NST July 2024: A July jaunt around Madrid

f0xh0les

Had to cancel my bank card as someone in America has tried to use it. The bank noticed them putting through £0.00 and checked, they had set up a monthly 'subscription' payment! Got that blocked, and cut up my card.     Have to wait for new card to come, so transferred all my money to my dedicated "switcher" account until all is secure again.
That makes 3 out of 6 of our household in 2 months.   

DawnW

Evening all

Thanks for the kind comments. I have to meet the funeral celebrant tomorrow, which I am not looking forward to, but must be done. I did a bit in the garden today, and also roasted a load of peppers that came in a L*dl £1.50 box last week, and made some of them into a tart thing on puff pastry, with pesto spread underneath and cheese on top. That got rid of a lot of fridge gravel and leftovers, and will do for dinner tomorrow.

Also did the shopping. No veg boxes today unfortunately, but I did find some reduced items in W*itrose.

Not able to get on with much else due to builders running up and down the stairs. The loft conversion looks like a bomb site still, and there is dust everywhere, but the builders are nice and seem to know what they are doing.

We had new potatoes, beans and courgettes from the garden with our dinner today    

Grateful today that my cousin has let me know how many people he is bringing to the funeral so I can finalise numbers with the caterer. It won't be a large gathering.

Thrifty_Taylor

So sorry for your loss @DawnW. As others have said you did your best to follow his wishes & he stayed where he wanted to be. (I have heard about bereavement grants, to help pay towards/for a funeral. Might be worth looking into)

A gorgeous day here. Woke early with terrible cramp in my calf, must be a result of our 13.5 mile walk yesterday! Sat seeing all morning, then went to a neighbour's funeral this afternoon. After tea I dug over some of the garden, moved small stones & plant pots with roses in to go in the new border. Picked the stems from 2 litres of currants & watched TV.

Grateful for being on holiday so able to go to the funeral, genuine people (not those that only speak when it suits them!) & time in the garden listening to music as I worked

thriftylass

@DawnW, sorry to hear about your brother and your loss.

@f0xh0les, 3 out of 6, that is crazy.

Not much to report here, just plodding on and slightly overspending due to kids activities. Not much else to report.

ditty1234

Hi just dropping by to say that NSD is not going super well, this summer I have walked on the beach with holes in my pockets and lost money like sand, disappearing under my feet. I also feel that my job saga is coming to a tee in the next week as certain feedback I have to employer needs to land and I also have a job interview that is interesting. It is a 20% pay cut and I am not happy about it, but I feel it is worth my health and my sanity. This is the first time I finally feel there is a bit of movement in my work life. But potentially it is coming a live and moving, which is a good thing.  

f0xh0les

Hugs @ditty1234 -  will  it keep your head above water, and allow you some time to do your own things and side projects?  Your mental health is the key consideration or you will burnout and crash.   It may also lead to other things and new contacts.  

Meanwhile, back at the ranch ...... Lunch was a random affair, all the leftover portions of stuff from the last 4 days, with rice/couscous/salad. It fed 5 of us, and it cleared a lot of space in the fridge.   I will make a bendy-veg soup for tomorrow to get rid of the rest.

DH  leaves for his camping trip tomorrow, and I feel like am sitting on my hands waiting for him to go, so I can get on with the major job of clearing and sorting without him slinking around like a guilty puppy.   The house will be much cleaner and tidier and easier to live in by the time he comes back. 

The plants outside are looking fab, I have a nasturtium fountain of flowers growing up my drainpipes, it looks really cheerful (if a bit 1970's municipal), the passionflower has flowered, and they are all white!  Surprise!  the bees are loving them, so  if they don't care, neither will I.  The lavender bush is also covered in bees, and for the first time I feel like I am properly helping the wildlife in my little yard.  I am going to spend more time out there as soon as the cleaning and clearing is done.

I am trying to find a run of 5 days, where nobody has an appointment, to take everyone to Ireland before the schools go back at the end of September.  It is really not easy!! Three of us are easy, it is the other three that are the troublesome ones.  I just want it over with so I can relax!

DawnW

Thanks @Thrifty_Taylor but bereavement payments are only for people on means tested benefits, and that isn't me. It might be different in Scotland though!

Hope the interview goes well @ditty1234

Today I met with the funeral celebrant, and finalised catering arrangements, so hopefully all ready for next Tuesday and then it will all be over. I am really tired, haven't recovered from the 24 hour caring stints yet. I am not as young as I was, and have either awful hay fever or a cold. I think probably hay fever, which has been shocking this summer. And trying to arrange this funeral, mainly for my cousin's benefit, as my preference would have been for a direct cremation (my brother wouldn't have cared, and that is what I would choose for myself) has been like herding cats. Anyway, hopefully everyone will be happy with it. If not, too bad I am afraid. I physically and mentally can't do anything else.

Sorry, I didn't mean this to be a pity party. Other things today:

The new bathroom seems to be taking shape. It now has a shower tray and a loo, anyway

Did a load of washing and dried it outside on the line

Started to sort out / move money for the funeral and building, or at least identify whereabouts to take it from. I am hoping that my cousin will come good on his offer to pay something towards it. We will see, but if not, it isn't the end of the world  

Picked a big handful of runner and French beans for dinner

Laughed at the dog, who spent ages circling and growling at a dead fly on the floor   I have swept it up now he has got bored of it!

f0xh0les

Might be an idea to take a Covid test @DawnW this latest variant feels like bad hayfever, with tiredness / kidney pains.  Hope the funeral goes well. It is exhausting at the best of times, please don't apologise for being honest.

In an effort to sabotage my diet, I have just made scones and coconut sponge cakes.   When will I learn?  I am still antsy after coming back from a week away.  Normal service will resume tomorrow.

lcc86

Evening turtles

Yesterday small spend on a coffee, saw my payslip for the month so finalised my budget for August. Hoping to chuck a lot at the credit card to clear as much as possible. Need to update my signature with my totals for this month.

Today I had to use the credit card to pay for a small car repair. I did have a car fund but used it to pay for my insurance and a different repair last month. Frustrating but I know I'll get it cleared ASAP.

Still chasing various HR departments for my new job. Can't believe it's been 6 weeks since the offer and I still haven't been able to hand my notice in due to various delays... hey ho... we'll get there.

lcc86

Today has been a spend day, had a day off work and went to a  horse show with my friend. Spends on parking (£15!) and we each bought each other coffee as the weather was miserable. I also bought some new riding socks, I've worn holes in mine so I definitely needed some new ones and they should last years.