Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

I'm gradually getting things done: it was fine so the laundry went on, but now it's raining. Ah well. The airer is ready.

I've gone round all the windows mopping up condensation and found traces of mould so those are cleaned. I'm going to clean them ready for Christmas and hope that work done now lasts till then. The mopping will need to be done daily though.

Other jobs to do (this will take me more than a day): clean out the fish tank, plant some garlic that's sprouting, plant up last year's hyacinth bulbs, catch up on hand washing, make marmalade, iron oddments left over from yesterday, clean fridge, hoover, clean bathroom, refill bird feeders, text a couple of people... but first have lunch.

Cherryfudge

Progress in the last couple of hours: machine washing went on the line for about half an hour before there was a shower, and handwashing is done. Now there are towels and cotton clothes in the dryer for 45 minutes. I'm hoping that will be enough to fluff the towels and heat everything through, so it can then be shaken out by an open door to get rid of as much moisture as possible. Definitely time for a dehumidifier. Now to convince DH.

Other than that, I've had lunch, refilled the bird feeders, texted people and planted the garlic.

The next two most urgent jobs are to do my hair (still damp) and face (exfoliated and moisturised but I'm afraid I'll forget to put makeup on by this evening if I don't do it now!) and clean out the fish.

Add to list: have some quiet time and do some crochet. Recycle pens, batteries and toiletry tubes.

Cherryfudge

It's been a busy day, though not much in the way of housework got done. Here's the list:

laundry DONE - the 45 minutes in the dryer made a huge difference
mop windows DONE
clean out the fish tank DONE
plant some garlic that's sprouting DONE
plant up last year's hyacinth bulbs DONE
catch up on hand washing DONE
make marmalade
iron oddments left over from yesterday
clean fridge
hoover
clean bathroom
refill bird feeders DONE
text a couple of people DONE
have lunch DONE
hair and face DONE
quiet time
crochet
recycling out with friends DONE

So far I've done just over half. The fish tank takes ages but it was a deep clean. The evening was good: only three of the five of us were able to come in the end but we had a riotous time bowling then a tasty and very reasonable meal in a restaurant that used to be a bank and makes quite a feature of the traditional banking stonework offset with a great many glittery lights.

It's really turned cold tonight: the gritters are out and there's a warning of frost. 

Today's spending:
Entertainment £16.95
Housekeeping £6.32

And things for which to be thankful: another winter moon (cold but lovely), time with friends, finishing cleaning that poor fish's tank.

Cherryfudge

Cold and clear today. All I've done so far is get dressed, do my language practice, mop windows and have lunch.

To do:

mop windows DONE
Clean 2 more areas where I found mould
make marmalade
ironing
clean fridge
hoover
clean bathroom
quiet time
crochet
recycling
feed Christmas cake
go to the market
start the Christmas newsletter.
Make peppermint cream stars

My perennial battle against multiples of consumables (such as toiletries) has gained a little ground. Yesterday I tidied a small bathroom cupboard and emptied out sun protection cream and insect repellent, both four years old. Like the rest of us, they aren't going to get any newer. Mr T has a place for recycling the tubes. I also topped up the cotton buds in a glass jar, so I can recycle the plastic box. A couple of hand creams and a tube of foundation were finished the other week and there's another nearly ready to go, so my clutter in the bathroom is reducing. It's taken a very long time (like reducing the drawer full of socks and pants, now nearer to practical levels): once you aren't using so many, the ones you do use go down faster. Logical but it takes so long to see it in practice when you start with unreasoned amounts.

I do currently have spares of shampoo as it was on half price... I don't see myself finishing the old one this side of Christmas.

Yesterday I put one of the wall baskets back up: DH had taken it down weeks ago when painting the bench and it never made it back till yesterday. No reason, the supports were in place and the bench is done. So why? I pass it at least a couple of times a day... there are still other garden containers scattered on the lawn so I'll try to chip away at those if I can do it without ruining access to the bench.

