Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

Nothing back from the union or my manager today but after a lighter-than-usual cleaning session (not so much going on in church over the summer hols, and enough rain to float a boat so I'm let off watering the plants), and a quick trip to the shops, I came home for my call from the lady with the potential job. I had forgotten that society has moved on and a lot of literacy teaching is now for people who have English as a second language. I'm not trained in ESOL but she still seems to like me. She's going to ask me to interview despite me confessing to no Maths qualifications. (I did offer to do a numeracy test). Depending on how many students she has to provide for, hours will vary but it sounds as though I would get a block of bookings rather than just emergency cover. I'll have to see what the union advises but I feel positive about it.

I did an hour or so of gardening in the afternoon, just weeding and hedging and making small adjustments at pottering rate: so satisfying.

No obvious jobs in today's bulletin, and I've withdrawn an application I started which didn't sit right.

I had a few texts from my sister. They seem to come in bunches and I suspect she has stuff going on. I know their UK time is packed tight and they've had to have stuff fixed at their house, but when I asked about foods they can eat (which can be quite restricted), it was significantly simpler than before. I don't know if she's having new treatment or has a different doctor or has read a different book...

The other thing was a query from her about when I'm sending her part of the inheritance through. I could have done with more notice, as the bank restricts how much can go out at one time. However, I decided to print out all the statements from the Exec Account and put them in a folder, and I've marked the entries where I've put some of my share elsewhere. I've just sent her £5,000, which I remember as the maximum I can do without going to arrange it in person at the bank. I hope it's enough for whatever she wants now, but there's nothing I can do about it if it isn't. She's as bad as I am about making financial decisions, and she's had quite a lot to deal with, but at least it's underway at last.

Dinner was salmon with pasta in sauce - delicious, if expensive. We've done well this week for not spending too much so a treat got included.

I'm tired this evening 

Expenditure:
Housekeeping £7.31

Cherryfudge

Another wet morning, so no car booting today. DH is continuing with the DIY in the hall: he seems to have solved the damp there, but there's a new area in the lounge caused by mortar needing to be replaced on the outside, and a problem with the outside wall of the dining room which is damp lower down. I think this will be dodgy mortar again and I need to clear away all the things that are trying to grow over it. I've been busy with elsewhere in the garden but I'm putting that one off! Even when the outside is repointed, I think we will need to dry-line indoors as there are probably hygroscopic salts in the wall. The structure is an old style and not really fit for purpose, but we have no plans to rebuild!

I have a few small purchases to make. The gifts ordered for my brother in law and niece have both arrived, phew. It's hard to know what to buy for my brother in law - he's a lovely person who looks pleased whatever I hand to him, and it would be nice to feel I was enhancing his life but apart from chocolate, I'm a bit stuck. His main present is going to be a fan that sits on a log burner, of which there's one in their house. The heat drives the fan and the fan drives the heat round the house, so it's supposed to be more fuel efficient. We had a play with one in a holiday cottage, which gave me the idea: it's quite satisfying watching it get up to speed. I'm hoping it appeals to the engineer in him. My niece gets books that her Mum tells me she doesn't already have.

My sister texted this morning and explained why it would help her to have as much of her money as soon as possible. It's to do with being non-dom, as that restricts the options open to her. She can use an account that pays 5% per month, but has to put all the deposit in, in one go. DH remembered the bank had shown him how to change the maximum amount we are able to put through in one go, so that's my job for today. It would be amazing if I could get all the money sorted out at last.

WelshmansDaughter

It is surprisingly complicated to do money in more than one country. 

Cherryfudge

WelshmansDaughter said:

It is surprisingly complicated to do money in more than one country. 

It seems to limit her options a lot, plus during the pandemic she couldn't get access to her UK banking.

Cherryfudge

The weather cleared up for a bit so I did washing and gardening: of course the washing has had to come in again and the gardening has stopped though I think I must have done about an hour and half's worth. That corner near the dining room is a disgrace and progress is slow. I feel slightly unprincipled uprooting raspberries that have come up where there should be gravel, but they really have no sense of personal space. However, I have a litre jug nearly full of blackberries and there are more to come, a very MS aspect of life here.

Talking of MS, I was reading some of my early posts and saw I used to list MS things done each day. I think that could be quite useful so I might restart. It's really not all about what's spent, after all. Life outside this diary is much more than cashflow, I just use this to try to have some sort of control.

I'm tired again, so I'm going to have a rest then relaunch. No point trying to garden just yet. I'm not sure where the tiredness came from, apart from getting past my early tiredness yesterday and staying up late. I suppose that will have some effect: did I really live like this for most of my life?

Now I think I'm going to have to put the dryer on as the house will get damp otherwise. At least once the dryer's run, it doesn't smell manky, which it does otherwise despite leaving the door open as much as possible.

Cherryfudge

I'm not sure what happened to the afternoon - I slept through it! DH came back from his walk and texted me to ask if I wanted a lift, not knowing I was out for the count. As a result, I've spent nothing today, though DH has bought food.

We finished up some fish from the freezer with our chips and DH says the local Sains has taken their cheap line of fruit off the shelves, so he couldn't buy his daily tin of fruit for less than a pound. I've noticed our local L!dl now has 34p tins of peaches, whereas they used to be hopeless for cheap fruit, and the cheap peaches in tins from T3sco seem to be more liquid and less fruit now.  

And while I'm on the subject of finances: I noticed the other day there were gaps in the shelves at W!lkos, which I assumed meant they were waiting for a delivery but it seems they may be on the way out. That's a shame, especially for the people who work there. Perhaps a buyer will be found.

