Moving on

redofromstart

By law the holiday can be rounded up but not down 

Sun_Addict

I rarely get L!dl discount vouchers that I would use. I often wonder if it’s to get you to buy things you don’t usually buy or things that don’t sell well. 

I had an oddment of leave leftover recently, just over an hour which was weird because I only ever take full days leave. Anyway I used it to finish early one day. Still puzzled by it though. 

Cherryfudge

redofromstart said:

By law the holiday can be rounded up but not down 

I didn't know that! I wonder if they would round my 37 point something minutes accrues in one post to 38 minutes? I don't want to seem pushy...

Sun_Addict said:

I rarely get L!dl discount vouchers that I would use. I often wonder if it’s to get you to buy things you don’t usually buy or things that don’t sell well. 

I had an oddment of leave leftover recently, just over an hour which was weird because I only ever take full days leave. Anyway I used it to finish early one day. Still puzzled by it though. 

You would be proud of me tonight - I wandered into L1dl, decided I didn't really want a pastry or anything else, and wandered out again.

Perhaps your oddment of leave was due to a percentage increase somewhere along the line? My employer has been doing percentage increases forever, and the resulting minutiae are ridiculous, though I suppose that's just the working out of careful spending on their part.

Today was supposed to be dry but the morning didn't get the memo and it rained steadily. However, it cleared up after lunch (we had tuna pasta) so some washing has been done, then we went for a walk in the local countryside. DH went to the library afterwards to do more family history research and I went home for an early tea then work. I've been eating up the croissants I made yesterday: they aren't brilliant but went okay with some cheese and ham.

After work I called in at T3sco for oranges and some Southern fried chicken, and that's been about all for today, apart from going through recent emails in the hope of clearing space and finally getting down to the ones to do with CPD that I paid for early in the year.

Expenditure:
Housekeeping £4.75.

Cherryfudge

It's been a lovely day here, a sort of island of sunshine in the troubled seas of lots of people having things go wrong. A number of people I know have serious illness in the family and I just heard of another this morning, then the news about the Princess this evening.

DH has had this week off, and today was earmarked for 'doing something'. He's had a few days out while Auntie was here, then a couple of days of hobbies and DIY (he's sanding down one of the dining chairs which are 'good but battered', so now it's 'good but bald'. The old brown varnish has given way to a lighter wood and we are thinking of giving a layer of clear varnish just to freshen it up. The upholstery needs to be done too, but not necessarily at the same time.

I put a load of laundry on to wash this morning: it dried on the line while we were out and most is now put away, and that's about it for housework. Later in the morning we went to a NT property not too far away that we'd somehow never been to before. The gardens were lovely (we finally used last year's Gardener's World 2 for 1 token for the first time - it runs out on April 4th) and while not all the house was open, the guides were really very interesting and it wasn't too busy. I got talking to a super-knowledgeable lady about textile conservation (and was very grateful to 'know' @Laura_Elsewhere through these forums as it's thanks to her expertise that I was able to sound intelligent), and DH chatted to another guide about the artists whose work had originally been at the house. I hadn't got a clue there so I kept quiet, but DH is keen on art. Then we spotted an old clock - so old it was made with only one hand - and the guide told us all about it including that old clocks should be rested so it goes into hibernation every winter. It reduces strain on them apparently. There was also a little second hand bookshop there but somehow I didn't actually buy anything, and a member of staff playing the grand piano so we stopped to listen (wonderful acoustics) and chat to him. I'm sure that at busier times we couldn't expect such personal attention, but the staff more than rose to the occasion.

We also had lunch there, and a snack later (my first ice cream of the season).

On the way home we got stuck on a rural road behind some agricultural vehicle, so it was a bit of a rush for me to get to work and DH to do his stint on the church cleaning rota. My work is half an hour earlier on a Friday so for the first time, I finished while it was still light. It was glorious walking home under a clear sky with a river of birdsong all around and three quarters of a silver moon above, and early stars. I had the mad idea that it would be perfect for a run, so when I got in, I pulled out the running things I'd not worn in a year or more, did a couple of stretches and reinstalled C25K on my phone. It was absolutely ideal running conditions - cool, dry, no wind - and I was sensible and stuck to well lit areas. I'm happy to say that all the exercise from cleaning has paid dividends in that I managed session one easily, though I might pay for it later despite cool down stretches. The first session is very short bursts of running, so please don't imagine anything spectacular!

