NST July 2022: A Turtle Triathlon

apple_muncher

Dearest turtle triathletes, many apologies for forgetting to post this. This being away on holiday malarkey is to blame!

2nd leg: July 11-20 The BIKE

The bike leg is a time to sit back and look around as you maybe coast along following your plan.  It is sometimes a ‘less frenetic’ part of the month and is often the ‘meh’ part of the month, so take time to dream, to plan big things, to start a plan of action to realise your dreams. Where do you want to be in 3 months from now? 1 year? 5 years? Dream big – don’t be limited by your current situation. Read up on other people’s diaries and be inspired.

Dip into Mr Money Mustache, as he has some great ideas that he lives out. Not everything will apply, but this post is a good starting point as it has many links to his other posts: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/02/22/getting-rich-from-zero-to-hero-in-one-blog-post/

 

Focus on getting to bed at the right time for you, so you get enough sleep.

grandmanerd

Yesterday I couldn't 'join' my meeting (mindfulness). I found the number and phoned the admins. Had a message a while later with another link but that didn't work either, or the phone number link - tried about 20 times in various ways. Felt that the morning had been a bit wasted - if I'd known I wasn't able to log in, I could have done something else. I had done some filing earlier. Never mind, let it go. Went to my art session in the afternoon. The barriers are up again so I had to go all round the outside of the library. 

The art session is wonderful - no-one expects anything of me, I just spend time using the techniques they show us and follow where it leads. Spent some time in the yard (sweeping, hoeing, gathering everything together and then sieving it to separate out weeds, stones and rubbish) and topping up any pots that  need more soil. Plus doing the bins (several more things added this morning).

I've moved all the pots on the outdoor shelving, watering, adding soil and rearranging them so that I can put a second layer on the joints leaning against the wall. DS3 brought the 4 tomatoes from the kitchen windowsill outside for me (it's much lighter in the kitchen  now) and I dragged a plastic bin across and moved the tomatoes into it. Washing has been dried and a second lot done (lots of bedding - wash it more often in summer to keep me feeling cool and fresh).

Had a chat with 2 policemen - think number 8 might have done a moonlight flit. The window was smashed in on Wednesday and I haven't seen/ heard him working on the shed/ tree house last week or this. It's a match day (Netherlands v Portugal) so the men have been here since daybreak putting the stage back up, setting out the chairs and opening up the bar (even when no-one's there it's noisy as the beer wagon is refrigerated).

Music and entertainment have been playing since 2 pm and they only went off to the match ground at 5.30 pm. It's still noisy but that might only be the workmen putting things away again and filling their many bins. Came downstairs early but my pills had already been delivered. DS3 went to bed before lunch so I've been sat on the couch cataloguing records - there are other things I need to do but I couldn't find the charger for the laptop this morning (but made excellent progress on the yard and moving things into the kitchen that were in the front room).

When I was exhausted enough two go back upstairs I found the charger between the bed and the set of drawers (I can barely get my hand down there to switch the standard lamp on and off) by thinking my way through how everything was arranged last time I charged it up. I've finally finished Beethoven (and Brahms and bits of Britten, Bruch, Bruckner and Boccherini). I've got enough for half of box number 2 (there were big chunks that I'd already done the cards for, it was just a matter of working out where they should go and slotting them in) but I need DS3 to move box no 1 out of the way (hoping it can squeeze under his desk).

Grateful for friendly workmen, helpful bin men, solicitous policemen, my little friend the robin, making progress on difficult bits of the yard (a shrub I've been hacking away at for months, being happily absorbed in garden tasks and cataloguing records, putting things in the rooms they belong in, easy food, pleasant music (put the undertones, Bob Marley and Vietnam era songs on when the public stuff got rather strange (it was a group from the Netherlands but it was a bit oompah beer festival ). Spent money yesterday evening and this morning on cold drinks (had to have cans last night, the fridges were stripped bare, luckily when I went round today 3 young men were busily unloading the van - all the packs of drinks were stacked down the side of the shop in front of the fridges - and they found what I wanted.

