Moving on

Cherryfudge

A quiet afternoon! I was up till about one preparing stuff for the kids this morning, but for the first time only one child came! I think a lot are already away. Poor lad, stuck with three adults, and we got through the planned activities quickly. I told the other helpers they could go if they wanted, but they didn't want to interrupt the service by going back in so they watched online and I played football with the little lad!

DN had the option of what to do with the morning so she stayed in the service with DH and he thinks she quite enjoyed it. She's just back from a faith-based creative arts camp so it's not a new experience for her. We also gave her some cash to cover her train fare as she's not yet got a job and we have.

DH had dinner nearly ready so we ate before my niece went to catch her train. It's been good to get to know her a bit better as she's generally with her parents. We were tired by the time we'd dropped her off: I had a snooze for an hour and as it's been raining again, I've spent the rest of the day indoors.

We did the vegan tikka again so there's quite a bit left for weekdays meals: there's also a lot of other food needing to be eaten despite having given DN the gluten-free things we'd bought for her.

The dishwasher has stopped working, or at least has stopped moving through the programmes, so one of us needs to investigate if it can be repaired. We ran the washing machine to check if the problem was in the (shared) water supply, so there's a load of laundry on the airer.

Time to map out the week:
Monday - afternoon: meeting with others from the course for peer support. Later - work
Tuesday - child care
Wednesday - morning: meeting with client at Wednesday job. Afternoon: both of us church cleaning. Later - work.
Thursday - not sure but possibly Toddler group (last of term). Later - work.
Friday - am - cleaning at church if not already done. Afternoon: meeting with mentor. Later - work.
Saturday - no plans, possibly car boot sale.
Sunday - morning: children's session.

Looking at that, there's not a proper slot to prepare for mentoring or for the kids' session on Sunday. This evening I'm doing more planning for the year ahead for the kids' group. I'll fit it in somewhere!

in_need_of_direction

of course you will.  i remain in awe at your levels of organisation and productivity

Cherryfudge

Aw thanks, @in_need_of_direction, I don't feel that way so it's encouraging to hear I give an impression of efficiency!

I ended up sitting up late trying to draw out a chart of the curriculum for the coming year and had to put it down in the end but it meant I didn't sleep too well. Serves me right for allowing myself to feel pressure to complete a task that I'd set but haven't had time to focus on. I knew I wouldn't have time yet, but I still felt it as the tech-genius person on the team asked about it and I'm needing her input, and I know she needs time to do her part.

Anyway... I woke up rather early due to the heat (even though it's actually just pleasant) then dozed till about ten and feel a bit off. I got blueberries out of the freezer to have with my cereal in the hope of suddenly waking my brain up, then I'm going to finish my coffee, get dressed and wander into town for a) some fresh air and b) to see if I can get a replacement diary. I don't remember if I told you that I threw my diary into a tote bag with an orange juice but the lid wasn't on the juice properly? I rinsed the diary off but it has soaked overnight and started to smell bad. Last night when I went to check dates, it had developed a multitude of black spots with occasional forays into colour, so it's not going to be a keeper, but I need to transfer data before I bin it. Thankfully I noticed a shop still selling 2025 diaries for a few pence, so I'll try to find them again. I don't want to lose the dates from earlier in the year so an academic diary isn't quite going to fill the gap.

Cherryfudge

I had expected to push on with computer stuff (the year planner mentioned above and prep for the course) but I let myself have half an hour gardening which is undoubtedly better for me. I've been picking bits of mortar out of the erstwhile flower bed by the new path, and getting rid of dead bits of plants, and I think it looks marginally better. The fresh air and sunshine were undoubtedly better for me than the computer would have been.

I got another load of washing on the line and it dried nicely. The trainers I wore on Saturday went in, too! They will probably take a couple more days to dry, but I have others.

Lunch was very MS: I finished up some cheese and coleslaw on crackers. A tiny bit of space has been sighted in our fridge.

Before I went out I did one short exercise towards the course, so at least progress has been made. My meeting was with the course cohort (and in one of the nicest coffee shops: I had a raspberry iced tea which was more of a syrup so not their usual standard). We also got to meet one person's half-grown Labrador, a very beautiful dog and a complete softy. We all felt the course is far too intense, so we voted to pull out of the remaining three sessions as we have been offered someone to cover the material with us at a pace we can cope with. One other lady and I were a bit concerned about missing out on some of the material, but as I'm not 100% keeping up anyway, I don't think that makes much difference. 

