Moving on

WelshmansDaughter

I'm still mulling it over. I think however a separate account for gifts might be more suitable. The nephews birthdays are all summer and the rest of the family winter.

Cherryfudge

Sunday was busy. I dropped off biscuits and lids for toddler cups first thing, and had a hurried conference with the leader who knew it would be shorter session due to baptisms. Children's activities finish early on a baptism session so they can come back in and watch, but unless you have a helper following the livestream, you don't know quite when that will be. We get a running order, but sometimes items run longer than planned. Anyway I said I'd drop a note into the group chat in the hope that at least one of them would hear their phone and know they had to wind down the session.

The service started off really loud so I put my loop earplugs in, but we were both struggling with the volume so I had an inspiration: I'd seen a member of my midweek group was on PA but didn't have his number so I (possibly rather cheekily?) put a message on the group chat to say it was seriously loud this morning! It worked - a few minutes later someone came and found us to say they'd turned it down! Still on the loud side, but better. Apparently the techy stuff was playing up in a couple of areas and the PA team looked hassled afterwards.

Nevertheless, the service was wonderful. I thought I had judged when the talk was finishing but was a bit early, which I suppose gave more time for them to get the room cleared up. I was glad I'd said I'd keep an eye on that as it meant I didn't leave due to the noise levels, and if I'd done so, I'd have missed a great meeting.

Afterwards we had a few chats with people then it was out into a very grey, wet day. I made the chasseur for dinner and we had more chicken than expected so there's a meal for another day. The only thing we did with the afternoon was a local walk and collected some more parcels form V1nted. (I've not ordered anything in the last few days, honest! This is older orders coming though). I'd got a shirt for DH but it's not a good fit, and a tunic dress for me which is nice. Also a pine cone biscuit cutter.

This evening DH had a meeting and I made the 'miser's marmalade' that I've been planning to make since summer 2024. That clears several bags of citrus peel and a bag of lime wedges from the freezer. I didn't have enough lemons but decided just to use what I had. The instructions were confusing (it wasn't Mrs Goode's recipe, it was a long one I'd got off here) but I think it's turned into a marmalade of sorts. Whether it's nice enough to make again, we will see. I saw after using them that I'd frozen the limes in 2021!

Poor DGD2 is absolutely laden with chickenpox, I do hope she has a good night so they can all get some rest.

Cherryfudge

Monday was good: weather gloomy but DD and I went out for lunch and to look round the shops in a little town a few miles away. That was the second half of our Christmas shopping day (one has to be flexible when there's a baby in the equation!). Very enjoyable.

Lunch was very good and I treated us (£35.80) and I treated myself to a coaster from the gift shop (£3.49). The idea was that it was similar to a couple we bought once and wanted more but the shop didn't have them. When I got home today it occurred to me to look on V1nted and almost immediately I found the exact ones we already had, in a set of four, for just a bit more than I'd already paid for the single one. So now I have those coming to me, and some travel-sized atomisers (about £6) which I had been wanting for a while. I am having guilt trips over still wanting a mug that I've been watching for a while, as I don't want to get rid of any I already have.

We arrived back before it went dark so I called in at L1dl (£16.72) then I did some small jobs around the garden in celebration of the rain having stopped and a snowdrop emerging. I've put mesh over the back gate in the hope of keeping other people's animals out, and some on plant pots that the bird pull to pieces. I've also brough logs from under the trees to the log store to dry out.

The last couple of days I've been using willow twigs to attempt a mend on the lid of the laundry basket - is it cheating to hold them in place with wire ties? Once they have dried and been painted they may even blend in. It was fun and nothing lost, as they say.

We are both on childcare duties in the morning so I need to get to bed.

ladybird1106

Impressed with your willow weaving.
love 🐞

Watty1

Super impressed with willow weaving.  That is quite a skill, there, and fun to repair something too.

Cherryfudge

I think I was born in the wrong century! I can't resist using those willow whips for something and it saves prematurely binning the laundry hamper. However, the proper willow is split and I don't have the gadget for that, or the knowledge to make anything from scratch. There are courses but they seem a bit expensive for something I've really no need of.

Cherryfudge

Yesterday (Tuesday) was spent looking after two little grandkids, one of whom has the most chickenpox it's possible to fit on so small a person. Bless her, she was actually quite cheerful and playful till mid afternoon, at which point she got tired and cried, then fell asleep on DH (she seemed to think I was to blame for her discomfort). Her other grandmother has now travelled down to look after her for a few days.

I managed a short trip to Ald1 for some groceries, as did DH, who also went to T3sco. Total £2.40 12.94 2.55 but that includes a storage box for about £4 which rightly belongs under 'Household'. I've also bought a few bits on V1nted - some for the Christmas stockings and some for me. 

My friend was working again so we didn't have our Tuesday meeting but we keep trying! It's probably as well we didn't as I was in bed for 9 and slept till about 1, then back to sleep not too long after till the morning.

Today DH had a day off. I decided to do the laundry, but put too much in and the machine didn't drain properly. We learned from our experience before Christmas and tried the filter, but it was fine. Then I remembered a post on this very forum this morning about how some machines don't cope with too large or small a load, so I took a sheet out and tried again, and it's all fine. Phew. We even got another load done.

