Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

Another really quiet day. I had a good night's sleep and woke up about seven, went downstairs, pottered about a bit... back to sleep for a couple of hours and got up around eleven to find I'd missed a dusting of snow. Since then it's been lovely and sunny.

I seem to be winning the battle of the cold, I'm not sneezing nearly as much and I'm breathing better. I got most of the handwashing and a machine load done and on the line, and it got drier before I took it in (by which time it was getting stiff - it's very cold out). Other than that I've done quite a few of the Italian exercises that are my latest craze, and a little bit of French so I don't lose that. They are for fun so it's been a restful day.

One of my friends has been asked to work tomorrow so that meeting is cancelled. I've ducked out of tonight's as I wanted to conserve energy and not sneeze over people. I've also sent apologies for Wednesday evening's meeting. If that makes me sound busier than I should be, it was an unusual week.

A rang this evening to say the nursery want baby N to have more taster sessions as she's not really settled, so between us we have the beginnings of a plan. H has to be in work (she said to me before this began that she thought the nursery should have a longer lead-in session) and A works from home, so DH will do the early stint, A will take time out to deliver N to the nursery and I'll meet him there an hour later when her taster session is over. I'll then walk her back so she can sleep, and DH and I will look after her at their house as planned for the rest of the day. Wednesday may well be similar but we'll play subsequent sessions by ear.

My five a day isn't doing well today: three packets of crisps and some chocolate are not guaranteed to boost my health! We had tuna pasta for dinner so that's some onion, bell pepper and tomatoes at least. Nothing spent by me directly through I asked DH to pick up ibuprofen and bananas so that's around £1.50 spent.

I noticed so many bulbs coming through - miniature daffodils and a patch of pink bluebells that were an accidental planting many years ago. It's s if they've suddenly decided to wait no longer, though the current frost will slow them down a bit.

Cherryfudge

We had a lovely day looking after DGD, and I'm up for the same again tomorrow as the nursery isn't wanting her to go full time while she's so unsettled. The plan tomorrow is that A drops her round to me before work, I take her to nursery an hour later and stay awhile, then slip out and they'll call me if necessary or I go back in about an hour. Then I'll look after her for the rest of the working day but at A and H's house so she feels relaxed. I've also thought to take some of her musical toys to nursery - she doesn't 'do' a comfort toy or dummy but she loves her music and it might help her be distracted.

Icy cold today but we had a couple of walks so she got a good nap each time. I can't decide whether it was good for me or not as my back aches! Daylight, sunshine and gentle walking have to be good, though.

After eating junk yesterday, I've craved fresh food and managed my 5 a day. I even found fresh cherries reduced to 99p in the supermarket. They are a treat in July and unheard of in winter so I'm looking forward to them.

It's all on me tomorrow as everyone else is at work, so I need to prep tonight. I'm hoping I get time to ring work tomorrow and sound them out on the possibility of a day's leave on Thursday, which would mean all this week's childcare was covered and DGD's nursery trauma could be minimised.

Spending:
Housekeeping £14.63

ETA: holiday payment made but can't fully count it as it's not gone through yet. Just under £300: I wasn't the one who made the payment so I don't remember exactly. Seemed like a bargain if it all eventually goes through but it's just flights and hotel so costs will go up with food etc. Listened to Martin's programme tonight and there was a timely reminder to get holiday insurance early, in case of accident or illness, so once the company gets back to us, that's the next move.

Cherryfudge

Another good day with DGD. This time DH was at work and A worked most of the day but came to see us on breaks. DGD lasted half an hour with me this morning before she saw Daddy had gone and started to whimper. I then had to wrestle with her pram and coat but we got to the nursery okay. I came back after an hour to find her crying again, but she cheered up once I had her. It was the first time I'd been inside this nursery, and it's a dream: two adults, six children including DGD who was just there for the hour. It's so imaginatively set up and very calm but with lots to provide stimulation. They let me stay another half hour and DGD found her way to an activity and started playing so I'm sure she will get a lot from it once she's over the settling in stage. I could quite happily have stayed longer but she needed her sleep.

I bought a few things on the way to A and H's, largely because I spotted children's books in a sale, but also because I wanted a couple of notebooks. One I've already started, as a diary/handover book for DGD. The other is for the new passwords now I've had to reset quite a few. We've still not got our act together to try to sort the computer out so quite a few are out of reach till needed, and goodness knows where my old list went. If I find it. I could just leave it out to confuse criminals.

I only had the one long walk today so I have more energy, and DH drove over to give me a lift home this evening. It's been sunny and frosty again and I keep sneezing, but much improved otherwise.

I also rang work and put a good case for not being needed tomorrow, which is the last day this week that childcare is an issue. Really, work doesn't need me tomorrow afternoon and I can take a few hours of that leave that's hanging over me, and benefit DGD and family (and me) at the same time. Got it, no quibbles.  

We treated ourselves to salmon tonight, and our favoured sauce was on offer so we got two jars. A luxury meal but I could feel it doing me good. The annoying thing was I swiped the loyalty card on the Tesco app to get my points, then used my CC to pay. First scan of the CC adds the loyalty points (why? Surely those have already gone through?) then another scan to do the actual payment. Only after that did I discover that scanning the card twice means it won't give me a receipt. How can that be legal? Surely there's some sort of right to receipts? But I must admit I don't think I've ever heard that one argued. How could I prove a purchase if I needed a refund, and how can I check I've paid what I thought I'd paid, without going round again and making notes of each and every item? So I'm fed up with Tesco at the moment, though their salmon was very nice.

