Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

No church cleaning this morning though I went to water the plants and called in at shops on the way back. I was completely unsuccessful in finding a fabric flower to match my wedding makeup, the original is a flattering colour but not quite what I settled on for eyeshadow. That's the difficulty of trying to match shades from a dress with different colours in. No point worrying too much - I'll ask the bridesmaids what they think and can leave it if they say no.

I did manage to spend £15 on two packets of socks for DH with the idea of having something to tone with his wedding trousers... just when he could finally fit all his socks in the drawer without brute force. I think £15 is a lot for half a dozen pairs of socks but in one shop the cheapest were £12 a pair...eek! And the supermarkets have black or black with a pattern.

At work I heard that my colleague has got the post she's wanted for years so I bought a round of eclairs to celebrate. She will still be working with us which I'm pleased about.

Spending:
Clothing (DH) £15
Gift £4ish
Housekeeping £1.29

Things I'm thankful for tonight: my friend getting the dream job, cream cakes, five days off about to start, a quiet shift and well being of our clients (and improved morale in the staff team). Oh, and free seeds from the flowers.

Cherryfudge

Whoop whoop, safely home from the wedding and a wonderful time was had by all!

I will try to do a  proper update eventually but right now I have a lot of unpacking and putting away and an incipient headache from wearing contact lenses for eight hours yesterday. I have also taken huge numbers of photos and have promised copies for various people so at some point I need to go through them.

Of course there are a huge number of things to be thankful for, not the least of which is an official link to a lovely family, the most amazing team of bridesmaids, seeing so many friends and family and baby N getting through the day without having to change out of her best dress!

Various spends have happened incidentally but I've lost track of the food spending over the weekend. We didn't have any extra expenses for the wedding (the bride and groom treated family to the hotel, which was superb) but there are always sundries: £3 for phone data despite hotel wi-fi, and £5.20 medical. £47.63 diesel.

I now have a few projects in mind for the next few days and weeks: the garden needs work and so does the house, especially paintwork. The sofa is now due this Friday. All I've done so far is put away a bit of my packing and fill a jug with foliage left from the table decorations (DD offered it to me, in case you're wondering! I have in mind to immortalise some as a memento for J and L so I took plenty in case first ideas don't work). I also noticed while getting things together beforehand that I have a lot of jewellery that is broken or that I never use so I need to sort through and make some decisions. My signature total of having used up 20 of 180 items of makeup and toiletries is now way out of date too. I've used up a few and bought more, and of course there is now soap, lotion and shower gel from last night's hotel! I only took ones I'd used but I'm not going to waste the rest!

Sun_Addict

I'm glad the wedding went so well. Enjoy your few days off.

Cherryfudge

So far I've only managed to send a very few photos - WhatsApp has been buzzing with everyone else's so i've not even gone through mine thoroughly.

Today the house is very quiet as DH is at a training course for two days (but back tonight). I have what feels like a massive list which realistically will take weeks so I'm calling it my July list.

So far today I've got one load of washing on the line and another in the machine, it's grey out and not all that warm and I'm tired (the last bit is my own fault for not getting to bed at a reasonable time). It's I-don't-know-how-long since I last had the house to myself for more than a couple of hours (oh hang on, I had some days a month or so ago but I was working so wasn't exactly in to appreciate it).

I'll edit the list as I go along - shame we can't do colours as we could before they changed the boards last year.

Order meds done
Buy and write cards or text greetings (b-day for J (delivered), L (sent), H and H) anniversary for A and H, new house for A and D)
Flowers for friend (delivered)
Meet up with H (Wednesday)
Coffee with S if we can find a mutual time (contacted)

Outdoor paintwork - steps and gates
Replant wall boxes
tidy borders
tidy hedge
take down small tree by back gate - I replanted this about 20 years ago as it was then growing too close to the house but now it's very much in the way
Sort jewellery box
Finish knitting project for baby
Clean fish tank
Keep on top of raspberry picking
sort out toiletries

Cherryfudge

A few items are ticked on the list. I took back an article of clothing that I'd bought on approval: the neckline didn't work so £14.99 is coming back to me. Then I bought flowers for my friend's birthday and took them round. I'm so glad I did as I'd not seen her to speak to for a few weeks and her husband's health is deteriorating fast. I didn't see him as he's had a lot of visitors and I think from what my friend was saying that he probably needed to rest, but my friend and I talked.

