Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

Afternoon update: app listened to while tidying in the garden in the sunshine. Various bits of firewood now in the hearth not on the lawn. Garden tidier even if only marginally.

Work emailed and jobs bulletin checked but nothing of interest spotted.

Sun_Addict

Gosh I would never have thought of taking a goldfish to the vets. I hope he recovers. We’ve kept a lot of fish over the years - goldfish, tropical fish and pond fish with varying degrees of success. We only have two very large pond fish at the moment. 

I’m glad you’re feeling better now.

Cherryfudge

It's been another tiring day, but more short of breath than worn out so perhaps that's a sign of progress. It's been lovely out in the sun, and although it went quite cool this evening we had a short walk out.

I asked DH to get a different type of food for the goldfish which we'll change to over a couple of days. The supermarket didn't have it so he went to the pet shop and came home with the most enormous tub ever! He said it was the cheapest way to get it - was £14, marked down to £11! So the fish had better live for years now.  

I really feel in the mood to get on with the kitchen cupboards that I mentioned this morning but I'm certainly not going all out for that tonight. Cleaning the fridge earlier was enough. I had to chuck various bits. That's a shame when trying not to waste food but various things had just gone beyond usable. It's good to have it back in order though.

Another small and satisfying job has been refilling the bird feeders. If I didn't know the weather had improved I could have guessed because the fat balls aren't going down so fast. I think the pigeons have been trying to land on the fancy feeding post though, as it was leaning quite a bit. They didn't take the hint of a pigeon-proof feeder, then.

Following on from hearing of our former neighbours' sad news, DH bumped into another former neighbour the day after and learned he had had two serious health things going on recently. He's another who's our age. I guess his has been more of a 'warning' but it must have been a shock. I'm glad he's on his feet and has the opportunity to have these things addressed. Then DH rang our friend who has just had his fourth session of chemo, only to hear he's back in hospital having had a particularly nasty time over Easter. He's the most resilient of people, incredibly so, but the treatment is very powerful and has to be done.

On top of these, DH has a routine screening coming up next week to keep an eye on his longer-term condition, so he goes for a Covid test tomorrow then has to isolate till his screening is complete on Monday afternoon. So not long after I come out of isolation, in he goes! Looking forward to Tuesday when that's over, though I might be a bit tired as it's my first day back at work.

Oh dear, what a litany of medical stuff! I'm very glad of the NHS and all the genius and ingenious stuff they have up their sleeves. It really is amazing what can be done.

Right now it's late twilight and we are watching the bats patrolling between the trees! I love watching them and they do help reduce the insect population. I've also done some more knitting this evening.

Spending:
Housekeeping (DH's) unknown
Pets £11

Things I'm thankful for this evening: all the clever stuff we get on the wonderful NHS (under resourced but still a million miles from how it would be with no NHS), spring days, spring evenings, still a tiny bit of light in the sky at 9pm.

Cherryfudge

Sun_Addict said:

Gosh I would never have thought of taking a goldfish to the vets. I hope he recovers. We’ve kept a lot of fish over the years - goldfish, tropical fish and pond fish with varying degrees of success. We only have two very large pond fish at the moment. 

I’m glad you’re feeling better now.

Thanks.  
Sorry I cross posted with you!
I'd held off taking the fish to the vets because I didn't think they could do much for them, though apparently there are a handful of specialists who can care for them. We took this same one years ago when he got a pebble wedged in his mouth and they tweezered it out! Ours isn't a goldfish specialist by any means but vets have to train to make judgements for all shapes and sizes of animals and to be honest I thought the fish would need to be euthanised. I'm not one for flushing a fish down the toilet - if it's suffering that's no way to treat it and if it isn't, well, still no way to treat it. Mind you if there's justice for fish then I will be in trouble because I struggle to keep that big tank clean and I'm sure that didn't help his condition...

Good news today after all the cleaning and therapeutic drops; he looks more lively and his gill spots are showing up again (even though the poorly eye is still horrendous). These are the ones that healthy male goldfish get, as opposed to a disease.

Sun_Addict

You can see why vets have to train longer than doctors with the variety of species they have to treat. 

Cherryfudge

I understand a vet is allowed to treat a human if necessary, but a human doctor can't treat animals - at least that used to be the case. I suppose they assess along the lines of 'Well, it's a mammal, approx such and such a weight, age range... symptoms... antibiotics/anti-inflammatories/bandages (delete as appropriate)'.  
Not to belittle the skills of either profession of course, but I'd imagine that's the sort of thing they'd need to think of!

Cherryfudge

I'm making up for not spending last week: today has been a lot of small spends. It's also been cold! I've been encouraging DH to put a fleece on rather than switch the boiler on again.

