Finally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally

HairyHandofDartmoor

Management at work have just said the 5 day rule doesn't apply to me, so I can't go to work until Tuesday and I'll lose another day's pay 😔.

EssexHebridean

No - the 5 day rule doesn’t start until Monday, unfortunately for you. At least if you get negative LFT’s Sunday and Monday you’ll be able to use Monday getting the house straight though which might be better than trying to fit that in with a regular working week? 

Cherryfudge

HairyHandofDartmoor said:

Management at work have just said the 5 day rule doesn't apply to me, so I can't go to work until Tuesday and I'll lose another day's pay 😔.

Oh that's not what we wanted. I can't remember if this job is full time but if not, you may be able to pick up extra hours later if someone else is off.

Fidelia

I think getting out into the garden would do you the world of good, Hairy.  I'm sure you could organise it to ensure everyone else's safety.  You said earlier that you went to the test centre for your PCR test so unless you walked there you had to travel in the car with DH.  You already suspected you were positive at that time (because of a LFT) so you obviously followed all safety recommendations to the letter when being in a confined space with him.  It paid off too as he didn't catch it. Getting from your bedroom to the garden shouldn't be a problem as you've already said you have to use the family bathroom (with stringent precautions that we all know you'll take)..

HairyHandofDartmoor

EssexHebridean said:

No - the 5 day rule doesn’t start until Monday, unfortunately for you. At least if you get negative LFT’s Sunday and Monday you’ll be able to use Monday getting the house straight though which might be better than trying to fit that in with a regular working week? 

Bad timing for me but never mind. Fingers crossed I test negative on Sunday and Monday.

Cherryfudge said:

HairyHandofDartmoor said:

Management at work have just said the 5 day rule doesn't apply to me, so I can't go to work until Tuesday and I'll lose another day's pay 😔.

Oh that's not what we wanted. I can't remember if this job is full time but if not, you may be able to pick up extra hours later if someone else is off.

It is unfortunate timing. My job is 30 hours a week so there are chances of overtime if someone is off sick as the preschool is open quite long hours.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Fidelia said:

I think getting out into the garden would do you the world of good, Hairy.  I'm sure you could organise it to ensure everyone else's safety.  You said earlier that you went to the test centre for your PCR test so unless you walked there you had to travel in the car with DH.  You already suspected you were positive at that time (because of a LFT) so you obviously followed all safety recommendations to the letter when being in a confined space with him.  It paid off too as he didn't catch it. Getting from your bedroom to the garden shouldn't be a problem as you've already said you have to use the family bathroom (with stringent precautions that we all know you'll take)..

Thanks Fidelia. I sat in the back of the car when we went to get the PCR test and we both wore masks and had all the windows open.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Well I took everyone's advice and had coffee in the garden at lunchtime ☕. It was such a sunny day that I couldn't bear to be indoors for a fourth day in a row. It was very pleasant and good for my mood 😃. I had to sit on a plastic bag as the bench and ground are very wet despite days of sunshine. I noticed white heather, red hellebore, some nemesia from the summer and a single red camellia were all flowering, as well as snowdrops, crocus, bluebell and daffodil shoots 🌸🌹🌻🥀🌼🌱🌿🌾. I told everyone to stay away from the hall/kitchen and DS2 opened the back door and the kitchen window for me. I wore a mask through the house and wiped everything I touched.

This morning I wrote half of my college assignment and I'm planning on finishing it tomorrow morning. It was so dull and  tedious a topic that I coudn't face doing it all in one day. I'm very pleased to be half way though though 😇.

I've also tidied my bedroom a bit 😇. There's more to be done in that line, but I hate the task and I can see some improvement already.

This afternoon I'm going to read/post on here and read my book. I read The Midnight Library yesterday. It was a self isolation gift from my lovely sister and was very thought provoking.

This self isolation makes me realise how precious freedom is. Even just the freedom to move around your own house and make yourself a cup of tea, let alone the freedom to be in the same room as your loved ones. The freedom to go work and earn money is being denied me at the moment. So when I get my freedom back I shall treasure it even more. I know I'm lucky not to feel ill, but feeling well makes my imprisonment feel all the more bizarre. Without science I wouldn't have known I was infectious and would be at work earning money, but possibly infecting others. I wonder how many asymptomatic people like me never find out they have got Covid.

I hope everyone else is having a day of freedom 😊.

elizabethhull

HairyHandofDartmoor said:

Well I took everyone's advice and had coffee in the garden at lunchtime ☕.

This morning I wrote half of my college assignment and I'm planning on finishing it tomorrow morning. 
I've also tidied my bedroom a bit 😇. 

This self isolation makes me realise how precious freedom is. Even just the freedom to move around your own house and make yourself a cup of tea, let alone the freedom to be in the same room as your loved ones.

Well did you do all BB's suggestions ?

i.e. in the garden you could:
 Do some stretches
 Enjoy a coffee in the (any) sunshine
 Enjoy watching the wildlife 
 Get some free vitamin D
 Enjoy the novelty of a change of scene

Glad to hear you went outside, (everything is somehow different in fresh air), and you obviously 'improved the shining hour' by getting on well with your assignment.

Personal freedom we take for granted in the Western world.
The 2 things I tell my girls to be grateful for in life: living in a Western democracy where their freedoms and choices are respected, and access to clean water.

When I was isolating from DH in 2020, I had upstairs to myself, and even that seemed claustrophobic and dull.
Not long now, and you're using your time profitably too.

By the way, we also have the bedroom window open all year round !

HairyHandofDartmoor

Thanks Elizabeth 😊. Being trapped in one room is grim and I'm only on day four! But I'm planning on having coffee in the garden every day from now on (unless it's raining) because I really enjoyed the change of scene.

How long did you have to isolate for back in 2020? I bet it was 14 days not 7 days 😳. 

I've walked up and down the attic stairs six times, and now my legs are hurting but I'm still bored and restless 🤦‍♀️.

elizabethhull

HairyHandofDartmoor said:

Thanks Elizabeth 😊. Being trapped in one room is grim and I'm only on day four! But I'm planning on having coffee in the garden every day from now on (unless it's raining) because I really enjoyed the change of scene.

How long did you have to isolate for back in 2020? I bet it was 14 days not 7 days 😳. 

I've walked up and down the attic stairs six times, and now my legs are hurting but I'm still bored and restless 🤦‍♀️.

Yes. it was a very long 14 days ! I was glad I had my tablet, as tv, dvd player etc are all downstairs. I'm not surprised you feel restless with nowhere to go. Do you have exercises you can do ? I have a routine whilst brushing my teeth, as it's 4 quadrants of the mouth and 2 mins brushing, so 4 different leg exercises for each set of 30 secs.