Cherryfudge

Not as productive a day as yesterday, but the list has shrunk. It was lovely walking to the market in cold sunshine - so much easier than grey skies. I had plenty of layers so I was toasty, but I felt for the stall holders. Chatting to one, he said only his hands suffered, and emphasised the importance of good socks and boots. Considering he'd been standing around all day in one degree Celsius, I think that's probably the best researched advice I'm going to hear.

The market did me proud as it so often does, though I admit I didn't really need some of the stuff like a six-pack of crisps which were a pound, or three avocados (also a pound). I spent £10 on the dry goods stall and £5.95 on fruit. I also found a gift for my work Secret Santa, and a few grocery bits.

Housework hasn't progressed as well as I'd intended, but I found a few mislaid items: next year's diary in a bag of bulbs (?!), missing hairclips in with my crochet hooks and a little orange vase from my parents' house that matches the new cushions (in a box in my bedroom).

This evening we put the Christmas tree up. It's been in the loft for ages as we've had a real tree the last couple of years and before that accidentally borrowed J and L's which was stored in our loft. Ours is so old it's in a Woollies box. When we started to unpack it, it smelled of dust and DH was all for getting a new one, but I'm reluctant to spend £50+ without trying alternatives, so I stuck it in the shower and shampooed it with W@sh and Go.   I then had to carry it downstairs in a towel and assemble it on same. The shampoo smells nice. I'm not sure whether I've cured the problem and of course it's another thing to add to the damp in the house, so I'll see how it seems tomorrow.

This evening I was going to do a trip to L!dl but I thought twice and we don't actually need anything (or have freezer space) so I've stayed in and made a little more progress with the house.

Today's to do list:
mop windows DONE
Clean 2 more areas where I found mould DONE
make marmalade
ironing
clean fridge
hoover STARTED
clean bathroom
quiet time DONE
crochet DONE
recycling DONE
feed Christmas cake DONE
go to the market DONE
start the Christmas newsletter. DONE
Make peppermint cream stars

Spending:
Housekeeping £21.81
Gifts £8.48
E-book 99p

Things I'm thankful for: a clear day, weatherwise. Progress on Christmas shopping and decorating. Lots of fruit from the market, much cheaper than supermarket prices. Hot chocolate tonight.

Cherryfudge

Nothing spent today. H and the baby came over for lunch (soup, including a portion for DH to have later) but the poor baby was miserable and probably coming down with something as she was clingy and grizzly. I hope she's been able to sleep it off.

Work was a bit on the quiet side but a nice colleague brought doughnuts in and a client brought birthday cake so I have eaten too much but enjoyed it!

Things I'm thankful for: first snow of the season: it didn't settle but I still enjoyed it. Cake and doughnuts - and especially the generous people who provide them.

Cherryfudge

Minus one again this morning and not as toasty warm as usual under the duvet - turns out DH had set the thermostat to 13 overnight (I aim for 14.5 for some unknown reason) and the blanket had come off my side of the bed.  

Heating is on again now but will edge down while I'm out. DH has the day off as all his medical check-ups have come through over the same few days: this morning he's going to the big hospital to talk to the kidney specialist, yesterday was the dentist to take out stitches (followed by waiting till April to have a second attempt at an implant) and earlier in the week it was a phone call with the main consultant. When he gets back today he will probably edge the thermostat up again which is good as we are dog sitting once again. J has a leaving do to attend - her own! She's about to start a rung further up the ladder.

Oh, and the condensation - so much this morning! Between shampooing the Christmas tree and drying washing indoors (but not much, honest), and breathing, and cold weather... and I mopped the bathroom ceiling last night after my bath and wrung out the cloth two or three times! In better news, DH is happy for us to get a dehumidifier so long as it's not too bulky.

Right, I need to get a move on.

Sun_Addict

Sounds like you definitely need a dehumidifier to save you all that mopping. Glad DH has agreed. 

