Dusty's Frugal Fortnights

System

Dusty you are a real trooper , hope the family appreciates all your efforts. Enjoy your reading .

beanielou

Also hoping that the family appreciate all your efforts.

dustydigger

Thanks for the comments,beanie lou and cumbria lass.
My mother always said that you make a huge effort before visitors come and then act like a swan,serenely and smoothly gliding on the surface,while frantically paddling unseen in the water. I am more like the ugly duckling than a swan,but I got her point:D
My family tend to think I think about it all too much beforehand,but if it makes things simpler when they are here,I think its sensible to prepare as much as possible. But I DO like plenty of warning,which is why I am freaking out so much.:rotfl:

dustydigger

Finished the shampooing,but have the stair carpet to do by hand. I did have an machine attachment but one of the grandkids broke it,so by hand it is!I'll try to fit that in after dinner before the history group

I've put in a load of towels and tablecloths,they were looking a bit dull after 3 years in the drawer. Of course it is raining so drying them will be a pain:(
Sorting out all the bedding today,but cant find the sheets for the single bed in the various bags.Mr Dusty, put them away and now doesnt know where he put them! Mr Dusty (aka Mr Packrat) has five cases,plus several black bags of stuff and the thought of struggling to get them down from on top of the wardrobes to search through is a nightmare.They are sure to be in the final case,its a law!Or even somewhere in drawers:D I would rather just buy a new pair of sheets,they never come in wrong,but Mr Dusty says thats a waste,so we are going to have the hassle........(sigh)......

beanielou

I would buy the blooming sheet!

dustydigger

beanielou wrote: »

I would buy the blooming sheet!

:rotfl::rotfl:I intend to,tomorrow! I've got a long list of things I want to get,napkins,tissues,pair of pillow cases(missing in action with the sheets!:)) and to check out a few things to get for my step granddaughter. She is a vegan and I always have to sort out a different meal for her. Last time when they stayed a fortnight she ended up doing a lot of cooking for herself,but I intend to be in the kitchen as little as possible,no cooking suppers,so I need some quick and easy alternatives

One night we will all be at a restaurant,another at my daughter's and I intend to get fish and chips for us the first night,but I need to think of something quick that a vegan will eat instead of fish with her chips!
!At least in the past she ate eggs,but apparently now no dairy,meat or fish or eggs.Soy milk,of course.Alpro soya yoghurt.There is a Subway sandwich shop 3 mins walk away,I think I will have to take her up there and let her choose something. I think Mr Dusty's peanut butter sauce will be appearing several times.:D
At least in the past I could give her quiche,or pizza,but now its a big hassle ,I havent a clue about vegan cooking!So the girl will be eating a lot of salads I think! Anyway,I'll look around tomorrow for some ideas.I should have started thinking about this a while ago,but things have been manic.
The other girl eats OK,but will only have Thousand Islands dressing on her salad. And she smothers her food with tomato ketchup at every opportunity.I have to get in extra supplies.:)
DSS,bless his heart will eat anything you put in front of him,but is a salad fanatic,has it at every meal The last night they stayed here the taxi was waiting to take them to the airport at midnight,and he was in the kitchen making a big bag of salad to munch on the journey! I had to advise him to hurry up or he would be left behind.:rotfl:
So lots of avocados,melon,grapes,grapefruit,pineapple, and rocket,tomatoes and cucumber will be on the list. No humble - and inexpensive - bananas,pears or apples in sight!
And to think according to my son the only thing you have to do with visitors is add a few extra potatoes and carrots to the pan!:rotfl:Men dont have a clue.

