some part-baked rolls and I used a tube of croissant dough that had been around since Christmas! (I feel I should put some sort of 'don't try this at home' warning here). I ate up some ice cream and haven't replaced it.

The croissants were actually very nice - when I checked the ingredients there was nothing that would obviously be dangerous when out of date, and the dough smelled fresh so now apart from the calories I'm happy.The fact is, if I died suddenly my children wouldn't be disgusted at the contents of the fridge Does anyone else do things so that their children won't have them to cope with in that eventuality? I don't manage to sort the major things like piles of magazines, books, other papers but a tube of dough that they might just bin, that's sorted.

We went for a walk up to the moors in the afternoon which was good exercise and beautiful, with the subtle autumn colours starting to come into being. When we got back I threw out rhubarb and cauliflower from the salad drawer - sorry - they were just beyond saving. We picked over a pound more blackberries from the garden and I made a lentil and chorizo soup, throwing in a couple of carrots rather than compost them, too.

I'm working hard on my healthy eating but it seems to require a lot of thinking ahead. The weight is marginally down again - phew. 

Last night and today I've heard back from three people I was a bit concerned about - all sorts of news but people are clearly feeling the mental health effects of the lockdown/ Covid. I'm wondering about trying to get our Tuesday group back together IRL, not just by video. I think we could meet up in pairs on alternate weeks and bring our knitting or crochet! We usually do a Bible study but that's difficult in a small group once someone gets out of synch, and everyone has some yarn project on the go. Yesterday we didn't meet as there would have been only two of us.

This morning I'm thankful for a break in the wet weather, the start of autumn colours and contact with friends.

Cherryfudge

Well, it's been a lovely day. First I dreamed I was back at Uni, arriving late at an all-you-can-eat buffet which seemed to be how they catered. I wandered around with my arms full of small cartons of things I wanted to try, and a vague awareness that I needed to make a sensible decision and grab a plate of something that would see me through to morning! Then I woke up.

Do you know, for years after I finished in education, I dreamed about exams. I'm not even particularly worried by exams, but they obviously affected me more than I thought. It's nice now to be reliving some of the fun of Uni even if it bears little resemblance to the real thing!

I got my act together enough to go for a run at lunchtime. I'd decided to go for half an hour and not attempt the next of the C210K programme. Last time I did one it was too warm and I ended up walking most of it. Yet as I went out, still undecided on my route, I discovered something in me had opted for the C210K after all. Something in me wanted to tackle it. I set off on the first leg of it (this week's runs are three lots of seventeen minutes interspersed with one minute walks), making a reasonable pace despite going up hill, but I felt I'd struggle to complete it. When I got near the end of the first part, I decided to run through the one minute walk and get to a certain point then turn back. I ended up running the whole lot, including the three one-minute walks. I slowed down and got quite tired but I think subconsciously I wanted to be back on track and not have to repeat the run yet again. When I got in I found I'd done parts of the route faster than previous runs, which was heartening.

Oh, and just before I set out I saw that H had just done a very good 8K run and as I set off I nearly ran into L who was obviously on a training run. I think I saw him pounding along as I returned, obviously having done a large loop and still on the go. I have add he's about half my age and sport is his thing.

We have heard back from the tree surgeon, who requested we clear access down the lane behind the house so he can get equipment through. He isn't due till October but I made a start today and DH helped. The lane is overgrown and people had dumped some stuff there, but another neighbour was strimming his part of it and with permission from someone else I've cut back a lot of overgrown hedge. DH chopped up some branches that had been dumped (they will fuel the log burner) and I've assembled the pure rubbish ready for the tip. I'm quite pleased with the result though I think we might have some hours' work down the far end. So it's been an energetic day.

News of the rise in Corona virus cases and stricter rules on gatherings has put me in mind of building up a larder again, just in case. I went shopping after tea and bought a great deal of fruit and some jars of things we eat regularly. I also got socks for myself and some nice hand wash for a stocking filler.

Spending:
Clothing £6 (that 4 coupons for the Fashion on the Ration challenge).
Gift £2
Housekeeping £27.62

Tonight I'm thankful for the health and strength to go running and the wherewithal to buy healthy food (and socks with squirrels on).

Sun_Addict

Where did you find the C210K programme because I couldn't find a proper one when I finished C25K? It's great that you're getting faster. I know what you mean about carrying on running rather than walk intervals because I find it's hard to stop running once you've started and walking feels weird and almost harder IYSWIM 😀 I often don't feel like going for a run and tell myself I'll just run for 15 minutes or walk then end up doing the full run you just need to get going. I need to get back into it, it's been a week since I last ran but then I've had this horrible feeling sick/pains in the stomach bug or whatever it was and not been able to go. I'm hoping to start back on Monday.

I think all workmen have got a backlog from lockdown, it will be while before they catch up. 

Cherryfudge

I think  you're wise not to push yourself into running when you've been unwell, SA. It sounded really nasty and your body probably needed its energy to fight it.
I got C210K as an app (I've an iPhone, if that helps) - it's called 10K trainer and is by Zen fitness. The logo is a red square with 10k in white.

Cherryfudge

Not a good day at work as one of the patients and one of the staff are in bad places. However I did meet a friend who's off sick but able to mobilise, and she says she's improved a lot in the last few days.
I bought an e-book (£1.99 off my gift voucher) but have steered away from the shops.
Tomorrow is the first of two sleep ins - I hope I sleep well! - and also a webinar in the morning. So it's nice I'm on leave after that!

Tonight I'm thankful for not having to be absolute shift lead this evening, my friend feeling better and beautiful photos from DD's holiday.