So close, we can smell mortgage freedom!

themadvix

Morning all,

Thanks LaPlan... Van Gogh died young, but he was prolific, so it wasn't a shortage of work. I think I was expecting something you walked through/a bit more exhibition/not in a cold warehouse tbh. We very rarely spend money on exhibition things in London as they are expensive, and this felt that it was expensive for what it was, which was more disappointing as we'd gone to the trouble of spending money (and we could have seen the Lego art exhibition that's on instead!). 

Surveys are a useful side income - depending on the survey company. But I think you earn a lot more than me, so probably better for you to not get distracted by them - and get selling on Vinted instead 😉.

So my day of focus at my desk has already been derailed. Ginger cat is sneezy, snuffly and seems to have trouble breathing through his nose - intermittently. So vet appointment booked for midday and I'll be testing out the cat carrier backpack and taking him down on foot... which will be a new experience for both of us! I hope he's not too terrified by it. While B&W cat would have been a nightmare to get in the carrier (he always is), I'm more confident that his nosy nature would have made it an interesting adventure, whereas Ginger is a scaredy cat 'out in the wild'.

In the meantime, I've checked in on Cambridge - I really need to get something done there today rather than just inbox checking - and as other work is quiet, am cracking on with the platform job. I am getting there but it is tough-going. I should break the back of it today though. In an ideal world, I'd get it finished but that depends on other work, Ginger cat and how much of it I can handle!

MS things:
* Clicks, HW done
* PA survey done (about blood donation, which was interesting as basically the Blood service have told me thanks, but no thanks due to my blood type! So although I want to donate, they don't want my blood!)
* Dinner tonight will be stir fry, cooked by Mr MV, and will use up some bottom of the fridge contents (unfortunately quite a few of these went in the compost last night - a very rare occurrence but not one I wish to repeat).

Gratitudes:
* The sun is coming out and it's not raining - taking a soggy cat to the vets would not be fun.
* A slice of hm marmalade on hm toast
* The lovely people at the Wine Society - I had to ring this morning and they are always so nice (and I'm going to a free wine tasting on Thursday!)

Have a good day all!

EssexHebridean

Hopefully poor puss cat is OK and it's just something mild. It will be interesting to see how he copes with the carrier though! 

That's interesting that the donations people don't want your blood - I can't donate, as I've had transfusions, although in fact I may not be suitable anyway as I seem to react very badly to needles in my arms (blood samples are always from my hands, but of course they wouldn't be able to use that access for taking any amount) because of this. when I was in hospital they took my blood sample from my left arm, then I had the canula in my right for the transfusions, and ended up basically unable to bend either arm to any extent which wasn't ideal! 

I had to put some left over broccoli in the compost the other week and was fuming with myself - it wasn't that it had been forgotten, just for some reason it started growing spots of black mould far earlier than I would have expected any sort of decomposition to occur. At least that (and your bits) could go into compost and so didn't create actual food waste - that's something, at least! 

themadvix

Thanks EH. I'm AB+ and female. So they can only use my blood for AB+ people (who I think can have anything, or at least any A or and they can't use my platelets/plasma (??) because of something that changes in a woman's blood when she's been pregnant - which I never have been but they just don't bother taking blood from women for solely this purpose... or something along those lines!

There was half a hg cabbage, and a head of broccoli as well as some bits of mouldy carrot and celery (salvaged most of those though) - the cabbage is because it comes in slug-ridden/soggy and tough to deal with. I'm not sure I'll bother growing savoys again - they are very prone to attracting slugs and difficult to get them out. And the broccoli I can only put down to the fact that we've been out more than expected in the last week - last weekend, then Mr MV was away Tuesday night/I ate at Mum's, then out Friday and then at Sis's Sunday. So two of those were unexpected.... can I blame the family for inviting us?! 😂 Yes, at least it was compostable - but then all out food waste is here in some form or another - the council collect our food waste with our garden waste and it all gets industrially composted for composted and biogas. It was an organic broccoli though so I could see ££ signs going into the compost heap 😔

Have just completed some queries from UK client; have some work in from main client and have been continuing with platform job. Am slightly concerned that platform doesn't want me to log in - not due to password error, just the homepage keeps reloading, and when I tried to live chat the support there was no one there. I have no other means of contacting the client than through the website, so this is not good. Doesn't appear to be a browser issue either. Keeping fingers crossed I'll hear back and/or it'll come back online soon....

Baileys_Babe

I used to be a blood donor but I had to stop when I had a transfusion. OH is unable to donate for medical reasons. 

I enjoyed donating blood and I would of liked my children to have grown up seeing donating as a regular part of my life. As opposed to an abstract concept. 

newgirly

Shame about the Van Gogh exhibition, I went to see the da Vinci one last year and that was also in a  freezing warehouse and was quite underwhelming 😆 

Cheery_Daff

themadvix said:

Thanks EH. I'm AB+ and female. So they can only use my blood for AB+ people (who I think can have anything, or at least any A or and they can't use my platelets/plasma (??) because of something that changes in a woman's blood when she's been pregnant - which I never have been but they just don't bother taking blood from women for solely this purpose... or something along those lines!

