Moving on

Cherryfudge

I don't feel I achieved much with Thursday, though I spent quite some time trying to perfect the minutes I was typing up. I'm glad now that I didn't send them out as I've had second thoughts about adding something that wasn't actually discussed at the meeting. As it's to do with the course as well as the Sunday morning group, I might park the extra bit in my (neglected) course journal as it was useful to think it through.

Last month's timesheet has been sent in and I spent half an hour on a bit of training. I seem to be inundated with safeguarding training this year: back in spring I did the refresher for my TA role, today's was for the cleaning role, on Saturday I will be doing a three hour version for the church and to cap it all, the church safeguarding leads have produced a refresher course which I have the option to attend. Not that I enjoy learning about safeguarding, but I think I might see if I can do the refresher so I know what's being said to my team and thus understand where they are coming from.

Housework has been a bit of cleaning and a hot wash, so now the house is draped on half-dry towels. It's slightly misty-humid out of doors, and still so mild. There was a slight breeze, but drying was very slow.

This evening I had three hours at work and bought yet more groceries as well as some hot choc towards a gift for L. Hot choc seemed to be around £5 for a particular brand a few weeks ago and is now £3.79 so I also got a spare for myself. For my dinner (and tomorrow's) I made @Watty1's curried carrot and lentil soup, which is very nice though I will probably need to add water tomorrow as it's in danger of becoming more a gel than a soup, due to me using dried lentils instead of tinned.

Cherryfudge

I woke early for me and was playing games on my Kindle, so now I have eye strain. All I've done so far is wash my hair and set the dishwasher off, but there's plenty to do and it will take a bit of organising to put it into a reasonable order.

It's F's birthday today and while she's too little to anticipate it much, her other grandparents are visiting and we are getting together for her party on Sunday. I've yet to buy a card or wrap presents and in fact I bought her a book ages ago which I now need to find for her. I also have a baby blanket that needs to be finished (not a huge job) before she's old enough to have children of her own!

Aside from that, there is a spot of ironing to do, some tea towels to return to church, choose between going for a run and visiting F (:(, but I can't do both as I won't be fit for work if I try it. May come down to running as I can send a greeting and there will be plenty of people around - and hopefully we will be sent a birthday photo). What else? Put mixed fruit to soak ready for the Christmas cake - which I could bake on Saturday afternoon. Use up the bananas - if I have freezer space I might make a 'chocolate ice cream' with them rather than bake. Clean the fridge (oh dear, that's been on the list too long). If I'm in town, pop into Boyes and see if I can get white vinegar, a garden broom - old one came to pieces and was an inherited ancient one with woodworm of unknown but extinct vintage - and garlic to plant. I'm still due to identify and set up a savings account for the money that's due to be repaid to me, but it's being out aside so it's up to me to tackle the fearsome task. They always seem to require some detail that takes huge amounts of effort to track down.

There will be other things but that's enough for now. Curried soup for lunch and DH is getting fishcakes for dinner. I have work at four thirty.

Cherryfudge

And a query for those of you who use the L1dl app - this article refers to a £5 off £25 spend coupon. I've never seen it and I've just searched the app unsuccessfully. Is it a real thing? The article appears to be current.

Cherryfudge

Things done so far:

• sent a WhatApp to DGD with Minnie Mouse and some balloons. As D says, she doesn't have WhatsApp and she can't yet read, but happy birthday anyway. Her parents can show her the picture.
• listed the shopping I need
• Had a look at Nectar points and there are a few favourites going OOD today so I may call in there.
• Made chocolate 'ice cream' with the bananas. 3 small bananas made 2 ramekins. I may have added choc chips to the original recipe. As it was ramekins, I just about had enough freezer space for them.
• Christmas cake fruit - all 32oz of it - is now soaking in brandy. Perhaps I should let it soak more than just overnight.
• the bits of ironing are done and put away.

Next on the agenda:

• clean teeth
• clean whiteboard which is a mess (I've photographed it so I don't lose what it said, but it's too bitty to be clear)
• make a Sa1ns list
• drop bits off at church (take a key)
• go to Boyes on the way back.

Cherryfudge

In the end, I didn't have time for a run or a visit. I cleaned the whiteboard, dropped the things off at church and went on to Sa1ns where I got the shopping (all but one item were additional N3ctar points), then back via Boyes, where I couldn't find any garlic bulbs and decided not to try to cart a 5 litre bottle of vinegar home with all the shopping as well. I did, however, get a garden broom, a big tough one, only £8.99.

I am quite disappointed that I made it all the way home on foot carrying a broom and not a single person asked me why I wasn't flying it!

I had to hurry to get home and in a way I got my run as I ran half the way to work! Three hours' work tonight, then on to pick up my latest acquisitions from Vinted from a locker. The shirt I bought for DH, though the same make and size as one he already has, is too small, so I think he's going to offer it to A. My new trainers look promising and feel okay but it's hard to tell for sure when I'm trying them on after 20,000 steps!

