Progress is...

rtandon27

@Cherryfudge - oh hunny you do make me laugh!

Popped on to give myself a pat on the back for finishing off the d@mn blue badge re-application - it was soul destroying and tedious - worse than a root canal!  I have to say though that MrGPT was instrumental in helping me with the idiot creative writing parts - honestly there are some things that are with you for life, I should not have to prove it over and over again!!!

OH did point out that he is getting older, so next time we might be getting him a blue badge instead - that did make me chuckle!

I did however have TWO HR e-mails to write today - one sharing the stuff and nonsense that MsMM threw at me on Friday and the other to take this Friday off due to stress caused by work - I followed the advice of my HR person and put in a day's leave as a DIRECT consequence of a rubbish e-mail trail and MsMM's very inappropriate personal attack via Teams.  I had the respect and dignity to refer to it as a private exchange, but she was digging herself out of the hole to hell and tried to backtrack on what she said and then announced she'd be sharing the trail! - not asked if I minded, but TOLD.  I am NOT impressed! - I'm glad I maintained my dignity throughout - I've vowed never to put anything into a work chat that could be held against me and I've stuck to it!  Worst boss I've every had BUT I have a history of working with some of the best of the best when it comes to managers and I've learned a thing or two!  This current one seems to forget that I've been doing what I do for almost 25 years, and I'm damn good at it.

beanielou

Boss sounds dire.

Cherryfudge

What a nightmare. Well done for staying professional.

Someone once advised me to keep a printout of certain work-related things as they can 'vanish'. Year later I had just such a 'vanishing' done to me - so I'll pass the advice on for what it's worth. Keep a print out or forward to a private email if you are likely to need to refer back to something.

Staffordia

I suspect that your boss knows exactly how good you are at your job and feels threatened by it.

Perhaps someone higher up was singing your praises, and she views you as a threat. Or she could just be a rubbish manager, there's plenty of those about. 

rtandon27

@beanielou - terrible as a manager, before she was my manager I was actually quite fond of her!

@Cherryfudge - I bcc my personal e-mail on every reply so have started a file - I've also taken to putting everything in writing and keeping a documents diary - it's all so exhausting on top of everything else, but if i don't my career could be harmed!

@Staffordia - very insightful my dear, my OH said exactly the same thing & added that the reason I've always loved my job is because i'm natural at it, which I'd never even thought about before.

So today was a day of rest for me - I took a day off & ensured that HR had documented that it was due to work related stress. I've never in my life taken a stress day but needs must! - I played in the garden, enjoyed the sunshine & the silence, learned to use my 'new' tablet and peripherals, had a nap, ate lots of protein, did a tiny bit of pilates, kept hydrated and basically let my cortisol come back to normal!

Progress is...
knowing when to say when and listening to what i intuitively know is needed!

rtandon27

Early start to the day!  I've been up since shortly after 5 so decided to have some quiet time and leave himself to his deep sleep!

looming tasks...
💡 do bus pass application - this one may have to wait until the new bluebadge arrives - I'll double check
❗ renew passports - one is expired - the other will expire soon
🔆file the paperwork (have sorted through a huge pile that now needs filing)
* fixed savings rates all end this week, need to focus and find better places to move the money to!

routine tasks...
✅ YNAB juggling - payday not until Monday - but OH does have a 2nd pension payment this month!
✅ grocery order - in the works
✅ meal plan (last week's plan & this week's plan for reference!)
✅ supplements
✅ Weekly surveys & contests
✅ laundry, laundry & more laundry! - chugging along in the background & making use of the free solar drying

not routine...
✅  make vanilla with spare vodka & vanilla beans (that only took 5 mins! - why was it on the list for so long?) - it now just sits for three months before it can be used, but I will have a good 5 year supply so might end up decanting and gifting at thanksgiving & xmas with a cookie kit for a few dear hearts who appreciate that kind of thing
✅  source thai fragrant rice - added to on-line shop - new brand on sale - also ordered a small bag of basmathi which we hardly ever eat
✅  set-up dongle return - RM pick-up for next wfh day - does not function with work laptop, it's too advanced
✅  purchase a different keyboard - last week's purchase is really cheap and cheerful! - found one will return the other one
✅  purchase mobile phone cover - current one decided to fall apart!
✅  in an effort to use up the remaining 10% of my samples, decanted 60 hair cream samples into a bigger bottle - a pedantic calculation shows me that 300mL of said product would cost a whopping 17 pounds at retail price!
✅ 3 sets of travel size products set aside for future trips & remaining samples divved up for this purpose as well
✅  garden centre for b-day month cake and coffee and large pots for baby trees
🔱 purchase and set up digital planner - how-to videos have been watched!
🔱 rice krispie squares - for Canada Day!


