Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

Things are slowly leaving the house as I've thrown out two pairs of slippers that had stretched so much they were dangerous on the stairs. I don't need to replace them - for some reason I've accumulated quite a few pairs of travel slippers.

I had one of those cold and tired phases this afternoon. I didn't fall asleep but I didn't get any of the above jobs done either. After a couple of hours I suddenly and inexplicably got warm enough and stayed warm enough so I did all the ironing before tea.

We finished up yesterday's chasseur with added green beans, peas and cherry tomatoes, and later I went to Mr T to get a printer cartridge and some groceries. I discovered our branch has now stopped doing the ink, so I hope I can get some elsewhere tomorrow. It's a nuisance as I had a voucher for double Clubcard points and can't now add the cost of the cartridge.

I spent nearly £30 but part of that was pine nuts (£5.40 for 150g! ) and I also got rhubarb and apples heavily discounted. They were just clearing those: another couple of minutes and I'd have missed  a saving of £5.30 on the rhubarb and £3.81 on the apples. I'm rather pleased about catching them in time, but I wonder what they do with all the other ones they were taking off the shelf? Another buy was a favourite pasta sauce which is now £3 a small bottle, but half price with the loyalty card.

An MS thing today: I've been adding extra data on my phone nearly every month and it costs me £3 a go unless I'm on holiday and get extra data for wi-fi free zones. Anyway I looked on the app and realised I could add the same amount of data on a contract basis for £1.50 a month - saving £18 a year on the ad hoc extra data. Not sure what I'll blow that on - three packets of pine nuts?  

Spending:
Housekeeping £28.17 + whatever DH spent on tinned fruit.

Cherryfudge

This is a grand daughter day but I'm not due to meet up with them till eleven. It's as well I was still at home as call came through to arrange in introductory chat with Talking Therapies (arranged for a week's time). That's earlier than I thought as I understood the waiting list is months.

I sholud really be
a) getting dressed
b) typing out the study materials for this evening
c) looking at the job

So I had better get a move on.

Cherryfudge

Well, that lot all got looked at, after a fashion. I spent quite a while fighting the printer, with help from DH, who also bought us some ink. No more, the generic ones: he could only find the proper branded stuff and it set us back £25! Another shop was charging £37 for the same thing.

We had a lovely time with DGD, who is now coming up for big hugs or just to lean on us... poor girl is coughing though, looks as though she has hay fever.

I caught a spare moment to look up the job, and it's as well I did as closing is tomorrow. Thankfully it's less complicated than the one I did 14 months ago and is all online so I'm hopeful of completing it. I did come home mid-afternoon to work on it/battle the printer (and be glad I'd finished typing up for tonight before I went out this morning).

Then I remembered that it's my friend's birthday tomorrow, and thankfully DH rescued me again by getting a cake for our evening meeting, which seems to have gone okay.

I won't be sitting up to finish the form. It will be better done tomorrow. I just need to think of the right second referee... I might ask a former colleague who knows my work and did aspects of this potential job himself.

DH got some shopping on his way to see DGD, then when we met up, he went to get the link while I bought salad for this evening, then I went via Asd a for the cheap tinned fruit on the way home, and DH went out again later for cake and a curry for himself. I don't think I'm going to find all those receipts, but at least I found cheap beetroot at Mr S and got 3 packs.

Spending:
Stationery (printer ink) £25
Housekeeping ? (Sains 1), £5.59 (Sains 2), £5.61 (Asd a), ? (Mr T), £1.50 (DH's ice lolly at Co- op).

I saw a notice that reminded me I may be able to use my blue light card at Asd a so I need to look into that.

Cherryfudge

What a gorgeous day! I know I need to finish the job application but I'm planning on going for a run before the day gets too hot. I was up by 6.30 so the dishwasher and washing machine went on cheap rate electricity. DH then noticed the heating had come on! This is weird as neither of us has touched the controls, but it's possible it was set to this when the engineer fixed it a few weeks ago. (Just wondering if we paid him?! Urgent need to check that!)

I've texted my former colleague to ask if he'd be willing to do a reference for me, supposing I get the far.

So the list for the day, so far, is:
text Tuesday group with dates as worked out yesterday
washing on the line
empty dishwasher
run
application
gardening
in-person Keep in Touch meeting at work
Sort out something for dinner

Funny how many things I can fit in before applying myself to paperwork.

Cherryfudge

Crikey, what a full day! I got nearly everything done: the run was lovely and I managed not to get chilled afterwards by dint of a nice hot shower. I spent the afternoon on the application, which is now submitted. I did have a concerned call from my manager as I'd agreed to meet her at 9.30 and had it on the calendar as 4.30. It wasn't even a mis-reading as it's very clearly a 4. Anyway I apologised and was able to go in at 4.30 after all. Some colleagues were in the office (I wonder if they'd been asked to stay on to say hello?) so we had a chat then they left and I had a tour of the changes (mostly cosmetic) of the last three months and a further chat with the manager. We were the last in the building as no one is staying tonight, so it wasn't a case of meeting more people.

I felt quite relaxed about it but I'm not ready to go back into the thick of things. I think it's more stressful than it was and won't be better for a while yet. Doing the job application, however, made me realise I have lots of ideas I could look at using should I get the post, and I'd still be involved but not have to be so stressed.

I've sneaked in about half an hour of gardening this morning before I put the wheelie bins back. The ivy is growing along the ground in that area so I've cleared about a square metre.

This evening was the group from church and we had a lovely time. I'd not been to this particular house before but it's close by and it was nice walking home through the twilight. DH went bowling with his group and got himself a ready meal so I don't know what he's spent, but I've not spent anything. I had thought of going to the market earlier but there's nothing I need so I let it pass.

