Cherry takes the reins

Sun_Addict

It’s good that the battery has given your laptop a new lease of life, far cheaper than a new one. 

Cherryfudge

Sun_Addict said:

It’s good that the battery has given your laptop a new lease of life, far cheaper than a new one. 

So much cheaper! Even if there are limited years left in the laptop now, apart from the battery and being a bit slow it seems to rattle along nicely.

I didn't sleep too well last night (again) possibly because I knew I had to be up for training. I might need to rationalise the insulation! I tend to have a fleece and bed socks over PJs but still don't seem quite warm enough so maybe I need to trade a layer for a hot water bottle and see if that helps.

Anyway, I think I got to sleep somewhere between one and two then woke at five for a couple of hours (got up and had a snack and hot drink) then went back to sleep till eight. Far from ideal but it is what it is.

The training course was good: a repeat of our usual fire training which is always a wake-up call. I go round turning things off and checking flexes and extension lead loads like one obsessed after every course.

I had the afternoon off (they found shift cover after two team leaders worked all morning on it). I did get a visual migraine, but for me they are painless and last twenty minutes and generally happen when I'm tired so no worries there. H and baby N were round at ours for a few hours (N has her first tooth), and after they'd gone DH and I both went out. DH did some shopping and a walk, and I just got shopping. This included welly socks for DH because he hasn't got the hang of keeping limbs snug to heat extremities. That said, tomorrow is set to be unseasonably warm.

The evening was a quiz and supper in aid of charity. We'd been pre-pandemic then this was the first since Covid. The room was full, the food was good, we found ourselves on a team with another couple who were good company and all in all a good time was had by all. In fact, I don't know when I've last had an evening event that's been such fun - probably a games evening with my Tuesday group in the summer.

Spending:
Clothing (DH) £2.99
Housekeeping £13.59
Entertainment £15 + drinks
Ebook £0.99

It wasn't an MS day because of paying for going out and also having the heating on for H and N.

Lots to be thankful for: not being too tired to enjoy the evening, a nice supper (baked potatoes and chilli), a good fundraiser for the charity, DH being willing and able to tackle a silted-up drain before we went out!

Cherryfudge

An unexpectedly productive day.

I threw a load of laundry in first thing and while it's not entirely line dried, it did quite well and is now on the airer.

My friend and I went for coffee and cake this morning (my turn to pay) - the cake was delicious and she bought second coffees for us. It's a lovely cafe on a side road based in an old house. I'm going for broke this week as I've just invited H out for coffee and cake tomorrow, but the forecast is good so I thought some sunshine and a change of scene would be good for us.

I did a round of charity shops afterwards to have another look for the DVD I wanted but ended up ordering it second hand online (about £5 including P&P). My friend found a link for some star-shaped buttons to embellish a piece of knitting that's been on the go for ages, so I ordered them as well (another fiver).

While I didn't succeed in my search of the shops, I did find a cushion (£3) that I think goes well in the lounge and got 5 DVDs for £1 in Sue Ryder. These are baby ones to keep DGD entertained when nothing else will.  She's also benefitted from a sippy cup to use at our house.

The market was on, and I've noticed one of the greengrocer stalls has some good cheap lines, so this week it was another two pumpkin-type squashes at 50p each, then further down the stalls someone had an offer on punnets of blueberries and raspberries at £1 for two (I got two ). I resisted the stall with the biscuits!

I searched Mr T for the marmalade in tins that you make yourself by adding sugar and water. It really doesn't seem to be stocked there anymore, so I need to keep a look out in other supermarkets. After that it was a trip to L!dl for milk, yogurt and bananas.

The afternoon was supposed to be dedicated to baking the Christmas cake, which has been a bit of a saga. I couldn't find the usual tin anywhere, so I bought another. This is a heavy-duty one and did a superb job. The cake cooked in about three hours instead of the usual five, and turned out easily. The non-stick was so good that I hardly had any cleaning to do, then I went to put away the new tin just now and... discovered it's identical to two others I bought a few months ago! I had no idea because I'd been fixed on the idea of the old springform tin and the others had been used for something completely un-Christmas cake-ish.

DH had a meeting this evening, so I sneaked out to L!dl again on the lookout for markdowns. There was just so much chicken reduced by a third! I got two packs of leg fillets and have frozen them in twos. I think it works out at around 37p a portion. It's a shame I had no more freezer space as I can't see them all selling by the end of the day.

The other achievement - delayed for months because I'm scared of the next step - has been weaving in the last thread on some knitting and washing it ready to add some fleece backing. Sense of relief at having got this far.

Spending:
Housekeeping £18.16
Entertainment £11.00
Gifts (or are they 'household'?) for DGD: £2.50
Household £9.00
Hobbies £10 approx

MS stuff: the heating turned itself on during the afternoon but we didn't need it in the evening as the oven kept the temperature up, despite being on for two hours less than expected. I used up some almond milk to make a rice pudding while the cake was cooking and also made up a packet of risotto for my tea as DH was fed at his meeting. Bargain foods from knowing when and where to look, though it occurred to me that it's not so long ago that these prices would have been far from bargains. The new cushion is a bargain too, though I need to see it properly in daylight as I can see it's not identical to the ones I bought with the sofa.

And to be thankful for: the cake worked out and smells lovely. I got past a hurdle in the knitting project. Warm weather forecast for tomorrow (I know it's too warm really but it will be nice while it lasts).

Cherryfudge

When I win the lottery (which won't be till after I start playing it), remind me I need to take a course in brevity.

