Countdown from £28k...

ryanm8655

alt80 said:

Walk sounds good. I had weird anxiety when I moved here tbh think it was half not believing I’d been able to buy the place lol. Possibly something similar just can’t believe you’re there/ made it back to London away from family etc. Probably not a bad thing pubs are closed ha.

Yeah agreed re: pubs ha. Yeah, not really sure what it is, had a chat with mate who was with me when we got mugged (but managed to leg it as was walking slightly ahead of me) and he said he gets similar sometimes. Wondering if it's some hangover of that, feeling more vulnerable with so few people about (was late at night and we were crept up on by a car of guys who must've spied the watch from the car - was summer and was wearing a t-shirt so not exactly subtle). But also could just be COVID and not being used to being out and about and for me out in a big city ha. Sure it'll pass.

Update:

Managed to get a shopping slot with sainsburys, a saver slot but didn't realise if you spent loads then delivery was free anyway. Won't need to go shopping for a while ha. Stocked up on all sorts and got freezer bags to freeze stuff. Sure there is some stuff I've missed but hopefully covered the main things and added some common spices and other ingredients that I've seen in the recipe book. Plus some of the stuff needed for what I used to help cook with family.

Some friends have potentially come down with Covid, makes things seem far more real (fortunately not been seeing them). Mate's gf works in a carehome alongside studying and most of the staff have been wiped out by it. They're feeling mildly unwell and awaiting test results. Quite scary when its closer to home and you hear about the impacts on care sector first hand. Offered to drop them some food over if they need it (can just leave outside the door so no risk).

This week has gone so quickly, can't believe it is friday tomorrow.

Not bought the hoover just yet. Found refurbished models of the John Lewis hoover for £55 on ebay (they say they're returns that have had any fault fixed) but am reluctant to trust ebay on the electricals so thinking just spend the £120. I've paid a chunk off of the credit card early to give me the space for it, so that if I do need to pull the trigger it'll come out of the next credit card bill.

Also looking at getting a mattress topper. The mattress isn't too bad but just want some more comfort. Anyone have experience with memory foam toppers? Is it worth paying the extra for a better one or are they all much of a muchness? John Lewis do one for £110 but have seen a good looking one on Amazon for £90 but then some reviews say it is cheap foam rather than memory foam (but vast majority are 5 stars and has thousands of reviews).

Thanks!

alt80

Mate wouldn’t be surprised if related to the mugging rather than similar BS to mine haha. !!!!!! awful and worrying tbh re mugging. 

Sorry to hear about mate with covid. I’ve had to cancel a couple of jobs recently occupants with covid. Not the same I know.

Good news re food. Got plans for weekend cooking?

Ha not the eBay electricals again. 😆😆😆 leave well alone mate.

Re mattress topper no exp sorry can’t help there.

gymgirl11

Sorry to hear about your friends regarding their potential COVID issues. The care sector seemed to have been hit particularly hard during November/December - personal experience which unfortunately didn’t end well. At the moment, it seems someone now knows of someone else (if it isn’t them) who has contracted it or has come into contact with someone who has had it. 

In terms of electrical stuff and buying from eBay it always makes me a bit nervous so I avoid buying electrical goods second hand. I think a good quality Hoover is worth the investment (not very MSE!), I guess it depends on your view of what is worth spending on and what is worth saving the pennies on. 

Regarding the memory form toppers I have one from John Lewis (it was £110 - so may be the one you are actually talking about). It is one of the best investments in terms of sleep quality and comfort. It does make it difficult to get out of bed in the morning though as it’s so comfy!  

ryanm8655

gymgirl11 said:

Sorry to hear about your friends regarding their potential COVID issues. The care sector seemed to have been hit particularly hard during November/December - personal experience which unfortunately didn’t end well. At the moment, it seems someone now knows of someone else (if it isn’t them) who has contracted it or has come into contact with someone who has had it. 

In terms of electrical stuff and buying from eBay it always makes me a bit nervous so I avoid buying electrical goods second hand. I think a good quality Hoover is worth the investment (not very MSE!), I guess it depends on your view of what is worth spending on and what is worth saving the pennies on. 

Regarding the memory form toppers I have one from John Lewis (it was £110 - so may be the one you are actually talking about). It is one of the best investments in terms of sleep quality and comfort. It does make it difficult to get out of bed in the morning though as it’s so comfy!  

Sorry to hear of your experiences with Covid and carehomes too. Very fortunate that my grandma got moved out of a care home and has a live in carer, only a couple of months before covid kicked off.

Agreed re: hoovers. There is a cheap, crap one in the flat but it’s held together by tape and if the kettle that was left behind is anything to go buy it’s going to blow a fuse It’s tiny as well so can’t imagine it sucks much up. Will give the John Lewis one a bash and if it’s rubbish at least their returns policy is good.

Ahh that’s good to hear! Sounds like it is the same one. It’s apparently on offer so I wonder if it’s been on offer before haha. It’s this one: https://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-partners-specialist-synthetic-memory-foam-5cm-deep-mattress-topper/p3695266?size=king-150-x-200cm

ryanm8655

alt80 said:

Mate wouldn’t be surprised if related to the mugging rather than similar BS to mine haha. !!!!!! awful and worrying tbh re mugging. 

