Moving on

Cherryfudge

WelshmansDaughter said:

Sounds like it would be a nice to have rather than a need to have for you. 

Just so. If I had learned years ago I'd not think twice about it, in terms of whether I could do it, but I might have reservations about cost and environmental impact. As it is, much of my life is pedestrian and I like it that way!

Justcrackingonwithit said:

Driving is a funny thing isn't it, I've got a friend who happily drives on the motorway but hates driving anywhere she's not been before on "ordinary" roads.  

I think I might be a natural motorway driver, though only because in the says when I was learning, I was driving with DH between our parents' houses and there was a dual carriageway. I remember checking my mirrors and changing lanes and being pleased with myself while poor DH, who hadn't seen me check the mirrors, was having kittens! Handling a car was okay, it was town driving that freaked me out and DH made the mistake of letting me know when we moved here that the town (then) had the greatest number of cars per head of population in England, or something like that, and commenting on the number of traffic lights in town. Motorways look straightforward in comparison!

Cherryfudge

Well, the presents got wrapped, the crafts didn't get a look in. We went into town late in the afternoon and DH bought himself a Fitbit equivalent so he will get a reading when he has a tachycardic episode. He's had rather a busy day and crashed out without even charging it, or trying on the trousers he ordered in the sale.

I went to collect the two parcels that were due to arrive via a shop, but only one of them was there so I don't get my Christmas tee shirt to wear to the family do tomorrow, but I do have the two little gifts I'd ordered and those are added to the appropriate stockings which is very handy as it helped even out totals. Later on the belated books for DGD arrived at home but I'm not so pleased with those. Will see how I feel tomorrow before deciding whether to give them to her.

As I went in the supermarket to pick up the parcel, I bumped into a former colleague's husband who works there and he tipped me off there were big gammon joints at half price. Needless to say I came home with not only one of those but also various discounted items, notably chicken fillets, panetonne, fruit and a ready meal, some of which are now frozen. On the way back I called into M&S in the hope of delicious bargains but only got bread (still - 44p for an M&S loaf is good). Despite bringing a bag, I had to buy two carriers - decluttering/MS fail. Then I remembered to check L!dl as I wanted some lime and mint cordial they were doing over Christmas and some soda. Of course I then had too much to carry so I rang DH for a lift - what was that I was saying about driving?

The evening has been a mixed bag. One broken glass and one mouse. We haven't seen the mouse but it had got into the kitchen bin so there's been a lot of cleaning to do and the humane trap is baited. Then when I'd sorted that, I found more bits of glass.

The only stocking not to be done is the dog's! At least, as DH says, she won't know. Ironically, I had all her stuff before the human stuff, but I've no idea where it's gone. While searching I found the toy doughnut I got her, but none of the dog treats, so I owe her. I also found there's a patch of mould above our wardrobe, so between that, the mouse and a general need to dust, the place feels less than ideal.

Expenditure:
Gifts £3.41
Housekeeping £18.25
DH's fitness monitor - no idea.

Cherryfudge

P.S. I remembered to cancel Pr!me! Just in time as it would renew today. I've also renewed my library books online (new skill, provided I remember it another time) and they aren't charging me the overdues as the library is shut.

Cherryfudge

I'm a bit tired today: no wonder when I was up till silly o'clock last night.

DH actually saw the mouse this morning, so it's neither gone away nor fallen for the trap, which we will leave out and keep checking.

Having said I'd wrapped all presents, I found some stocking-type ones left over from last year. I can add a few to this year's stockings but not all. I've said to DH that I'm thinking of stopping the stocking presents as both of us are stressing and no one has actually said they want or even look forward to them! Reflecting on what H was saying the other day, about Christmas being 'for the children' (a feeling I've never had), and that she can buy things she really wants for herself, I realised I'm still treating my adult children as children in a way. As adults, they simply aren't as inclined to get wildly excited over opening something! Also, they can all afford to buy for themselves nowadays, and probably do.

Then, ironically, it occurred to me that the missing stocking fillers for the dog (J and L's 'baby', though they are now having an actual baby from this year) could be in a box where I'd left some extra make-weight gifts last year. When I opened it, the dog treats weren't there but there was more in the way of gifts than I remembered. What to do with those if there are no further stockings? Some could be donated, but there are mini bottles of gin bought for J before she was pregnant. I can't find a sell by date either: it could be hidden in the box which I don't want to spoil.