Cherryfudge

I know it's the middle of the night but I'm going back to bed soon.

It's been an exhausting couple of days: frantic Friday started with a mysterious ache in my neck and shoulders which didn't really go with pain killers. No idea what that was about but it slowed me down a bit. I was really late going to do the cleaning and on the way ran into a former colleague who is a serious talker. I don't have many conversation-ending skills so I didn't get down to cleaning till a quarter to twelve. I zoomed round as fast as possible and DH, who had the day off, came to help at the end after his appointment and made lunch so I was well fed before work.

The weather has been sub-zero, but not a lot sub-zero. Ten years ago it got below -10, and we've not been near that. The thick frost is enchanting, and it's not thawed enough to be very slippery. The heating's been on a lot at home: I've seen a headline that people may be spending £10 a day at present on fuel, which is shocking. Work has gone a bit made and the powers that be have turned ours up to uncomfortable levels. Yesterday the meds room, which has to be kept cooler, was 14 degree but the bedroom opposite was 26 degrees. Crazy, and not good for the people who have to sleep in it. I went round opening windows a crack to cool people down and get a bit of fresh air as we hadn't enough staff to get people out of doors. There are thermostats on the heaters so I might see if they need to go down this afternoon.

Good news from DH's consultant appointment: while the recent kidney readings weren't so good as previously, the consultant says they can fluctuate, and also that there's no reason DH shouldn't try the biologic drug his other consultant wants to try in place of the perennial one which they want to wean him off. It's always going to be a balance of risks and the other biologic drugs he's already tried gave him paralysing headaches, so there's a risk this could happen again - but at least the option is there, and DH's health is otherwise very good.

Work on Friday was a balancing act as someone didn't turn up and the current mix of clients is complex. Not all the staff who were there were trained in all the things needed, so the shift lead (thankfully not me) had to portion us out carefully. Yesterday (Saturday) morning was even more complex as there were only two of us trained for everything, and the night had been disrupted by a fire alarm going off. That had the sort-of benefit of clients wanting a lie-in, but my colleague spent the shift ensuring client safety while I ran round doing the practical jobs. It took an hour after the shift just to catch up on write ups while the next shift took over the people side of things.

I went to the shops after as I needed some groceries. Not sure offhand what I spent but I had two heavy bags to take home and was too tired to do much else. I went to bed at eight and slept! I woke up about twenty past twelve and came down for a snack, gathering up all the things that needed charging, to take advantage of cheap-rate electricity. I've been down since then so it's time I got back to bed (3am). J and L are coming for lunch tomorrow so I'm looking forward to that.

Things to be thankful for: a positive set of medical appointments for DH, catching up on sleep, beautiful glittery frosts, chicken dinner tomorrow.

Cherryfudge

So last night's sleep was a complete one-off: about 8.15 to 12.0, than about 3.30 to 8. I was still a bit woozy all morning but managed to get to church (and signed up for the hospitality team, though I'm being realisitic and not offering to lead anything or contribute recipes for large-scale catering!)

Back at home, J and L arrived and we had a roast chicken dinner followed by apple strudel. Lovely to have them round and a traditional meal! Later they went for a walk with DH but it was bitter so they didn't go for long. Meanwhile I was at work, aiding and abetting the first home-cooked Sunday lunch since the pandemic struck. These used to be a regular and popular feature but we were told to use ready meals when they didn't know how many we needed to cater for, and somehow it's never got back to what it was.

£1.99 spent today, on an e-book.

And today's list of things for which I'm thankful - J starting a new job tomorrow, seeing them today and baby N tomorrow, lots of fun at work as newer staff experienced what the atmosphere can be like when there are 'proper' cooking smells and we spent less than £10 to feed four, under half the price of the meals we've had to buy previously. Also people discovering the joys of mug cakes! For the chance to be on another team at church (love catering! ) and for coming home to a lovely fire in the log burner.