Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

It's been a full-on day, but rewarding. I had a check up with the GP which was reassuring - possibly a bit post-viral but generally in good health and she's encouraged me to get back to running, which is very good news. I suspect my general fitness is the issue rather than post-viral-ness, so I could potentially make things a lot better myself.

I then popped into a charity shop on the way home to enquire about an old book in the window. A book and a scarf later, I met DH and DGD in the coffee shop. There were also some foodstuffs bought on the way home, and a tiny toy for DGD from a  50p basket in a charity shop. DGD has been delightful in that she wanted lots of cuddles from me, but I think she was teething and needed comfort and distraction. I took her out for a walk to try to get her to sleep but the wind had turned really bitter so we gave up on it. By the time we got home - around 5.30 - there were big flakes of snow falling.

I met up with my Tuesday group tonight, having forgotten I'd not seen them on my birthday. I got flowers, cake and wine as well as our usual pizzas! We made some progress on our study as well as planning a few social things.

Spending:
Gift 50p
Book £3
Clothing £2.50
Housekeeping £11.44
Entertainment: £2.70 plus whatever DH spent of tea and biscuits (around £5.80 total)

Cherryfudge

I was going to wander down to L!dl for any end-of-day bargains but it's wet and cold out there and we aren't in urgent need of anything so I'm staying at home. I got cereal and chocolate teacakes out of the emergency store, not because we were in need but because I fancied chocolate and saw DH was low on cereal - and it will need a turnover of stock to stay viable.

Exercise today has been a walk into town to meet with someone from the major incident response team for counselling over the new year incident. I've met with her before and she remembered some details though it was years ago. We had a very, very long session, starting with me telling my story for ages then filling in some of the stuff that's going on in my wider life and at work. She's given me some helpful pointers in areas where I wasn't sure what I would be best to do. Most interestingly, I think I may have found myself a future/retirement role. She mentioned volunteers who work for her team and I wanted to know more. I could see myself working in a field like that and it turns out I may be the sort of person they could use. I'm not rushing into anything as I need to sort out my present situation, but it's definitely something to look into.

I've also heard from another colleague and had a bit of a chat.

Nothing spent by me today, though DH got groceries.

The trouble with these interesting and helpful discussions is that it takes me a while to wind down afterwards, and I know tomorrow is quite a full day, so I will try to update my notebook of things I've learned from my various meetings, then I need to find a way to slow down: perhaps even start on my packing for next week so I can stop worrying about what to take. Once it's begun, it will be easier.

10.30pm update: You will be relieved to know I've not written up the mental health notes, which would probably have wound me up. I took advantage of having sorted through that drawer the other day because I found the sticky-backed plastic and I've now covered my Italian language book to help it withstand the rigours of travelling with me for a week. That done, I went through some of the notes I've made off the Duolingo Italian, and clarified a few of the bits I hadn't understood. Might as well do it while I have the Internet to hand.

Oh, and DH says our energy account is £500+ in credit! How did that happen?

Cherryfudge

Another no-spend day today, though quite busy. I took DGD to nursery first thing as her Dad had an early meeting, then went back later for their Mother's Day celebrations. They had done a beautiful job with High Tea home made treats, name cards, the tables decorated in the nursery's theme décor, little pots of crayons and colouring sheets for each child and sparkling apple juice for the grown ups. DGD thought the cake stand was very interesting and wanted to pick it u by the silver carrying loop at the top, which I thought was probably not advisable - we had enough jam all over my trousers and the floor when she investigated a jam tart! We did have a lovely time time though.

In the afternoon I had my weekly call with the counsellor then one with my manager, both positive. I also went looking in the box where I stashed a lot of surplus toiletries, but it looks as though those are all gone now. It still have the hotel ones plus whatever's in the drawers due to being useable now, but it seems the bulk of the extras really has gone! How long did that take? At least a couple of years but some will have been around before I began my determined refusal not to buy things I already have.

