Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

A tremendously productive day: I realised that if I open up a spreadsheet on the computer and started to interact with it, I could begin to learn abut spreadsheets. So I opened one and - ta da! - there is a basic tutorial.

It's not as easy to understand as the author thinks: you need some mathematical ideas, like brackets, but I dredged something out of the dim and distant past (to the best of my knowledge I've never in sixty years used a bracket in a sum in real life, but this doesn't equate to not needing one, or rather, two). Anyway, it took me a few minutes to get the yellow boxes in the example to do what it said they'd do, but I got there because I realised I must be making typos. I've still not worked out if the word 'SUM' needs to be in capitals, or what the comma is doing, but nevertheless I feel empowered.

The reason I was prodding the spreadsheet monster is that I've not needed to use one at work in fifteen years, and some basic knowledge is going to increase my chances at interview quite a bit, and my chances of passing a probationary period even more.

Other than that, I had a quick tidy round this morning then set off to do the hoovering at church and water the plants. For once I managed not to get into a long conversation with anyone so I got back with 35 minutes to spare before my friend was due. I had lunch, got the shopping put away and wiped down some garden chairs for us (the chairs are definitely deteriorating, as is the BBQ - perhaps the time is coming to let them go?). My friend didn't arrive spot on two, so I actually got a bit more done than I'd expected, then we sat out in the garden putting the world to rights and sorting out a problem with my crochet.

Once she'd gone, I tried to ring up the admin job I had my eye on, but the number wasn't working and for some reason I couldn't get into my work emails to check the contact details. In the end I gave it up for now as the closing date is over a week away and I've found some more information that would help with the application. Then I dozed off on the sofa till DH got home.

Dinner was yesterday's leftovers for me and a ready meal chilli for DH.

There's not much in the jobs bulletins today apart from a cleaning job which would take three hours every evening, meaning I'd have to give up my two evening activities, a kitchen assistant job that's only ten hours a week, and the above-mentioned uncontactable. Actually there are plenty more jobs that look quite interesting and pay a lot more but for some reason seem to require qualifications and experience I don't have. I did discuss with DH that neither he nor my friend seemed to be jumping at the thought of me going back into admin. Both of them look back to my previous admin job (I started looking for something else on day two) but DH put into words that it was some time ago and I have more experience since then. He then looked through the latest jobs and came to the same conclusion as me: there's not a lot else on our employer's website that I could go for. He did find a TA job that I'd considered then couldn't find again, but that wasn't going to happen as it closed this morning.

@Sun_Addict, we can usually only carry five days forward, and I think they have to be taken in two months and only if the manager agrees. I always seem to be behind on my leave as I keep some back for emergencies and in recent years staffing has been so thin on the ground that I've not always been able to take it all within the allotted time. I started looking back through this diary to see what happened last year but I've yet to find a way to search between two dates so it will take ages and was bringing back memories.  

Expenditure:
Housekeeping: £5.16

MS: managed to get tinned apples and pineapples for £1 or less. Met friend for coffee at home not at a coffee shop. Cheap dinner!

badmemory

With the spreadsheet you may not even need to use the word sum as most of them up in the top right corner have the words auto sum.  So highlight the figures you want to add together then go to auto sum.  Then you can copy & paste for all the similar ones you want.  As for caps or not, it shouldn't matter as soon as you press return it should go to the correct format.  It does get easier & most spreadsheets are basically the same.  I do get annoyed when it tells me something is wrong with my formula, whoops typo!

Cherryfudge

Thanks @badmemory, all hints and tips gratefully taken on board!

In fact I bought a book on Office at the car boot sale this morning. It's an old one so it won't be up to date, but neither is my laptop, and I need something I can mark up and thumb through. If I end up needing to do spreadsheets, I might invest in whatever guide is compatible with work machines, but for now I'm just dipping my toe in the water.

Speaking of toes in water, it's too hot to go out this afternoon. I'm wearing a beach-coverup-type dress that I spotted at the car boot sale. It's perfect for the weather today! Who would have thought that, in North Yorkshire in September!

There were lots of lovely bargains but having tried on the wearable finds I've put a few aside for the donation bag, together with a couple of items I already had. Yes, it's a net gain but less of one than it might have been. The other two books are one on teaching literacy with an emphasis on dyslexia, and one on Greek cooking. The wearables that I'm keeping are this dress (Gap), a pink linen top (Boden) and a grey asymmetrical top (Next). £1.70 spent on books and £6 on 6 items of clothing, of which I'm keeping 3. 

