Moving on

WelshmansDaughter

Most cafes have rooibos tea now I have found.

Cherryfudge

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82103781#Comment_82103781

That's a new tea to me - is it available in supermarkets?

rtandon27

I get mine either from a friend whose family lives in greece or online at a herbal store. It's much nicer than the herbal tablet form that is available here in the UK. Probably best to ask a herbalist if you have one near you.

Cherryfudge

I don't know of any herbalists round here - but there's a really good delicatessen and it's always worth trying there. These are the people who stocked 20 varieties of strawberry jam and I forget how many types of caviar!

Today being Saturday, we were both on days off and DS1 invited us to join them on a forest walk in Guisborough. H was away so he was needing a way to entertain the children and there was a children's forest trail and a very good play area: I think we will try to do a family get-together there some time though it would be a long way for D and E to travel. Good for those with small children, though.

DH and I treated ourselves to fish and chips for lunch - can you believe £12.50 for one portion now? I expect that's cheap compared to some places but I'm glad we no longer have it very often. It made a nice change though.

We both of us dozed off after lunch then DH went out - errands or bike ride, I don't remember which. I got some housework done and emptied last night's bath water into the water barrel and watering can. Handling it all in buckets makes me appreciate how much water a bath uses! We don't have a hose pipe ban at present but that may come and everything's so dry. At least the water barrel is full again and the latest heatwave has passed: we actually had light jumpers on in the forest.

Some spending in addition to the takeaway: DH bought chicken and potatoes for tomorrow, I saw an ideal stocking filler for DD on V1nted and bought it (about £7 if I remember rightly). I've just sold some boots that are too tight for me, so the cost is covered. I've also got a refund for some socks I bought at the beginning of the year: oddly I had a message that all lockers were full so they had been returned to sender. Tracking then said they were left at the person's door, but they never received them. Odd it's eventually been counted as a cancelled sale.

WelshmansDaughter

I tend to get the pensioners supper (as they call fish and chips up here) at £6.50

Cherryfudge

I wonder if they do a pensioner's supper at ours? I rarely go as it's quicker for DH but perhaps I'll peer in when passing.

We woke up to rain this morning but it can't have been going on more than a few minutes as, when I raced outside to get the dress I'd hand washed last night, it was barely damp. The rain went on most of the morning, but wasn't heavy.

Church was a bit disjointed as there was a strong smell that might have been a vape or someone's perfume and my throat started to get tense. I don't think that was an allergic reaction as a glass of water helped a lot, but while getting that I was approached by a member of my team who is worrying about the changes due in the autumn. I offered to show where we are up to with changing the room, but ended up showing it to someone else (I think the original person was on welcome team so they probably had duties to do). Clearly I'm going to have to get together something to present to them even though I'm not 100% clear myself!

DH had offered to help water the plants outside church as the usual people are away, and I think he welcomed the fresh air. Odd that someone's perfume, if that's what it was, can be so invasive.

The car wasn't in a good way this morning. The power steering is on the way out and it's booked into the garage on Tuesday. It's not a big car but at the moment DH says it's like driving a tank!

Dinner was chicken, baked potatoes and veg: there's plenty of chicken left for other meals too.

During the afternoon I finally got my sewing machine going and the better quality thread, together with an adjustment made by the shop to the lower tension, seem to have worked wonders. I mended a pillowcase where a seam had split, put a gusset into a favourite tote bag that was going into holes at the bottom and patched the handles on another tote bag. This last was distinctly amateurish but it was good practice. Now I want some more projects to build up my skills.

We had a short walk this evening but it got dark earlier. I didn't realise at first but this was that rare phenomenon, rain clouds. We've had another shower after dark. Yippee!

rtandon27

Must be make do and mend season! I found the spare button and attached it to a dress and then sewed the flaps back onto a headband where hot glue did not work. Mine was handsewing but I'm pleased as both are items I wear to the office that had sat around for a few weeks. Agree completely that practice improves the skills.

Watty1

We had a shower too - seems so unusual now :)

Cherryfudge

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82105214#Comment_82105214

It's encouraging how these little jobs that niggle away can be so easy to tick off the list. I like the 'Make Do, Mend and Minimise thread, though I've not contributed for a while. Perhaps now I need to turn that around.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82105280#Comment_82105280

Wonderful! You need it so much, I hope that as soon as the sun goes down tonight, you get steady drizzle. 😊

Cherryfudge

Good morning, Monday. We have grey skies and I think there must have been rain overnight. It's forecast again for later today.

Planning for the day and week:

Monday: wait in for DH's medical delivery (late morning). Then do a C25K - I've not run since November so I need to see whether I'm up to skipping a few sessions or if I need to get back to the beginning. My weight has been creeping up and muscle tone seems to have wandered off, and no one is going to do it if I don't.

There's a parcel to collect and one to post, and of course housework. I managed to get a hot wash into the machine early enough for the water heating to be done on cheaper electricity, and that's nearly finished now. I'm using grey water to flush the toilet but some will go on the garden to try to prepare the ground to absorb this evening's rain. There are also blackberries to pick, and something make out of rhubarb that our friends gave us. DH doesn't really get along with it and there's no freezer space - still got rhubarb there from last year!

At some point I need to check work emails, do an online training session and update my timesheet. There's also some planning to do for the children's work, as September is getting closer.

Work at 5.

Tuesday - childcare then work at 5. I absentmindedly said I could do any day but Friday this week, so DH will take the children for the last hour or so and I'll walk from theirs to work.

Wednesday - Work at 5.

Thursday - DH's day off and we are out for the day to collect the painting he's had cleaned and have a treat of a meal at a lovely restaurant we found last time we went there. Then work at 5.

Friday - Nothing planned for the day but we are looking after DGD3 in the evening.

Saturday - nothing planned.

Sunday - I'm helping with church coffees.

P.S. I've just put the washing out though there are tiny amounts of drizzle. It's so slight, it feel as if they are just drifting around, uncertain what they are supposed to be doing. At least the washing will get an airing.