I found a few other things to sort through and have disposed of about 45 'paper decisions', a couple of dud batteries and some other rubbish. A drop in the ocean but at least it's a drop less. Oh, and two boxes of out of date contact lenses. Alarmingly, when I checked where I usually keep my lenses, there are eight boxes queued up waiting. Such a waste. I only wear them once in a blue moon but keep up the subscription so I get cheaper glasses. Last time I went to postpone my order I'd done it as many times as they allow, so I had to get another delivery. I'd better go back in and try again.

Did I mention I cancelled my Am@zon Pr!me the other day? I'm unlikely to need it again till December.

Dinner has been finishing a couple of other dinners (need to eat up before we go away). There is a lot of tidying up to do over the next couple of days, too.

Cherryfudge

Today is my last 'free' day before going away, by which I mean a day which I feel I ought to fill with lots of small jobs that I'd never get round to in a week if I was actually at home, but because I won't be at home, I feel I need to do them.

So... a post here to make notes and amend as I go along.

Things to do:
Laundry mostly done

collect prescription
text friend to say I can't yet take her up on her offer of coffee DONE

Get in my running gear and attempt day one of C25K! (I've done the whole course before and more, but I've quite a lot of ground to cover to get back there) - Yay! DONE Woohoo! Yippee!

Transfer some more money to my travel card DONE

Pay the window cleaner DONE

Email manager with details of the shifts I need to claim for - realised one is close to timing out. I know I said I wouldn't go on my emails but I think this is a reasonable exemption

Do Duolingo (I lost all my 'lives' this morning struggling with the concept of saying someone likes something in Italian - apparently you have to say something is pleasing to them, which means turning the grammar around. I know that once I've got it, it will just click but in the meantime if I want my bonus points for studying in the morning, I need to have another practice) DONE

Have some quiet time.
Water plants
Plant bulbs (they are sitting on the windowsill in a dish of water to give them a start and these really will be at risk if I leave them there for a week)
Cook or freeze the remaining squash/pumpkin
Take batteries and pens to recycling

WelshmansDaughter

Ooh I was thinking about learning Italian. Have you ever listened to Laura Pausini? She sings in five languages, one of which is Italian 

Sun_Addict

I’m finding my Spanish grammar is getting much harder but I just keep persevering. It’s the same and you have to turn it around. I think I now know enough to converse in the Spanish coffee shop we go to in Lanzarote so I’m happy with that. 

Cherryfudge

10pm update - the last group of things aren't done yet and I forgot the prescription but I can collect that tomorrow. The laundry got caught in a couple of showers and the bedding has had to go in the tumble dryer because it's needed tonight, but everything else can finish drying on the airer.

It's been lovely having an actually-warm day. Some sunshine, too. I was surprised each time I went out that the air had stopped being cold.

I didn't cook or freeze the pumpkins but I went through the fridge for things to use up (DH is out for a work dinner and bowling). I made an odd concoction that I was very unsure of but it was so nice I'll make it again! Fried mushrooms with a clove of garlic chopped in, add about a quarter of a bag of not-very-good frozen cauliflower cheese with a good shake of parmesan equivalent. Stir in some smoked bacon bit and add a splash of red wine. Cook it all together till it's a bit mushy...

I've frozen the chunky bits of the 'cooking bacon' and separated the decent slices which I must point out to DH who likes a bacon breakfast. Some cream cheese got binned (I'm sure it's not supposed to be green) and I found a few things that need to be used up or given to J and L when we see them on Sunday. I also finally finished the Christmas cheese! That was for lunch, and very nice it was too. This year, I must remember not to buy much even if we have a guest.

Sorting out the timesheet problem had its difficulties (I had to print out the documents and deliver them by hand as for some reason nothing would attach to an email) so I didn't get time to buy toiletries before most of the shops shut. I got milk, olive oil etc at L!dl, and also some salmon that was discounted. DH and I will have some for Sunday dinner before we leave, and take a tea-type meal to have in the hotel in the evening, thus hopefully saving a bit of cash. Talking of holiday cash, I've never had a proper scheme for holidays savings, just an account that I rounded money into. That's still known as the holiday account but hasn't been used for holidays for a while and is in fact earning some interest on some of my inherited money. I've decided to put some cash into my Post Office Travel app each month so I have holiday spending money. It won't earn interest but at least it's being put aside.

