Moving on

Cherryfudge

@ladybird1106 , it was great fun! Should come on prescription. I was rather scared of going on the slide (I'm the person who shuts their eyes when other people go on zip wires) but couldn't very well leave DGD2 out of things and she wanted to go down on my knee. The advice is not to do this but it worked for us, and I'm risk averse so I thought it out as much as possible. Now I want to go back for another turn!

@Watty1, I feel the garden centre is expensive for plants, but they are usually good quality and the plant staff are knowledgeable. We wouldn't choose to go for drinks as they aren't the best but come 'free' once a month with a £12 membership, so we go anyway! The membership pays for itself in a couple of visits. Well, it did till DH started on the scones! 😉 Said membership also got me a decent discount on some garden tools last year and when the children are older, there are children's gardening workshops they might like.

DH usually goes to visit the roses, but we missed that bit due to it being a foggy January day! I did look with longing at the displays they were just setting up for all the plug plants for summer. No plants in them yet but they are so tempting once I see them. It's reminded me I need to think about hanging baskets soon. I think I'll do another tomato one and I have some seeds saved from last year.

ETA: I just remembered @Watty1 - online seed companies still have bulbs in their sales. You and Wattydog could have another gardening session planting some. They'd flower late but mine did last year and at least they are in the ground for the future.

The only useful thing I've done this morning is looked up about feeding bacon rinds to the wild birds, as I remembered used to happen when I was a child. They had to be cooked and chopped up but they've gone as per instructions: better than binning them, but I hope the birds don't start expecting sausage and hash browns for breakfast as well.

Time I was getting ready to go out.

Cherryfudge

I managed to fit in all things I needed to do today - I think.

The damaged parcel has been returned and a refund should be on the way in a few days. I nipped into the supermarket after I dropped it off, and bought Scotch pancakes and sweet potatoes. The Scotch pancakes were for lunch and snacks (along with other items as I had to cover a couple of meals while out) and the sweet potatoes were marked down to 62p so I got them despite knowing I'd have to carry them around.

The bus was a bit late but I had an enjoyable chat with a woman at the bus stop. As usual, I will claim back the £3 fare. I used my twenty minutes of free time at the far end to look in charity shops and came away with two pint glasses for DH (a bargain at 20p each), a chirping bird toy as these seem to go down well with small children (£2) and a hardback book for myself - again, despite having to carry it round later. (£3.50)

The class went fine: one more before a week's break followed by half term, then I may or may not be needed again. I've had a reminder from the manager that I need to finish the training I was doing the other day, so that's a job for tomorrow. I was glad of the lift back to town with the tutor I had a lot to carry as I'd brought not only my cleaning uniform but also spare shoes and socks in case of rain (it's been fairly dry till after dark) and of course the things I'd bought.

This was my first shift back at cleaning since before Christmas. I had a bit of time in hand so was able to sit in the canteen (nearly empty), have something to eat and start my new book. Then I got changed and arrived in time for my shift, only to find a new logging in system where my details haven't yet been entered so I'll let them sort that out. The manager asked me to explain about the timesheet - she's been unable to open my emails, which seems rather like the problems I had when IT apparently didn't get my replies to their emails a few weeks ago. I think I need to ring IT and ask them to look into it. It could account for the lack of reply concerning the job I was talking about last week, as well.

On a less inconvenient note, work have asked me claim for the missing shift from early December as though it happened yesterday, so they don't owe me anything and a lot of faffing around is avoided. It doesn't affect my continuity of employment as the TA job bridges any apparent gap.

DH kindly gave me a lift home: 13,000 steps after weeks of around 5,000 was enough for me. It's nice to be back working though. Then we discovered one of the headlights has developed a problem, so there's a job for Saturday, and hope we don't need to take the car out before then.

I gave in and ordered a piece of the old Denby that I collect and let DH know it was very thoughtful of him to buy it for my birthday or Christmas, whichever he thinks. 😊I quite often see certain pieces from that set that I already have but this looks like one that doesn't come up very often and it cost just over £6 which is very good.

Dinner was a fishcake and sweet potato. Now I need to wind down and think about tomorrow: sort out a present for H, do the church cleaning, do the work cleaning, complete the training, return the activity bag to church and do some sorting out of the cupboard while I'm there.

Cherryfudge

I'm having one of those confused days where I know there are lots of things to do but didn't know where to start, hence the beginnings of a list last night.

As it was, I think I wasted most of the morning. It's too easy to stay in bed, which I did, after which I was definitely on wake-up-slow mode, a bit clumsy and knowing I needed not to over face myself. Eventually I did a few minutes of Duolingo in case I'm too tired tonight, then washed my hair and did a bit of skin care, and while my hair was drying, did a quick clean of the bathroom followed by some laundry. I put the tumble drier on to get some large towels partly dry but they and the rest are on the airer now. The last lot of laundry is either put away or in an untidy ironing pile.

I've finished the hummus and soup from the fridge but when I got oatcakes out of stores I found they were out of date - not poisonously so as I've not suffered from the bit I ate, but unpleasant. I hope the wild birds will forgive me but I soaked them, added birdseed and lard, stirred all together and made bird food 'muffins' out of them. If the birds turn up their beaks at the result, fair enough. They are quite discerning!

I was dashing round trying to get myself ready to go and do the church cleaning before paid cleaning when I realised I'd only have half an hour there so I've resigned myself to going on Saturday. I now have 40 minutes to work on the training that was supposed to be in a few days ago.

Cherryfudge

I didn't manage the training before work: it occurred to me to ring IT and the chap helpfully and tactfully found user error (mine!) so I fired off another email about the potential teaching hours before leaving the house.