A further complication: when I was sorting out receipts last night, I realised I've not been charged for the meat! I didn't spot it at the time (juggling a parcel and shopping and getting a carrier bag), and the person on the till said something about 'never mind about that' which I thought meant they were gifting me the bag... nice but several pounds' worth of meat is another matter! I remember registering I'd spent about £18, so at some point I've processed that, but the meat isn't on the receipt and the total is £12 not £18. I can't just leave it as it wasn't the person's to give, and if they paid for it themselves, I don't want to accept that either. It's a lot for someone to give when they have a lot of mouths to feed (I know the family). If I simply go back into the shop with a photo of the barcode and say 'I noticed this hadn't scanned so I can I pay for it now?', will it get the assistant in trouble? 

And now - I still have my Secret Santa to wrap, so I'd best be on my way.

Laura_Elsewhere

If the trap keeps failing to catch the mouse, it may be worth washing it and rinsing it especially well so it doesn't smell of detergent, and avoid handling it with bare hands afterwards as they can detect people-smell very easily. What do you use for bait? milk chocolate works well, although again, use a clean tea-towel for breaking off the bit, etc. And make sure you put the trap down where the mouse runs and not just randomly anywhere tucked away... if you look, you may see dark smudges on skirting-boards showing a regular ropute (the oils rub off its fur) and that's always a good place to put the trap. 
And when you catch it, I'm afraid it's time for a nice looong walk for you and Mousie- if you release it within about three miles (!) then it'll just come home again...!

Cherryfudge

Thanks for those ideas @Laura_Elsewhere, I am fairly sure the mouse can smell my hands on the trap. At present it's got a bit of cereal and dried fruit (trying to get it eating healthily) but I don't think the trap was far enough into its hidey hole so it wasn't tempted. Trying again tonight.

Cherryfudge

We had a really nice time with the family at D and E's. First we opened the stockings, then had a buffet Christmas dinner, then we opened our secret Santas, apart from DGD1 who couldn't understand that if she opened everything at once, she'd have none left to open later. The rest of us take it in turns which I instituted when the children were tiny as I love watching their reactions. Their partners have fallen in with the tradition so it takes a while for us to get through everything.

I didn't have any big 'wants' on my list so my Secret Santa (possibly DS2?) got me vouchers, flowers, bath bombs, chocolate and bird food! (Yes, bird food was on my list! It can get quite expensive). I'm tired now but it was worth it. DH says the effort of the presents was worth it, so I guess we aren't stopping after this year. NY Resolution - do the prep for Christmas earlier?

Nothing spent today, loads of photos taken though. I think tomorrow's jobs will be to do with tidying the room where I gathered the presents, tidying elsewhere too and writing resolutions.

Cherryfudge

DH is back at work today but then has a couple of days off. I'm semi-succeeding in getting a few things accomplished. The second load of washing is done: it's dry and breezy so I have hopes of it getting mostly dry on the line. There are quite a lot of separate things to do by hand and I started by soaking a top in warm water to check if the colour ran (it did). Then the sink plug, which is one of those you depress and it springs up, got stuck and I've bent some scissors getting it working. I'm not sure how the spring mechanism works so if I can find out, I'll have a go at making it right.

Bins were collected this morning so I've fetched ours back from the end of the road. Unfortunately we still have the mouse, as it's nibbled a bit from an ornament and the kitchen bin bag, so I've put the trap close to the bin where we caught one before. Then the nibbled ornament and the nibbled bag can go in the outside bin and we start all over again.

I've also retrieved the compost bin from the back lane: it had blown along in a storm so I've weighted it down with stones that were stacked under a tree. I suspect these came from someone's rockery but they are in 'our' bit of lane so I reckon I'm not depriving anyone. I also noticed that a tree adjacent to the lane has split and half is lying across the fence. It's in a no-mans' land that used to belong to the Prison Service but was developed for housing a while ago and the tree is alongside a small access area for bins. The neighbour over whose garden the upper branches had fallen has taken a chain saw to the overhanging bits but the rest is bending the fence and once the fence goes, will fall in the lane. I might see if we could take a chain saw to it, the difficulties being that we don't have a chain saw and the one we were looking at buying is too small for the job. If we can borrow a larger one it would still need some thought as it could fall and do real damage. However, once logged and dried, we could get a few fires out of it.

I finished the parsnip soup for lunch, and had the last of the first box of mince pies, so now I need to plan dinner, using as many of the Christmas veg as possible. I might go for @Greying_Pilgrim (I think)'s Moroccan swede and lentil slow cooker stew.

Sun_Addict

I like the sound of that soup so thanks for the link.  I might make it to use up some of my veg.  I like the way the recipe gives you lots of alternatives. I’d make it in my soup maker though, they don’t mention one but I’ve made similar soups in it before so know it would work. 

Seasidegal58

I found that the mouse (or baby rat - I was never sure!) that decided to move in with me some months ago was very partial to the peanut butter that I smeared in the trap!