Time to clear the remnants of my old life

EssexHebridean

Right now, the best thing you can do for your health is to take things easy and be kind to yourself - and absolutely don't rush back into "normal" routines as by all accounts that is the shortest road to the possibility of Long Covid - NOT what you want to risk.  Hopefully give it a few more days and you'll be testing negative, feeling better and well on the mend. (And at least you're feeling rough on work time rather than after you finish, I guess?!)

savingholmes

Hope you feel better soon. 

Your garden sounds very productive but as EH says most important thing is to rest.

Humdinger1

Yes, please take care of yourself.   Make haste slowly: thousands of years old I think that saying, but it seems to fit.  I find I slow down overall if I don't fit some r and r time in...and that's in general.   Even more so when you've been poorly.  You're doing brilliantly love Humdinger x 

leftatthetrafficlights

Thanks @EssexHebridean, @savingholmes and @Humdinger1 😁 I'm feeling a lot better now but still pretty tired so I'm not overdoing anything and I'm getting plenty of rest! 

This week is my last at work 🙌🥳 I'm just chugging along at the moment- not much to do really but still need to be available however boring it may be 🙄😂

I'm planning on having a weekend free from all distractions so that I can process any residual feelings I have about walking away from this chapter and embarking upon my new one --no doubt it will involve an alcoholic beverage or two 😉

I've been working out my meal plan for the first month of freedom as I'm planning on doing a detox - it's an ideal time for me to clean out my head and body so I'm looking forward to it. At the moment I'm just trying to work my way through my courgette mountain so I'm looking at ways to incorporate those into the plan and I can cook and freeze the dishes this week. 

I'll be sorting the finances at the weekend too - it's going to be great having everything ready to go on Monday 😁 just got to get through this week!! 😂

joedenise

If you come up with some freezable courgette recipes would love to see them!  I've got quite a few to use up at the moment - and I don't even grow them!

leftatthetrafficlights

@joedenise - I make 'meatballs' with them (I use wheat gluten in them) and lots of 'base' sauce/soup (onions, garlic, white wine, tomatoes and lots of basil) which both freeze really well I just can't eat those on the detox though! 🤦‍♀️

leftatthetrafficlights

🙌🥳🥂 I'm done with work now and the finances are sorted!! I've got the level I want in savings, my 'slush' fund is set up and my new grocery and petrol budgets start today. 

I'm really happy to be free from it all - I thought I'd be a bit wobbly to be honest but I'm genuinely not - I just have this immense feeling of relief and calm.

I'm looking forward to this weekend; today I'm spending the day in the garden then tomorrow I'm having a total cleanse; cleaning the house first then I'm having a defur, dry skin brush, exfoliate, face mask and hair treatment 😁 in the evening I'll be having an epsom salt bath then an early night - I'm scrubbing away the past and starting my new chapter externally fresh and clean! Monday my month long detox starts to get my insides clean - I'm so looking forward to it - after having covid and drinking my way through the past few weeks I feel sluggish and dull so I really need this! 

I've got lots of stuff to harvest today - a couple of the sweetcorn plants went over in the rain this week so I'm hoping i can keep them going as they're not quite ripe yet - my beetroot has gone mental so I'll be cooking plenty of that and I've got so many beans and courgettes it's insane! All good stuff for the detox though - lightly steamed and mixed with a multitude of fresh herb dressings pretty much ticks all the boxes! 😉🙌 

Right, I'm off to have coffee in the sun, next to my pond and listen to my waterfall- got to say that I am genuinely loving my life right now! 😁

savingholmes

Good luck with this next phase of life and enjoy your time freedom. 

leftatthetrafficlights

Thanks @savingholmes 😁 

Weekend was lovely despite feeling ropey on Sunday and the detox is going well even though I'm only sticking to the food & drink due to still feeling tired a lot of the time! 🙄

I've spent/am spending a lot of time with my grandbaby this week as not being able to see him for a few weeks has been incredibly difficult- it's insane how much I've missed him and it's not long before he's back at school so I need to make the most of the rest of the holidays! 😁 

Grocery shopping is not going to be as good as I'd hoped - I've run out of olive oil and have to order another load - I buy it 5l at a time so it's a big chunk of the budget - I have a feeling that I'm going to need to increase the expected expenditure this month but it's just one of those things - it's something we use a lot of and I'm fussy about the quality - I'll order tinned tomatoes at the same time as I'm the same with those! 🤦‍♀️😂 

Dd has foraged a load of damsons for me so I need to get some gin, vodka and sugar and get those started; the elderberries in the garden are starting to ripen too so it looks like I'll be needing to clear some cupboard space and get the cordial done soon! 

Other financial news is that I ordered my heating oil at the weekend- that was a shocking experience!! 😳 I wasn't surprised by the cost but it has certainly impressed on me the need to get our new boiler installed so that the efficiency is improved! At the moment we are running down the oil in the old tank (the new oil delivery has gone into the new tank) and then installing the new boiler once that's gone; it will be good for budgeting to know the exact amount of oil we use over what period moving forwards. I have a feeling that I may well need to increase the budget regardless - the costs may well come down in the future but I'd rather have a buffer as its such a volatile market. 

Garden produce is still going strong - I've done a few jars of pickled beetroot for the winter and I'm going to try my hand at some pickled courgettes this weekend as I just can't get through them fast enough and my freezer capacity has reached its limits in both freezers!! The spaghetti squash are ripening well and the black tuscan kale is looking better now that it's less crowded in the brassica beds - I'm tempted to put some more beetroot in this weekend as there may be enough time to get some more done and if not, I'll just use the leaves for salads. 

Right, time to start writing some menu plans - I need to get a bit more organised with the detox!! 😂

savingholmes

Glad that the garden is still being generous. It all helps. I'm loving my glut of plums and apples