On the way to work my phone rang and it was the man I'd just emailed, so I'm going to have a look round, though our earliest mutually free day isn't for about a week and a half. Then I had three hours at work and called into the supermarket on the way home for milk and more sweet potatoes if they had applied the discount again, which they hadn't. I therefore came home with milk and cream eggs (£4.60).

I couldn't decide on a dinner meal so I made porridge which was a good choice in terms of healthy, cheap, quick, easy and uses ingredients I had in. Since then I've completed the training and done January's timesheets for both jobs, my expenses claim and the spreadsheet for the TA work.

It's raining again but I'm pretty sure it's milder and less rainy than it was!

Cherryfudge

Saturday has been quiet, but the projected rain didn't happen. In fact, the sun broke through for a while! Yippee! It seems to have been cold, wet and grey most of the year so far and the forecast says that's to continue - but last night I could see the moon through a break in the cloud, and today the sun shone… I'm happy with that.

It's also been less cold. I'd say around 8 degrees, which feels hopeful.

DH went out for a cycle, so he's happy. I got some small jobs done then decided I had to get out and do that cleaning. I had a bagful of things to return to the church - two of the activity bags which are now in order and no longer flopped on the spare room bed, a doll that's been washed, some biscuits for snack time, etc. It's good to have those out of the way and the cleaning is done - in fact I feel satisfied with it in a way I haven't for a while. The only thing I didn't get done was the writing on the grab bag. I've never used fabric markers before and I'm overthinking it.

I had to ring DH for a lift as it was pouring down when I'd finished, and I forgot to go to the shops on the way, but that wasn't anything urgent.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a free QR code scanner please? The training I did yesterday recommended using one (apparently quishing is what happens if someone scans a rogue QR code, and I don't want to risk it).

Today's main meal was breaded cod with cous cous and peas, and tea was finishing up some yogurt and seeds with cereal. I should really have cleaned the fridge but ran out of oomph. I did, however, enter some receipts into my notebook, with the grand idea of doing January's accounts. It's going to take a while to check through everything: I really ought to do it regularly.

rtandon27

@Cherryfudge - most phones have a qr scanner built into their camera. Mine just picks up the code and then asks if I'd like to open the site or save the code or save the address of the site. That being said I only scan the qr code of my train when commuting and anything to enter a contest off of bought items so my risk is fairly low.

Baileys_Babe

I did, however, enter some receipts into my notebook, with the grand idea of doing January's accounts. It's going to take a while to check through everything: I really ought to do it regularly.

I aim to record my spending daily, but sometimes life gets in the way, I have an alarm set on my phone for a time once a week when I'm usually home to prompt me to catch up. I always like the occasions I can dismiss the alarm as I'm already up to date.

Cherryfudge

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81864461#Comment_81864461

My phone does that - it shows the site the QR code is leading to, which I then have to click on if I choose to. I wonder if that's the equivalent of the app mentioned in the training? I assumed the app was another layer of security, but perhaps I don't need it.

Cherryfudge

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81864553#Comment_81864553

It's good idea to have a set time when you make yourself catch up… I usually get derailed if there's something complicated like a receipt with entries for multiple categories. Then I don't catch up because it means getting a calculator out (phone is already in use to check banking app) and if I use the laptop calculator, it's a faff… yes, that does indicate I'm easily deterred! Must Try Harder.

Cherryfudge

Sunday was pretty uneventful: no duties at church so I came straight home afterwards, via parcel collection place as I seemed to have three parcels waiting. When I got there, the app told me one had been returned as I was 25 minutes late. I've contacted the company and they say everything is registered as being collected, and I can't find any missing items among what I've ordered. I need to have another look tomorrow when the house is quiet and I'm awake.

It was quite pleasant weather today, and nice to get some steps in. The two parcels I collected are Christmas socks to go towards the Christmas stockings for 2026 and a named mug for DGD3's birthday.

DH did the cooking (chickpea tikka masala) and we went for a local walk in the afternoon. It was nice to get home while it was fully daylight. I think there was even a smidgeon of light at five! I added some cardboard to the compost and tidied up a few bits of gravel that had strayed off last year's intensely tidied patch by the back door. DH oiled the bathroom basin plug: it's one of those that should spring back when pushed and it was starting to jam.

There's been some family messaging going on to arrange a meetup at Easter with DH's family. Our contingent hesitated as youngest DGD's birthday is just before the projected date, so J and L have sent us a 'save the date' for a first birthday party the day before the family meetup. This frees us all to go to the meal, which reminds me, between then and now I also have a birthday so I need to think what I'd like to do. It's usually lunch out at a favourite place then everyone back to ours for pizza, and I'm quite happy to do that again.

This evening I've used C0pil0t again, trying to make a series of template letters for the grab bag. I think C0pil0t and I need to work together a bit more as I confused it, but it's good practice at knowing how to word things. I have no idea why one iteration of a very short text suddenly developed two 'a's. In the end I got roughly what I wanted and they are cut out ready for use. Then I printed out some resources for the class on Thursday. That's not something I have to do but it's the last of the sessions and I doubt the teacher will have much new material so I thought something a bit fun and a bit of a challenge could be useful.

The plan for the week to come:

It's a special week at church so there are some readings/meditations to look at daily and a meeting on Wednesday.

Monday - work in the evening

Tuesday - child care. Possibly meet friends in the evening?

Wednesday - evening meeting at church. DH's day off? If they sort out a rota error.

Thursday - afternoon: help at class. Evening work.

Friday - Church cleaning, evening work.

Weekend - nothing particular planned.