I've not yet braved a final sort-out of the Exec Account, though I have checked my pay (the increase has gone in and I'm still on full pay till 18th of this month), and I've paid off the credit card so that should hopefully avoid any charges. Other than that I have wrapped two thirds of the gifts ready for Monday and decided I should seriously consider stopping getting 'stocking filler' type things, which imbalance the gift bags and cost money. I do love watching people open gifts, though. I did okay for this batch as I was able to get some nice things at bargain prices that work with my sister's interests, but then I'm stuck trying to even things out for her husband.

MS things:
no car boot sale buys due to rain
No gift and food buys (yet) due to sleep
home grown blackberries
Fish from the freezer not the chippy
Avoided credit card charges
Brown paper for gift wrapping

Not-so-MS
Ran the tumble dryer for half an hour

Expenditure:
None from me
Chip shop chips and grocery shopping from DH.

Cherryfudge

I woke up to sunshine! It's been more nice than wet today, but a bit of each. Church was online, lunch was corned beef hash. I pulled together some energy for a mooch round the shops in the afternoon but remained uninspired so I got a bottle of wine for my friend's tombola and variations on chocolate for my brother in law.

I've sorted out a menu for tomorrow, taking into account various dietary needs, and written it on the whiteboard so DH can shop. I couldn't carry all that as well as the things we needed for today!

Good news, DH is right that I could increase the amount I can take out of the bank each day, so I've set up the adjustment and transferred more from the Executors' account to my sister. I think something must have gone out in terms of a direct debit today as it wouldn't let me do the intended amount but it's a respectable start to her getting her share of what she's inherited. Now I have to remember to keep doing it over the next few days so I don't owe her. I also found and printed a very incomplete spreadsheet I made of expenditure against the estate. Everything except cash spends (which are minimal) will be on the bank statements, but I discovered I'm owed not only the odd train fare (which I knew about) but also for oddments like paint and plants that I used to keep up appearances while I was clearing the house. I'll try to chip away at these costs but I might have to end up keeping a bit of money undistributed till I can be sure I've got it as sorted as I can.

Other than that, DH and I had a blitz of cleaning and tidying. It isn't perfect but it's better. I don't think my sister and family will be too bothered either way, but I will! DH kindly tackled some branches I can't reach and I mowed the grass. There are slight signs of us winning against the tide.  

MS things today:
Main meal from stores and half the corned beef into the freezer for another day
More blackberries picked

Expenditure
Donation £6.50
Gifts £7
Housekeeping £4.85

Cherryfudge

Am about to fall asleep: we've had a good day with my sister and her family. DH kindly did most of the shopping in the morning and I tidied up a toppled stack of plant pots in the garden before they arrived. We had our late Christmas/birthday gift exchange and a midday dinner to facilitate them leaving at a reasonable time to drive home. (Roast chicken followed by Eton Mess).

In the afternoon we had a walk, then H and little N came to visit, followed after work by A. We took a picture of A and his cousin together but didn't ask them to re-stage the original when he was the age she is now, holding her as a baby. It was one of those photos that for some reason everyone remembered.

My sister brought me an old photo frame she'd found when clearing: behind the front picture were three of my baby photos. One I already had, another is quite angelic-looking but the third is the 'Churchill face' which I can see will amuse some of my children.

I had a late text through to say my prescription is ready so I collected it and somehow bought oranges, pastries and a quiche as well.

I've put the second payment through to my sister and this time it let me pay the full amount.

Expenditure
Housekeeping £23.26

MS stuff
Some chicken and fruit left over
Discounted end of day pastries from L!dl
Used some of our blackberries in the dessert
Am about to pull all the bits off the chicken so we can have another meal from it

Not so MS stuff
In the past 2 days a sheet tore then some socks got a hole
DH bought generously when he got the berries

Cherryfudge

Last night was a bit weird: I woke up after a bad dream so I missed a chunk of sleep then didn't wake up till 10.30! As I was supposed to be meeting DH and DGD at 11, some hurried texting happened. They came to the house as I finished my breakfast and I had the rest of the day looking after DGD with help much of the time from DH. He got called out to some voluntary work which took up half the afternoon but when he got back we took DGD to the garden centre. I let her look at seed packets and to my surprise she spent a while solemnly examining them and it took a lot of distracting to get them back on the display!

I haven't spent anything today but I think DH bought bread. He also joined DGD up to the library so she showed my 'Ai bubby' (my books). Her speech is coming on rapidly: I feel I am on the cusp of not understanding her after so long of having a good rapport!

I now have an phone appointment with Occupational Health on Friday and a job interview next Thursday. I've emailed the union again to keep him in the picture and see if he's recovered from all the stuff I wrote out last week.

Right, time to transfer some more money for my sister, then I'd better get to sleep.

Cherryfudge

At last, a day with nothing programmed in.

I need structure so here are my ideas of what needs to be done:

• check emails for anything I need to know about (official ones can disappear quite easily and, f sent from a private email, may not show up in searches).
• Check the fruit bowl: something smells suspect!
• go to the market in case there are good food bargains (note to self, do not buy junk!)
• Clean the fridge
• do laundry
• find the printout about eye care clinics (dry eyes persist)
• work out why my crochet is going awry
• Transfer more to my sister (for some reason it wouldn't let me do the agreed amount last night)
• Contact YBS to sort out my login (First find paperwork)
• ironing
• Any more blackberries?

Ready, set, go!