Seasidegal's Scrimpy Retirement Diary!

Sunshine_girl2

Glad to hear you got there ok and enjoying time with family . 

Seasidegal58

Thank you @doingitanyway@HairyHandofDartmoor@Sun_Addict@milann@beanielou@Onebrokelady and @Sunshine_girl2 😀

And a very happy New Year to you and all reading this diary. Here's to an optimistic, positive, healthy 2022!🥳🥳

We had a fairly quiet New Year's Eve - we were due to spend it with DD and OH's neighbours but the elderly member of the family was unwell ( not Covid thankfully!) so we ended up taking out the dogs for an evening walk and then watching 'Derry Girls' and hooting with laughter!  We put on the TV just before the Big Ben bongs and toasted in the New Year with some bubbly. 🍾 A footnote to the evening walk is that I have now become one of those people who wear a head torch!  I used to laugh at DD and OH and say they reminded me of those who wear them and drive to the Arizona desert in camper vans looking for aliens when it gets dark!👽 (I definitely don't mean you @milann!🤣). Anyway you definitely need them here - the dogs have got little lamps hanging from their collars too!

After the wet and foggy start to my Highlands holiday the weather hasn't been too bad - at least the rain has been intermittent. 

We've had some good walks with the dogs and went to DD's neighbours to see them on the Thursday afternoon for a couple of hours and had some glasses of wine and a good chat as I hadn't seen them since May. 

Yesterday morning we had a drive up to Ullapool - the weather was actually quite sunny so the scenery looked beautiful. Nearly everything was closed though, though we had a look around the outdoor shop (mandatory for DD and OH!) and bought takeaway toasties and coffee from a deli and ate them in the car. 

Today is going to be a bit of a chill day - DD and OH are currently working out in the living room via Zoom with their PT - I'm having a much sensible coffee and diarying - the dogs are chilling and splitting their time watching DD and OH and then coming into the kitchen to sit and look hopefully at me in case edible stuff is being handed out!

I'm not making any mammoth NY resolution lists because I never keep them. I'm just going to try and increase my exercise (both by walking more and stretching) and gradually lose weight by healthy eating choices, which I really need to do - one thing which will naturally lead to the other. 

MSE SCRIMPY RETIREMENT THINGS
NSDs so far. 👍
Today is the first day of the new budget month and the first of 2022. I've updated and reviewed all my YNAB categories. I've made a few amendments to these, e.g increasing some of the travel/taxi budgets and decreasing the Christmas category as I've cut down present wise. 
Looking back over the past year, the big event was my retirement. My pension income is good for a single person like me who has paid off her mortgage and has low essential spends. However I want to try and keep my eye on the ball more on the non-essential spending. 

doingitanyway

Happy New Year. I love Ullapool. Lucky you. You have eased into 2022 in a lovely way x

milann

😂😂 SSG it’s a standing joke about getting a head torch for Mr milann he’s the worlds worse for starting an outside job…..not finishing in the daylight and then never going back the next day. 😂😂 
Your coffee and diary sounds far more civilised than a PT session 👍
Keeping an eye on non essential spending sounds sensible as they have a habit of sneaky up on us 😳

Seasidegal58

Thanks @doingitanyway and @milann. 😃

After the weather starting out quite clear yesterday morning, we ended up with howling gales and torrential rain in the afternoon!💨☔️  We did have a chill day - DD made a really delicious Coronation Turkey Curry (from Delia's Christmas book I think), only it was made with cold cooked game, not turkey!  The rain and wind died down towards evening so we went for the evening Head Torch Walk with the dogs. The stars looked beautiful - you can see much more of them here and they are so bright - unlike Seasideville where there is quite a lot of light pollution😕.  I ended up finishing a bottle of bubbly and we all watched more 'Derry Girls'. 
Later on this evening we are having visitors - the lady who helps OH with his works admin, her husband and son - I haven't met them previously. DD has been rushing around getting things ready and OH is going to  prepare his signature pizzas. He makes really good pizzas - I haven't tried one since before the pandemic so looking forward to sampling them again!😋. I have also been told there's nothing for me to do - it's like being round DSis's at Christmas all over again!  OK for me but I'd like to do something - I think I'll pour the drinks when they arrive later!😜

MSE SCRIMPY RETIREMENT THINGS 
Another NSD on the cards today.  Didn't win the lottery. 

Sun_Addict

Oh to be told there’s nothing for me to do, I honestly don’t think anyone has ever said that to me. Make the most of it 😁 Get those drinks poured 😆

nannygladys

It's years since I've been to Scotland and I've loved it each 
time I've been, I also like being cooked for
Nannyg

redofromstart

Sounds rather lovely - especially the stars.  

The very big dogs make me smile.  When I was a teenager a friend had a wolfhound who was taller than me.  She used to charge down the hall to say hello to me and frighten the living daylights out of me before covering me with slobbery kisses.  

milann

Hope you enjoyed the pizza and got to pour lots of drinks.
ive just been watching the weather, which says there’s snow in some parts of Scotland….hope you’re cosy and warm if there is the white stuff near you 👍

Onebrokelady

Glad to hear you are having a nice time with your family. I used to wear a head torch when doing the chickens in the dark but it kept sliding down my forehead and covering my eyes so I couldn't see anything anyway 😀I use torch now and hold it in my mouth if I need both hands 😀