Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

I won't get to do my short shift this afternoon due to staffing levels, but at least I can claim for the extra one and a half hours. A colleague has transferred in from another unit so one of our three contracted hours posts is now filled, and last night we heard that a Covid volunteer can be offered the relief post she wants, so that's two of the six people who've left, now replaced. I was grousing to a colleague as the deficit was known about last year but posts weren't advertised. It takes some time for staff to get up to speed so some degree of forward planning would have made sense.  Not sure whether *Sigh* or *Grrr* is the more applicable.

On a lighter note, I'm going to copy my Unfinished Objects list over from Fashion on the Ration. I'm working on the jumpers but I have so many cross stitch/embroidery projects not happening that I need to create some sort of focus there. 

1. a nursery cross stitch of geese in bonnets - part done
2. a cross stitch of an Elizabethan couple with the quotation 'Journeys end in lovers' meeting' which was a wedding present from DH (33 years ago!): it's quite large and I went one stitch out of true so I'm worried that it will be enough to make the whole thing a bit wrong... 
3. a strawberry sampler which is under way and has been since early this century - done about 2%!
4. greetings cards (angel) (Three quarters done?)
5. greetings card (teddy) (not started)
6. greetings card (beehive) (not started)
7. ribbonwork card (not started)
8. tiny flower embroidery - started
9. embroidered tee shirt - half done
10. a Christmas table cloth that I'm not allowing myself to start till I've finished something else,
11.  a sampler that I fell for years ago and haven't started (until I've finished something else) and 
12. a beautiful panel of two deer in a winter woodland that I haven't started (until I've finished something else).
13. Pram sampler (not started)
14. Mohair jumper - just the sleeve to refinish, but need to find all the bits!
15. Yellow cardigan - a major repair but need to find the materials
16. Toddler's outfit that I started approx. 29 years ago!
17. Lacy shawl - not started but have the yarn and needles
18. Grey and red jumper - done 25.5cm
19. Blue jumper - done 24cm 
20. Yellow yarn for baby clothes I never got round to
21. Pink/beige yarn that I fell for and want to make a jumper from one day

Honeysucklelou2

What a good idea to write a list of projects! You have reminded me that I have a harvest / cornflower/ poppies scene to finish in cross stitch. Must go and dig it out as the extra natural light in summer makes it easier to distinguish between the colours that are a shade apart.

Sun_Addict

That’s a big list of projects, you’re going to be pretty busy 😆

Cherryfudge

Listing the projects has been rather a quickening process, like rediscovering summer clothes! A bit of my head has re-engaged with things I've not looked at seriously for years, but in the meantime I've passed one unstarted item on to a friend who is an avid cross-stitcher. Does reducing the list from 21 to 20 make it more realistic?

Nothing spent today, an extra hour and a half worked and I've said I'll do the sleep in tomorrow night rather against my better judgement but someone has to isolate so the cover was needed urgently.

Tonight I'm thankful for lots of lovely projects effectively for free, daylight in the sky at a quarter to eleven, and getting round to throwing out/recycling a few bits of makeup that were past their time.

Cherryfudge

Paid the credit card, did some knitting and un-stuck the desk drawer this morning. That's another area that need to be decluttered.

A and H called round with some pepper plants they've grown so now I have a new project.

I am getting anything and everything done rather than make big inroads into that room of papers upstairs! The other thing I'm trying to tackle is lots of aquarium equipment, mostly inherited from my Mum. I need to keep only what I can use and fits into the fish tank cupboard.

It's a gorgeous day so I will go to the shops before DH finishes work then we might go for a walk.

Cherryfudge

A bit of a triumph! I made 51 'paper decisions' in that room today! I also found some old postcards (ranging from one I wrote to Mum less than ten years ago to one from family friends in the 1930s) which are now in the 'letters' box, and a few photos for their respective box. Some magazines have been extricated and a start made on sorting them: I might offer these on a local site for a pound a batch as they are special interest: if no one wants them they can recycle.

Talking of magazines, I've got the library app working (it's a bit of a palaver as the interface isn't intuitive) and am distracting myself with magazines. At first glance it looks as though you can only get the current edition but actually there are loads of back numbers so I've been reading myself to sleep recently with Christmas knitting patterns. A bit more colourful than counting sheep. I've also managed to borrow a book I've been waiting for on Kindle offers for a year or more, which is nice. I use the word 'managed' advisedly because I spent several minutes going round in circles once it was downloaded but eventually went out of the app and back in again at which point I could open the download and read. 

Apart from the nightmare papers room, I've done some tidying in the desk and gone through a big bag of aquarium equipment to see what's useable. I didn't throw any out or test the electrics but it's now clean and back in the right boxes with a note where necessary to say what part is still missing, and it's packed in the fish tank cupboard which is 100% improvement on a random carrier bag. I ran out of time to do the rest and went off to the shops instead but now I know what I'm dealing with and it's at least neat and tidy.