At the same time I managed to lock DH out of the house (!) but he used the time to get some shopping then found I'd not locked the back door so he was in when I got back. I used things we had in to make tea and really haven't got much else done apart from putting away the laundry that doesn't need an iron.

DH rang his friend's wife - this is the friend who has undergone cancer treatment - and to our surprise our friend was back home with his treatment finished. This is fantastic news, though he now has to build up strength again and keep away from infections for a while.

Spending:
Gift £10
Clothing reimbursement £14.99

Things I'm thankful for this evening: our friend's good news after all these months of treatment. Being able to spend a bit of time with my other friend when she needed support. DH not getting cross that I forgot to leave him a key! Gorgeous July flower scents just from walking down the street.

Cherryfudge

I've had a sociable day today. Last night I was awake from four till about half past five so went downstairs for toast and a decaff coffee, after which I slept till gone nine. DH had long since gone to work (still on the training course so not at home).

My friend texted to arrange coffee so we met up and whiled away the morning with a lot of wedding photos and general catch up, after which I got another greetings card for someone on my list then had a very hurried lunch and whisked through some housework before H and baby N arrived.

H and I had a long afternoon talking and playing with the baby before DH got home, and DH and I have officially offered to help out with child care. A and H hadn't asked but we want to do this and I could see H was happy about it. They've been looking at nurseries so if we can help out around our jobs, even if it's just the odd hour before or after nursery sessions, it will give us more time with N and take some of the pressure off her parents. I don't think it will be more than one complete day a week plus possible sundries, and won't be happening for some time yet.

Dinner was another economy meal, homemade pie from gammon and chicken out of the freezer.

This evening I had my group from church and stopped at the supermarket for bananas on the way home. I bought various other fruit and veg too and as I got to the till, the assistant was bringing in the remainder of the flowers from the florist buckets in the porch. He commented that it was a shame and I asked if they were going to be binned. When he said they were, I asked how much he'd charge me for some. I chose two bunches at a total cost of 99p, which was a nice treat. I also suggested he offer the same to the person behind me in the queue so perhaps he managed to find home for more of them.

So it's been a rather MS day! I need to pay off my credit card before I close the computer for the night, and I need to try for a better night's sleep. There's a warm wind bowing from the north and hot weather is forecast for the next few days. The Government is in chaos so who knows what will come along with the hot weather. I've noticed people jumping to check their phones if a news notification comes up!

Spending:
Entertainment (coffees) £5.80
Gift (greetings card) £2.25
Housekeeping £7.28

My July list now stands at:
Buy and write cards or text greetings (b-day for J (delivered), L (sent), H and H birthdays, anniversary for A and H, new house for A and D (bought))
Flowers for friend (delivered)
Meet up with H (done)
Coffee with S if we can find a mutual time (done)

Outdoor paintwork - steps and gates
Replant wall boxes
tidy borders
tidy hedge
take down small tree by back gate  - I replanted this about 20 years ago as it was then growing too close to the house but now it's very much in the way
Sort jewellery box
Finish knitting project for baby
Clean fish tank
Keep on top of raspberry picking DH is doing this
sort out toiletries

Tonight I'm thankful for two bunches of flowers rescued and available to enjoy. Friends to spend time with. Resisting a book of knitting patterns when I already have too many wanna-be projects.

Cherryfudge

Just as well I made the effort to get the CC paid before it becomes due: I'd forgotten £221.12 car insurance which went out the other day! Paid off now.

Cherryfudge

DH is out at the course again this sunny day and I have a big pile of ironing to do before work. I've realised I need to sort out those birthday cards too.

DH has taken sandwiches for lunch and there's salmon (2 pieces for £2 yesterday but still two days to use it) for his dinner. The other salmon will go in the freezer. I'm having the rest of yesterday's pie at lunchtime then overnight oats for tea at work.

The list is starting to morph:
Ironing  done
Outdoor paintwork - steps and gates
Replant wall boxes
tidy borders started
tidy hedge
take down small tree by back gate done by DH
Sort jewellery box
Finish knitting project for baby
Clean fish tank
Keep on top of raspberry picking
sort out toiletries
Send new house card
Send birthday cards
By/send anniversary card

7.30pm edit: ironing took ages but is all done and put away. I then had a phone call from work to say there had been an incident and we're closed overnight, would I work a different shift? I remembered I still had eleven hours I've been given exceptional permission to carry forward from last year (the service was too pressured for me to take all my leave) so I've used seven hours of that.

