NST January 2024: This is Sparta!

Flying_By

@Toni'sfriend so glad you've had a pretty good day and had a positive conversation with the surgeon.
Enjoy your take-away!  xx

DawnW

Great news @Toni'sfriend. Enjoy your takeaway.

We also had a takeaway, which we hardly ever bother with. My brother had an appointment at the hospital for 4pm, didn't get home till nearly 7, and couldn't be bothered to cook. I must be more organised next week, as he has 3 appointments, which I will need to take him to - or rather OH will do the Friday one, as I am working.

Dog got a haircut, which was cost neutral, as OH had made her some spoons (the groomer's family attend re-enactment events, and wanted wooden spoons to eat with). She loved the wooden spoons with hearts on the handles)

I am changing things round indoors, to the consternation of OH and the dog - or at least OH is getting used to the idea now   A new to us leather sofa arrived today and a small, uncomfortable fabric one left the house. It may have been uncomfortable for humans, but it was the dog's favourite. He hasn't been up on the new one yet, but may do when I sit on it later. I have another new to us sofa arriving on Thursday hopefully, and OH will be taking down some space hogging internal bifold doors between the sitting room and dining room. Hoping to freecycle these, to avoid the tip. They are quite nice, with pretty etched glass panels, so hopefully they will find a new home. But we never close them, they collect dust and the smallest GC fiddles with them constantly and I worry about his fingers, as well as it being irritating.

Not a NSD due to hospital parking (and the takeaway of course, though the money we got for the old sofa more than covered that) though my brother bought the coffees at the hospital, which was a nice surprise. I have completely lost track in any case.

Flying_By

Got up early this morning and pulled on some old clothes, feeling in the mood to sort some of the piles of stuff that seem to accumulate overnight on the flat surfaces downstairs.  I had brought a huge pile of paperwork down from the loft last week and managed to shred most of it, apart from a few items that need to be re-filed just in case - mainly instruction manuals and warranties for this and that. I have become quite neglectful of the house over the past couple of years, it still needs a fair bit of work doing to it and sometimes I feel there's no point.  However I am determined to do the little things first and work up to the bigger, more expensive stuff gradually.
One bit of excitement today - my new ironing board from the Big South American River Shop (an Ex-mas present from me to me) arrived this morning.  As I opened the front door to take it in, so I heard the scrap metal lads on the next street so dashed out with my old one which they seemed very happy to take. 

Today's Gratitudes:

Having a no-pressure kind of day for once!

No medical appointment for DD2 today, and arranging with my brother to visit our Step-mum in hospital tomorrow.
We went to see her with DD3 on Sunday afternoon and were surprised and pleased to see her dressed in her own clothes and sitting on a chair, wide-awake for the first time in over a month.  The nurse who was looking after her was delightful too. S-m seemed much brighter than previous times we had visited her and was even cracking jokes which was lovely!  

This morning the local song birds woke me with a quiet-ish but rather nice dawn chorus, so delightful to hear them.

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for a phone call from CAMHS, for pip getting better(stinking cold), for doing some crafting, for the neighbour bodging the broken fence together as an interim measure, for dh enjoying himself whilst out and about.

Thrifty_Taylor

So pleased you've got a plan of action @Toni'sfriend, especially as they're encouraging you to have a little trip somewhere. You & DH deserve it!

NSD#16

Made myself do yoga, a quick catch up on my phone, then cooked a pasta meal to take to work for the next 3 days dinners. Work was better & I wasn't as shouty! 🤣 Noticed yesterday's post had been corrected to short! not shouty 😂 had a good catch up with the school secretary & she showed me a photo of her new grandson 

Sorted business incomings/outgoings when I got home, & finally input receipts for the last 2 weeks of our spends. Changed the bed, did Norwegian, then played on my phone.

Had planned what I was sewing tonight, then reminded myself I'm supposed to be having Tues nights off, so did 2 rows of knitting. Nearly ready to join in the dark red for the toadstool tops 😃

Grateful for not slipping on the ice (unlike a teacher, who broke her ankle this morning!), ticking another job off my to do list, time to knit

Starlight_at_Sea

Ouch to broken ankles, that made me wince just reading it!

Yay to bartering spoons for grooming sessions! 

Such wonderful news @Toni'sfriend and you and @DawnW are very deserving of a takeout! We save most of the time so we can make life easier on tough days. 

I am up in the big smoke just now. Work have paid for me to come as I have a day of meetings 2mrw, train strikes etc meant coming up a day early. I'm taking the opportunity to stay with a good friend and have loved catching up with her. Tonight we went to a parents and alumni reception event for DD's university - smoozing to raise investment in their college fund...I fear I was not really their target audience but enjoyed finding out a bit more about their activities and the donation inputs were not pushy. Some very nice champagne and canapes and a chance to nose around a 5* hotel.  Was lovely to meet some other parents in the same position as me. Because of COVID this is the first time we've got to one of these and she graduates next year!  This reminds me that I do have a large amount to transfer to her for my share of her costs this term. We are luckily to be heavily subsidised by a scholarship but it's still a chunk to find twice a year, we split it three ways - she contributes, I do and her dad does. When she was younger my ex didn't always pay maintenance, and I used to really worry that I wasn't able to save anything towards a uni fund. So we have been very fortunate to end up in this position as I don't think we could have afforded to support her at a uk uni. 