Grocery shopping came to £18.82, and I bumped into an old friend and had a chat as an added bonus.

A mini crisis this evening when I discovered I'd gone wrong several rows back on my knitting and have undone today's work to put it right. I'm nearly there now but concentration isn't up to doing any more today.

Things I'm thankful for this evening: some more order in the dining room and DS2's old room, seeing A and H and my friend today, peaches (especially the smell of them) and the prospect of a day out with J, L and the puppy tomorrow.

Cherryfudge

Update for yesterday: a lovely day with J, L and their puppy at the coast! The puppy finds everything interesting and was completely unfazed by busy streets and at least ten people stopping to have a conversation and admire her. Sand and sea were new experiences for her but she adapted quickly. It's amazing how she can just swim without being taught!

I was a little more concerned by the crowds than she was: it wasn't as busy as I've seen it but still crowded in the town so I'm hoping the sea breeze was enough to compensate for the difficulty in social distancing. The good news is that L has now had his first jab and the rest of us have had two so that lowers the risk.

DH bought fish and chips for everyone and also put diesel in the car but those were the only spends.

I was so tired I slept in the car on the way home and had a very lazy evening but that's okay. I'm back at work this afternoon.
ETA. And I've just been asked if I can do the sleep in as someone is isolating due to a positive test for a member of their household.

Cherryfudge

Some decluttering achieved - mostly DH and DD who have removed lots of her stored stuff from the loft. We took lots for her yesterday and she picked up three more boxes this morning. Meanwhile I went up in the loft for more of my summer clothes and found some 'quick wins' in the form of 39 magazines and a tee shirt. Am feeling quite accomplished.  

I also found a bag of knitting which turns out to be the other part of the yellow yarn I found the other day. Now all I need is the pattern.  

Cherryfudge

Progress on the house sale! I had a call from the estate agent while I was at work yesterday, enquiring about the hold up. Long story short, it turns out they had sent the legal stuff to the wrong address. At almost exactly the same time I had an email from the buyers which I've still got to read properly as I'm not long back from work. I had been puzzling why I'd not had a reply from them but that's partly sorted as it turns out they had also made a mistake in the email address they used to contact me. Why mine didn't get to them is still to be discovered but I suppose it could have gone in their spam box.

DH and I had already decided not to go to the house in our usual slot next week as we have three medical appointments and a social thing in those two days and while I could say no to the social thing, dental and medical appointments have such a long lead time at present that rearranging three would have been a bad move. However now I'm left worrying about the remaining things I haven't done there (after all these years - but there was a tremendous amount to do). I think I will have to talk to the buyers and ask if we can arrange something... and put down my foot with work and say I need some leave, though we are two posts unfilled, two relief staff down, no manager and two off sick at present so I don't see how that will be done!

What an odd time it is! So much up in the air.

We also heard from DS2 who asked us to tea this evening. It turns out to be a bit of a gathering of the clans at A and H's, with a 'special guest' so all the bets are out as to whether DS2 has a girlfriend or bought a pet.  

I think I need another coffee.  

Cherryfudge

Well, I was wrong about DS2 getting a pet. His new girlfriend seems very likeable; they spent a lot of time playing with the puppy which I guess is as good an ice-breaker as you'll find. I had had a bit of a rubbish day and nearly didn't go but was glad I had. It was lovely to see the family, only L couldn't be there. I walked home too, which helps me be healthy.

I had a chat with DH about my work, which is (as you may have guessed) getting stretched to a worrying degree. He pointed out a) that when his job was going badly I could see the situation more clearly than he could and b) that after I've done the sleep at work, regardless of how I feel it went, he sees I'm tired and low in mood. I've therefore emailed my poor manager (who has enough to cope with anyway) and asked not to do any extras for a while as, between work and personal life, my health is suffering. She rang me back this morning to check on some details so I'm to report back to her in a couple of weeks to see if further adjustments are needed. I feel bad for the rest of the team but we have a habit of keeping all the plates spinning, so to speak, thus disguising how bad things are.

The major immediate preoccupation is the house sale (work isn't the worst thing!) so I've ploughed on with clearing papers that I'd brought home to sort. More lovely old letters and photos are now in the appropriate boxes (some angry letters thrown out - why rock the boat in the further with memories of Mum putting someone in their place!) and another 260 'paper decisions' have gone in the recycling. That's really helped as there's a bit more clear space visible in DS2's room.

Spending
Gift (belated Christmas for my niece who's now on 10 days' quarantine after flying back to the UK) £12.95
Housekeeping £13.83
Medical £0.55

Tonight I'm thankful for a rose coming into bloom and smelling beautiful (rescued from my parent's garden), the first foxglove also coming into flower, a nice family evening yesterday and an improvement in my mood as today wore on.