Despite the ironing, I don't feel I've used my time 100%. I'm not sleeping well and it takes its toll. However, I worked on the garden for an hour or so and two of the borders are, if not up to scratch, a lot tidier. DH has enlisted A's help to move the big sofa out of the way ready for the new one to be delivered some time tomorrow, and has cut down the small tree that was in the way.

Cherryfudge

A lot seems to have happened in the last couple of days.

Yesterday morning was church cleaning (we got off lightly as the largest area had been done) and watering the growing collection of plants. There are some help-yourself herbs so I've taken a cutting of mint. The day was getting hot by lunchtime. I hurried round the shops for food to take to work then sat on cushions from the old sofa with DH to watch some TV over lunch.

The new sofa arrived just before work and thankfully DH's measuring was good and the delivery team got it into the room where we wanted it. I left DH attaching the legs with the sofa the wrong way up, and had to appreciate the finished product via a photo he sent later. Loving my orange cushions and the whole look of it!

When I got to work the drama of two days before was over bar the form filling but new flooring has been put in a couple of rooms (part of an ongoing refurbishment) so things like bins were missing and turned up in odd places. So many people are off sick! I felt bad that I had to call on senior people for advice a few times over the weekend but we had complications galore. However, all credit to people for stepping up and pulling out all the stops: one way or another things are still trundling on and tomorrow should be a quiet day.

I had to stay to cover till a not-very-well colleague could get in and in the extra time I had a text from DH to say he has Covid! He's had a sore throat for a couple of days but a previous test had been negative. He's sniffing and sneezing a lot but bearing up so far (and it does mean he gets first dibs on the new sofa). I did an LFT while at work because I'd not really distanced from DH recently and wanted to know if work would have to disinfect where I'd been, but thankfully I'm clear at the moment. I'm definitely staying in the spare bed for a while.

A got in touch later: they'd spent time with us recently and now the baby has a temperature so we've no idea if she has Covid too. She should have some immunity through her Mum.

Various bits of buying have gone on: apart from some weekend grocery shopping that DH couldn't do after he'd tested, I bought a cheap sunscreen so I could go out and do an activity at work. I was pleasantly surprised to find I could get a decent-sized tube for £2 when everything else seems to be going up in price. I've donated it to work, where I can still use it, but I've also benefitted because I found three boxes of pocket-sized hand gels which go out of date next week and got permission to offer them to colleagues to take home. Very timely in our house! Price-wise, my 85p peanut butter is suddenly 99p but I worked out that larger jars are cheaper per 100g so I've bought a couple before they go up too. I also got chicken breasts on discount: three large ones had originally been £7.50 and I got them for half price but when I looked at the original price I had one of those 'Crickey, that's really expensive!' moments. They are quite large so I think I will make each do a meal between two with judicious padding.

Spending:
Housekeeping ?Friday, + £9.80 (L!dl) + £11.42 (Tesc0) today
Medical (sun creams: I went back and bought one for the face as well) £4.40
DH made it to the car boots while I was at work and before he knew he was infectious, and bought a painting but I've no idea how much it was. We did have a saving on takeaway food as DH couldn't collect any and we ate from the freezer.

This evening I'm thankful for my LFT still being clear, DH having good blood sats and finding paracetamol helps, a supportive staff team.

Cherryfudge

A quiet day: DH and I both went to online church from different rooms, which meant we were slightly out of synch with each other. Nevertheless it worked pretty well.

I then used one of yesterday's bargain chicken pieces in  a new recipe: chicken k'dra with chickpeas. We enjoyed it though I couldn't get the sauce to thicken. Dh can't smell anything but at least he can still taste.

I was then in a frantic hurry to get to work, which has been very low key due to the heat. We only have one client in and this person wanted to go out but thankfully didn't! It was at least 26C.

Home was cooler than work as DH had the doors open - this had the interesting side effect of letting in a hedgehog who went to ground under the sideboard, then dashed into a kitchen cupboard from whence I had to rescue and release it. Very sweet.

Things to be thankful for: DH feeling a bit better and getting out for a (socially distanced) walk. Hedgehog! Hot sunny weather - sweltering in the day but nice to go outside into the cool of the evening and we've had wall to wall sunshine as well.