I'm AB+ too 😊 I used to donate on occasion, then had an overactive thyroid so they wouldn't take it while I was on thyroid suppressants and for a couple of years after, then there were a few times when they struggled to get a whole pint within the allocated time so they couldn't use any of it 🙄 Then I got a letter basically saying 'don't call us, we'll call you' - because there's no point them storing our blood because it's so rarely needed (because people of our blood type can take anyone's, as you say). 

Hey ho.

EssexHebridean

That's fascinating about the blood! I'm a dull old O+ - which is about the most common out there I believe! A huge thanks to all who donate or who have donated anyway - form someone who wouldn't be here now without the generous efforts of folk like you! 

Suffolk_lass

I'm also O+ but they won't take mine because of the antibodies I carry. I'm allergic to a few things, mostly environmental but apparently there is a number, beyond which it is thanks, but no thanks. I also have a-typical antibodies from when I gave birth, so I would need these matched if I needed a transfusion.

DH is A+ (second most common) but he gives blood and is doing so today (b****y miles away! at lunchtime)! So no heavy lifting or gardening for him today

themadvix

Morning all,

Thanks for all the thoughts on blood donation. It's definitely an interesting one. I just wish they'd been clear about it - I kept logging in to try and find appointments and there weren't any. And then my Sister could see lots and I couldn't - which was when I got in touch with them!

Yesterday was a loooong day. Eleven hours at my desk, juggling Cambridge meeting's, work for main client and that platform job, which I really needed to get finished. I did eventually get it done, about 7pm (having started at 8 and not really having had much in the way of breaks), just as Mr MV got home. I was going to cook dal, but it turns out Mr MV had used the last of the ginger in the stir fry and I thought it would have been a bit lacking without that. We ended up with bean burgers, chips and baked beans - not very exciting, but not a takeaway - and we didn't have a lot of options really - we were in desperate need of the supermarket and Riverford deliveries that have arrived this morning!

Today is better. Cambridge have been told I haven't got any more capacity before 15th March (we're away 11-15th), that platform job has gone and I'm working on a larger project for main client (that was the issue yesterday - they were smaller bits, so I knew he'd expect them turned around fairly quickly!). I've got two other smaller projects - one for UK client and one for a US client, but the latter will keep until tomorrow and hopefully the former won't take too long.

I did manage to do a load of washing yesterday and hung it on the heated airer before bed. It didn't quite dry overnight, so have had airer on again this morning and turned the heating down (airer encroaches on my desk space, so it's nice and toasty in here). Bread has been baked this morning and the aforementioned food deliveries put away. Off to a free wine tasting this evening - hoping Mr MV will be back from work in time - he's gone to Manchester, so he'll be exhausted, but aiming to get back for the tasting. Dinner will be dal tonight (added ginger to my supermarket delivery) - I can get it cooked this afternoon before I head out and leave the rice on delayed start in the IP. No temptation to get takeaway or eat out then.

Ginger cat is much better - I think the anti-inflammatories may have helped. Either than or we wasted £60 on an unnecessary vet visit. 🙄

MS things:
* £73 cleared on PA, but would love the £13.50 pending to clear before payday tomorrow
* Clicks and HW done
* A NV survey last night
* Refund pending for the eggs in delivery - one was broken and had leaked all over the box (fortunately not on other stuff)
* Heating turned right down

Gratitudes:
* Understanding Cambridge bosses 
* Plenty of work
* The rain has currently stopped - it was chucking it down earlier. I'm likely to have to cycle to the wine tasting unless Mr MV makes it back in time to pick me up but not time for us both to cycle.

Have a good day all!

themadvix

Morning all,

I briefly debated cancelling my physio appointment on Monday this morning... Glad I decided to wait 🙄 Back is better than it was but far from right. Hey ho.

Dinner last night was as planned - dal and rice, and we were back from the wine tasting early enough that I didn't need to put the rice on delayed start. Wine tasting was fun and a bit different - will go again! 

20p more of my pending PA balance has shifted to paid... that'll make all the difference! Anyway, plan for today is to break the back of this piece of work for the main client, do the bits for a US client, pay myself and get a birthday card in the post (I need to buy it first). Pub possibly this evening, although BIL and SIL aren't around - it might depend on our other friends' availability - if they're not about, I don't think I'm bothered today.

I also need to drop key to cat friend (unless she's coming to the pub) as she's feeding the boys on Sunday morning. Not sure if I mentioned but we're away overnight Saturday for a friend's 40th which will be lovely. Hoping that we'll get away early enough tomorrow to have a walk (weather dependent) near where we're staying as there's a nice deer park there and a pretty little village. Not sure about Sunday's breakfast as yet - it's not included in our stay but there's not a lot of options nearby and we almost certainly will need breakfast before we leave. 

Right, the sun is coming back out (it can't decide if it's chucking it down or sunny this morning), so I'm going to nip over the road and get that birthday card sent.

MS things:
* Clicks and HW done
* Cancelled today's milk as we're away
* Have requested a partial refund from R'ford as one of the tomatoes was rather furry on delivery
* Dinner tonight will be the same as yesterday, with the added benefit that there's no temptation to eat out if we go to the pub

Gratitudes:
* Fun wine tasting last night - and Mr MV drove (because he didn't have time otherwise - but it saved me cycling in the rain)
* Sunshine - I'm going to take advantage of it
* Dinner for tonight is sorted

Have a good day all!