I've done a small 'food' order - mostly drinks because carting them back is too much for me (I'd drunk 3 large bottles of water before I gave in and went to the shop) but a selection of cheeses to take when I visit my grand-daughter - I asked DS2 what his Beloved liked to eat as she'll be ravenous if she's breast-feeding and needs stuff she can grab with one hand). I'm going to put a couple of bottles of water in the freezer to keep everything cool whilst travelling.

firsview

Evening Turtles. It has been a bit of a mad day today. DS1 came back from Canada with his GF. Got stuck at Gatwick whilst trying to buy train tickets as her card was declined as her bank hadn’t put a marker on it so she could use it over here and DS1’s card had expired whilst he was over there and the new one is on his desk at home. Eventually realised our local train company took PayPal, so disaster averted and I didn’t have to drive to Gatwick. I embarrassed myself by crying when I went to meet him, I never cry so I was a bit surprised!
Made a birthday cake for one of my customers daughters which went a bit wrong when the mirror glaze turned out to not be mirror glaze. They were very nice about it and didn’t mind!
In other news, naughty kitten caught a baby seagull which was taken off him by one of the foxes who live behind our garden. Naughty kitten then chased the fox to try to get it back, it was hilarious.
Today I am grateful for DS1 being home safely, GF being surprisingly practical and offering to mend DS2’s bicycle and build my raised beds and it being slightly cooler today 

BadBookkeeper

Evening turtles,

- No unintended spends today
- No fuel used/wasted and hardly been on my phone today so no time wasted.
- Healthy day food wise and had no alcohol so that’s 5/31.  Work still stressy but got through a lot today.
- My parents made me smile today for giving me spending money for the school holidays it will really help me out.
- Budgets are ok.  I now have wriggle room as I have 1 day off a week and plan to take ds out for the day.  I’d budgeted money for this but now I can use this elsewhere but for now it will stay where it is and if not needed I’ll pay it off my cc debt.
- DH needed to pay for a new window for our house & new locks we had so I paid it on my cash back card and he transferred the money straight to it.
NSD now 6/16
Decluttered some old outdoor toys too faded to sell or donate so had to bin. 13/31.

I’m not very good at dreaming big tbh but will think about 3 months / 1 year / 5 years…..

Thrifty_Taylor

Glad you're all having a good day & spending time with your favourite people.

NSD#8
Woke at a decent time, then shortened the sleeves on a blazer. Put on my winter coat & took the 2 big bags of altered clothes to town to drop them off, then collected the ones to be done (6 things, 2 of which need doing before Friday!). Gave mum a lift home from work, ate my packed much, then headed to see a friend. After tea it had dried up a bit but still extremely windy, so I cut the grass. It was a lot easier this time, so even forced the mower through the longer grass between the raised veg beds! Finished just as the heavens opened. Did a bit of crochet & watched TV.

Grateful for continuous work, tidier grass & seeing my friend

ldee2111

@badbookkeeper well done on sticking to your budget on your family day out - it’s difficult for kids to resist those bright and enticing amusement machines! Or those bloomin’ VR rides! I do love a game of pool though. 🙂

Woke at 4am this morning. Chatty mind going over issues that I shouldn’t think about this early in the day! I also had to stop my irrational sleepy self from getting out of bed last night to start a conversation with OH about my concern for his weight/health. Not a good idea late in the evening. 

Health-wise, I did well again yesterday with eating healthy and I did the short walk to and from Mum’s for lunch (I took my own leftovers). I’ve not had my usual afternoon and onwards sluggishness the last few days. Still not eaten bread and am trying to eat more fresh food. 

Gratitudes

I’m so grateful to still be mostly WfH. I do as much work at home as I would at the office but WfH has made it possible for me to have more of my personal life. My mornings are calmer since I don’t need to rush to get ready and catch a train, I have more precious time with those I love (DS, OH, Mum), I don’t have the stress of the daily commute, I don’t have the cost of the daily commute(!), I can have lunch with my family (quite often Mum), I can do wee jobs around the house - hang out the washing(!), I can close my laptop at the end of the day and walk into my kitchen to start dinner prep, I can meet a friend after work (as I did yesterday) and not feel too exhausted for it, I can go for walks in the nearby woods or nip to the shop for milk, I can sit in the garden (when it’s dry and warm enough!) and do planning, writing or even just have quiet time to think instead of listening to the constant noise of a city. I hope I can continue mostly WfH… I don’t want to go back to the way it was. 

Have a good day turtles xx

grandmanerd

Couldn't report last night as I left the bag with my laptop, book and food downstairs (brought 2 other bags upstairs just not the one that was dizzy from going back and forth). Read a different book (the ones I've read can go back to the library if I'm up to it because all the orange madness - think the Netherlands fans vastly outnumbered the Portugal ones - went off to the stadium at 5.30 pm yesterday followed by hours of the workmen dismantling everything and stacking it in my corner of the car park.

Staying up here to tackle the paperwork mountain for now.