medical follow-ups...
* follow-up on OT recommendations for work assessment
* follow-up on eye specialist (forgot about this one!) - where is the dang referral?
* have a look at nutritionist through healthcare - during the week sometime

garden things...
❗ new trellis needs to go up for the climbing rose in the front - OH STILL needs to get some hardware for this
🔆 deadheading roses - ongoing
🔆 finish taming climbing jasmine & add more supports for it to grown on
✅  sort through seeds to see which need starting for late summer & autumn plants
✅  prune hibiscus bush and cut out dead wood - use some garden wire to tame
✅  pull up self-seeded parsnips & clear path of all things prickly and invasive!
✅  order new drain guards on big river site
✅  source a pot for my baby lilac tree - will be ordered online
✅  source a pot for the baby birch  - will be ordered online
✅  source a pot for the baby sycamore - will be ordered online
✅  source lots of potting soil - will be ordered online
🔱 trim down and rehome butterfly bush which seems to be in a plastic bag of all things! - sigh - after it stops flowering!
* hill up potato bags again!  All 5 are thriving atm but need more soil.
* get gutters cleaned - ask window cleaner if he can do it
* start getting quotes for new felt for flat roof & summer house & shed

rtandon27

July 1st! - Mid-year & Canada Day 🇨🇦 ♥️ 

It's been a productive and restful Canada Day weedend & this afternoon will be a lovely treat of visiting the visual home of D0wnton Abbey for tea & a tour - the 'real' house is 20 mins up the road from where we live & we will be hosted by the lord & lady no less to celebrate it's ties with my homeland's 'creation'. (The irony of that turn of phrase is not lost on me but for today I will set it aside.)  Don't get any ideas that I've moved up in the world, it will be the two of us and at least 70 others with ties to my homeland, but I'm thrilled to have been invited/selected!  Last time I was around a couple of that 'stature' it was in wellies & raincoats, covered in mud helping out at the corination volunteer day in my town, a decidedly less formal occasion!

Yesterday was payday & I noted that my new tax code has taken effect to account for my stupidity last year with savings accounts! 30 pounds less a month for the time being but I'm 95% sure some of that will come back at the end of the taxation year as they are overcompensating thinking I'll make the same mistake again this year!  OH on the other hand was overtaxed on his endowment payment as they presumed incorrectly that he still has a working man's income instead of a pension.

As this place in cyber-space is ostensibly a mortgage free diary, I've had a look at my mortgage today and am happy to report that at this time next month, I will be sub 150K.  With one year left to go at my very low interest rate, I'm hoping to be able to bring it down to somewhere around 130K before renewal.  At that point, I will be able to look at reducing the length of the mortgage as well, perhaps to 11 years instead of the 15 that will be left.

There is not much more that we can do to maximise mortgage overpayments over the next year, so instead we will be focussing for the next year on keeping things as frugal as possible, while letting the mortgage payment plan tick away in the background and celebrate the milestones when we get there.  A bit of mini-management tasks while the macro-management takes care of itself.

...and a little tidy-up of my weekend list in preparation for my short three-day working week...

looming tasks...
💡 do bus pass application - this one may have to wait until the new bluebadge arrives - I'll double check
❗ renew passports - one is expired - the other will expire soon
🔆file the paperwork (have sorted through a huge pile that now needs filing)
* fixed savings rates all end this week, need to focus and find better places to move the money to!

routine tasks...
*not much happening here until the weekend - on weekdays I get paid to focus elsewhere!

not routine...
🔱 purchase and set up digital planner - how-to videos have been watched!
🔱 rice krispie squares - for Canada Day!

medical follow-ups...
* follow-up on OT recommendations for work assessment
* follow-up on eye specialist (forgot about this one!) - where is the dang referral?
* have a look at nutritionist through healthcare - during the week sometime

garden things...
❗ new trellis needs to go up for the climbing rose in the front - OH STILL needs to get some hardware for this
🔆 deadheading roses - ongoing
🔆 finish taming climbing jasmine & add more supports for it to grown on
🔱 trim down and rehome butterfly bush - sigh - after it stops flowering!
* hill up potato bags again!  All 5 are thriving atm but need more soil.
* get gutters cleaned - ask window cleaner if he can do it
* start getting quotes for new felt for flat roof & summer house & shed

rtandon27

Feeling very lethargic after a chiro appt that resulted in a 2 hours nap yesterday & disrupted sleep over-night!  The aim of this weekend will be to take it easy...

looming tasks...
❗ blue badge - modifications - honestly I can't figure out for the life of me why they are asking for things I've already submitted! (lots of cursing was involved when the e-mail arrived)
💡 do bus pass application - this one may have to wait until the new bluebadge arrives? - I'll double check
❗ renew passports - one is expired - the other will expire soon
🔆file the paperwork (have sorted through a huge pile that now needs filing)
🔆fixed savings rates all end this week, need to focus and find better places to move the money to! - having a look through & formulating a plan! (see next post)

routine tasks...
✅ YNAB juggling - we are all budgeted for this month and the next with a 50 pound floater for each month
✅ grocery order - in the works
✅ meal plan (last week's plan & this week's plan for reference!)
✅ Weekly surveys & contests - surveys are lacking this week - lots of contests available!
✅ laundry - very little to do this week - 2 small loads as last weekend was a laundry marathon
✅ supplements

