Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

This morning's interview seemed to go okay: I'm not sure I really shone but the interviewers were nice and one of them kept nodding and looking as though I'd said some right things. They asked me what training I thought I might benefit from, which is probably the first time I've been asked that. (I said I'd seen some dyslexia awareness training that interested me and that I would need help to get up to speed with the forms they are using as the system has moved on a long was since I trained to do something similar right at the other end of my career). The only thing that concerns me is that I was asked what I'd done recently in my job that was above and beyond. That could I suppose be to draw out what my strengths are, but does it also indicate a willingness to overstretch employees?

Before the interview, the Union rep had rung me. It was a keep in touch type of call but nice to hear from him. On his advice I've explained not only that I'm currently off sick but that it's specific to that job, not general. I've also heard from my manager and we're a step closer to getting the attendance meeting under way.

We also had a flying visit from J and L, looking extremely smart as they were on the way to a wedding. We are dog-sitting overnight tonight.

In the afternoon, I did a spot of garden watering at church as I can't do it tomorrow, and on the way to the supermarket popped into the pet shop to see if they had any rescue guinea pigs, and they did! I've seen some nice ones, but this one was extra nice. I'd love to have him (it's been planned for a while) but the hutch isn't ready, we have the dog here till tomorrow night and I'm looking after DGD all tomorrow - and they wouldn't let me put a deposit down! So I may not get him. I also had a chat about getting him a companion, which may be a bit tricky as he was up for rehoming because he bullied the owner's other guineas. One assistant suggested another male of similar age and the other, who owns guinea pigs herself, suggested a younger male so it will be clear who's boss. The latter might be the better option, and I'd make sure the smaller ones had a hiding place that the big one couldn't get into, with its own food and water. That's if he/they are still available come Saturday.

So I come into money and spend it straight away! I've transferred the last significant chunk today. I'm no further with finding a better account, and I'm not much further with the job search either. There was nothing absolutely 'me' in the bulletin, though I did point out a job to a friend.

Dinner was sausages. Sometime sausages just hit the spot.

MS stuff: nothing comes to mind. MS failures? None of those, either.

Expenditure:
Housekeeping £12.39

Cherryfudge

And a bit of a hitch: this evening I've developed what I thought was a cold but when my eyes started to itch madly, I took hay fever drops and it cleared up in a few moments. I've now had an anti histamine and I hope that settles it. The thing is, where is the culprit? I've never reacted to guinea pigs or dogs before but allergies can start randomly. I'm now wondering if I ought to try holding a guinea pig again before i go and buy some.

And when I let the dog out onto the lawn just now, there were odd spots of light playing on the clouds. It looks as though light is reflecting off a disco ball, but everything is very still and I can't see a source. The dog isn't bothered and neither were a couple of cats down the road. I wandered as far as the next street trying to work it out, but the only conclusions was that these pretty garden lights that people leave on apparently all night really do make a lot of light pollution. I used to like going to the back garden to look at the Milky Way, but there's just too much light now.

Cherryfudge

It' been quite a busy week and I'm ready for the weekend.

Today was an extra day looking after my granddaughter - just me as DH was working as were both her parents. We had a nice day, though some money has been spent and I called in at the pet shop to explain about the allergic reaction so they won't think I'm some fly-by-night impulsive who never turns up for a guinea pig she said she wanted. Yes, he was still there but it's not realistic to take on an animal that gives me crazy itches.

I also went to Sains and BeeandEm, so money has been spent. The latter had some of my favourite brands at the best prices I've seen for many months, so I have hot chocolate, tuna and cappuccino sachets.

Expenditure:
Clothes (five pairs of socks) £7 (5 coupons for Fashion on the Ration, leaving me with 12.5 till the end of the year).
Housekeeping £13.68

weenancyinAmerica

Cherryfudge - I had a similar problem when I first took in a cat. Turned out I was allergic to fleas not the cat. As long as I keep most of the fleas away, I am okay. It also might be something the guinea pig rolled in or the hay or whatever in the cage. 

Cherryfudge

That's a useful insight, thanks @weenancyinAmerica. The guinea pig I liked most had a thick coat but that seemed clean - though I didn't inspect him for fleas! the bedding was hay and sawdust, just as I've used for years for small animals, but I think they feed pellets which could be different from what I've fed other animals.

Perhaps I need to go back to the shop and ask to hold guinea pigs once or twice! I don't like the idea of deliberately triggering an allergy but it might be worth pushing through.

The other option is a makeup allergy as I had a different mascara on, so I could try that from home.

