Simple living in the country - back to basics

Karmacat

You sound like you're in the wars, Cheery, sorry to hear it.  And it also sounds like even with the same treatment for Bessie, there are ways of getting it cheaper; plus the level of treatment itself has to be thought about.  I hope you *did* get more sleep after that 3.30 post!

Cheery_Daff

Thanks KC, I did indeed go back to sleep, and Mr Cheery got up to let the chickens out, so I ended up lounging around on the settee til about 11am! Then I had pancakes for breakfast

Still feeling a bit ropey, but swallowing is easier today. Don't feel ill, but also don't feel particularly inclined to run about doing loads of stuff either... We're having little flurries of snow every now and then so a nice excuse for staying inside I say! 

Done a bit of Happy Wheel spinning - lost 83p overall so April total is £2. Also did another Prolific study, so that's at £2.13 + £2.03 pending. 

Think I need a list, or else I'm going to stay here all day at this rate. 

* hang washing up (inside)
* wash dishes
* shift boxes for the tip somewhere else (possibly to the actual tip!)
* bit more sorting in study - but DO NOT go on a massive decluttering mission - just get it back into workable order and clear off the desk
* bit of batch cooking for the freezer and work lunches
* write meal plan for next week - going to be a busy one at work with new project starting
* blog post
* ring friend (I'll do this tonight when Mr Cheery is out probably)
* make a decision about holiday dates - keep putting this off!
* flute practice
* bit of yoga

That'll do - mostly relatively gentle pottering. 

EssexHebridean

Ouch to vets bills - and also to the discrepancy between the amount for tablets etc online and from the vet. I can definitely see both sides of it, but if it was a choice between doing the best I could for an animal and, well, not because - bluntly - it was simply too expensive, I think I’d consider phrasing it precisely like that TO the vet “could I ask you to please write and issue the prescription and just charge me for that  - I understand you have to make a living but also I have to do the best thing for my pet”. Not an easy conversation but stated that baldly I’d like to hope that not too many vets would get ar5ey about it. Aargh - it really is awful that this sort of thing even has to be considered though - I’m so sorry it does. 

Delighted to hear you got a PB win this month - we didn’t, but that’s fair as we’ve had two since you had your last one I think, and on less bonds at that! 😆 Fon’t spend it all at once now, will you! 😂

Fingers crossed that your sore throat and feeling a bit grotty isn’t the dreaded lurgy… 

tudorfan39

We always get a prescription,  our dog had diabetes and the vets insulin was 3x the online price. The vets really don't mind at all and mine did a prescription for a year for £16. You upload to the website (a photo) and then you can have the medication as and when until the maximum prescription is reached or the prescription expires at 12 months. Whichever is soonest. I used petdrugs0nl1ne (without the numbers obs!)

Cheery_Daff

I'll definitely be asking for just the prescription next time, although it'd make much more of a difference if we didn't have blood tests etc, and these home visits were what pushed the cost to utterly ridiculous levels! It's good though, Bessie is still with us, and we are having a rethink of the whole strategy anyway.

Still not moved far. I have paid the vet bill though, and requested a withdrawal from Premium Bonds - should be here Wednesday. Requested £3000 in the end - to cover vet bill, LPG bill, and to have a decent float in the current account, which was always part of future planning. Premium bonds are in my name, so if anything happens to them Mr Cheery won't have instant easy access, so I want to make sure there's always enough in the main account to at least cover next month's bills while everything is getting sorted out.

Not meaning to be morbid! You just never know, and it's on my list this year to sort out wills etc and this is part of it.

Right, on to the next thing...

themadvix

Yes, I never have an issue with getting a prescription - just surprise, but I don’t think many people know to do it and I only ever get it for routine stuff - if it’s something they need ‘now’ because they are ill, I just pay up.

Cheery, your tonsils grew back?!!! What?!

Cheery_Daff

Yes, I think that's the thing - you'd usually want to start medicines straight away.

Yes to the tonsils!! I didn't even realise it was a thing til I went to the docs in my 20s with a really sore throat and they told me it was tonsillitis 😮 I did explain I didn't have any... but yes, apparently they can grow back! Feels like I'm some kind of alien 😱😂😂

themadvix

Crazy stuff! My mum only has one because they took one out because of some illness as a child… can’t remember what. I don’t have any … at least I don’t think I do!

South_coast

I also never knew they could grow back 😮! I used to get tonsillitis all the time in my teens, but they were never taken and and I've never had it since 🤷‍♀️?

Cheery_Daff

tudorfan39 said:

We always get a prescription,  our dog had diabetes and the vets insulin was 3x the online price. The vets really don't mind at all and mine did a prescription for a year for £16. You upload to the website (a photo) and then you can have the medication as and when until the maximum prescription is reached or the prescription expires at 12 months. Whichever is soonest. I used petdrugs0nl1ne (without the numbers obs!)

Oops, missed you there, sorry! Thank you for sharing your experience - good to know. We'll definitely investigate next time (although hopefully next time won't be for a while!!)

Mr Cheery has gone out for some actual paid work (a rarity, certainly since the pandemic) so I have an evening to myself 😊 Had to nip out for milk, so used the opportunity to take some stuff to the tip. Not much, as I'm in the tiny 3 door car where the boot is stuck shut 😂 but I managed 3 bags of clothes, 2 bags of actual rubbish, 2 bags of glass bottles for recycling, and the old kettle. Not much but a bit of a dent.

Need a plan for the rest of the evening though, back in a bit...