Tea was a fishcake followed by an experimental 'ice cream' of blitzed banana, a drop of milk, cocoa powder, a spot of vanilla and plenty of chocolate chips. It didn't have the creamy texture of real ice cream but the taste was good. The banana flavour wasn't noticeable till it was thawing and the chocolate was very chocolatey. I've realised I'm eating a bit less chocolate now that chocolate coatings have been changed to reflect chocolate shortages. I think the new versions taste a bit greasy.

So it's been quite an active day. I got a card for the birthday girl but there wasn't time to search for wrapping paper. We may already have some, or DH will go tomorrow, but the card shop was mostly Christmas stuff. No more done to assemble her gifts.

Cherryfudge

And this is three days on the go when I've not kept a note of my spending. Just too tired and need some sleep.

liselle

I did laugh about your Broom journey! I once carried a croquet mallet along the road home,swinging it as I walked  - two chaps outside a pub asked me, “Off to play crochet luv?!” then somebody else said, “Who’s upset you then?!!” 

Cherryfudge

liselle said:

I did laugh about your Broom journey! I once carried a croquet mallet along the road home,swinging it as I walked  - two chaps outside a pub asked me, “Off to play crochet luv?!” then somebody else said, “Who’s upset you then?!!” 

  

I took a while to get to sleep last night - as DH says, that often happens when I have to get up early. Nevertheless I managed to wake up and got an early lift with a couple of friends to the course. I did wonder about the timing: leaving just before 8 for a 9.30 start at a place about 30 minutes away, but I don't process time very well so I just went along with it and we arrived about an hour early!  A rather misty start turned into yet another beautiful autumn day and driving past the Cleveland Hills, and back later with dramatic deep grey clouds on one side, bright sun over the wooded hillsides and glorious autumnal colours, was lovely. I don't know when I've seen such a colourful autumn.

The course was really good: it was mostly a refresher but very well presented so I lost neither concentration nor interest despite yawning occasionally.

I stopped at Icel4nd in the way home as I'd seen on Olio that they had a lot of eggs at half price. When I went in, they were being marked down again so I got a dozen for 88p in stead of of £3.50! I also got 5 chicken thighs for £2 and a bag of easy peelers for 37p. I rather spoiled the effect by nipping into L1dl afterwards and forgetting the item I went in for but spending £6.44 on groceries and £3.49 on chocolates to give as a thank you for the morning's lift.

I thought I would get some more sleep when I got home but managed to avoid it and eventually went out to sweep up leaves. Six bucket loads of squashed-down leaves have been added to the compost, and the bird feeders are refilled.

DH got wrapping paper so the birthday presents are wrapped but not until I'd had a fruitless search for a gift I thought I'd bought but hadn't. I remember now deciding not to order it straight away. Good job Christmas is coming soon. Meanwhile I tidied two bookcases and the emergency foods cupboard, and decided there's too much food in store and I need to eat down stocks and not buy so much sweet stuff.

rtandon27

@Cherryfudge - your friends sound like they wen to the same school of time that my OH did - he is ALWAYS early for everything - it drives me to distraction!  20 years together and I've still not taught him the art of being fashionably late 🤣

Cherryfudge

rtandon27 said:

@Cherryfudge - your friends sound like they wen to the same school of time that my OH did - he is ALWAYS early for everything - it drives me to distraction!  20 years together and I've still not taught him the art of being fashionably late 🤣

I find it hard to be early for things - not only because I have poor perception of time but because hanging around wastes time when I could be doing things I'd rather be doing! After a huge amount of failed attempts, I'm getting better at being on time though, and that's enough for me.

Remembrance Day turned out to be cold, especially for standing around for the actual outdoors ceremony, but I feel it's important to pay my respects, and it occurred to me that it's the least I can do - that bit of cold is a transitory thing compared to trench foot and PTSD, and the giving of lives and futures. I got quite annoyed that there were people whispering to each other while the wreaths were being laid, but as DH sensibly said, people see things differently.

The church service was shorter so people could go to the outdoor ceremony if they wanted, so got home early, which enabled me to do some hasty last minute work on the baby blanket I started ages ago and presented to DGD later in the day. We spent all afternoon at the birthday party: lovely to see friends and family and watch the children playing. I think there were 14 adults and 10 under-fives so it was on the busy side! I also remembered to take a handful of things that I needed to hand over to various family members. The wedding favours from two weeks ago have found their homes, and a coat I had in my twenties is now handed over to DD. She in turn brought some things for DH. A couple of items he didn't want and will go to charity but he's delighted with some trainers (a family member of theirs works for a sportswear company so trainer samples sometimes find their way to us). Anyway, there was the side effect of a small amount of decluttering and handing over the baby blanket seems to have freed up my mind to do other knitting or sewing projects (even though I have confessed to them that I will need to bring a needle and thread to finish off what I had to leave undone).

DH cooked fish for our tea and we watched the last of 'Worlds Apart' which we've enjoyed. I was so tired I fell asleep mid evening, which is why I'm awake now and really should get to bed and try to reset my body clock. I think the next family thing will be a meal out for D's birthday later in the month.

Money-wise, I've put a book for a gift into the basket and am waiting to order so I can take advantage if there's a deal on Pr1me.