Sorry to hear about mate with covid. I’ve had to cancel a couple of jobs recently occupants with covid. Not the same I know.

Good news re food. Got plans for weekend cooking?

Ha not the eBay electricals again. 😆😆😆 leave well alone mate.

Re mattress topper no exp sorry can’t help there.

Haha! Did think of what you said last time

There’s a nice looking stir fry recipe I have most of the ingredients for that I’m going to batch cook either tomorrow or Saturday (chicken needs using by then). And also have some potatoes that need using so may get a steak and make some wedges out of them. Also have a pizza ready in the fridge in case I get a takeaway craving at any point ha.

gymgirl11

Yeah, John Lewis have a really good return policy so you can't really go wrong if you get one from there.

Yes, that's the one! I thought it was worth the money but the Amazon one may be just as good. 

warby68

Glad you've got over your grocery hump @ryanm8655
The only thing I know about memory foam toppers is that they can be hot.
We have a G Tech cordless - its ok, not spectacular but OK and still going a few years in. Also have their power sweeper in the kitchen and I actually prefer that for a quick whizz round the hard floors. We used to have a Miele upright but it was heavy and hard to steer - was quite glad when husband ran over it when cleaning the car.

ryanm8655

Thanks for the replies all.

The John Lewis topper sold out before I clicked order (one of the annoying things about being hesitant to make purchases now ha). Have gone for a silent night one from amazon, £10 cheaper and reviews look good but can move around on the bed as there are no straps...also apparently the cover is a nightmare to put on...would've rather paid the extra £10 for the John Lewis one in hindsight but didn't see any others I fancied.

Not yet pulled the trigger on the hoover but will have a proper look again later on.

Had a pretty good weekend all things considered, just taking the small positives to keep ploughing on through this lockdown! Friday was very drunken as I did a "virtual pub" with mates. The low point was that when drunk I ended up ordering a takeaway ha. So maybe one a week is a better way to go right now...The most annoying thing was I had got into bed and then ended up ordering in a fit of impulsiveness and drunken hunger ha. But I guess if that was the lowest point of my weekend then life can't be so bad... On the plus side, I didn't drink for the rest of the weekend, despite having alcohol in stock. Went for a long trek with a mate, this time around the city and shoreditch (over tower bridge), which was good. Grabbed a takeaway coffee and croissant at a trendy coffee shop, was really good actually...

My bodyclock is still messed up, think it's watching too much tv/spending too much time on devices late at night. Was shattered after the trek and actually felt ready for bed at 9.30 but then somehow I get a new lease of life once I go to bed as I started watching Vikings on prime. Ended up having to force myself to turn it off at 1.30am and try to force myself to sleep, fell asleep in the end but didn't wake up until 9.30 again. Half tempted to try sleeping with the curtains a bit open to let some light in...I know what I need to do, no devices in bed but it's easier said then done when you're in the grip of watching the siege on paris

Work is busy this week. Lots of meetings as my boss is off so covering two lots. But also a lot of work to do as well. Need to get to grips with this new project I've taken on and get a bit of control over it as apparently it's lacked direction for a while as policy customers don't really know where they want to go with it and are going around in circles. That will be the main challenge I think...and will be tough as there is already (a less senior analyst) on the project who wanted to take it all on themselves so won't want me treading on their toes too much. Hoping it'll just be a case of helping them structure their thoughts/get some strategic direction but letting them get on with the work and give some oversight.

Have been re-evaluating the work in light of recent reading in other diaries. Was thinking I should commit to working long hours for a while to progress but now actually questioning that and the longer term impacts. I want the work ethic but when things are back to normal I don't want to be spending my summer working my butt off when there is little reward for it in the public sector and I can foresee that happening if I'm not careful. Still have goals and ambitions but work isn't everything. I do enjoy the pressure of delivering to tight deadlines, so I didn't mind it then but having to work long hours just to get the day job done because the team lacks resource is less fun, it's also important to push back, particularly when the department heads are refusing to provide the money for recruitment. They should know the implications of the decisions rather than me just picking up the slack in a role I won't be in forever and a department I don't have longterm ambition to stay in.

An investment banker friend (a fair bit older than me) has just retired in his 40s but had to work like a dog for 20 years to do that. I could work like a dog for 20 years, but even as permanent secretary (the absolute top civil service job) I wouldn't earn enough to retire in 20 years So realistically I do need to look after myself work wise and not be doing 12 hour days on the regular...

Thanks!

ryanm8655

Bought the hoover from John Lewis in the end. Realised I'm pretty sure I'm somehow allergic to the bed sheet I bought from Amazon (god knows what the chinese put in their fabrics...but it'll teach me for buying the cheapest...). I'm not usually the allergy type so quite weird but it's the only thing I can think of that could be causing the issue... Hence have ordered new bedding at the same time...another couple of hundred quid spent...those savings are really depleting now ha but not sure what more I will need to buy and hopefully everything is covered now. The hoover situation has become quite desperate to be fair ha.

Now need lockdown to end so that I can sell the car!

dawnybabes

Have you washed the sheet ?  Sometimes they put stuff in the packaging.