Doing very badly on budgets and food choices so need to get that under control but I have a few things to eat today and tomorrow and will think hard about what needs to happen next - less I think, some food seems to spoil before I can get it in the fridge. Will work on a meal plan involving using up the tinned goods (and make another donation to the food bank but that will be Monday - can't do another trip to today's location). Need to wrap up presents for the baby (cheese and oatcakes for the baby feeder can go in a little jute bag with an elephant on). Think as much as possible need to be delivered to the house so need to think ahead on diy projects etc. 

Except toilet rolls. I'd put the last 12 pack into the bathroom this week so added a 24 pack to my food order. DS3 has also ordered some and then (when I was trying to make space for completed record box no 1) I discovered that the huge parcel behind my couch (sure DS3 told me they were 2 more huge plushies) is their 'back up' toilet roll supply. Well it's made it as far as the landing now - there's not room behind the bathroom door.

Things to make me smile/ be grateful - my friend the robin, making progress, enough toilet rolls, parts of the garden being how I want them, good books and easy read frivolous ones too, having clean clothes and bedding, more light and space in the kitchen.

wishus

NSD8 was yesterday. Think today will be 9.

Yesterday was bin day and, poor refuse collectors, when I went to take my food bin back it had some wrigglers in the bottom. I don't waste food, I compost peelings, but the cat is a bit different. Had the genius idea of boxing his waste food into an old takeaway tub, and that can go in the freezer before it makes its way to the anaerobic digester of a Wednesday.
I have also used said boxes to leave him water in various locations round the house while it's this hot!

Hopefully he will be sensible and avoid the tent I'm airing on the lawn. We need to dry, clean and waterproof it.

Second bootcamp tonight, wish me luck!

BadBookkeeper

Well what a day!

DH has a very stressful job and has decided he just can’t do it much longer!  So we’re trying to think of alternative employment.  I personally think he’s being pushed out but he doesn’t want the stress to fight it!

I went to do the grocery shopping first to @ldi & then to t€sco.  Just before check out I realised I’d lost my phone with my bank card in.  I must have looked deranged going through my bags (I’d used the scan and pack) and repacking them, trailing around the store searching for it.  In the end, customer services let me use their phone to phone DH who had to come & pay.  Then my clever DS remembered i set up tracking on our phones for when he plays out.  So using his phone I could make my phone play a shrill beep even though it was on silent.  We could see it was still in store on his app.  DH heard it in the frozen aisle in a freezer!! Thank goodness we found it and my cards, it made me realise how much of my life is organised by my phone!!!!

- I did have a few unintended spends so my grocery budget it out.  I also bought trainer socks for me & DS not budgeted for but realised they were needed.  No fuel wasted today just essential journeys. 

- Wasted a lot of time looking for phone tonight. I think I could have got socks cheaper in primari but would mean travelling so balanced out the savings by what it would cost in fuel.  If I was more organised I would have bought them a few weeks ago when I was there.

- Identified that losing my phone would cause me a big stress especially as I use it for verification codes.  This has made me think I need a plan in case I do lose it.  A notebook with all my info perhaps?  Will have a think about this - any ideas?  No alcohol today so that’s 6/31.  Healthyish day. 

- Finding my phone made me smile today!!!

- My grocery budget will need looking at.  It’s a 5 week shopping day month in August so I ideally need a bit left over from this month.

- Some Top£back was available today so I have withdrawn it & will allocate it into grocery pot.

- We are away this weekend hence a few extra items in the trolley this week.  Needed a few of the more expensive items too.  Didn’t realise how expensive the milkshake powder was until I checked my receipt I’ve either been buying it on offer previously or a smaller tub.
Every penny hasn’t been thought about so need to do that more.

- Dropped off a bag of shopping for a friend with Covid I’d also bought a small cake as a get well soon gift cheaper than flowers that might irritate a cough too.

- Currently using up a spray deodorant I’m not keen on the smell but it does work better than my usual one.

- Not an NSD as I did the grocery shop with extras! So still 6/16

- Nothing decluttered although now schools finished tomorrow we’ll be having a sort out. So still 13/31

Thanks for letting me ramble. 

Toni'sfriend

Morning everyone

Sorry, I didn't manage to check in yesterday.

So, this week I've lost another two and a half pounds and I'm now under my pre-pandemic weight so it feels like I'm beginning to lose real weight if that makes sense. Also walked just over 22 miles this week so that must be helping in lots of ways.

Really been shocking at NSD because I've been buying fruit and salad just about every day but it's mostly YS so it's not broken the budget. I did buy a birthday gift for my cousin's grandson yesterday. His birthday isn't till October but there was sixty percent off it and it's perfect for him.

It's dull and drizzly here but I'm going out for some exercise anyway.

Have a good day.