Moving on

redofromstart

Sounds like a lovely start to your beak. 

Cherryfudge

Our time away has been and gone! We got home about eight tonight and most stuff is now unpacked. It's been refreshing: the place we stayed is lovely and we'd go again.

This morning DH popped into town as soon as shops opened and bought the picture he wanted, then I returned the top that didn't fit and got a refund. We packed the car then spent some time looking round the shops that weren't open yesterday, but all I bought was snacks. Then we drove to Chirk Castle where we had lunch and went round the building for a while, followed by getting lost in the gardens. As with other NT places, we found a little second hand bookshop and to my delight I found a copy of Helene Hanff's 84, Charing Cross Road. I love that book and I've been searching for a copy of my own for some time. I also bought some gifts in the main shop, and we had our usual day out treat of afternoon cake and drinks.

Driving back took a bit longer than projected as the motorway traffic was really heavy. I fell asleep for a while, but woke up feeling more human.

Meals have been cafe lunch and snacks in the car, then I finished some of last week's leftovers when we got home. 

I will have to leave the expenditure for now as I need some sleep.

Cherryfudge

I didn't realise how tired I was till I went to bed and could feel my heart beat was a bit uneven. I sometimes get palpitations if I'm very tired and it wasn't like that, and it's righted today, but it definitely felt as though a rest was needed. I slept okay, and woke up when DH went to work.

So far today nothing huge has been achieved, just a number of bitty jobs. The washing is out on the line, my hair is washed, I've found my keys, fetched the wheelie bins from the collecting point and texted work with my availability for next week.

Expenditure for Monday 22/4/24:
Clothing £3.99 (and £5.50 which doesn't count as it was refunded).
Entertainment: coffee/tea and Bara Brith/cake £11.15
Toiletries £1.15
Hobbies £5.98
Gift 59p
Household £2.99
Housekeeping £19.84 +2.65

Expenditure for Tuesday 23/4/24:
Hobbies: DH's painting
Entertainment (entry, lunch, coffee etc.) £35.20 + £18.99 + ?
Book £1.50
Gifts £19.80

I can see from the state of the lawn that the ground elder noticed I wasn't around and has taken the opportunity to spring back - already! I'll make something of a start on (again) this afternoon but it might be the lawnmower as the shears are making my fingers a bit puffy.

I also got a refund from YBS just before we went away, so there's that cheque to put in. It's from when I thought the transaction hadn't gone through and put it through again.

Cherryfudge

The grass is mown and a few ground elder leaves have been extricated from the male fern (which, incidentally, seems to be actually 16 small plants). I'm still wondering how ever to divide it up, but it had better be soon as the fronds are starting to unfurl.

I also went to the shops and tried out a recipe from the new vegan cookery book, though I did 'adapt slightly' and used meat sausages as we happened to have some to use. This was a tomato-based sauce with a tablespoon of smoked paprika and a teaspoon each of soy sauce and maple syrup. I had all the ingredients save sundried tomatoes. It was very tasty and DH has claimed the leftover sauce for his tea tomorrow.

This evening was my church group: it was someone's birthday and there was cake.

Expenditure:
Housekeeping £12.38

Floss

Cherryfudge said:

The grass is mown and a few ground elder leaves have been extricated from the male fern (which, incidentally, seems to be actually 16 small plants). I'm still wondering how ever to divide it up, but it had better be soon as the fronds are starting to unfurl.

Maybe the back-to-back forks method? Carol Whotsit demonstrated it on Gardeners World last week.

Cherryfudge

Floss said:

Maybe the back-to-back forks method? Carol Whotsit demonstrated it on Gardeners World last week.

That would be ideal, though I think we only have one fork! Perhaps next door has one I could borrow? He's the sort of person who might help, too: we tackled some overhanging branches as a team a few months ago (and there's a lot more light as a result).

I'm going to have to get each of those divisions off separately or in little clusters, and work round each getting rid of any ground elder roots before potting them up and hopefully giving some away. The important things are going to be keeping as much fern as possible and getting rid of any trace of ground elder. The fern needed to be separated anyway as it's too big and in the wrong place, and both plants will get even bigger if left.

Today is rainy, which is good for softening the ground - and I doubt it's dried out anyway. I'll look up Gardener's World and get DH to watch that bit with me!

There are a few jobs to do: ironing, tidying, decluttering... the usual. I'm at work at 5.