Sun_Addict

Whenever you apply for jobs where I work they always want you to have overcome setbacks which is a pain if you haven’t. Doesn’t matter how successful the outcome is you need to have had setbacks 😐

I often have random allergic reactions to things. Sometimes I come out in hives when I eat strawberries but 99% of the time I’m fine. I had an extreme allergic reaction to something in Madeira during a meal, lips swelling and a rash. I felt absolutely terrible but despite tests back home I never got to the bottom of what it was. 

Cherryfudge

I've tried that mascara again today with no reaction so I can't blame the symptoms on that.  

I should have said yesterday that an ambulance car was outside a house on our road. We don't know who or what but it may be the wife of the man who died earlier in the year, the rest of the household is younger and more robust.

DH and I sat down and went through our bank accounts this morning, quite an achievement as we are each at our best at opposite ends of the day, DH dreads finances and I struggle to get my head round some financial concepts! However, I'm on half pay now so we need to be grown up about it.

It seems that between us we have enough money coming in but probably need to swap housekeeping costs to DH's pay from September. Not probably - we need to. The other big expense coming from mine at present is Council Tax, so that might need to be moved over, too. Dh has made a spread sheet and discovered that he's paying four times the mobile bill I pay, so that has to change. Broadband is another I'd like to look at, but I'm not sure we can save a lot there.

Well, we spent as usual on fish and chips for lunch and the car boot sale in the afternoon. I bought three unnecessary sweatshirts, one of which will go in the donation bag as I don't like it on me. The others are keepers: an oversized Joe Brown and a rather worn but warm-coloured and snug Joules. I also spent £3 on a pair of white leather flat shoes which needed cleaning but have come up nicely and are so comfortable I'll have to look up the make, and a necklace/bracelet set which is sparkling at me since I gave it a vinegar and water bath. So a good lot for £5. Dh spent more as he went to a Flea Market and found a painting he really likes, so he's bought it for me to give him for  his birthday. He also bought an old book - 170 years old - which he's very pleased with and which only cost him £2.

MS stuff:
Good intentions on finances don't count till we make changes, and neither do bargain buys that we don't actually need, though my thinking is that at those prices it's good going and will spread out the wear on other clothes so is in fact not a bad move: also a cheap afternoon out!
Mushy peas from a tin not the chippy.
A neighbour gave us tomatoes.
I remembered and finished cheese from the fridge.

MS failures:
You could probably argue that car booting and not finding anything on the wish/need list is an MS failure.
Evil slug(s) have attacked our only nearly-ripe tomato!

Expenditure:
Clothes £7 (including jewellery and shoes)
Book £2
Gift £20
Housekeeping fish and chips £7.50 + groceries bought by DH
Diesel £43.

Cherryfudge

Sun_Addict said:

Whenever you apply for jobs where I work they always want you to have overcome setbacks which is a pain if you haven’t. Doesn’t matter how successful the outcome is you need to have had setbacks 😐

That reminds me of the many refresher courses I've done where they ask you what you've learned from the course. Hang on, I knew all this already, this is just to ensure I still remember what you taught me a year ago, and the year before that, for that matter. You taught it thoroughly, I understood and put it into practice so I haven't forgotten. Do you want me to forget or something?

Interesting that you've had allergic reactions. That one in Madeira must have been frightening, but hopefully that's as bad as you'll get. Hope Mr SA is okay this evening.

Cherryfudge

We've had a relaxing day today: Dh got out and about but I've stayed at home and rested my foot as I turned it on a rutted car boot field yesterday and Did Something to the area with arthritis. It's not bad, but I need to look after it and let it get past whatever damage I did.

Sunday dinner was mackerel with couscous, edamame beans and some of the neighbour's gifted tomatoes. Dh really liked it so we might have it again, though I wasn't greatly inspired. One of the tomatoes was absolutely delicious so I've saved seeds to try to grow similar next year. That said, I have lots of seeds I didn't use this year so really all I'm hoping for is to do a bit better next time.

I've neglected the garden this week so there was a massive harvest of blackberries - nearly a kilo and a half if you count the ones I picked from the back lane. I've also hacked back nettles in the lane, which had once again become impassable, and found some plums from the trees that I think were planted out the back by the neighbour who passed away a few months ago. The first of the greengages and damsons have been collected from the grass, as has a lot of thistle-type seed that wanted to take over the lawn. Tomorrow I need to start jam making but I'll need to buy apples to bulk out the blackberries first.

Next door has an adorable new puppy: I managed to chat to his owners while I picked blackberries. Looking forward to seeing him grow up!

MS stuff;
A very MS day, what with a relatively cheap dinner and so much fruit for the picking. Nothing spent and DH has made himself a list including getting a cheaper phone package.

Honeysucklelou2

Love this time of year with blackberry picking and jam making!