Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

Today is the first of four days off. Yesterday's shift was on the quiet side but too many staff: I wish they'd taken up my idea of opening one more night a week to spread us more thinly and provide more for clients rather than this which under-employs us and makes social distancing harder. There may be factors I don't know about, of course, but I felt it was a token request for feedback.

It's looking as though we will have reduced opening throughout February and with staffing being as it is I think it could continue longer.

Today feels like spring: everyone says it's cold but the sunshine feels warm and I've been out in it a lot, albeit bundled up. I helped out with the cleaning at church which is social as well as practical. I bumped into an old friend from across town and whose children are contemporaries with mine and she showed me a photo of a family gathering: much the same structure as our family with everyone's partners, baby and dog! Nice to have a quick catch up!

I also went shopping for some groceries (not many) and ended up getting treats for the family: baby clothes in the sale, dog treats for the puppy and takeaway hot drinks for DH and me. It's fun buying for DGD, I know she's far too little to notice but I missed a lot of that stage with DD, who had inherited things (always a big help!) and we didn't have money to get even new shoes for her, she had to have her brother's outgrown ones.

DH has booked a hotel for us so we can have a city break along with time we've planned away in March. I think he paid about £90 for two nights which sounds good to me.

We've also got a sudden £200.00 bill as next door was having gutters fixed and the firm agreed to add on some tiling where our roof has slipped. It works out at £50 per tile or, to paraphrase my father in law, 'that's a pound for knocking in the nail and £99 for knowing where to knock it in'. DH went up in the loft and watched as the light coming through the tiles decreased! I feel we've paid a lot but am justifying it because it's so hard to get people to do small jobs and a deteriorating roof isn't a good idea.

I'm in a 'dealing with financial things' frame of mind so I've texted my sister for some info needed about my parents' estate, and logged into my pension account. Unfortunately I then got locked out of the pension and can't find my note of the details to log back in. I never seem to get time to talk to DH about finances but we've had a brief conversation and he agrees with me that getting payroll to put a one-off lump sum across into my pension (while it's not needed elsewhere) is probably a good idea. I've also wafted the idea of increasing my regular pension contributions, and I think he's okay with that. I know its my money but we've got to think about the position each would leave the other in if one died in advance of pension age (about ten years). Pensions are all very well if you get to enjoy them, but I suppose if one or both of us died before that, we wouldn't miss it.

Spending:
Housekeeping £5.57
Stationery £3.00
Pets (including food for DS2's goldfish, holiday blocks for the fish at work and dog treats for the puppy - I am too indulgent!) £5.50
Gifts (baby clothes, and no, anything I buy for her up to the age of 6 months isn't coming off my 'Fashion on the Ration' coupons: there was an allowance for a layette in the war years so I'm giving myself that!) £14.97 (apparently I saved £28.99)
Entertainment (takeaway coffee and tea) £5 approx.
Phone data £2.50

Things I'm thankful for today: the feeling of spring and cascades of birdsong, GD and others to buy treats for, agreement in principle on increasing my pension provision, more watertight roofing, takeaway coffee.

Sun_Addict

I’m also thinking of increasing my pension contributions especially if I’m able to secure a promotion, although they would naturally increase by virtue of higher pay. I have just 5 years before I can take my pension, it’s getting quite scary. 

Cherryfudge

That reassures me, SA, as I have you down as someone who has a better grasp of finances than I have!

A largely at home day today: a wander into town for dinner items for tomorrow and to replace a broken bird feeder and fill it. It will be fish and chips for us later, so about £6. 

Spending:
Housekeeping £6.10
Household £0.25
Pets £12.00

Cherryfudge

Nothing much to report for yesterday: online church and a walk with DH in the afternoon.

I've realised our larder is too full and needs a good edit, perhaps I need to join the grocery challenge? Tonight we are finishing up a couple of sausages, new potatoes and roast veg from yesterday along with some liver from the freezer and bacon from the fridge. That's enough meat to last me a while! I've found three small pots of muesli so I had one for tea yesterday with fruit and yogurt but had to throw out the remains of another yogurt that was off.

This with the larder started when a laundry liquid capsule leaked in the under sink cupboard. The cupboard is now very clean in part! At the same time I discovered we were out of bin bags, or if we weren't I couldn't find them so DH has been shopping. I am still working through cleaning supplies from my mum's house and hope eventually just to have stuff one of everything in the cupboard. I can see a gradual clean and declutter of the larder coming up but this afternoon I need to brave that job application form.

Oh, and it's sofa-cleaning day. Cushions and cushion covers are in the wash and some of the fabric is fraying so we are thinking about replacement.

