Moving on

Cherryfudge

The throat is definitely improved this morning. Not right yet but not too bad.

DH has completed the forms to apply for his pension! This is the largest pension of several he has and comes from a final salary post he had a few years ago. He's opting for the smallest lump sum and thus the maximum regular pay-out. He has a birthday early next month and if we wait till then, he gets an extra £4 a year... but the forms had been completed to finish just before the birthday, so I've pushed him to ask if they can alter the date. That's what he's doing now but for the sake of £4, I don't think he's going to jump through hoops. That frustrates me as we could have had the money a year ago and got the same rate!

This is something we've chewed over each year for the past few years. He's not retiring from his current post (enjoys it far too much) but there are rumours that lump sum payments may become taxable in a few weeks and for people in our position - near retirement age but not officially there yet - this is a significant factor. Even if it doesn't happen, the potential balance shift is enough to make it worth our while to jump now. (In real life terms that translates as 'we can afford to go to Rome again next year' ). 

Well, today is much drier than yesterday so I'm going to put the washing out and start sorting out summer clothes to put away.

Cherryfudge

Positive news: pensions were able to move the start date of DH's 'retirement' to a few days later so he gets the £4! First payment arrives in November though the lump sum should precede it.

I've sent him a link to the MSE page with details about savings accounts.

Ironically, after the stress of getting that sorted, he's started with the racing heartbeat again, though not as fast as last time. It should return to normal in an hour or so. As he said though, if it turns out to be fatal, at least I get the lump sum now! I did point out I'd rather have him, and that it would be a terrible irony if the stress of sorting out a pension finished him off.  

So I think we need to avoid stresses for a while. Is that ever possible? And there are so many people a thousand times worse off than we are, which does put it in proportion.

Cherryfudge

DH We spent the afternoon pottering about, DH with the car and I with the pressure spray (which sprays, but the pressure is questionable). Then we decided to do something with the day and went to the garden centre as we had a voucher for free bulbs. We also got our 'free hot drinks' while there (not absolutely free as they come with a £12 membership, and while my hot chocolate was free, DH's juice was cold so we paid for it). We had a nice chat with one of the staff about cities in Europe we'd visited: she is better travelled than we are so that was interesting. The shop had run out of the freebie bulbs but are trying to get more in so I may try again.

Back at home, tea was yesterday's leftovers which reheated nicely. We then went out for DH's bread and in the course of things picked up massive amounts of other edibles: biscuits and grapes for a meeting DH is going to tomorrow, biscuits for my pre-schoolers, biscuits and chocolate for me to make tiffin (on a whim and because it was mentioned on here the other day), salmon because it was on discount, salmon fishcakes because I had a voucher, DH's crispbreads because he gets through lots of them and they were on offer, milk because I suddenly remembered we're nearly out, two lots of a flavoured hot choc as it's on half price and my stash is running out, pastries for lunches though I've had one already... really I ought not to be let out when supermarkets have discounts on. Total just over £37.  

DH also got oil for the new car and a freebie car key protector, and I discovered the garden centre is giving away used coffee grounds for compost so I've added some to our compost bin.

The washing has been out all afternoon but was still damp so is now ironed but hanging up to air, and we watched the talk from Sunday's service together as I'd found it really good and though DH might too.

Karonher

This was in inews so dont know how accurate it is.

Currently, retirees can take 25 per cent of their pension pot savings tax-free, up to the value of £268,275, when they retire.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said it could be capped at £100,000 instead.

Cherryfudge

Thanks @Karonher - not the same article my DH saw but it sounds from this as though we would be okay either way.

Cherryfudge

Today's been busy: I went to the Wednesday job this morning, though my clients didn't turn up! I did hear from one of them though, and was able to work on some stuff for the other one. It's such a nice place to work, a good atmosphere and some great laughs (and although there are plenty of clients, some very quiet days). We also had a little talk from a former employee who is a sort of mentor to the group. Very insightful and thought-provoking.

I've avoided the shops: I really spent too much yesterday and not all on stuff for stores by a long way.

Back at home, I finished up the mushroom paste on some pasta then had a quiet couple of hours (and a pastry) before work, which was only an hour and a half as I needed the evening. Afterwards DH was going to one meeting while a friend gave me a lift to mine, so he cooked tea (salmon) and was leaving as I arrived. It was all a bit of a quick turnover but the evening meeting was good.