I was a bit nervous going to the car boot sale, as it was at another one that I saw the person who attacked me. However, I got round without any problems, which is a step forward (or backwards, depending on whether you are looking at how much I accumulate). DH wasn't keep to go this afternoon as that field gets very hot, so I've let myself off facing that particular situation for now.

Floss

Cherry, I would take the car-boot trip as a positive, you haven't allowed that person to divert you from things you & your DH enjoy. Well done x

WelshmansDaughter

Have you thought about looking on the boards for advice on low cost or free excel courses?

Cherryfudge

I've just been watching Last Night of the Proms with genuine thunder going on in the background. Impressive as ever.

Thank you @Floss and @WelshmansDaughter, I'm glad I made it to the car boot and I've been doing a bit more Excel this evening. I found the guidance on the opening page of Excel is not the only thing out there. It signposts to M!crosoft's own, more detailed, teaching pages. It's  good idea to look on these boards for more, as someone is bund to know!

The donations bag has gone to the shop and I've found a recipe from the Greek cookery book to make tomorrow. Other than that and falling asleep on the sofa, I think the most productive thing I've done is mow the grass.

Spending:
Housekeeping £8.34 plus chips
Books £1.70 (mine) £20 (DH's).
Clothing £6

MS:
Finished up some fish from the freezer instead of chip shop fish. Car boot bargains too.

Cherryfudge

Quite a bit has been fitted into today. I was down as a helper with the pre-schoolers at church, and the person who was down to lead hadn't got the message so she turned up unprepared. We all pulled together though and apart from me forgetting to put aprons on the kids for water play, we got through. We also got a clean floor as an unplanned result of the popularity of the water play.  

We couldn't fit in going to see J in the Great North Run, but I followed her on the app. I got a bit concerned as she didn't seem to be at her usual pace and had the heat and humidity to contend with as well as only having got back form holiday yesterday. She texted later to say she'd felt sick the whole way round, so I hope she's better soon. She's done twice that distance and been fine.

I spent an hour or so gardening and DH helped with the top of the front hedge, which I can't reach. I've soaked and cooked a large batch of chickpeas and turned some of them into a Greek aubergine and chickpea stew, which DH liked and I thought was okay. The whole recipe was supposed to serve four but we still have four portions over! I guess that's Wednesday planned for, and I could freeze some for when we go away.

While I was cooking, the promised thunder decided to arrive and has been grumbling round since. We only had a quick burst of rain but it was fierce. There were waterfalls going past the windows as the gutters couldn't cope, and the street was running like a stream. It had gone in a few minutes.

Nothing spent today apart from donating to J's fundraiser. Now I'd better go and put the rest of the chickpeas in the freezer and see if the casserole has cooled enough for the fridge.

Sun_Addict

In my very distant past I was a Sunday school teacher with a class of mainly under 11 year old boys who had to attend as a rule of being in the Boys Brigade. I was only 15/16 at the time so you can imagine how they ran rings around me 🤣

Cherryfudge

Sun_Addict said:

In my very distant past I was a Sunday school teacher with a class of mainly under 11 year old boys who had to attend as a rule of being in the Boys Brigade. I was only 15/16 at the time so you can imagine how they ran rings around me 🤣

Ha ha, I think that comes under the heading of 'cruel and unusual punishment' - well done for surviving it! Eleven year old boys are much harder work than girls but more rewarding as I had to be on my toes when I taught them,  but I knew at once if what I was doing worked or not. The girls just quietly got on with their activities and I found it harder to tell if they were engaging with it. My success story was using Harry Potter to illustrate a point. Never had a class pay so much attention. On the other hand, there was one day when I hadn't checked the reading and someone had an American children's Bible, in which Hannah gets called 'You drunken bum'. Of course after that I couldn't keep control of the giggling masses.

You'd think I'd have learned but I didn't check the reading for an adult bible class once and we had different translations. Mine wasn't anglicised so a particular place name came across as 'Shittim', which bewildered the person whose modern translation read 'Acacia Grove'. Both are accurate and I can't blame the modern translation for making it er... easier for the English speaker.  

WelshmansDaughter

What do you do with water play? Small One likes water and so far I have not got beyond throwing stones in it