Cherry takes the reins

Honeysucklelou2

York is a beautiful city...the Shambles are a delight to meander through! The Minster is well worth a visit as is the Rail museum and ( if your nostrils can stand the smell) the Jorvik Viking museum. I generally can’t abide cities, but York is the exception!

Well done to your DS Cherryfudge!

Cherryfudge

This morning DH had an early dental appointment and I'd fully expected still to be dozing when he got in but I didn't sleep too well. I did get a couple of loads of washing done and taken in again as it rained later. I was all inspired by DS1's marathon so DH and I went for a run before lunch. Other than that I've done some tidying in the kitchen and cleaned up some branches of lunaria to put in a vase over winter. It always takes ages but I like the silvery effect of the middles of the dried seed pods and it makes me feel quite olde worlde to prepare them ready for the flower-less months.

I had an online meeting after lunch then it was nearly time to get ready for work.

I've not spent anything today and I've finally put in my claim for extra hours during September. I won't get it till the end of November now but it will be useful towards Christmas. Today was an extra shift and I worked with a client I've barely met before but we seem to have got off to a positive start. I was supposed to finish early but he turns out to be someone who gets more active as the evening goes on, so I stayed till the end of the shift. A bit sad as it's my last one with a colleague I've worked with for 8 years.

This evening I'm thankful for my colleague and all the steadiness and humour he's brought to work over the years. For DS1 feeling better after his efforts yesterday. For two days off to come.

Cherryfudge

Honeysucklelou2 said:

York is a beautiful city...the Shambles are a delight to meander through! The Minster is well worth a visit as is the Rail museum and ( if your nostrils can stand the smell) the Jorvik Viking museum. I generally can’t abide cities, but York is the exception!

Well done to your DS Cherryfudge!

Thank you. I know what you mean about the smell of the Yorvik Museum! I went to the dig which was where it originated, as a teenager. When our kids were younger we took them to the museum (which is why I remember the smell!), then some years ago I was taking a client on a day trip and we sat on a wall to enjoy the sun and watched a Viking warrior emerge from Boots the chemist with his lunch in a carrier bag...

My favourite spot in York is currently Brew and Brownie...

Onebrokelady

Cherryfudge said:

@Onebrokelady, cross posted with you, sorry.

I too visited York on a school trip and later went on holiday so I'm very happy we're now in relatively easy reach. North Yorkshire does tend to think nothing of travelling for an hour to go to something, though - we once sold something on 3bay and the buyer said he'd collect as he was going to Leeds. He really didn't know that once you leave Leeds you still have a very long before you get to us (still in Yorkshire).

IMO daffodil time is the perfect time to visit York, as the banks around the city walls are a mass of daffs, but it's lovely at any season.

Well done on running seven miles - a bit further than I've done so far!

My seven mile run was years ago and will not be happening again any time soon 😀 I want to visit the Jorvik Museum and would love to go when the Viking festival is on,I'm quite obsessed with anything to do with vikings or Scandinavian folk in general, I love reading about their way of life and the things they believed in 😊

Cherryfudge

Onebrokelady said:

I want to visit the Jorvik Museum and would love to go when the Viking festival is on,I'm quite obsessed with anything to do with vikings or Scandinavian folk in general, I love reading about their way of life and the things they believed in 😊

York's the place for you then! Incidentally my friend's husband, from Yorkshire farming stock has a condition which indicates he has Viking ancestry. We tend to think of the Vikings as long ago, but they're still among us!

Cherryfudge

One of those days when bits of things are getting done. Having worked out I have about 85 rows to go to reach the neck on that grey jumper that's been part of my project list for so many years, it feels unreachable by Christmas but I've managed a couple more rows today. I'm determined!

I rang the insurance for the old house to cancel and discovered it was the previous company so we had to find out who we were actually insured with! Turned up on DH's emails and is now cancelled, complete with £50 administration fee.  

I had yet another go at trying to inform BT that we're no longer in possession of the house but couldn't find out how, upon which it occurred to me that as there wasn't a TV there and hasn't been for years and surely TV licence letters went to the property not to me, well, there is no way to tell them we no longer need to be chased up for something we didn't have anyway! The new owners will get the next letter.

I really think I've got brain fog today.

As a bit of a displacement task (I really don't want to get my head round my pension) I've cleared off the coat hooks in the wall, finding two of DS1's coats and a chunky snood of DD's in the process. A few items have gone in the wash and all heavier coats are now on some of the super-heavy-duty wooden coat hangers I rescued from the old house. I'm not sure about keeping all my coats but I'm not one for a capsule wardrobe so over years I've acquired 'smart' coats in navy, black and dusky pink, two denim jackets, a running jacket, a 'duvet' coat and an assortment of waterproofs. I hardly ever wear some of them but I'm quite fond of the less 'throw it on' ones so perhaps I need to give thought to how to wear the others. A lot of the difficulty comes from being a jeans and hoodie type who physically can't wear smart shoes and has a lot of difficulty with boots.