List for tomorrow:
Car boot sale if the weather is nice enough.
Have some quiet time.
Collect prescription
Do the ironing
Water plants
Plant bulbs (they are sitting on the windowsill in a dish of water to give them a start and these really will be at risk if I leave them there for a week)
Cook or freeze the remaining squash/pumpkin
Take batteries and pens to recycling
Meet with DS2 and his girlfriend who have offered us a Mother's Day tea/walk

Spending:
Housekeeping £17.96
Holiday money £200.00 onto card

Things I'm thankful for today:
A run on a spring day! Some useful finishing up/using up - hand cream, vitamins, foodstuffs. Getting the timesheet claim sent in (and incidentally remembering I need to send January and February's claims in too!)

Cherryfudge

WelshmansDaughter said:

Ooh I was thinking about learning Italian. Have you ever listened to Laura Pausini? She sings in five languages, one of which is Italian 

I'd not heard of her but I'm listening now - thank you for the recommendation, great voice

I'm still loving some aspects of Italian but I need to step back and get a grip on what I've covered so far. I don't think this course is as well put together as it could be - I'm not the only one finding things marked wrong that haven't been explained yet - but mostly the problem is that I was brought up to learn verbs in tables and part of me still wants to see that whole picture even if some forms are unlikely to be needed much.

I draw comfort from being able to tell people there is an elephant in my shoes, though. Never know when I might need that.

Sun_Addict said:

I’m finding my Spanish grammar is getting much harder but I just keep persevering. It’s the same and you have to turn it around. I think I now know enough to converse in the Spanish coffee shop we go to in Lanzarote so I’m happy with that. 

I'd love to have the confidence to converse! I know you've worked long and hard at it.

Cherryfudge

Today's list (as usual, will edit as I go along)

Car boot sale if the weather is nice enough - it's not
Clean fish tank
Duolingo practice - done (will really need that time out and regroup on Italian - maybe take the helpful book on the plane and force myself to do something structural!
text former colleague re work gardening (she and I agreed to do the front borders at work and I need to let her know I'm not at work to help) - done
Have some quiet time.
Collect prescription/shop for toiletries (found a small hand cream to take with me so the 'in use' drawer will get slightly less full) - done
Do the ironing - Done
Water plants
Plant bulbs (they are sitting on the windowsill in a dish of water to give them a start and these really will be at risk if I leave them there for a week)
Cook or freeze the remaining squash/pumpkin
Take batteries and pens to recycling - batteries had to come hoe as the sohp stopped doing them but the pens are recycled
Meet with DS2 and his girlfriend who have offered us a Mother's Day tea/walk
Look for my packable mac in the loft.

9.30 update: discovered both our European Health Cards are out of date! We need GHICs... DH is now looking into that. Can't believe we let that one lapse, though I think there's an emergency version you can get if you need hospital treatment.

Meanwhile I've decluttered 15 pieces of paper and washed yesterday's shopping bag which smelled of fish. Oh, I hate the days before holidays! But at least the ironing is done and I won't be coming home to a smelly shopping bag.

11.30 update - am having a bit of a battle with anxiety but am steadily doing whatever comes next to hand. Meanwhile I've texted my friend, caught up with both younger children re plans for tonight and tomorrow and put away yesterday's laundry as it dries. 

2pm update: shopping done, with a couple of 'perfect finds' in a charity shop: a running top and a cross body bag for hols. The running top will be worn for running eventually but is an easy-to pack long sleeved layer to take with me as well.

Cherryfudge

Today's spending:
Toiletries £3.07
Stationery £1
Clothing £13.98 (no fashion on the ration coupons as these were charity shop finds)
Housekeeping £6.67