Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

Yesterday was granddaughter day, which is always good and always tiring. Poor little thing seemed under the weather and turned out to have a temperature so she had a quiet afternoon with Calpol and not wearing much, and perked up a bit later. I was mostly in charge as she decided I was the favoured parent substitute. I tried to explain to DH that he actually has to give her quality time if he's going to get the same response. He only manages it in short bursts!

It was quite an expensive day as we had the piano tuned, but that will last a while.

I did the usual pizza and salad run as my friends were round: I'd almost totally run out of time and energy but they were very patient when the DVD player wouldn't work to show the clip we were supposed to be looking at, then at last one of them remembered YouTube and we watched it on there. It was gloomy subject matter too, so I sent them off at the end telling them to read The Tiger Who Came to Tea (which was slightly relevant) to counter it!

Of course I was semi-awake later in the evening and had a problem with a couple of computer keys not responding properly. I took those keys off and did some cleaning which was desperately needed, then I took off two nearby keys and cleaned those too. The trouble is that only two of them will go back properly so I keep missing 'd' and getting doubles of 'g' and 'h'. The 'f' key has depressed too much and won't come up but it works. Thus I conclude I may not have a calling as a keyboard technician and googling is needed.

DH is working today and I ought to be getting ready for our trip away. I've listed the things we need to eat up or freeze, then I went to check if I had anything to give my legs a tan. (Question - why do I allow myself to feel I nee to change the colour of my skin? That's just so wrong - I don't tan, why should I pretend I do?)

Well, no tinted products but when I turfed out the two small drawers that hold all the bits and pieces like that, plus the stuff that's personal and has no special place, I saw I haven't come as far as I'd hoped with decluttering makeup and toiletries. I feel rather overwhelmed. Some are useful bits I've inherited in clearing Mum's house - maybe some of the five surplus sets of nail clippers could be donated?! Powder eyeshadow I could offer to DD as I only use cream ones now, and that's rare. I know I advise her not to share makeup but this has been sitting there for ages so germs will probably have died off, and I've not had eye infections. There are so many hand gels, too - most with no BB date, and I doubt I've finished more than one, ever. The ones in the drawers aren't opened but are probably technically out of date so had better not be donated (I can take the risk myself but not pass it on). I did find a sample file of a Prada perfume which I quite like so that could go in my travel bag, but I rarely use actual perfume and it's taking me ages to work through a body spray that I really like.

I thought I'd done well in the last couple of years by using up hand creams and soaps, but we're nowhere near there really.

I'm daunted but I'll plod on. Right now I'm making myself a 'real' coffee from the coffee cupboard of extreme gifting (I get given more than I can drink without risk to life and limb, or at least heart rate and sleep).

In case you are wondering, I've not applied for the proofreading course and I'd better not till I have a properly working keyboard! This one is giving me massive proofreading practice just by being between me and the monitor.

Back later to update if I can find my way past all the small but intrusive things.

Yesterday's expenditure:
Household (piano tuning) £65
Housekeeping
Gift (GD's morning activity) £2

Sun_Addict

I always wear the letters off keyboards with my nails 🤣 I get through loads. I’m a trained touch typist but it’s handy to see where the letters are occasionally 😆

liselle

I like that you note your daily expenditure,Cherry.I’ve started following your example as, especially with cash, I seemed to get through it so fast without having a great deal to show for it.Do you note in a special account book as well as on here?

Cherryfudge

I have a diary, @liselle - it's more detailed than here, as I go through bank accounts and note DH's spending, direct debits and so forth. I always mean to add up each category but I've only managed it once! It's useful to get an idea of spending patterns, though, and all those tiny transactions add up!

@Sun_Addict, do you get those moments when you stop to think, and you're so used to doing it automatically that you can't remember? I have a white keyboard as I find it easier o read, and when I think about it - how come the ink hasn't worn off the keys? 'C' and 'O' are the only damaged ones.

