Moving on

Cherryfudge

We have Mr T, Sains, Sparks, Asd* and L1dl. Also some small Co-ops and a B&M. I used to do nicely out of Sparks when DD worked there and got a discount: we got lovely food for about the price of Mr T. I keep hoping Ald! will come to us. Perhaps eventually.

I've decided it's spring. The weather has been lovely and both lots of washing dried outside. I even ironed it but I haven't put it away yet: I thought I'd let it air overnight. Tomorrow is forecast to be stormy again.

I've just finished writing out the story for tomorrow. Our printer has died on us: DH had a look but thinks some plastic components have just worn out. I suppose we've had it years. We noticed one for sale in town that's much more expensive but the ink is cheaper as you refill tanks rather than buying cartridges. I need to do some research as we do use it fairly often, though if I were organised in advance, I could get things copied at the library.

I let DH have first wind of the grandfather clock tis evening and he was delighted! It's driven by a weight on a chain loop, and the chain has to be pulled down about once a day to raise the weight, which descends slowly as it drives the clock. I've never heard the chain sound so smooth as it does now.

Talking of things driven by chains, DH got the new chain saw assembled but has decided to leave trying it out till he's over his infection so he won't be shaky. Phew. Then I noticed the new bathroom blind, which we've only had up for a week, has two chips from when it fell down, and later I managed to dislodge the blind in the spare room which also fell down. Why aren't blinds straightforward?

Bed time now.

rtandon27

When our ancient printer died, we got one with the tanks.  We don't use it often enough, so often have to clean it, using up ink.  I'm sure if it got used more than once a month, it would be worthwhile as it prints really nicely.  The only issue I have with it is that the only way to turn off standby mode is by switching it off at the wall.

(It also won't talk to my work computer, but that's a work issue not a printer issue, as my work phone connects without a problem!)

Cherryfudge

That's a good point @rtandon27 - I think we average out at more than once a month but there might be periods when we don't use it over the summer or something. I'm okay with switching off at the wall as that's my default and the one we've just had always made a fussy start-up noise if left plugged in, whether it was needed or now.

I really hope whatever we get talks to all the things it needs to! It's maddening having to send each other documents to print when we're either side of the same table!

Cherryfudge

Another wet and windy day. I walked down to church this morning while DH stayed in to watch online: he'd woken up feeling worse than yesterday but I got him a Covid test and he's negative so we don't know what it is. He will take the day off tomorrow as he's not fit to work and has spent today reading and watching TV.

The morning with the kids was quite busy but I think it went okay. We had a meeting after about fire procedure, so I didn't get home till gone one. Dinner was gammon from the freezer, which will do at least a couple more meals. I realised I've let some Mr T coupons run out - they had to be used by today - but only one was realistically going to be used so I'll call it money saving.

Other than that, not much done. I mended a sock and did some more of the buttonholes for DH's coat, but it's been too stormy to go out unless needed and DH has been trying to relax.

I need to put in some planning for the coming week. I don't have work till Wednesday but I will have to look after our grand daughters on Tuesday. If he's well enough, DH will give me a lift so planning tomorrow should include all I need for a day with them without having to carry stuff around unduly. I'm hoping DH will be a lot better by Thursday, when I'm helping with the toddler group in the morning and cleaning in the evening, then Friday is church cleaning followed by a session with my mentor for the course, followed by work cleaning - so I have remember to slot in some prep for the mentoring.

Meals: I think cold gammon with baked potatoes and veg tomorrow, possibly and chicken and ham pie on Tuesday (though I don't know if I might be meeting my friends for pizza), and I need to organise something vegetarian and casseroleish after that as we will be eating separately. A big dish of something in the fridge that we can just portion out seems like a good solution.

Expenditure:
Medical £2.

Cherryfudge

There's seems to be a lot of good news around on the Forum today, congratulations to all concerned! @foxandflowers is in her new home and has paid nearly half her debt off, @alt80 had a great weekend, @Keedie has had amazing news, @Watty1's business is going from strength to strength... I'm sure there's someone else too, my head's rather spinning with it all!

Of course, for many there is still a struggle and it's not been a good day, or has just been a humdrum day.

Over here, the gusty wind continued but it's been nice otherwise. Poor DH woke up with a temperature and a bad cough but has gradually improved as the day went on. He even had a burst of energy and began tackling a corner where we are guessing the mice got in. It's hard to test this as we've not seen one since the Saturday before last, but if they return, at present they have a grand super-highway as he's taken that corner right back to the brickwork so he can dryline and put a new skirting board on.

