Seasidegal's Scrimpy Retirement Diary!

Seasidegal58

Thanks @milann @beanielou @Onebrokelady and @dawnybabes 😃

@milann - I'm a sucker for Christmas cushions - and non-Christmas cushions as well if I'm honest!  The Christmas cushions are stored in various suitcases under my bed but I think I'm going to have to lose one to the charity shop now that I've bought this latest version!

@dawnybabes - love it that you're still imbibing last Christmas's Bailey's!  The hot chocolate is a good idea - I've seen a few Bailey's cheesecake recipes out there as well that look yummy!

Talking of Bailey's, I've wrapped up all the presents I currently have - DD's OH's chocolate should arrive tomorrow and I can wrap that - that will be him finished apart from an Amazon voucher which I will email to him to arrive on Christmas Day. All his and DD's presents I'll take up to them in Scotland when I go for New Year. 

I've also ordered a little gift for DSis - she has a number of good handbags so I have ordered a handbag hook from Etsy. It's a disc with a little clamp thing that you fix on the edge of a table and then hang your handbag from the attached hook. It saves putting your handbag on the floor of a restaurant and getting it grubby or kicked about. The disc is personalised with a little map of her all-time favourite holiday place. I got 20% off as it was in the sale. 👍

I watched Remembrance Sunday on the TV this morning then met my friend for brunch. It was very grey weather wise but still mild so we sat outside the cafe and looked over the estuary.  It will probably be one of the last times we will sit outside now that winter is drawing in. 

Tonight I'm watching the Strictly results and then Escape to the Chateau. I wasn't enthusiastic over AJ's pasodoble last night. After her fantastic tango the other week I was looking forward to seeing her paso but was disappointed in the whole routine plus I thought the music didn't gel with the dance. I hope she manages to pull through tonight. 🤞

Sunshine_girl2

Seasidegal58 said:

Thanks @milann @beanielou @Onebrokelady and @dawnybabes 😃

@milann - I'm a sucker for Christmas cushions - and non-Christmas cushions as well if I'm honest!  The Christmas cushions are stored in various suitcases under my bed but I think I'm going to have to lose one to the charity shop now that I've bought this latest version!

@dawnybabes - love it that you're still imbibing last Christmas's Bailey's!  The hot chocolate is a good idea - I've seen a few Bailey's cheesecake recipes out there as well that look yummy!

Talking of Bailey's, I've wrapped up all the presents I currently have - DD's OH's chocolate should arrive tomorrow and I can wrap that - that will be him finished apart from an Amazon voucher which I will email to him to arrive on Christmas Day. All his and DD's presents I'll take up to them in Scotland when I go for New Year. 

I've also ordered a little gift for DSis - she has a number of good handbags so I have ordered a handbag hook from Etsy. It's a disc with a little clamp thing that you fix on the edge of a table and then hang your handbag from the attached hook. It saves putting your handbag on the floor of a restaurant and getting it grubby or kicked about. The disc is personalised with a little map of her all-time favourite holiday place. I got 20% off as it was in the sale. 👍

I watched Remembrance Sunday on the TV this morning then met my friend for brunch. It was very grey weather wise but still mild so we sat outside the cafe and looked over the estuary.  It will probably be one of the last times we will sit outside now that winter is drawing in. 

Tonight I'm watching the Strictly results and then Escape to the Chateau. I wasn't enthusiastic over AJ's pasodoble last night. After her fantastic tango the other week I was looking forward to seeing her paso but was disappointed in the whole routine plus I thought the music didn't gel with the dance. I hope she manages to pull through tonight. 🤞

Love the handbag hook idea . I am also watching Strictly and then the Chateau. Glad you got out to brunch with your friend . It was sunny here again this morning but went grey as the afternoon wore on. 

Sun_Addict

I’ve seen those handbag hooks, they’re a great idea. I tend to keep mine on my knee in restaurants which isn’t ideal. 

