So close, we can smell mortgage freedom!

try_harder

Sorry to hear you have been poorly but glad to hear you are feeling much better now..

I am still waiting for my YLive cheque to arrive ,we only get post around once a week and i got 17 letters this week on that one day

themadvix

Morning all,

Thanks you lovely people.

Improvement continues slowly here - have managed to sweep the hall floor, put a wash on and start making bread this morning, although all of that has brought on a headache, so back to taking it gently for now. I did get the work finished for main client yesterday, so that's something and has allowed me to make a start on the piece for UK client this morning. Am still largely pretending Cambridge isn't there (timesheet will be for less than an hour this week) - anything more than the most basic work (by which I mean, stuff that I don't have to juggle things in my head for) is likely to worsen the headache.

Obviously we won't be going to the pub tonight and we'll have to test tomorrow to see whether we're going to see our friends. I'm doubtful, tbh - it was still a very clear line for me yesterday.

Spends wise we've had a couple of takeaways this week. Fortunately I cooked up a large saucepan of hm minestrone and baked bread on Saturday, which combined with oven chips and bean burgers from the freezer kept us going for a while, but we've not been well enough to cook properly and there's only so many bean burgers and chips one can eat. I spent £17 (!!) on fish and chips last night - and that was for a large fish and large chips split between us. Mr MV ordered a pizza earlier in the week. However, with the bread baking this morning, I'm hoping we're back to homecooked food, especially as I ordered lovely veg from R'ford last week that has been lingering in the fridge for over a week now.

Still really need to do some Christmas shopping!

MS things:
* PC survey. Am considering giving these up. My responses are increasingly militant (pretty sure the co is run by Unilever and now I'm not just critical of the packaging - 4th worst global co for plastic pollution, I believe - but also the UPF, having just finished Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken (highly recommend)). I doubt these sorts of responses are useful to them!
* PA survey (and longitudinal yesterday)
* Back on the home-cooked food train

Gratitudes:
* Our milkman - fresh milk, delivered in time for breakfast is so helpful when ill!
* Cat cuddles - I had both of them curled up on me last night at the same time - slightly ridiculous as they're not small cats!
* Sunshine today

Have a good day all!

rtandon27

themadvix said:

...* PC survey. Am considering giving these up. My responses are increasingly militant (pretty sure the co is run by Unilever and now I'm not just critical of the packaging - 4th worst global co for plastic pollution, I believe - but also the UPF, having just finished Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken (highly recommend)). I doubt these sorts of responses are useful to them!...

Vix - if these are the surveys I think they are (cone-people ones) you (and I) are exactly who they need to hear from! - My responses are much the same & highly critical - no sense self-censoring or self-silencing - they want to pay us some of their bazillions in profits that's great - maybe one day, our voices & opinions will be loud enough to be collectively heard!

themadvix said:

...Our milkman...

Goodness Vix - I didn't get past this for a good 2 minutes, laughed so hard the tears were streaming 😅😏😉😙 - If I was feeling ill & had a milkman to be thankful for, I'd feel better in a flash!

themadvix

Thanks RT - it's good to know I'm not the only one who rants at the PC surveys! You have a point there about them needing to hear it. It just gets my heckles up as soon as they mention 'product' - I buy so few of these as I prefer real food!

Lol, you have a filthy mind! I don't even know what our milkman looks like... and I may have been scraping the gratitudes barrel this morning... when you've not left the house in nearly a week (except to put cat poo in the bin!), it gets difficult to find the little things!

Suffolk_lass

try_harder said:

Sorry to hear you have been poorly but glad to hear you are feeling much better now..