After lunch we went out for coffees, which were free for us as I had loyalty points and the company has kindly replaced the card that had just gone out of date when we tried to use it at new year. I've felt woozy all day but the coffee and fresh air helped. We remembered we needed to organise a birthday present so that and a card have been sorted out and, of course, more groceries. DH made dinner: tuna pasta.

This evening we each had out church groups (DH is worn out with two or three evening meetings and a cold). Mine was a really good discussion: the start of a new series and it looks really promising.

And we had a video of DGD3 this evening - first steps! Nothing is safe anymore.

Spends:
Gifts £21.75
Housekeeping £12.50
Parking (comes under 'medical' as it was for DH's appointment) £2.50

Cherryfudge

Today was work for both of us. I had checked my emails late last night to be sure the class was on, and got one offering me work in a centre on the other side of town. It sounds like potentially quite a few hours should I want them, but the difficulty for me is that it's with the client group I used to work with and I associate the venue with one or two people who were really challenging.

This morning I emailed my manager to say I'd think seriously about it (not going to be ruled by fear), so now I have the email of the person in charge at that project, about whom I vaguely remember a respected colleague from the past job speaking well. (I'm sure there's a better way of expressing that).

Nervous but not petrified. A friend who works in an associated field has cautioned me that there are still reputedly problems there and to ask to try a day and see how it goes. That makes sense. I feel ready to do that much and proceed according to what I find. It's also a bit of a trek over there and I don't think there's public transport, so there's that to take into consideration.

The weather today has been foul: wet, cold and windy. However, I got to work without a soaking and resisted buying some gloves while browsing in a charity shop. I have plenty. I bought a pastry and some biscuits for lunch as I simply couldn't think what else to get. Neither was inspiring.

I had a lift back to the High Street in our town, chatting to the tutor as we went - every conversation with him is different and today was mostly about good tradesmen and the time Mum's cleaner found a hand grenade. I'm reading EM Delafield's 'Diary of a Provincial Lady' - can you tell?  

I was glad to get in out of the rain and I've not done much this evening apart from try to sort out a bit more of my timesheets. Bus fares are logged ready to claim and learner support hours are up to date (I think) but I was too tired after that to look at sorting out the chaos of December's cleaning hours. Last time I looked it said I hadn't been in post long enough to have worked some of them. Crazy. I've been there two years. The cleaning manager has contacted me asking about my availability next week, though, which startled me (not expecting it for another week) but I'm pleased. I've missed being at work and my step count this month has been around 5 or 6,000 a day, way down on the usual. Now I need to have a think about my diary as I am afraid of forgetting something.

Tomorrow I've to contact the possible workplace, do my stint of church cleaning, make sure I have what I need for leading on Sunday and possibly, if very brave, phone the husband of the lady who used to be my Sunday School teacher.

Today's spending:
Refunded £5.09 for a V1nted purchase that the seller found was broken.
Housekeeping £4.18
Bus fare £3 (to be refunded).

Cherryfudge

It was mostly a bit of an uphill day, meaning I got some tasks done that I had to make myself do, but at least the constant rain didn't materialise and the wind has dropped. It's about 6 degrees, so not all that cold, either.

I didn't get as far as the phone call, but the email about the possible work has been sent, an activity for Sunday chosen and the cleaning is done. I've been in a mood about a couple of things and am carefully not contacting a couple of people till I know I won't say something I'll regret! I'm aware that the possibility of facing a new workplace is contributing to the mood but if I can do it then I will have the choice whether or not to carry on and it could be a positive experience.

Unexpectedly, the gift I ordered for H has come early, but they decided DGD2 is well enough to travel and are now away for the weekend so they won't get it in time for the birthday after all! She knows something is coming, and has part one of her present to take with her.

As far as I remember I've not bought anything, though I went looking for sugar paper for a children's activity and couldn't find any. It doesn't really matter as I have coloured paper galore.

Dinner was sausages and ratatouille with baked potatoes for DH and beans with a Christmas pork stuffing for me (I'd been eating French bread while cleaning as someone had left some out with a 'help yourself', so I did. 

Cherryfudge

Saturday was about 7 degrees with some sun - that was good after it's been so wet. I did the RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch, convinced I'd do quite well but only got 15, whereas the average is apparently 28. Of course a starling that was around earlier didn't show up again, three seagulls deigned to land, robin number 2 came and sat picturesquely opposite its counterpart after I'd finished the count and all eagles, albatrosses etc didn't get the message. There was probably a lurking wren as I saw it the other day but they are so tiny.

DH got the hobby car out, very relieved it's still working after being unused due to the weather. He had a bit of a drive and also went out for a walk. Later in the afternoon we walked into town for groceries and for me to get an eyebrow pencil to replace worn out ones. I collected two more parcels: one is my replacement phone case and the other is some coasters. These were to match some I already had and the seller had mentioned a mark on one. It looked like biro, and came off with bicarb and washing up liquid paste, and a damp cloth.

Dinner was mackerel with couscous and peas, and nearly the last of the Christmas cake.

Toiletries £2.50
Housekeeping £21.42 (that includes Olio/!celand discounts from £4 to £1.63).