Travelling On

Karmacat

Right, here we go with the February List.  Mostly it's about finishing projects that are already started, but there's one whole new area that I have to pay more attention to: fitness and presentation. My skin is absolutely vile, especially since the start of Lockdown 3. Fitness means I need to walk, walk fast, as well as work hard in the garden. That helps me sleep better, so it's a win win. As long as I don't overdo things, which crashes me into \\\\\\\\\\\\\\a fatigue attack. So here's the list:

1. Carry on buying premium bonds – I have another 3 sets to go, till I get to £10k, which will do for \now.

2. See to Coventry Building Soc registration.

3. The French accounts: I need to check about invoices that show VAT. This might take ten \minutes, or ten hours, I genuinely have no idea.

4. Submit the French accounts: try to do this via the French accountant's website, which I've never done before, but could be very useful.

5. Open an ISA for this tax year. Try to use a provider I'm already with, it will condense matters, but don't suffer for it.

6. Get sewing machine onto the kitchen table, at least see if the motor works, dust and clean.

7. Face masks and straps are cut out: work on ironing and making them. With the sewing machine.

8. I bought a radio a while ago, a compact little digital thing. Not tuned it/ used it yet. Do that, because my brain will want something to occupy itself while I'm in the kitchen.

9. Garden tasks will have to be numbered separately. First one is to get all the paving stones/ concrete posts under the new fence, to prevent soil accumulating and rotting.

10. Lay out the timber for the raised beds. The final making/ layer doesn't matter too much at the moment, but I should know where they are so I stop walking on them. That will let me lay down bark chippings on the paths as well.

11. There are still areas where I haven't dug: prime is underneath the mahonia, which tilts at around 45 degrees nowadays, which happened when the hedge from next door got so overgrown it just grew differently. I think I'm going to have to cut the lower branches from the mahonia, I literally can't reach underneath it, and then do the weed-root digging.

12. February is the first month when seeds on my new planting schedule must be planted. Those are Black Magic Kale and Echinacea. Seven more for “Spring”, but those two will do for now.

13. Regular, fast-paced long walks. Brother and sister are both taking exercise specifically aimed at aerobic fitness, and even before Lockdown 3 I was already having to stop when walking up hills with my sister. That can't be allowed to continue. So, three a week. I'm not going to do these in heavy rain, so … dance, I think, using a dvd.

14. I can do the non-aerobic exercise every day: balancing on one leg is the best I've found.

15. Facial care: using my Liz Earle products that were gifted to me, over a year ago now. Oops.

16. Vitamins and supplements: vits B D and K, plus ashwagandha.

17. This is ridiculous. A few days ago, I lost one of the handsets belonging to my landline phone. I still have one (though sometimes one of them doesn't work). I don't know where this handset is. I've looked, and currently I'm not prepared to look any more. Have I left it in the garden? A desk drawer? Honestly, it could be in so many places, I just can't tell, but I will be on the lookout for it.

18. Lose half a stone. I really like the 5:2 thing of Michael Mosley, that Ed and SL are kind of working on. I'm doubtful about managing it when I've got all this physical work planned, though the high protein levels will work in my favour. I really want to do this, but it's the last of the main list for a reason, let's be honest.

Four of those are high physical intensity. There's loads more I'd really like to get done **now** specifically:

- Repair the lightpull in the bathroom (the little plastic bit that hides where the string attaches to the ceiling fitment broke). This would take 5 minutes, but the brain power may be beyond me.

- Use up a pot of brilliant white paint on the unpainted plaster around the house: the living room, bedroom and office are all prime candidates, though there's a lot around the house, to be honest.

- Carry on clearing the slate from underneath the kitchen window, and put down what hardcore I already have. Go skip diving for more

And three of these extra ones are also high physical intensity. I won't get them done in February, I know that. But those first 18, I might get those done.  That's a wrap. The Official February List.

Karmacat

Two extras, to take the total up to 20:
19.  carry on trying to save a leather belt from Next I bought when I was about 30, and it was a very chichi thing to do.  I accidentally put it through the washing machine at 60 degrees  
20.  carry on with repairing the mortar underneath the damp course.  I think I have an answer to a lot of things recently:  the builders back then *didn't* ignore it, not completely, and I know where the rats are sometimes getting into my attic.  I don't think it's from next door, I think it's from the rats scratching at failing mortar and climbing up inside the cavity wall - bees and damp have got through the cavity wall, why not rats?  It also explains the scratching I hear from exactly that area - it's not often, but it's definitely there.  I'm hoping the increased presence of foxes (I hear them 40% of evenings) will mean that they're eating rats.  We'll see.

So, 20 items for February. Ha!

Karmacat

Good grief.  So, trying to complete No 2, the Coventry BS registration.  I need my phone.  One handset is missing, the other is dying, and they don't have my mobile number.  Life is not particularly easy    I'll wait 10 minutes to see if the remaining handset has charged enough to take the call.

earthgirl2

Wow Karma, thats a loooooong list! And quite physical, just take care.
I love zumba for my dance workouts, and I do a little bit every day. I was just thinking this morning, as we are getting to spring, I could set myself the challange of doing 'something' physical on top of the zumba that is useful and also helping with the fitness - thinking about the garden jobs - it's sure to help with our fitness.

rtandon27

KC - just did a little dance of joy when I realized there is no council tax this month! (or next for that matter!) - that will help stretch the pennies a little further!

beanielou

Blimey, that's some list!!

Karmacat

I know, the list is a bit mad in length, isn't it.  And the paving stones - I can carry one through each day, plus doing weeding or whatever, I couldn't do the remaining 3 in one day.   Actually, only *five* are very physical, and the mahonia and the mortar won't take as long as you might think:
- the paving stones;
- the raised bed layout;
- rescuing the area under the mahonia;
- clearing the slate underneath the kitchen window;
- renewing the mortar underneath the damp course, where the rats have chewed at it.

I can cross one item off: I found the phone handset  in the cupboard by the back door    if a handset had been charged, I could have finished another too, the Coventry BS one.   Such is life.  

I've numbered them wrongly, unsurprisingly: there are 23.  I doubt I'll manage to do them all, but I'll do what I can, in accord with my priorities  

rtandon27

Karmacat said:

...I've numbered them wrongly, unsurprisingly: there are 23.  I doubt I'll manage to do them all, but I'll do what I can, in accord with my priorities  

Not to bad of a list KC - averages out to about one per day, not including Sundays (not that some of those are completable in one day I realize!)

Karmacat

Exactly, RT - and it's in amongst the normal carp of a lockdown life - cleaning shopping, more frequent cleaning of the bed etc (ooh, had a shower and washed my hair today: *must* change the sheet and the pillows).  Ah well, I've used my Liz Earle product with muslin on my face, and I've taken my vitamins and supplement - that's fine for a first day.

Viking_mfw

I am reminded that I once found my mobile phone in the fridge door. Goodness knows what I'd been doing to put it there...