dustydigger

Scrubbed up the stair carpet by hand - hard work!This afternoon I was too tired,feet too sore to go into the city,so I went locally and got some stuff,including some shin of beef to cook and freeze ready to make a meat pie.I'll use just-roll pastry for the pie,its suitable for vegans and will make a potato,onion and veg pie for the vegan .On the day I make tikka masala I will have obtained a vegetable curry from the Indian takeaway,hope she will eat it!When we are having salmon......I have no idea yet what I'll give her!Thinking cap on!
tomorrow's tasks;
+I will have to go to look for the sheets and pillow cases,doormats,and paper serviettes.I think thats the last of items to buy
+do my Asd@ order for delivery Sunday.where will I put everything?:eek:
+wash crockery,cutlery,glassware,and thoroughly wash the kitchen floor,scraping Mr Dusty's liberal specks of paint off the floor and almost every surface:rotfl:
+ start moving stuff out or into cupboards etc to make way for opening out the table leaves.Will leave the chairs upstairs in the bedrooms till Monday,I only keep one downstairs,for me to sit on watching the birds in the garden.:D
.Dont know where to put the kids toys and my boxes of books. all the gardening stuff is lying round the kitchen floor too,as Mr Dusty thankfully managed to mow the grass today.Could be rain and thunderstorms tomorrow.
+ try to eat up more stuff from the freezer,to make space for containers of cooked food. Its not a very big freezer,it gets stacked up very easily.

Off to make suppernow,and will try to have an early night. Very little sleep last night..
Must try to fit in an hour's reading,I havenet opened a book today.The library had 2 reservations come in for me today,Ernest Cline's Ready Player One,and J D Robb's Dark in Death. There is a waiting list for both of them,so they go to the front of the queue so the next person waiting impatiently can have them. But cant see me getting much reading in the next week!:) Once the vistors are gone I intend to do nothing but read for a week! I already have announced next months TBR of 14 books,these two make 16.In the good old days I read 18-20 books a month,am now reading one or two books a week less

System

Keep going Dusty you are nearly there . Hope you sleep well tonight.

dustydigger

Well,a little of progress today,but didnt do some of my tasks,like washing glassware etc Rearranged the dining nook,,neatly stacking the kids toys in boxes in one corner,packed away the lawnmower and tidied the cupboard under the stairs,moving a pile of our coats to make room for theirs.But my feet were hurting so bad I had to rest most of the morning,to be able to go shopping later.
After dinner went to get the stuff I couldnt find space for in the trolley yesterday - sheets,pillow cases,door mat,paper napkins,etc. I persuaded Mr Dusty to forget about searching for the other sheets,my nerves couldnt have stood it. Every item coming out of a case would be discussed or reminisced about interminably.And the sheet would turn up in the last bag,an hour later:rotfl:
There had been a power surge in the little shopping precinct,and most of the shops were having trouble with their tills. People were furious in Asd@ when told they couldnt pay by card.
At Ald! my card took literally 3 minutes to work. They had people on almost every till - something I've never seen before,they only grudgingly open an extra till if absolutely necessary as a rule.But still there were massive queues everywhere,it seems almost everyone uses a card these days!. Wilko had only one till working!Only Arg*s as working well.:)I wonder how they are doing,there never seems to be anyone there when I go. I seem to remember regularly waiting 10 minutes or more
At the bus stop the bus shelter has disappeared completely. Didnt appreciate standing waiting 25 minutes in the burning sun for a bus (supposedly they run every 10 minutes). A poor old man on sticks was propping himself up against a lamppost,attempting to keep at least his head in the shade.No one has a clue why after decades they have removed the shelter.People are very annoyed.
All in all I was just glad to come home,but am too tired to do anything but make supper,am resting my burning feet. I know I have made tremendous improvements in my mobility the last 3 months,no longer needing a stick,but I've definitely overdone it these last few weeks.Getting up and downstairs is agonizing.
Oh well,of the major cleaning,only the bathroom left to do,and of course I need to tidy,dust ,hoover - and rearrange the bedrooms!(Mr Dusty insists on using the room as a study as long as possible.I will probably be dragging beds around on Monday afternoon!)And clean and stock the fridge.And cook. The shin of beef is simmering now,got to put it out of bounds for Mr Dusty,he wants to eat it now not nextweek! I'll freeze it tomorrow. Have made a curry sauce and peanut butter sauce,which hopefully the vegan can eat,will freeze them tonight.Every little helps to cut down the work next week.A 3 day visit is pathetically short,but we should be grateful that DSS made the effort to still come and see us,he could have just left it till another time when he had to rearrange the whole trip.........
Now I am going to do my Asd@ online shop,to deliver Sunday. Then Mr Dusty's supper, an hour's reading - then bed.
So much to do tomorrow.

lonelyrat

Oh Dusty as ever you seem very, very busy. Am impressed with your energy. I count it a good day at the moment if I manage to do one piece of housework!