I've fixed 'd', somehow, 'f' works but seems to be cowering lower than the rest, and 'g' still turns into 'gg' for no apparent reason. Bit of a 'mare, perhaps?

I got a few achievements achieved, as one does. Bins collected from where the lorries pick them up, and green bin is nearly full already with garden rubbish. I washed my hair and used up a shampoo - discovering after sixty years that hotel shampoos come out of the bottle more easily if steeped in hot water first. I must remember that one. I've texted DD a photo of some makeup I won't use again, but not heard back yet.

I abandoned all my principles and bought one of the hint of a tan products, which I will wear a lot between now and the wedding in the hope of conforming, then use up as hand cream. I did that last year and my hands were quite a good colour deep into winter!  

We used up some of the veg at dinner time so I'm making headway with the fridge.

This evening we had our study groups: DH's group stops ill September but mine goes on, meaning he gets a couple more quiet evenings.

Expenditure:
Gifts £3.oo
Household £3.05
Toiletries £4.25
housekeeping £1.25 (okay, that was chocolate).

Cherryfudge

Last thing last night I noticed a message from my manager - not a good time to see that. Basically I have to have the meeting but can choose another venue. I lost some sleep over that and woke up early this morning too, but I've now emailed both her and the union rep about arranging a meeting after we get back from hols. I've also said that redeployment is my preferred option rather than early retirement.

So today I have the day ahead of me and need to make it count. Things I could do include emailing my sister to confirm when we are seeing them, getting the cases out and finding the travel iron and kettle (that's multi-base holidaying for you!), identifying clothes to take including shoes, going to the supermarket(s) to see what they have in the way of trainers (as I have four pairs of which three are almost slippers and none of which is good for distance walking), contacting the Talking Therapies employment lady, checking the jobs bulletin, giving myself a facial,  finding a pattern and yarn to take with me, finding reading matter for hols, doing ironing.

Things done: doing my toe nails for the wedding (not that they are going to be a major talking point), applying tan on my legs despite it not being how I really am ( ), donating another item, starting laundry.

What I mustn't do is too much gardening, at least not with secateurs, or too much computer. Give those hands a rest!

Cherryfudge

I've managed not to garden but have spent ages on a computer game, giving myself a rest and a headache. Some of the above jobs are done: I found shoes I like, (that will be points out of the ration book for the Fashion on the Ration challenge), the laundry is on the line and I worked out that the Talking Therapies lady is due to text me but hasn't (still considering whether to contact her).

I decided to check the bank accounts and it's as well I did because the one with my salary is about to go overdrawn! Eek. I've paid for the shoes on the CC which I can pay off on payday, the damage there isn't too bad. I've texted Dh to let him know. It just means food money will have to come out of his pay for a couple of weeks, but so will money for the wedding including a gift, diesel, all the car parking (DH impulsively offered to pay for the rest of the family's parking!) and holiday food. A lot of that will be from a separate account used for holidays, which makes things a bit easier.

I will have to start paying myself from my inheritance to top up the YBS account over the next months because this is my last full pay. It will have the pay increase in, though! It makes sense to do this as the YBS account is a better interest rate than the one with the inheritance money, but I'm maxing out how much I put in it so I can't just transfer it all.

WelshmansDaughter

Re the keyboard- you can reprogram other keys to give you letters you are missing.

I'm not one for fake tan myself but I did see someone the other day who was so white they blinded me. So you may be doing people who are sensitive to glare a favour 🤣🤣🤣

Cherryfudge

WelshmansDaughter said:

Re the keyboard- you can reprogram other keys to give you letters you are missing.

I'm not one for fake tan myself but I did see someone the other day who was so white they blinded me. So you may be doing people who are sensitive to glare a favour 🤣🤣🤣

Oh hello, I've just been talking to you over on your thread and you're here, so I feel rather silly.

I had no idea it's possible to reprogram keys - how clever! At the moment I'm making do with hammering on the 'f' and giving exasperated sighs when the double 'g' reappears. I really like typing 'd' because I vandalised it so effectively that it works like new. The others are just works in progress.