I have a slight cough and not as much energy as I should have, and childcare will fall to me tomorrow so I've excused myself from taking them to the toddler activity. We might make it as far as the garden centre near them, or go out in the garden to play so they get some vitamin D (and so do I). I'll pack lunch, coffee, slippers and goodness knows what else tonight as I have to be there for 8.

Determined to get something done with the day, I finished repairing the buttonholes on DH's coat though I sort of wished I hadn't started as I've put quite a lot of work in, only to discover how bad the lining is. It doesn't look worn at first glance, but under the arms and inside the sleeves, the seams have gone and some bits are shredded. After some research I found a possible solution and bought bias binding and that iron-on stuff that bonds fabric. If I can get it to hold together enough, I can reinforce with stitching and the bias binding is unlikely to split. However, the shop only had the end of a reel and another shop I tried had similar but a course fabric that won't work so well, so I bought what I could of the good stuff and am hoping either it's sufficient or the first shop gets more supplies.

I bought the apples and bread DH wanted and am shocked at the prices! Neither is something I buy often but £1.15 for a small loaf! and £1.49 for three apples! I checked against the bread I used to get, which was 89p for 800g a couple of years ago. It's now £1.10 - less than half the price per 100g than DH's. So I wasn't very happy. Then I went to L1dl where I had a voucher for a free Belgian bun. The white iced ones as shown on the app weren't there but there were some with cinnamon in a slot labelled Belgian bun. Being experienced in the vagaries of shelf edge pricing, I took a photo but I got the cinnamon one anyway - then was charged for it. When I queried this and showed my photo, she said someone had put it in the wrong place. I thought they would probably throw the pastry out if I returned it so I paid anyway but asked her to alert her colleagues that things were in the wrong place. On second thoughts - but I wasn't up to arguing and that cashier is always very pleasant - surely it comes under Trade Description. The cinnamon buns were being described as Belgian so the voucher should have been applied? I feel too depleted by whatever it was that assailed us to argue.

On a more positive note, Mr T has my favourite cappuccinos at £1.50, which is the lowest I've seen them in I-don't-know-how-long. I've celebrated by stocking up. Also positive, as I was leaving a shop I saw they were giving away pots of bulbs that had dried up, so I'm now the hopeful owner of a bundle of white crocus corms, for nothing. If I put them out in the garden I hope they will build up strength and flower next year.

Other than that, I bought more of the salt deodorant: two in fact as the second was half price. There's a saga attached: the first was bought in 2018. I know as it went to Australia with me! There was a tiny bit of the travel-sized one left in my travel bag for ages but I bought a full sized one which lasted literally years. That got down to a stub last year but I stuck the two stubs together and they still haven't run out! However, I dropped them and the broken remains are getting hard to use. Phenomenally good longevity though. I've had one other deodorant in that time and there's still a bit of that left, mostly because it doesn't get used much.

Cherryfudge

That was too long a post, sorry.

Dinner was gammon, veg and onion bhajis (more room in freezer again). Also some Christmas pudding! I overbought... we have just finished the Christmas cake, I'm eating my way through some Lebkuchen (DH doesn't like them) and now pudding. I bought it a year ago and wasn't going to keep it another year.

Spending summary:
Housekeeping £19.02
Clothing £6.10
Toiletries £9.73
Garden - free crocus corms.

Sun_Addict

I wonder if you’re picking up the bugs as you’re around young children at church and then your grandchildren too. When my two were little they were forever bringing various bugs home. Hope you and DH are back to full health soon. 

Cherryfudge

Thank you SA. I'm almost certain the current one was what DGD2 brought home the other week! She had a temperature and I looked after her that afternoon. One of the little ones at church has just had scarlet fever so I'm hoping that's not going the rounds too!

Sun_Addict

I had scarlet fever 3 times as a child. I can still remember how dire it made me feel. You’re supposed to be immune after the first bout but not me apparently 😐

Laura_Elsewhere

Sun_Addict said:

I had scarlet fever 3 times as a child. I can still remember how dire it made me feel. You’re supposed to be immune after the first bout but not me apparently 😐

Gosh, that really is unusual - I am assuming all lab-confirmed? Many things resemble scarlet fever in some ways but I think every case has to be lab-confirmed since about the 1960s, as it’s a Notifiable Illness.

I remember my Scarlet Fever vividly too… really not a good illness!!