I also bought another box of cappuccinos - £1.50 on offer the other week, £1.69 last week, £2.10 this week! That's almost the maximum as charged anywhere (believe me, I keep an eye out for these at less than full price as the cost mounts up). So nearly a 25% increase? (If my maths is right).

I'm also fed up with Duolingo as the Italian version has started quizzing me on the different forms of 'the' (there are seven) and I can't find where I was supposed to have learned them (which I certainly haven't).

We are also feeling cynical about the holiday we are trying to book as they still haven't got back to us and the number just keeps ringing. DH has found it can take 48 hours to get a reply, so they've got till tomorrow. If nothing, we can get a refund via Groupon. 

Spending
Housekeeping £15.66 + 89p
Gifts £10.50
Stationery £4.49

PS. It's just occurred to me that without a receipt I have no access to giving feedback for the service I received either.

With so many grumps today I think I need to be positive about some things too, so here's what I'm thankful for: DGD calming down once she was with me, such a nice environment for her to spend time in, mint cream chocolate, sunshine, the end of my cold, help from A especially getting DGD to sleep!, a lift home and a healthy dinner, a quiet night in, another day off tomorrow.

SueP19

Totally get you on the reciept, I hate not getting one

Nice that DGD likes the nursery 

Cherryfudge

Hi and welcome @SueP19 I haven't forgiven Tesco yet.  

Yesterday was the third looking after DGD, and very nice it was too. This time her Dad did the nursery run and I walked her over to theirs in the push chair afterwards. She seems to be settling a bit better each day. I found her a book in a charity shop which she had me read a couple of times so I feel I'm doing the Grandma bit successfully.

I had the day as annual leave and had intended to do a compulsory course in the evening but got side tracked into my emails and ended up spending around three hours transcribing a proposed rota that wouldn't print, and pulling holes in it. I got to bed ridiculously late and have been playing catch-up since.

This morning I woke at nine and got my hair washed and a load of laundry done and on the line before going to help with the church cleaning. I picked up a ready meal on the way home and got in with just enough time to turn around and get to work.

Since then, thankfully, it's been less frantic. We had a number of people booked in, including someone I had a difficult time with recently, so I wasn't looking forward to that but in the end they only stayed a few minutes then went home, and we had a quiet group and a peaceful evening.

Spending
(yesterday) gift £1.50
Household £4
(today) housekeeping £2.14

Cherryfudge

Day off today due to a colleague needing a swap. I woke at nine to a middle-of-the-night message from a team leader who had just discovered she had two staff not trained in medication, no me and no other experienced colleague due to sickness. I'm afraid I'm glad I got the message too late to step in and help.

Today's been sunny, frosty and misty but the mist must mean the frost is thawing. I did loads of Italian practice as I'm determined to move up the 'league' in Duolingo and today's has gone well. DH has mended the bathroom hot tap which wasn't running properly: I don't know the cost of the bits but it has to be cheaper than calling someone out. I bought bird feed then had a wander round the shops trying to decide what to give H for her birthday but couldn't decide.

I walked home as it was going dark: the market traders were packing up and I got the feeling they wanted to be out of the cold and damp as soon as possible (and they are a hardy lot). The mist was turning to fog and it felt colder than recent days despite probably being warmer. We've had the log burner on a few times recently and it's lovely.

I've finally sorted out home access to the leave calendar at work and submitted another day (my colleague texted about midnight to ask if I ever go to sleep, as she'd just picked it up). I've also made a note of the work counsellor's number as I think I'm going to need some support to get back to full duties. Friday was quite scary, seeing the person involved in the incident again.

Work again tomorrow and it looks like a quiet shift.

Today's spending:
Fish and chips c. £9
Household (tap repair) ?
Diesel?
Housekeeping £7.99 (including icing sugar for 99p and honey for £1.25, both on sale prices).

Cherryfudge

I actually made it into real live church this morning, and also organised a meal in the slow cooker to use up some lamb and spices (an adaptation of this recipe on a bed of sliced onions, but using smaller pieces of lamb). It was delicious. Unconventionally, we had jacket potatoes with it, but they worked well too. DH bought firelighters and milk but I don't know how much they were.

Work was quiet...that's it really.

Cherryfudge

First of three days off and the frost has gone!

We've been having a hassle getting through to confirm our holiday booking as the phones just weren't being answered, and were going to cancel and go elsewhere when suddenly there was a reply and it's going ahead again! So, Venice in March. . We had to move a few days forward which cost us another £118 and we've added breakfasts which was another £46 but I only go on holiday for the hotel breakfasts. Thankfully the change of dates is not a problem as I'm on days off.

Extra motivation to progress with my Italian lessons, then. Interestingly, having moaned to DH that I couldn't talk about what I'm learning without seeming to show off, the very next morning DD told me her best friend is doing the same course and then I noticed a friend from church on the Duolingo suggested friends - and she's doing Italian too! So suddenly I have two people I can chat to about it.

Today, DH is wrestling with getting a new toilet seat installed... why they don't have a standard size and fitting is beyond me (possibly no one ever prioritised it) but we got a suitable one. I need to do the laundry while the weather is fine, and start working through the list of foods to use up/freeze. We both need haircuts, and I need to give some serious thought to H's birthday present. That should keep me occupied today.

Sun_Addict

Ooh something to look forward to 😃 Breakfasts are a waste of money on me as I only eat dry toast, I can’t face anything else in the morning. There was a post a photo of your breakfast challenge on one of my apps and I thought there’s not a person on the planet who’d be interested in my breakfast 🤣

CL21

I love a hotel breakfast 😍 Venice sounds lovely too