Lol at the fake tan - are you sure that person wasn't me?

DH and I had a quick talk about the money and we're moving some from 'his' account to get rid of the overdraft on 'my' account. His daily expenditure will come from 'his' account for now, or go on his CC, and mine will go on my CC so I can pay it off on payday. Both accounts are in joint names but our salaries go into specific ones and generally particular bills are paid out similarly.

I got into my YBS account again - its been dodgy since they updated the app - but it kept throwing me off for 'inactivity' and now wants all my ID details, which it tells me are on my profile page - which I can't get into because it's locked me out. It's not accepting the fingerprint login that's always worked when anything worked. Have I got the wrong fingerprint or something?

Now I have to remember where their original letter is.

Dinner was a slightly fancy liver and bacon stew, so the red wine is used up. There's enough stew for tomorrow too, the pizza is finished, the last of the celery and spinach are in the freezer for future stew or curry... there are still carrots, lots of yogurt and some other salad leaves and beetroot to finish somehow before we go away.

A few pre-being-away jobs are for once done ahead of time (look what happens when the pressure of keeping up with the rest of the world is eased for a few months!) Plants are fed and watered, DS2's newts are fed, washing is done and so's half the ironing, banks accounts are checked, shoes bought, coffee sachets ditto, list is on the whiteboard, wedding outfit is hanging up ready...

Expenditure:
Clothes £50
Housekeeping £4.90

Cherryfudge

I've been at home all day so I've got a few jobs done including a hair cut for DH. DS2 turned up to collect a suit and some ties so I filled him in on my work. He's just finished 6 nights and is looking forward to a 6 month secondment to teach).

Of course I found a couple of displacement activities: I thought I'd take the travel iron, which I couldn't find but while looking I cleared a shelf which is now not only tidy but being used to display my lovely 'Homestead' Denby that I've collected over a few years. I've also pulled out, cleaned and tidied a set of drawers in the dining room so that's smarter.

We've eaten up a lot of the things that needed to be eaten. There's still a lot of yogurt but I discovered DH intends to take some groceries so I'll pack some of it.

There've been a number of very heavy showers, so I took watering the garden off the list! However, slugs have now finished off two of my four pumpkin plants so the others, which only look big enough to produce a gherkin each, have come indoors while I'm not there to guard them.

Today's expedition into the loft produced a tote bag from DH's former workplace with a fleece blanket, old duvet cover and scarf. No one is laying claim to them so the blanket has gone in the wash and the duvet cover, which was loved but is beyond use, has been added to the dustsheets.

I've added a £15 Amazon voucher to my account but am hesitating over a book I'm interested in, and a potential gift for my brother in law. They will wait till we return but I'm glad I had the voucher to use and knew where to find it! Meanwhile I'm reading the free pages of the book online.

I've transferred a buffer to the account that went overdrawn, and DH has used Paypal (where we found £209 that I didn't know was there) to make a wedding gift. He's also been stressed by having to fill in insurance details and pay a £750 refundable deposit for a classic car experience the family gave him for his birthday. At least the money was there but that's a lot of money just to use a gift! The company has been very hit and miss with communication, for instance the insurance document was only sent ten days before the event, emails went unanswered... it seems to be a husband and wife team and things that he picks up are answered. So are things that go via her - once he knows about it. Sigh.

I know DH also bought us pastries or tomorrow, but that's all the expenditure I know of for today.

On a glittery note, I have managed to polish up the necklace I'm wearing to the wedding. It was a charity shop find: dark metal with pearls and stones. Quite unusual and versatile. Well. I've worn it for a couple of days to get it a bit shiny and some of the chain started to show signs of not really being a dark metal - so after a metal polish and a bath in vinegar and water, I have a gold coloured necklace with seriously glittery 'jewels'. I'll add that to my CV along with ability to vandalise a keyboard.

Floss

You're increasing your skillset 😁 

When are you off to the wedding?