Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

Yesterday turned into a really good day - actively positive, if that makes sense, as opposed to passively passably okay. I think the main reasons were that I did my Bible app in the morning (neglected recently) then went for a run, complete with warm up and cool down stretching.

The chicken turned into chicken chasseur, so I had to buy mushrooms and wine (and eye drops, but they didn't go in the food). Cookery is one of my grounding activities, and also made good use of freezer stuff and there's plenty for tonight too. If I'm organised, I'll plan a meal for tomorrow in advance. My meal plans often fall through because I don't give myself enough time.

I spent some time on the Duolingo stuff, just looking up and writing out verbs. It felt useful as an overview but I still have all the screenshots of things I didn't really understand, so there's more to do if I feel like it.

This morning is supposed to be wet but the sunshine hasn't noticed that so I will put some laundry on. I need to steel myself to finish the stress assessment, do my timesheet and make some notes ready for my counselling and keep in touch meetings (by phone) this afternoon. There's also a homework assignment from last night's session (I ended up leading and it went okay: I enjoy that) so I can make a start on that at some point.

There's still a lot to do for the house and garden, and the ironing is still waiting for me. I've still avoided my work emails, which is a good thing. I'm not sure if I'm over a bad patch and out into the home stretch or I've simply opened up and begun to deal with some issues... I suppose I can't hurry that. If there's more needing to be resolved, I suppose it will surface.

Yesterday's Spending:
Housekeeping £2.03
Medical £2.50
Plus free bread from L!dl.

Cherryfudge

The ironing is still waiting: I've spent my energy on meetings today. The laundry is on the airer as a shower came on when I took it out. When the sun came out later, I went out and did some weeding, though to my alarm the ground elder has made massive strides way beyond where it had got to last year.

I've not spent anything, but I Dh and I had a walk after he finished work, so I've been out.

Timesheets are in, stress assessment is in, Occupational Health will apparently contact me at home. I've been working with the counsellor on identifying what I need to ask them for, and my manager tells me I can include things like stress caused by noise levels, so I will. I'm not happy about going back, but I don't know what else would be beneficial.

Chicken chasseur is finished and DH has a meeting or something tomorrow so I need to think up something we can eat promptly. I also need to remember it's my turn on the cleaning rota in the morning!

Cherryfudge

The oddest thing happened: the computer had a major update this morning, and managed to put right the things that I lost access to last time! It had reached the stage where the recommended next step was external control, so it and I limped along and DH was talking about replacing it. All of a sudden, everything's back! At least as far as I can see.

• the start button works so I don't have to use CTRL/ALT/DELETE to switch it off
• the tray is peopled with all the things it used to be peopled with
• the search box is accessible
• my documents are back (not that I need most of them, ahem!)
• my passwords are still in place - though I've changed so many that I've yet to try out whether they work. However, MSE worked straight away, so I think it's carried my subsequent changes across.

I'm so pleased. I had been feeling down and sad after talking about going back to work with the counsellor and my manager, and reflecting on some of the things to do with work. This has lifted my mood so much!

I am, however, having another think about whether I need a different job.

Sun_Addict

That’s great news about the computer. At work we’re told to do a restart once a week to check for updates. 

Work wise, we spend a lot of time at work and if it’s making you unhappy it’s time to look for something else. 

Cherryfudge

Thanks @Sun_Addict, I am going to keep a look out, jobs-wise. I work for a large organisation so it's possible I could find something else without affecting my pension and length of service.

I'm good about switching the computer off at the end of the day or if I'm out, but something or other really messed it up a few months ago and from what I read it sounds as though an update went wrong. I had enough function to keep it going, but this latest update seems to have got in there and put everything back where it belonged. The only glitch I've found so far is that a game no longer seems to recognise it, so I'll have to wait for DS2 as it was logged in via his phone.

It's been drizzly today. I made it to the cleaning team in good time and was back there this evening as Dh and I had offered to help set up the hall for an event. Not much spent or saved today: DH got a fishcake from the freezer for tea and I got cereal and yogurt, so minimal spending though I now feel about ready for something else. The only noteworthy expense was for some noise-reducing earplugs, to try to get me back into environments that I find too loud or intermittently too loud. I'm sure I wasn't always so sensitive to noise, but now that it's got to the point where I avoid things, I think it's time to fight back.

Spending:
Medical (ear plugs) £34.50
Toiletries £1.99
household £4.00
housekeeping £1

Sun_Addict

Re the noise sensitivity, could you be on the autism spectrum? A lot of adults seem to be finding out they are. 

Cherryfudge

Sun_Addict said:

Re the noise sensitivity, could you be on the autism spectrum? A lot of adults seem to be finding out they are. 

Interesting... a colleague who is on the spectrum herself recently asked me if I've been assessed. I haven't, but when she mentioned a couple of things she'd noticed, and suggested I think back to my childhood, a whole lot of lightbulbs went on! I think it's quite likely - but I'm exactly the profile to go under the radar.

I think it's likely I'm autistic, and if that's the case, it would explain a whole lot of difficulties I've had throughout life but never found a psychological/experiential reason that fully explains them. I'm also sure there are many more autistic people than current statistics show.

Cherryfudge

A last-minute March spend: a photo tile and some printed photos. I have one of those apps where you pay postage and get a certain number of prints 'free' in any given month. Most are holiday snaps this time, but my favourite Venetian scene is on a tile to go on the wall: the light on the evening sky is beautiful and it will transport me back there.

Total £14.48 (so much for 'free'!)

WelshmansDaughter

Garden work? 

Cherryfudge

WelshmansDaughter said:

Garden work? 

I love gardening and in fact, I had a job as a part time gardener years ago. I'm not one for all weathers, though! That said, I could usefully spend more time on my own garden, soggy though it currently is. I could give it thought, though: I'm sure there are people who need help with their gardens (though again, mine is no advert right now).