Settling in for the long haul

Dakota_Rose

Good advice @DancingInTheRain - I’m wired very similarly. I’ve said to Mr D that I don’t care what we do any of the days but we need a plan for each on the calendar. Even if it says ‘chill day’. I just like to know ‘the plan’ 😂. Mr D is a rebel and will naturally get the urge to revolt against the plan, especially if something wouldn’t be his first choice 🤣. He does love my itineraries when we’re away on holidays though. If I left it to him, we’d have far less to look forward to when away… if we even got that far! Mr D is wonderful but starting a job he doesn’t want to do is his Achilles heel for sure.

Talking of job avoidance, I may gently mention he considers finishing the last bit of the shower replacement that’s come to a grinding halt 😭 😠.

Honeysucklelou2

Well done on reaching the end of term. Enjoy every moment!! We have 2 days left to go so trying to drag every bit of energy together for those!! It does take a while to readjust to a home life pattern doesn’t it?! Happy holidays 😊

Dakota_Rose

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82074259#Comment_82074259

Good luck on those final two days. They somehow take everything you have!

Well, after a better night’s sleep last night, I’ve felt much more human today. Saying that, I’ve still just had a little cat nap on the sofa after finishing my book. Review to follow…

Dakota_Rose

The Falls is my first Ian Rankin novel and I really enjoyed it. I will keep my eye out for some more of his titles on my charity shop travels over the summer. It was a very realistic detective novel and I enjoyed the grittiness without over-dramatisation of the story. It was very believable but had you hooked especially towards the final chapters. I was just aware there was a lot of background to the characters I had missed by starting on a later novel. I’d score it 8.5/10.

26 books for 2026

1.You Are Here (easy read) 9/10

2. The Seven Murders of Evelyn Hardcastle (time-travelling murder mystery) 9.5/10

3. Love Untold (ending made a middling read worthwhile) 8/10

4. Way Back (engaging easy read with a farm theme and a few typos) 8.5/10

5. The Cuckoo’s Calling (first of the Strike detective novels) 8.5/10

6. Yellowface (‘too awful to look away’ page-turner) 10/10

7. A Thousand Splendid Suns (emotive, heavy but worthwhile read) 10/10

8. Before the coffee gets cold (Japanese coffee-shop time-travelling scenarios) 8/10

9. Us Three (screenplay-style friendship story) 9/10

10. The Twyford Code (a puzzle within a puzzle) 9/10

11. The Shock of the Fall (first person narrative with flashbacks - includes childhood trauma told sensitively and with humour woven throughout) 8/10

12. Guilty (lots of shock factor details, but predictable storyline) 7.5/10

13. The Falls (Scottish detective novel) 8.5/10

ellenvan

Ian Rankin books are some of my favourite.

You'll find plenty in charity shops, all worth a read.

Dakota_Rose

Thanks @ellenvan I thought as much and will keep my eye out for some more.

£1 cashed out of TCB has been sent to the mortgage. Every little helps right?

ohdearhowdidthathappen

Well done for getting to the end of term. Sounds like you’ve divided all the money up well, it’s always satisfying seeing pots and savings fill up 😁

Dakota_Rose

The first proper day off of the summer break and it’s been nice. I am waking at a much more reasonable time now so am feeling better rested. The sun was shining and we’ve had two loads of washing dried outside.

We visited mum for an hour or two and came away with jigsaws and books plus a lovely mini painting set that she bought as a treat for my upcoming holiday. Then it was on to Aldi where we got (hopefully) enough food to see us through to Friday.

Dinner was smash burgers, homemade potato salad and tomato/beetroot salad. It was yummy but I overate. Really need to get better with my portion sizes. I’ve always been a ‘petite’ adult but since hitting peri-meno, I’ve started to put weight on around my midriff which is not pleasant. Dinner was followed by a dog walk which was pleasant but humid. DDog managed to graze her cheek over-frolicking in the wheat field so I’ve cleaned her up since getting home. Thankfully she’s oblivious to any harm done. Bull terrier through and through.

Tomorrow’s plans are simple: reading and chilling at home. Littlest and I are going to walk to our adjoining village to visit the library and join the summer reading challenge. I’m not even sure my library card is still valid so will see if I can get it reissued and look for a couple of holiday reads while I’m there. We have a bigger library in town so if we can’t see much, we’ll pop in there on Wednesday.

Dakota_Rose

Today has been a good mixture of indoors and out. We took a walk to the local library and littlest really enjoyed himself. We both signed up for new library cards and he has started the summer reading challenge. The ladies working in there today were absolutely lovely and made him feel so welcome.

The walk back up the hill was harder as the sun had made an appearance and it was boiling. We stopped off at the garden centre for a little browse but I’m glad to report we came away with bank balance intact. So a no spend day here. I’ve started a new jigsaw this afternoon and picked up a few books for myself. There wasn’t an Ian Rankin in stock but three others by authors I’ve enjoyed so I picked those up.

Dinner was a picky bits tea which everyone enjoyed and then Little Miss and I went back out for the evening dog walk. We got to see hay-baling in action which was lovely.

I am looking forward to a quiet evening now with a new book and peppermint tea to snuggle up with. Wishing anyone stopping by a pleasant Tuesday night ready for another hump day tomorrow.

Dakota_Rose

Little Miss has been waiting for today for a long time. We have booked to have her ears re-pierced after a bad experience a couple of years ago at the well known children’s jewellers that use a gun. She got an infection after the gun had caught in her ear and bent the earring inside. We ended up taking them out completely and letting her ears heal. I’m not completely sure the two things are linked, as it didn’t happen immediately, but it doesn’t give me the faith to go back there again. We have booked a local piercer who will use a needle. It costs less than half of what we paid before, which makes me slightly nervous, but cost doesn’t always equal quality.

My piercings have always been wonky after a similarly bad experience with a piercing gun as a child. I rarely wear earrings nowadays as a result.

Other than that, we will be in town so will resist all the treats with the kids in tow and pop to see Mum afterwards.