Cherry takes the reins

Seasidegal58

Cherryfudge said:

I lost something over £300 in extra pay with having the last couple of days off, grr. However I needed to look after my health.

Yes!  Very important!

Cherryfudge

Nothing much to report today apart from staying in! There were 2 or 3 dizzy spells this afternoon which might or might not have been related to the c0ncussion but in general I feel so much better.


DH is fighting some bug: he actually rested this afternoon which rarely happens but felt better after a paracetamol (which also rarely happens, he say it doesn't help him). He took a Covid test which was negative but there are just so many things going around at present. We did some small DIY jobs: there's been a strut missing from the bannisters for a good 20 years (DS2 wrenched it off in a childhood rage): well it's replaced at last! It took both of us as the wood splintered a bit when DH sawed it and I managed to fix that using gorilla glue and a tiny cramp I bought at a car boot sale for 50p. Of course it doesn't match the rest for colour but that's a problem for a day with good light, talking of which, DH has put a tester pot of paint on the wallpaper above his plasterwork in the hall but we won't see if it's right till tomorrow.

The knitting has progressed: the latest soft toy has a body and one and a half slippers.

Tea was breadcrumbed cod (discounted to £1.57 yesterday, which is good for two of us, and in date till tomorrow) veg and baked potatoes. I sorted out all the large potatoes and filed the oven with them so we will have oven baked when we want them (and no more sprouting).

There is a bit of space in the freezer for now as I defrosted a lot of blackberries for DH and a casserole sauce with a couple of sausages to add to it. However, I've frozen some parsnips. F&V for the day so far have been carrots, onions, peas and a banana (fruit cake and a large gherkin - probably a very scant portion between them!). So one more to go.

Lastly, emails. Every year I resolve to reduce the huge backlog. Last year I didn't bother and it's gone up roughly 10,000! When I checked today, there were 38,267. 31,090 of those were unread. I've deleted nearly 2,000 and unsubscribed from quite a few.

Cherryfudge

Today got off to an annoyed start: DH insisted on going into work despite running a temperature. He can work from home but I suspect he doesn't want the hassle of getting all the equipment out again. I'm cross because he could pass whatever it is on to others, who might not cope with it as well as he does. Perhaps I've been reading too many headlines about the NHS being overwhelmed but while we aren't too badly affected personally, it doesn't seem right to risk illness when it's avoidable. Rant over.

Beautiful, if windy, weather today so I've treated myself to hot-washing the bedding. That will be out on the line soon (60 degree wash on the economy setting). I've washed my hair and am pausing in the middle of cleaning the bathroom and reading the frugal living challenge, which I've followed for some time. I'm also waiting for the manager's call from work, while I'm technically off sick. Unless anything else happens, I hope to be back in tomorrow.

Lunch is cauliflower cheese, to try to use up a few bits. I've added swede from the freezer which also needs to be used! This afternoon I want to go to the market for discounted food/F&V and check charity shops for oddments of wool in the colours I need for the soft toy I'm knitting. We're talking miniscule amounts needed so I may end up buying craft yarns.

A is starting a secondment today, much higher up in the department I also work in. I'm very proud of him as he's young to be in this post and it could be a good career move. They are also having an extension built to give more ground floor space on their new build, so it's all go in their household.

I forgot to add last night that J and L are using my sister's UK house for a few days for a get-away. (My sister lives abroad but has to have a UK base). They arrived to the smell of gas and called out the gas people who found the leak and repaired the pipe at no charge, due to it being an emergency. I hope J and L are now warmed up and out enjoying the sunshine in the Borders: it's very beautiful up there in a totally-empty-now-the-Romans-have-gone sort of way (obviously not the case in town but I love the barren miles of high ground).

Cherryfudge

The other thing that happened this morning was the computer throwing a wobbly and shutting down on me. It took a while to get signed back into things and the wallpaper I had has gone, so it's obviously not happy. At least it's working okay now, though it seems a bit slower than usual.

