Seasidegal's Scrimpy Retirement Diary!

milann

I saw The King and I before Covid and I enjoyed but I couldn’t get Yul Brenner out of my head and kept making comparisons. It was a lovely feel good show though which I’m sure you’ll enjoy.

Seasidegal58

I know @milann!  I think that’s going to be my problem as well!  Yul Brynner made the role his own - so iconic!  He was so handsome too - beautiful cheekbones!🥰. I love the musical so I’m sure I’ll enjoy it!  

Sunshine_girl2

It's on this week at our local theatre , the King and I. I asked my mum if she wanted to go but she chose Calendar Girls the week after instead .

Seasidegal58

I hope your mum enjoys it @Sunshine_girl2 👍😀

Last full day today in the Highlands - back home tomorrow. I've had a really wonderful relaxing time up here with DD, OH and the Bears.  I'll miss the lovely scenery - I wish I had the same view from my living room and kitchen windows. ☹️

DD and I took down the Christmas decorations this afternoon. The tree is still looking very green. It's a local tree they cut down themselves. I think its longevity was due to having putting it up quite late before Christmas and the water fillable tree stand it lived in.  She cut off some of the lower branches and these looked wonderful in a big silver vase on the dining room table. 

Bear1 tried to help with removing the tree decs!  He has been very comical about the tree. The other week OH found some of the tree decs on the gravel drive outside where the Bears like to sit. He then caught Bear1 sneaking quietly out with another in his mouth!  He had been removing all the decs on the lower branches one by one. Luckily these were the felt padded type and the glass and more delicate ornaments were towards the top of the tree!

I've still got my decs to take down when I get home tomorrow evening but luckily I have a small tree and not many ornaments so it shouldn't take very long  

Farewell dinner of sausage, mushroom and mustard pasta tonight courtesy of DD!😋

MSE SCRIMPY THINGS
Another NSD today and nothing  else to report except I'm thinking of changing my DCB pension provider to another cheaper company but will look at that in more detail when I get home. 

Fortune_Smiles

Sounds as though you're having a wonderful time @Seasidegal58.  Bears sound very cute.

Fortune x

Sun_Addict

Hope it’s a smooth flight back home for you tomorrow. I would love the disco thing on iPlayer so will look for it 👍

beanielou

Safe travels  xx

EssexHebridean

So glad you’ve had a wonderful time up there SSG, I too would love those sorts of views from my windows at home!  

It sounds like you have lots of fabulous plans too - great to have stuff to look forward to isn’t it, particularly at this stage if the year. I know theoretically January onky has 31 days, but I swear it hides a few extras under its cloak just to spite us! 

Seasidegal58

Thank you @Fortune_Smiles@Sun_Addict@beanielou and @EssexHebridean. 😀

SUNDAY
It was flying home day today. I got up packed (not onerous as it could have been as I keep quite a few clothes and toiletries up here), stripped my bed and cleaned and vacuumed my bedroom and en suite.
 

I said goodbye to the Bears 😢 and we then left late morning and had cheese toasties and coffee in Inverness before I was dropped off at the airport. Unfortunately there was a hour and half delay on my flight, but my car was waiting at Gatwick and I finally walked into my flat at 8.30pm. 

I was going to take down my decs but I was shattered so only removed the wreath on the front door.  I put on some washing on and I wrote out a meal plan for the next few weeks courtesy of Slimming World and tweaked my online Ocado order for tomorrow. I'm weighing in and starting the plan in earnest on Tuesday as I'd like to lose a couple of stone if possible ready for my holiday in March as there will be a lot of walking.

Peanut butter on toast and coffee for supper as it was quick and caught up with some TV. 

MSE SCRIMPY THINGS

• I paid for the cheese toasties and coffee at the cafe;
• £7.50 for a small bottle of raspberry gin liqueur from the airport shop for my friend as a gift for collecting up my post and turning on the heating for me at the flat before I got home;
• A bottle of water and Snickers bar while waiting for my flight!
• My car fare from Gatwick to home. 

MONDAY
I slept till late morning. Felt quite tired and out of sorts. I took down the decs but couldn't be bothered to do much else. 

I waited in for my Ocado delivery. Had a good long chat with a friend in the evening which cheered me up!😀. Had M&S bangers and mash ready meal from the freezer and baked beans for supper. 

MSE SCRIMPY THINGS

• The Ocado payment went out - it came to £144.03 - bit high but I'd run down things before I went away and needed quite a bit for my new SW meal plan. I budget £140 a month for food plus a separate £20 for non-food items like cleaning products etc. I went over the non-food items by £3.75 because I'd run out of nearly everything and use Ecover laundry liquid which is expensive. Also £1.25 on the bill was tissues that I needed. Plus Ocado had omitted to include my turkey mince so I've asked for a refund of £3.70.
• I paid the £513 balancing service charge that the managing agent was demanding. I spoke to one of my fellow flat owners who has been in contact with the Leasehold Advisory Service over this. She said that she and her neighbour had paid as the LAS  advised her to do this as the freeholder are entitled to levy charges for late payment, but that one should contact the MA to say one is paying under protest, not admitting agreement with the charge, need to see the accompanying invoices and can challenge the charges at a tribunal. So I will be emailing them too.

TODAY

In my weigh-in today I have lost 3.5lbs whilst I was away!  I'm really pleased with this as I ate very well at DD's whilst there but I didn't snack so much as I do at home so I think this had a lot to do with it.  I had egg, tomatoes, mushrooms, rasher of back bacon, spinach and slice of wholemeal toast, coffee with semi Oatly. 

Cleaning session today with a good emphasis on the living room as it was very dusty after taking down the decs. Cleaned the blind and inside of the window, dusted and wiped down the mirror, unit side tables and bookcase, vacuumed the sofa and armchair and did a thorough vacuum and mop of the floor pulling out the furniture. 

I then had a walk up to Aldi to buy some more turkey mince and reduced olive oil spread (which I had forgot about on the Ocado order). It felt very cold but it was a nice bracing walk through the park there and back. 

Supper was turkey bolognese with wholewheat spaghetti and a side of broccoli.  Banana, blueberries and non-fat Greek yoghurt for dessert. 

MSE SCRIMPY THINGS

Spends:

• Aldi shop;
• My friend can't make the cinema now on Thursday.  I got a refund from the Odeon. Also booked tickets for Friday to see 'Priscilla.'

beanielou

Great loss.