Learning to walk before I run

edinburgher

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81868905#Comment_81868905

Yes, the second part of the extension we'd hoped to do 5 years ago 🤣 Or we might just move house and have a big deposit to do so.

Suffolk_lass

You are starting to sound more like you again, so don't underestimate the value of the new job 😋

edinburgher

A busy morning as we drew together another set of papers for our Cabinet Secretary. I feel my entire role is being politely blunt to the Scottish Government!

£16.54 withdrawn from Prolific, £6.95 to Tax, rest to Personal Spends.

🏊️ lesson tonight.

beanielou

Well done you.

edinburgher

I'm not very sure about swimming lessons. It took 19 minutes before either of the instructors gave me any advice, and one of them said I looked "effortless". I'm pretty damn sure I didn't - is making it across a few breadths of a small pool without dying an achievement? I don't feel I can be too pushy as a) they're young, potentially inexperienced and b) it's £8 a lesson. I would happily pay quite a bit more for focused "me" lessons, I don't want to muck about 🤔

Watty1

Is it a group lesson? Would more be achieved 1-1 although admittedly at greater cost, but, cheaper in the long run?

Suffolk_lass

If you are still doing widths, they are probably building you up to do lengths. Building your confidence. They should work on tweaking technique in lengths before going for repetition and stamina.

At College, we used to do circuits to build stamina, swimming round the edge without stopping for our swim teacher to determine our individual levels. Apparently they trained the 1960 Olympic team that way (Anita Lonsborough was his girlfriend before that!)

Greying_Pilgrim

ed - I can't remember what you wrote when you first mentioned signing up for swimming. Was it billed as adult swimming lessons, or was it billed as stroke improvement or confidence building? I have to say, my instructor started with short distances, to establish that I was comfortable and had some degree of water confidence before moving to technique refinement - then she let rip 🤣 (in a very nice and very logical fashion 😁 - I knew what she meant, but couldn't always translate that mid-flow 🤣). But this was 2 - 1 in a small pool and she determined what I wanted to achieve before we started. Not everyone wants or needs to be Olympic grade, and for me it was boosting confidence, so that I would go swimming…. although about that last part…….🫤😬

I still think it's wonderful that you're doing the course, and hope you eventually get to the point of learning/improvement you've set your heart on.

Greying X

South_coast

Is Mrs Ed seeing the same pair, as it sounded like she got more from her lesson? I'm assuming you can't go at the same time due to childcare, but would back to back lessons be an option?

edinburgher

Not my favourite expression but I think the swimming is what it is. Smallish high school swimming pool (max depth 1.5m) divided into lanes for breadths. 2-3 young instructors trying to teach 2-3 adult improvers at different levels, a couple of adult beginners, and a random group of 3-4 teen lads who I don't really know what (if anything) they're doing. There doesn't seem to be any technique to their teaching and they spend as much time chatting with each other as they do chatting to their clients.

Another busy week at work. We completed some best practice guidance to share with the Scottish Government, held a meeting with a lived experience group from our neck of the woods, and drafted a response to some grumpy sods in another part of the business. I made myself useful.

In terms of finances, we have finally got a quote in for our bathroom work. I winced slightly (£7,800, doesn't even include new tiling). That said, we didn't expect the work to be cheap and I can't give jobs to contractors who might be cheaper if they CBA providing a quote 🤷 We know that the firm that have quoted are reliable (used for boiler), they have a physical premises/showroom and we don't want to be worried about a job, part of which involves drilling a hole through the side of the house! Plan is probably to review with Mrs E and accept the quote on Monday unless we get a better offer at the weekend from the other firm who also came across well.

£6.97 withdrawn from Prolific today, £2.93 to tax, the rest to personal spends.

I made a most uncharacteristic purchase of a £300 watch in the Swatch shop yesterday. It's gorgeous and it's my own fault for seeing the advert on the back of the "HTSI" section of the Financial Times 🤣 I have lots of positive associations with the brand, Swatch were probably my first teenage foray into affordable luxury. Purchased from personal spends.

Cupboards, freezer and fridge are hoaching with tasty food. I frontloaded our groceries with a 10% off Mr L voucher, including a FR chicken, beef roasting joint, steak, and gammon (meat for a month). I then picked up the freebies from the app from that shop today (7.5kg of huge Scottish tatties, cookies, a free brownie). Fruit and veg came from Mr S, only another £25 or so.