Cherry takes the reins

badmemory

Do you have online access to your energy bills?  Or can you get it.  You can always ask the supplier to send you copies although they may charge, although maybe not if they can email them to you.

Cherryfudge

It's been a productive day! @badmemory, I fired up the app for the utilities company but the account is closed. I may need to bear in mind about contacting the supplier for copies, more of that below.

It's mild out but felt cold indoors, though that could be because we managed to avoid putting the heating on till evening. I got two machines loads of laundry plus a backpack that had had jam spilled in it on the line and they were very nearly dry by sunset.

DD came at lunch to collect the dog - sorry to see them go!

DH suggested we look for paint to redo the hall/stairs/landing, so we went out and collected sample cards and bought some DIY bits (£11.25) then he suggested going to the tile place to get ideas for the kitchen floor. Of course I spotted a lovely style, way beyond anything we've ever spent on flooring before. I asked DH to guess which had caught my eye and he went for exactly the same one. As we only need to do a small area, we had a chat with the sales staff and explained a problem we have with the floor, and we've taken business cards away so we can ask tilers who've worked with that flooring before.

Back at home, I found the file with the old utility bills in and sorted through them. To my surprise there's been a pattern of revised bills. I just hadn't thought much of it as previous revisions were in our favour. DH kindly rang them and eventually got to speak to someone who told him our account was closed and there is no note of our owing anything! I've written down what was said as I think someone somewhere thinks otherwise to the tune of over £1,300.00, but if they do, it's not trickled down to the screen she had access to.

So I'm very pleased about that!

Other things today have included making a lot of spicy parsnip soup and six and a half jars of marmalade, and sewing the bias binding into the neck of the shirt I'm repairing. The neck is complete but there's still some sewing to do. I liked the quality of the bias binding so much that I googled in and it turns out to be Nainsook, a form of lawn, and was probably made in the early seventies as it has both imperial and metric measurements.

I'm also feeling a lot better despite waking up early and rather anxious. I've got most of my breathing capacity back and the pulled muscle is much better.

Tomorrow is DGD's day and I get a bit of a lie in as DH does the early part.

Cherryfudge

I've ticked more items off my lists of the other day. We looked after the baby, who is taking a couple of steps on her own now. DH took the early shift, as it were, and met us for coffee in town. I got my coffee free as my stamp card was full. £3.80 paid for the rest, if I remember rightly. We also stopped at the supermarket for ingredients for tonight's pancake feast. DH had a meeting in the afternoon so the baby and I had some time together.

DH was sous chef to help me make pancakes for the friends who came round and we had a lovely evening. One recommended a concoction of onions, red peppers and mushrooms to serve on the pancakes with humus. It was yummy. We had icing sugar and lemon too - but not on the same pancakes.

I've not managed much cleaning off my list but some is done, some of the financial bits and pieces are also done and that utility bill has been tackled. I've had some good social times over the last few days. Wednesday and Thursday will be quiet days but I intend to contact my manager for a meeting and probably arrange to be off a bit longer. I've been short of breath again today but only noticed it when I was walking so it's not too bad.

Cherryfudge

I was too tired last night to look out yesterday's receipts:

Spending
Entertainment £3.80
Housekeeping 10.53

Cherryfudge

A lovely productive day! I checked my emails and my manager has suggested we meet tomorrow. Then I rang the counselling service and spent an hour talking through things to establish what I need. The woman was lovely and I already feel in a better place as she was able to home in on certain things that she could see needed attention. I should get matched up with a counsellor in a week or so and get 6 or 8 sessions courtesy of work. She's also referred me to an app I can use and encouraged me to go back to the GP about the health issues that are getting in the way of me going running.

It finished with her asking me what I could do after the call that would make me feel good. This might be a standard sign off as it's roughly what the mental health nurse said! Anyway I opted for making soup!

Cookery-wise it's been a good day. I had 8 eggs not getting any younger so I looked up how to freeze them (lightly beaten, poured into ice cube trays) and now have a bag of yellow ice cubes. I'm rather proud of that as we seem to waste eggs when DH isn't making cakes and this way we can save them for a couple of months. I also made a batch of leek and potato soup which we had for tea (one portion left) and froze two helpings of spicy parsnip soup after I'd shuffled the freezer round a bit. Lastly, I had some yellow-stickered organic milk which is now in the Instant Pot turning into yogurt. Good timing as my supplies were getting a bit low, but now I need to use some up.

I've texted a colleague who has already had counselling, and she's been very supportive, ditto my small groups from church.

This evening was a church group meeting with three new members who seem to fit in very well. Lots of laughter, sausage rolls and chocolate crispy cakes.

I've not spent anything today, and am feeling quite MS due to processing all that food (though I would have gone to the market had it not been raining).

Cherryfudge

It's a beautiful day here, cloudless sky though I expect it's chilly out.

I've made a double GP appointment to talk about the health things that are holding me back: they are phone appointments but that's okay, if they need to see me I can go in. At least I'm doing something about them.

I've left a message with work as I've not yet heard what time I'm supposed to go in.

Checking my emails, I've not yet been sent a login for the mental health app so I might need to ring up and pursue that.