Expenditure:
Entertainment approx. £52.

Cherryfudge

First car boot of the year, and I very nearly didn't buy anything! It was chilly and stall holders were holding onto various bits of their stalls to keep the wind from scattering things. I did, however, find a cashmere jumper for 50p, so I snapped it up. When I got home and looked closely, it's marked so I need to do some investigation in case it can be saved. (Edit: it looks like sweat stains and it seems cashmere picks them up easily. The answer is a solution of white vinegar in water, soak for 10 minutes then wash very gently with either a specialist product or baby shampoo).

Later in the day DH and I had a look at some upholstery fabric for the dining chairs, more to get us thinking than to buy. He's nearly finished sanding the first chair and it looks lovely, especially when compared to the others.

I did more laundry and some prep towards taking the little children's group at church tomorrow. I dug out a stash of coloured paper from long ago to cut shapes, rather than rush to use church supplies in the morning, so that was a successful 'shop at home', but I needed other stuff so went into town. This turned out to be expensive, as I noticed the last of the trainers like the ones I bought last year are being sold off. I'd hesitated to buy as they are identical, but they also fit very well and the old pair is scruffy. So now I have a good pair and a scruffy pair. Then I wandered round various charity shops, buying nothing, and then various supermarkets, where I got a few things.

Yesterday's lovely run had the downside of keeping me awake late, so now I'm tired. The activity for the kids tomorrow is half done, and so is the banking. I'm rather annoyed to find that the credit card won't let me pay off what I spent today, as apparently I've already paid it. I haven't, I've charged that amount to the card, not made a payment. Now I have to remember to sort it out another day. At least I'd got the balance to a nice zero, though.

Expenditure:
Clothing £40.50
Donation 99p
Housekeeping £11.46 + whatever DH spent at the greengrocer.

Sun_Addict

Well done on restarting C25K 👏 I did it during the pandemic when I wasn’t walking to work. I enjoyed it. 

It was a shock about the Princess, I assumed she’d had some kind of gynaecological problem, didn’t think of cancer. Hopefully she’ll be ok 🤞 

Laura_Elsewhere

Cherryfudge said:

Quite a lot changed in 2023, and now it's time to move on. I left the job and career path I'd followed for many years and don't feel I can or should go back to those pressures. At the same time I'm still grieving for it. I'd expected to retire from that in a few years' time, then go back to do relief hours. Instead, I now have a relief contract in something else, which at the moment is my only income.

During the last year, I've also discovered it's very likely I'm autistic with ADHD. That's quite a relief to know as it makes sense of a lot of my experience and gives me warning of areas I'm likely to find difficult. It's a big adjustment, though, including the awareness that I would be likely to find certain work and social situations pressured and am therefore choosing not to immerse myself in them,

Goodness, I'm glad you mentioned me (and glad it was useful for you too!), or I'd never have come in here and read this... 

I too have just 'been retired from' or 'let go' or whatever it is, from things I had been involved in actively for over three decades, and it all happened very rapidily, just as I was gearing up for my busiest week of the year... 

All a bit lost-feeling, just now, really... and of course you know I am autistic It is useful to know, and I have found it a LOT easier to chuck out the manuals that never worked and start writing my own... 

Cherryfudge

Welcome @Laura_Elsewhere, and thanks for all the information on textiles over the years!

I'm sorry you've had this sudden 'retirement', it must be a huge shock to the system. I know you've been busy at home, which is a bit of a useful distraction and productive to boot, but it will still take some getting used to. Do keep yourself reasonably busy: I know it's a cliché but finding other things you can do really makes a big difference (and I'm finding old dogs can learn new tricks ).

It was really interesting talking to the NT lady about how they cleaned the towering four poster beds in the stately home: there was a photo of a woman in 1960s working clothes (smart) complete with court shoes up a ladder from a previous clean, but she told me that nowadays they wear something more like PPE.

Cherryfudge

This morning really took it out of me: the best laid plans, etc.

I woke up a bit early and did the ironing, which was quite a good start, then put on clean jeans which turned out to have a black oil mark across the front, origin unknown, so I had to change. I tried to print out the crib sheet for taking the children's session but couldn't get the printer online so had to send the document to DH, who managed to get the printer to listen to his laptop and we set out about ten minutes late, but with the copy. This meant I was last to arrive, but there's a gap before the session starts and thankfully a helper stayed around to help me as I went to the resources cupboard only to find it now houses a wheelbarrow!

