Moving on

Cherryfudge

Got loads of work stuff done yesterday and now owe less than two hours, to my relief. In the evening I had a couple of hours at the cleaning job. It was 15 degrees in the evening, which felt balmy and spring-like.

Today DH and I both had a day off as there's no childcare due to the family being away. I woke with first light - a full moon surveying the earth from a clear blue sky - and realised I could get a load of washing done on cheap electricity, and charge up a couple of things. By the time DH came down, I'd done nearly all the ironing, too.

DH was volunteering in the morning so I set up a little work office in the spare room (DH will need 'my' corner of the dining room when he repairs the bay window wall), and tidied up ready for the piano tuner who came just after lunch. Our original one moved away and we lost the details of the next one but this one seems to have done a good job and DH is very happy with the results, as am I (he has better pitch than I do).

DD asked us if we could babysit and this has raised the issue that DH has a routine procedure on the same day as the requested babysitting and me looking after the other grandchildren in the afternoon, when I'm also going to need to keep an eye on DH till the sedative wears off. The afternoon childcare is to allow DDiL to do something at work and I said ages ago that I could do it. DH didn't want to request a change of appointment but in the end he did. I really hope he gets a morning appointment because the prep makes him feel so ill and that's worse if he has to wait all day. We talked it out over a countryside walk with glorious blue sky and mild weather, but I don't think we got the most out of the walking as we couldn't come up with a perfect solution.

We've sat down with the diary and calendar and made sure we've written everything down, bearing in mind we've agreed to have the solar work done in the third week of the month as this will save us £300 due to the scaffolders working in the area that week. We don't yet have an exact date, as the weather and previous jobs could be variable.

I had another two hours of cleaning this evening and as some people were working three hours and I ran slightly over time, I found a lot of the exits had been locked early! The people working till eight get let out officially through a particular gate but early finishers can use any exit. After five locked exits, I texted the managers, then found a back door I could use. She rang while I was on the way home to check I was all right and she's going to speak to the person who locled up early. When I think about it, those doors were bolted so if there had been a fire, it would have been dangerous to be indoors and having to search for an exit.

I'm quite tired now so it's bath and bed time.

Cherryfudge

Something I forgot from yesterday: I passed a house with buckets of apples and a moneybox so I popped a pound in (no other money on me) and got four good-sized cooking apples. Loads left for other people or perhaps even us! They are a bit bruised - probably blown down in recent winds.

DH has a new appointment for his procedure and it's on a morning, to our mutual relief.

It's one of those mornings where I've got loads done but am still in my PJs, which I need to remedy next. It's still mild so the heating's off. I've chopped up and marinaded some feta, which takes away the urgency to use it up. I hope that works! A bag of sprouts has been trimmed and put in water to revive - need to find freezer space for them.

I've washed some summer trousers so they can be packed away once dried, and cleaned the top of the boiler so things can air on there. Next wash will be bedding - no cheap alternative at the moment and it needs to be kept on top of, so to speak.

I forgot to have breakfast apart from a coffee so it will be early lunch and I really must get down to some paid work so I don't lose the progress made the other day.

Cherryfudge

The laundry is now on radiators: I think I may be able to get the same sheet and pillowcases back ont he bed but there's a warmer duvet cover to go with them.

Some paid work did get done, thankfully, but I ground to a halt part way through long division. I remember it the first time around but I think I must have missed a crucial lesson as I never learned it. In order to get myself moving, I've been up to the loft (usually avoided if there's no one around since that's where I had my fall and now people worry about me) and out to the garage and tracked down the stuff listed on V!nted and various other things to list as well as gloves and scarves as the weather gets colder. I then posted an item that sold on V1nted and went on to the the shops for a few bits and pieces.

Tonight was chicken and chorizo pasta (chicken from the freezer and a portion boxed up for dinner for DH while I'm working on Friday. I at long last managed to track down L1dl's tinned aubergine in tomato sauce - it's in a flat tin not the jar I was looking for - as they have a recipe I'd like to try. I won't be trying it very often as each tin is £1.99, two are needed for the recipe and there's an odd 100g left over - that's without the other ingredients. I've also got a tin of stuffed vine leaves and another jar of the lovely marinated cheese.

DH has his church group tonight but mine is short of people so we're meeting next week and I've offered to lead. I need to use some of this extra time tonight do some more learning!

rtandon27

So funny you mentioned the aubergine in tomato! I've just bought a tin from our local Turkish shop as it's the one veg my OH does not fancy so I thought it easier to purchase just for me. It was surprisingly delicious, I had some warmed with a bit of fresh soft bread and was reminded of eggplant parmesan without the cheese. I paid 1.19 and thought that an OK price but would think twice at 1.99.

thriftmonster

Was that in the regular tinned section of Lidl @Cherryfudge or in the speciality Greek section?

