Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

So the boiler people were supposed to come at 10 and didn't arrive till half past four (long story of chasing them up and their central off ice chasing them up and no=one  really talking to anyone about a realistic time scale. However, it's all in place and we now have heating!

DH and I took it in turns to be at home waiting. When it was my turn to go out, in the afternoon, it decided to rain but I got some items we'd run out of and some drinks and chocolates to take to my friend's this evening, and DH kindly fetched me in the car so I didn't have the rain and the weight of the shopping.

We went over to A and H's and I stayed to hold new GD and chat to H while DH went home to monitor for the arrival of the boiler engineers. I remembered I had a Christmas sticker book for the older GD, so that's out of our house and into theirs. It was a car boot find and has a lot of stickers which is fine as she loves stickers. The other day she even said goodbye to one she found in a shop on a pair of slippers.

DH got some chicken chasseur out of the freezer and I had fish and chips with my friends and spent the evening playing board games and having a laugh. I've ended up brining home a couple of bottles and some chocolate as we couldn't eat it all.

Expenditure tomorrow: I need some rest soon.

liselle

Do hope you get it clarified on Thursday.Yes those episodes of waking up choking are really scary, aren’t they.And propping the pillows up usually means waking with a stiff neck….there must be a solution somewhere,somehow! 

I have a very restricted diet that suits me, largely, but is a pain when eating out.I’m ok with it but get tired of the constant enquiries as to why.

Cherryfudge

Thanks @liselle, I know a couple of people who are very restricted in what they can eat and I appreciate it must make life tricky. The absolute worst thing for me is poppadoms for some reason. I like them well enough but I'm in discomfort for hours after I have any. People always notice if I refuse them, too, though I'm getting quite good at accepting then offering them to others!

Today I've already had a call from the boiler company to follow up: apparently the engineers have some sort of finishing process to do which they said they'd probably do on Saturday but the woman on the phone sounded shocked and said they needed to complete it before then.

There's nothing that absolutely needs to be done today but tomorrow's busy so I want to get the non-urgents out of the way:

• Most important is the tedious re-write of the job application, where everything has to be deleted and typed in by hand because the format doesn't allow me to update with my current post at the top. (Can you tell this is a bugbear?)
• I need to tidy out the fridge and see what needs to be used up.
• Buy the Secret Santa gift - still no list from the recipient, who's averse to institutionalised gift giving so isn't likely to comply. I might have a wander round a book shop because he likes reading.
• Perhaps get some more of one of my Futurelearn courses out of the way. It's nice to have a quiet house and headspace for it.
• See what other work training I can get done - it all goes on the timesheet, i.e. pay.
• Housework and tidying - there is so much to do. I think I'll take one area and try to improve it.
• Wrap some more gifts.
• At some point pop to the shops for apple juice and anything else I might think we need. The juice gets mixed with brandy to feed the Christmas cake.

Tomorrow I've got a phone call with the GP first thing, my course in the afternoon and the last session of TA work for this term. On Friday I want to get to church for my cleaning jobs earlier than usual as I've said I'll look after DGD1 at lunchtime while her Mum has an appointment. I've also said I'd help out with the children's evening activity at church. I don't think I'll be candle-making this time around!

Cherryfudge

Nearly lunch time and I have a few small things done: hair and make up brushes are washed and drying - a benefit of central heating. Mushroom soup is on the stove cooking for lunch. A few dishes are put away. I've opened a bag I brought down from the loft the other day and found some winter tops - so I no longer have quite enough storage space. I hung them out to air and it started to rain. I'm not too worried as it's a shower and the afternoon is forecast to be dry.

For some reason that little lot made me a bit tired, so after lunch I'll sit at the computer for a while and make myself start on that pesky form.

Floss

How about a book token for your pesky secret Santa gift?

Cherryfudge

That might be a good choice, @Floss - perhaps with some chocolate so he has something to enjoy on the day. Oh, and if I get a token, I'll warn his girlfriend who discovered he had a lot of varied unspent tokens and marched him off to spend them while they could still be used!

I think it's a case of demand avoidance, and I don't say that lightly. The neuro diverse pressures are real.

Talking of which, I need to stop procrastinating!

liselle

I just discovered that Charity Shops now have gift tokens

Cherryfudge

liselle said:

I just discovered that Charity Shops now have gift tokens

I had no idea! I know exactly which board would be interested in that - though it may be they are already aware!

Cherryfudge

Almost my entire list went by the wayside today. I made mushroom soup for lunch and carrot and coriander (with garlic and ginger) for the fridge, in order not to waste ingredients. Sadly, there was some wastage but less than there might have been. The fridge is not cleaned and tidied, but it resembles an urban jungle a little less - though there may still be the occasional unexplored alleyway.

Out of doors was mostly bright but cold and damp, so the washing didn't dry and is now on an airer in a nice warm spare room.

Re-writing the job application hasn't happened at all. I've not even opened the document.

No Futurelearn, work training or Secret Santa.

I went to sweep the room where the boiler was installed and got side tracked. I saw DS2's tank of newts that hadn't been fed and went out to dig up worms for them! The hoover is still in the entrance to the room. I began picking up rubbish left by the engineer and went downstairs for a dustpan and brush and got distracted...

Gifts are still heaped up waiting to be wrapped.

At some point I walked through the garden and saw the gas metre cupboard was hanging open. Looks as though the engineer has taken our key but when I went looking for it, I smelled gas near the meter, so of course who gets called out again but the gas emergency people. Long story short, I had to turn off the stopcock till they'd checked and it seems the pipe from the meter to the house hadn't been tightened properly. He made it safe and checked the boiler. I've spoken to the boiler company again and expressed my concerns about the engineer who came out but it turns out he's sub-contracted and has to finish the job himself. However, they were concerned too, so they will send a separate engineer to check his work afterwards.

DH had a work Christmas dinner and only wanted a sandwich for tea so I dug in the freezer and made myself an unlikely concoction with black pudding, onions, tomatoes and oatcakes. It won't catch on for the very good reason it falls to bits.

I've been quite tired for some reason but stayed awake to go to my church group tonight. Avoiding the shops meant I've not spent anything.

Yesterday's expenditure:
Housekeeping £13.40 + £6.40 (fish and chips with my friends)
Drinks and chocolate for evening group £7.20
Household £120.00 (boiler investigation by original local company last week).

The food bill is a bit of a mess because I ended up bringing the drinks back as we just had teas and coffees, so my share was less than planned but I can save them for new year when I see the same friends again - so I'll leave it as it is.

LadyWithAPlan

On the allergies or intolerancies have you thought about doing the fodmap diet which helps pin point issues.  Its often recommended by nhs dieticians - you can read books about it 

' low FODMAP diet. This involves avoiding foods that are not easily broken down by the gut, such as some types of: fruit and vegetables. milk. wheat products.'

Some mushrooms (re your soup)  are low fodmap, others high so .., the MONASH university app will tell you which is whch.