Moving on

Sun_Addict

Sounds positive about the unwelcome lump I’m glad it’s being thoroughly investigated to be on the safe side. 

Cherryfudge

Thanks @Sun_Addict, yes it does, but I'm taking no chances. Appointment came through for a couple of weeks' time, and near here, which is also good as it could have been quite a way away.

My sister and her daughter arrived at about three, by which time I had the guest room and landing fairly nice and the rest not too disgraceful. We chatted for a while then my sister went to town for some food (they have things they can't eat so she offered to cook for us) while my niece and I talked. She's an older teen now and showed me a photo album of scenes from around where they live in the middle of Africa, then we talked about her art (she's just done an exam) and I showed some of the photos from our holiday. So plenty to talk about. My sister made a really good sausage pasta so we ate well, then with apologies both DH and I had to get to our meetings. Our visitors are still jet lagged so they got to bed soon after we got back.

Expenditure:
Housekeeping £6.90
e-book £1.99

Cherryfudge

Happy longest day, all.

Another full day, and a lovely warm sunny one, too. My sister and her daughter left after breakfast so I was able to take up H's invitation to go to Toddler club with her and the girls. It was quite funny as I know the person in charge but she hadn't connected me with H, N and F so she did a doubletake and exclaimed something like 'I didn't know they are yours!' Toddler clubs don't seem to have changed a lot since I took my brood, over a quarter of a century ago. H invited me back to lunch (cheese and chutney toasted sandwiches, and very nice too) and we spent some time playing with the children before she gave me a lift home. I did see A briefly (another double-take, as he didn't know I was in the house) before he set off to a 'posh' meeting (long sleeved shirt instead of WFH shorts and tee shirt). 

Dh had the rest of yesterday's sausages for dinner and I had two snack meals instead of a dinner, one either side of work (rye crispbreads with pate and oatcakes with Stilton)... and an ice cream.

I got three hours at work, they are a bit short staffed.

The only thing I bought was a couple of light bulbs for the bathroom as the light failed there while I was having my bath last night. Unfortunately the chap in the shop gave me the wrong ones so we had early baths while the daylight lasted tonight!

Expenditure:
Household £10.

Cherryfudge

Another hot, sunny day. In the morning (late, as I'm getting to be in need of a break) I went off to do the church hoovering and watering some plants, then to pick up some groceries. I couldn't get the scanner to work on the self service till and the woman who came to help was rather offhand, so I wondered about leaving feedback. If she's like that with me, she will be like it with others, and a bit of thoughtfulness doesn't come amiss. I was left feeling she thought I was stupid, though she'd seen the scanner not picking up on the QR code when I tried it.

In fact, today has been a bit fragile, mood-wise. I think it's the anxiety of finding the lump. I'm much less concerned now it's moved/gone and the doctor couldn't find it either, but random moments of anxiety or of feeling something needs to be put right have come instead.

DH had a routine check-up and all went well, so he came home and sunbathed, and later he made tuna pasta for our dinner.

I got three hours at work, which is welcome, especially as I have only two days next week. I do need some rest, though, and I also need to make some decisions on what I commit to do.

A nice little surprise from Duolingo, by the way: a free three days of 'super', in good time to be used on days off.

Expenditure:
Housekeeping: £12.18

Cherryfudge

Another sunny day! I could get used to this!

We went to the car boot sale this morning and I bought a few bits and pieces, though DH didn't. My haul is a rake, two large scarves, two books and three pieces of (costume) jewellery. The books are 'The warmth of the heart prevents your body from rusting' by Marie de Hennezel, which I'd seen on Kindle and thought looked interesting, and The Road to Nab End by William Woodruff which looks like gritty social history. The jewellery is a blue necklace, a dark necklace of small metallic-looking beads and a silver and duck egg blue bracelet. I don't wear much jewellery but I've learned to buy a couple of bits occasionally because you never know when it might come in useful to complete a look. The scarves are both large and quite lightweight. One is scarlet cotton, and sadly has some stains where it looks to have been in contact with something dark blue. I've washed it twice and those stains are fading. I bought it because I thought it would look lovely over a winter coat, but perhaps someone else had the same idea, and it all got wet. The other scarf is large and floaty with lots of little birds on, the sort of thing I can fling on when I really don't want to give in to wearing a coat but it's no longer tee shirt weather. The rake is to replace one we lost. I've no idea how one loses a rake, but we managed it.

Total car boot spend £6.70.

I decided I wanted chip shop chips again today: we had them with salmon and a sort of medley of vegetables cooked with a bit of pepperoni. It worked out well so I'll remember the veg mix to add interest some other time. We watched the final of The Piano while we ate. Fantastic.