Cherryfudge

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82184961#Comment_82184961

Sadly, no Turkish cuisine round here. It does sound like my sort of things though.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82185010#Comment_82185010

It was in the Greek section - the one that comes round every few months, and it was in mixed boxes of about three different types. Wasn't easy to spot. 🙁

WelshmansDaughter

They teach long division in four (I think) different ways now Cherry, you may find one of the newer ways more relatable.

Cherryfudge

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82186045#Comment_82186045

I do hope so! My favoured method is to use a calculator.

Cherryfudge

I was supposed to work through today but I've not done nearly enough so I'll have to add to it this evening.

Today we've used both the washing machine and the dishwasher on daytime electricty rates as we can't be sure of being up before seven to utilise the cheap rate. The Squid company have asked us for a hike in regular payments despite us being over £400 in credit. I've done a nominal nudge upwards but I know that, with winter coming up and gas prices being what they are, I may need to push it higher. However, they don't know about the solar, so our actual spend shouldn't be as high as their projected total.

We've had documentation through for a short term insurance policy to safeguard the deposit on the work. Less than four weeks now, hopefully. Meanwhile outdoors is still mild and pleasant, though the heating was on this morning.

I listed a couple of bits on V1nted and messaged my sister to offer her some sheepskin mittens that don't fit me very well They've now been posted to my niece, costing I think £4.60 second class, which is a lot, but probably my fault for not squashing them into smaller packaging. What's good is that they and a box are now rehomed!

I had to go to a work venue this afternoon to measure up the notice board I'm supposed to be setting up, and went to get bits of shopping from Sa1nsbury, A$da, 1celand and L1dl. That took a couple of hours but it did give us eight decently big oranges for £2.10, 250g of blueberries for £1.10 and a giant lactofree milk for £1.10 instead of £3. I think we may be having rice pudding tomorrow, and something that creates a bit of freezer space so I can pour some milk off and freeze it.

Dinner today was toad in the hole (so some ingredients used up) with a tray bake of veg and a dozen jammy fairy cakes at the same time to be MS and optimise the oven heat. The cakes are definitely not Bake Off style. That's ironic as we were watching it as I got them out of the oven. I think too much jam made them sort of explode. Edible, but practice needed.

I'm trying to eat things up and not buy too much that will just sit on the shelves. I've had to throw out some grapes that were in the fridge too long (we forget fruit that's in the fridge) and there's still most of a melon that I can't leave much longer. I know DH will get through apples and oranges as if they are going out of fashion, and I hope he finishes up the rest of today's sausages, which were too peppery for me. Most of the cakes will be up to me to eat but at least it helps me stay off the chocolate! (I love chocolate but suspect it's a major cause of reflux for me).

Cherryfudge

It's been another day when I've struggled to get down to work. I think I was putting off a simple phone call to Business Support for some resources but when I summoned my courage (why? I'm sure they don't bite), the phone was answered by a really pleasant woman who is new in the job and had been left to mind the phones while the rest of the crew went to someone's leaving do. She had no idea about the resources so I suggested she email me and by the end of the conversation, we were joking about me not letting on that she'd said her colleagues were 'partying'. So of course there was absolutely nothing worth worrying about and another small hurdle was overcome.

DH had the day off but spent the morning at his volunteering and our main meal was rather large portions of leftovers, thus creating a bit of fridge space. We then went to the Garden Centre for our 'free' hot drinks: very few people at the outdoor tables this time. It was rather a short visit as I needed to get back to collect the notice board for the half term project, but I remembered to take some free coffee grounds for the compost.

DH went to talk to the travel agent about some winter sun - last winter's trip to the Algarve was just right but we can't be sure of the weather being so pleasant another time. The travel agent has suggested Malta for February.

I went in to my cleaning job a bit early as I had permission to collect some resources for the board, and this evening I've done some work on it: it's easier when I can see it set out. I was going to get some QR codes so people can go straight to information rather than going home and forgetting it, but a lot that appear to be free seem on closer inspection not to be. I'll have to ask work if they have a recommended source. (It's my idea and I'm holding on to it like a terrier with a stick!) Once again, I've been using AI to help generate content (once I'd found out where Co P1lot hides on a work computer).

The hot drinks were free with Garden Centre membership and dinner was leftovers, so I don't think I've spent anything today. I forgot to mention I have two free months of Super Duolingo if only I can get the authenticator app to play ball. Perhaps I need to do that tomorrow.

I listed another item on V1nted and to my surprise it was very popular and has sold as a bundle with something similar. As far as I can work out, V1nted calculates the postage for bundles, so I hope they've done so for this and the label will be right. Never sold a bundle before. It's a plump squashed down carrier bag of woolly cardigans, so there's no question of them fitting in an envelope. If I have time tomorrow I'll try another trip into the loft for something else to list. At this rate we may have a very small dent in the amount of our possessions if we live another few decades. On the plus side, selling things means they go to someone who wants them.