My helper managed to source glue sticks elsewhere in the building and thankfully I'd got all the other things I needed, and only a few children turned up. Of these, two were tearful so it was a bit of a juggling act ensuring they were all right and still giving the other children some attention. Use of the water play activity and a tube of bubbles came to the rescue! Somehow we got as far as the story and activity and it all worked out. It turns out there had been miscommunication as the missing activity resources had been moved to the wrong room - there's a lot of stuff so I knew it wasn't in the part of the building we were in. I hear it's on the way back, but it threw me not having any warning that it was gone. (Imagine walking into a library and finding it's a potting shed - that sort of feeling).

Anyway, DH helped me put things away afterwards as both the helpers had to dash off to duties elsewhere (often the same people are on multiple rotas) and we went home to lunch.

Later in the day we went over to D and E's for dinner (chilli con carne and fruit crumble) along with A, H and their children, so we all had a good catch up. I admit to dozing on the way there but at least I stayed awake once we arrived. D has had his medication increased and is feeling a lot better, and E has made some lovely seat cushions and matching covers for their dining chairs - a woman of talent! I also took them some plants for their new garden: we always have lots of muscari to the point it's almost invasive, though it's a lovely colour so I'm not going to get rid of it. There was more than enough to spare, along with oddments of other things.

Nothing spent.

Cherryfudge

Today is a bit rainy and will be quiet as DH has a meeting this morning and is working in the shop this afternoon, then I'm at work tonight. I've only two sessions of work this week, what with Easter coming up and there being no TA work at present.

I'm conscious that I have 101 things to do (it feels like that), most of which make me feel slightly panicky. I've been keeping on top of current financial things but not addressing the backlog or things I feel I ought to do like contacting pensions. The CC is still showing as 'pending' and won't let me pay off Saturday's spend until it's cleared. I feel I ought to open an ISA so I read briefly about available types, which is when I became awake of the slight feeling of panic.  I have a very old ISA with negligible interest which I would like to transfer to somewhere more useful. There's about £3,000 in there that could be getting me a bit more interest. I looked at both cash ISA and Stocks and Shares, and with my income being as low as it is, I need to play it safe. In a world without demand avoidance, that would mean most ISA savings would go into cash but a proportion could go into stocks and shares - which I couldn't open till next financial year. I've a couple of higher interest savings accounts where the money will just sit till the Autumn, and there's some in a savings account that isn't paying much but which is being used to drip feed the YBS Christmas Saver, and for any 'inheritance spending.

We have the coming year's amounts in for Council Tax and the water bill, and utilities were looked at recently and seem likely to even out as we use less over the warmer months. We finished the winter about a month out of synch, as in, our regular payments have fallen short, but 0ctopus seem okay with that, presumably thinking the same as we are about the advent of cheaper months. I'm still paying Council Tax and 0ctopus from what I earn, and DH is covering the rest. The balance in the account he pays into is slowly decreasing (it got boosted last year when he discovered his wages hadn't been updated, and got a lump sum). Decreasing, but there's probably enough there for several months yet before we need to look at spending from savings accounts or drawing a pension, and of course he has his pay coming in to cover most things.

The only major house expense that's clearly on the horizon is replacing the front path. We think we can do the clearing ourselves, which saves a bit, and it's not a long path but is cracked by tree roots. I'm not about to take the tree out, it's too beautiful! I would like block paving but the chap who quoted us last year isn't getting back to us any more so we need at some point to find a new person. Similarly, the car rolls on, costing us very little though we seem to have spent more on fuel in the last few weeks than all winter.

Other things I'm avoiding are studies: various sorts. On a simple level, yesterday taught me that I need to have a session in hand for working with the little ones. It was too stressful when the printer was playing up at the last moment, and if I have an activity planned, I can requisition the materials in advance and not have that uncertainty if they aren't there on the day. It's the second time it's happened, as things get moved around to accommodate a new project, but oh! my nerves!  

Then there's the Tuesday group: I'm made a start on typing up what we're doing tomorrow but that needs to be done and dusted in a timely way (I'm looking at you, printer).

Other than that, serious and semi-serious study have gone right off the boil so I'm wasting the money invested in access to the courses. I'm sure that behind that is the feeling that things are too big. I keep telling myself it's one step at a time, but it's not yet led to action.