I am still waiting for my YLive cheque to arrive ,we only get post around once a week and i got 17 letters this week on that one day

Our son is a postman. Since the hedge fund started paying themselves first with RM, all the fleet of vehicles are left to fail. Inevitably there are always some off the road (crashes, punctures, mechanical, MOTs), and rather than have more, they are hiring, so the maintenance funds are depleted and they stay off the road longer. Added to which, to "save" money,  the local delivery office for where DS delivers has been closed so now he has to build in up to three hours to travel to and from the main depot to his "walk" (a vehicle is essential now). With only 2 vehicles plus hire vans at his depot, he does not always have a van available and three of the regular five people for that district are long-term sick. All legit, one with a shoulder rotator cuff that needs surgery (caused by humping heavy post onto her shoulders), one long-term cancer and one with stress-related illness (after 6 months of trying to keep up while always without colleagues or vehicles, and regularly being told by customers how terrible it is; he has had a breakdown).

On that last point, someone said something to my DS about sitting in his van last week, so he explained that instead of taking his proper meal-break he was spending 10 minutes eating a sandwich and having a drink in his van, having already walked 15000 steps on his walk and done his own sort first at the depot, and worked his shift, and before undertaking a second walk in that location, covering for someone else (he was then hoping to miss the rush hour before fighting his way back to the depot and hopefully getting home within 14 hours of leaving that morning). "I'm not criticising you mate..." does not help, when clearly they were. 

I've already tipped our postman as I caught him for the first time in December, delivering Amazon parcels along with the post. Not their decision, and post is not as profitable, so whatever lies the CEO tells MPs they are de-prioritising letter post, the service deteriorates. There were some silly practices but those have mostly gone, the pension has been degraded and terms and conditions, while still better than big river's are not good. The work ethic is mostly good and posties are at the sharp end. He remains positive, determined to do his best and most customers now know him and are pleasant and supportive. Rant over, and I appreciate you were commenting, not criticising your postie @try_harder (sorry TMV). 

themadvix

Morning all,

Back at my desk this morning rather than WFS (sofa). We tested negative on Saturday, but had already postponed dinner with friends by then, but we did make it to the football yesterday. However, my lungs are still tight and I'm getting out of breath very easily, so the painfully slow walking pace, developed during last Covid) is back. It did improve slightly while we were out yesterday, so I'm hopeful it won't last too long. I hope not - I've got two lots of am and pm cat sitting next week that I want to do on my bike!

Thanks for that glimpse into RM's troubles SL, you certainly don't need to apologise. I ought to arrange a tip for our postie - I did tip a few years ago when we had a regular one, but then we went through a period of not seeing the same person twice. Now back to a different regular, so he deserves something.

We've ordered a few Christmas presents over the weekend - both Dads are now sorted, Sis and Niece are sorted (bar the fact I've just had to query where my delivery is) and plans are somewhat put in place for others (albeit some of the plans are 'I'll look when I'm feeling well enough to go out'). Like Fortune, I'm in no way feeling festive currently, despite some festive music and a couple of festive films. No decs up here yet though and I've still not make mincemeat or pudding.

Work is still super busy. I've got the end of a big project I did for my main client to deal with over the next couple of weeks - with a firm deadline - as well as finishing the thing for the UK client plus quite a bit of Cambridge stuff to keep on top of/make a start on. However, I think I'll probably do a couple of days between Christmas and NY on the Cambridge bits while everyone is off - I'll be able to make a start at least and it will make me feel a bit more on top of things.

This week: tomorrow is Cambridge work Christmas lunch. I think I'm just going to go for this - a day at the office (with the hour commute each way) usually wipes me out, without Covid fatigue, so this seems sensible. I'll meet them at the restaurant (probably) so I don't have to do the embarrassingly slow walk with work people! I may take the opportunity to buy a few bits while I'm in the city centre. Work, mincemeat and Christmas pud will be the focus of the rest of the week, as well as some shopping, preparation for cat sitting (like collecting the key) and getting the house sorted. Saturday we should probably get some decs up; in the evening we're meeting Sis and Niece for a Christmas tractor parade in a nearby town and then shooting off to see our postponed friends.