Some positive moneysaving news today... I got my first arb&b booking for the flat Having done this for about 10 years in my previous house I have a good handle on what's involved & am relieved to get going on this as things are pretty tight just now.  The person booking sounds great from the messages too. 

weenancyinAmerica

So far 19 NSD - mainly because no money to spend on anything. Today took roommate to dentist - and managed to read most of a book while waiting for him. Then home to find that roommate Di's transportation was late. Finally got that straightened out. Finished the book. And worked on the computer. Tomorrow I am having an Endoscopy - and I kept thinking there was something wrong with the instructions from my doctor. Tried calling before we went to the dentist and then finally got through this afternoon. Endoscopy Center said nothing to eat or drink after midnight tonight - but the medicine the doctor had me pick up was to be used with about 40 oz. of water tomorrow. Reached a person after working my way through several stages of buttons - and yes they had prescribed the wrong medication for me. If I had used it, they would have had to cancel the Endoscopy! I'm not too sure about them tomorrow. Will have to keep me eyes crossed that the doctor is better than the office staff! 

@Toni'sfriend -  sounds better, not perfect but better. Wishing you all the luck in the world. Will keep my eyes crossed for you as well as the fingers.   

wishus

Flying_By said:

@wishus  many thanks for the Fitbit info.  I'll do a bit of research and see what would suit my needs.  
What rotten luck on the car-parking ticket, I hope you won't receive the dreaded "letter"!

Good news!

I faced my fears and looked at the shopping centre website.

Those flipping signs. One, they were up early, the parking limit is not enforced until next weekend.

Two, you can extend a visit by calling a number, visiting customer services or finding security. 

A lot of angry people asking what the point is, they must just be hoping to catch the unaware out.  Some people pointing out that the same scheme elsewhere is a bit rubbish at recognising exits and returns. People saying they will just go elsewhere for the big shop now as they don't think they can fit groceries and coffee in three hours let alone lunch, gym, cinema, or a general mooch. 

I mentioned it to OH and he said he thought most people were not like us, they whizz in and out of supermarkets in under an hour for the big shop, easy. Bearing in mind, we go in with a plan and a list and don't even go down the snack aisles. I don't know about that, he he! 

We did cinema, lunch and a big shop in 4 hours. We get free cinema, which is fab. Saw The Boy and the Heron. 


Well, my fellow Spartans. We have done it! Month end. Not a drop of alcohol drunk for me. Scores on the doors:

January Grocery Challenge: £201.27/170

NSDs: 14/15

Decluttering 101/2024 

(31/01/24)

So, I'm a little off target, but I'll take the wins. On to February! See you there!

Toni'sfriend

Thank for all your good wishes.

Beannie - I think it will probably be sometime in March. Surgeon is off on holiday. On the positive side the tumour is rare and slow growing so there is no great urgency and obviously priority must be given to those whose condition in more aggressive or advanced. Also it's going to give me more time to get going with the physio and generally tackle getting a bit healthier before surgery.

Another appointment today. Not quite sure what this one is all about. xxx

grandmanerd

Thanks for January apple. Apologies to all, I have not been very present. I clocked in but couldn't remember who to congratulate and who to hug, it's only in the last few days that my brain has started to clear. So I have a huge list of things to tackle, masses of enthusiasm but  a body that creaks and clacks and comes to a halt very soon.

My proudest achievement for yesterday was cleaning the bathroom sink, adjacent worktop and the back of the toilet (booster toilet seat so there's a gap of 5") and only grim determination kept me standing up long enough - well leaning with one forearm resting on the sink actually. 

My proudest achievement for the month was finally ticking off all the  outstanding health appointments and for them being cautiously positive. Lost track of my spend days but there were far too many but have done better with getting things done, catching up with washing and washing up, tackling a long overdue letter and the tax return.

That was a saga. I located the old accounts book and my address/ passwords book but couldn't find my UTR (Unique taxpayer reference) - it,s about 5 or 6 years since they told me I didn't need to file anymore. I found the expanding file that I thought had all  my stuff but it was mainly health and PIP paperwork (did throw 2 last year's holiday brochures).  The file broke so keeps making extra mess. Proving who I was and retrieving my information took 3 visits to my email, referring to my passport, then getting a code sent to my phone just to get through the government gateway. I accessed the self-assessment page and thought I was going to have to do it all again before it recognised me. Then it told me they had no record of me working last year, so I had no tax liability and did not need to submit a return. I thought having income from property made it mandatory but after 3 attempts (I would not have paid tax) I gave in.

I also celebrated my birthday and reached retirement after clawing my way through various obstacles in the past 20 years. I'm going to check in a bit that a large sum of money went into my account yesterday (large for someone accustomed to abject poverty, that is)

Grateful for reaching retirement, the NHS  and all its workers and for this thread and all you lovely turtles.