First world problem, I know. I need to address the shoe problem and the smart tops problem and the expanded waistline problem, then perhaps the rest will fall into place.

DS1 says we can donate the coats he left, so that's a little more space gained.

Another displacement activity was taking a quick look at possible BTL properties in this area. It's very odd to know there are a couple I could pay cash for! One was in the block where J and L used to live and which is in quite an attractive area but had the worst sales pitch I've ever seen: most of the pictures were kitchen cupboards (okay, a nice kitchen) or near-identical views of the corners of near-identical rooms, and the blurb said something about it being perfect for sofas and TV viewing! I could have done considerably better myself, especially as I know from J and L's experience that the access actually limits what sofas you can put in! It's also leasehold, which puts me off at once.

Time to stop displacing for now and open up that pension website.

Cherryfudge

The pension website has been stormed but I'm not much wiser. It's just confirmed I'm not going to be wealthy once I retire, but I saw that coming. I do have going on for 10 years and an inheritance to put towards it, and as I've said before, I'd prefer to put my 'eggs' in several baskets. My Mum lost a lot when the Icelandic banks went kaput, so I'm wary of similar happening again.

My friends weren't forthcoming about meeting last night so I cancelled: as someone pointed out, I've been on the go rather a lot recently so it was nice to stay in. We watched Bakeoff and Who do you think you are? and i got lots of knitting done.

This morning the running bug was still around: in fact I had a run planned when I got up. Dh went to finish the plastering or whatever he was doing at the flat, then we started out jogging. It was just spotting with rain as we left but we decided it was okay. Part way through it pelted down! Nevertheless not cold or windy and neither of us dissolved so I feel better for it. I was soaked to the skin when we got home so a load of soggy clothes went in the washer and I had a nice warm shower.

I've also defrosted the freezer: the first time for this one but I can see it will need doing quite a lot. The previous one did most of its own defrosting, showed the temperature and beeped at us if the door was left ajar. This one doesn't. 'Nuff said. We solved the problem of the fridge door not always closing when I shoved a shelf and found it went back further than I'd thought, so I'm hoping that problem is over with. Why the freezer is so frosty, I'm not sure.

Talking of problems being over with, DH's work on the gutters has withstood a heavy downpour so he's dared to repaint the bay window ceiling this afternoon, hoping the rain never comes in again.

I had a bit of an inspiration last night. We'd planned to go out of town to find new running shoes for me. My old ones are threadbare and not supporting my feet at all, and I've put off buying because I need to try shoes before I buy and local choice is limited. I've now found the same model as my existing shoes on Ebay and ordered them, thus saving about £15 too.

Onebrokelady

Was it a flat that had the lease,if so that is normal. I think most people who claim to be British/ English have some form of Viking or Anglo Saxon ancestry. I haven't traced my genes or ancestors but my surname is of German descent so god knows where that comes from 😀

Cherryfudge

Onebrokelady said:

Was it a flat that had the lease,if so that is normal. I think most people who claim to be British/ English have some form of Viking or Anglo Saxon ancestry. I haven't traced my genes or ancestors but my surname is of German descent so god knows where that comes from 😀

Yes, it was a flat, I guess that makes sense.

I've had my genes done, it was fascinating but as they get more people on the database some of the details are changing so I think the jury's still out. My matrilineal line is something like 98% British but Dad's family is supposed to have had European roots. 

I've actually got through nearly all my list today, the exception being taking in a small gift for a colleague who's leaving. Nobody knew I'd planned to go in so no one's disappointed. Some bits and pieces from the freezer were used up for dinner and we now have more idea what's left.

This evening was the first meeting for my new group from church: we had a lovely time with plenty of laughter. Everyone had done a flow test first, but apart from that we are quite a diverse group. So nice to meet people in person again!

The running shoes are ordered (£15.20) and I spent £2 on biscuits for the evening group. I'm seriously looking at some hiking boots too, though. Last winter I had to wear boots for about a month because the roads out of town were so icy, and I ended up with knee problems. I'm thinking hiking boots are more like my usual footwear so there is less adapting to do but they would give me better traction.

It's so cold tonight! There's a beautiful full moon and it's definitely autumn. DS2 turned up about 11pm after going to the football with his brother. Good to see him and have a chat, and he's acquired the coat DS1 didn't want yesterday. He set off for home about 10 to midnight.

Tonight I'm thankful for my new group, seeing DS2, getting the freezer sorted and the progress DH has made on the flat and on our house.

Seasidegal58

I had my genes done some months ago - my result was 97% British Isles (43% English and the rest a mixture of Irish, Scottish and Welsh) - the last 3% was Swedish so that's my bit of Scandinavia!  😃
That was a good price on the running shoes Cherry - it's so important to get good fitting running shoes with proper support.  I use walking boots in the winter if it is icy out. When I went on a Norwegian winter cruise before Covid my DD gave me some elasticated steel crampon type things that you pull on over the soles of your boots for really icy conditions. They're excellent but you have to remember to take them off if you go inside and walk on a hard floor or you'll go skidding over backwards on your behind!😀