MS things:
* We got to the stadium very early so I wouldn't have to cope with crowds swarming past me - which meant we got our food and drink at a bargain price - £7.50 for a veggie pie and a pint
* Clicks and HW - had a nice win from the bookie who I thought had gubbed me, so withdrew £5 from there
* Used Virgin Trains to buy trains tickets, earning me 1k Virgin points
* TCB earned on presents and a cat litter order (plus 3 x meals/treats for cats and a discount - I love Zooplus)
* Various surveys - 1P is nearly at £19; NV getting closer to payout

Gratitudes:
* Seeing Sis and Niece yesterday - and getting out of the house!
* Sunshine today - both so I can get washing partially dry on line (at last - it's just been re-rinsed and spun having sat there since Friday) and because it always makes me feel better
* A great result for the Gunners yesterday!

Have a good day all!

try_harder

SL..I am certainly not blaming the postmen ,i blame up top and this government ..I have always tipped my postman ,he is extremely helpful and very friendly

themadvix

Afternoon/evening all,

It's my turn to complain about RM, I'm afraid. Monday evening I received an email saying some books I'd ordered had been delivered. Not to me, they hadn't - they were tracked, so should have received a knock at the door/red card (except we were in). Checked by both front and back door (postman comes to front, but most deliveries to back door), checked cupboard by back door where things are sometimes left. Nothing. Figured that perhaps it would turn up tomorrow and they'd got carried away with marking things as delivered (has happened previously 🙄). In the light of day, in pouring rain (Tuesday night was horrendously wet and windy), I see soaked cardboard wrapped parcel on the floor by the back gate. So unimpressed. Normally never have a problem with our deliveries but this is not on. By some miracle (given that the cardboard packaging disintegrated as I picked it up), the book was only slightly damp and the pages crumpled. I've stuck it under the two books that my monitor sits on and I'll see what it's like in the morning - but in any case I'll complain to the vendor because I think this should be noted. I know posties are under a lot of pressure at the moment, but doing stupid things like this (back gate is never locked btw, but does get a bit stiff in the rain - not so bad you couldn't open it or even find the front door!) is only likely to increase the workload as there's a high probability that another item will have to be dispatched! 😡 Rant over.

Work is going OK. And I made it to my Cambridge lunch yesterday, although it totally wiped me out. Today has been pretty productive though - I popped out first thing and collected part of Niece's present, did some grocery shopping at Sains (as usual maximised Nectar points and use of Nectar prices offers) and bought cat chicken. I've since made quite good progress with work for main client, held a Cambridge meeting and baked lebkuchen and granola and cooked and chopped the cats' chicken. Rather tired now! Dinner will be daal and rice - easy, nutritious and yummy.

MS things:
* Clicks and HW done
* Sis has invited people round to hers for Boxing Day, so I'm officially off the hook for feeding people then
* TCB is creeping up
* Used an S&S voucher towards part of Niece's present
* Good use of Nectar offers
* Bargainous buses in Cambridge - £1 each way to the station
* Demand flexibility session yesterday, so we should have made another £6 or so

Gratitudes:
* Lovely to see Cambridge people yesterday and had a nice catch up with my friend too
* Sains was lovely and quiet this morning - and had nice chat with lady doing stuff to the card display
* I had the radio on while doing the kitchen bits - made me feel a bit more connected to the world, and Christmas!

Have a good evening all!

EssexHebridean

We were impressed with the bus prices in Cambridge when we were there earlier in the year as well!

Glad you managed to make the lunch even if it was exhausting it sounds like it was worth it! 

I completely agree about RM - you may recall that we had terrible problems with them when we were in the flat - for a long while they were only delivering  to our area about once every 3 weeks if we were lucky, and Mum (other side of the same town) was getting a delivery a fortnight at best. Our situation has been far better since we've moved - although still not always brilliant, and I have my suspicions that we ought to be getting more redirected mail than we are as well. 

northwalesd

That is annoying about the parcel. I have to say with regular mail our RM service is extremely good, but I have had three parcels delivered by RM in the past couple of weeks, all three have just been left by the front door, no doorbell ring, no knock (not even a knock n run). The only way I've known they're out there is an email saying, "Your parcel has been delivered". Thankfully out front door is in a recess, so even if it was raining it's usually quite dry by the door itself.