I heard back from the query I sent about a different cleaning job, and I don't think it's for me as holidays can only be taken in school holidays, and that would really restrict us as well as being more expensive. The job is 10 hours a week, year round, which on the one hand is income but on the other hand... well, it's not calling my name, though I may regret that in the longer term. I'm still hoping a similar job comes up again that I didn't go for back in the autumn.

Interestingly, I've just come across a quotation from Elizabeth Barrett Browning about work that not only ties in with last night's discussion (on Ecclesiastes 3) but also chimes with how I think: "Get leave to work - In this world 'tis the best you get at all, For God in cursing gives us better gifts Than men in benediction".
I'm certainly not ready to retire, though I know I need to do a lot less than full time.

I've also heard back about a course I'd thought to take on digital skills. Good news in a way, as it's stuff I've already covered. I still want to learn to do spreadsheets, but I think I need to go back to the website and find if the next qualification-granting course is up yet.

milann

I love the places you have visited. We weren’t far from Heswall on Saturday. We visit Llangollen fairly regularly too. We’ve  walked many miles along the canal and river. There’s a great burger place in the town which we usually visit too. In fact if Dh gets around to booking the campsite we should be there in a few weeks time  at a train show. We stay between the town and the falls so it’s a nice walk-in both directions. Glad you had a lovely time. 

You are so busy - makes me tired reading everything 😂

Cherryfudge

I make me tired, too, @milann.

We have family links with Heswall, though we don't get back there often nowadays. It's a beautiful area, as is Llangollen, in a different way.

Today was largely unproductive as it was cold and showery outside and I finished my book and felt guilty for not getting a lot done. One very small declutter - a couple of worn out eyebrow pencils.

There were two hail showers, one of which was heavy. April is obviously making an exit. However, it cleared up nicely and was a little warmer later, so I went to Lid! for some bits and pieces before work, and after work I went to T3sco. T3sco well and truly 'got' me as I noticed I had coupons for discounts on coffee and extra Clubcard points, and not only bought several packets of coffee (nice coffee for treats and guests!) but a number of discounted things, ending up spending nearly £20 on non-essentials. So now I've got to use them! The Lid! trip was planned around coupons too, as there was a discount on some cereal that I like. I bought four packets as it will get eaten, and I might as well pay less for it. (A whole 87p less - ah well. I suppose it all adds up).

Incidentally, the T3sco coffee promotion says it's a discount on coffee, but that doesn't seem to include cappuccino sachets. What are they, if not coffee?

According to my receipt, before the various promotions and yellow stickers, that T3sco basket would have been £26.87, but with the reductions, it was £19.15, which makes out that I saved £7.72, but actually I wouldn't have gone in if it weren't for the promotion, so it's probably a large percentage overspend. I did get one of the coffees as a stocking filler for L (it's in date for a year). Only afterwards did I realise his mum had given me the idea by getting me a similar coffee last Christmas!

Expenditure:
Housekeeping £28.44
Gift £3.20

Cherryfudge

There's a plan for today, for once.

Off to do church cleaning in a minute after five minutes of Duolingo, then to Asd a for the 'tins shop'. Yes, all that food shopping yesterday, and I still want more. There are certain staples that are cheapest there (we don't have an Ald!, so I can't compare).

This afternoon, if energy permits, I could be making rhubarb muffins and/or lemon curd (I'm not sure why but a couple of supermarkets have promotions on unwaxed lemons at the moment and I know DH adores lemon curd). Then there's work.

I've checked this morning and payslips are published so I can also start to prepare for next month's finances. I think I might also look through recent photos and see about making a small souvenir book of them. It's relatively cheap through the app and would be a nice keepsake.

Cherryfudge

Not enough energy/time to cook this afternoon, it might happen tomorrow.

I admit that as well as doing the 'tins shop', I checked Sains for their offers: my Nectar points are starting to add up now I'm making sure I use the app and have handed DH - who is loyalty card averse - my old card to collect points. After all, he's in there most days for his pastries! I came away with a couple more boxes of cappuccinos and another white hot chocolate. I've got a taste for it again.

Work was okay: early finish as it's Friday and DH cooked tea. We decided to try kidneys as I'd bought some yellow stickered ones yesterday. I remember the taste from childhood, though I don't know that I've had them in years! I don't think they're going to be a favourite but they were okay and there are a few to go in the freezer.

DH has just surprised me by saying our friends are coming to stay next weekend. I know they were coming, but hadn't registered it's so soon. There was I thinking I'd get some down-time... it will be nice to be going out to places again though.

Expenditure:
Housekeeping £10.70