Seasidegal's Scrimpy Retirement Diary!

Seasidegal58

milann said:

Well done on the decluttering 👏👏👏 Might as well try to get something for them 👍
We were laughing when we went on a boat trip at Berwick last week as the waves were pretty high and the skipper kept saying he’d seen dolphins the previous day - bet he says that every trip 😂😂 we didn’t see any.

@milann - I bet the skippers of the Loch Ness pleasure boats say the same about Nessie!😂

Glorious weather today as a contrast to yesterday - it was very warm and I didn't need a jacket when venturing out. I saw my first butterflies of 2022 - a pair of cabbage whites ( mind you cabbage whites are the only butterflies that seem to live in Seasideville!😁). 

I did my first proper training session this morning with the PT. It went well for a first time but it's a bit desponding when I look back to how fit I was over 20 years ago  ☹️  My knees really twinged when I went to sit on the low seat when attempting the cable row. Still the trainer was on to it straight away, moved the cable higher and got me a large high cube to sit which was so much better. It's going to be a long job but it's got to be done. He's very good and really looks for ways to make things easier for me. The diet is going well too - 1800 calories is pretty good - today I missed breakfast because of training, had hummus and pittas with salad for lunch, and vegetable stir fry with black beans for dinner with strawberries, banana and Greek yog to finish. I've not buying any more biscuits or cakes but will have one or two treats in the week. 

I had the kitchen fitter round after the gym to measure up for my new kitchen doors together with the new counter tops that I've decided to have as well. I'm going to make a trip to Howdens next week to look at counter tops and other bits. The cabinets will be staying the same dove grey gloss but Im changing to white counter tops (possibly quartz), plus I want a black granite sink and black tap. I'm going to have black switches and sockets as well as I think they will  look nice against the grey cupboards, white tops and white metro tile splash backs. 

In the afternoon I met my friend for coffee - she has just come back from her holiday and we sat outside the cafe in the warm sun. 😎. She treated me to coffees but I was very good and turned down her offer of one of those rather nice Portuguese style custard tarts - trying to be good!😇

SCRIMPY MSE THINGS
Today's spends was the PT, two Nivea shower gels at 99p and a Revlon lipstick down to £4 in Superdrug (I needed a new red one), loaf and lottery ticket. 

I also bought cinema tickets as my friend and I are off to see the Downton Abbey film on Monday (£6 afternoon super savers!)

milann

PT sounds very good…..keep at it 👍 I know exactly what you mean about past fitness. It’s become very apparent to me recently I’m no where near as fit as I was 😳
Exciting times planning for a kitchen. We got ours from Howdens and I was pleased with it.
Enjoy Downton 👍

Seasidegal58

Thanks @milann 😃 Yes I was pleased with Howdens when I renovated the kitchen a couple of years ago. The changes I'm making are purely my own ideas - apart from the Lamona oven I bought through them at the time. It's always got far too hot and I have to make sure I don't burn food!  I'm going to research a decent replacement. I quite fancied a combo oven/ mircrowave then I can get rid of the free standing microwave to gain more counter place. There are plenty of combo ovens out there but they're the sort that are small - I'll have to have one the same size as my current oven which is fitted in under the hob. I have only found two companies that make them - Bosch and either Neff or AEG. They are really expensive though - over £1,000!😱 - plus all the models appear out of stock. If anybody knows of any other cheaper makes, please let me know!

Today was another lovely warm sunny day here - I had a coffee outside with an ex-colleague - it was lovely sitting there - I also had a small piece of Victoria sponge as one of my weekly treats but I have included it in my daily calorie count. It was my friend's turn to pay this time which was nice. 

This afternoon I had my monthly pedicure which I always look forward to as it's so relaxing. 

I spoke to one of my cousins today - she and her husband retired about a year before I did and both have good pensions and are very comfortable and are very social. Her dad was my first cousin and died a few years ago, but her mum now has dementia quite badly and her and her husband are taking it in turns to look after her as they don't want to put her in a home permanently. It's been hard on all of them and I feel so sorry for her and her husband as they don't get to go out together at all at the moment. Her mum is going to go into a respite home soon though for a long weekend whilst they manage to get away together. I particularly admire her husband as he does things for his mother-in-law that some men wouldn't even do for their own mothers! 

Another story to reflect how one should enjoy life as much as one can at all times. 

MSE SCRIMPY THING#
Only cost today was the pedicure - budgeted as usual. 

And I won £25 on the premium bonds!😃

beanielou

Good news on the PB win.
Have a happy weekend.

Seasidegal58

Thank you beanie!  You have a good one too!😃

Sun_Addict

Well done on the win. It seems there are a few winners on the threads this month which is good to hear. 

Sunshine_girl2

Good to hear the PT session went well. Enjoy Downton Abbey with your friend . 

Seasidegal58

Thanks SA and SG2!😃
Well today was a complete change in the weather!  It rained last night and was grey and overcast today with a couple of showers. 🌧 Mild though. 

I had a quiet day - put the weekly load of towels and tea towels on to wash and dry (I only use the tumble dryer for these otherwise they end up feeling like MDF as the water here is so hard!)
I went out for a walk and then took the clothes that I had sorted out to the dress agency - she said it will be a couple of weeks before she can let me know what she will be taking as she swamped at the moment!  I'll pop back in next week though to see if I have any payout from the last lot I took in there.  I had a look through the clothes that were on sale (I saw a couple of my pieces!) in case there were any thin summer tops. She does have some nice stuff, but unfortunately everything I liked came in smaller sizes. Another reason to lose some weight. Nothing in the nearby charity shop either. 🤷‍♀️

I did my Ocado online shop this afternoon and used my 20% off discount code which was nice and MSE!  I didn't get any fruit and veg as I will buy that on Monday from the local greengrocers. 

I spoke to DSis this afternoon who having terrible problems in getting staff. It's like a Perfect Storm in the hospitality employment sector at the moment. ☹️

I've started watching 'The Staircase' with Colin Firth and Toni Collette on Sky Atlantic based on a true story about a wife found dead at the bottom of the stairs and whether her husband murdered her or was it accidental. It's excellent. There's also a documentary series about the case on Netflix so I think I'll watch that too. 

MSE SCRIMPY THINGS
Just my Ocado order, but I won't know the final bill until they deliver on Monday morning. 

Seasidegal58

Complete change of weather today again - absolute beautiful sunshine with lots of people out and about and having brunch and drinks outside the cafes. 🌞
I didn't have Sunday brunch out today as I went the the gym this morning as I realised yesterday that I'd double booked myself with both the PT and my hair appointment on Tuesday, but luckily the PT slotted me in this morning. It was a good session - he raised my weights slightly - I'm doing deadlifts, incline bench press, seated cable row, standing cable ab exercise and a light shoulder press was also added today. All of this will particularly strengthen my back and core. I've not attempted any leg exercises yet because of my knees, but hopefully once the weight comes off this will help and I can attempt them. 

The diet is going ok so far - when I got back I had a big bowl of porridge with oat milk, blueberries, flaxseed and a couple of Brazil nuts. Apple and satsumas this afternoon and veg chilli with wholemeal rice and salad for dinner tonight. First weigh in on Tuesday. He has given me an initial ' long range' weight target of 2 stone and an initial target this week of 3lbs. 

MSE SCRIMPY THINGS
Was payment to the PT and I treated myself to a big bunch of mixed tulips from Tesco on the way home as tulips are among my favourite spring flowers. They were £5 and I think are good value as they seem to last for ages. 🌷👍

Sunshine_girl2

You are doing so well with the PT , glad you got to change the day so you can go to the hair appointment.