Milann’s quest for a new me in 23

milann

I resisted the coat…..they sent me a voucher bringing it down to £140 and I was so tempted but I just can’t afford it this month. It would have gone on my cc, as do all my spends but would have meant I couldn’t have paid it off in full at the end of the month. I could well end up kicking myself but I think I’m finally learning 👍
The last couple of days I have visited ds and pottered around his garden with him. I’ve brought another tub of raspberries home 😁. He’s had his best crop ever this year. Yesterday I pottered around my garden and painted some more railway people and buildings…this is an ongoing task which has taken over my table 😂😂 I also went to aqua and had lunch with my friend at her house. So a nice couple of productive days. My friend gave me a bagful of rhubarb sticks and another rhubarb crown as the local cat saw mine off last year by using the tub as a toilet 😡 
Today I have an appointment and then I’m going to make some rhubarb and ginger jam. So a spend on some jam making sugar.

beanielou

Buy the coat! 

milann

Beanie the voucher has run out - it was only 24 hours - pressure selling at its best 😵‍💫 I don’t really want to go back to paying full price. I’ll have a look around to see what else I can find. If all else fails I will go back to it. I’d really like to see it before spending all that money though….might have to visit one of the salty sea shops…
I went to the appointment which has again resulted in more blood tests and samples to be taken tomorrow. Doc says she is on duty and will follow it up herself on Thursday by which time the results should be back and get back to me if necessary. Hopefully she won’t be giving me a birthday present I don’t want to hear. I had to have a little chuckle as I had a message from the surgery reminding me of the appointment 😏 anyway it said…….’if you are feeling unwell do visit the surgery’ WHY would you be visiting a doctor’s surgery if you weren’t ‘unwell’ in some way 😂😂😂😂😂surely they should have worded it better and mentioned specific symptoms. She did ask why I’d left it so long before visiting- I told her I’d been waiting 4 weeks for a routine appointment as I didn’t class it an emergency 😳 
I came home and made some rhubarb and ginger jam…..I hope it’s set enough but it tastes delicious. I also made a half recipe of raspberry jam but I caught the bottom of the pan - it hasn’t tainted the jam but my pan wasn’t happy and it wasted a fair bit of jam 😏 Anyway I’m still fairly new to jam making so it’s a learning curve and the raspberries and rhubarb were freebies. 

I didn’t think I’d get the pan clean….and thought it was destined for the bin but the lemon skins I’d just put in the bin came out and saved the day 😁👍 I boiled the lemon skins in the pan  for a while and the black burnt bits just came away. The pan is the only one I have left from a wedding pressie 45 years ago and has a copper bottom which has become very tarnished since I had the arm surgery as a lot of things that take arm strength have gone by the wayside and Dh doesn’t see that the base should be copper coloured  but cleans the inside perfectly 😂😂. So I had a flashback to my catering college days and cleaned the copper  base with the lemon and salt. You wouldn’t think it’s was 45 years old it has come up like new 😃 I’m very pleased.
I popped in Mr M as I was passing by - I’ve not been in there for ages since they’ve had a refit. I got the preserving sugar and could smell bacon butties so I had a brunch time  bacon butty and cuppa as I was still getting my head around the list of things the doc mentioned. Shows what an emotional eater I am…..it was £3 so not all was lost and it was very tasty.

beanielou

Positive vibes. 

in_need_of_direction

i absolutely adore rhubarb and ginger jam.  it brings me back to school day summer holidays

milann

I gave up trying to sleep….too many thoughts going through my head. So I came down for a cuppa.
Great nephew is now reluctantly back at school….his parents have had several meetings with the school and there is a big one scheduled next week. They’re not letting it go. He was very pleased with the card and little treat I’d sent.
My brother is now in hospital- he has very poor health and I don’t suppose the stress of the last week or so have helped him. He’s waiting for a cardiologist who will hopefully be with him tomorrow.  He spent virtually 24 hours on a trolley in a corridor…😡 not good at all 😢😡 Im hoping they’ll let him home soon as the hospital is a long way from where they live and his wife doesn’t drive. All these specialist hospitals are a good idea - having all the equipment and specialty skills in one place sort of makes sense until you have to visit a relative or make your way to an out patient appointment. 😳😏

beanielou

Oh no. 

So sorry about your brother. 

Sun_Addict

What an awful experience for your brother at the hospital especially with all that he’s going through at the moment. Wishing him a speedy recovery x 

wildheart83

Have you looked on the Cornwall shop's eB*y store? They offer a good discount and you're still buying from the actual shop. I got mine last winter and it's still perfect

milann

Thanks wildheart - I’ll look into that as I didn’t realise they had an eBay store.
Thanks Beanie and Sun Addict….I’ve messaged my brother this morning and he’s hoping to come home after he’s seen the cardiologist….I’m hoping it’ll just be an adjustment to his meds.
ive been and been suitably stabbed for bloods….looks like they’re testing for everything as the took 4 lots of bloods…..thankfully they managed after 2 stabs and wanted 2 lots of water samples which was no problem as I can supply that on demand 😂😂. Doc said if there’s anything showing up she’ll let me know on Thursday. I had to wait for the initial appointment but once I got there I can’t fault the service.
I did eventually nod off and got about 3 hours sleep. My imagination was playing overtime and I don’t suppose it helped that my sil phoned just before 10  pro tell me about my brother and I was still processing it. You wouldn’t believe the number of times we’ve not expected him to pull through and he’s like a creaky old gate that just keeps on going 😂😂 They queried stroke or heart failure…..looks like it was neither 👍
I paid my cash in full and it was more than I like, but I knew it it’d be a big one as I’ve paid for some expensive memory making things this month. and has taken my bank balance lower than I like. I need to get my buffer zone back up before I go to London in November so I’ll re evaluate the coat I WANT…..NOT NEED in a couple of weeks. I’ve got a couple of adequate waterproof coats which are a tad tight and several years old but perfectly  functional. That said I can’t remember the last time I wore a coat - i just take an umbrella with me 😃
I have my trip to see Dd next week where I want to take her out for a birthday lunch…..just the 2 of us 😃 . These are all wants rather than needs though and I still count myself very lucky to even consider such luxuries as I know there’s a lot of folk really struggling and I’m so much better off than when we had young children, a big mortgage and we were both working every hour we could to make ends meet. It does me good to remember such things 😏 I think I’m very conscious of how easy it would be to get back in debt.
I’m a bit miffed with the company I bought the bulbs off, as the cash went out of my account on 2 nd September and all I’ve received is a £1.20 packet of seeds. They did say the end of September but there’s only 3 days left 😡 I’ll give them until I get back from dds next Thursday and then start pestering them. If I pester them now they might turn up when I’m away. 
Right I’m going for an aqua session and then tidying and making a Thai curry as a surprise for Dh. I have no intention of doing anything remotely related to house work tomorrow….it a rule. No house work on birthdays. We’re heading out on the tram to a new eating place with several outlets in the same place. Hopefully it won’t be too busy as it’s only just opened. There is an art gallery and some shops to mooch around if the weather is rubbish or we can have a walk around the quayside if it’s a nice day before ds finishes work and meets us for something to eat 😃 Can’t believe it’s 5 years since I was 60…..I’ll actually get my pension and bus pass this time next year…..it’s been a long time coming 😡