Cherryfudge

No progress on the larder but half the sofa is clean and dried and put back together. I haven't done any shopping as I've been at home working on a job application: it's going well apart from the small fact that I've lost my CV!

Nowadays I would back it up to computer and I probably did so all those years ago when I last needed it, but that computer has long since died. I think there was something backed up to a hard drive but what and where?

DH reckons I complete what I can from memory and leave the rest - they will be more interested in current experience and I can give the names of employers and the years of employment from memory.

I'm at work for half a day tomorrow so I can look again when I get home.

DH has bought me some oddments of wool from the charity shop which is a nice treat! I needed some of a particular weight for an up-coming project and now I have it without spending any Fashion on the Ration coupons.

Things I'm thankful for this evening: making a good start on the job application, having all the details of qualifications and training courses accessible, a healthy dinner and yet more wool to play with!

Cherryfudge

I found my CV! It was in the back of a folder of papers from my previous job, which is logical in a way. I've taken the opportunity to throw out a load of time sheets from that job: I'll never need them and I have the pay slips. I've also let go another 10 'paper decisions' from Mum's papers though I know I'm holding onto stuff there because I feel I might one day be asked to account for it, but I know full well I won't be. Another two years and I can get rid of any financial things from when Mum was alive.

Work was an easy shift and only four hours but I was back to bed this afternoon! I don't know if I actually slept but at least I rested. I've been a bit off colour with achy tummy and swollen glands, which might be post viral or might be me trying not to get something else.

This evening I've put my previous employment into the job application (why don't they all want exactly the same information? I don't know the title of my line manager's role thirty years ago!). Tomorrow I'll ask DH to read it for sense and I'll do the supporting information, and I've got till nearly midnight to submit it online. I'll go for a reasonably early night tonight so the early shift tomorrow doesn't wreck my efforts.

Things I'm thankful for tonight: finding that CV and a tiny bit of sorting out accomplished.

Sun_Addict

Glad you found your CV. Good luck with the application 🤞

Cherryfudge

Thanks SA.

Job application safely submitted! Now it's a waiting game... I'm not sure how I feel: when I'm at work I feel sad because the job and the team have meant a lot to me and I have to remind myself why I'm looking further afield and that I could still do relief work. When I think about the job I'm after, I get right into my food and work mindset and really feel I could do this.

And I still have the sore throat and I'm still testing negative...

Tonight I'm thankful for the push to review my situation and revisit some significant memories, and for beating the deadline with 45 minutes to spare. Oddly, I was at work today when I came across someone I'd not met before but with a very familiar accent. Turns out she came from the area where I first worked - hundreds of miles away - and even knew some of the same streets. A great blast from the past just when I'd been writing about my previous jobs!

Cherryfudge

Nothing to report for Thursday (26th) really. Work, quiet shift.

Friday was the first of four days off and DH was working. I helped with the church cleaning again - maybe an hour and a half of hoovering and half an hour talking to people and feeling guilty that it always takes me ages to get through the work and this wasn't making things any better! I did have some nice conversations though and found myself a dreadful pun as someone had obviously come with muddy shoes: 'The meek will inherit the earth'.

I wandered round a few shops on the way home till it occurred to me there wasn't anything I needed apart from groceries, so I bought a few ready meals to ring the changes with work dinners, then went to L!dl for the rest, including my first ever £1.50 veg box. I'm really pleased with it (thanks SA for mentioning it on your thread). For the £1.50 I got five oranges (though one was squashed), two large apples, two bananas, two limes, a mango, a bag of sweet potatoes, a bag of carrots, a bag of sweet peppers, a bunch of beetroot and three baking potatoes.

DH was finishing up a casserole for dinner so I invented a meal of baked sweet potato with a sauce made of blue cheese and yogurt. Nice enough to have again.

I was tired and fell asleep again this afternoon though I'd have quite liked to go for a walk with DH. I don't know if this is post viral or if it's an indication that the job I've applied for would be too tiring for me. The ten hour shifts are definitely not what I'd choose though other aspects of the work seem suitable.

DS2 is supposed to be here tonight but he's texted to ask me to leave the door for him. He could arrive any time between now and morning. His car is probably at the end of the street but he could be anywhere in town so I won't wait up, though the afternoon sleep has given me a second wind.

Spending:
Housekeeping £9.92

Things I'm thankful for tonight: being able to catch up on sleep, people to catch up with, the fruit & veg box, the possibility of seeing DS2 tomorrow and a weekend off.

Honeysucklelou2

How satisfying to have found the CV! Well done on getting the job application submitted...these things take quite a chunk of time to complete don’t they?

Enjoy your weekend off.