H and I went to Cost-alot then took baby N to the swings this morning, and I drifted round a few shops on the way home. I wanted to get one of those big tins of marmalade that you make yourself, but it's gone from both T and S despite still being on the internet. I did get some cappuccino sachets at their lowest price and some long socks in children's wear that are a lot cheaper than adult ones but still fit me.

I think I've had too much cake and coffee over the last couple of days as I felt a bit unwell for a while but I've recovered now. And I didn't have to shift lead at work! Always a bonus.

Spending:
Entertainment £10.80
Housekeeping £3.00
Clothing £5.50

And things to be thankful for: mild weather, being given a doughnut at work, long socks for colder weather.

Sun_Addict

Sounds like you’re all cake and coffee’d out 😆 I’m still waiting to win the lottery on my one line a week 🤣

Cherryfudge

Sun_Addict said:

I’m still waiting to win the lottery on my one line a week 🤣

Your chances are better than mine.

Full-on Friday was a long day. My lovely colleague had already done about half the hoovering, so I didn't have too much to do in the morning: I bought groceries and had egg custard tarts for lunch which is a treat and saved time. Work was peculiar... shame I can't tell the story but at the same time glad I wasn't shift lead. One part of it was me having to make a call to NHS 111, which tends to make me feel guilty as it's procedural and I worry about taking time from someone who is in more urgent need. I'm not medically trained so I can't make that call. Anyway, the person seems to be fine.

I didn't get home till after eleven then I had to wind down so I'm tired today. Unfortunately, I also discovered that I'd agreed to a shift swap weeks ago, so I can't go to J and L's this afternoon to see their wedding photos. DS2 can't either but at least the rest of the clan is going. Then this morning I discovered that a party which I had down as a Saturday is actually a Sunday when I'm working. I might see if there's the possibility of a day off.

A good thing was that I was able to advise a colleague to book her Bank Holidays in good time (we work on Bank Holidays so are given days in lieu, but they are booked separately from annual leave and can't be carried over). She would have lost 55 hours of leave as no one had told her. Then another colleague turned out not to have been told either, so hopefully everyone will soon know, and lack of information has been brought to the attention of our new manager.

Spending:
Medical 49p
Housekeeping £6.30
Gifts £4.25

And I'm thankful for a manager taking a concern seriously, finding the marmalade mix back in stock (me not the manager) and for a warm (windy) day that felt nothing like November!

Cherryfudge

End of the day: nothing spent by me (DH did some grocery shopping). Work was okay (shift lead again but with people who will all step up and work). The NHS 111 call yesterday came to nothing and things are getting back to normal there.

Cherryfudge

Remembrance Sunday, and another NSD (6/13). We made it to the service of remembrance (always so sad: I remember Mum told me her Dad, who was in the RAF, found it hard because the Last Post brought back memories of the funeral of his best friend. I wonder if I'm the only person who thinks of that man now? I don't even know his name).

Walking home, we found a tree shedding apples onto the pavement. Most were smashed but we collected some to add to what's left of the freebie ones we had earlier.

Work again this afternoon: there is another staffing problem looming over the next few days but I'm tired and have a commitment at the point where most staff are needed, so I'm not offering. It would be nice if I could help but I need days off and I've other responsibilities.

And an odd thing: I was assisting someone planting hyacinth bulbs and got a prickling feeling after touching my neck. Colleagues told me to look in the mirror and there were red patches. Meanwhile the prickling feeling was moving upwards so I washed my hands and neck and it got better - though I've taken an anti-histamine to be certain. I've been okay with hyacinths before, but the packet warned they are a skin irritant.

However, there are things to be thankful for: a nice bunch of people on shift tonight and being able to get some quality activities for those using our service.

Cherryfudge

I had a lovely long sleep last night, and what better way to start a November day? DH has been quite productive: he's regrouted round the kitchen sink, oiled the wooden counters and been to the hearing department to swap the batteries they'd sent in error. He spent the afternoon at his voluntary work but it was very quiet.

I did a load of laundry, put it on the line and brought it in again when I noticed that something between drizzle and fog was making it wetter. I was glad to have the heating on later, as much to get it dry as to warm us.

The afternoon was a tangled mass of frustration, trying to use up a nearly-outdated Tesco voucher. No wonder I've previously either let them lapse or traded them at face rate for groceries. There isn't much that appeals to me on their 'partner sites' but we saw we could order from Denby and our dinner set is Denby. However, after finding the items I really wanted were perpetually out of stock, I googled and it looks as though that line is being wound down. I asked DH for help in retrieving a voucher we'd bought months ago and working out how to get new vouchers. It's probably straightforward because thousands of people use them, but it looks as though you have to copy your voucher code then send off for an email with another voucher code to utilise voucher 1. I think we managed it, and settled for a couple of items of glassware because the plates we wanted are actually cheaper locally. Then we actually paid half the value of the glasses because to add another voucher would have meant we lost more in non-refundable excess voucher value.

Honestly, if you don't need or want the items they promote, I think the best thing may be to donate the points to charity - though they only get face value.

I'm sick of vouchers.

badmemory

I always use my tesco vouchers now to get my TV magazines.  They are now £2.40 to buy so only 80p in clubcard vouchers.  A good few years ago I used them to go on holiday.  £125 for a £500 holiday although that is no longer available.  I have also used them for english heritage but there are so few places near me it wasn't really good value but would have been if I lived elsewhere.  But I resent using them at face value for shopping, it just seems so wasteful (& not very MSE at all).