I also remembered to take some of the excess irises and pass them on to someone who showed an interest. There's still a carrier bag of spares needing a new home.

I've spent some time searching for a last years' diary but the only ones available seem to be still full price! I will have a further look when I've time. I remembered a spare one I was given last year: rather nice quality but I already had one. I thought I might have donated it, but it's still here. The question is whether I can be doing with having to later all the dates!

Work was three hours (including a chat with a member of staff I've not seen for a while) and dinner was some more of the chick pea tikka. I added some spinach we'd defrosted and forgotten to use, and some sultanas, and it all worked out well. There are still two or three portions left.

My Wednesday client has had to pull out for this week so I can use Wednesday morning for something - probably coffee out with DH as he's on a day off.

Cherryfudge

We woke this morning to a pool of water on the kitchen floor, and it's still slowly seeping from under the washing machine and dishwasher. Probably the extra strain on the dishwasher before we knew if wasn't working properly has put more pressure through the pipes and something is dislodged behind it. I don't want to try it on my own and DH is looking after the children so he's turned the water supply to the machines off for now.

The smoke detector is still making little buzzing noises so I'll get more batteries. I wonder if a spider has got in? We seem to have a lot of spiders already, nearly the level we'd get in autumn. In fact, the trees are struggling from the prolonged heat and drought: the birch is shedding yellow leaves and many chestnut trees are already completely mottled. I hope that doesn't mean we are going to lose them. Hopefully the rain came in time, though before that happened I'd seen a couple of articles about how woodland isn't regenerating properly over recent decades.

rtandon27

@Cherryfudge - I really do like the action you are taking collectively with regard to the course, it's really important to stand up for your needs and if the pace is to much than the leader needs to know that!  Glad to hear someone else will cover the material with you.

Can I put in my oar wrt your planner - I'd personally just buy the one you want/need even at the full price - it's so very necessary to keep yourself of track & not worth the effort to redate the old one.  I'd just use the old one as a scratchpad iyswim!

Such a shame you are so far north, I'd take on your irises and plant them in our front bed/planter which is in need of some tlc!!! 😉

Cherryfudge

Bit of mindreading evidently going on here @rtandon27 - I bought a diary (half price at £3 plus 25p donation). I am up to March with transcribing old entries but it's nice having the new pages rather than my well-worn old one!

I dropped off four bags of of individual irises at the community garden. Still a few to rehome.

I was running very late to meet up with DH and the girls this morning but their club was shut due to school holidays so they spent the entire morning at the library. They both enjoy it and the older one loves endless stories. DH likes it too! Once I joined them we had some time at the swings then they fell asleep on the walk home (still both in a buggy, the front tyre of which deflated so it was rather hard work getting it back to base. Drawing pin culprit later found and A is adding it to his to-do list).

It rained in the afternoon so we stayed indoors, watched 'Bluey', played hide and seek, usual stuff!

DH and I bought groceries (£12. 67) and I also bought us drinks (£3.34) as we weren't really prepared for the long morning.

Nothing arranged for this evening so we watched the first of a new series of Fake or Fortune, examined the dishwasher (the Vax, which dried the flood this morning, is now making lots of noise and no work) and I've pulled another double handful of mortar out of the border while DH did the dishes. DH is going to the electrics shop tomorrow to see if they will come out to the d/w.

P.S @rtandon27, my fellow students are such a nice group! I was relieved that I'm not the only one having trouble keeping up.  

Cherryfudge

On case anyone is interested, this is what a diary that sat overnight in orange juice looks like after a week. Doesn’t smell very good but the colours are actually quite tasteful. 😊

 

Watty1

Great job with the course.   If the information is meant for you it will come through.  I can’t remember who told me that but I do think it when I am overwhelmed with emails!   

I’m sure it’s the same for the course material 

Cherryfudge

Watty1 said:

Great job with the course.   If the information is meant for you it will come through.  I can’t remember who told me that but I do think it when I am overwhelmed with emails!   

I’m sure it’s the same for the course material 

It's interesting that each person picks up on different things - sometimes I wonder at how very differently we receive the same words, and end up wondering how I missed so much! Yet what's happening is that we are five individuals with different situations and life experiences so it's natural we latch on to things that individually resonate with us - and there you are, what we need to know for where we are at the moment is there, we pick it up as it floats by because it's helping us process whatever's going on.