Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

Thanks, SA - and the same to you!

I didn't get a lot done today: DH was working so I did some language study (I like the easy stories on one of the apps and I tried a Portuguese one for the first time today. Despite being an absolute newbie, I could follow it and learned a few new words). The morning was rather cold and grey so I no incentive to get out and about. I sorted through some of my parents' old papers and found a sort of book of letters my Dad had written to family from childhood on. These include his WW2 service and lots of little glimpses of his family and their friends. Fascinating!

I've been a bit under the weather and was wondering whether to blame the vaccine but a small amount of research indicates a mixture of too much screen time, hay fever, a sub-optimal diet and lack of decent exercise. In other words, I probably have to blame myself!

Once DH finished work, the sun came out and we walked over to his Dad's flat to work out what's still to be done. The furniture is nearly all gone and there's fresh paint in the lounge but DH wants to paint the bedroom and get new carpets before trying to rent it out. There are still a few bits and pieces of DFiL's, mainly books and ornaments, to sort, so I ended up with two tiny crystal animals that used to live in a display cabinet. They now have a temporary home on the mantlepiece where they send rainbows onto the wall behind them, but I expect they will join my little collection of cut glass (mostly inherited from Mum, who used cut glass and bevelled mirrors to great effect in the dining room, which was otherwise rather dark. It used to end up full of rainbows!)

I've done some more grocery shopping ready for tomorrow and Monday and tried to be a bit healthier in my choices. I've also managed to blow the fuses using our new-to-us vacuum cleaner! Dh thinks it's just the on/off switch that's gone so he's going to have a look at it.

It's been a  beautiful evening: we went for a local walk and the blackthorn buds are showing white, the fields are anywhere between newly ploughed and showing the first yellow of the rapeseed crop, and it's all completely parched. I got a few photos of the sunset too: the sky was enormous and the sun was red-gold.

Then this evening we had a really charming and persuasive email from the would-be buyer of Mum's old house, increasing their offer to just above what I'd been hoping for and talking about how they were dreaming of it as a family home for their children. I haven't replied yet but I took a liking to them which helps a lot!

So there are a lot of things to be thankful for this evening, and it's time I got to bed.

Onebrokelady

I love that you have letters for your parents past, it must be really interesting to read about what they got up to 😊I come from a family who don't keep anything so there's no history to look back on.when my Mum brought me down here she even left most of the family photos behind, I've got a few now that a relative sent me but I would love all our old family photos 😊 I hope the deal goes through on the house 

Sun_Addict

The book of letters is such a lovely thing to find. I have some of my mum’s diaries and lots of old family photos and enjoy looking at them from time to time. Great news about the house offer, fingers crossed it all goes well.

Cherryfudge

There are so many letters! Mum's are fascinating, Dad's a re mostly nearly indecipherable. There are also lots from friends of theirs whom I remember.

Yesterday was a lovely Easter Day. We had church in the morning and dinner was a spinach and ricotta pizza with roast veg (my attempt to eat more healthily). Afterwards we met up with A and H in a village a few miles away which was extraordinarily pretty, and had a 2 hour walk in the surrounding country, meeting precisely no one. It was absolutely idyllic, apart perhaps from closing a gate behind us only to see it had a 'beware of the bull' sign on the far side! The field curved over a hill so we couldn't see if there really was a bull lurking! That meant we had to go on, not back, and 'on' turned out to include the only mud left anywhere after this prolonged dry weather. And guess who slipped and fell in?! My trainers are still caked and the socks went in the bin, but everything else is now clean and dry. However the walk was absolutely lovely.

Today is very cold. J and L, who are a few miles further north, had snow. J came through with another load of washing: the shop sent them the wrong part for their machine. Good to see her, though, and hear she's just had her second vaccine. It's beautifully sunny and the wind is very gusty so their washing should dry out on the line.

DH has cannibalised the switches from the old and new vacuum cleaners so we now have one working one again. Good job we had left the old one at the flat rather than tipping it. He's back decorating the flat this afternoon, while I'm at work.

I've made a big pan of lentil and chorizo soup so that's a healthy meal or three.

I've spent 99p on an e-book and DH ordered J's birthday gift which I think was £19.99.

This afternoon I'm thankful for family contacts (even DS has posted on the family WhatsApp), for a sunny day and for solving a knitting problem with (ahem!) skills I've gradually built over the past few months. Nothing dramatic but it's a satisfying feeling.

Onebrokelady

Sounds like the perfect way to spend Easter to me apart from falling in the mud, you weren't running away from the bull were you😀

Cherryfudge

Lol, no, the bull didn't actually put in an appearance which is probably just as well!

We tried to ring the estate agent this morning but the person we need to speak to was on another line and so far they haven't got back to us. DH is kindly handling this as my stress levels go up at the very though of anything to do with the house. I'm aware that I need to do some more sorting of the stuff I've brought over here though, and soon.

It's so cold out! But sunny. I think today is forecast to go to a high of about 5 degrees, whereas a week ago it reached 19.

STOP PRESS: the estate agent rang so I've accepted the offer.

Onebrokelady

Cherryfudge said:

Lol, no, the bull didn't actually put in an appearance which is probably just as well!

We tried to ring the estate agent this morning but the person we need to speak to was on another line and so far they haven't got back to us. DH is kindly handling this as my stress levels go up at the very though of anything to do with the house. I'm aware that I need to do some more sorting of the stuff I've brought over here though, and soon.

It's so cold out! But sunny. I think today is forecast to go to a high of about 5 degrees, whereas a week ago it reached 19.

STOP PRESS: the estate agent rang so I've accepted the offer.

Yay on getting an offer on the house, let's hope it all goes through smoothly ........  Im glad the bull didn't put in an appearance 😀

Honeysucklelou2

Good news about the offer...hope the conveyancing goes smoothly.

Cherryfudge

Thank you.

There were further developments this afternoon as a property company twice tried to offer more but we decided we want to stick with the people we accepted from. It just seems the decent thing - and I suspect the property people are so keen because they may have the funds to replace all the soil and, planning permission allowing, build at the back. My parents were always very keen to keep the garden as green space so I know they, as well as we, wouldn't have wanted this.

I had a short walk this afternoon, followed by a trip to town to get more yarn for my latest bit of knitting. And it snowed! Only briefly, but twice, and it settled for a while. Just to think last week was 19 degrees...

Spending
Yarn (hobbies) £9.95
Toiletries £1
hHsehold £3.99

This evening I'm thankful for video time with friends, some lovely self-striping yarn that's holding out for a nice effect despite my qualms, being able to get hold of my sister to consult about the house, unanimity of feeling from all of us executors and of course the offer on the house.

Cherryfudge

I only worked a short shift today, but managed to doze off on the sofa later and haven't really had any exercise at all. I've discovered a very purple bruise on my inner arm which I can only assume came from my trek on Sunday, either when I fell in the mud or when I hauled myself along the fence! I can't quite account for it either way, but as I take prescribed asprin I do tend to come out in un-asked-for bruises.

I've spent £10.99 on a Fit bit strap as I noticed this one is splitting and I don't want to lose it.

The lady who takes care of Mum's old house reports that the 'Sold, subject to contract' sign is up!

I think that's all for today. I'm thankful for a relaxing afternoon, helpful advice elsewhere on these boards to sort out a knitting problem and for all the spring flowers that are riding the cold spell so cheerfully.