I did the trawl of a few charity shops and didn't find any jeans I liked (not an urgent need but I have limited winter ones). However, to my surprise I found two lots of yarn I really liked, one of which is the exact colour I need for a tiny bit of my current knitting. I then went to another shop and bought a craft yarn that's close to the colour in the photo of the project - so I'm looking forward to ploughing on. I need to remember that the computer threw me off just as I'd knitted row 13 of 15!

I bumped into an old friend then into a former manager in town, which was nice, especially chatting to my friend.

...well, it just threw me off again and I've had to reset yet another password, but at least it left this message ready to send!

I got another call from work: I'm happy to go back tomorrow. I'll have a meeting with the manager above my manager - could be interesting.

Shopped in Tesco and the soda crystals have gone up from under £1 to £1.25 since before Christmas. Also the cheap tinned peaches are 34p - didn't they used to be 31p?

This evening was the first get-together of the year for my small group from church - everybody is back after a few months of being short of a couple of people. A good evening.

I've got a bit further with deleting emails, though previous experience tells me this gets slower as the days go by. Today (now yesterday), they went down to 28,692 unread, roughly 800 unreads gone. I have to check that via my phone because the computer is being random about what saved passwords it remembers and I can't heck all the totals via the app. I did delete a couple more senders and the backlog of a few subscriptions I want to keep. It's interesting when I think I'm going to want to keep in touch with such and such a newsletter, then discover I've not read one all year!

Spending:
Hobbies (knitting) £2.60
Housekeeping 50p (bargain pasta!) +£3.74
Gift £3.99
Toiletries 79p

Cherryfudge

Note to self: the Fashion on the Ration coupons spent so far this year are: two pairs of socks for a gift (4 coupons), 2 charity shop balls of yarn (0 coupons) and 1 50g ball of yarn which I think is one coupon.

I've been given 5 pairs of socks at Christmas (but passed two on to someone who can use that style, the other three are gorgeous soft ones and I will enjoy them), a scarf and a heated jacket. I've got to try the last two properly. Also three knitted squares as part of my Secret Santa, so no coupons. I've found they are meant to be dishcloths but they are far too nice!

I just read somewhere about children at school in wartime making icords and turning them into placemats. I wonder whether that was pre textile rationing?

Cherryfudge

I had my work meeting today, about last week's incident and it was constructive. I've stayed out of the shops, and had a quiet shift. Oh, and the soft toy now has two slippers but no feet to put in them.

Mild and rainy. No emails sorted, only four F&V eaten. On the constructive side of things: I think I've sorted the computer problem. I had to log in anew and go through a whole setup process but it seems it's to do with an update of Microsoft Edge. DH said it all ran a lot faster this morning.

I was late to bed last night (my fault) and then disturbed by DH coughing, so I'm tired.

The prospective work rota is now visible to view, but I don't think it's going to stand the scrutiny of the staff team. For a start I'm down for 39 hours one week instead of 25! It's also been made without consulting staff about existing arrangements, so people are on sleep ins who don't do them because they are needed somewhere else, and my Tuesdays and Wednesdays off, which are very longstanding and around which I build my outside work life, are mostly filled with shifts.  I'm not panicking about it because once the dust settles, it could all be different.

badmemory

Perhaps it would be worthwhile finding out who did the rota.  Putting people, as in not just you, on shifts that they just do not do could be considered bullying if done deliberately.  Of course it is probably down to someone either new or not used to doing the rota that has messed up.

Cherryfudge

badmemory said:

Perhaps it would be worthwhile finding out who did the rota.  Putting people, as in not just you, on shifts that they just do not do could be considered bullying if done deliberately.  Of course it is probably down to someone either new or not used to doing the rota that has messed up.

I do know who did it and at the moment it's just available for feedback (it's getting plenty!) The person has already removed the extra hours that I'd been given erroneously and when I mentioned the problem with Tuesdays, they immediately said it was all negotiable. I'm going to let the dust settle a bit because I know that enough people will want changes that I may be asked to change some that I don't like, without even having to say anything myself.