I was also disappointed with AJ as she’s my favourite 😕 

Seasidegal58

Thanks @Sunshine_girl2 and @Sun_Addict 😀

@Sunshine_girl2  - I'm actually now thinking of buying one of the handbag hooks for me as I'm always kicking my bag under the table!  

milann

Hope life is good SSG 👍

Seasidegal58

Hi @milann - thanks for posting - all well here. It's been nearly a month since I last posted. Where has the time gone!🤔

I've not long arrived at DD's as I'm staying with her until Tuesday. It's lovely to see her again - we've a couple of nice lunches planned and I'm looking forward to having a mooch around the city's Christmas market, which is always lovely. 🎄

So what have I been up to?

MAJOR GOOD TIMES
I finally had my retirement party last month - after retiring at the end of April!  The firm was exceedingly generous and covered about 75% of the cost of holding the event at a City wine bar - and there was plenty of wine flowing as well as some really tasty canapés!  

It went with a swing - I was so pleased that nearly everyone I invited from work attended, plus some family and friends I used to work with and others who are local to me. It was great to see the colleagues I hadn't seen for nearly two years and I think they felt the same as there has hardly been any socialising within the firm since we were first sent to WFH. 

Our boss made a lovely speech which made me feel quite choked up and I could hardly reply. Towards the end, one guy bought a load of shots and I, as the Party Girl, had to down one too!  I'm glad I don't have to imbibe these on a regular basis!  Anyway my friends all had hangovers the next day so it must have gone with a bang!😜🤪😜

On Wednesday I went on one of DSis's limo theatre trips that she organises periodically. We went to see 'Drifters' Girl' at the West End with Beverley Knight starring. She and the guys playing The Drifters were fab - it was a real feel-good show with everyone bopping to the old favourites. 💃 we had some nice cocktails beforehand and a meal at our favourite restaurant afterwards. 

Yesterday I had a Christmas lunch with a few of my friends locally at a nice traditional pub - my first turkey lunch!  I really enjoyed it!🍗

After I get back home on Tuesday things will be quieting down!

SCRIMPY MSE THINGS 
Apart from the above I had the usual budget costs along with cinema and coffees with friends. I've done most of the Christmas presents - just a couple left that I'm hoping to get while I'm here at DD's. 

My First Direct easy access savings account came to the end of its one year 2.75% fix. As the new rate is pants, I've moved the capital and interest over to my Marcus account. 

Cash in has been £25 cash out from Opinium, £75 win this month on the Premium Bonds and £84 annual cashback payment from my Amex card. 

Right I'm off to catch up with a few diaries now!

beanielou

Great to catch up with your news 

milann

I’m so pleased you enjoyed the retirement party……really good that they acknowledged your hard work over the years. 

It sounds as if you’ve had a great month too. Enjoy York…..we had a lovely time a couple of weeks ago 👍

Seasidegal58

Thanks @beanielou and @milann. 😃

I really enjoyed my retirement do. I was a bit nervous thinking people would stay away because of covid, but I think they were all so glad to catch up with colleagues from different departments after so long. 

Yes, I'm looking forward to hitting York tomorrow. It's such a lovely place this time of year. 🎄

Funny story since my last post - My good friend whom I worked with phoned me earlier - she said her boss, who was my team head, has said that he is going to drive over to my house to deliver my retirement present which is a rather beautiful expensive vase and is quite heavy. It was delivered to his house and he didn't want to bring it up to my do and present it there in case he dropped it on the way and in any case I would still have had to have to lug it home (slightly drunk as it turned out!). My friend has been pricing various couriers but it's costing an arm and a leg to deliver so he announced to her he would drive it over to mine!  I said to her that I would treat him to lunch at our local cockle sheds!  We both laughed - the cockle sheds are not the type of place he would lunch at but if he does drive over, it's very sweet of him to do it. The petrol will cost him though!😱

Sun_Addict

Good to hear from you. The retirement do sounded lovely. Enjoy York, we’ve been a few times and enjoyed it.