Well, I've earned some sleep today so I'm going to get it!

Cherryfudge

This morning I had an appointment with a podiatrist. I'm sure podiatry must have moved on a long was since previous appointments years ago, as she had all sorts of helpful advice I don't recall ever having heard before. Using ibuprofen, especially gel, on the arthritis first thing, heat before exercise, ice after, and what to look out for in shoes. She very politely didn't say what she thought of my well-worn trainers, but I'd been thinking myself that I need to replace them.

I've not really had much else to do since, though I'm picking DGD up at five and I really ought to get a meal into the slow cooker.

Cherryfudge

I bought some veg and veggie sausages to try out a recipe that @Sun_Addict recommended: very healthy and easy to make though you need a very big mixing bowl.

My favourite cappuccinos are on offer below £2! I have plenty but I got another packet: I didn't think we'd see that price again. (Mind you basic oats went up from 75p to 84p the other week and peanut butter is now £1.25 ).

I just about managed to throw everything into the slow cooker before setting off to DGD's nursery. She was a lot happier to be coming to my house than she used to be, and spent the walk pointing out all sorts of things. You really do see the world through other eyes when you're with a small person or a dog. A noisy diesel vehicle was worth a really intense stare! We had a look at the toy box (she's outgrowing some so I think it might be time to get one or two more things) and watched a lot of Bluey.

A came to collect her when his meeting was over so we had a bit of a chat then DH and I had dinner. I don't think I got the recipe quite right as it was a bit of a harsh taste, but perhaps it needed to caramelise which I don't think it does in the Instant Pot. Apart from that we've caught up on the Sewing Bee and I need sleep. I've been tired out and sleeping earlier, then waking earlier - all this time off seems to be resetting my body clock.

Spending:
Housekeeping £19.14

Cherryfudge

It feels as though I've been hiking with a general workout thrown in! It was my morning to help with the church cleaning, which wasn't too onerous as someone had left the main hall in good condition (I'm sure all cleaners must dread the days someone brings shortbread into a carpeted area, but it was evidently recently swept). Then it was my turn to water the plants including a strip of wildflower meadow that was sown recently. Great lifting practice: all those watering cans must have given me the biceps of a wrestler (checks biceps... well... maybe all wrestlers have to start small). Back and waist muscles have certainly put in some effort, and the podiatrist's advice has also been put to good use.

I remembered to collect my copy of a recipe book (fundraiser) that I paid for already, so I'm looking forward to some baking soon.

Then I had a text from DH: his colleague had pointed out that his pay didn't look right (DH is payslip oblivious, it's as well he's not a crazy spender). It's all been checked through HR and it turns out that when he increased his hours, it wasn't put on the system. It's all sorted out now and he has about three times as much as I earn this month. Nice surprise - I might suggest he gets some flowers for whoever suggested it! (His office is generally trying not to eat too much cake but keep bringing it in for each other).

I popped into Mr S on the way home as it was well after lunchtime and I'd forgotten to bring a snack. They had sea bass on reduced price (short dated) and its one of DH's favourites so I've got some to celebrate. Then I went via a charity shop for a refund on things that weren't suitable. That's £11 back in the account. Lastly I went into Mr T as I'd bought peaches from the 34p shelf and realised when I got home that I'd been charged £1. The woman on customer services didn't know how to deal with this, so they put out a couple of calls for a manager, but no one came and I could see the staff were under pressure and my sea bass were warming up! So I reclaimed my peaches and receipt with a hurried explanation and said I'd deal with it on another occasion. I know there was a whole tray there yesterday but they were all gone so I couldn't prove it. They've been replaced by tins with different labels which I think are the ones that are meant to be there. It's the principle though - why should T have 66p of my money because staff put the tins in the wrong place and it needed a careful read to see the difference? And with the cost of living being what it is, why should people have to pay 300% of what they intended? Actually I think she should just have refunded without a quibble.

It's a small thing in the scheme of things but I know that will have made a difference to some people's budgets (and not everyone checks their receipts or is as bolshy as I am.

Anyway, I not only got a workout this morning, I must have the beginnings of a tan and the birds are singing, and I didn't need to buy more stuff to go with the sea bass as we have cous cous and I got discounted asparagus the other day and cherry tomatoes yesterday, and what could be better than that?

Sun_Addict

Did you enjoy the sausage traybake? I think the dressing is really tasty and would work for other things but then I love wholegrain mustard and smoked paprika. 

Cherryfudge

Sun_Addict said:

Did you enjoy the sausage traybake? I think the dressing is really tasty and would work for other things but then I love wholegrain mustard and smoked paprika. 

I think I went wrong with it somewhere! All the components are good, but it tasted harsh, somehow. I think the suspect might be an old jar of mustard! My fault - it wasn't off, just a bit thick and I didn't measure it. Also I used sweet paprika rather than smoked (ran out of smoked, which I love) so perhaps that was wrong? I did use veggie sausages, very tasty ones.

Time to try it again I suspect! Like you, I tweak recipes and come up with my own variation. I'm mulling over why it didn't do as it said on the packet... another possibility was using the Instant Pot instead of oven roasting so it didn't caramelise. Do you think that might be the issue?

https://fishsaidfred.co.uk/blogs/recipes/fred-s-whole-sea-bass-recipe was tonight's and it was absolutely delicious, though much more than I'd usually spend. We didn't have courgettes and I used an ordinary red pepper and served it with pesto pasta and steamed asparagus and a wedge of lemon... oh yes, that's one for high days and holidays!

I had been looking for something vegetarian, which is really my preference at the moment so I keep an eye on your selection of recipes because I do get inspired!