In the afternoon, after a few hints recently from DH, who isn't allowed near gardening without my permission, I spent a couple of hours trimming back hedges and overgrown branches. The neighbours were doing the same, and I can tell the difference - there's more light in the dining room! My mood is still a bit dodgy (unfounded feelings of dread) so I know I need to take it easy for a bit and gardening and cooking are perfect for that. I think it will stabilise soon enough as stresses recede.

We had a wander down to the supermarket for some groceries this evening and on the way home, bumped into a former colleague of mine. It was lovely to see her and have a quick catch-up. She mentioned there are new staff, which I knew as I'd seen someone new out and about doing the work, and that a number of former clients have left. I knew of a couple already but I'm none the wiser who else has moved on. Still, it as nice to have a few minutes with her.

I've also given my hair a trim tonight, probably a bit overdue.

Expenditure:
Garden £3
Books £1
Clothing/jewellery £2.70
Housekeeping £5.41 plus chips (£2.20?)

WelshmansDaughter

I’ve read the warmth of the heart book, its very good. I also liked Gabor Mate’s take on it or The Body Keeps the Score

Cherryfudge

It feels like the sort of book I 'should' read but often struggle to get far - and exactly the same for the Gabor Mate book, which is very interesting and useful as far as I've got. Both authors seem to write in an approachable way so the difficulty is with me, not them. I have settled for dipping in when I feel inclined.  

The Nab End book grabbed me straight away so that may well be read first, but I'm also a good way through an old novel (one of O. Douglas's) which I'm loving. The inter-war years fascinate me, whether in fact or fiction.

Cherryfudge

We decided to stay in this morning, DH because of hay fever and I to get some peace and quiet. We watched church online, then I made the curry which we both liked. It's supposed to have a lot of cream in it but I just left that out and used yogurt and a splash of water so DH could have it. I'm pleased to say that brought the lactose low enough that he didn't suffer any ill effects and as I made the whole quantity of sauce but only enough chicken for two, we now have spare sauce to use tomorrow.

Dh went out for a walk in the afternoon, complete with hat as summer is definitely here. I spent some time pouring over the diary and calendar and trying to work out what I need to be ready for various things. In doing so, I completely forgot the town food festival was on, though I normally enjoy it. A sent a photo of H and N near our local MP, so of course that attracted family comment.

Meanwhile I've worked out my budget advice training course isn't for another month, but the books have already arrived so I can start to go through them. I have Tuesday's study to prepare, so I've made a small start on that but I'm not hosting which takes the pressure off. I'm doing church cleaning tomorrow and as DH has been moved to Mondays at work for the next few weeks, I texted to arrange to continue to cover this till the end of July. It's no inconvenience to me and means the person for whom I'm covering for has longer to recover their health. We get a break over August anyway, as the pattern of things is different  over the summer hols, and I've said I will be less available in September.

One of the things that's on my mind is working at the debt advice centre this Wednesday, but I have some time to prepare for that. I'm still not decided whether to take on the role with the pre-schoolers at church either. It still interests me and I will probably kick myself if I don't take it, but at the moment there's plenty to keep me busy and if anything else comes up, I'll feel the pressure.

On Wednesday we have a meeting in the evening so ideally I should read the last lot of minutes, but I think I was there so it won't be too much to take in. On Thursday and Friday I'm working in the evenings and I'm thinking of seeing H and the girls at Toddler Club then asking them back here for lunch on Thursday.

Paid work is only Thursday and Friday this coming week.

So that's my week ahead. Having made sure it's all diarised, I did half an hour's gardening under a clear blue sky. Lovely. Then this evening there was a meeting at church, and I helped water the church plant pots then walked back afterwards as I'd already missed too much of a beautiful day and needed some exercise.

WelshmansDaughter

I'm still not decided whether to take on the role with the pre-schoolers at church either. It still interests me and I will probably kick myself if I don't take it, but at the moment there's plenty to keep me busy and if anything else comes up, I'll feel the pressure.

You dont have to do everything. It may mean that you reduce the enjoyment of other things spreading yourself too thin

Cherryfudge

This is true, @WelshmansDaughter - but the trouble is, I want to give it a go! A bit of me is anxious that if I don't take this opportunity, I'll never get to manage anything, though I suspect that's a fallacy. I managed a small team years ago but wasn't nearly ready for it and I suspect it was a poor choice on behalf of management, even had I been ready, as it looked very much as if I was appointed to keep the funding for a post. I went many months without anyone to manage! But that aside, I'm looking hard at what I'm involved in. Last weeks health scare showed me that one extra thing can be the difference between enough and too much, but on the other hand I don't like to be too under-employed. Keeping reasonably busy is key to my well-being.

Talking of reasonably busy, I wasted much of this morning rearranging my computer game so I hurriedly put some washing in and washed the kitchen floor. A dropped jar of marmalade last night just didn't really clear up after an initial wash, or a second wash... hoping it's less sticky after wash number 3, and glad it's a tiny floor.