Moving on

Cherryfudge

I added a free trial of a computer cleaning program this morning - we usually have the free version but this is the enhanced one. The odd thing is, I started the process through the usual way I log in but it said I didn't have administrator rights, so I logged out and back in on the administrator account and set the process off again - and this time it gave me the option of two months free rather than one! I've made a note of when it expires.

I managed to have a further look at the coursework but didn't make a lot of progress, but I also did some laundry and whizzed round with the hoover before lunch, then did an ultra-quick trip to the shops for some strawberries to share with my mentor when she came. Admittedly I also got a free cinnamon bun as I'd spent the requisite £25 at L1dl over the last few weeks.

We had a productive session this afternoon: even though I'd not managed to prepare as much as I'd have liked, I actually felt fairly on top of it this time around.

Work was three hours again - a bit of dragging myself round as it was so hot and the building had clearly been almost empty today so there wasn't a lot to do. I went to the supermarket on the way back: I was proud of myself as for the first time I managed to get cash from the till using my phone. Oh, how grown up I'm getting! Then I bought stuff for the store cupboard.

It's been a proper hot day though the morning was breezy and very pleasant. In the afternoon we reached 28C and now, gone eleven at night, the last of the daylight is just going. J, L and family have driven down to Southampton, with heavy traffic and two toddlers. I really felt for them: don't all parents remember the long journeys and trying to keep the kids entertained! I think it took about eight hours.

Expenditure:
Housekeeping £8.98

Cherryfudge

Another week nearly done, and I've really benefitted from having those two part-days free. As I said to my mentor yesterday, I don't know if that's enough. She reminded me that this course is 'for a time' and finishes in November, so I theoretically get that time back then. However, if I'm not to lose the benefit of the course, I think I would be best channelling a bit of the study time into further study and implementation of what I've learned.

This morning's heat and sunshine have given way to overcast skies and the occasional spot of rain. We went out to the car boot sake and took the hobby car for its weekly spin - while out we saw a really gorgeous post-war Riley parked about two down from us. Truly these older cars seem to like to be seen on sunny days! What we didn't see was many dogs, which is as well as it was absolutely too hot for them. In fact, another local car boot sale has requested 'no dogs' today.

I was tempted by various things but only gave way to books and a plant. One book was mainly for me: photos and commentary on heavy horses. Too beautiful. The other five (!) were ostensibly for the grandchildren, who already have more than will fit in their bookcases, but the older ones just love looking at books and 'reading'. So they will have Noah's Ark in rhyme, George and the Dragon, The Nutcracker and a couple of others. DH bought another painting and I got a plant, Erigeron, for the border. Total car boot spend = £7.50.

This afternoon we got a couple of bags of top soil and some tarmac and DH has patched the next hole in the road along from our house (private road so not Council responsibility). The top soil is to raise the level of the border where the new path is higher than the old one. I bought exciting stuff like a water barrel connector, some cleaning things and bird food. So it's been rather a bitty day but productive.

P.S. I came across this freebie form Gard*ner's W0rld, downloaded but not yet perused.

Cherryfudge

As so often, a lot of what I accomplished today has been in the evening. Overall, I've spent a couple of hours on the garden today and that square metre near the back door is extending slowly. I've done a new patch right by the wall and found ancient bits of plaster, paint, plastic bag and numerous roots. Also a plastic toy dog, a golf tee and evidence of what have probably been two lots of gravel.

When we moved here there was horrible sharp gravel on the paths on that side of the house which I scraped up as best I could and let the grass grow over it. We had toddlers and it wasn't toddler-friendly. I think I'm still finding some of that as well as a brick chip gravel-type stuff that we put down some years ago. Underneath it is a hard layer that feels like the cinders that I think underlaid the original path. I'm being as detailed as I can trying to sort everything rather than bin it all - the paint, plastic and old mortar are binned, though. The two potato bags with rescued soil are doing well as a weed suppressant and the potatoes are flourishing. I found a prize draw on Garden*r's W0rld where the challenge is to transform a square meter of garden, so I measured this and it's about that, but not quite square. The roots of the brambles and ground elder are amazingly dense, and now I'm getting to the edge of the ivy as well. It will be a slow job, but should be much nicer once it's done. I don't think I'll enter the competition, though. It's just a draw, not element of challenge to it.

There's also been the watering to do. We had two peals of thunder about 9.20 this evening, and a sudden shower that barely wetted the ground. I think it's forgotten how to rain.

A bit more spending has happened: a book for my course (£4.99) and a set of garden sieves (£10.80). I decided against the plastic weed suppressant because, well, it's plastic and I've seen what happens when plastic breaks down on soil. I'll have to see if I can beg some oversized boxes from work to make a more environmentally friendly ground cover. Not pretty but I don't want to lose the progress I've made.