I'm exhausted tonight: I got down to the cleaning about half past eleven because time slipped away from me but was finished by one and have sent in a form I've had waiting since November, so I'm counting that as 'job done'. On the way there I was passing a charity shop and suddenly got the urge to go in - and went, not knowing why, but soon saw a cardigan in a favourite colour, just waiting for me to adopt it as new work wear. It's much more cheerful than my usual work cardis and gives me some colour (I think I looked grey yesterday!)

I bought food on the way home, then dashed off to work, which has been intense and headache inducing. I'm glad I'm home overnight but I have to be in early tomorrow. F&V not doing very well though I had muesli and lunch with a banana and a drink of orange, so possibly a scan three servings.

Spending
Housekeeping £7.31
Clothing: £3.49

Things to be thankful for: a colleague getting started on my jobs this morning, nudge towards the new cardi, this afternoon/evening's work getting through without anything too major and evidence to reinforce a safety point I've been trying to drive home, seeing a former colleague who's back as relief.

Cherryfudge

After yesterday's stressful shift, I had a texted conversation with DS2 which was very useful but ate into sleeping time. He's not the best at keeping us up to date, but then needs an answer to something in short order. The upshot, after much discussion and consultation, is that some of my inherited money will be helping him with a deposit on a flat - we have a gentleman's agreement that this will be repaid as a percentage of the value when he sells (or when his mortgage comes to an end if he fixes). This can't be put into writing as his lender understandably doesn't want to compromise their position by having him paying off other debts, and tenants in common (which is what I initially looked into) can't be done without his losing the benefits of being a first time buyer, and me making mortgage payments which I don't want as that potentially puts our current home at risk. So he has it as a gift, interest free, until this mortgage ends.

At the end of the day, legally, it's a parent giving money to a child. So long as no disasters happen, that money is being invested in something that gives better long term returns than other investments. It will be nice if I benefit, but if I don't, I guess it could come out of his share of my estate! I know he is currently able to pay back a lot faster than the bank will allow, but they won't allow him to for the good reason that they don't know if that's sustainable. I'm happy to give as a medium term investment, knowing I can't do better with the money and that it will help him financially - he can obviously pay back the mortgage lender at a faster rate this way.

So I was already late to bed for an early start, still a bit wound up from work and due to get up at 6.30 - of course I couldn't sleep. At three I went downstairs for toast and a hot drink, then was asleep around about a quarter to four (I've not dared check my Fitbit, but at least I rested so got some benefit from the wee small hours).

This morning's shift was full of tired staff: nobody had had a decent night's sleep! The group who are staying at present were late-nighters and the directive is to let them stay up as late as they want. I don't think it's realised that this not only enables the genuine late night people to keep the hours they want (fair enough) but also means others don't want to miss out and end up staying up long after their usual bed times. This can affect some people's health and well being. Of course all the guests can sleep in but staff can't staff felt rough. Thank goodness the morning was a lot quieter than the evening.

I got home about three and went to sleep till six so now I'm fine - though I'm not sure how much sleep I'll get tonight!

We've packed up our decorations this evening and all are put away apart from some fairy lights and a couple of door decals which we want to show A and H tomorrow. DH would like to keep them up but I want to find something that looks towards spring.  I will enjoy trawling the net for something else.

Knitted toy has two rows of a leg and DS2 says his body looks like a potato. It is of such things that greater things are made.   

Cherryfudge

I missed half of church this morning, watching from home and trying to tidy up at the same time. A, H and N came for lunch and received the bag of things that's been hanging round waiting for them. N is walking holding onto hands but hasn't yet taken off on her own - though she crawled out of the lounge to explore today, which is a first in our house.

We had a fairly good shift, got lots done with people though we only had two staying which makes it easier. I ended up staying late to send off my timesheet and someone said they thought the length of time I'd been up on the eventful shift at the end of last year would entitle me to a waking night payment. I've submitted the rest of the timesheet and emailed my poor manager who will probably be even more confused than I am. I was up because I chose to be, then because of the incident, then worked the next morning as a follow-up and only spent the afternoon in Urgent Care at a manager's insistence. So there are three bunches of hours covering  three possible rates, plus an allowance for working an extra weekend.

I didn't get home till around 10.30 tonight.

Nothing spent.