I looked at my 'happiness list' of things to achieve while I'm off. It now looks like this:

Ideas for not-enjoyable things to put behind me:
The revised bill (DH and I are going to look at it tomorrow) DONE
Text a colleague who is off sick - not a problem in itself but I need to find the right thing to say. ABANDONED
Open a better bank account.
Tackle the backing for DGD's blanket which has been otherwise-finished for ages.
Move cash from the inheritance account to a savings account DONE
Contact the counsellor DONE

Ideas for nice things to look forward to:
Plant some bulbs (at last!)
knitting
log and dispose of some receipts STARTED
make spicy parsnip soup DONE
do some baking
make marmalade DONE
Put bias binding in damaged neckline so that shirt can go away again DONE - but still some stitching to do
Put a cover on my new book so it can survive in a suitcase
Pancakes with my friends on Tuesday DONE
Weekend with family next week
Dog-sitting this weekend DONE
Babysitting on Tuesday DONE

Cherryfudge

My work meeting was interesting, though I got quite anxious about going in. It didn't help that I didn't have a specific time and was waiting about for her to ring, but that's sorted now and she will do 'keep in touch' calls once a fortnight - which shows me they are thinking longer term, and gives me time to make progress with relaxing and getting into a better mindset.  She's also referred me to Occupational Health with a view to sorting out what adjustments can be made to get me back to work.

I've also realised I don't know if the mental health nurse is expecting me to make another appointment, but I don't remember it being suggested. I assume the idea is that I follow up on the various things being suggested to me and see how I go. There's a whole heap of them now! When I see the GP on Wednesday I need to remember to get a sick note and I assume that will be an opportunity to ask if they want to see me again. The counsellor got in touch too, we have a phone appointment next week.

After that I was supposed to be picking up DGD because her Dad's business meeting started late, but in fact it also finished in good time so he rang me and I was able to tell him I have the counselling booked. As he's had similar, he was supportive. I will see all the children over the weekend so I will let the others know too.

A bit of shopping has been done: I found a couple of paperbacks in a charity shop and some more of the lovely Nainsook bias binding which I don't need at all but you know, I might one day. Then some grocery shopping: when you consider there are shortages of various things due to the weather in Spain, Lidl had a few £1.50 veg boxes but I didn't get one as we're away over the weekend.

Middle of Lidl also has sewing and knitting accessories... guilty as charged. I have three plump crochet hooks, a card of needles and some fabric clips.

Spending:
Books £2
Hobbies £4.49
housekeeping £13.79

Cherryfudge

A very no-spend weekend: our children bought us family time as a joint birthday present and provided everything! It was a lovely air b&b up in the Dales. The only blight was four of us being unwell. Three have recovered but we had a text when we got home as one now has Covid - so we are waiting to see who else gets it. We do have about a hundred lovely family photos though: perhaps I should spend a bit of time putting some in an album.

I made a small start on my bulb planting while waiting for our lift there, so at least the snow drops are in. (I know it's not a good time to plant them especially as they aren't 'in the green', but they will dry up if I leave them till autumn).

DS2 also performed miracles in sorting out the stuff dumped in his old bedroom so the bed is clear and there's a path through. He donated quite a few things to DH's charity shop, so someone else can hopefully benefit and he gets more space. DS also got a good photo of the corona around last night's moon, but I don't think any of us caught the aurora. 

I'm going to review last week's 'things to look forward to' list and add some items as I'm off all week. I have a few mental health appointments but plenty to build in around them.

Cherryfudge

Ideas for not-enjoyable things to put behind me:

Open a better bank account.
Tackle the backing for DGD's blanket which has been otherwise-finished for ages.

Ideas for nice things to look forward to:

Plant more bulbs (I have tulips, crocuses and alliums).
Buy borage seeds
knitting
log and dispose of some receipts
do some baking
Finish mending work shirt
Put new waistband in PJs (I took these on the weekend away, then remembered they are too tight so I unpicked the waist and held it together with a hair clip and pin! Much more comfortable but not a long term solution )
Put a cover on my new book so it can survive in a suitcase
Babysitting on Tuesday

Edited to add:
104 'paper decisions' in terms of receipts off my paper spike and into the recycling. There are plenty more that never made it onto the spike so I hope to make progress there at some point.
A few minutes gardening done: mostly pruning roses and clearing dead bramble and skinny bramble twigs from the hedge. Stopped because the brambles were taking their revenge.
I had a couple of 'how are you?' texts off colleagues which is nice.
Work emails not letting me in... no idea what's going on there but half the time it's something and nothing. It just means I can't make any progress with occupational health.
And... another 20 paper decisions of random stuff. Gone.  

Cherryfudge

It's been a really quiet day: DH did his volunteering this afternoon and I sent a few donations to the charity shop. Perhaps that could be my Lenten activity? I certainly have too much stuff and a lot of it - like old receipts - would be better off recycled.

We have the £5 off £25 spend at Lidl so made a bit of a plan and I went and spent it this evening: baked beans, breakfast cereals, crackers and tins, mostly. However, while we had the car to help with transport, I got extra beans, so a total of £26.75 spent, plus whatever DH spent getting soup for his tea. (I had a casserole from the freezer). Elsewhere on the boards people are talking about free chocolate from their Lidl app but I can't find it on mine.

I'm also within £10 of the £2 off level but that would mean spending that much tomorrow then going back later to spend the £2... complicated! I still have the free bakery item to redeem in the morning, and it's occurred to me I could get some humus but not £9.01's worth!

DH has re-siliconed the kitchen sink to cure a slow drip underneath, but another slow drip has emerged. Meanwhile it's raining again so looks as though we will miss this aurora again. 

Things to be thankful for: enough heat and a dry house, daffodils blooming in our garden, the robin who comes near the house, colleagues keeping in touch, DH having the skills/being willing to learn the skills to fix things at home, plenty of food in store, steady stream of things going into the food bank collections too, by the look of things at the supermarket.