It's raining again and I don't have anything planned tomorrow till tea time when I go to work - I doubt I'll have a lie in but it's nice to know I could if I wanted!

Cherryfudge

I did get a bit of a lie-in and, the rain having continued all day, have done a bit of sorting of summer clothes, even trying on bikinis so I have something to wear in a few weeks when I'm away for a weekend with friends. They all still fit... whether they are flattering I couldn't say, but I'm not the one who opted for a hot tub so they will have to take me as they find me.  

Found yet another summer dress, worn once. I think I wafted round Rome in that one. Ah, memories! It's folded up to go in the loft now.

I really haven't made much progress with this transition of seasons, but I put the year on all this year's sun creams and packed them in the bathroom cupboard a[art from a near-empty one that's gone to the makeup recycling bin at the supermarket.

The afternoon has been about trying to sort the rota, which turned out to be really tricky. I've realised that rather than do it all myself, I need to pull the team in on this one, so I've sent a message to ask if anyone would like to act up for one session and lead? No replies yet, but it's early days. If I don't get a taker, I'll speak to the youth leader tomorrow and see if he can come up with something. Once that lead role is filled, I can distribute people to other days without (hopefully) overloading anyone (except possibly me, but I need to be strict with myself).

DH had a dental appointment this afternoon so was able to give me lifts too and from work, which was a big help. Mostly it's not been ordinary rain. It's been steady torrents! It's forecast to let up overnight.

DH tells me he had another long session of raised heart rate while at work this morning. I don't like that they are coming much more frequently, but we don't know if and how we are supposed to inform the NHS. Should he try to get to A&R every time? He just carried on working today!

He remembered he has a distant relative who is a specialist in that field so he's emailed him to ask for any leads.

I haven't spent anything today but I think DH said the dentist charged him £76.

Cherryfudge

Another lie-in this morning: the alarm didn't go off as we had a power cut. I'm therefore now in the library where there's free computer access for an hour, and heat! Actually our house isn't too cold and if the power is still out this evening, we can light the log burner.

It seems to be very localised, just our road, at roughly the spot where something broke a couple of times before, and the ETA for repairs to be complete is around teatime so we should be okay later. If not... well, DH is charging his phone here, and I'm charging my fitbit. Should have been phone too, but I brought the wrong lead..

We used the remaining one hot drink credit for tea at the garden centre this morning and paid for a cappuccino. It was quite busy, looks as though lots of people go for breakfast. I asked if they had any more of the free tete a tete bulbs but they hadn't, and they'd not refilled the coffee grounds to add to compost (cherryfudge the opportunist).

I then called into church - free heat and hot drink! - and saw a member of staff so I have a solution to my rota issue.

We had to go to the shops on the way back as both of us had run out of favoured cereals, and there were a couple of useful discount codes so we got a few things. I'm still fitting them in the emergency cupboard somehow! Lunch was sandwiches for DH and cereal with banana and yogurt for me. (My food yesterday was all sorts of odds and ends, like the remainder of the pickled eggs I made, porridge with the rest of a container of chocolate cake decorations (much nicer in porridge than on cake), a couple of small bits of the over-sweet tiffin and DH cooked me a fishcake after work.

I'm at work from 4.30 and if the power isn't back on by then, I'll take a flask for hot water which is always on there. I was struggling with the ethics of recharging my phone there but actually I need it for work as we have to be in phone contact, so I don't think there's an issue with recharging (they don't pay towards my bill but I do use my texts for work purposes). I'm back at around 7.30 so if the power isn't on, it will be fish and chips tonight.

Anyway, thank goodness the rain has stopped. It was torrential all day yesterday from before we got up till gone midnight, though there doesn't seem to have been significant flooding locally and oddly, not so many snails or slugs outside. I think they can't get past the moat that built up round the back doorstep.

It's a useful exercise in emergency prep, though. We have a few logs under cover but not many - we need a proper log store. We could do with a second power bank to charge laptops as this one doesn't fully charge even one. Candles and matches we have - but they need to be to hand. Once the log burner is lit, we can do hot drinks and het things form tins, so perhaps a few soups would be handy though I prefer homemade.

Cherryfudge

P.S. I've renewed my library card. The new one is cute, with a duck on, and won't easily be confused with other cards.

The sore throat, which was almost better, is back. Could be a different bug, I suppose. It's not nearly as bad but I'm being careful not to irritate it.

redofromstart

Hope your power is back on - so much sympathy