Prosperous & Creative Soul & MFW Year 3

Watty1

Not a hoovering fan but I will join @WelshmansDaughter and say that my Henry has outlasted a irobot cleaner and 2 x Dysons. Henry has for a while lived in the barn and was used there by the ex until returning to the house and a  Dyson went to the barn after I had a meltdown with the Dyson. Henry might be heavy but he does the job very well with no fuss.  I'm also a fan of a broom with rubber bristles and dustpan and brush and use these downstairs in preference to getting a hoover out simply because I hate hoovering.   Downstairs is mostly tiled, with a very large rug in the living area and carpet tiles in the office, all of which clean well with enough with a broom to avoid getting Henry out but when Henry does come out he does the job, no fuss, no need to clean and the bag is easy to change and cheap to buy. 

badmemory

Well I can say without fear of contradiction that I am not a fan of vacuuming.  A few months ago I bought the current one.  I have discovered that I really do not like either emptying bags or replacing them.  So that made the Dyson a winner.  Then I found my back didn't like the ones where the weight is on the floor, so I got the current one where the weight is in your hand & it suits me (& my back) much better.  

I must say though that the hoover, which was mothers before she replaced it, lasted the longest & only gave up after travelling south 200 miles for a few years then east 150 miles for a few years then back north 200 miles before it gave up & only because it went in storage with a load of rubbish in it & jammed it all up.  Who knew a vacuum cleaner could lead such an interesting life.

Over 50 years in the life of vacuum cleaners!!

SandyShores

I had to check a moment ago to see if I had accidentally clicked on a vacuum cleaner thread .  Sorry savingholmes.  Henry's are most definitely the best value and they seem to be virtually indestructible.  But for me the Shark wins for manoeuvrability and handling.  I love the small clear dust collector - it does fill up more quickly and if I do the whole house I probably empty it before I head upstairs.  But that's probably because the suction is so strong, and its easy to empty and I prefer not to cart all that dust around with me.  I bought the corded one as it has a 10m cord and I can do my whole house if I plug in at the bottom of the stairs.  I don't think they are the strongest - some of the plastic a bit flimsy if you ask me but I love being able to wash the filters out rather than have paper bags.  That's me done on vaccums

TallGirl

Good luck with getting back into work pleased that your employer has listened and you have a plan. 

As for the vacuum cleaner I was always a D*son fan then we moved to a large property so got a refurb Henry with a really strong motor which was great until we moved to a 1 bed and it was just heavy and annoying. When we got a cleaner she refused to use it and we got a Sh**rk which she is the only one that uses so I cannot really comment but it seems nice a light and takes up a lot less space. 

savingholmes

Thanks everyone.

My shark is being delivered at teatime. I suppose the handyman having to keep repairing it was a sign it was past its best. My cleaner has been fixing it for years... - new cleaner sadly lacks that skill. But the hourly cost of the repairs probably added up without me noticing. Paid another handyman bill today. It is painful. I have to remind myself - that I not only lack his skills (and patience and dexterity and sometime brute strength for what he's doing) but I also lack the tools and it would be costly to have to invest in them. Hopefully these are all set up costs and won't be needed later.

I was given a load of free canvases on Saturday which made me very happy. Took it very easy yesterday. Lots to be thankful for. Moved the compost from the car to the other side of the gate. Baby steps.

Today I did my first two hours back at work. Mainly setting my computer back up, doing endless updates and working through my emails. I have loads left and it is quite amusing that lots of people didn't seem to realise I was off. Data protection trumped practicality. I didn't set an out of office as I was too ill but thought someone else would have done. My head was completely mashed after that - so I was pleased that it was just 2 hours today. Tomorrow will be worse as I'm on a video call but I've been told I can have my camera off and just listen. Will see if it works out like that in practice. In theory it is 2 hours but usually over runs. Being part of that will help me update the report I need to write. The true deadline for the latter is a week tomorrow - so that was slightly better than I expected and should give me room to get it pre-approved before it is submitted.

I've chased the details of a possible local art course. Will see if they come back to me.

I still need to do something about the vet and fleas - but I think @merlinsbeard said I shouldn't reapply a treatment too quickly after the last lot so perhaps should wait another week or two?? In which case there is no point doing anything about that yet. 

I am spending too much currently and need to find a way of making myself stop more often. The novelty of having so much in savings keeps calling to me. I'm feeling very guilty over the trainers I ordered - although I may not keep them all. Need to cut back on the plant buying and garden spends too. To help with that yesterday I did a little plan of my garden and wrote a plant list of the plants I already have. It was quite extensive.

TallGirl

Sounds like the handyman is worth the money sometimes it is just more expensive to buy all the materials and the tools and then what if the jobs isn't any good and you have to start again. Once you find the right person it is worth it just make sure you are ready to make decisions so things do not have to be done twice. 

Fleas are a pain the Indorex we sprayed on Saturday seems to have done the trick we did also redose the cats after only 3 weeks but we were a bit desperate. I wonder if the fleas have become resistant I have had that happen before and the vet had to change product. Such a pain having to wash everything but worth it to get rid of the critters. 

Sounds sensible to hang back on plat buying if we get a hot summer there will be a lot of watering to do both of pots and new plants which is also quite time consuming. Buying bareroot is a lot cheaper for bigger plants so maybe hang on and see what can be gotten in the autumn. 

Glad your work was ok ups to the out of office!

jwil

Well done for making it through the first day back.

SandyShores

When I was chatting with the vet last summer she told me that the fleas don't die until they hop onto the cat and have a nibble.  And I do know that they can live in the carpet for around 3 months.  I try and vac every other day - emptying the container outside and I use the carpet spray at least once a year - I think it must be due about now with the warmer weather coming.  I have used flea powder before and then combed the dead ones out with a flea comb - I think Beaphr do one suitable for that.  Hope the vet can help, it must be such a nuisance for you both.

Humdinger1

Loving your paintings @savingholmes...you are a latter-day Gaugin but better.  Genius! Please take your phased return gently; work plainly values you to be treating you like this.  Love Humdinger xx 

lucielle

Remember slow and steady!  

L