This morning was our usual car boot trip and I thought it was going to be fruitless till I spotted a nice mug for 10p which is destined for someone's Christmas stocking (you never knew Father Christmas's helpers shopped at car boot sales, did you?) Then I saw an old Denby jug priced at £2... of course it came home with me as I'm a fan of some of the mid-century Denby and have a little collection. This one dates from the fifties or sixties.

We were a bit pushed for time so we treated ourselves to fish and chips despite the price now being over £8 a portion. The MS bit was that I'd remembered to get tinned mushy peas so we saved a little there.

Last night I'd made a start on the kitchen cupboards which was very satisfying and gives me an idea what we have and what we need to stock up on a little. This afternoon I went down to the shops while DH went for his pre-appointment Covid test then out for a bike ide. I somehow side tracked myself in the general direction of a charity shop or several and came away with some pretty wool: a vintage 2 ply in a lovely red for 75p. I also spent £1.99 on food for the wild birds, £1.49 on a stain remover that H hadn't been able to find and £1 on...what?! I wish I could remember!  

Some grocery shopping has also happened, totalling £15.48. That includes a L!dl veg box and some discounted meats and pastries (details here) so the freezer is bulging and there's a jug of veg reviving in cold water as well as chicken for two to four meals and fish for one meal in the freezer

I'm feeling much better today. I thought to take an ibuprofen which has made breathing much easier and energy levels are up. I did 10,000 steps for the first time in about a week, though I've not done any gardening. My arms are going to ache tomorrow from carrying bags and a box but who cares? And the current knitting project is almost done.

I bumped into A and H with a friend and the babies while walking through town. Us girls were all bundled up in quilted coats and A was in shorts! Such is the spring weather - the wind was cold but it's been sunny. Driving to the car boot I saw a big clump of daffodils opposite a bank of cherry blossom, and verges packed with bright yellow as all the dandelions are out too. The lambs are suddenly not tiny any more, but these are lowland lambs so I expect the Dales ones are still being born.

Spending:
Housekeeping £15.48 + £8.50? Fish and chips.
Gifts £1.59
Unknown £1
Pets £1.99
Hobbies £2.75

Things I'm thankful for this evening: feeling in better health, small treasures found while out hunting , plenty in the cupboards and freezer (and sink and kitchen counter).

Sun_Addict

That sounds like a really nice positive day 🙂 We have a second crop of daffodils after the first lot shrivelled under the heat of the Easter weekend.

Cherryfudge

I had a lovely day yesterday though didn't sleep much the night before (a result of not being quite warm enough and being engrossed in a book). DH stayed at home so he wouldn't put himself at risk of Covid before today's procedure, so we watched church online and a friend texted me to remind me some of us were having a surprise party. I didn't feel like going but had a wonderful couple of hours getting to know people.

I was very glad that I was offered a lift home as I was worn out! Why is socialising tiring?! Even my sort of socialising which involved in-depth discussions of knitting! And talking of knitting, I've finished the Tom Kitten project: he's very cute and was much easier than he looks.

Today DH had a quiet morning then set off to his appointment and I dashed round cleaning. Oddly, that didn't tire me at all. I haven't got rid of all the plaster dust from recent decorating yet but things are looking better. I've also mended some sofa cushions: I have to agree with DH that the sofas need to be replaced as my skills won't hold them together much longer. However we haven't found any we like enough to buy.

H and the baby came round this afternoon as they are having work done on the house and she wanted to be out of the way. When DH rang to say he was ready she drove over to collect him and I took the baby down to the shops for some odds and ends. DH's check up has gone well and there's nothing of concern. We've had the heating on for the last couple of days as he's not allowed to eat during the preparation time and was feeling the cold. Back to normal tomorrow, hopefully!

Spending:
Housekeeping £4.47

Things I'm thankful for tonight: all going well with DH's procedure, time with H and the baby, coffee flavoured chocolate.

Cherryfudge

Back to work went well though rather sadly it's likely to be my last shift at the place where I've been helping out one day a week. We go back to our usual routine from this weekend.

I'm not exhausted, which is what I'd thought might happen so I'm hoping I'm past that stage. I spent half the afternoon with H and baby again: their flooring is progressing but will take a couple more days so we will see more of them. Meanwhile I have adapted a tiny pattern and am part way through knitting a little bird to hang above the pram, as one does.

This evening I met with my Tuesday friends for the first time in weeks. Between Covid and various people having things to attend, its been a while but we had a nice time. I also walked to get there so the exercise is definitely coming back into my life. We were comparing yarn projects and both of them have made some wonderful stuff recently. I showed off the little toy I made for DGD, which I hope to hand over once DS1 can be there too, and my friend kindly donated some lovely yarn for a dress for DGD!

Spending:
Housekeeping £4.64

Tonight I'm thankful for a successful shift and having a new manager who may be with us some time, for a bargain joint of meat while out buying biscuits, for fun this evening and for the energy to do the things I had planned for today.