The Final Furlong

Dottles1

I've been back at work and very busy. It's not so much the teaching but the admin stuff that takes up so much time. We've been given a deadline for Friday to complete which means I will have to spend a few hours doing work in my own time to meet it. On top of that I am working Sat & Sun as well. Keeping my eye on the prize here - with that I mean retirement.
Tilly has not been great, the pain relief she has been prescribed has upset her tummy and I came in last night to liquid deposits all over the living room carpet...it's cream!! So it was coat off and bucket of water & scrubbing brush then went to get changed and found that she had walked through it and been on my bed. Bed stripped, wash put on and floor mopped and then I made some soup and settled down to catch up on some tv and promptly fell asleep. Poor Tilly never has "accidents" in the house and it's not her fault. She has not eaten yesterday and has shivered all night but seems a bit better this morning, hopefully she is over the worst now. We have a follow up appointment at the vet first thing on Friday.
There's not been any interest on FB items so far but will keep pressing on but I've heard back from my accountant who informs me that I'm due a tax refund of £190 !! As her fee is already budgeted for that means I can use what is left in the business account plus the refund to go towards the remaining vet fee and the C/C and start building that pot back up after Christmas. I always over budget for tax as it's an unknown figure and I don't want to get caught out so that means I sometimes get a nice little bonus at this time of year.
Thank heaven for accountants (I bet that doesn't get said often) she is worth every penny of her invoice.
On another positive note, Tuesday was another NSD making it 2 out of a planned 12 so far this month.
Well I'd better get up and get this day started. Fingers crossed there's no pooh gate today.

Have a fab day all
Dottles x

doingitanyway

So sorry to hear Tilly has been struggling. The poo sounds awful too.
You are doing great with all the financial juggling.
Hope you both feel more settled today x

beanielou

Poor Tilly & poor you.

Dottles1

Thanks for the kind words, Tilly has been so poorly and I've been worried about her as she hasn't eaten since first thing Tuesday morning and has hardly come out of the bedroom. We went back to the vet's this morning, she still has poo problems and a temperature but seems a bit more alert this morning. She was given another pain relief in injection form and some sort of paste to help with the poo. I have to ring them first thing tomorrow to update them on her progress but hopefully she has turned a corner and will be her old cheeky self soon.
That incurred another vet bill of £35 but I don't care, I can sort that out later.
Another email came from my accountant to say they have received further information and have recalculated my return and the refund is now only going to be £54.80 but it's still money in my pocket. Back to juggling the books but all will be well.
Yesterday was another NSD so that's 3/12 so far this month, I'm happy with that.
I made lentil soup from the Hairy Bikers vegetarian diet book the other evening and have a bowlful for lunch. It is really simple and delicious, I'd highly recommend it. I made it in my multi cooker in pressure cooker mode which made it quick too (perfect for after work and poo fighting). There is another portion in the fridge which I think I'll have after work tomorrow.
The grocery shop is working well and it's so good having everything in for the meals I plan to make. When I'm meal planning I tend to list around 14 meals I can make over a period of 2 weeks rather than plan each day. I can then change things around as I fancy but usually choose the evening's meal from the list each morning. This works well for me.
It's been raining for the last few days but the sun is beginning to poke through, still cold though so I am working my way through a list of odd jobs in the house today. I'm about half way through so going to get back to it.
I hope today is a pleasant one, whatever you are doing.
Dottles x

beanielou

Hope Tilly is on the mend soon.

clearmydebts

How is Tilly doing this evening?

Dottles1

Tilly was still not well this morning and we've been having some small accidents worryingly with blood in but that could just be that she is really sore. I was up 4 times in the night to let her out, she really is trying to make it outside. I rang the vet as requested to update and they wanted me to ring back again before they closed at 1 o'clock. I made a decision not to go into work which was hard as it will mean more work for my colleagues but I really needed to monitor Tilly and to try to get a little food and some fluids into her. About half an hour ago she showed a little interest in some food and came out of the bedroom for a short while, all signs that she is picking up a last I hope. I have the number for the emergency vet but hoping that she will be ok and I'll check in with them again on Monday.
Thanks for your concern Beanie and Clearmydebts, I couldn't bear to lose her. It's funny how they get under your skin and into your heart isn't it.
I woke up to a crisp, frosty morning today, a nice change from the rain we've been having lately. The garden is quite soggy but not nearly as bad as some areas of the country. Amazingly there are still flowers bravely putting on a show, it's lovely to still have some colour this late in the year. I don't expect they will last for much longer though.
There has been some interest in the items I put on FB but nothing concrete as yet, fingers crossed though as every little helps.

I have loads of jobs that I could do but I'm going to try to have a nap this afternoon after my disrupted night and might put a film on as that usually helps me to nod off.

speak soon all
Dottles x

Dottles1

I went to work yesterday and my son looked after Tilly then woke up this morning to see her much more like her usual self. It's been a horrible week but she's now eating again and definitely perkier, we might venture out for a stroll round the block shortly if she's up to it. So happy here.
It's been a busy day, I had a business meeting this morning regarding private work followed by a hospital appointment to check on the eye that was operated on last year. All good but the consultant has confirmed that it will probably be another 6 months before I get the other one done. It's a pain but at least I can forget about it until I get back from America.
I've had another NSD today, yesterday would have been but I forgot to get a receipt for lunch so won't be able to claim it back (grrr). On a good note other tutors were very impressed with my students understanding of the subject which made me quite proud of them.
I need to make a list of outstanding jobs so that I can get organised as marking time is upon me again. I'm also going to do some cooking for the week ahead, a lesson plan for tomorrow then have a bath and an early night after a bit of tv.
I hop you all have a pleasant evening
Dottles x

Dottles1

Hi all, I now it's late but fell asleep on the sofa again, I must stop doing that. It's been a good day at work today, I got a lot done and had some very satisfying discussions with students. There is a lot of marking coming up but I feel ok with it at the moment.
I am going to Durham to the Lumiere on Friday evening with a friend, something I have wanted to go to for a few years now but always seem to miss the dates. We plan to go early and get a bite to eat while we are there, I'm really looking forward to it as I haven't been to Durham for a couple of years but love the city and the cathedral.
Yesterday I received a surprise cheque in the post - £300 !! It is a gift from an old friend of mine who heard about my trip to spend Christmas with my granddaughter and wanted to contribute. I'm not sure how I feel, it's a lovely gesture which I really appreciate and I know that she can afford it and that she would be hurt if I refused..... but I'm not sure. Maybe I need to sit with it while I work out what is going on for me here.
Today has been another NSD, making it 5 out of the 12 I planned for November. Tomorrow won't be as I have a couple of planned Christmas purchases to make. Also my £100 M&S card for opening the new bank account arrived yesterday so I can at last buy some new socks and underwear, yippee, and I've seen a brow set in there that my daughter would love for her birthday along with a book I've already bought for her. I only have one further birthday left for this year and I think that will be cash so I might get a card sorted this weekend and put the cash in it then I can just concentrate on Christmas buying.
I am very pleased to report that Tilly is getting better daily and is almost back to her old self and barking at anything that moves within the vicinity of the house.
I'm off to bed now
goodnight all
Dottles x

beanielou

Good news on Tilly.
How lovely of your friend to send the gift.
Accept in the spirt it was given.