not routine...
✅ vacuumed ground floor (not routine for me, OH usually does this once or twice a week)
✅ dettoled and rearranged cooking oils and storage container - OH does the cooking
🔱 purchase and set up digital planner - how-to videos have been watched!
🔱 rice krispie squares - c/o as we had cakes & sweets with our high-tea buffet at the castle on Tuesday
🔱 check when current energy fix ends (Oct 3rd) & diarize 49 days for switch (Aug 15)
* check date for home insurance renewal (august something) & diarize optimal price date (july insurance)

medical follow-ups...
🔱 follow-up on OT recommendations for work assessment
🔱 follow-up on eye specialist (forgot about this one!) - where is the dang referral?
🔱 have a look at nutritionist through healthcare - during the week sometime

garden things...
❗ new trellis needs to go up for the climbing rose in the front - OH STILL needs to get some hardware for this
🔆 finish taming climbing jasmine & add more supports for it to grown on - mostly tamed - but not supported
🔱 trim down and rehome butterfly bush - sigh - after it stops flowering!
✅ orchid food given to windowsill potted orchids 
✅ more pruning & deadheading done!
✅ harvested chilis and strung up to air dry
✅ harvested blackberries & frozen for crumble - lost all the early raspberries to the birds!
✅ hill up potato bags again!  All 5 are thriving atm but need more soil.
✅ harvested some lavendar and crafted a pomander for the spare room
✅ started some loquat seeds which will make nice indoor plants
✅ started mini sunflowers for some autumn colour on the patio
* get gutters cleaned - ask window cleaner if he can do it
* start getting quotes for new felt for flat roof & summer house & shed
* transplant baby trees into their new pots
* transplant sale plants into the vacated medium pots
* order some cactus & succulent soil for indoor plants - these get neglected for years on end and thrive!

work thing...
keep in mind what did not get finished yesterday

rtandon27

...a separate little post to list savings accounts movements for the day...

...as my OH fails miserably at shuffling his money around, I thought it best to start with his!

1) OH's ISA locked into a fixed ISA at 4% interest (4x what it had dropped to when it matured)
2) a regular saver set up for him at 5% interest - this is just shuffling a small amount of money around to get interest as it currently sits gathering nothing! - just over 60 pounds will be earned for 10 mins of work
3) OH's endowment money moved into a limited access saver at 2.5% rather than the 1% account he had left it in!

Most of the interest earned will be in the tax free ISA, and the rest well under the threshold to pay tax.  If he needs to pay anymore to the lawyer there is enough easily accessible and his pension each month goes towards our regular bills

I'm too tired to do it now, but my savings are next, during the week perhaps?

1) open a new higher interest ISA and transfer in my old one which has also dropped to 1% on maturity
2) close pitiful savings account and move 75% into ISA - other 25% to be used for a S&S ISA
3) another savings account will automatically move to a bank with a higher interest rate - I'll wrap my head around that later in the year
4) building society savings will mature soon, look at interest rates before moving or reinvesting
5) regular savings is ticking along, it resets every year and the money just recycles itself from the current
6) remaining savings are going to be paid into mortgage overpayments between now and December

phew - figuring all that out was quite a Sunday chore!

rtandon27

Monday morning reset while I take a coffee break from work...

looming tasks...
❗ blue badge - modifications - honestly I can't figure out for the life of me why they are asking for things I've already submitted! (lots of cursing was involved when the e-mail arrived)
💡 do bus pass application - this one may have to wait until the new bluebadge arrives? - I'll double check
❗ renew passports - one is expired - the other will expire soon
🔆 file the paperwork (have sorted through a huge pile that now needs filing)
🔆 my savings need juggling - OH's done

routine tasks...
none until the weekend!

not routine...
🔱 purchase and set up digital planner - how-to videos have been watched!
🔱 rice krispie squares - c/o as we had cakes & sweets with our high-tea buffet at the castle on Tuesday
🔱 check when current energy fix ends (Oct 3rd) & diarize 49 days for switch (Aug 15)
* check date for home insurance renewal (august something) & diarize optimal price date (july insurance)

medical follow-ups...
🔱 follow-up on OT recommendations for work assessment
🔱 follow-up on eye specialist (forgot about this one!) - where is the dang referral?
🔱 have a look at nutritionist through healthcare - during the week sometime

garden things...
🔱 new trellis needs to go up for the climbing rose in the front - OH has acquired the hardware this morning!
🔆 finish taming climbing jasmine & add more supports for it to grown on - mostly tamed - but not supported
🔱 trim down and rehome butterfly bush - sigh - after it stops flowering!
* get gutters cleaned - ask window cleaner if he can do it
* start getting quotes for new felt for flat roof & summer house & shed
* transplant baby trees into their new pots
* transplant sale plants into the vacated medium pots
* order some cactus & succulent soil for indoor plants - these get neglected for years on end and thrive!