The lovely blue geraniums are nearly over so I will soon cut them right back. That gives a few late flowers but also more access to the long border where the ground elder is still very evident despite me pulling out as many leaves as I have time for.

I also had a message from my niece who returns to the UK very soon after growing up abroad. Her parents follow in the autumn but she has the summer to explore and settle in before they come back. It's their house we will be borrowing next weekend, so I need to wrap her 18th birthday present to leave there for her.

Cherryfudge

I meant to say, we heard from two of our adult children and their families: one celebrated the height of summer by going on a cruise. Yesterday they had a very long drive to the starting point but today they send a photo of the children in the pool on deck looking very holiday-ish. The other family got up at 2am and drove to a north eastern beach where they watched the sun come up from the sea. Their photos were quite magical.

Watty1

Great work on the garden, nice family memories too.

Cherryfudge

Rubbish night's sleep last night as DH was too hot so I went to the spare bed but didn't take a blanket with me so I ended up staying awake for ages because it doesn't feel quite right without one. In the end I got one and slept well after that - but by then it was gone three so I really should have planned in advance. Anyway I slept this afternoon to make up for it.

I was a helper with the little ones this morning then DH helped me clear up afterwards. Note to self - get some grown-up sized aprons so we can set a good example to the children when they have water play! At least the floor has been well-mopped!

No gardening done today, due to sleeping, but when I got up I made a sweet potato and lime stew for dinner. There's enough left for a couple more portions.

This evening we had the first real rain in many weeks. It wasn't an absolute deluge but it lasted about an hour and the rainwater butt is full again. The new drainage has coped so far, as had the new gutter DH installed.

I haven't spent anything but DH will have bought milk as he was on the tea and coffee rota at church this morning.

Cherryfudge

This morning I woke up tired but I don't know why. And it was a largely unproductive morning! A couple of messages have been sent and as a result there's a cleaning team rota for July and Wednesday's client has a list she needed. Next week's tea and coffee rota falls to our 'life group' but for some reason I ended up doing some arranging for that... then I got bogged down in trying to log into various things.

It's taken a while but I think all that is resolved: MSE was the really tricky one!

The good news is that the hose I didn't spent £55 on in the shop was available elsewhere for £48 and I was able to use loyalty points to reduce that to £23. I will get loyalty points for using my cc to pay for it, going online via a donations site should net a few pence for charity and I even get another set of loyalty points for using the relevant card. I intend to go an collect it in a few minutes.

Other than that I've to pay the window cleaner (I managed to warn him not to rest the ladder on the soakaway - I had images of it collapsing and tipping him off!), and there's laundry in the wash. It's about as windy as yesterday (very) and not so warm.

Cherryfudge

A little bit of garden progress: I've shifted the potato bags and cut back the brambles and some ground elder that were sprouting behind them.

I bumped into J and baby A on my way into town. She'd had lunch with a colleague. It was nice to stop and chat for a few minutes.

The hose reel was too big to allow me more shopping on the way home. I've not unpacked it, that can be done tomorrow as we both have the day off and no childcare duties.

Work was three hours again, and a quick trip to buy fishfingers and bread on the way home. I just fancied a fish finger sarnie!

Expenditure:
Housekeeping £1.18
Household £6
Garden £23 + 5,000 N*ctar points.

rtandon27

Well done on the use of points to bring the price of that hose down!

Cherryfudge

Being tired on Sunday and difficulties logging on yesterday meant that my plan for the week ahead is on a scrap of paper. Here's the most up to date version:

Monday - work
Tuesday - day off, was supposed to be doing our traditional midsummer walk and fish & chips with the Tuesday group but someone has to work, so it's been postponed.
Wednesday - Wednesday job in the morning, quarterly church meeting in the evening.
Thursday - possibly Toddler club in the morning? No rota as the usual leader is now back from her sabbatical but I think I should maybe go along to show her I'm still involved. She's had so little support till she went off that there was no point having a rota, but now there are several people involved so it will look different.
Friday - off on our weekend away, back Monday.

This morning is very grey with a few spots of rain. I'd like to get compost so I can put a few of the blue geraniums and other plants in pots and try to get the wretched ground elder out of the soil where they were.

DH is now 6 weeks past medication. He was told that at this stage the medication is completely out of his system and he's finding some symptoms are starting to show through. I think he's more worried about how it might develop than uncomfortable at present, but he's rung the clinic and left a message asking for advice.

And I've just had a message from the Toddler group leader so we are going to meet for coffee on Thursday.